Here be Dragons [IC]

[Aeryr]

Welcome to the jungle

Vlad

Searching for a cure has been a long journey. At first the humans offered several treatments from balsams and oils to leeches but it seems that nothing has helped you in the past. Even if you have never ceased in your search it seems like no human healing method can help you.

Rumors are that there are medicinal herbs in the jungle, good medicines that might help you if you find a good healer. Most of the humans of Arcadia mention it whenever they are asked, the jungle can heal, but it seems that it can also kill rather easily. Humans are scared; they have cut down most of the trees surrounding the small city and recluse themselves behind the wall. Even if you have tried no one has joined you in an expedition.

You are alone now, walking the Hangman Street by the arena of Arcadia when you hear a sweet voice.

-You seem sick little man.

The voice pertains to an elf, and since she is not completely covered you can ascertain that she is a woman. Her skin is pale and soft, but not as white as her hair, which is almost as white as snow. Her purple eyes almost don't look at you, like she keeps an eye on her surroundings. She appears to be young even if her colors might make her appear old, but you never can tell with an elf.

-Does it hurt?

Ripley
It hasn't been a productive week and you know it. Arcadia seems apathetic like a tired crone. But rumors on the other side are erupting. Maron Goldtooth has a map, a dusty old map. Some say it's elven written on golden parchment with magical ink that swirls around to show the way. Some say that it's not parchment but human skin and the letters are of dry human blood, and if you listen to it you can hear the ululating voices of the tormented souls imprisoned on it. Others believe that it’s made of dragon skin and printed with fire.

Some rumors also mention that Maron has gone mad over it, like a crazy old fool. And they might be into something; everyone knows that Maron has so much gold that he swims on it. That much gold should make you go crazy. But whatever, Maron is founding an expedition to the jungle, and that's rare, but he promises gold, good old shiny gold.

Maybe you could pay him a visit.

Rosapia
A shadow fickles by you. It doesn't take long before you realize that it is in fact a raven. A black raven dark as the deepest winter night. The bird hasn't made a noise until it has appeared and it looks unnerving, almost unnatural, looking you in the eye with an intelligence that is alien to an animal.

It has a small parchment at its beak and tosses it to you, slowly enough so you can get it without trouble.

It has come to our attention, dear Rosapia that the quest on finding those renegades has been hard and slow, but you are closer than you might think. Our readings on the beacon are getting stranger. Maybe there is another talisman nearby, a talisman that we cannot reach directly for it is blocked, but perhaps you can. If anyone is stupid or daring enough to carry it on the open… chances are that is not one of the fugitives but it bears questioning nonetheless.

The letter is written in a familiar writing. Old Hob one of the oldest necropolitans where you were converted signs it and it is clearly his style. The raven looks at you studying your reaction with picked interest.

Nor
Breathing is so dull and boring. Eating is in fact considerably unnecessary. The physical world is clearly overrated and by no means should you be obliged to trade gold for commodities. But sometimes the tool needs some attention too. And in those rare cases you need to trade gold. You can easily understand that, people, are stupid enough to not appreciate the sublime state of mind that you can achieve and certainly they could achieve if they tried.

Unluckily your bag has been emptying itself at a fast and alarming rate. Luckily, for you, you have just stumbled into a piece of parchment, a note mentioning someone called Maron Goldtooth, a name that might ring a small bell, and a pile of gold. A pile of gold; just for a walk through the jungle? You can certainly do that, maybe you can even find something interesting to occupy your mind.

Madoc
-So you want to get some laws going into Arcadia. – The dwarf smiles broadly, his white beard is really long and dusty, contrasting with his armor made of dark grey stones tied together. –Well for starters you are going to need gold.

There is some strange shine in the commander of the Wall defenders at the mention of the precious metal. He says the word with manifest respect; almost like a proud father. The mercenary ways aren’t alien to the dwarf they are strong and wise people, but have a gold fever that sometimes cannot be easily satiated. Luckily they also have a strong tradition of rules and oaths so they feel slightly uncomfortable at Arcadia.

-And you will need to deal with Goldtooth. – That name he pronounces with a bitter ting, the merchant is at the same time a patron and a ruler, but is human, and the old Dwarf cannot stand a human with more riches than a Dwarf. –Luckily for you there could be a way. Have you heard of the expedition?

OOC here (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=246595)

[moritheil]

Rosapia bows deeply to the raven. "I hear and obey, lords," she whispers in Draconic, glancing furtively about her to make sure she is alone. Arcadia, larger than a town but small for a city, looms all around her. "I will seek it in the city and its surroundings." It doesn't seem that anyone is watching, and a gnome speaking to animals could hardly be taken as unusual in most areas, but discretion has been drilled into her. She winces, involuntarily recalling her training. Mistakes had been painful, and even though she feels no pain now, at times it seems her body still remembers.

Reading the letter deeply, she commits its contents and precise wording to memory, then tears it up into small strips. Later she will find an unobtrusive place to burn it and scatter the ashes. Powerful magic might reconstitute it still, but that same training reminds her to never be lax in this regard. Even her response to the raven might not be strictly necessary - they could be watching, or not - but there are no risks there worth taking, no knowledge to be gained from defiance.

Effects on Rosa:
Command Undead - cast on herself. 6 days remaining.
Disguised as her living self - from disguise kit, with Wieldskill, check made at +16 (+10 competence +6 skill +2 circumstance -2 'different race')

Spells and 1 disguise kit use will be marked off.

[casualcryptic]

Vlad
Vlad wandered the streets fully armed. When he had first entered human lands he had abided by the customs and lodged himself in taverns, but that didn't last long. Vlad did not see the point in wasting coin on bed when the ground was perfectly fine. He'd been told it was for security of belongings, but Vlad felt plenty secure relying on the strength of his arm for protection.

In truth the Goliath was getting sick of the cowardice of this city, and of the soft races in general. He could stomach the dwarves he'd met for the most part, but by and large the other races operated on fear.

Vlad's stomach curls as he hears the elf's voice and her words force him to grit his teeth. The audacity of the elves is something that Vlad is familiar with, but not necessarily something he stomachs well. From the moment he hears the voice he draws his sword. Vlad learned at an early age not to trust sweet things. "I have not been called little in a long time and never by your kind. If you know my curse than you are either an ally or a corpse, Elf. Convince me I can trust you."

Intimidation: 32

[Aeryr]

Rosapia
The raven nods on agreement and expands his wings before he takes fly. It doesn't take long till he disappears in the shadows of the streets it almost seems that he merged with the darkness and just stopped existing.

Not much after the Raven left you see a young man dressed in shiny and colorful clothes passing by. He is not too tall for a human nor well built, but he moves with some grace, like a professional trouper. He probably was quite close to you and the raven while you conversed. He might have heard something or he might not, either way he is moving away.

Vlad
The elf gasps for a second, trying to not look as astonished as she clearly is. Maybe she was not really used to see Goliath around nor anyone react in that manner to her. For a moment she cowers hiding her face with her hands and taking a step back. Then she looks at the barbarian in the eye and smiles slightly.

-You can be scary. But trusting corpses is no good. Corpses can come back, and they don't get scared easily.

She searches in her pouch and takes a small ceramic container. Pressing a lid she reveals the interior, a rouge cream that smells of strawberries and cinnamon. She soaks one of her fingers in the creams and looks at the red material.

-Medicine. And Snack.

She puts the finger in her mouth and tastes it with delight.

[moritheil]

With an effort of will, Rosapia does not frown. To frown would be to alert this man. Instead, she puts a pleasant half-smile on her face, and tries to figure out what she can about him while she casually follows.

"Ho there!" she cries to him in Common. "Forgive my forwardness, sir, but those are some fancy clothes you wear. Might you tell me a little bit about them?"


Bardic Knowledge check: [roll0]

Bluff [roll1] for the purposes of not alerting him that she's interested in figuring out if he saw her. She is actually a bit curious about the clothes, but of course the main thing is whether he saw/overheard her.

Sense Motive [roll2] to see if he reacts like he saw her earlier.

[casualcryptic]

Vlad
Vlad's expression doesn't seem to change much as the stranger reacts. His scare tactic serves a dual purpose, allowing him to test the waters and gauge the elf's mentality. Vlad reasoned that if a person could be intimidated, it meant they feared death or pain, if the could not then they did not. It was much easier to deal with the latter, because he didn't need to treat them as an equal. "The dead may not fear, but they come apart easily enough. They are no threat to me." Vlad quietly studies the girl's medicine. "You've already gone out of your way to find me. Being cryptic is a waste of time."

[THEChanger]

Madoc

Madoc smiled a slightly bemused smile. "Yes, heard of it. Anybody in the business of knowing things has. They say Goldtooth's gone and found himself a map to some temple in the jungle. They also say you'd have to be a damned fool to join the expedition. So just how right are they?"

[PersonMan]

OOC:
I don't actually eat, and Nor isn't quite that somber about things.

There's actually something I never got around to writing up that effects Nor's reactions to things. Essentially, she cycles through each of the Six Thinking Hats to get a wider range of perception when making important decisions when I'm in the right state of mind to write that kind of internal thing up.

Nor reads over the note, her face expressionless. Well, it wasn't quite without expression, as without any mental commands her facial muscles slipped into a slight frown. Still, there wasn't any need for a facial expression without anyone to perceive it, so it really didn't matter. Closing her eyes to the world - or was she opening them to reality? - Nor summons a surge of light, heralding the arrival of the six distorted versions of herself she used to examine the world.

At some point, Nor had heard that some beings with powers in some ways similar to herself (perhaps these were other true creatures? Maybe she wasn't the only one in the strange quasi-reality that was everywhere...) had exaggerated a single aspect of themselves and solidified it as some sort of mobile crystal. Rather than doing this, Nor chose to cultivate her different methods of thought, separate them from one another and use them as a sort of council. At the very least, it was an enjoyable exercise and seeing the result always improved her mood.

Truth, Nor's thought created a ripple in the reality of her mind. Just as her thoughts created ripples in the other world, on the other side of the lids which hid it from her sight. Or were her eyes open now? Was the other place a mental construction? Perhaps she was still in the cave complex after all. No matter.

Our funds have been declining recently. At the current rate, we will not have enough currency to continue upkeep for an extended time while still having funds available for expenses of type A, the waves of thought Truth created were unique, just like all of the six aspects.

Reaction, a second shift in the world of Nor's perception. Sound wasn't present here. It wasn't necessary, she could communicate with the sub-minds via thought. That was all they were, after all. Thoughts. All contained within the shell of flesh now in an alley.

This is a good opportunity. We need gold and the jungle is interesting. We want to see just how far the world will stretch before it breaks, Reaction's reply was always a wave of color.

Potential Negative, Nor's command roused the normally slow to react sub-mind.

Oblivion. Loss of external manifestations via the actions of other dream-entities, Potential Negative's thoughts tended to be short. They didn't need to be longer.

Potential Positive, the 'opposite twin' of P. Negative. Always called up second.

The possible gain of a great amount of external manipulation capability in the form of currency. Maybe even a deeper understanding of the workings of the outer reality, P. Positive tended to add more detail than P. Negative. Odd quirks like this were part of the enjoyment of making sub-minds.

Potential Consequence, Nor ordered.

More expeditions! More work in the city? Maybe strange creatures in the jungle? Perhaps... as usual, P. Consequence's response trailed off into a partially real murmur of possibilities.

Metacognition, Nor called through her mind, instantly bringing the sub-thought interaction of the sub-minds to a halt. Meta was a dangerous being. Of all the sub-minds it was by far the most developed and, due to the odd workings of Nor's inner reality, could potentially grow into a rebellious creature intent on gaining control of all of the inner world. It was this potential that made Meta interesting. Similar, in part, to some of the other personality shards Nor had amplified in the past few months. Every possible situation was covered by now.

So many sub-minds clamber to appraise the situation, yet your decision if only influenced by a few. Of all of the fractures you have made, many beings connect across them and send to me this truth: end consensus is in favor. Personally, I'm looking forward to it. I want to feel this world come alive with power again. I've been enjoying the memories of the Crimson Thunder, Meta materialized, unlike any other sub-mind, without any specific order to. It was an androgynous version of her body, composed of brightly burning blue power. The casual reference to its ability to relive the past via other sub-minds was a calculated move, intended to remind the other assembled beings of its far greater power within their reality.

So the decision had been made.

Opening the eyes of her body. Nor turned towards the street. A man completed the step he had begun at the beginning of the process of decision making - a reminder than this reality moved so much more slowly than her inner one. Thinking about how easily influenced the world around her was, Nor stepped up onto the wall of the building to one side of her, walking up the twenty feet until she came up onto the rooftop. It was strange, how a mere twenty feet up there was something that almost seemed like another world. The streets appeared to be further away than they were, the noises of city life carrying far over the walls and into the sky, easily heard from such a high vantage point.

Choosing a location she remembered to be the place where similar expeditions had gathered, Nor began the trip across the top of the city.

OOC:
Yeah, I'm just going to go to any meeting place mentioned on the note or a place that seems like it would be a likely one for people to prepare something like this.

[Aeryr]

Rosapia
The man stops for a moment on his tracks and looks at Rosapia, for a moment he seems surprised but he quickly regains his composure. He moves his arms and when he does it seems that the wind starts singing, there is music in him.

-Well you know I am a trouper, or was, well that doesn't matter. Troupers normally wear clothes like this, and I got used to it.

He moves with a studied dance pass looking at Rosapia showing her how the whole fabrics move and seem to sing while he dances.

-But I am bit busy you know? I suppose that if you are interested in troupers you could ask around maybe there is some company in Arcadia.
Your sense motive doesn't detect if he is lying or not

Vlad
The elf rolls her eyes and puts her finger back into the red paste and this time she puts something on her face, drawing a red line from check to check passing over her nose just below the eyes. For an instant her face changes, it seems feral and untamed. Her eyes shine with a blue tint and her expression is much firmer than it was before, but it is swiftly gone with a sight.

-Little man is sick. Little man needs medicine. Me helps. In exchange little man helps himself.

She speaks slowly and pausing after each sentence, like Vlad is just a baby who is still struggling to speak. There doesn't seem to be malice in her voice, even if she keeps referring to the Goliath as little man.

-This medicine not potent enough, need ingredients. Jungle has ingredients. Little man helps himself, and me. Understand?

The elf looks at the Goliath to see if he can understand.


Madoc
-Clearly anyone with half a brain would say that. You don't **** with the Jungle Madoc, you just don't. That's what most of Arcadia believes, and I am not going to prove them wrong look at me I am a dwarf.

He knocks his slate armor with his closed punch full of pride and fervor. His gaze for a second goes towards his weapons, the long dwarpike that rests against the wall and the sharpened buckler axe that is by the table.

-But people with half a brain don't go to the jungle. They get killed. And even my bearded blind mother knows that you have a brain almost as good as that of a dwarf. Getting a hold on Maron and part of his riches could greatly benefit your plan.

Nor
Actually I did know that Nor didn't need to eat, but I expected her to have material needs :smallsmile: I'll try to keep that in mind
Nor arrived at the Goldtooth mansion, dully named as Dragon's Treasure by its owner and Beggars Doom by the peasants. The reason for the second name was standing by the front door. A tall man, taller than most men and broader than many, was standing guarding the entrance. His nose long and sharp as a saver was pointed to the sky like a bird of prey stalking possible victims. Most of his expression was lost bathed by the sun, but when he smelled Nor he turned his head. Even if big he was human, perhaps he had had giants as distant ancestors or had just exercised a bit too much during his youth. He was Assend Sharp assistant of Maron Goldtooth and his guardian. Rumors stand that he was an assassin and stabbed people to death with his nose,

Whether he was an assassin or not is at the moment irrelevant. He approaches Nor with sure pace showing off his well cut clothes that he wears.

-What brings you hear?

[casualcryptic]

Vlad
Vlad sighs, resting the blade of his gargantuan sword in his other hand. He had not mistaken the elf's broken speech as a stylistic choice. Now that he heard her explain a complex concept he could recognize it as the speech of an outsider attempting a secondary language. How long had it taken himself to adapt to the common speech of the high cities? "I hear your words. You think you can cure me and you want to make a deal. Fine. Tell me what you want in this jungle. Are the ingredients themselves the goal or something else?"

[Loki_42]

Ripley will set out to seek Maron Goldtooth. Perhaps he can gain both some gold, and some information on his recently unearthed lineage.

[THEChanger]

Madoc

"Yeah, ain't that the truth." Madoc considered his options. On the one hand, he'd have to be stupid to risk his hide on the jungle. It was suicide. On the other hand, if he made it back, he'd have an in with the most influential man in Arcadia. "You wouldn't happen to have any info on others who might be signing up for Maron's expedition, would you?"

[Aeryr]

Vlad

-Little man needs no knife. Knife not useful. Knife not part of little man.

She opens her pouch again taking an old piece of parchment it has several drawings on it. Most of them seem plants and flowers. There are some notes in Elvish but her writing is so thin that it is almost impossible to read. She signals one of the flowers, it looks like a lily with some tints of yellowish pigment on it.

-Yellow flowers dangerous for the mind but necessary.

She then goes for her neck and shows the Goliath a tiny amulet it seems to be made of bone and inscribed with elvish runes.

-Dragon bone good for the soul.

And then she taps at the Goliath like she is tapping just a child.

-Big beasts blood good for the body. Can little man hunt?

Ripley
As you are to start on your quest you hear a mumbling sound at your back. A small man, corked like a crone walks toward you amazingly fast for his oldness. You instantly recognize him, he is Talky, one of the worst examples of a jungle survivor. Most of his lower jaw is gone, replaced with claw scars but that it is not the most scary part, he also lost his sanity.

He is dressed in drags and carries a big branch using it as a walking stick and his crazy eyes are fixed upon you. Once he reaches you he boos you.

-Aaaaaughibbrgubugbugrguburgle

Madoc
The dwarf scratches his head and looks over the window like he is a bit troubled to answer that question.

-Well... I know he is serious, he tried to get me on the jungle. But human gold is not enough to get me surrounded by trees. And I have a contract to protect the city. But he ain't probably taking anyone stepping through his door.

Then sighs and looks at Madoc once again.

-He hasn't shown the map to anyone, can't blame him for that. If I had an old map to a forgotten treasure I won't be showing it around more than necessary, don't want to give ideas.

[PersonMan]

Nor shifts reality with a thought, curving her lips into a slight smile as the man approached her. Had he been looking at a different angle, he might have seen her walk down the wall of one of the smaller buildings. Well, maybe it was better this way. Sometimes the ease with which she modified the outer reality seemed to cause negative reactions in its residents. Perhaps they feared that she would use her control of their world against them.

"I'm here because I heard of an expedition and was interested in taking part," Nor says, using her body to change the sounds of the outer reality rather than doing so directly with her mind. It wasn't especially difficult, but it felt like she was only indirectly working the world. When compared to the ways Nor could force reality to change immediately it was a roundabout method of getting the job done. It took far less mental effort, however. Perhaps it was because her mind had a stronger connection to her body than it did to the rest of reality. "Is this the right place for me to be?" Nor asks, shifting her body to one side as she looks up at the sharp-nosed man.

[Loki_42]

Ripley nervously grimaces, as he always does when he sees Talky. "What do you want Talky, I can't do anything right now." He glances around, before pulling a gold piece from his bag and tossing it to the mad cripple. "There, do you want some coin? Now, I really must be off." Ripley tries to continue onward to Maron Goldtooth, trying not to think about how he could end up like Talky.

[Aeryr]

Nor
The man looks at you and turns back before saying a word.

-Follow me.

He starts walking towards the mansion and opens the door to reveal a long corridor. It is decorated with luxury. A soft red carpet covers the floor and the walls are full of paintings, not portraits like many nobles use to fancy but landscapes, everyone of them is signed by Maron and has a date. There are also several chandeliers that hold candles yet to be lit, even if they seem old and they certainly see use there is no stain of wax at any point. The roof is decorated with a sky scenery pale blues and soft whites represent the firmament and clouds.

He leads the way to another door, a simple oak door with a golden handler, that opens to a big circular room. The room is decorated with the same taste that the corridor, having a thick and rich carpet over the wooden floor and some other paintings on the walls. There are several bookshelves that look cramped with books and mementos. Many are marked with letters or numbers, or a combination of both, but any organization seems to escape you at the moment. A double door awaits at the end of the room and some sound comes muffled from it.

There are four people in the room, a big muscled man who wears nothing but a kilt that waits sitting on a chair while caressing his blonde beard. A young woman who is dressed in robes and walks from bookshelf to bookshelf. A gnome sitting on his own backpack, that is probably bigger than himself, and reading a book. And an old knight donned in full armor waiting by the double door with his eyes closed, probably sleeping.

-Wait here until you are summoned. -Says the long nosed man.

Ripley
Talky seems angry and throws your coin to the ground before trying to spite and failing due to his condition. It is then than a gnome also dressed in drags an wearing a suspicious eye patch over his left eye comes to the old man and grabs him. Talky is clearly disgusted by the interference and raises his stick trying to reach you, but since the gnome keeps him pinned he resigns to wave it at the air furiously.

The gnome whispers something on the man ear but to no avail, he looks at you clearly concerned while Talky mumbles something intelligible at him. After a moment the gnome opens his mouth.

-Aint'cha Flamebrand lad? 'hoy cha, ma boy, Ol' Talky means a wor'. Don't cha go to the dragon, donno kil' it. Bad karma, bad, donno kil' da Gods.

[casualcryptic]

Vlad
Vlad is relatively unmoved by the remark that his "knife" isn't apart of himself though he does place it back on his backstrap. "I'll keep hold of it just the same." He listens to each of the elf's explanations and nods. "I can chase and I can kill. Dragons and beasts should be easy enough to mark but the flower may be difficult. You should hand me that one so that I'll have something to compare the plants of the forest with. So what am I hunting?"

[Loki_42]

Ripley looks at the two men, and runs through all the possibilities in his head. Either he stays here in Arcadia, where he's safe, but will always feel ill at ease because he didn't try to follow his history, or he goes into the jungle, and has a chance to find out who he really is. It will be dangerous, but he knows that this is what he must do.

"I'm sorry, but I... I have to do this." Ripley continues onward, trying not to look back.

[THEChanger]

Madoc
"Yeah, we all know you dwarves' opinions on tree." Madoc chuckled slightly. "Thank you for your help, friend. I'll certainly keep in contact with the Wall defenders, just in case anything I find could be of assistance." Madoc stood, and headed for the door. Just before leaving, he stopped, and turned. "Actually, I do have one last question. What's the fastest way to get to where I should meet to seek employment in this expedition?"

[moritheil]

Rosapia grins, and suddenly favors the man with an elaborate bow. "Really, I was curious about where I might get some of that fabric for myself. I won't take up any more of your time. Thank you, and safe travels."

Privately, she checks quickly for the presence of evil in the man's immediate area before turning away. It won't be of any use to her to know if he's evil, really, but it doesn't hurt to have more information in case she runs across him again. She probably can't delay him longer now that he's said he needs to go, and since she approached him directly, physically following him is a bad idea. Well, it seemed good at the time. If she has a day off soon she might try a divination, but her words to the bird were nondescript enough to be attributable to any number of organizations . . . weren't they?

Bluff [roll0] to not be noticed checking him out. The bow is an attempt to buy a few more seconds to concentrate.

[Aeryr]

Vlad
The elf looks at Vlad with a sad expression in her face. She reaches again into the pouch and takes a dry fruit, it has a blueish color, almost purple and she looks at it before taking a bite, by her expression the fruit is sour but clearly edible.

-Little man has little memory, that's no good. Here. Good for memory.

She handles the fruit to Vlad.

-Little man needs to hunt big beast. Big beast on the jungle. With horns and thorns. Spiky. Little man knows big beast?

Ripley
The muffled shouts of Talky reach you ears while you leave. He is still hold by the gnome who keeps his attention on the old man. You are free to go, getting to the Goldtooth mansion should not be hard.

Madoc
The dwarf leaves his desk and gets to the window pointing a tall building that rises to the sky, almost looking like a tower.
-Can you see the temple? Second street to the right from the square in front of it, you won't miss it, Goldtooth has a expensive house.
He approaches you and offers you his hand with a big grin on his face.
-Good luck, and if you find some good stone on that temple let me know, we can always use good stone at the wall.

Rosapia
He has a moderate aura of evil, but he doesn't seem evil. He bows slightly when you do, almost instantly, he seems used to do that.
-Don't think that you can get this here, it was sewn in Karas many miles from here. Well as I said, I am in a hurry.

He then leaves and walks pretty fast not bothering to look back.

[Loki_42]

In that case, Ripley continues onward to Maron Goldtooth, trying to avoid any other distractions.

[casualcryptic]

Vlad
Vlad grabs the fruit with one hand as it is tossed to him. He pockets it for now while he considers the question. "I know plenty of beasts with horns. I killed a Minotaur once. I've seen a few beasts with spikes as well. I'm not sure I've ever fought one with both. Can't be too hard to find I imagine, but feel free to tell me as much as you like."

[Aeryr]

Ripley
Ripley arrives to the Goldtooth mansion, over the front door a signal marks it as Dragon Nest. He can walk through the front garden, the gate is open but once at the main door he finds it closed, a further inspection would reveal that it is not locked, and at the moment unattended.

Vlad
The elf sighs like Vlad did something really stupid, she looks frustrated almost angry.

-Fruit no good for memory if not eaten, little man will forget fruit.

Then when she hears that the little man killed a minotaur she seems intrigued an curious.

-Little man isn't lying? Little man killed a minotaur? Maybe knife killed minotaur, little man is kidding, isn't he?

The last words seem to be directed to the sword at the back of the Goliath, nor to Vlad directly.

[casualcryptic]

Vlad
Vlad sighs. "For someone who knows so much about Vlad's curse, you know very little about Vlad. I do not joke. If my blade kills a creature I claim the kill. It is an extension of my arm. It's actions are my actions, and no other man may wield it." Vlad glances to the pouch he shoved his fruit in. "Fine." He pulls the strange fruit out and takes a large bite, devouring it almost without chewing. "Then I think we are done for now. I will return. I imagine you will find me when I do?"

[Aeryr]

Vlad
The elf shrugs herself and almost utters a curse, something on the line of a sword killing something isn't the same as someone killing something.
-You can find, me it is easy. Eilis is known, everyone knows that little man Vlad.

[Loki_42]

Ripley will knock on the door, and then if nobody answers, he will cautiously let himself in.

[casualcryptic]

Vlad
Vlad could feel his temper beginning to smolder underneath the surface, but it was controllable. He would not wast his rage on this creature. "Ellis? Is that your name Elf?"

[moritheil]

Rosa mentally shrugs. The bard might or might not have overheard. He might really have something to do, or he could be leaving to report this to any number of organizations - the city's lords, the thieves' guild, or even the renegades she sought. But if he really was some kind of agent, he was good enough to spy on her, lie to her, and give a cover story all without her being able to tell. Or, it could all be coincidence. Either way, nothing would be gained from pursuit at this time.

After pausing to think for a moment, she heads off in the direction of a tavern. Time to seek information.

[Aeryr]

Nor
Applying Chandler's Law (http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/ChandlersLaw)

It doesn't take long till the door opens, a fully armored woman steps through the door. Her expression is hard to tell, since her face seems unnaturally covered with shadows but you can clearly see that she is not smiling, in fact her skin is terse and pale. When she passes by you you can see clearly that what at first appeared as metal or a ceramic decoration is in fact bone, her armor, or most of it, is made of old dragon bone.

She flashes through the waiting room leaving fast without looking back at all. Once she is left a man appears from the studio. This must be Maron Goldtooth, he walks like owns the place smoking a cigar with pleasure. He is a man still not feeling the weight of aging on his shoulders and looks at the room with a smirk. After looking at everyone he signals to the big barbarian and lets him into the studio.

As they get into the office the woman in robes approaches Nor and tries to start a conversation.

-Uhm... hello I am Aivlis. I was wondering if you had some parchment.

Ripley
A long nosed man steps through the door at Ripley's first knock. He is Assend Sharp, Goldtooth's assistant and guardian.

-What buisness do you have here?

As he is speaking an armored woman leaves the mannor. Her face is hidden under a cloak that seems covered in shadows but Ripley can clearly see that her armor is made of bone and her white locks of hair falling over it.

-Good day, Ms Longshadow. - The buttler says as the woman leaves but she doesn't pay him any attention, in fact after waiting for a couple of minutes another man, dressed in colorfoul clothes arrives and the start to talk while they leave.

Sharp looks back at Ripley waiting for an answer.

Vlad
Eilis looks at Vlad raising an eyebrow in surprise. And then nods.

-Little man didn't know?

She looks almost sad. She hugs the Goliath and pats him on the shoulder, or at least as up as she can reach.

-Poor little man, little man's memory worse than Eilis thought. Little man should hurry.

Rosapia
Luckily for Rosa there is a tavern nearby. The "Broken Tree" easily recognizable due to being completely built with stone and having not one but two doors. One of the doors is of normal human height but the other one is clearly built for either children or short people. Inside the tavern several men and dwarf drink loads of dwarf bear. Once inside a dwarf wartress approaches you carrying a couple of mugs and a huge smile.

-Beer or beer sweetie?

[moritheil]

The gnome laughs. "Beer it is, then, I guess!" She makes a show of looking about the tavern. If there is an empty table near the humans or dwarves already drinking, she'll take it, and won't discourage anyone else from sitting by near her. If the tavern is so crowded that there are no empty tables, she'll look for a mixed table to sit with, reasoning that those are more likely to be strangers sitting together, or travelers.

Since she can't actually get drunk, she plans to sip at her beer slowly and listen in on conversation. If someone says something interesting, she's willing to commit a minor faux pas and insert herself into the conversation in an attempt to learn more.

[Loki_42]

Ripley looks at Sharp, and says, "Hello, my name is Ripley." His voice drops as he continues, "I'm here to see Maron about the... about the map." He begins to glance around wildly, trying to take everything in, with particular interest being placed on Sharp and on the woman in armor.

[Aeryr]

Rosapia

It doesn't take long for Rosapia to sit down and get her own beer. Almost as she sits down into an empty table in order to get some information she hears...
-John, John, let's get some whores.
There is a dwarf shouting a song about some dude named John and his quest to get whores. Whenever he sang "John, John, let's get some whores" the crowd would reply.
-I cannot go, my mother doesn't let me.
And the dwarf would shout back to his heart contempt.
-Yes you can go, your mother is the owner.
His singing included some obscenities, including a Pelor priest leading the whore expedition or John's fiance being the main course of the brothel. After more verses than is reasonable another dwarf sits at the table, he is wearing full armor and its made of sheets of black slate, he has a Mohawk and a really short beard both dried in shiny red.
-Mind if sit here? Snorti is too noisy.
Once the dwarf has poured a beer and ordered another one he introduces himself.
-I am Colonel Farri Farrinson nice to meet you lad. Are you interested in joining the wall defenders by any chance?
OOC
The Broken Tree is the dwarf tavern in Arcadia and most of the male dwarf population in a fighting age are enrolled into the Wall Defenders, other than Farri a few other wear the traditional slate armor, but not many.


Ripley
When Ripley mentions the map Sharp snorts and the woman in armor approaches, she seems to have finished her business with the man dressed a buffoon who is waiting nearby. She offers Ripley her hand.

-Marcia Longshadow of the Silent Knights, a pleasure to meet you. Maron is busy at the moment, isn't he Assend?

Sharp takes a step back and looks at the woman with careful eye.

-Aye the master is busy, but the lad can wait inside.

Marcia doesn't lower her hand but nods slightly.

-Good luck with your interview Mr Ripley.

[casualcryptic]

Vlad
Vlad turns his back to the elf. "Right, I'd better get right on that." He's had about all he can handle of such a condescending creature, especially one that would be so easily squished. Vlad would prefer to deal with a source of information that he can stomach. He heads to the local tavern.

[Loki_42]

Ripley shakes Marcia's hand. "Thanks. I've never met a Silent Knight before. Well, I best be off, I'll be in the waiting room." Ripley heads off inside to wait for Maron.

[Aeryr]

Vlad
OOC: There are three taverns in Arcadia; Broken Tree base of operations of the Wall defenders, were most of the dwarf population of Arcadia gathers; Drunk Unicorn at the outskirts of Arcadia mostly used by thieves to exchange the merchandise; and Ogre's Belly the one by the arena were most fighters gather and the closest one to your location atm. Which one do you mean?

Ripley
The woman utters some words in draconic that Ripley understands clearly as: "May the mother never lose her child." She then smiles slightly vows and gets back to the man that was waiting for her, both of them leave talking quietly.

As the woman leaves Shar opens the door and shows Ripley his way through a long corridor decorated with luxury. A soft red carpet covers the floor and the walls are full of paintings, not portraits like many nobles use to fancy but landscapes, everyone of them is signed by Maron and has a date. There are also several chandeliers that hold candles yet to be lit, even if they seem old and they certainly see use there is no stain of wax at any point. The roof is decorated with a sky scenery pale blues and soft whites represent the firmament and clouds.

He leads the way to another door, a simple oak door with a golden handler, that opens to a big circular room. The room is decorated with the same taste that the corridor, having a thick and rich carpet over the wooden floor and some other paintings on the walls. There are several bookshelves that look cramped with books and mementos. Many are marked with letters or numbers, or a combination of both, but any organization seems to escape you at the moment. A double door awaits at the end of the room and some sound come muffled from it.

There are four people in the room, gnome sitting on his own backpack, that is probably bigger than himself, and reading a book. An old knight donned in full armor waiting by the double door with his eyes closed, probably sleeping. And two women talking by the bookshelves.

-Wait here until you are summoned. -Says Sharp before leaving.

OOC
you can hear what the two women are saying with a listen check; DC 25

[PersonMan]

Nor turns to the woman slowly, looking her over once without expression. Just as she was about to say something, she felt a slight tug on the edge of her perception and effortlessly shifted into her inner reality. The world before her was replaced by the featureless black of her inner world, blurred shaped slowly forming in the background as several sub-minds awakened.

Reaction? What is your input? Nor asks, her attention on the sub-mind that had contacted her. Instantly, waves of thought wash through her perception.

I know you aren't really interested in this supposed person, so could I take over this interaction?

Such a request was uncommon, but Reaction was generally the sub-mind that asked to be able to take over the most. Seeing no real reason to decline, Nor pulls Reaction into a bundle of light, shifting upwards to just above her normal mind-space and placing the materialized sub-mind at the front of her being. This would allow her to control the body but still keep Nor in a position to take over if needed.

In the outer reality, a tenth of a second passed and suddenly Nor smiled widely.

"Hi, Aivlis, I'm Nor~," Reaction-Nor said, her tone not just friendly but also flirtateous.

Within her mind, Nor turned her attention to the recently materialized Meta. It was the only sub-mind with the needed power to come here alone. As usual, it came unbidden and cloaked by barely-concealed strength.

You allow sub-minds like Reaction to act in such absurd ways, just to enjoy how they can force humorous changes on the world, yet even my most sensible requests are denied? Thought waves didn't have tone, but Nor could feel the intentions behind even Meta's communications. It was a semi-emotional sub-mind, and right now its emotions were at the forefront of its thoughts. Turning her attention back to the outer reality, allowing Meta to continue watching, Nor watches Reaction continue. The sub-mind had done such things before, and it was always entertaining to watch.

"I'm sorry, I don't have any parchment, but...I'm curious. What do you need it for?" Reaction-Nor continued, fluttering her eyes at the cloaked woman. The sub-mind was almost as skilled as Nor in interacting with those in the outer reality and enjoyed causing confusion as well as embarassment with its words. It was also hungry for any other emotions it happened to find, so no matter what happened it was always happy with the result.

Nor, not as focused on the woman before her as Reaction, notices someone else entering the room at the edge of her perception, and gives Reaction a signal that she may take control if the new one proves interesting.

[Aeryr]

Nor
Aivlis blushes slightly without a lot of luck hiding it. She looks at Nor gazing for a moment the bookshelf behind her.

-Well it's just that I was thinking of making a copy of Maron's map, I have great memory, once I see something I can recall it almost exactly later. It's great, it all started when I was a little girl and I went to school with Lady Marcia. Not Marcia Longshadow, no, I mean, Marcia Merryweather the teacher. She was not a teacher. She actually was a nun. But well she acted as the teacher. Oh... sorry it happens. Talk to much.

She blushes in a deeper red and gazes nervously on the room to check if the other people are talking, then she realizes that a new person arrived to the meeting he seems a bit lost [insert Ripley's missing description here] and lowers her tone to almost a whisper.

-If that map is real, and it shows the location of the moon temple we shouldn't be thinking about looting it but studying it. The vast knowledge of dragons for ages, could be... incredible. Don't you think?

[THEChanger]

Madoc

"Many thanks, Earth-Friend. And rest assured, if I find any good stones, for the wall or otherwise, you'll know about it." With a sly wink, Madoc practically danced out the door. It had been too long since he had a job, a REAL job, something that would challenge him. And now he did.
Madoc clicked his heels, summoning up the bands of wind he bound to his feet. Floating just a few inches off the ground, he began walking towards the temple the dwarf directed him to. Sure, his Airstep Sandals weren't any faster than walking, and they were fairly consipicuous, but they were much more fun.

[Loki_42]

Listen:[roll0]

If his listening isn't successful, he will take a seat and wait until something interesting happens.

[PersonMan]

"Hmmmmmm." Reaction-Nor says slowly, considering Aivlis' words. "Don't worry about talking too much, I could listen to you for quite some time without problem, she says, smiling. "As for the temple...Well, that's true. We could probably learn quite a bit from what we find. Some things we can study on the way back, of course, and others won't be small or light enough to take, Reaction-Nor adds.

Nor considers the new person in the room for a few moments, deciding that she would open communication later if she felt the urge to do so. For now, Reaction would be allowed to be in control.

[Aeryr]

Vlad
The elf waives her hand in a goodbye to the big Goliath. It doesn't take really long to get to the Ogre's Belly, the door is high and big and even the frame of the Goliath cannot entirely fill it. The tavern is decorated with portraits of fighters, most of them drawn on a fighting pose over a defeated enemy. Almost all of them are big men, humans, orcs, half orcs, some half giants, with good armors and two handed weapons. Some of them depict twice the same fighter, over different enemies, a few thrice and no more than five have the same victor four times in a row. Only the most recent pictures, they still don't have as many smoke stains as the others, break the pace, there are seven of them depicting a young elf woman, almost naked and dyed in red she doesn't wear nor armor nor weapons and she seems calm. Several people sit on circular tables sipping beers. Most of them are more are armored, with a prevalence of light leather armor. The bar keeper is a big ogre, with a bigger beer belly, that is wearing only a pair of leather pants and an old dirty apron.

-What will it be?

Madoc
Madoc gets there pretty fast avoiding easily the turns of the Arcadian streets. As he lands and walks towards he sees, that the other mercenary leader of Arcadia, Marcia Longshadow, is leaving. Probably she was made the same offer that the Wall Defenders. Assend Sharp, Goldtooth assistant is present by the door but seems distracted at the moment.

Ripley
You cannot really make the exact words of what they are talking about, but being this Goldtooth manor they are probably talking about the quest to the moon dragon temple. As you wait the double door opens and a big man dressed as a northen barbarian stomps through, leaving with a clear angry expression. Surprisingly the old man by the door is still sleeping.

As the barbarian leaves the room the gnome that was previously reading a book smirks and walks into the office. A few minutes later another man [Madoc] enters the room, he seems confident and calm.

Nor
-Uh... oh... thanks, I talk to much sometimes. Mother used to say that someday I would trip over my own tongue and fall. Of course my tongue is not long enough for triping, but I think that she was speaking figuratively.

She smiles and her smile is quite radiant and shiny when Nor agrees that the temple could be studied.

-Yes, yes, all those despots only think about money, but but... there might be a lot of valuable stuff there. Not just gold or jade or whatever precious stone can be found at the moon temple. Dragons are awesome and I heard that the moon dragons were masters of the mind and spirit...

She is then interrupted by the big man that went into the office before, he is leaving at the moment with an angry face. The gnome sneaked into the office and the old man by the door seems to still be sleeping. Later another man enters the room [Madoc]

[casualcryptic]

Vlad
Vlad walks directly up to the bar without bothering with any of the drunkards that feel the place. He smirks slightly at the bartender. "Give me something to knock a dwarf on his ass, and I'll be needing some information. What can you tell me about an elf named Ellis? Wild acting. Talks in broken common."

[Aeryr]

Vlad
The bartender slips his big hand under the table and pulls a bottle that seems made of wild reed he uncorks it with his mouth and spits the cork away. Then takes a glass which looks almost clean and pours a milky white liquid on it. It doesn't smell good, almost like sour milk. He passes the glass to the Goliath.

-Jungle piss.

Then with a hand the size of a ham scratches his chin. His eyes glitter for a second and he almost smirks, but keeps his expression under control.

-Eilis, yes, arrived here twenty four years ago, about this size.- He raises his hand to show the approximate size of Eilis- What, exactly, do you want to know about her?

ooc If you drink that, it doesn't look poisonous it's going to require a fort save.

[casualcryptic]

Vlad
Vlad sniffs the liquid and leers back a little, sneering slightly at what he's been handed. Then he takes a swallow equal to about the third of the glass. "Does she move with any groups worth mentioning and how far would you trust her word if she offered a deal?"

[roll0]

[Aeryr]

Vlad
The ogre looks amused by how avidly the Goliath drinks. Well it doesn't seem that its going to knock out him immediately but it burns like hell passing through the throat.

-Well she has several admirers but she doesn't have any particular affiliation, there are almost no elves in Arcadia, and the few that we have are more normal. On trusting her, you can, haven't ever heard of her breaking her word. Why? Did she accept to fight you or something?

ooc: You're fine the alcohol burns a lot though.

[THEChanger]

Madoc
Madoc smirked as the mercenary left the premises. Maron was going all out on this one. Backtracking a small bit, Madoc dropped down from the rooftops, and made his way to the meeting place on foot. "Hail, Mr. Sharp. I hear your employer is gathering members for an expedition."

[casualcryptic]

Vlad
Vlad takes another drink. "No, though I suppose I made the offer. She agreed to help me out with a private matter if I did her a favor. Speaking of, I'm going to be hunting big game in the jungle. I'd probably be better off with a group. Do you know of any major crews heading out that way in the next few days I might be able to sign on with?"

[Aeryr]

Madoc

-Madoc Pugh. Interesting, the master is certainly recruiting people. Follow me.

He leads the way into the Goldtooth Manor, there is a long corridor decorated with luxury. A soft red carpet covers the floor and the walls are full of paintings, not portraits like many nobles use to fancy but landscapes, everyone of them is signed by Maron and has a date. There are also several chandeliers that hold candles yet to be lit, even if they seem old and they certainly see use there is no stain of wax at any point. The roof is decorated with a sky scenery composed of pale blues and soft whites.

He leads the way to another door, a simple oak door with a golden handler, that opens to a big circular room. The room is decorated with the same taste that the corridor, having a thick and rich carpet over the wooden floor and some other paintings on the walls. There are several bookshelves that look cramped with books and mementos. Many are marked with letters or numbers, or a combination of both, but any organization seems to escape you at the moment. A double door awaits at the end of the room and some sound come muffled from it.

There are four people in the room, an old knight donned in full armor waiting by the double door with his eyes closed, probably sleeping. Two women whispering by the bookshelves. Both of them are fairly young and while one is extremly attractive and clad in a very comfortable light armor the other one is wearing scholar robes and her body is almost completely covered. (DC 25 to listen what they are actually saying) And a blond man who keeps a worried expression and conveniently armed.

-Wait here until you are summoned. -Says Sharp before leaving.

As Sharp leaves you realize that the blond man waves at you with interest.


Vlad
The ogre smiles slightly.
-A fight would be interesting, haven't seen no one grow the balls to ask her for a fight in months.
The ogre takes another bottle this one looks like a green elongated pumpkin and pours two glasses of a shiny green slightly translucent liquid. A drop of liquid falls on the table and leaves a smoking dark mark. The bar keeper passes a glass to the Goliath and holds the other one between its thumb and a finger being careful not to break it.
-You got balls boy, asking Eilis for a fight and thinking of going to the jungle. -He finishes his drink with a silent toast. - As far as I know you can count yourself lucky, Maron Goldtooth is recruiting an expedition to the Moon Temple.

[casualcryptic]

Vlad
Vlad shrugs. "It's just been too long since someone taught me my limits." Vlad drinks with the ogre, including meeting his toast, while considering his next course of action. "Maron Goldtooth... I guess that's the man to find. Any idea where to start looking?"

[Loki_42]

Ripley will wave towards the new man who just entered the room, while remaining seated.

[Aeryr]

Vlad
The ogre walks out of the Tavern and signals a big tower not too far.

-See the tower? That's the temple, second street on the left, Goldtooth Manor also known as Dragon's Nest, you won't miss it.

He walks inside again and looks at the Goliath with a grin.

-If you make it out of the jungle alive... I'll wait for your combat with Eilis, and then treat you to a drink.

The walk towards Goldtooth Manor is not long and once there you recognize the building with ease, it is clearly the richest one and most decorated, but at the moment there doesn't seem to be anyone at the door.

Ripley
OOC: Once Madoc posts feel free to check it and answer :smallsmile:

[PersonMan]

Reaction-Nor glances over at the man who has just entered the room for a moment before turning back to Aivlis. Nor sends a thought to the sub-mind, informing it of her intent.

"It's been a pleasure speaking with you, and I'd love to continue our conversation later, but for now I'll take my leave," Reaction-Nor says. She bends forwards and lifts up the other woman's arm, planting a kiss on the back of her hand before smiling and turning to leave with a wink.

Once she takes her leave from Aivlis, Reaction-Nor heads over to where the man who had originally caught Nor's interest sits, taking a seat next to him but not saying anything yet.

[casualcryptic]

Vlad
Vlad nods back at the ogre. "I wouldn't doubt Vlad's strength if I were you. I'll be taking you up on that offer when I get back."

Vlad arches an eyebrow. He knows popular society is fairly finicky about breaking and entering. To that end he knocks loudly. If nobody comes, he then tries the doors.

[Aeryr]

Nor
Aivlis seems about to say something but then the office door opens and the gnome leaves the studio. She then sneaks into the room. You can easily take sit near the man.

Ripley
While you wait to the man who just entered the studio door opens. A gnome leaves the room while one of the women who was talking not far away enters the room. The other woman approaches you and sits by you.

Vlad
It doesn't take long till a man opens the door. He is a long nosed man, and looks at you with mistrust.
-What do you want?

[Loki_42]

Ripley turns to the woman who just sat next to him, and says, "Hello, my name is Ripley. Are you here about that map?

[PersonMan]

Reaction-Nor grins. "I'm Nor. My plan is to go with the expedition, the map itself is of no special interest to me," she says, waving her left hand as she mentions the map.

[Loki_42]

"I too plan to go on the expedition, if Maron will accept me. The applicants don't seem to be having much success."

[PersonMan]

Reaction-Nor shrugs. "They're probably just not what Maron's looking for in his party. Although..." for a moment, Nor's eyes close and her inner reality comes to the forefront, shutting out the outer world for a moment.

Reaction, I'm taking control. The thought is sent out as an order and a warning, allowing Reaction to disentangle itself from the stimulus of the outer reality before being swept back to the internal world, back to its fellow sub-minds. With a brief glance at the now-smirking Meta, Nor extends her perception once more, until she is in full control of the body again.

"...Perhaps he has simply ordered everyone he accepts to pretend to have been rejected, to keep those still waiting from knowing who is and isn't going on the expedition," Nor finishes, the pause in her sentence growing a bit long as she fully readjusts to the outer reality before speaking.

[casualcryptic]

Vlad
Vlad glares at the man who answers the door, clearly just an aid, yet still so accusing. "Maron is planning a trip into the jungle and for that he will need protection. I am here to offer myself as a warrior for the journey."

[THEChanger]

Madoc

Madoc entered the waiting room. Seeing a person whom he had never met before wave to him, he nodded politely before finding a chair and sitting. He was not one for initiating conversations with strangers, so for the time being, he would allow the man who waved to him and the rather pretty woman talk things over by themselves. For now, Madoc adjusted his hat so it fell just over his eyes, and pretended to sleep.

[Loki_42]

Erinar looks at Nor. "Hmm... yes, I suppose he could be doing that. Still, I hope for the best. Good luck to you."

[Aeryr]

Vlad
The man nods and leads you to a big room. In there there are several people waiting. You see a young woman who wears fine clothing, a blond man who looks like slightly stressed and another man with shiny bright blue eyes. Other than them an old man waits sleeping by a double door at the end.

Everyone in the room
You see a big bald Goliath entering the room from the hall, and almost at the same time a woman leaving the office. She hasn't been there for long. As she leaves she smiles slightly in Nor's direction and nods happily.

Another man approaches the door of the studio. He is slightly build and moves with the balance of a dancer or a hunting cat. His hair is black as raven's wings and his eyes are deep and blue. He has the fair and pale skin of a noble born but his hands have wrinkles in his fingertips like someone who has been writing documents for years. His mouth holds a lit cigar and he puffs small clouds of smoke from time to time. With a slight movement of his hand he signals at Nor before reentering the studio.

Nor
In the studio there is a big bookshelf there are certainly a lot of books on it and some trifles old bones and jars. You can see what seems to be the skull of a small dragon in one of the shelves, and as the rest of the bones seem to have the same texture and tone they are probably dragon bones too. Some books are parched in what seems a sturdy scaly hide, there are different colors, red, blue, green... In the desk a large map rests, it is what is explored of the jungle with detailed marks on it, the man looks at it with pride and caresses the leather with affection while looking at his new applicant.

-Well nice to meet you. As you certainly know by now I am funding an expedition to the jungle. So... why should I hire your services? Appearances are deceiving but you certainly don't look like an adventurer to me.

[casualcryptic]

Description of Vlad
This masculine goliath stands taller than the tallest half-orc at somewhere around seven foot eight and weighs in at around three hundred and sixty pounds with very broad shoulders covered in layers of stone-like chitin. His racial skin grafts, a network of pale hardened flesh that creates designs across the body, seems to blossom out from his stomach and chest, forming an intricate explosion of angular splotches and lithoderms pointed away from his stomach and extending across the entirety of his skin. Vlad has had these patches' visual elements enhanced with blood red tattoowork. His tattoo-work is regularly interwoven with scarring from countless battles. Vlad has a large eyebrow ridge and dark black brows. His eyes fall beneath the shadow of these ridges and disappear beneath their shade under the lighting in the room. He has a perfect set of six small lithoderms relatively evenly placed in two sets across his eye ridges, a strange uniformity for a goliath birthmark. He suffers from standard Goliath baldness. His eyes occasionally shimmer from slight movement, a deep aquamarine color with the same glowing quality often attributed to cat eyes. This goliath dresses peculiarly. He is wearing heavy armor on his shoulders, arms, legs and waste but leaving his exposed chest open as a target and a challenge. He has several silver earrings along the ridges of both of his ears and a large, very painful looking, series of studs along the top of his chest. Two tomahawks hang from straps on his right thigh and an abnormally large broadsword hangs across his back.

Vlad enters the room, makes a single passing gaze over it's occupants, and then silently finds an empty space on the wall to lean against. He folds his arms and closes his eyes.

[PersonMan]

Nor allows the outer reality to fade away, replaced by the more easily controlled inner reality in which her sub-minds had already assembled themselves. Reaction was eager, Truth had a plan and Potential Negative thought of failure. Potential Positive saw the man impressed and amazed, Potential Consequence considered various scenarios with success and failure cropping up seemingly at random. Metacognition had gathered past experiences from other sub-minds and, with a surge of its own power inside the inner reality, sent forth a wave of conclusions.

All this happened essentially instantly. Nor didn't want to use up more time than was necessary with the decision making, so rather than asking each primary sub-mind separately she had simply taken all of their responses at once. It was slightly more work, as she had to simultaneously perceive all of their thought waves at the same time and keep them apart, but it was worth the effort.

In the outer reality once again, Nor smiled and lifted up her right hand, displaying it to the man she presumed was Maron. With a thought she changed the truth of her hand and her fingers were claws. Pure black in color, they extended a bit further than her fingers had before and were clearly sharp enough to cut through flesh with ease. Allowing the man to see for a few moments, and potentially assure himself with a touch that the claws were real, Nor lowered her now-clawed hands and spoke.

"Reality as you know it does not exist for me. My thoughts have a great measure of control over the lax so-called laws of this world. Perhaps one could explain my abilities as magic, but in my experience magic is more limited by false restrictions in the environment," Nor says. As she speaks she extends her being into the room, seizing the light in her mental grip and causing it to swell up, resulting in a slow but visible increase in the light of the room.

OOC:
Spending 1 PP on Control Light.

[Aeryr]

Nor
The man raises an eyebrow and leaves the cigar at the desk while he puffs some more smoke. He whistles while releasing the smoke in a thin line that retorts to form an spiral that curls contracting on itself like a living snake. For an instant a glitter of gold shines in Maron's mouth.

-Surely, reality as I know doesn't exist for you, but that seems like a nice ability to have.

He smiles slightly, its a lizard smile, he retreats his lips for a moment and shows his teeth, that look slightly golden. It's not a dirty yellow it is in fact a golden tint that shines over his white teeth.

-And why are you interested on going to the temple?

[PersonMan]

Nor doesn't bother to consult her sub-minds. The man's appearance might have been of interest if she weren't certain it was just due to his manipulation of the outer reality.

"I'm interested in going to the temple for multiple reasons. Firstly, I'm interested in the monetary reward, but the knowledge and chance to test the full extent of my abilities are also important motivations," Nor replies.

[Loki_42]

Ripley stands up and approaches the man he waved to earlier, desperate to make the time pass faster.

[Aeryr]

Nor
The man nods.
-It certainly will be interesting in the jungle. Tell you what. Be here tomorrow at ten in the morning. The rest of the expedition will be selected by then.

He opens one of his desk drawers and picks a piece of parchment and a small purse.

-This is an advancement of your pay, it would be wise to invest it on equipment that might be handy. And here, have this piece of parchment is treated with attraam's oil it won't be spoiled by water nor be stained in the jungle, but it drinks ink eagerly. Could you keep track of what you do while in the jungle? It will make it easier to lead new expeditions.

He raises his hand, tending it to Nor

-Any other question?

[PersonMan]

"Alright. I have no further questions," without more than a nod to Maron, Nor stands, taking the things he had offered, and leaves the room. There was little left to do but wait now. In which case there wasn't much reason to stay here, she could simply induce sleep in the body to let the outer reality's time pass more quickly.

As she leaves the office, Nor glances across the room. If she sees Aivlis she gives her a smile and nod at Reaction's request. Noticing a new occupant of one of the walls, she is almost moved to change her facial expression. It was a bit unusual that two warrior-looking beings, both leaning against the wall and seemingly unconscious, had apparently had the same idea. For a moment the strange appearance of one of the two, the newer one that hadn't been there when she arrived, catches her interest before she shrugs and goes back to where she was sitting before.

"Well, it seems like I'll be seeing you tomorrow morning, if you meet whatever expectations Maron has for you," Nor comments. For now she would stay here and see which occupants of the room she could expect the next morning. She doubted it mattered, but one never knew when more knowledge could come in handy.

[Aeryr]

Maron seems tired he looks at a clepsydra hidden behind the door the time seems to have gone fast while he was distracted with the interviews so he decides to wrap it up a little.

He accompanies Nor to the door of his studio and signals the rest of those gathered to get to the small room. The old man sleeping by the door doesn't seem to move nor pay attention to him, still sleeping, but Maron smiles at Ripley, Madoc and Vlad.

-Come inside.

[Loki_42]

Ripley stands, and looks at the others before entering. "You're seeing all three of us at once? No matter, the names Ripley. Ripley Flamebrand." He extends his hand out to Maron, and adopts a smile.

[casualcryptic]

Vlad pushes himself off of the wall and follows his patron into the room without a sound, ducking to fit in the doorway.

[Aeryr]

-Nice to meet you mr Flamebrand your reputation precedes you. Let's continue the conversation at my office.

His studio is decorated with some other paintings and treasures looted from the jungle. In his desk several colorful feathers lay scattered. There is also a big map there it is decorated with several notes and lines of different colors.

-As you know I am funding an expedition to the jungle. Why are you interested and why should I be interested in hiring you?

[Loki_42]

"Well, I'm interested in going for mainly personal reasons. The money would be nice, but I really think I have a chance of discovering something about myself out there. As for why you should be interested in me, I have many talents. I can inspire people, and my being around will be overall good for group morale. I am a practitioner of magic, and use it to hone my and my allies abilities to their fullest extent. Finally, my skill with a blade is equal to my skill in casting, and I can meld the two into a particularly apt combination. I could demonstrate if you'd like.

[casualcryptic]

Vlad spends some time deciding whether or not he thinks the question is being issued to everyone, or just to the man that Maron has taken an interest in. "I heard the pay is good. I'm strictly mercenary." He glances around the office, taking in the signs of human luxury. "But as mercenaries go, there are few harder or with more experience than I. If your serious about going into the jungle you'll need a strongman anyway for the labor hazards of the trek and I'd be willing to bet I can lift that desk out from under you."