A City of Intrigue & A Tale of Woe

[Phelix-Mu]

The cold autumn sun glares down from the sky, but the wind's chill speaks only of the dark months to come. A group of ravens cease their circling amid the updrafts of the city's canyons, descending upon the remains of some street food leftover from this morning's market. The streets are less crowded, with residents having gone about their business, and many of the stalls of the market have closed up.

Merstangoth, like a vast, steel anthill, towers above its residents and visitors, it's many districts reaching skyward. The consistent din of street level continues up for some ways, but the sounds below are gradually lost in the vertical space between the buildings of the city. The impression created is one of contrasts: the living, pulsing mass of life of the lower levels, and the cold silence that takes hold at higher elevations, the buildings like motionless giants gazing down at the chaos below. The bustling, noisy lives of those that struggle to survive in the streets and low elevations, and the quiet serenity of those who dwell above in halls of glass, stone, and steel.

Of course, such poetic language is a crude generalization; the thing known as Merstangoth defies definition, spans years immemorial, and is peopled by countless creatures. The reality itself blends with the legend, a legend whose true extent few comprehend. The legend blends with the reality, a reality clung to viciously by the indigent masses, a reality carefully crafted by those of power and influence. Truth and illusion. The present and the past. So much of so many, piled through the years like the very structures of the city, a mountain made by mortal hands.

Hello,
This is the In-Character thread for my small campaign focused on gritty role playing in a dark urban setting. I will be posting here over the next couple of days as I develop material.

This thread is for IC discussions. All OOC stuff should go in the other thread, the OOC Thread (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?p=15534326#post15534326), or, in a pinch...
in spoilers. Generally speaking, anything having to do with mechanics, rules, or rolls goes in spoilers as well. Character speech out in the open, and you may also post character thoughts, if you wish. More talk of etiquette on the other thread.

[Phelix-Mu]

(This will be setting exposition and details.)

The Districts:
Districts of Merstangoth

Zones: The city can be broken down into five zones. These areas are conceptual, not geographic, so they usually aren't defined by borders. Rather, one zone gradually turns into another.

The zones are the Dark Districts, the Surface, Parks, the Aeries, and Outliers.

Dark Districts
These districts are located beneath the Surface, and are largely made up of the partial remains and ruins of earlier incarnations of Merstangoth.

Dens: Dens is the first sublayer of Mers. Short for Dens of Sin, Dens of Iniquity, Dens of Corruption, or other variations on the theme. This district is comprised of all the businesses and enterprises that are too shady or too extreme for the more pedestrian crowds that frequent the ground-level markets of Paths. Frequently found here are brothels, strip joints, black market businesses, body augmentation shops (the sketchy ones at least...more reputable ones are found in the Galleries), practitioners of various forbidden arts, info-brokers, slave markets, underground churches/cults, and a myriad of other, more bizarre places. The actual institutions of Dens are surrounded by slums of various sizes, peopled by the employees of the places, and the masses of the indigent poor.

Maze: A labyrinthine series of paths, corridors, and half-collapsed ruins, Maze is the second sublayer beneath the city. It is a common hideout for criminals that have gone to ground and others that just want to avoid any kind of notice. It can be a dangerous area for civilians lacking the skills to defend themselves, as only the desperate end up this deep beneath Mers. Rumours persist of creatures much more dangerous than just criminals hiding within the folding paths of Maze.

Ash: This layer is inhabited by those that have a serious, vested interest in staying out of the light. Generally only accessible via magic, Ash is the third sublayer under the city, generally located between seventy-five and one hundred-fifty feet beneath the ground level of Merstangoth.

Ash is so-named because it is full of ash and charred building materials. This apparently is due to the ruins of this level dating back to an incarnation of the that was destroyed in some massive conflagration. As a place that is generally unreachable without magic or other special skills, those that live here guard their privacy well, carving out domains within the ruins and warding them with spells, traps, guardian creatures, and other magics. If a visitor to this district comes uninvited, they would do well to contact a guide from the Darkrunner Guild before heading down, as they are among the few given permission to wander around this district without being attacked by its residents and their defenses.

Wish: Short for "Deathwish," these levels are quite unstable and feature regular collapses, shifts, and/or become impossible. Only the brave and the stupid make it this deep below the city, driven by fear of discovery, desire for the secrets of the past, a thirst for silence, or sheer madness. Wish is located below one hundred-fifty feet, and reaches down numerous levels to past five hundred feet. It's largely totally uncharted and mostly uninhabited. Entire areas are unsurvivable by breathing creatures, poisoned by ancient dusts and mists that hang in the still air and cling to every surface. Those that travel this deep without the assistance of magic truly make this district live up to its name.


Surface
This is the ground-level district. It spreads across the whole city proper, before the elevation drops off to the east at the edge of the Deeps. Surface runs from zero feet above ground to around forty feet above ground, with most buildings limited to 3-4 stories within this space.

Paths: This is a ground-level district full of markets, tourist industries, merchant stalls, and streets lined with entertainment venues. In various neighborhoods, there are residential areas that range from middle class down to slums. Very few rich or highly successful people choose to live here, as it's a crowded, noisy district that thrums day and night with the activity of the populace.

The majority of the buildings on this level have only one or two stories. Many shops have apartments above them were the shop owners or lodgers dwell. Tangle starts low enough that most buildings can't jam a third story in before the catwalks and bridges start to take over; as ever, though, there isn't much in the way of a clearly demarcated border between districts.

Tangle: Located around forty feet off of the ground, Tangle is several stories worth of largely residential areas populated by all manner of people in all manner of social situations. Typically, those that live up here are better off than those that live below, but this isn't always the case.

Physically, Tangle is typified by catwalks, balconies, overhangs, skybridges, and the like that cross the gaps between the towering structures of Mers. Some of these structures are magical in nature, reinforced or held up by gravity-defying spells, while others are feats of mundane engineering, and still others are shoddy in construction and hang precariously above the crowded streets below. Clotheslines with laundry, dangling paper lanterns, prayer flags, and all manner of other objects are draped about. The general effect is one of a chaotic jumble of various pathways and platforms, a veritable maze located above the streets of Paths.

Codex Row: Codex Row is a row of massive stone and metal buildings that bisect the northwest quadrant of Paths running from northeast to southwest. These buildings are uniformly eight stories tall, and each building has a distinct type of architecture that connects it to the governmental department of which it is part.

This district is the central area for the lawkeepers, government bureaucrats, government investigators, government flunkies, magistrates, and committees. The public offices of all government organizations are here, though they are often just the street-level annexes made available to the common citizens. The higher-level government functions are largely conducted in palatial offices in the upper areas of Parks, or in more obscure locations yet higher.

The main offices of the Code-Keepers and the less numerous Axiorati are also located here, and these law enforcers can be find in high concentrations throughout the district. New recruits are trained in secret facilities here, and non-personnel reinforcement squads are also operated out of this district. These squads usually consist of stone golems or more advanced constructs sent out for peacekeeping and other missions that non-living creatures are best suited for. Admittedly, since the rise of the Axiorati, these backup squads are less used, but they remain here in reserve nonetheless.

Consular District: This district is located in the central north area of the city, and extends all the way up into Parks, where each consulate has a spacious garden and an area for dignitaries and those officially granted asylum. As befitting the representation of foreign powers in a massive metropolis, these buildings are lavish, exquisitely designed to represent the best principles of the race or nation to which they belong.

Consulates exist for each of the major kingdoms of the continent; smaller kingdoms have officials stationed within the consulates of their larger allies. The biggest consulates belong to the four powers that surround Merstangoth: the Pralish Empire, Stalgorm, the Kingdom of Maelra, and Melfyristaenne. Each of these powers vies endlessly for influence within Merstangoth, and more than one of them consider the city as little more than a bunch of squatters sucking up profits that should have been theirs.

Each consulate maintains a small, sovereign force of defenders to ensure its security independent of the Code-Keepers and the Axiorati. These forces are formidable, if few in number, and the Axiorati that patrol the streets of this district keep a close eye on them (and vice versa).


Parks
This district is located several stories above the hubbub of the districts of Surface. Due to the elevation, magic and other supernatural forces are more common up here, if only to facilitate movement, enable more elaborate construction, and otherwise indicate the difference in social class between here and the lower districts.

Galleries: This district is a sprawling district of specialty shops, boutiques, and guildhalls. It is the district in Parks with the lowest elevation, and is most concentrated in southern parts of the city. This elevation is also shared with the residences of the reasonably well-off, generally business owners, the newest of the bourgeoisie, and other of similar ilk.

As Merstangoth is generally a city in which money can be used to acquire just about anything, this district is home to many businesses that also, with varying degrees of discretion, cater to the more bizarre and exotic tastes of the elite. From exotic pets, to body augmentation, to psychic mind alteration, from designer spellcasting to highly-trained slaves that specialize in the more exquisite arts, Galleries is a world of beauty, wonder, and depravity. All available for the proper sum of coin.

Steel Menagerie: The Steel Menagerie is located in the southeast corner of the city, not far from the edge of The Deeps, it's steel decks beginning some seventy feet above the ground and several hundred feet towards the sky, well beyond the upper limit of most of Parks. It is comprised of massive steel spires that reach skyward like the towers of some vast gothic cathedral. Almost no living beings reside here, although various parties pass through the area on business, and messengers are sent to the Collective at times. Clockwork creatures of various kinds operate here, most of minimal intelligence operating on simple parameters to fulfill maintenance or other regulatory functions. Particularly common are the clockroaches, which scuttle about and routinely check any construct entering the menagerie for signs of damage and automatically commencing repairs.

This district is comprised of an elaborate series of automated industries that process various goods produced within Merstangoth's territories, along with other commodities. Over time, these self-regulated intelligent constructs have been given a degree of autonomy by the guilds that were originally responsible for creating them. The constructs eventually developed a level of sophistication that necessitated internal governance and supervision, and so the constructs formed the Collective, a body of super-intelligent mechanical beings that have the sole purpose of maintaining the Steel Menagerie and its interests.

While the industries of this district are actually somewhat in decline (as Merstangoth has transitioned beyond the stage of being a manufacturing society), the district still has considerable production capabilities, and the Collective is constantly on the lookout for any means by which they can secure their financial future.

Cathedral Gyre: This district consists of a vast basin of magically manipulated stone that is held high above the city below by titanic forces of unknown origin. A road begins at the lowest point of the basin atop a subjective gravity column that rises from Surface and enters Cathedral Gyre through an opening in the basin (nicknamed the Drain). This road spirals upward around the edge of the basin, heading slowly up toward the rim of the crater-like area.

Along this road are many temples, shrines, churches, and cathedrals to practically every divinity, philosophy, and supernatural force worshiped on the continent and beyond. The structures range from small and humble to vast monuments to the glory of x or y. The entire area is warded by powerful magics that prevent spells and powers from working in the streets; essentially, each church is allowed to do it's own magical rites as long as they take place within the physical bounds of its structures. Thus, a strange coexistence of good, evil, lawful, and chaotic people is maintained, although many non-violent power struggles and more subtle "weapons" are still employed in this district's internal politics.

As one might expect, outsiders and other extraplanar beings are more frequent in Cathedral Gyre than in many other parts of the city.

Glowing Gardens: Located at an elevation of roughly seventy feet and reaching up approximately eighty feet, Glowing Gardens is a verdant area where the normal "city smell" of Mers gives way to a clear, fragrant air filled with the damp cool of abundant plant life. Birds, insects and small animals are fairly common in this district, all of which have grown used to the presence of the district's many visitors.

This layer of Mers is rife with plant life; it grows in pots and urns, hangs from catwalks and balconies, and carpets the floors. The plants themselves are often magical, magically bred, or magically sustained. The name of the district comes from a particularly prevalent series of species that glow with a faint light after the sun goes down, illuminating the green paths of the gardens with a greenish light. The whole effect is quite surrealistic.

The lower part of Glowing Gardens are made up of a series of public parks run by the Axiorati. The upper levels, generally one hundred-twenty feet and up, are the location of various luxury penthouses that overlook the parks and gardens. These residences are very trendy, and often occupied by young social elites and particularly successful business owners. A fair number, however, are legacies that are handed down among the older aristocratic families of Merstangoth's past.


The Aeries
The Aeries is a zone of privilege and luxury that starts at an elevation of about one hundred-fifty feet, and continues up many hundreds of feet. Magic, psionics, and other mystical things are quite common up here. Many of the elites of Mers practice one or the other of these arts, often as much as a hobby as any kind of self-improvement, and magical or psionic augmentation are both quite trendy among the fabulously rich and powerful.

Amber Halls: This district, located above the leafy canopy of Glowing Gardens, is a relic of a long-since-broken mythal or similarly epic magic that allowed a vast area of construction to occur using augmented amber as a building material. Though the epic magic that brought the area into existence has disappeared, these translucent halls remain, and are now home to the organizations, social clubs, and other gatherings of the elite of Merstangoth.

The Amber Halls extend up one hundred feet, broken into various floors or layers based on their usage. Although the amber itself has the structural integrity of steel, it is surprisingly easy to manipulate with magic. Regular redecorating is done by the owners of various parts of the Halls, to suit their elaborate tastes and exotic needs.

Drangorra Heights: This district is located above Amber Halls, and is filled with the super-rich, the political elite, all manner of successful people, and leaders of various organizations. Money alone can buy no finer than what is available here; the even more exclusive districts above require much more than simple financial largesse.

Drangorra Heights is filled with mansions, palatial halls, and all manner of elaborate dwellings for the wealthy. Magical construction is extremely common, and no edifice herein lacks supernatural security measures to boot.

The Towers Six: These massive towers are the ever-growing incarnations of the ancestral homes of the six noble families of Merstangoth. By name and in no particular order, the families are the Kandoris, the Aebilim, the Caer-Nimroth, the Santaal, the Eves, and the Pfeil. Various legends have these families figuring heavily in early versions of Merstangoth, in various roles as rulers, patrons and conquerors, among others. Regardless, they are now simply aristocratic families with vast resources and profound influence on the workings of Merstangoth.

The Towers themselves are flying, self-expanding structures that are all located three hundred feet above the ceiling of Parks, in the center of the city proper. They are arrayed in a rough circle, though they oscillate slightly from day-to-day. Each tower is hundreds of feet high, and they each have distinct architecture evocative of the family that built them. Each family maintains a small elite force of troops and vassals, equipped with the finest of gear and wielding the mightiest of powers. Beyond this, each family counts very talented and powerful people among its gene pool.

Aetemporia: Located even beyond the realm of the Towers Six, this fabled realm is the dwelling place of the most powerful of Merstangoth's residents. Demiplanes and multiplanar mansions are en vogue here. The Prime Material Plane components of these places are varied, but they are all located high in the clouds above Merstangoth, accessible only by privately controlled sky-stairs or subjective gravity columns. Only the Axiorati routinely visit this region, and then only when official business demands that they contact one of Aetemporia's residents in person.


Outliers
These are districts located outside the city proper. They have largely been constructed unofficially to accommodate the burgeoning population of Mers.

The Deeps: This district is located on the western edge of vast depression that many scholars believe once constituted an inland sea of some kind. What exactly happened to the water is unknown, but this theory is backed up by mineral deposits found beneath the foundations of the Deeps.

The whole area is a sprawling mix of slums, low-cost housing developments, high-rises, and shanty towns. A maze of streets and staircases crisscross the district, rendering the area very confusing to all but veteran residents. The elevation steadily drops as the Deeps stretches eastward, until it bottoms out several miles from the city.

The Chasm: This canyon-like area cut deep into the floor of the Deeps. Cut into its rock walls are dwellings, alcoves, halls, and hideouts. It's a very popular area for criminals, as it is a quite large geographic area, half-deserted, and generally populated only by people with something to hide.

The Air Barges: This district is a mobile, non-contiguous area consisting of low-flying barges on which various people dwell. The largest barges orbit the city, while smaller ones occasionally brave the inner areas of the city (though this can be extremely dangerous due to the unusual wind patterns that prevail in-between the towering edifices of Mers).

Canalside:
The Jug 'N Tale:
The only pub in Canalside, this institution dates from around the time of Entella's childhood, several decades ago. It was founded by an enterprising halfling couple. Despite its initial cold reception by the whisper gnomes, it has become quite popular in the ensuing decades.

Shrine Clinic:
Back when Serdo was a young man, a particularly bad spate of violence claimed the child of the family that ran this shrine. The survivors descended into insanity, and within several years, had all but gone extinct, abandoning the shrine. Stained by this legacy, the shrine was left empty, rumours of misfortune that dogged anyone who tried to reopen it.
A few years ago, a human doctor, Dale Iskendr, moved to Canalside. A member of Surgeons of the Humble Way, he founded a health clinic in the shrine. There, he gives free healthcare to the residents, as well as handing out fresh, filtered water. Thus he fulfills the two major tenants of his affiliation.

The Mark:
The mark is located and named after a black scorch mark about the size of a wagon on the paving stones in one of street intersections in the neighborhood. It serves as a meeting spot, trading stump, and recreational area for young adults. It's not far from the Mark to the Jug 'N Tale.


Important Families:

Dendero: This family is noteworthy because it has strong ties to several criminal organizations. The elder generations feature a couple of famous catburglars, Esperia and Nupershilim in particular. The younger generations have been mostly involved in the more pedestrian of the criminal endeavors out there; pickpockets and street thieves are fairly common occupations among the Denderos these days.

Sminender: Famous in generations past for providing community leaders, this family is now mainly known for Argeshen Sminender. Argeshen is a male whisper gnome that has become an accomplished artist, working with pixa-liths and pixa-crys to capture images of popular life and noteworthy current events. He's married to a minorly famous half-elven journalist, Merida Lisbony.

Crimmack: Crimmack is a family associated with crafting. For generations, they have provided carpentry, coppersmith and tinsmith skills to the community. They also have a reputation for causing marital discord, as their traveling lifestyle (they roam about Canalside and beyond, in the manner of tinkerers and handymen) gives them some ample opportunity to fool around and then move on, so to speak.

Embledam: The closest thing Canalside has to a resident rich family, the Embledams long ago were involved in some scheme or another that landed them with a large family fortune. Since then, careful management and shrewd investment has maintained, and even increased their prosperity. They frequently lend money at somewhat reasonable rates to other families, but in the past have been accused of predatory practices and punitive collection policies. Recently, they have taken steps to improve this reputation, including a generous grant to Everlee Academy.

[Phelix-Mu]

(This will be a log of important npcs that the party knows and meets, public details only, ofc.)

Characters
{table=head]Player|Character|Race|Class|Alignment|Power
DeusMortuusEst|Entella Astara (http://www.myth-weavers.com/sheetview.php?sheetid=602076)|Phrenic Whisper Gnome|Darkstalker//SublimeAssassin|N|???
Morcleon|Rhenium Invio (http://www.myth-weavers.com/sheetview.php?sheetid=602879)|Grey Elf|DarkMage//Haruspex|N|???
[/table]

Krase (male asherati* ninja/asherati paragon//soulknife/psywar/psychic wpn master):
Entella's normal group leader in the Eyes. He's a bit of an oddball, and quite chaotic as a principle, and likes to let the teams that are under his command have lots of leeway and figure out how to operate best. He's taken a bit of a shine to Entella, and even gave her a birthmoon present last year.

A male asherati who seems to have some kind of outsider heritage (indicated by his bloodshot eyes, and a single, downward-pointing, scaly crest on the back of his head), Krase has a background in larceny, and it seems that he came to the Eyes after realizing that he was in too deep with the authorities to continue as a lone operator. Within the Eyes, he has a place where his skills are not only valued, but occasionally vital. He has expanded his asherati racial sand-swimming ability by methods unknown, and is now able to swim through all manner of mundane solid objects (not as broad a category as one might like, but useful nonetheless).

Krase' personality is quite odd, as noted. He has a penchant for speaking in riddles and rhyming phrases, making weird jokes, and generally behaving in a manner that many would (and often do) consider irritating. He smiles a lot in an unsettling manner, and generally puts people off with his antics. It's all a carefully calculated game, though, as Krase is both smart and wise; the buffoonery is just a way to get others to tip their own hands while thinking that Krase is some kind of addle-brained fool.

Millima Asmon (female water mephling monk//beguiler/LA):
Millima (Mill-ee-ma) is a fellow member of the Eyes who hails from an uldra community far to the south. She has been moved around the teams a bit, as she has an excellent blend of infiltration and movement skills, and is thus acquainted with both Entella and Rhenium.

This mephling is often in disguise while on missions, assisted by her beguiler powers and a number of items, but she also loves her natural form, a short, curvacious female body with a dancer's physique. Her turquoise-blue skin is mottled white across her back, and her long, wavy, sapphire-blue hair is gathered in a single braid that descends to her tailbone. There are a number of tattoos across her body, most notably a third-eye in the middle of her forhead, and decorative knot patterns on her forearms. She eschews clothing much of the time, being extremely comfortable in her own skin. Her normal attire consists of a tight linen bandeau about her breasts, and a tight-fitting pair of linen shorts laced up the sides that are designed for flexibility. She favors light colors to offset her skin tone, but generally varies her wardrobe with the assistance of minor illusory affects.

Millima is a consummate sensualist. She loves life, and finds beauty in the most unlikely places. She has secondary membership in the Society of Sensation, and is always inviting someone or other to see some exhibit or performance that the Society is sponsoring somewhere in Mers. Quiet, observant, and generally optimistic, when she speaks, it is with a palpable warmth and general affection for everyone around her. She doesn't like resorting to violence, but is surprisingly adept at it once her spells and words have failed her.


Argon Naksaethen (male high elf warblade//duskblade)
This is Rhenium's childhood friend. Originally from a lower class servant family, Argon displayed enough skill at swordplay in his youth that his family scraped together the funds to send him abroad to one of the more prestigious elven war colleges. Now returned from his training, he is a more mature, collected person than the boy Rhenium first befriended. His maturity is in contrast with his often tumultuous feelings as a youth held back by his family's social status. Highly intelligent, Argon is also highly emotional, and his passions still cloud his judgment in some matters dear to his heart.

Now equipped with valuable martial skills, Argon works as a mercenary within Mers. He hopes to one day have a job that takes him away from the city less often, as he is loathe to be away from his family and friends for long, he nonetheless works tirelessly, earning the money necessary to buy the rest of his family out of their hereditary servitude.

Saiyana (female ?? //seer):
Saiyana is the only member of the higher echelons of the Eyes that Rhenium and Entella are familiar with. An enigmatic figure who demands considerable respect from Krase (insofar as he ever respects anyone), this beautiful, hairless woman is in charge of a number of team leaders of Krase' rank, but the Eyes internal dynamics allows great autonomy by each team leader. Therefor, Saiyana makes little contact with Krase, and is only rarely seen by those further down the totem pole. Rhenium, however, has seen her around more than usual as the timeline begins, usually as a silent supervisor to his contacts with agents and reps working for the Eyes, and once or twice covertly standing by near the scene of an on-going mission).

Physically, Saiyana can be...well, disturbing. (I'll leave this for some role play fun.)

List of Minor Parts:

Voshuur: Rhenium's handler in the Eyes, he is an older man missing an arm and part of a leg (apparently some kind of birth defect). He comes and goes as he pleases, largely ignored by those around him. Rhenium doesn't always work with a group, and on occasions is just contacted for divination work; during these missions, his main contact with the Eyes is Voshuur.

Bekselia: Young female whisper gnome living in Canalside; sickly from birth, she's just reached young adulthood.

Serdo: Entella's grandfather. An old veteran of the Eyes, he is now semi-retired, running an information network of his many contacts, friends, and informants. He still has frequent dealings with the Eyes, but sees little in the way of field missions these days, sticking to the shadows.

Zichtrey: Male drow proprietor of Frisky Fellows, a high-class brothel in Dens.

Ariella: A female humanoid, possibly a vampire, who is an employee at Frisky Fellows. Got quite friendly with Rhenium, who promised to let her drink his blood at some future date.

Captain Bora: A very large (and fat) half-giant woman who is part of the Code-Keepers. She is stationed on Black Shelf at the start of the campaign.

Johan: Captain Bora's male human subordinate, a tattooed monk with a very serious look, unlike many of the other, slightly incompetent monks working as Code-Keepers in Black Shelf.

[Phelix-Mu]

(Reserved)

[Phelix-Mu]

A cold, cloudless morning foretells the darker months of winter that still lie ahead. Otherwise, the weather this morning of mid-Tenth Moon isn't half-bad; the chill breeze scatters the strange smells and smoke that often hang over the lower districts of Mers. The streets are busy, as usual.

The newsfolds still have headlines about the unrest among the Kalrifri refugees, a story that hasn't be "new" news for at least a fortnight. A new influx has appeared since the northern desert by that name has been inundated by sandstorms and bad weather. These new refugees are causing clashes in the slums where the others have been settled these many months, along with new competition for work, aid, and other resources. Rumors persist that the new continent that is apparently behind all of this is actually full of secret shapechangers that have been smuggled into the city among the refugees. If only that were the least believable of the prevalent gossip.

For Rhenium:
The last installment of Rhenium's last mission just came in, a special bonus for his divination skills, which regularly net him additional income from the Eyes.

The dead-drop technique that Rhenium's handler, Voshuur, has taken to using are pretty primitive, but for some reason the crippled human man likes these kind of games. Leaving notes and payments inside newsfolds and paper bags in trash bins must have some appeal to Voshuur, for such practices are hardly more efficient or more secure. As an older man missing an arm and part of a leg (apparently some kind of birth defect), the handler comes and goes as he pleases, largely ignored by those around him.

This morning's payment was hidden inside a sewer grate in a gutter, probably dropped there just a few minutes before Rhenium showed up. While ten platinum coins in a camouflaged purse was hardly a prince's ransom, it would have made the day of any of the street urchins playing in the nearby alleyway.

For Entella:
Krase wasn't there when Entella showed up to receive the last bit of her payment for that last bit of surveillance that she'd done for the Eyes. Instead it was Binpo at the noodle-shop. Binpo, a chubby male human with yellow skin tone, was some kind of scholar who worked as a brain for the Eyes; the reason why he'd be the one to deliver the coin wasn't readily apparent.

Nevertheless, there he was, eating a steaming bowl of noodles and broth in the chill light of the morning sun. After silently handing over the money and draining the broth from his bowl in a mighty gulp, he got up and departed from the open-air noodle-shop, apparently in a hurry.

And that was all about two minutes ago. The shop keeper, an old friend of Krase', had offered Entella a free bowl of broth to ward off the autumn-morning chill. Entella now had 100gp, and presumably a few days spare time, since she hadn't been contacted about any impending jobs (the general practice being to give team members 24-48 hours notice of a new mission for which they were wanted.

[DeusMortuusEst]

Entella

Not feeling particularly rushed, Entella takes her time to finish the free meal. She exchanges a few pleasantries with the shopkeeper, but after having mentioned the weather for the third time the gnome feels that the conversation isn't really going somewhere and she finishes the broth. Waving goodbye and thanks for the food, she hurries off home.

Stil in no particular hurry the little thief passes by a few places where she knows Serdo's informants usually can be found and spends a few minutes with the ones she can find, exchanging gossip and news.

Her thoughts briefly turns towards Krase and his whereabouts. She had expected to meet him, and to be assigned a new mission and for that reason she was running around in the Paths with all her gear on.
Lucky for me that artificer had a spare hat of disguise laying around, it sure makes it easier working during daytime.

Most onlookers would only see a small female gnome passing by, dressed as a member of one of the many messenger guilds working in the lower parts of Mers. Someone with a bit of magic aiding their sight would see a slightly different image; Still a gnome, Entella's skin tone is darker and more gray than green. Her long black hair is kept in thick dreadlocks which are held together with a broad leather cord. She is dressed in a padded spidersilk suit and on top of that she has a leather harness which holds her crossbow and ammunition along with a small haversack which is kept from tight to her back.

Once she is home Entella takes a short break before going out in disguise again, this time to patrol the streets around the whisper gnome community, making sure that the gangs in the area are staying away.

[Phelix-Mu]

For Entella:
Serdo's usual informants speak of the running gossip: about the newly arrived refugees and their more militant approach to getting what they want; the lastest proclamations of the Puraria Alliance after their loss in the summer's elections for the three floating positions on the City Council; and some domestic scuttlebutt within the Eyes regarding recent appearances of Saiyana, one of the higher up that usually operate well out of sight.

I will elaborate on any of these rumors that Entella might have taken an interest in; we'll just role play it after the fact.

Krase is unpredictable at best, so his non-appearance at the noodle-shop might not mean anything. Entella is aware that the asherati male has his own interests that he pursues on his own time, and he may have just been busy. On the other hand, he does really like to eat there, and it's definitely the first place Entella thinks of when she is looking to track him down.

Over the last few years, the more numerous gangs have well-learned that Entella has staked out the whisper gnome community at Canalside as a safe zone where troublemakers aren't welcome. Can't have too much vigilance in these matters, though.

Make three Spot checks for the period while Entella is patrolling the community. They aren't made under pressure, so feel free to Take 10 if you wish. Alternatively, make a single Knowledge (local) check. It's one or the other for now, I'll leave it up to you.

[Morcleon]

Rhenium

Crouching down to pick up the small purse, Rhenium sighs and rolls his eyes. Every drop just got even stranger than the last. Where would the next one be, directly on his head?

He pulls a small bar made of compressed granola, chocolate and fruit out of a deceptively small bag at his side. Munching down on it, the elven mage glances up at the crisp blue sky. It would be another one of those days. Where nothing much would happen and he would likely just spend his time on a light patrol before going back to the Cathedral Gyre.

Although... I do hope something will happen. Maybe I should try to make something happen. Rhenium briefly considers going to look for trouble, but then shakes away the thought. Those who happened to see him would see exactly what he was. A fairly tall elven male, with grey hair and crystal blue eyes, with a jacket and pants of navy blue, with a tome tucked under his arm and a small haversack at his side. Unassuming, of course.

Finishing up the last of his breakfast, Rhenium sets off, deciding to go see what his old friend Argon was up to. His residence wasn't too far from his current location, after all.

[Phelix-Mu]

For Rhenium:
Rhenium makes his way through Surface to Argon's place. The elven warrior lives at a very modest hostel inhabited by other mercenaries, saving most of his earnings for the benefit of the rest of his family. He spends time at home when he can, but his day-to-day responsibilities usually make this impractical. The hostel is in a slightly sketchy neighborhood, and the housemates can be somewhat sketchy.

Make a Spot check for Rhenium. Provided he's being careful, feel free to Take 10 if you wish.

I also need a list of the typical spells that he pre-casts, if any. Not familiar enough with his total skillset to know if any of them last long enough to bother with ahead of time. Obviously, with certain divinations up, I can divulge more details to you, but many of them are still fairly short duration at this level, I guess.

The hostel itself is a three-story affair, it's entrance located partly beneath street-level, reachable by a short stone staircase. The whole facade is old, greasy-looking, taupe stone with faded wood windows and trim that seem to have once been painted blue. An equally faded sign on at the top of the rail going down declares in four languages (common, elven, dwarven, and goblin) that it's a hostel for mercenaries associated with one of several guilds, along with the rates for rooms rented by the day, week, and month.

A slant-eyed man with some daggers on a bandolier, using one to clean under his fingernails, stands at the top of the stairway. From Rhenium's previous visits, this human male must be some kind of guard for the hostel, as he's been here most every time, at a variety of hours.

[Morcleon]

Rhenium

Starting up the stairs, Rhenium nods to the guard with a faint smile. "Good morning. I don't suppose Argon is around?"

He trails his hand along the railing, glancing about the vicinity with a vigilant eye under a facade of nonchalance.

Taking 10 gives me a total 20 on Spot.

Currently, the only active spells are mage armor and a magic aura (to register as nonmagical) on all his magic items. Nothing else really has the duration yet. :smalltongue:

[Phelix-Mu]

For Rhenium:
Guard
"Dunno," he says, revealing some terrible dental hygiene, "should be 'round 'bouts sumwheres. 'Ee gots some kind a meeting later today, woudna' stop yappin' 'bout it. Sumtin' 'bout dem nice folk over in de Consula' District."

Rhenium is slightly distracted from the man's response, due to what seemed to be a brief glimpse of certain female form; his suspicions about Saiyana having some reason to follow him continue to grow. The woman has a hard-to-mistake appearance, and from across the street and through a fair crowd of people, Rhenium sees her scaly, curvacious purple silhouette, the morning light shining off her sparkling skin. The passersby merge momentarily, though, and then she's gone.

Whatever her reason for being around, it likely doesn't bode well. Her name is mentioned from time to time among members of the Eyes of The Unseen, and always with a slight note of discomfort or apprehension. Rhenium recalls some decades ago, one of his great aunts, an aging elf who was a member of the Eyes some centuries back, once badmouthed some woman named Saiyana. Although his great aunt was generally an unpleasant woman, Rhenium's mother shot the old elf an ice-cold glare in response, an unmistaken note of warning.

That was probably the first time the young Rhenium had ever heard of Saiyana.

[Morcleon]

Rhenium

With an absentminded nod to the guard, Rhenium stares out of the window for a second, trying to catch another glimpse of the elusive Saiyana. "Ah, thank you. Have a nice day."

He strides away, headed toward Argon's quarters. What would she want with him? Nothing good, most likely. Rhenium sighs. It was no use bothering to figure out that enigma. Despite the few times he had seen her, he really had no idea about her, only the extremely basic official info, rumors and hearsay.

Approaching the old wooden door of his old friend, he grins, then knocks twice.

[DeusMortuusEst]

Entella

Entella spends some time with the informants discussing the refugees and their difficulties integrating with the people of Mers, as well as the gossip about Saiyana and the Eyes.

Once she's done with her regular patrol around the community she takes a short break and rests in a alcove above a small apothecary's shop. There she has a decent view of the people passing by below while being almost invisible herself.
So the scum don't dare to come out in the open anymore, that's good. Perhaps they work more like I do nowadays... Where would I go if I wanted to remain unseen but still accessible for someone who wants my services and goods?

Knowledge: Local = 24 (Taking 10)

[Phelix-Mu]

For Rhenium:
Rhenium hears several voices in the room, not entirely unexpected, as the hostel typically has several roommates per room. Last time he visited, Rhenium was even surprised to see some unusual elven subraces among the roommates, but there was a high level of transience in the hostel.

A tall, hunched-over reptilian creature with black scales opens the door, and calls out to a familiar elven figure on a cot further into the room. Argon looks up from the large piece of paper he's inspecting (possibly a map of some kind), and smiles broadly upon seeing Rhenium.

Argon
"Why, Rhenium, what a pleasant surprise," he says, rising to his feet, and making the traditional elven gesture of greeting.

Argon welcomes Rhenium into his room, and the trio of lizardfolk depart to the common room down the hall out of courtesy.

Make a Spot check, followed by a Knowledge(relgion) check.

Argon and Rhenium quickly move past pleasantries, as old friends, and Argon reveals some exciting news; he has been scouted by an officer from the Melfyristaenne Consulate, due to his exceptional performance on several missions with his present mercenary company while they were hired by said consulate. As a citizen of Merstangoth, his rank within the consular defense force will be low, as all of the best positions are given to natives of Melfyristaenne that can be trusted with higher security clearance. But the pay will vastly outweigh his current earnings (excepting hazard pay he earns for actual combat), and the job is also substantially safer and more predictable. Argon isn't a huge fan of the safety angle, but the money is his main objective, so he is hoping to land the position.

Roll Knowledge(geography), (history), and (local). Would you prefer to role play Argon's chat with Rhenium word for word? Either way suits me fine.

For Entella:
A discussion with the informants about the refugees leads to some info that Entella already knows, but some stuff that she didn't.
- There are five main subgroups among the Kalrifri refugees: the nomadic Gashern, a desert people; the oasis-dwelling Naasal, a mix of races who fancy themselves princes and regularly skirmish with the Gashern over territorial claims; the Paelaani, an asherati culture; seven tribes of desert goblins that follow a goblin mystic known as The Grimnate; and finally the cliff-dwellers from the east, a largely peaceful culture of dream dwarves. There are less numerous groups (such as the Athasian halflings), but most of the talk has to do with these larger groups.

- Recently, even the stubborn and hardy Gashern have flocked to the more hospitable regions to the south, as the tempo and severity of sandstorms wracking their native lands have intensified to historical proportions. The Gashern are used to their freedom and a tribal system of self-governance, and thus they come into conflict with the pencil-pushing bureaucrats of Mers quite often. In particular, they all have close bonds with a variety of types of trained riding lizards, whom they consider family-members. Yet the city's laws do not recognize the lizards as citizens with rights, but as property. This causes much offense among the Gashern, who are always accompanied by one or more of the large reptiles (along with a number of other desert beasts, as animal rearing is a large part of their cultural identity).

- Several Paelaani asherati have moved into various thieves guilds, causing a slight increase in competition among the lower-level activities of these guilds. In particular, pick-pocket rings have become rampant in certain neighborhoods, with the rise in competition leading to ever more daring sleight of hand and con-artistry among the youths and professionals that ply this street trade.

Several of the Eyes informants are old enough to have seen similar cycles before. The rise in activity usually precedes a fierce crackdown by the authorities, leading to a period of calm and order while everyone lays low, followed by a shuffling of the shot-callers among the pick-pocket rings. Old leaders are replaced by new ones, and the cycle begins again.

- Saiyana is a matter of some hushed gossip among the Eyes. She's known to have been a high-ranking member for some time, and her overall period of membership is thought by many to be counted in centuries. Her physical appearance and presence is legendary; she hardly ever wears clothes, or even a scrap of jewelry, oblivious to custom or modesty. Instead, she's said to have jewel-like skin that sparkles in the light, glittering in every shade of purple imaginable. Those that aren't totally gob stopped by Saiyana's exotic appearance often take heed of her powerful presence. Some rumors are that it's psionics, others that it's magic, and others that she's just that scary or cool, but they all agree that she is capable of awe-inspiring entrances that freeze would-be opposition in its tracks.

Now at the gnome community at Canalside, Entella is sitting down to reflect on the safety of the community and such, when she suddenly recalls that today is a significant day. A distant cousin introduced Entella to a family some time ago that had a young daughter who had been quite sickly as an infant. As a result, Bekselia, as she was called, was plagued by coughing fits and seizures, and was generally in very delicate health.

Well, this was all some years ago, and today, if Entella's reckoning was right, would mark the entry of Bekselia into young adulthood, an important day in the life of a young gnome. She would be given another name, blessings would be said, and her parents would begin to encourage Bekselia to spend time with various artisans or skilled community members, in the hopes of helping her develop her own interests and skills.

As Bekselia had often been regarded as unlikely to survive her childhood, the day was even more significant.

All of this would be going on at the family home, less than a mile from where Entella was standing on patrol.

[Morcleon]

Rhenium

"Interesting..." Rhenium grins at his friend. "Still, even with the relative calmness of your prospective job, the salary increase will still open up many new opportunities for you."

Spot: [roll0]
Knowledge (religion): [roll1]

Knowledge (geography): [roll2]
Knowledge (history): [roll3]
Knowledge (local): [roll4]

Sure, I guess. :smalltongue:

[Phelix-Mu]

For Rhenium:
Regarding Rhenium's rolls:
As the black-scaled lizardfolk are leaving the room, Rhenium spots that one of the other ones is wearing a thick leather pouch of some kind that has been stamped with some kind of symbol. It's hard to make out (as the impressed part is pretty much the same color as the surrounding background), but the elven mage's eyes catch what appears to be a stylized symbol with an emaciated dragon head bearing a toothy grin, upon a kite shield-shaped area marked by vertical bars.

It could be a holy symbol of some kind, but it doesn't correspond with Rhenium's general knowledge of draconic deities. He remembers the image, though, and can check it later against some relevant books.

Later on:
When Argon mentions Melfyristaenne, it brings up a number of topics in Rhenium's mind.

Firstly, Melfyristaenne is a land to the southeast of Merstangoth. It is one of the four nations surrounding Mers, and is broadly broken up into three geographical regions: the lowlands, made up of verdant green valleys; the clines, a general term referring to areas on the sides of the mountain range that occupies most of the nation; and the plateaus, which due to the local climate have a cloud forest biome, and range from a temperate rain forest to a less damp but still green hills, located at great altitude. The whole area is more temperate than the areas in the north of the continent, and it catches vapor-filled clouds coming off the sea, the prevalent east winds of that side of the continent. It's a lush realm filled with greenery of all kinds.

The people of Melfyristaenne are freedom-loving and of an independent mindset. Many families trace their bloodlines back to fey ancestry, and in general there is much fey activity in the realm. The people largely welcome the fey, viewing their presence as a sign of good fortune, but the fey are, as ever, unpredictable and flighty creatures. The people know to welcome their favor, but fear their wrath, and that one is not really more likely than the other at any given moment.

The culture is dominated by a traditional calendar that cements popular moon-worship, along with some fey-oriented cults. Thus, the churches of each of the Twelve Moons are each quite influential, as is the worship of Panlunias, a collective representation of the moon. Despite this influence, much of the society exists in a state of mixed anarchy. The lowlands are largely self-governed settlements that only collaborate for trade and defense purposes, and even then on a largely voluntary basis. The isolated settlements of the clines are generally self-sufficient, and geographically would be most impractical to attack or otherwise threaten. The mountain roads are slender, precarious, and confusing to non-natives (not to mention various oreads don't take well to outsiders traipsing about on their flanks).

But the main area of note in Rhenium's mind is the plateau, where the closest things to rulers dwell in green palaces or survey the land from vast stone circles amid the clouds. These higher echelons of Melfyristaenne society are highly egocentric, have close blood-ties to fey, and like to meddle in the affairs of their own countrymen, foreigners, and generally make mischief and breed intrigue. Magic runs like water in these lands, some arcane, some divine, some otherwise, and several of the mightiest enchanters and diviners on the continent are known to dwell within the clouds of Melfyristaenne.

It's easily the most complicated and chaotic of the major nations of the continent.


Argon
"I know, and I hope to shortly be able to bring at least my siblings out of servitude, so they can gain an education and life here in Surface. You know my feelings on this point," he says with a heartfelt look, "but there is surely more of a future here for us than in our meager inheritance as servants of your family. I count myself lucky that both your parents have been successful in their own right, and have largely eschewed the master-servant relationship of our families' earlier generations." He stands up and paces a bit, clearly starting to feel some emotional energy derived from the topic. "Our friendship showed me that there is no merit to the values passed down by our elders; true service to another is rendered willingly, never compelled or impressed by tradition."

[DeusMortuusEst]

Entella

I can't believe that I almost forgot about Bekselia. If I hurry I might make it to the naming ceremony!
Nimbly she drops down from her hiding place onto the street and starts running towards Bekselia's family home.

[Phelix-Mu]

For Entella:
The scene at Bekselia's family home is quite festive, as whisper gnome gatherings go. There are handmade banners and streamers around a central area located on the porch of the home, and a game of hide-and-seek is already underway, seemingly an effort to keep the youngsters occupied until the ceremony begins.

Bekselia's mother, Essendra, approaches Entella in greeting.

Essendra
"What a pleasant surprise, Entella," she says with the normal whisper gnome greeting (a non-contact variation of the classic gnome elbow-to-elbow gesture). "Bekselia will be delighted that you showed up. You know how she likes to hear stories about the city beyond Canalside. Maybe later you could indulge us all with a tale."

Entella spots Bekselia across an opening in the gathered guests. She looks little different than the last time the two met, scrawny and stunted, skin almost white and slightly jaundiced eyes, with one major exception: she's wearing a pretty garish set of eyeglasses, sparkling purple frames with what appear to be oval-shaped, quality glass lenses.

Essendra
"Oh, and we're so grateful for the gift you sent," she says, taking Entella's hand in a moment of maternal emotion. "Beks lost most of her sight a couple weeks ago after a particularly bad seizure. We'd almost given up hope for a way to allow her to read again, and as she's such a bookworm, you can imagine it was quite a blow. But the glasses arrived last night and work like a charm."

Both the loss of sight and the glasses are news to Entella.

Bekselia
"Oh, Cousin Entella," says Bekselia. "I love the glasses. This morning I read an entire newsfold from cover to cover, and I could see it all just fine. It's the best present I could ask for."

Cousin is a common way of addressing valued friends among the community, irrespective of blood ties. Bekselia previously referred to Entella as "Aunt Entella," a mark of respect for an elder. Now a young adult, she is encouraged to view adults as peers, hence the change of moniker.

[DeusMortuusEst]

Entella

Feeling a little out of place in such a social gathering, Entella puts on her 'friendly and innocent' look, smiling pleasantly and nodding to those gathered that she recognizes. Festivities like this isn't something that she particularly enjoys but she understands the need for them and so she plays along, even though she'd rather sit alone or with a single friend in a corner, silently watching the rest of the crowd.

As Essendra approaches her she widens her smile slightly and returns her greeting.
"I do have some new stories actually. There's a group of Kalrifri halflings living in the deeps that I've visited. They have creatures that float in the air carrying gondolas, like living airships and the halflings too fly with hangliders!"

When she hears about the seizure and the glasses her smile is partly replaced by a confused look. At first she lets the remark slide, thinking that Essendra has confused her with someone else, it wouldn't be the first time, but when Bekselia also thanks her for the gift she holds up her hands in a excusing gesture.
"It's wonderful to see you cousin and I'm glad to hear that you can read, but I think there must have been a mistake. I'm not the one who sent you those glasses Bekselia. I didn't even know about the seizure."

[Phelix-Mu]

For Entella:
Bekselia
"Really? That's strange," she says, a strange, blank look suddenly in her eyes. "A nice woman delivered them last night, saying they were from you," she continues in a bit of a monotone.

Roll Sense Motive.

Essendra
"Honey, I thought you said you found the package on the porch last night."

Bekselia
"...hmm. Oh right," she says, suddenly normal again, "the package was just laying there on the porch, addressed to me. The card inside had your name on it."

Essendra
"In any case, Beks, the naming ceremony is going to start soon. Go and pull your hair back so you're ready."

Bekselia
"Cousin Entella, could you help me out for a moment. I don't want to be late," the slight gnome implores, with a wink.

[Phelix-Mu]

For Entella:
Considering the 17 rolled on the Sense Motive check.

There was something really weird about Bekselia's voice and mannerisms during that first reply (the bit starting "Really? That's strange,"). It's as if her personality disappeared for a moment, and she was some animated minion puppeting words she'd been been commanded to say, before suddenly returning to normal. Entella knows little of the workings of magic, but this was all very suspicious.

[DeusMortuusEst]

Entella

Suddenly feeling slightly uneasy about the whole situation, Entella does her best to hide her emotions behind what she hopes looks like a warm smile.
"Of course, Bekselia."

Following her now adult cousin she waits until they're out of earshot of the rest of the attendees at the ceremony before she continues.
"Hey, Beks. Do you think that I could look at your glasses for a moment? They aren't a gift from me, but really I like the taste of whoever they're from!"

Bluff check to fake the smile, if needed: [roll0]

[Phelix-Mu]

Bekselia
"Of course you may look at them," she says, happy to oblige. "Just help me tie my hair back. My great grandmother is going to put that stuff on my forehead, you know," she continues, handing Entella a long, purple ribbon with which to tie Bekselia's hair back.

An ancient whisper gnome myth speaks of the Time of Becoming, when the gnome gods gave their creations their first names. Tied to this legend are a series of runes. The rune for child is an unfinished rune, which is symbolically painted on the forehead during the child naming ceremony. During the ceremony marking the start of adulthood, a more finished rune is painted on the forehead.

Entella is familiar with the traditions of the community, both from her own childhood and her committed stewardship of her neighborhood.

After assisting Bekselia with her hair, the young gnome smiles and hands her glasses to Entella.

Entella can make whatever examination or rolls that can be made within the space of a couple minutes, as the ceremony is about to start, and Bekselia will need her glasses for the ceremony.

[Morcleon]

For Rhenium:
Regarding Rhenium's rolls:
As the black-scaled lizardfolk are leaving the room, Rhenium spots that one of the other ones is wearing a thick leather pouch of some kind that has been stamped with some kind of symbol. It's hard to make out (as the impressed part is pretty much the same color as the surrounding background), but the elven mage's eyes catch what appears to be a stylized symbol with an emaciated dragon head bearing a toothy grin, upon a kite shield-shaped area marked by vertical bars.

It could be a holy symbol of some kind, but it doesn't correspond with Rhenium's general knowledge of draconic deities. He remembers the image, though, and can check it later against some relevant books.

Later on:
When Argon mentions Melfyristaenne, it brings up a number of topics in Rhenium's mind.

Firstly, Melfyristaenne is a land to the southeast of Merstangoth. It is one of the four nations surrounding Mers, and is broadly broken up into three geographical regions: the lowlands, made up of verdant green valleys; the clines, a general term referring to areas on the sides of the mountain range that occupies most of the nation; and the plateaus, which due to the local climate have a cloud forest biome, and range from a temperate rain forest to a less damp but still green hills, located at great altitude. The whole area is more temperate than the areas in the north of the continent, and it catches vapor-filled clouds coming off the sea, the prevalent east winds of that side of the continent. It's a lush realm filled with greenery of all kinds.

The people of Melfyristaenne are freedom-loving and of an independent mindset. Many families trace their bloodlines back to fey ancestry, and in general there is much fey activity in the realm. The people largely welcome the fey, viewing their presence as a sign of good fortune, but the fey are, as ever, unpredictable and flighty creatures. The people know to welcome their favor, but fear their wrath, and that one is not really more likely than the other at any given moment.

The culture is dominated by a traditional calendar that cements popular moon-worship, along with some fey-oriented cults. Thus, the churches of each of the Twelve Moons are each quite influential, as is the worship of Panlunias, a collective representation of the moon. Despite this influence, much of the society exists in a state of mixed anarchy. The lowlands are largely self-governed settlements that only collaborate for trade and defense purposes, and even then on a largely voluntary basis. The isolated settlements of the clines are generally self-sufficient, and geographically would be most impractical to attack or otherwise threaten. The mountain roads are slender, precarious, and confusing to non-natives (not to mention various oreads don't take well to outsiders traipsing about on their flanks).

But the main area of note in Rhenium's mind is the plateau, where the closest things to rulers dwell in green palaces or survey the land from vast stone circles amid the clouds. These higher echelons of Melfyristaenne society are highly egocentric, have close blood-ties to fey, and like to meddle in the affairs of their own countrymen, foreigners, and generally make mischief and breed intrigue. Magic runs like water in these lands, some arcane, some divine, some otherwise, and several of the mightiest enchanters and diviners on the continent are known to dwell within the clouds of Melfyristaenne.

It's easily the most complicated and chaotic of the major nations of the continent.


Argon
"I know, and I hope to shortly be able to bring at least my siblings out of servitude, so they can gain an education and life here in Surface. You know my feelings on this point," he says with a heartfelt look, "but there is surely more of a future here for us than in our meager inheritance as servants of your family. I count myself lucky that both your parents have been successful in their own right, and have largely eschewed the master-servant relationship of our families' earlier generations." He stands up and paces a bit, clearly starting to feel some emotional energy derived from the topic. "Our friendship showed me that there is no merit to the values passed down by our elders; true service to another is rendered willingly, never compelled or impressed by tradition."


Rhenium

Filing the unknown holy symbol away in his mind, Rhenium smiles up at his friend. "Indeed. And if you ever need help with that task, you may rely on me. After all, you are my friend, Argon, not my servant." He chuckles ruefully. "Of course, I suspect the fact that we were born and raised in Ash may have had a detrimental effect to your family, what with the lack of generally available resources."

"Ah, well. It's not like we really could have done anything about it." Rhenium tilts his head to the side. "Anyway, are you sure that you'll be alright working in Melfyristaenne? It's a fairly chaotic place, and your foreign status won't help."

[Phelix-Mu]

For Rhenium:
Argon
[To the earlier comment about offering your help]:
"Actually, its a good thing that we met," he mentions, slightly interrupting Rhenium. "As I hope to find a way out of Ash for Kaelnissa and Tis'rael, I'd like some assistance with locating a safe place in the city for them to live. My initial budget will be a serious constraint, but both of them have decent talents and should be able to support themselves with a little help. I thought your knowledge of the city and a few spells might help locate a half-decent place not run by gangsters or thugs. I'd be very grateful, and I know at least Tis'rael would be, too," he adds with a knowing smile.

Tis'rael is Argon's younger sister, and a stunning beauty; she hopes to pursue a career in the arts, and is a decent dramatist, singer, and sculptor (though, like his entire family, most of their time is spent looking after the household/compound of Rhenium's family).

Kaelnissa is the older daughter, Argon's moon twin. As a bit of elven physiology, a moon twin is a very rare quirk of elven fertility cycles, and occurs when twins are conceived one, and occasionally two months apart. Thus, the two fetuses grow separately within the mother, and often they are unable to be born at the same time. Without medical or magical assistance, this often leads to at least one stillborn child, and sometimes even the death of the mother. This is in stark contrast to normal elven childbirth, which is a much more relaxed and tranquil affair than human childbirth.

Kaelnissa was born two months after Argon. She is very tempermental,and occasionally violent. Her mood swings have caused her to be of little use as a servant, and so she spent much of her youth in seclusion, wandering around the Eyes' compound in Ash. Although Argon often tried to look out for her, she all but hates him. He tolerates her problematic behavior, as does his whole family, as moon twins often suffer from developmental disorders and/or deviant personalities.

Tis'rael has a very strong bond with Kaelnissa.

[As the conversation moves onto the job]:
"Truth be told, I do find the Melfyris to be an...interesting people," Argon admits. "I'm sure there will be much more going on at the consulate than I'd like on occasion, if only subtly." Argon gets up and pours himself a glass of water from pitcher on the bedside table, offering another glass to Rhenium. "My direct superior would be a woman by the name of Loidelsa Chuunan if I get the job; we were briefly acquainted during the mission that I worked on behalf of the consulate. She's quite a character, and commands impressive respect from an irregular bunch under her command, mostly native Melfyris."

We can continue the talk if you wish, but I'd like to move on a bit. Little else of note has been going on in Argon's life, so the conversation will likely turn to the families down in Ash or toward politics and class divisions, two of Argon's favorite topics.

[DeusMortuusEst]

Entella

Entella nimbly weaves the ribbon into Bekselia's hair, using a method that she herself preferred before she got her dreadlocks and which she considers to be fairly elegant and fitting for the upcoming ceremony.

Once she is done with that she takes a long look at Bekselias' glasses. Though she never studied magic, Entella does know a few tricks and she has seen her fair share of wand-wielders and spell-slingers and so she puts on the glasses and starts muttering what few arcane words she knows while at the same time concentrating hard on the, in her opinion, pretty hideous accessory on her nose.

UMD, trying to activate the glasses blindly, if they are magical at all. Today I learned that Entella isn't always level-headed and logical. Sometimes she jumps straight into the deep end of the pool.

[roll0]

[Phelix-Mu]

For Entella:
Mere seconds after placing the glasses on her face, and partway through her arcane mumbling, Entella's stomach suddenly twists as the area appears to throb around her, and the spatial distortion causes some considerable disorientation.

Entella is sickened for the remainder of the round where she failed the UMD check.

After a moment, though, the surrounding area reorients itself, and Entella's head clears, allowing the objects swimming about her field of vision to settle back into their customary places. The strength of the lenses suggest they were designed for someone whose vision was lamentably bad, and they still cause discomfort for Entella's eyes.

A flickering image suddenly appears before Entella, superimposed on the events going on around her; after a moment, it is clear that the image is appearing on the surface of the lenses of the glasses. A strange, but clearly female, humanoid figure enters the image, carrying a writing slate and a stylus, but otherwise naked. Her skin is entirely covered in glittering purple scales, smaller in size upon her ventral areas, and continuing up across her angular face and scalp. Instead of hair, the scales gradually grow and merge into a crest of some kind that runs from her crown and disappears behind her. Her large eyes are pupil-less pools of deep purple, a shade darker than her scales, which subtly swirls at times. She's staring directly at Entella, seemingly inspecting the gnome.

Mysterious Woman
"How amusin...*ahem*...testing, testing," she says, while inspecting something. "Yes, these should do nicely, for the time that they are needed." She makes some notation upon her writing slate, then looks up and makes an arcane gesture of some kind with her empty hand. "The recording feature shows some interesting results; quasi-illusory mental projection could yield some interesting abilities, and could result in a finer level of control than exists in arcane phantasm generation."

"Meanwhile, my dear gnome, if you'd please return the glasses to their owner after a brief moment of business," she says, suddenly seeming to lock her wandering gaze onto Entella. "I believe you still carry the 'lucky coin' given to you by Krase."

Indeed, Entella does carry said item, tucked away in her magical haversack. Krase gave it to her as a birthmoon present last year. The wooden coin has an abstract design on it, quite pretty, but it's real use is a cleverly hidden magical aura that can be activated once to produce an illusory image of a special form of The Unseen's holy symbol.

Coins of this kind are used as a secondary measure for identifying allies; a corresponding mental activation phrase is needed to activate the image. The coin can be transferred to a trusted secondary person, and such transfer triggers the image. Seeing the image triggers a new activation phrase, which the coin has subliminally stored in mind of the owner. The coin only unlocks the new subliminal phrase in the absence of mental compulsion or charm, which the coin detects. The new owner thus only can activate the coin if they receive it from an old owner that has taught the phrase willingly, and upon such willing transfer, the single-use image of the holy symbol is reset.

The whole system is cloaked by a powerful nondetection effect (so the coin itself can't be the target of certain divinations), while it's all wrapped in an aura that hides its magical nature.

"Since you do, be sure to have it close at hand (not in that backpack), during the next day or two," she says, with a half-smile, revealing a number of pointed teeth. "Meanwhile, enjoy the ceremony. You tale will go over well, so give it some spirit. Bekselia is a charming young girl; I've enjoyed watching her and I am glad that she has reached this auspicious day."

[DeusMortuusEst]

Entella

The sickening feeling combined with the sudden appearance of the illusionary woman on the inside of the glasses has the little gnome stumbling backwards one step before she has a chance to gather herself.

"Saiyana?" She asks hesitantly, almost whispering. When the figure mentions the coin she nods. "Yes, I do, but why is it important now? What is going on?"

[Phelix-Mu]

For Entella:
The image of the Mysterious Woman seems to freeze for a moment.

Mysterious Woman
"How amusin...*ahem*...testing, testing," she says, while inspecting something. "Yes, these should do nicely, for the time that they are needed." She makes some notation upon her writing slate, then looks up and makes an arcane gesture of some kind with her empty hand....

The image continues on in exactly the same manner as before, word for word, seemingly oblivious to Entella's inquiries.

Bekselia
"Did you say something, Entella?" the young gnome mentions, turning her attention from the crowd gathering around the porch.

Essendra
"Come on dear, it's almost time," the mother gnome says, bustling Bekselia off toward the porch before Entella can respond. This causes Bekselia to almost trip.

Bekselia
"Gosh, Mom, slow down, Entella has my glasses!" she exclaims, fumbling about for her balance before stumbling toward Entella, hands groping out before her. She snatches the purple glasses off of Entella's face, places them on her own, and beams. "That's better. Alright, let's go," she exclaims, and walks over to the porch with her mother.

.....
The rest of the ceremony goes off without a hitch. Bekselia is pronounced Hespasia, making her full name Hespasia Bekselia Aimee sa Fragram. The parents are proud, their daughter is beaming, and all seems well as a group of musicians strike up a dark tune of deep woodwinds and coiled horns (a traditional whisper gnome style). Modest refreshments are served; a warm herbal broth and crusty slices of bread with minced mushrooms. A little dancing even takes place.

Entella can make an Intelligence check and a Knowledge (local) check to notice something about the ceremony.

[Morcleon]

Rhenium

"Of course I could help you find a place. It shouldn't be hard at all." Rhenium smiles, then rolls his eyes. "And as beautiful as Tis'rael is, does she know that you're trying to play matchmaker for her and me?"

He gratefully accepts the proffered glass, taking a deep sip. "I've heard of her. I think you would do well under her. She is quite the skilled commander."

Moving on is fine, I guess. :smalltongue:

[DeusMortuusEst]

Entella

Shaking her head in confusion, Entella replies.
"No sorry Beks.." But she doesn't have time to finish before her cousin seizes the glasses off her nose and hurries to the ceremony.

Entella remains at the back of the crowd, feeling a hint of pride as Bekselia is given her new name. Another of her people took the first step into the life of an adult and Entella had watched over her and her family for some years now and her sense of responsibility for them had grown significantly in the last few months.

She watches the dancers a little envious, dancing is an art she has never learned but would like to someday.
Perhaps in a few years, if I have the time and the money to spare. That would be nice.

Knowledge: Local [roll0]

[Phelix-Mu]

For Entella:
Entella's ears perk up at the mention of Hespasia's formal last name, sa Fragram. Doesn't seem like a traditional gnomish name, even for the somewhat quirky whisper gnomes.

The party continues for some time, and there will be a dinner held in honor of the occasion later in the evening. Entella is free to go back to whatever her plans were before she recalled the importance of the date.

For Rhenium:
Argon
"Well, I think you know that I haven't had to put too many thoughts into Tis'rael's head on that account," he replies, and, indeed, Tis'rael has had an obvious "interest" in Rhenium for some time now. "Thanks to your parents relaxed ways, us kids grew up with little regard for the distinction between high elves and grey elves. I know Tis'rael enjoys it just as much as I do that our behavior drives your more elderly family members crazy."

The conversation turns to childhood reminiscences for a while, and soon enough a couple hours have been passed chatting about this and that.

A tranquil lull in the conversation is suddenly broken by a rapping at the door.

Argon
"Very strange that I should have company twice in one morning," he says over his shoulder as he opens the door.

Rhenium spots a familiar looking human youth with skin the color of burnt toast at the door. He's dressed in loose fitting clothes made of taupe linen, running sandals, and has a messenger's bag with the holy symbol of San on it (a flaming torch).

The young human male is Rome'Eluan, a messenger who works for a Koënerfoënik, a gnome law firm. The Eyes do covert work for the firm, and the firm supplies cover stories for certain activities that the Eyes undertake.

Rome'Eluan
"Good day, Mr. Rhenium," he says politely. "My employers would like to arrange a meeting with you, as soon as possible. It's about that burglary case; it seems that jurists will be called after all, and Mr. Koën wants your help ironing out which of the servants is telling the truth. I'll wait at the front door to escort you to the place where the interviews are taking place."

Argon
"I guess we'll have to cut our visit a bit short. Next time you visit, come hungry, as I'd like to treat you to a meal at this street vendor's place in the Consular District that I found a few days ago."

[Morcleon]

Rhenium

"True, true... the way she looks at me is actually quite adorable and flattering." Rhenium grins, leaning back slightly. "Perhaps I shall spend some more time with her the next time I visit the Outpost."

He gives the messenger a smile and a nod. "Good day to you as well, Rome. I will be out shortly."

"And indeed we will, friend. I look forward to this new place you've found. You always have good taste in food. Goodbye for now, Argon." With a nod and wave, the mage stands up to leave, following the messenger.

[Phelix-Mu]

For Rhenium:
Arriving outside, Rome'Eluan talks to you as you both take a fairly rapid pace in the direction that he indicates.

Rome'Eluan
"Seems like it's a last minute job, Mr. Rhenium, and they need your help in a hurry. Your contact is located just a couple blocks away. I'll take my leave early, as usual."

The crowds have thickened a bit, as people go out for lunch and venture outside during the warmest hours of the day. Rome'Eluan departs after giving the elven mage the description of the meeting spot (a dwarven food cart that peddles roasted potatoes) and wishing him well.

A somewhat flustered Voshuur hobbles on his pegleg toward Rhenium, his haste clearly obvious. He hasn't put much effort into his disguise, this time, and is dressed like a mix of a desert nomad and a street beggar, raggedy linens wrapped about his cinnamon-colored features.

Voshuur
"Thank the spirits that we found you," he says, clasping Rhenium by the arm and heading toward a nearby alleyway in a conspiratorial manner. "The Eyes have a most important mission for you."

Voshuur goes on to outline the premise of the mission. It has come to the attention of the Eyes of The Unseen that one of the flying barges that orbits the city will be bombed late this afternoon. The mission is to discover the location of a certain relative of a certain important figure, known to be engaged in semi-legal, inauspicious activities on the barge that is the target of the bombing. After discovering where this man, a grey elf by the name of Tagellen, is located, he is to be retrieved and returned to the safety of Surface. All as quietly as possible.

Certain resources and contacts will be made available upon acceptance of the mission (namely a way to gain access to the flying barge and an associate of Tagellen that may know useful information).

While the Eyes are not in the habit of compelling people to accept missions, Voshuur emphasizes that this mission is of the utmost importance. Should Rhenium accept and succeed, he will gain both prestige within the organization and substantial material rewards (the single-mission bonus for his divination skills is being increased to 1000gp, in addition to his payment for a successful mission, which varies based on degree of success).

[DeusMortuusEst]

Entella

Entella mingles for a few more minutes, exchanging a few words with most of the guests, making sure that they are doing fine, talks a little about the city outside the community and catches up on the latest gossip. Once she feels that it leaving wouldn't be considered rude she walks up to Essendra.

"I need to leave, thank you for a wonderful ceremony and gathering Essendra. Hespasia's a beautiful woman and I'm happy to see her all grown up." She pauses for a moment and looks at her cousin, the rune still freshly painted on her forehead.
"I've never heard the name 'sa Fragram' before, is there a story behind it?"

[Phelix-Mu]

For Entella:
Essendra
"Oh, interesting you should notice. It's from my husband's side of the the family. Lemme see if I remember the story," she says, pausing and looking upward lost in recollection. "Oh yes, right. It was his mother, Dahlia; she's not with us anymore. She up and left the community one day, way back, before Fenibren was born, apparently on some pilgrimage to Stalgorm. There, she underwent some kind of religious conversion, coming to worship some nature god or other that they revere in that nation. After returning, she mostly returned to normal, and mentioned her religious conversion only occasionally. After giving birth to Fenibren, she became quite ill, and remained quiet and sickly until she died shortly after Fenibren became a young adult."

"And as for Hespasia being all grown up, she's still got a ways to go, but now she can mingle with the adults more and see what kind of career or interests she'd like to pursue," she says, clearly not relishing the idea of her chick leaving the nest. "I value the support you've given the whole community, Entella, and I know that Hespasia looks up to your example."

Entella can make a Knowledge(local) check to see what she knows about Stalgorm, as well as other details about the history of Canalside that might connect to this tidbit. So, two Knowledge(local) checks, I guess, since they are different topics.

[DeusMortuusEst]

Entella

"That's interesting, I've never heard of Dahlia before, are there anyone else in the community that follows the same faith?" She asks when Essendra has finished her story.

"It is flattering that Hespasia sees me as someone to look up to. I do what I can so that we can live in peace, as do most of us. My talents do lend themselves to that kind of business better than others' I guess." She pauses for a moment before continuing.
"I need to be going, thank you again for the ceremony." Bowling slightly Entella takes a few steps backwards, careful to let Essendra turn her back to the conversation first and show that she trusts Entella as her guest.

Leaving the party behind her Entella one again assumes the disguise as a messenger gnome as she continues in a brisk pace to a local tailor where she buys a thin leather cord for her lucky coin. She ties the leather cord to the coin and hangs it around her neck.

Know: Local (Stalgorm) [roll0]
Know: Local (Canalside) [roll1]

[Morcleon]

Rhenium

With but a brief moment of thought, Rhenium nods emphatically. "I accept. Do you have any information for me now, or should I proceed somewhere else for the information?"

"And will there be someone handling the bombing, or is this a time-critical mission?"

[Phelix-Mu]

For Rhenium:

Now secluded a ways down an empty alley, Voshuur turns to Rhenium with a smile.

Voshuur
"Since you've accepted the mission, we will proceed immediately to our rendezvous with the member of the Eyes that secured the associate of the target," he says, producing a ceramic disc the size of his fist from under his robes. "Unfortunately, your rank among the Eyes isn't high enough to be privilege to how the bombing is being approached." He places Rhenium's hand on the shoulder of his only arm, and flings the disk at the ground. As it shatters, the surroundings blurr and disappear, and then a new part of the city materializes around the human and the elf.

Voshuur takes a moment and surveys the surroundings.

"In all likelihood, the Eyes will be relegated to observe and report," he continues, having looked around what seems to be a trash-cluttered alleyway in an area of the Deeps or some other neighborhood on the perimeter of the city (evident by the rather larger amount of sky visible from ground level). "As this has all the makings of the kind of political or factional act that the Eyes tend to steer clear of, little may be done aside from passing the info along to the Code-Keepers. With that in mind, yes, you will be wanting to complete the mission as soon as possible, as the bomb will go off as far as we are aware."

"You should consider yourself in potential danger from here on out," he adds, approaching a greasy, iron door that has a large "X" marked on it in white chalk. An illusory sign flashing above the door proclaims the presence of "Real Girls," flashing to "Real Guys," and finally "Fee by the Minute."

[An appropriate pause is made for Rhenium to prepare himself. Voshuur explains that this should just be the interrogation location, so no violence is expected. But it's not a secure location either. There are no other people present in the alleyway.]

Opening the door to the strip joint, a dark room of some size is penetrated by the midday sunlight, the cold beam caught in a haze of smoke and...apparently some dust. Rhenium catches sight of a bunch of broken furniture and about a score of unconscious bodies, some clients, some dancers, and about a half dozen chunky looking bouncers (dwarves and half-orcs with gang tattoos).

A lone dancer, a tall, pale-skinned human woman with raven-black hair gathered in thin braids down to her waist. She's swaying in a relaxed rhythm, her hair obscuring her topless form, above the only unbroken booth left in the joint. In the booth sits a rigid, frightened looking grey elf female.

Dancer
"Are you the interrogator sent by the Eyes?" she asks, very calmly, while raising her right hand, fingers curling into a fist. She turns and smiles at Rhenium, who notices that her knuckles are smeared with blood.


For Entella:
Essendra
"Yeah, it was pretty sad how Dahlia died, as she just kind of withered away after giving birth to my husband," she replies, a somewhat sad look coming over her face. "Needless to say, growing up without his birth mother around was difficult for Fenibren."

"I'm pretty sure no one else follows this particular religion that she converted to; it was a big point of gossip at the time, and I believe her behavior was viewed as strange by many in the community." Something occurs to her, and she smiles. "You should talk to your grandfather, Serdo. He would have been active back around that period, I think. In any case, he would know who would know; you know how he is with his network of friends."

As to the skill checks, first about Canalside:
As this matter regards Hespasia's paternal grandparents, that would be some time ago, and Serdo would have been more active back in that period. His business with the Eyes was pretty involved, but he liked to keep a close eye on the community, just like Entella. So talking to him might prove fruitful.

As to Stalgorm:
Stalgorm is one of the four large nations that border Merstangoth. Located to the southwest of the city, it is a vast, forested land that has relatively few inhabitants. The people that live there, known as the Stalgorma, lead calm, introspective lives, and favor small settlements or ascetic retreats where they live in seclusion. The Stalgorma a known far and wide for their stamina and incredible resilience; some aspect of their heritage clearly grants them unusual durability. They are a stout, squarely built people, and they don't shy away from hard work, being a generally patient and tolerant bunch.

This represents the vast majority of the population. The society of the Stalgorma, though, is run by the Elders, who are very different in disposition. Operating out of Palmers Keep, the capitol and largest city of Stalgorm, they are a conniving, secretive bunch who spend their time vying for power, collecting magical secrets, and generally interfering in various ways across the whole continent. Known to be great in age, there are eleven permanent members among the Elders, though there are thought to be other elders not recognized as leaders, as well.

Since Entella rolled well, she also knows a bit of unusual gossip she's pieced together:
Stalgorma are believed to have magical blood. It's unclear what causes it, but their blood seems to have magical curative properties that lend the Stalgorma their unusual stamina. Witnesses claim that Stalgorma survive terrible wounds, bleed only little when cut, and seem to stabilize despite being all-but-dead. A single Stalgorman can walk for days, go without sleep for several weeks, hold his breath for very long periods...and so forth. They would make excellent warriors, but they are generally a peace-loving and contemplative people with little interest in the martial arts and warfare.

Rumors persist of a black market trade in Stalgorma blood, body parts, and full-body transplants. For the right price, of course.

[DeusMortuusEst]

Entella

Finding that once again that half of what her grandfather knows is probably more than she will learn in her entire life Entella heads home to talk to her beloved mentor.
Perhaps he'll take the time to begin teaching me the deeper secrets of the Crescent Moon today? She thinks with a smile as she effortlessly navigates the confusing streets of the Paths.

[Morcleon]

Rhenium

With a nod to Voshuur, Rhenium quirks an eyebrow at the sign. "Low profile, certainly..."

He walks in, noting the assorted damage scattered liberally around. Rhenium looks at the dancer, smirking. "Perhaps I am. And who would you be, miss...?"

His eyes bore into hers, intense yet curious.

[Phelix-Mu]

For Rhenium:
Dancer
"Oh, right, you're that diviner," she says, suddenly perking up. "I'm Millima, just in disguise. I was sent her to prep the subject for interrogation." The human dancer, Millima, smiles at the female grey elf sitting beside her. "It's her," she says, gesturing at the woman.

I'll roll Rhenium's Knowledge(local)...[roll0].

Alright, so Rhenium recognizes Millima's name. He remembers having dealt with her in the past; she's a monk with the ability to use illusions, mostly geared toward covert operations, undercover roles, and fast strikes. Once, he even may have seen her real form; it was during a debriefing for a mission involving testing out a bank's divination-shielding and security response-time, and she appeared to be a blue-skinned mephling who didn't care much for clothing.

Also, the following:

Millima (Mill-ee-ma) is a fellow member of the Eyes who hails from an uldra community far to the south. She has been moved around the teams a bit, as she has an excellent blend of infiltration and movement skills, and is thus acquainted with both Entella and Rhenium.

This mephling is often in disguise while on missions, assisted by her beguiler powers and a number of items, but she also loves her natural form, a short, curvacious female body with a dancer's physique. Her turquoise-blue skin is mottled white across her back, and her long, wavy, sapphire-blue hair is gathered in a single braid that descends to her tailbone. There are a number of tattoos across her body, most notably a third-eye in the middle of her forhead, and decorative knot patterns on her forearms. She eschews clothing much of the time, being extremely comfortable in her own skin. Her normal attire consists of a tight linen bandeau about her breasts, and a tight-fitting pair of linen shorts laced up the sides that are designed for flexibility. She favors light colors to offset her skin tone, but generally varies her wardrobe with the assistance of minor illusory affects.

Millima is a consummate sensualist. She loves life, and finds beauty in the most unlikely places. She has secondary membership in the Society of Sensation, and is always inviting someone or other to see some exhibit or performance that the Society is sponsoring somewhere in Mers. Quiet, observant, and generally optimistic, when she speaks, it is with a palpable warmth and general affection for everyone around her. She doesn't like resorting to violence, but is surprisingly adept at it once her spells and words have failed her.



The interrogation subject is clearly a fairly wealthy elven woman, dressed in a low-profile--but nevertheless very nice--steel-grey silken gown with tight bodice wrapped in a more demure shawl. Her white hair is done up in a bun fixed in place by long ivory hairpins, while long, narrow locks adorn her temples. She appears to be somewhere between entranced with Millima and absolutely terrified, and is sitting stock still.

Millima
"My brief was to let you take over from here. Would you mind if I stuck around, though?" she asks, with a tilt of her head. "I'm curious why I was given such license to make a mess; the Eyes usually have me take more subtle measures to get close to the target."

[Morcleon]

Rhenium

"Ah, Millima. I thought you seemed familar." Rhenium beams at her as he starts toward the booth. "And sure, stay if you want."

He sits down and gives the elven woman a warm smile. "Hello there. I trust Millima here didn't rough you up too much?" With a chuckle, he continues. "You may call me Rhenium. And what would your name be?"

[Phelix-Mu]

For Rhenium:
The elven woman, initially off-balance, seems to collect herself as Rhenium introduces himself.

Grey Elven Woman
"I don't know who you guys are, but you're in big trouble once word gets out about this," she says defiantly, her tone slipping into a comfortable, arrogant tone. Rhenium recognizes that tone from some of the elders in his own family.

[Morcleon]

Rhenium

Rhenium raises an eyebrow at her. "So you're threatening to tell everyone of about the actions of a group whose identity you don't know?"

"But that's for later. For now, on to business. I am aware that you know one who goes by the name of Tagellen. I have been tasked with extracting him from a rather delicate situation, so your cooperation for his life would be good tradeoff, yes?"

[Phelix-Mu]

For Rhenium:
She just about sneers, but Rhenium catches what might be a modicum of good-breeding, and she calms down a bit.

Grey Elven Woman
"You assume I know something about Tagellen," she says, with a dismissive look. "Your information is old; I haven't hung around with him for weeks now, ever since he went on that bender with those low-class girls from Dens."

Millima clenches and unclenches her fist a couple times from where she took a seat on the edge of the low stage. This quickly catches the elven woman's attention, and she stares fixedly at the human-looking woman for a long moment. Millima stops, slightly embarrassed, since she was only half paying attention to what she was doing.

Grey Elven Woman
"In any case, he's gone down a dark path," she continues, her eyes still darting toward Millima every few seconds. "He used to use synthetic wigweed once and a while, just to pass the time or for a nice trip. Now he's totally juiced up all of the time. I don't know if you've ever had the pleasure of knowing someone like that, but they aren't enjoyable to be around."


For Entella:
Entella approaches Serdo's place, a stone structure built near the top of the levee into which Canalside is set. Of modest design, the house is mostly made of granite beams, interspersed with blocks of gray slate that have been stacked and mortared together. The whole setup overlooks the school for needy gnomes that Serdo founded, Everlee Place, whose sandstone building is easily the largest structure in all of Canalside. A winding path leads up the side of the levee to Serdo's place; few other gnomes in Canalside can afford the kind of construction costs (and zoning fees) necessary to build houses like his.

Serdo actually spent surprisingly little time in his own house, choosing to spend as much time as possible around his grandchildren after they were born. Thus, he was in the house of Entella's parents most every day, with the rare exception when business kept him away. Later on, once Entella was training and working for Serdo, she would spend time with him at his place. There, she met all kinds of fascinating people from the city beyond Canalside.

Thus, it is a place of many memories that Entella approaches on this chill autumn day.

A note about Serdo's household:
Entella's grandmother, Kefalda, parted ways with Serdo before Entella and her brother were even born. Now, Serdo lives with Filiena, a female rock gnome that he met through his network. Although she's not always there, she's the closest thing that Entella has had to a grandmother on this side of the family.

Serdo's brother, Roaldino, lives in Serdo's household, along with his daughter, Ruthedi. Ruthedi runs the household, as she never married. There is also a small staff of people that Serdo has taken in over the years, who fill roles from letterkeeper, to cleaner, to a handyman that he keeps around to help out community members that are having problems with their dwellings. Not all of them are gnomes, and several of the roles have changed hands once or twice as Estella grew up (partially due to the difference in lifespans, and once or twice because of in-house disputes).

[Morcleon]

Rhenium

"Well, I hear we have a fairly successful drug rehab program." Rhenium grins. "I'm confident that we can make him better."

"And even if you haven't seen him for a while, at least you still remember what he looks like, and any personality quirks of his?"

Sense motive on the grey elf woman: [roll0]

Sense motive on Millima (to see which part the hand clenching was in response to): [roll1]

[Phelix-Mu]

For Rhenium:
The elven woman gives a brief description of Tagellen: a shorter elven male, shoulder-length platinum-blonde hair, light violet eyes. He's taken to wearing less expensive, less conspicuous clothing now that he spends much of his time in seedy joints.

Grey Elven Woman
"His major personality quirk at this point is being a synthetic wigweed addict," she says, not bothering to hide her disgust. "If he's not high, he's anticipating his next high, and will likely be irritable and distracted. When he is high, he's fairly relaxed, and may retain some of his old humour, which was his most appealing feature. He's also become something of a sex fiend, too, as the stimulation of his body while on the wigweed further intensifies the sensation." This last fact clearly irritates her more than the rest of it.

The elven woman seems to be fairly high-class, as denoted both by her dress--subtle yet expensive--and by her demeanor. She appears to have been caught off-guard by the beatdown that Millima spread around the joint, and there is a not well-concealed bisexual vibe going on between the human-looking woman and the elven lady. It's not clear if violence turns the elven woman on, but it clearly got her attention in a way that she wasn't expecting. Rhenium can sensibly deduce that the elven woman, like many rich grey elves, has led a somewhat sheltered existence.

Bisexuality is a more common phenomenon among elves than humans, by the by, as elves tend to more openly explore sexuality with multiple partners throughout their long lives.

It's plausible that the woman and Tagellen may have been romantically involved, as she seems to be more incensed at his descent into debauchery, even beyond her general disgust with him overall. Note, she's clearly a bit of a hypocrite, here, as she is currently in a seedy strip joint. Either that or Tagellen has really fallen quite far, far enough that someone sitting in a strip joint can still look down on him.

Millima clenching of the fist seems to have been a purely mindless reflex, possibly her body just asking to be stretched a bit after such vigorous exercise. With entire tables burst into little pieces, shattered benches, and several crater-like impressions in the floor--in addition to all the broken bodies, still soundly unconscious--it's hardly surprising that her fist need stretched.

On the other hand, the elven woman clearly is showing a psychological vulnerability to Millima's actions, which might prove useful during questioning.

[Phelix-Mu]

[Skype role-playing with Deus]

For Entella:
Entella
Entella steps up to the door and pushes it open. She's been here so many times that she doesn't care to knock any more.

DM
The house is quite elaborate inside, decorated in a cozy style with lots of wood paneling. Items collected by Serdo throughout his long career are on shelves and pedestals, each with its own story that Entella has heard countless times. A sword dropped by a famous gladiator after he died to a poisoned blade during a dispute over a card game. The foot of a warforged ally of Serdo's, the only remains after he died attempting to disarm a trap. A planar astrolabe used to chart links between Mers and Sigil. Her grandfather had an endless curiosity for stories and for collecting strange objects.

A gnome-size green lizardfolk sits on the stairs leading up to the second floor. She's a messenger Entella's grandfather took in several years ago, Sshenna. She's tying knots in a short piece of rope

Entella
Entella approaches the stairs slowly, stopping a few times to touch some of the things that she has especially fond memories of. To her the things that her grandfather has gathered was a reminder not only of what a fantastic person he is, but also of how much she had yet to see and experience.

About halfway through the corridor she raises her hand in a greeting.
"Good day Sshenna. Is my grandfather home today?"

DM
Sshenna stops tying the knots and looks up, considering the gnome for a brief moment before responding.

Sshenna
"Yess," she says, the characteristic sussuration of lizardfolk apparent in her voice. "He hass been home for two dayss now, and hass not emerged from hiss room all day. Very unusual...."

Entella
Pausing for a moment, Entella frowns slightly. That was indeed very strange. Not like Serdo at all, he usually visited the school every other day.
"Has he said anything about why?"

Sshenna
"Filiena hass been here for a couple hourss. I don't know much, really, but thingss were fine a couple dayss ago," she replies. "I brought a message from the Eyes, and he got very quiet. He told Ashaldo to cancel his meetings for the day, and to write letters of regret for me to bring to significant people he had been scheduled to meet. This morning, he canceled his meetings again."

[Ashaldo is the name of the whisper gnome scribe that is Serdo's letterkeeper (think secretary).]

Entella
"That's worrying. Do you think they want to be alone, or can I go talk to him?"

Sshenna
"I don't know," she says, shaking her head. "Everyone is worried, at thiss point. You sshould talk to Filiena; sshe knowss him best these dayss."

Entella
"That's probably a good idea." Entella replies. "Where can I find her?"

Sshenna
"Upstairss, right outside hiss bedroom door," she says, gesturing over her shoulder and up the stairs.

Entella
Entella nods and starts walking up the stairs. "Thanks Sshenna."
Her thoughts wander, she had come for advice but now it sounded like there was something going on in one of the most stable places she knew in the entire city.

Entella continues up to the second floor and to her grandfather's bedroom.

DM
Outside the large double door to the bedroom there is a small divan and card table set up, and Filiena sits there with her abacus and a book of sums.

Filiena was never easy to understand. Not very personable and exotic even for a rock gnome, she's always been a bit strange. Which must be why Serdo took a liking to her. While Serdo has a big personality, and projects warmth, Filiena is quiet, reclusive, and sometimes callous. Both of them are obsessed with their work, though.

The rock gnome female has shortened the spikes in her electric pink hair over the years, a gesture at modesty. Today, she is wearing her usually stiff canvas leggings and halter top, died with magic to be a mix of green and orange. And her animated ear piercings, one of her strangest affectations, are a series of silver stick figures suspended by chains that seem to being playing catch with an illusory ball.


Entella
Entella stops a fair distance from Filiena, while she knew the woman fairly well she still felt a little uncomfortable around her. But she made Serdo happy and so she never complained about Filiena's presence in the house.
"Filiena?" Entella says, keeping her voice low. "Sshenna said something was going on. Is there anything I can do to help?"

DM
Finishing her current sums, Filiena looks up and actually smiles awkwardly (how unusual).

Filiena
"Hello, Entella. Serdo is having a tough day, but he can't talk about specifics. Or at least he won't to me."

Entella recalls that Filiena is not a member of the Eyes, but of Numeria Ultima, another prominent organization within the city.

Filiena
"I'm sure he'll welcome your presence. You know that I am not the best at cheering people up; words never seem to come out right," she says, frowning and looking down at her book of sums. "Please try to cheer him up. I don't like this mood that's come over him."

Entella
Entella returns the smile, walks up to the divan and puts her hand on Filiena's shoulder. "Filiena, you know he loves your company, sometimes words aren't even needed, just that you're there with gets him in a better mood. I know that there are things he can't talk to you about, I'll see what I can do." She says before walking over to the door and knocking.

"Granddad? It's me, Entella. Can I come in?"


DM
No voice responds to Entella, but the unlatched door swings partway open as she knocks on it. Beyond, Entella spots Serdo, standing at the large, picture-frame window beyond the foot of the bed. The window faces west, and has a fantastic view of the mass of Merstangoth that lies beyond the canal, which stretches below, running northwest to southeast toward the Deeps.

The old gnome sighs, and seems quite tired, an unusual look for him. His salt-and-pepper buzz cut and meticulously groomed goatee and his replacement eye, all seem a little haggard as he turns toward the door.

Serdo
"Entella, of course, my dear," he says, voice cracking slightly as he smiles. "Come in, come in. You are always welcome here."

Entella
Entella enters the room and walks up to stand next to her grandfather, enjoying the view of Mers and all its grandeur, poverty and mystery.
"What is going on? Sshenna says that you have been cancelling your meetings and haven't visited the school for days and Filiena said that there's something that you can't share with her."
She wraps her fingers around her lucky coin as she continues.
"Is it something that you want, and can, talk with me about?"

Serdo
"Eh, not so much. I've been too clever, it seems, and some old plans and schemes of mine have turned to sand in my mouth, my dear. I'm glad you are here, though," he says, turning toward a deskchair positioned next to a desk that sits before the window. He sits down with a heavy motion, and puts his fingers of both hands together, tip to tip, an iconic pose for him and an indication that the old gnome is thiniking. "But what of you, dear Entella? What brings you here to brighten my day?"

At least his curiosity doesn't seem to have entirely deserted him.

Entella
Smiling at his question Entella turns away from the window to face him.
"I was at Bekselia's naming ceremony earlier today. She's Hespasia Bekselia Aimee sa Fragram now." She pauses for a moment to see if Serdo would react the same way as she did when hearing the name. "Her mother told me that you might know more about the history of the name 'sa Fragram'..."


Serdo
"Well, I am impressed you picked up on that. Always a bright one," he says, with a paternal chuckle.

[Entella perceives that whatever news that he got must have concerned him greatly, as he normally takes challenges that arise as a chance to learn more and expand or improve his network. However, he does tend to plan a lot, and invest himself emotionally in these efforts and schemes, so if something went south, his reaction is normal.

Nevertheless, there has always been more to his dealings than he would ever admit to Entella when she was growing up, as much for her protection as out of a habit of secrecy. This habit of secrecy has continued, even now that he is no longer an active agent of the Eyes. He maintains strong connections with the organization, though, and regularly funnels information to it, and receives his share of tips and secrets in return.

Serdo does indeed perk at the mention of the last name, and he clearly recognizes its significance.]


Serdo
"Dahlia was quite a character, and it was quite unfortunate that she died so young," he says thoughtfully.


Entella
"Yes, I never met her..." She pauses for a bit before continuing. "Essendra said that she joined some religion while traveling. Do you remember that?"


Serdo
"Hmm," he pauses. "Yes, if I recall correctly, it was some nature cult that was popular at the time, founded by some mystic from Stalgorm."
"She went to Stalgorm on a pilgrimage after declaring her conversion. When she returned, she changed her name to signify her conversion."


Entella
"I see. Do you know if it has any special meaning, or why do you think that Essendra and Beks choose that name? It's not very traditional." She asks, with a slight tone of disappointment in her voice


Serdo
"Hmm, well, it's possible that Fenibren chose it to replace his clan name, in remembrance of his mother. If I recall correctly, he may have blamed himself for his mother's death; she died shortly after he was born, and he probably heard rumours to that effect while he was growing up."

"Essendra could have taken it out of deference to Fenibren's gesture, and thus it would be passed down to Beks as part of her inheritance."

"Linguistically speaking, sa Fragram is a Stalgorma name. 'Sa', in their tongue, means 'of' or 'from.' So the name means 'of Fragram' or 'from Fragram,' I suppose," he muses.


Entella
Nodding, Entella listens closely. "Do you know if anyone of the same religion Fenibren joined still lives around Canalside?"


Serdo
"No, I believe the cult died with its leader. I can't seem to recall his name at the moment. The Stalgorma have an odd aging process, and some of them die quite young, and I seem to remember this was the case with the cult leader." He ponders for a long moment. "I wonder what 'Fragram' refers to. A bit of a mystery. It must have some significane if Dahlia was going to forgo her clan name to take 'sa Fragram' in its place."

"Anyway, how was little Bekselia's naming ceremony? I'm sorry to have missed it; this news from the Eyes really threw me off my routine. Maybe you can help me think of a suitable gift to send her family to apologize for not being present?"


[Should be all sorted now.]

[Morcleon]

Rhenium

"You accuse him of being a sex fiend while sitting in a strip bar and being aroused at the pretty, topless dancer who just destroyed the place?" Rhenium chuckles, winking at Millima. "Tell you what, madam. If you continue to cooperate, I may be able to convince Miss Millima here to give you a free show. And don't worry. No one but us three will ever know about it."

"...so I guess the best way to lure him out would be with a blend of seduction and drugs. Is there a particular type of woman and or wigweed he prefers?"

[Phelix-Mu]

For Rhenium:
The woman isn't entirely repelled by the idea of a little show, and Millima chuckles; Millima's fists catch fire suddenly, shedding a brilliant orange-red flame that flickers in the dim light. She spins about several times with dizzying speed, the light from the fire illuminating the smoky air about her. The effect is rather stunning, even if Millima is just showing off.

Grey Elven Woman
"Tagellen likes his woman breathing and his synthetic wigweed pure," she says, eyes still locked on Millima's dancing form. Millima's feet light up as well, and she begins a series of impressive acrobatics with the assistance of the dancing pole on the stage.

Grey Elven Woman
"I'd be much more in the mood if it weren't for these irritating questions. Why in the world does anyone care about Tagellen? Are you here on behalf of his family or house? And what's this about his life being in danger?"

[Morcleon]

Rhenium

Chuckling, Rhenium smirks at Millima before turning back to the other woman. "So basically, he has not real preferences beyond it being there."

"Touche... and as for why, that would be classified information. But I think you've helped enough. Thank you for you cooperation." He stands up, preparing to leave. "Millima, I do believe she's earned a bit of a reward, yes? I know you would like that too..."

He will walk off unless someone stops him from doing so.

[Phelix-Mu]

For Rhenium:
Millima
"I think we can work something out," Millima says in a hushed tone, turning off the fire and cartwheeling off the stage toward the elven woman. The two share a long glance.

[As Rhenium moves to leave.]

Grey Elven Woman
"Look," she says, her tone changing suddenly and breaking away from Millima's gaze. "Tagellen.... I don't know what you want with him, and I hardly care. But he's not evil. An addict and sexual deviant of the worst kind, maybe, sure. He wasn't always that way, though." She takes a deep breath. "I'd appreciate it if you didn't kill him, and I might even--oh, Labelas preserve me--I might even reward you if you could get him out of whatever trouble has surely brought your attention about." She rubs her eyes. "Ahh, I can't believe I said that."

Clearly she has unresolved feelings. If she is as wealthy as she appears, she may well be able to deliver on the promise of a reward.

[Morcleon]

Rhenium

"My job isn't to kill him. I just need to find him." Rhenium smirks. "So don't worry about his well-being. If you want to meet him afterward, Millima will know."

"Until then, you two enjoy yourselves." He grins and walks off, headed for his next piece of information.

Where was he going to get the way onto the airship?

[Phelix-Mu]

For Rhenium:
Grey Elven Woman
"Great," she says, finally seeming to accept that Rhenium isn't part of some hit squad. "If you really are just going to rescue him or whatever, then you should check either Frisky Fellows, his favorite brothel, or The White Haze, his favorite hookah bar."

Voshuur, who has been waiting outside after verifying that the subject was here, should have the hookup, or at least know where to go to get it.

Rhenium can make a Knowledge(local) check to know about said establishments the woman mentioned. Voshuur also has extensive knowledge of the underworld, so he may be able to assist in locating them.

[Morcleon]

Rhenium

"Thank you." Rhenium smiles warmly at her. Walking outside, he looks to Voshuur, telling him all he had discovered. "Well then, shall we head to one of these places? Do you know when he will go to the airship?"

Knowledge (local): [roll0]

[Phelix-Mu]

For Rhenium:
Rhenium is fairly certain that both of the mentioned establishments are located in Dens and are fairly mainstream.

Voshuur
"Well, he may already be there; the word from whoever the Eyes is acting on behalf of suggests that someone knows he's on the air barge that will be the subject of the bombing," he replies. "It would help if we narrow the search area down before heading up, so I suggest that we make haste to move to either The White Haze or Frisky Fellows." He produces what Rhenium recognizes as single-use tokens of phantom steed, often used by members of the Eyes that need to move around quickly when teleportation is excessive or impractical.

Passing one of the tokens to Rhenium, he casts his down on the ground.

Voshuur
"I've heard of each establishment, but I don't know their exact locations. Can you lead the way?"

The air barges are quite large, each made up of an area comparable to around a dozen city blocks, and are very densely populated.
Rhenium can choose where to go first, and has only the vaguest idea of where each is located, as Dens is full of similar places.

[Morcleon]

For Rhenium:
Rhenium is fairly certain that both of the mentioned establishments are located in Dens and are fairly mainstream.

Voshuur
"Well, he may already be there; the word from whoever the Eyes is acting on behalf of suggests that someone knows he's on the air barge that will be the subject of the bombing," he replies. "It would help if we narrow the search area down before heading up, so I suggest that we make haste to move to either The White Haze or Frisky Fellows." He produces what Rhenium recognizes as single-use tokens of phantom steed, often used by members of the Eyes that need to move around quickly when teleportation is excessive or impractical.

Passing one of the tokens to Rhenium, he casts his down on the ground.

Voshuur
"I've heard of each establishment, but I don't know their exact locations. Can you lead the way?"

The air barges are quite large, each made up of an area comparable to around a dozen city blocks, and are very densely populated.
Rhenium can choose where to go first, and has only the vaguest idea of where each is located, as Dens is full of similar places.


Rhenium

"To be completely honest, I only know the general area of each." Rhenium shrugs, tossing his token onto the ground. "If he's in either of these, then he'd be likely to spend more time in the Frisky Fellow than the White Haze, so perhaps we should go there first, yes?"

Do I need a roll or anything to find the place?

[Phelix-Mu]

For Rhenium:
Rhenium may use whatever means he has, skills or spells or whatever, to complete the mission, of course. Gather Information could be used to ask around about the places once you get to Dens.

[DeusMortuusEst]

Entella

Shrugging at her grandfather's pondering about 'Fragram' Entella casually replies while tracing the one of the many wooden carvings in the window frame.
"I don't know and I don't think Essendra does either. That, or she's hiding something, thought what or why I wouldn't know."
She pauses and lowers her hand again.
"I'll see if I can find a suitable gift from you. Beks likes to read. Perhaps something about the world outside Mers? I can check with the halflings from the Kalrifri desert, they might have something that could interest her."
She takes Serdo's hand in hers, holding it carefully.
"But enough about me. There will be time to discuss old history later. Now we need to deal with your problems. Tell me, what has happened and how can I help?"

[Phelix-Mu]

For Entella:
The old gnome looks at Entella, his gaze suddenly quite piercing; he's clearly considering opening up about his problem. Or, knowing him, deciding just how much his granddaughter is ready for.

Serdo
"Something very bad is going to happen in Merstangoth quite soon, Entella," he says heavily, his eyes tearing up slightly. "A group of terrorists is planning to kill a great many people in a large-scale act of protest. The Eyes have backed off attempts to stop it, but our little community of Canalside could be caught up in the aftermath."

"And that's only the half of it. While the Eyes won't move on this issue, Saiyana--oh, Saiyana--she's warned me that an old plan of mine, something dealing with protecting Canalside, could be entirely unraveled. All these threads somehow connect, and it could end very badly."

"I know that you are not the young girl who I first started teaching anymore; you're a woman, full of talent and a sense of responsibility," he says, embracing Entella briefly, before stepping back and looking her square in the eye. "But these waters are quite deep. I don't want to embroil you in them unnecessarily, but I fear the problem has quickly grown beyond my ability to control. Will you help me, even though it may endanger your job with the Eyes, and your life besides?"

[DeusMortuusEst]

Entella

Entella returns the embrace, before nodding fiercely.
"Of course I will help you. Canalside is my home and protecting it comes before all else, even the Eyes." Then the little gnome pauses, suddenly realizing the full implications of what Serdo just said. "Wait... Did you say that Saiyana was involved in this? I believe that I saw her earlier today, in some sort of recorded illusion."

Entella briefly describes Beks' strange glasses and the event during the ceremony. "It was unnerving, the details she knew. Either she spied on all of us through those glasses, or she's a powerful diviner. Both options scare me." She pauses, gathering her thoughts and feelings before continuing. "Tell me what I need to do to stop this, and why the Eyes won't move. Perhaps we can force them to act somehow?"

[Phelix-Mu]

For Entella:
Serdo
"Saiyana has a great reputation for knowing about the future in disturbing detail. So much so that she's more or less isolated herself over the years, and now operates more or less on her own. If she told you something, take heed," Serdo says gravely.

Entella gets the impression that Serdo is speaking from first-hand experience here, not just general knowledge. His warning is even more serious than the rest of the generally serious subject matter.

"While I'm not sure her predictions amount to 'fate,' efforts to avoid the events she foresees often have the opposite effect. This may be the problem behind the Eyes approach to the bombing; I believe that Saiyana is either the source of the information predicting this terrorist attack, or she corroborated it," he shakes his head, rather frustrated. "Her words carry great weight, you see, and if she foresees the bombing, the pragmatic powers that be among the Eyes may well judge the event unavoidable," he says, sighing heavily and looking out the window.

He turns back to Entella.

"So here is what you should know: before the end of the day, one of the large air barges that float around the city will be bombed by a radical faction of a political group. The bombing itself is highly troublesome; even if the bombing doesn't bring down the barge--which would be a huge collision--the population of the barge itself is equal to a small city. Casualties stand to be horrendous."

"But, terrible as this initial event may seem, the real problems for Canalside spring from some info that Saiyana imparted to me about the aftermath. As a seemingly unintended consequence, a leader of one of the refugee factions will be killed, though it's not clear which one or how he or she will be killed. As I'm sure you've heard, tensions between the citizens of the city and the refugees continue to be quite high, and some extra spark under this particular powderkeg could be disastrous."

"Saiyana foresaw a major riot happening, not far from here. The law enforcement response would be quite heavy-handed, with potential action by the Axiorati. The tribe of Athasian halflings that you are friendly with will be caught up in the riots, and in the chaos, residents of Canalside will be mistaken for halflings."

Entella may make a Sense Motive check, with a +10 circumstance modifier since she knows Serdo so well. She may take 10, but, OOG he's actually deceiving her, so, again OOG, I would advise an actual roll, as the math on take 10 doesn't look favorable.

Serdo's Bluff: Bluff +20= [roll0]

[Phelix-Mu]

[skype text chat with Morcleon, 8/21]


Voshuur
"It's a fifty-fifty chance, as either place could hold the info we are looking for. Brothel first or hookah bar first?"

Rhenium
"Hm... the hookah bar would likely contain less people lucid enough to talk. The brothel, then."

Voshuur
"Good point," he says, and leads his phantom steed up to the elevation used for faster moving vehicles and people with flight capability.

Rhenium
Rhenium follows, flanking Voshuur as they ride off.

DM
The cold air stings Rhenium's cheeks as the spell-mount cuts a swift, silent path through the various spell-enhanced and flying travelers. Along the main thoroughfares, the avenues are quite wide, and catwalks and bridges between buildings are kept to a minimum to facilitate transit.
Soon enough, though, the pair peel off the main roads and head down to ground level, approaching one of the public areas where an open area penetrates down into the next district. Here, the Society of Sensation maintains an open-air amphitheater set into the ground, with rows of benches surrounding a central performance area. It's a popular and easily accessed route into Dens.

[Gather Info if you wish. Some spell may be faster; asking around will take at least 30 minutes, and remember that the bomb will go off in a matter of hours.]


DM
[Rhenium makes a Gather Information check, using divine insight to boost it. 22 result.]

A friendly streetwalker, after trying to chat up Rhenium, directs the pair to the area of Dens where Frisky Fellows is located. Remounting the phantom steeds, Voshuur and Rhenium make their way quickly to the brothel.
[8/21/2013 10:04:51 PM] Phelix-Mu: A wooden structure, apparently styled after some type of rustic mansion, sits beyond an iron fence that sets off an area of magically grown or illusory grass. A carved wooden sign on the gate proudly proclaims that the place beyond is "Frisky Fellows."

Rhenium
Rhenium glances at Voshuur, then enters the establishment calmly.

DM
An enclosed porch area has a couple swinging benches where couples lounge about, engaged in various degrees of flirting and petting. The escorts are clearly not cheap, being variously beautiful or handsome, and well-dressed (if barely so) besides.
Entering through the large double doors, the main lobby area is a lavish area with heavy carpets, elaborate wood paneling in a dark hickory color, with everburning torches styled as candelabras shedding a warm light.
Several unoccupied ladies, two human women, an elven lass, and some manner of small planetouched female with copper-red hair and golden eyes, are clearly awaiting the arrival of new clients, bedecked in nice clothes fit for any noble lady of little modesty. Except for one of the humans, a raven-haired short woman dressed up in a stylized servant's uniform with a suggestively short skirt.
Between two curved staircased leading upward is a velvet-lined couch, upon which is reclined a male drow dressed in a loose-fitting silk shirt of dark violet, to match his eyes, and tight, black leather pants. Some kind of diminutive faerie is giving him a manicure.

Drow Male
"Welcome, friends, to the Frisky Fellows. What manner of pleasure can I interest you two in?" he says, waving the female faerie away and glancing quickly at his nails before standing and attending Rhenium and Voshuur.

Rhenium
Rhenium smiles back and chuckles. "Not today, friend. I'm trying to find one of my friends. We've got a surprise celebration planned for him and I was wondering if he was here earlier."

Drow Male
"Discretion is a standard rule in our line of work," the drow replies, but beckons for Rhenium to follow him through an open doorway into what appears to be an office of some kind.

Rhenium
Rhenium follows carefully.

DM
Closing the door once the trio are within the office, the drow speaks more freely.

Drow Male
"I can be persuaded to share information regarding clients, of course."

Rhenium
"Of course. His name is Tagellen, a grey elf like me. Perhaps you know if and when he came here?" Rhenium reaches into his pouch and slides out a single platinum piece across the table.

Drow Male
"If shiny here," the drow says, pushing the platinum piece around the table with his finger, "has a couple of friends who would like to join him, then I'll tell you everything I know about your 'friend.'"

Rhenium
Rhenium grins, slipping another two coins across. "Is shiny satisfied with his friends?"

Drow Male
"Their bright future will be full of fun," the drow says, sweeping the coins off the table and into his palm with an impressive show of dexterity. "Tagellen...well, he's a noble grey elf with a taste for women. He's been a patron on-and-off for a number of years, but recently he comes in here often, usually totally fried on drugs of some kind."
"He was in here early this morning, but I was forced to escort him off the premises after the girl he was with complained that he was violently hallucinating, much worse than normal."
"He was complaining of being stalked by someone...I'd chalk it up to normal drug-addled behavior, but it really looked like he might be having a breakdown of some kind."
"In the street beyond the gate, as I walked away, he started screaming and running around. If he really is your 'friend,' I suggest you get him some help soon, before he snaps for good."

Rhenium
Rhenium's face grows troubled. "...oh dear. I didn't know that he'd relapsed... I will see what I can do for him. Thank you for your information."

Drow Male
"No problem; he's been a good client up until now," he says, pushing his long white hair back from his face as he absent-mindedly juggles one of the coins with the other hand. "But anyone raving about being followed by invisible men is probably not going to get much service in higher-class establishments."

Rhenium
"That's good to know." Rhenium sighs. "Did you manage to see which direction he was headed in?"

Drow Male
"Hmm, no, but Ariella was finishing up her late-night stroll at the time. You might ask her."

Rhenium
"I see. I don't suppose you could introduce me to this lady?"

Drow Male
"I can, though she is rather...exotic. I apologize in advance if she makes you uncomfortable; she has a fascination with blood and death, and talks about little else," he shrugs. "Some people like that kind of thing, though."

Rhenium
Rhenium grins. "I don't mind at all. I've met stranger people. So long as she can tell me what I need to know, I don't particularly care one way or the other."

DM
The drow man leads Rhenium up the stairs after offering to let Voshuur remain in the lobby (as there are a fair number of stairs and the man has a pegleg). Voshuur accepts the offer, and goes to inquire after the ladies in the lobby, if maybe they saw something or knew Tagellen in any offficial capacity.

Drow Male
"My name is Zichtrey, by the way," the drow male says. "Your concern for your friend is admirable," he says, only half serious. He seems to have discerned that Rhenium has been making up the part about being Tagellen's friend.

Rhenium
Rhenium nods. "Friends are a precious thing, especially in this day and age."

Zichtrey
"I'm a big fan of friendship," Zichtrey says, with a knowing smile. "It's good for business."

Rhenium
"I'll bet it is..." Rhenium chuckles. "So I'm curious. What's the overall relationship between your customers and returning members?"

Zichtrey
"We specialize in providing a more sophisticated experience, and many of our clients have ongoing relationships with a particular escort that they favor."

He leads Rhenium to a doorway with a heavy, yet ornate, iron door. Producing a key, he unlocks the door and enters a dark room, apparently lit only by a lone candle or two.

Rhenium
Rhenium enters slowly, knocking on the door frame. "Hello? Ariella?"

Ariella
"Hello? Oh, Zichtrey. Greetings," a soft, female voice says, sounding somewhat sleepy. "Who is this stranger? You know I don't see clients during the daytime."

Rhenium
"I'm not a client. I'm just curious about my friend. Earlier today, did you see a grey elf walking down the streets?" Rhenium gives her a basic description of Tagellen, smiling.

DM
A pale, whisp of a woman emerges from the shadows, her skill or some magic having hidden her from Rhenium's elven eyes. She has bobbed brown hair, high-set cheekbones, and washed-out blue eyes.

Ariella
"Oh, what a handsome young elf," she croons, her
soft voice somehow melodic and hollow-sounding at the same time. "Let me look at you," she says, and moves toward Rhenium in a smooth, but disturbingly rapid stride, until she is right next to him. Her hands reach out to touch the elven male on the face. "Hmm, seems he's here on business," she says, with a hint of disappointment. "Elven blood is like a fine wine, and I love a good vintage."

[Nice session, Morcleon.]

[DeusMortuusEst]

Entella

Rolling sense motive before posting: [roll0]

Entella listens closely as Serdo explains the situation.
"We cannot allow that to happen. Do you have any ideas on how to stop this?"
She pauses for a moment.
"And how did one of your old plans lead to this? How can you possibly have done something that could have caused anything of what is happening now?"

[Phelix-Mu]

[skype with Morcleon, 8/23]

[Rhenium makes a 12 on a Knowledge(religion) check. It seems likely that Ariella is in fact undead of some kind, possibly one of the varieties of vampires out there. The relevant facts are that she is active at night, likes the dark, skin cold to the touch, and a fascination with blood. While the evidence isn't ironclad, her being a vampire would explain a lot of the current weirdness.]

Rhenium
Smirking, Rhenium gives a slight bow. "Indeed I am, miss. Perhaps another time we could meet in a less formal situation. But for now, I am told that you met another grey elf on your walk this morning. Could you inform me of his apparent condition and his direction of travel?"

Ariella
"Well, so you want information. That makes two of us that want something," she says in a hushed tone. "I think I know something you would find interesting, if you can make it worth my while."

Rhenium
"I'd like to think I can make it worth your while." Rhenium grins, then shrugs. "However, I do need to act upon this information as soon as possible, so perhaps you would accept a raincheck for paying back my debt?"

Ariella
"Well, I'm really just interested in a small sanguine donation," she replies, her red tongue flicking out briefly to lick her lips. "Nothing much, mind you, and I wouldn't need to drink from the tap."
She pauses to think for a moment, before bringing her face close to Rhenium's face. "If you promise to return when you are free and let me taste you, then I guess...." She sighs, and her voice is dripping with desire; her hunger is palpable. Snapping out of it after a long moment, she continues. "Sure, what was it you wanted to know?"

Rhenium
Rhenium leans in slightly, oddly drawn to this strange woman. "I do promise."

"You saw a grey elf this morning, yes? Could you tell me his apparent condition and direction?"

Ariella
"Ah, yes," she says, looking away as she remembers. "He was behaving strangely. I've noticed the man, Tagellen was it? Yes, he's not bad looking, but the taste of synthetic wigweed on a person, even a well-bred elf, is quite repulsive."
"Anyway, he was acting stranger than normal, and I would have dismissed it as I walked by, just another addict going to pieces. But he was ranting about being followed as he paced up and down the street, and how he was being followed."
"Typical paranoid behavior, except that I caught a scent...yes, an old scent, one I'd not sensed in some time. There was clearly some kind of hidden creature, maybe several nearby. It was the smell of wolfsbane and fur. My eyes are quite keen, so I assume they were using magic to disguise their presence."
"Anyway, Tagellen also caught the drift that something was upon him, for he broke into a sprint. Amazing how these living wrecks, strung out on drugs, can still run like a rabbit when driven to do so."
"But whatever it was caught him quickly, and several shadowy figures fell upon him several blocks to the south. He was overpowered and disappeared moments later, not a trace left," she concludes.

Rhenium
"...I see." Rhenium sighs, a troubled look on his face. "Thank you, Ariella. I suppose I'll need to go see what's happened to him then."

Ariella
"I'd be careful," she says, a look of concern on her face. "You won't be able to keep your promise if you run into whatever caught him. They were pros, and I'd guess at least three of them."

Rhenium
"I will be careful." Rhenium gives Ariella a grin. "I'll make sure to return to keep my promise."

Ariella
"You do that," she says, coyly. "Be assured that I'll be waiting here, patiently, for that time."

Rhenium
Rhenium bows, beginning to exit. "Don't worry about me, dear. And I shall hopefully see you soon."

DM
Ariella waves goodbye, and Zichtrey opens the door, and the two exit. Locking the door behind himself, Zichtrey smiles at Rhenium.

Zichtrey
"I trust that was helpful," he says, and leads the grey elf back to the lobby.

Rhenium
"It was." Rhenium replies, still rather lost in thought. "It is fairly disturbing, though, that he would have been attacked like that..."

Zichtrey
"Maybe it explains why he can't be found? I'm not familiar with the circumstances, but if he was kidnapped, they could have taken him anywhere."

Rhenium
"True... although I do have some idea of where he could be. Thank you for your help." Rhenium nods respectfully, then heads off to find Voshuur.

DM
Voshuur is on the porch, just concluding a discussion with the short planetouched woman with the copper hair.

Voshuur
"Thank you very much, Miss," he says, bowing his head politely before hobbling over to join Rhenium on the way out of the establishment.

[Rhenium makes a 14 on an Intelligence check. If someone told the Eyes that Tagellen could be found on the air barge after he was kidnapped, then that might suggest some kind of connection between the tip and the kidnapping. Clearly there is something going on. The child of a wealthy grey elven family is in danger, so the Eyes are sent to rescue him. But it seems that Tagellen may have intentionally been put in danger by someone else.]

[Rhenium makes a 22 on a Knowledge(nature) check. Rhenium has read about the plant known as wolfsbane. It's use is mired in superstition, but it has verified use in repelling lycanthropes. While many folk charms involve simply wearing sprigs of the plant formed into circlets or added to a pouch of other herbs, a more potent concoction made of distilled essence of wolfsbane can be used more effectively, as the smell is quite repellant to lycanthropes. As a mystical affliction, it is likely that the effect of the plant is more complicated than simply a strong smell, but scholars disagree on the true nature of lycanthrope's dislike for this plant.]

Rhenium
Rhenium glances at Voshuur. "Well, apparently not long after Tagellen left this establishment, he was jumped by several individuals and taken away. Also, he was followed by a creature who smelt of wolfsbane and fur..."

Voshuur
"That's...well, it's definitely a complicating factor," he says, pondering the new info for a moment. "That means your fee goes up, though; if he was accosted by individuals unknown, then all of this could be quite dangerous."
"I may suggest to our superiors that they send another trained agent with you," he says after a moment. "I can be helpful in an investigation, but not in combat. That's beyond the scope of my skills."
"Oh, and by the way, the short girl, Hanariel, she reckons that Tagellen wasn't crazy. Apparently she has some decent empathic abilities, and can tell the difference between the feel of someone losing it and someone scared. Not sterling evidence, but it corroborates what you discovered."

Rhenium
"A combat specialist to come with me would be very much appreciated." Rhenium nods. "Perhaps Tagellen's descent into debauchery was an attempt to escape..."

Voshuur
"Once you find him, he may have some answers," he says, withdrawing a crystal sphere from his robes as the two head back to the street.
"Meanwhile, maybe there is an agent that can meet up with you on the way to the air barge; time is running out, and with more unexpected factors cropping up, it's important to factor in additional delays that are likely to occur."

Voshuur uses the crystal sphere to contact HQ while he and Rhenium use their phantom steeds to return to the surface.

Rhenium
Rhenium follows. "Yes... and as we don't know the exact time of the explosion, timing is even more important..."

Voshuur
"It should be several hours off, still. The whole situation is starting to seem very suspicious."

After consulting mentally with the powers that be for several minutes as the mounts head back to the exit to Paths, Voshuur looks up.

Voshuur
"Alright, so they agree that caution is called for, and so they will send two agents to rendezvous with you on the air barge in question."
"Millima has been recalled to join you, and another agent may take a bit longer, but once you meet up with either of them, proceed immediately, as time is a factor."

Rhenium
Rhenium nods, chuckling slightly. "Very well then. I hope they will be able to handle whoever these assailants are. Which air barge is it?"

Voshuur
"The barge targeted is known as Black Shelf, due to it's distinctive black underside. If you need a device to reach it, your phantom steed can bear you up and back, if necessary. Once you have secured Tagellen, though, you should contact the Eyes with this," he says, handing Rhenium a wooden token. "Just concentrate and inform them of your identity and status, and they will remotely teleport the team and the target off of the barge."

Rhenium
Taking the token, Rhenium slips it safely into his pouch. "Acknowledged. I'll wait for Millima, then head out."

Voshuur
"You may head up now. Millima has her own transport, and, if you don't hurry, she'll beat you," he says, with a smile.

Rhenium
"Oh?" Rhenium grins. "I can't let that happen, can I? Then I shall see you once this has all been resolved." He flies up on his phantom steed toward the Black Shelf.

DM
The crisp air of the morning has given way to a damper chill; Rhenium's senses tell him that some rain may occur before night falls. Indeed, the gathering clouds have grayed slightly, and the distant people in the street below have already begun to prepare for a change in weather; merchants spread tarps above their stalls, rain hats begin to appear, and people in Tangle withdraw their laundry from their clotheslines.

Hundreds of feet above all of this, several enormous barges circle lazily above the perimeter of the city, sticking to routes above shorter, less affluent neighborhoods.

Sustained by innovative magical devices of several different kinds, the barges are occupied by large high-rises, where yet more of the burgeoning population of Merstangoth resides. Typically, the residents are lower class people looking to escape the entrenched and often dangerous neighborhoods below. As with all progress, though, things are not so easy. A different set of organized crime and drugs are peddaled on the barges, generally more compact and sophisticated. Thus, life on the barges is much like life below, just more crowded.

[Rhenium Spot check of 28.]

DM
Rhenium lands at one of the many docking points around the perimeter of Black Shelf, spots with runways, signal lighting, and room for various kinds of flying mounts.

Weaving amid the other travelers, he spots a distant blue figure of small stature sailing through the air. It would appear to be Millima, as she bounces from one high-rise to the other, apparently jumping rather than flying. She descends to ground level not far from Rhenium. She appears to be looking around for someone, ostensibly Rhenium.

Rhenium
Rhenium grins and threads his way through the crowd to get near Millima, waving. "Looking for someone?"

Millima
"Ah, yes, Rhenium, well met," she says, bowing her head slightly while pressing her palms together in her normal greeting.

Rhenium
Rhenium bows back. "So, how did your show for the lady go?" He quips as he starts walking.

Millima
"Ah, well, we had to cut that short. She still seems to have a thing for the grey elf in question, and I didn't want to walk all over her feelings with anything serious," she says, clearly a little disappointed. "On the other hand, relationships started while under the effects of disguising glamers often don't end well." She smiles broadly, slowing her pace to match that of the taller elf.

"So I gather this is all part of the same mission relating to the interrogation and investigation?"

Rhenium
"Hm. That's a shame." Rhenium shrugs, then nods. "Indeed it is. Tagellen has been kidnapped, and is supposedly being held on this barge by an unknown group of people. There may be a slight connection with werewolves. Also, this barge is rigged to explode in a few hours, actual time unknown."

Millima
"Oh, an explosion," she says, suddenly more concerned. "Nice of them to mention that when I was told there was a job. Not that I would refuse, of course; I guess they figured you'd let me know."

Rhenium
"Well, I probably wouldn't leave something that drastic out." Rhenium shrugs, glancing around to get a feel of the area. "Now we simply need to locate Tagellen. The difficulty of which is dependent on how heavily he has been hidden..."

Millima
"Hmm, well once we narrow it down, I can scout the area or infiltrate," she says. "They probably aren't holding him somewhere public."

[Phelix-Mu]

[skype session with deus 8/26]

Serdo
The old man takes a moment, clearly wrestling with something

"Alright. I wasn't exactly clear on how the whisper gnomes will be brought into the conflict. The truth is rather more complicated"

"Back when I was just starting to rise through the ranks of the Eyes, I was visited by Saiyana. This was many years ago, and back then she was less of an outcast. She's always been an expert in psychic phenomena, and that was her main job with the Eyes, tracking the activities of various individuals with those kinds of abilities."

"One day, she showed up, rather out of the blue, at the dive near the center of Canalside where I was then living. Even then, she outranked me, but not by such a conspicuous degree as now, so I wasn't totally alarmed."

He pauses, apparently still worried about divulging whatever was the point of the story.


Entella
Entella tilts her head slightly, listening closely. After a moment she nods.
"I see. So you didn't work with her directly even then?"


Serdo
"Honestly," he says, scratching his chin, "she was more of a researcher or intellectual in the group, and didn't do much field work, as far as I was aware, then or now. Which is strange, because she has a fearsome reputation even among the heavy hitters that are familiar with her. She's always been a bit of an enigma."


Entella
"Yes, even I have heard some of that as well, though mostly it has been hints and rumors. Nothing substantial."


Serdo
"Yes," he says, nodding in agreement. "I feel that part of it is a carefully maintained image on Saiyana's part, which helps serve her goals. People are worried about drawing her attentions, and so they don't ask awkward questions."


Entella
"So, how much of the image is deceit and how much is really true?"


Serdo
"That's hard to tell, even for an old-hand at the game like me. But it's clear when you meet her, and I don't know quite how. Even back then, when she visited me in my apartment on a dark summer's night, she has...well...presence."


Entella
"Yes, that is one of the few things that all the people who claim to have seen her say as well. So you met her back then, before all of this started?"


Serdo
"Well, this was really the start of everything for me. Back then I was still trying to figure out how I fit in at the Eyes, my direction in life, my place in Canalside. I was young and aimless, frankly."


Entella
Entella smiles and shakes her head.
"It's hard to imagine you ever aimless. And young as well, for that." She says teasingly, poking Serdo lightly in the chest.


Serdo
"Believe me, it seems...well, it actually was...a lifetime ago," he says with a chuckle.

"In any case, Saiyana came bearing news of some observations that she'd made. She'd been cataloguing those with psionic powers at the Eyes, so the organization could know which agents might best handle certain missions. After discerning that I had psionic abilities, she did some more research. 'Out of curiosity,' she claimed."

"Her research had turned up a surprising degree of psionic sensitivity in our whisper gnome community of Canalside. Much higher than the normal statistical occurence, she said."


Entella
Holding up one hand, Entella shakes her head once more, this time without the teasing smile
"Whoa, hold on here. I haven't noticed anything unusual. Or have all those people moved from Canalside?"


Serdo
"And now you start to see some of the difficulty that I have faced," he says, with a knowing look. "While many of the community are sensitive, few are trained, and the general activity has been very low-level. This was her conclusion back then, as well. Some kind of background phenomena that only occasionally produced someone with a high-degree of aptitude."

"But," he says, raising his hand for emphasis, " and here is the important bit, Saiyana found that there was a strong correlation of age and degree of latent psionic activity."

"Among the eldest of the community, some three generations older than I, there was almost no evidence of anyone that was more than hinting at any level of psychic awareness. Yet, among my generation, and those younger, the numbers and degree of aptitude steadily increased."


Entella
"Interesting, while I've thought some about my own powers and where they come from, I didn't actually consider it to be this widespread." She sighs. "Perhaps I wanted to be a little special."


Serdo
Serdo reassuringly puts his hand on his granddaughter's forearm. "You are, always, special, my dear. None of this changes that."


Entella
"Thank you granddad, but a little reality never hurts either." She replies, smiling. "I'm glad that more of my kind have the same potential as I do. It gives them opportunities, a chance to make a better life for themselves."


Serdo
He holds up his hand in pause. "I initially thought little of this, as well. A higher level of psionic activity was unusual, but didn't signify anything to me at the time. But, to Saiyana, this was a big red flag."

"She explained that, while a species might gradually develop psionic sensitivity over time as part of normal evolution, that this phenomena in Canalside was progressing much too fast to be considered in any way 'normal.' Generation-by-generation, more psychically sensitive people were cropping up."

"The only conclusion, she had concluded, was that some outside force was influencing the population, creating the unnaturally prevalent psionic traits."


Entella
"Are you saying something, or someone, gave me those powers?"


Serdo
"Quite irritatingly, she hadn't really focused her inquiry much on the source of the powers, which she implied was still a mystery. She was more concerned with the mathematical implications of the rate of progression, and this brings me to why she had approached me with all of this in the first place."

"Within a handful of generations, she explained, almost a third of the children born would be extremely psionically active, potentially from birth."

"While such levels of psionic activity are not problematic among races that gradually evolve those traits, the sudden development of high-concentrations of psychic activity have complex, and usually deleterious, affects on the general population."

Serdo sighs. "Well, at this point, what she was saying was well beyond anything I was familiar with. I tentatively accepted her claims as true, eager to see how I was involved in all of this."

"As a diviner, she had focused some attention on the future of Canalside, trying to see how our descendents would fare with their new psychic senstitivity. What she had seen had troubled her, enough that she had elected to approach me."

"Independent research of my own since she brought this up confirmed her story; large levels of uncontrolled psychic energy in a community often accumulates and interracts hyperbolically, generally creating psychic and emotional stress. Eventually, this manifests as insanity, often sudden, and often violent."


Entella
"So, could something trigger this insanity suddenly, or would it be a gradual change?"


Serdo
"Basically, over time, more and more people that were psychically sensitive would start suffering mental breakdowns, and each breakdown would accelerate the trend."


Entella
"That's troubling..." She pauses for a moment, looking out the window again. "I haven't seen anything like that yet. Or, at least something that I recognize as something close to it."


Serdo
"And thus, the crux of the matter, my dear. Saiyana's predictions proved true; more people of your generation and your juniors are psionically sensitive than ever before. Why do you suppose you haven't noticed?" he asks, with a smile.


Entella
"I don't know. Everyone around me has always seemed normal. I know that I stuck out a little..." She hesitates. "I did, didn't I?"


Serdo
"Yes, you do. It turned out that I didn't want to involve you in the plan that Saiyana and I developed; it was beyond me to do anything to someone of my own bloodline, as much as I realized the danger."

"But enough beating around the bush. Let me tell you the last part of the tale." He takes a deep breath.

"Saiyana was concerned that a wave of insanity would put an end to our community. I'm unclear on where her sympathies on this matter originated, and that still is a mystery. In any case, she had a potential way to stop the potential bad effects of the trend."


Entella
"She did? How?"


Serdo
"As you may remember from back when I was active, my own skills blend a mix of stealthy discretion with some minor psionic abilities with assassin skills. Up until the time when Saiyana approached me, I was mostly working as an assassin, with the training our family inherited in the traditional martial disciplines. She indicated that I had untapped potential that might aid my own efforts on missions, but also yield a way to restrain the levels of ambient psychic energy in the community."

"I was, of course, curious, and gladly accepted any advice she could give me on how to develop my abilities. She agreed to teach me, expressing an interest in how I would decide to use the powers she helped me uncover."

"And so it was I became a powerthief, someone that can take the psychic energy from those around him."


Entella
Nodding Entella replies. "Let me guess, you take the powers of the ones in the community to keep the level of physic emanations down?"


Serdo
"Indeed, thus it has been for many years, since you were born. Members of your generation were the first to start cropping up in clusters with psychic energy. Your youngers have proved even more problematic."

"When I steal someone's latent psionic energy, the acculation of interpersonal psionic 'miasma' is halted, and the stress on the minds of those that are sensitive is alieviated. As a talented mind is perpetually generating energy, though, I must repeat the process rather frequently."


Entella
"This is very worrying. Why haven't you told me about this before? If I had known I could have spent my energies someplace else, keeping the levels of energy down here in Canalside with a little bit more."


Serdo
Serdo shakes his head sadly. "I wish I'd been wise enough to trust more people, but you must understand that this whole plan involved deceiving a large number of people in a way that I didn't initially understand and have never felt comfortable with."

[Phelix-Mu]

[skype session with morcleon, 9/1]


[Rhenium and Millima put their heads together and get a result of 19 on Knowledge(local). They recall that almost all of Black Shelf is divided into one of four neighborhoods, each run by a separate entity responsible for collecting rent on the tenants that are resident therein. Each is roughly the same size, and are the result of contractual negotiations among the parties that originally invested in the barge.

#1: Maelish. This neighborhood is largely filled by working families that are either working poor or debt farmers that work for the guilds that run the cotton trade. Company stores provide food, supplies, and other needs. Living conditions are sparse, and information is somewhat restricted by company officials and enforcers that keep people in line. Little black market activity, though some smuggling of luxury goods and info takes place, due to many regulations and restrictions creating demand.

#2: An'Suman. This district is run by a confederation of families sharing the Ristaani (spelling might be wrong here) ethnic group. They invested in the barge to supply it's residents with goods and entertainment. Many of the legit tradesmen and restaurants/entertainment venues are located in this neighborhood. The rest of the neighborhood is made up of Ristaani dwellings.

#3: Tesh. This neighborhood is home to what amount to upscale slums and housing projects. People were relocated here when the very powerful Kandori Interest appropriated the land where they lived in the city below. Lots of crime and corruption, which is barely held in check by a group of crooked Code-Keepers that are well-reimbursed by the Kandoris.

#4: Mendi. This neighborhood is in contrast with the others in that it is fairly well off. Founded by an incredibly successful adventurer, the neighborhood is essentially a idealist commune funded by the wealth the adventurer collected in his career. People here are peaceful, and engage in hydroponic farming with the help of lots of magic.

Rhenium rolls 19 on Knowledge(geo) and knows that the four neighborhoods are roughly the same size, but that Tesh extends into the center of the barge and has uneven outlines, as its slums have creeped outward over time.]


Rhenium
Rhenium pauses for a moment, then sighs. "There really is only one place that would possibly house a group of people that would perform kidnappings. Maelish is too well organized, An'Suman is too public, and Mendi is just far too high-class and affluent. Shall we search around Tesh?"


Millima
"I agree," she says with a hopeful smile. "From what I know of the Code-Keepers, they may be aware of these kinds of things, even if they choose to look the other way."

"Also, the Ristaani are highly insular. A friend of mine had a Ristaani girlfriend once, and he suffered no end of grief about it from her family. They don't like outsiders, so unless they were responsible for the kidnapping, it's unlikely that it would go on under their noses."


DM
The pair proceed to Tesh at a brisk pace, mindful of the passing minutes until impending disaster.

Tesh is not unlike certain neighborhoods in Deeps; noisy, crowded, smelly, and full of motion. Families overflow from the spartan stone high-rises onto the sidewalks, children play in the streets, and the alleyways are dark and foreboding. Serious-looking squads of Code-Keepers make frequent patrols, occasionally stopping to talk to young men or the owner of a small establishment.

Among the more populous establishments are a crowded general store that seems to mainly sell cigarettes and booze, judging by the signage. It's a hub of activity, and you notice a poorly-concealed couple of Code-Keepers, possibly trying ineptly to pass as civilians, watching the joint.


Rhenium
Rhenium glances over at the pair of Code-Keepers, raising an eyebrow at Millima. "Well, those two seem like they'd be an easy mark to get information from... shall we?"


Millima
"Certainly," she replies. "Want me to take point?"


Rhenium
"Very well then." Rhenium nods, smiling. He will follow Millima toward the Code-Keepers.


Millima
"One moment then; it's all about the approach," she says with a wink, and saunters off behind a kiosk on the sidewalk before leaping down an alleyway with blinding speed. A moment later, a male grey elf emerges from the alleyway, and heads toward one of the Code-Keepers closer to Rhenium.

[Gather Info of 30, and she hustles the process along a bit]

Millima
"Hold on, sir," she says, as the Code-Keeper begins to spook, finally coming to terms with the fact that his cover is blown. "We aren't here to get you in trouble."


Code-Keeper #1
"What exactly are you here for, then?" he asks in worried tone, his eyes darting back and forth between the store and the two elves in his presence.


Millima
"Don't worry, man. Just breathe for a moment," the elf says calmly, soothingly.

The Code-Keeper relaxes a bit, following Millima's advice.

Millima
"See, isn't that better? Now, no worries; we aren't here to question you or mess up whatever mission you are on."

"All you have to do is tell us about any news you may have heard about some heavy hitters moving valuable cargo in this neighborhood today, or direct us to who might know."

The guard seems flustered.


Code-Keeper #1
"Alright," he says, seeming to break under Millima's intense, blue-eyed gaze. "My squad leader is in that building over there. Third floor. She'd know."


Millima
"Well done. So much better now," the elf says, reaching into his pocket. Millima produces what appears to be a small bag of sweets, and places one in the palm of the surprised guard, before placing one in her own mouth. "Mmm, peppermint. Good for digestion," he says with a wink.

Millima walks toward the building indicated by the Code-Keeper. The male grey elf smiles at Rhenium as the pair enter the building, apparently another housing project.


Rhenium
Rhenium raises an eyebrow at Millima. "That was impressive..."


Millima
"Having a partner actually helps a lot," she replies. "But thanks. That went surprisingly smoothly, actually. He must be fairly low in the pecking order."

"More people makes the approach more worrying, and makes the fast sell easier, especially if the subject is looking to put a fast end to the situation."


Rhenium
"True, true." Rhenium shrugs. "Still, I'm glad I have an assistant for a mission like this."


Millima
"Indeed, solo missions are much more stressful. So here's my idea," she continues. "I'll change faces again, and you chime in, seem more in charge. This will create an illusion of a larger group in action, since it's fairly standard protocol among Code-Keepers to use sign language or comm devices to keep on top of situations."

"The first guy probably doesn't remember you that well; I did all the speaking and gave him candy"


Rhenium
"Very well then." Rhenium straightens out his jacket and stands up a little taller, letting a hint of arrogance creep into his features. "Let's find this squad leader, yes?"


Millima
"See, now we give the feeling of a group of grey elves that mean business. Not people to be trifled with," she says, with a knowing smile. She intones a few arcane words and moves her hands about, and her features shift to a different grey elf, a female with long white hair gathered in a single braid across her left breast, ornamental tortoise shell combs, and a mink-lined half-cloak of royal blue.

Continuing quickly up the last flight of stairs, the two elves hear a door open ahead. Two Code-Keepers, a bald male dwarf and a male human, come into view.


Rhenium
With a serious look on his face, Rhenium steps up to the two figures, raising an eyebrow. "I seek your squad leader. Perhaps you could take me to her?"


DM
The two Code-Keepers look at each other, unsure for a moment. A hushed voice comes from around the corner, and they step back, clearing the way for the elves to proceed.

An alert and poised figure, not at all the rookies from before, stands beside an open door. Bare feet and impressively muscled, tattoo-laced arms mark this tall human with a black topknot suggest that he is also not to be trifled with. He gestures for the elves to continue inside.


Rhenium
Rhenium nods to him once, keeping up his arrogant look. Then he steps inside.


DM
Millima follows along, sending Rhenium a quick warning glance once her face isn't visible to the monk at the door, as if to underline the threat the man poses.

Within the room, there are well-furnished room accomodations, heavy carpet, thick drapes, and several comfort chairs placed in front of the windows of the room. It appears to be the entry room for a suite of three rooms, probably the largest apartment on the floor (and possibly heavily remodeled to suit whatever mission is being conducted). Part of the exterior wall seems to have been magicked to be transparent from this side, as the windows are connected by invisible walls (or so Rhenium imagines).

The result is an excellent perch for watching the street below. Rather out of step with the operation at street level, but this seems to be lost on the massive bulk of the woman situated on a couch facing the invisible wall, looking out a spyglass on a tripod.

The woman makes fat look skinny, but in a way that is more terrifying than pitiful. Sitting with adroit grace, her thick, swollen legs are crossed one over the other, as she absent-mindedly consumes what appears to have been some kind of fowl roughly size of a donkey. With her thick, lush red hair drawn back in a short, thick braid, she adjusts the scope with a hand the size of a lesser man's forearm. Easily eight feet tall, Rhenium guesses, her weight can only be guessed at.


Rhenium
Rhenium gives her a slight bow, realizing that she is not someone to be trifled with. "Greetings. Let's us move right on to business then. I have been informed that you would know about any major players transporting valuable cargo, yes? And perhaps you might share this information with us?"


DM
The male monk has entered the room, and moves with practiced, almost alien levels of speed toward the woman on the couch.


Tatooed Monk
"Ma'am, these appear to be the group that approached our agent on the street," he says quietly.

The woman smiles over her shoulders, the muscles of her mouth working over some slab of meat in her mouth, her red cheeks and puffy eyes acknowledging her subordinate. She turns and spits out a legbone the size of a short sword onto the massive steel platter on which lies her unfortunate meal.

In an impossible motion, the woman rises to her feet with grace and ease.
Crossing her arms on her chest, she assumes a position of confidence, literally and figuratively towering over her grey elven guests.


Impressive Woman
"Aye, I may know wat youu waant," she says, with a bit of an accent, and with a bass tone befitting her size. "But whyy should I tell the likes of youu?"


Rhenium
Rhenium raises an eyebrow, smirking slightly. "Because I can offer you a very useful piece of information that could potentially save your life."


Impressive Woman
The woman seems visibly concerned, but also defiant. "I hope, for your rather twiggyy sake, that that was nae a threat," she says, taking a step rather too close to Rhenium for comfort, placing her foot down with an alarming thud that shakes the window panes.


Rhenium
A soft smile crosses Rhenium's face. "Of course not... It's merely an offer to trade information..."


Impressive Woman
"Aye, youu duun look the fool, but elves rarely do," she says, backing off a bit, and turning to consult silently with her subordinate with the tattoos. The man shrugs in return, and she turns back toward Rhenium and Millima.

"Alright, then, lemme tell youu that I know what it is that youu are after," she says with a smile that could swallow a housecat whole. "A wee twiggy man of your sort was moved up here, under some duress, earlier todayy. Now let me know something of the danger that might threaten the likes of me, afore I tell youu the rest."


Rhenium
Nodding, Rhenium pauses, then stares intently at the woman. "Sometime this afternoon, this barge will be bombed. My sources indicate that this attack will be powerful enough to take down the entire structure. However, the exact detonation time is unknown."

DM
The woman pales suddenly.

She begins to pace with alarming speed, her eyes darting back and forth from the floor to the pair of grey elves, her brain clearly in overdrive.


Rhenium
"And now, perhaps you would be so kind as to tell me the rest of what you know about this other man?"


Impressive Woman
Phelix-Mu: "No, whyy would they lie?" she mutters loudly, all but ignoring Rhenium.


Tattooed Man
"Ma'am," he asks, "what is this all about?" sounding genuinely surprised at his superior's behavior.


Rhenium
Quirking an eyebrow, Rhenium stares at her. "They? Who would 'they' be? And what else do you know of the other grey elf?"


Impressive Woman
"Silence, all of youu," she bellows, the sound wave rocking the room in an alarming fashion. "Lemme think a moment."

She thinks. For all of a moment.

"Youu, short man, whyy don't youu know more? Is this captured elf your kin? And how do you know about the bombing?"


Rhenium
"I only know what I have been told," Rhenium replies with an apologetic shrug. "This elf is not my kin, but he is a very important friend of mine. And as to how I know... let's just say that I have friends in high places."


Impressive Woman
She eyes Rhenium warily, trying to judge his truthfulness.

"Ach," she says, spinning nimbly away and resuming pacing. "I give up. All youu pointy-eared people are soo frustrating. And where's the fun in bombing...," she says, shaking her head. "Alright, youu seem to have upheld your end," she continues. "Now, as to what I know."

"The elf man that youu seek, he's located in a warehouse on the edge of Tesh that borders Mendi. Johan here can give you more details if need be."

"The 'they' that I mentioned. Well, I dun know about your source, small man, but I know that the people planning the bombing told me that they'd alert me afore it was going too happen. Seems they' are another bunch of pointy-ears that can nae be trusted."

[Phelix-Mu]

[skype session with morcleon, 9/2]

Phelix-Mu
Morcleon: Nodding slowly, Rhenium smiles, a humorless expression. "Good... so we won't have to deal with getting past the basic security. Do you know anything about the people who kidnapped him? Their danger level or anything?"
Morcleon: ..............
Phelix-Mu: Johan
Phelix-Mu: "No, the information must have come to Captain Bora by some other route; I'm not privy to all of her secrets," he says, a sardonic smile crossing his swarthy face. "That should be evident from all this talk of bombing, as I was none the wiser about it before you brought it to my attention."
Phelix-Mu: .......
Morcleon: "Hm... I suppose that's to be expected then." Rhenium grins at Johan and turns to leave. "Well then. Good luck."
Morcleon: He motions to Millima, and begins walking out of the building.
Phelix-Mu: Johan
Phelix-Mu: "A word of caution, though," he says, catching up to the pair of elves.
Phelix-Mu: "I'm not sure what your angle is, but it seemed to me that Captain Bora was confused by the fact you were telling her of the imminent bombing that your lot had promised to tell her of in advance. I know she has contacts among the elves through the Kandori Interest, who own all of these parts."
Phelix-Mu: "Be wary of these elves; I've only heard a little of their dealings, but they had a loud, none-too-covert brush-up with the Ristaani about a month ago."
Phelix-Mu: ......
Morcleon: Rhenium nods in acknowledgement. "I'll be careful."
Morcleon: He glances to Millima. "Well? You've been in more combat than I have... any suggestions for our plan of attack?"
Phelix-Mu: Millima
Phelix-Mu: "Well, I am capable of a direct approach, but given that our opponent's nature and their number are unknown, subtlety may be wiser."
Phelix-Mu: "I can be stealthy, ofc, and I have a number of spells for disguising our nature and our intent. Mostly support in nature, little that will be of offensive use.:
Phelix-Mu: "My other abilities are the ability to hit multiple foes with a single punch, threatening an area, breaking objects, and applying elemental or certain other properties to my fists."
Phelix-Mu: ...........
Morcleon: Rhenium ponders this for a moment. "Alright. This should be fine. We'll look around for a backdoor entry."
Morcleon: "I can provide divination support, as well as being able to summon undead."
Phelix-Mu: Millima
Phelix-Mu: "Just to verify, the undead you summon will be controlled, right? I want to know if I might have to be punching some undead, too."
Phelix-Mu: ........
Morcleon: "Of course it will be." Rhenium chuckles. "Would I ever do otherwise?"
Phelix-Mu: Millima
Phelix-Mu: "Just checking," she says with a wink. "Alright, should I scout ahead, or do you have some kind of sneaky undead that could do reconn?"
Phelix-Mu: .....
Morcleon: For a moment, Rhenium sits there, thinking. Then he nods and gestures toward his own shadow, and it rises up into a fully formed shape. "Stay hidden. See if there's anyone there. And if you find any lone guards that are like the ones described by Ariella, take them down and send their shadows to go scouting as well."
Morcleon: "And after you've done a preliminary search, come back through the walls and report."
Morcleon: ..........
Phelix-Mu: The shadow bows in obedience, then floats silently in the direction indicated.
Phelix-Mu: The warehouse itself is set apart from other buildings a bit, and a cobblestone road leads up to large sliding doors to an elevated loading bay.
Phelix-Mu: There may a loft of some kind, as the building is quite tall, and there are windows near the roofline, but it's hard to tell from the outside. As Johan reported, the place seems fairly deserted, a slight smell of overripe produce hanging in the air.
Morcleon: Rhenium reaches out to his newly formed creation and taps it once on it's head, transferring over his eyesight. "Millima, make sure nothing harms me. I'll be blind for the rest of this time."
Phelix-Mu: Millima
Phelix-Mu: "Will do," she replies.
Phelix-Mu: Rhenium sees through the shadow's eyes as it approaches the warehouse, mostly immersed in the ground as it moves.
Phelix-Mu: No guards are visible from the outside, and the shadow proceeds to the inside of the warehouse. It rapidly searches among a number of stacks of empty crates, and finds nothing. The shadow turns it's gaze upward, and it sees a loft level toward the back of the warehouse, reached by a metal staircase.
Phelix-Mu: The shadow floats upward, and into the enclosed loft, tentatively sticking it's head through the wooden door.
Phelix-Mu: Rhenium and the shadow spot four guards, seemingly an unusual subrace of elves. They are spread around the room, engaged in various time-filling activities; whittling, juggling knives, meditating. In the center of the room is a large hound of some kind, and a grey elf bound to a wooden chair.
Phelix-Mu: The shadow returns to Rhenium as directed.
Phelix-Mu: [Rhenium makes a 30 on a Knowledge(arcana) check. He recognizes the hound as a cooshee, an elven hound. It's a type of magical beast kept as a companion creature by many elven rangers. Capable of great speed and taking down relatively large enemies with a powerful bite, it is more intelligent that normal domesticated canines. It also has a much longer lifespan than normal dogs, making it an ideal companion for an elf.
Phelix-Mu: Rhenium makes a 24 on a Knowledge(nature) check. The elves are thin and angular, even for elves, and have a feral look about them, suggesting a more arboreal origin. They all share radiant silver hair, and don't seem to correspond to any of the more common elven subraces that Rhenium is familiar with.]
Phelix-Mu: .......
Morcleon: Rhenium disengages his sight from that of the shadow and blinks at the shift in viewpoint. "Well... that makes things a lot more difficult."
Phelix-Mu: Millima
Phelix-Mu: "What did you discover?"
Morcleon: He gives Millima a run through of what the warehouse has in store, sitting back on his feet. "In essence, we're going to have to get in there, grab Tagellen, and then just run and fight at the same time. I have an Enveloping Pit that can hold him while we escape. I've built in floors too, so don't worry about him getting hurt from the fall."
Morcleon: "Do you have anything you could do to get the guards out of the way while I get him?"
Morcleon: ..............
Phelix-Mu: Millima
Phelix-Mu: "I could probably get one or two to chase me; it's very unlikely that any of them can match my speed," she says, not quite bragging. "But that still leaves two or three of them watching our target."
Phelix-Mu: "I can probably bash apart parts of the structure of the building. That might take them by surprise, but it could also endanger the target."
Phelix-Mu: "Or, I could set the building on fire."
Phelix-Mu: ........
Morcleon: "...that would probably not be advised." Rhenium chuckles. "Perhaps you could destroy the floor underneath where Tagellen's chair is located. Then we can catch him and have my shadow delay them while we escape."
Phelix-Mu: Millima
Phelix-Mu: "I can certainly do that," she says. "I'm a little stealthier in my normal form, so I think I'll switch over." She dismisses the illusory disguise, and is once more a short female with a distinct lack of clothing. Her third eye tattoo seems to stare at Rhenium as she smiles broadly.
Phelix-Mu: "Shall we proceed?" she asks, clearly looking forward to a bit of action.
Phelix-Mu: ........
Morcleon: Rhenium nods, grinning back. "C'mon, I'll lead you to where you'll need to be."
Morcleon: He sets off into the warehouse, his shadow following close behind.
Morcleon: ..............
Phelix-Mu: Millima follows, doing a remarkable job at being hard to see or hear. She closes her eyes to concentrate at one point, and her fist and feet seem to shimmer faintly.
Phelix-Mu: Rhenium proceeds, reaching the door to the warehouse, which is closed.
Phelix-Mu: ..........
Morcleon: Rhenium blinks at the door, then sighs. "Right... doors need to be opened first." He reaches out to open it, stepping inside.
Phelix-Mu: The door slides slowly open, and Millima helps to steady the massive door to reduce the noise. But the process is far from silent.
Phelix-Mu: [Elven guards' Listen checks: 28, 18, 26, 30.]
Phelix-Mu: Millima
Phelix-Mu: "Bet someone heard that," she says. "I can extract Tagellen from the room, if you can manage a distraction."
Morcleon: Rhenium grins, glancing toward his shadow. "I have a readied distraction right here... shall I send it?"
Phelix-Mu: Millima
[ | Edited 12:11:20 AM] Phelix-Mu: "Sure, that should get their attention," she says quietly, before setting off at a ridiculous speed toward the area underneathe the rear loft enclosure.
Morcleon: Gesturing to his shadow, Rhenium sends it soaring through the ceiling and directly into the room, slashing at the cooshee.
Morcleon: (Could you make all the rolls for me? I'm on my iPod, so things like that are a lot harder...)
Phelix-Mu: (sure)
Phelix-Mu: (just let me know the bonuses)
Phelix-Mu: By the time the shadow reaches the room, the first two guards are halfway down the stairs to investigate the sound, but the cooshee and one of the elves armed with daggers are standing beside their prisoner.
Phelix-Mu: (is it a normal shadow? I can look up the bonuses...I imagine leafing through pdfs is also hard on the ipod)
Morcleon: (Alright... you can get the shadow's attack bonus and damage from the SRD. I'll give you anything Rhenium has.)
Morcleon: (Yep. Normal shadow)
Phelix-Mu: [The shadows attack, 10, misses (target 15), but it's distraction is highly effective.]
Phelix-Mu: The cooshee, spooked by the dark undead gliding through the ceiling, heads toward the wall of the room, before rounding on the shadow, hunching down and barking loudly in warning, baring its impressive fangs.
Morcleon: (It is a touch attack, right?)
Phelix-Mu: The elven guard with the daggers shouts to the others, and the two in the room move toward the exit, apparently unwilling to attack the dark spirit.
Phelix-Mu: (yes, I was a bit surprised too...cooshees have an excellent AC, almost entirely due to dex...and it's an animal companion, so it's dex is further improved...plus an item...Add in the fact that the shadow rolled a 3...)
Phelix-Mu: Millima meanwhile has jumped up into the structure supporting the loft, and is positioning herself beneath the center of the room.
Phelix-Mu: (Rhenium's turn. If he is taking measures to avoid being seen by the guards coming down the stairs, let me know.)
Morcleon: The shadow follows, swiping at the guard. Rhenium moves in, crouching behind a crate near the staircase, readying himself to attack anything that gets too near where Millima is headed.
Phelix-Mu: Millima remains hidden, if only because no one is looking for a small blue woman hidden among the rafters beneath the loft. The guards coming down the stairs are quickly recalled by their companions, who are trying to figure out how to approach the shadow.
Morcleon: The shadow floats down the stairs, keeping itself between the guards and Tagellen. If any of the guards get too close, it will attack them again.
Phelix-Mu: [Rhenium makes a 13 on a Listen check.]
Phelix-Mu: Rhenium hears the elves conversing in some dialect of elven, apparently discussing abandoning the prisoner or calling for reinforcements, but the whole affair is rather hectic, as two of them are still threatened by the shadow.
Morcleon: The shadow dashes forward to strike the closest enemy, attacking him and trying to drive them further away.
Phelix-Mu: The shadow attacks the guard with the daggers who is trying to reach the stairs still, and manages to hit. The elf growls loudly, and then barks several times.
Phelix-Mu: [Shadow hits with a 20 vs touch AC of 15, and does 5 Str damage to the elven guard.]
Phelix-Mu: As the shadow is unphased by the elven guard's strange vocalization, the elven guard backs down, retreating back into the room.
Phelix-Mu: Millima attacks the floor above her.
[ | Edited 12:50:18 AM] Phelix-Mu: [As the shatter spell, can be combined with flurry, effective on each attack]Millima, unleashes a barrage of destruction upon the building above her, and within seconds has opened a 5' hole in the floor. She climbs up quickly into the loft.
Phelix-Mu: .....
Morcleon: The shadow dashes at the elves again, and Rhenium take advantage of this chaos to slip behind the crates over to where Millima went up, signaling for her to bring Tagellen down.
Morcleon: He takes out his Enveloping Pit and opens it just enough for an elf to comfortably fit through.
Morcleon: ............
Phelix-Mu: Although the noise of Millima's assault on the building has drawn everyone's attention back to the loft room and its contents, Millima presses onward, shattering the chair that Tagellen is tied to, and dragging the mildly incoherent elf toward the hole in the floor. She jumps down, dragging the elf behind her.
Phelix-Mu: [Activates feather fall on both herself and Tagellen, maintaining it just long enough to drop him soundly in the hole, allowing herself to land beside Rhenium.]
Phelix-Mu: The shadow is about to attack the elven guard, when another elf shows appears in a flash, wearing strange garb made of bits of newsfold and debris, looking oddly like a moving pile of trash from one of the nearby alleyway.
Phelix-Mu: Elven Leader
Phelix-Mu: "Halt, spirit from beyond," the newcomer cries out, and he brandishes a glowing staff.
Phelix-Mu: The shadow falters.
Phelix-Mu: [Not technically turned, the shadow may be commanded by Rhenium again, but only while within visual range.]
Phelix-Mu: The shadow sinks into the floor, and returns to Rhenium's side.
Phelix-Mu: Millima
Phelix-Mu: "Time to run, I think," she says.
Phelix-Mu: ........
Morcleon: Rhenium nods, closing up the pit. He slips back around the crates, trying to get to a relatively safe spot to teleport out.

[Phelix-Mu]

[skype session with Morcleon, 9/8]

As Rhenium and Millima are hustling among the stacks of empty crates, a thick, noxious fog descends on them.
Phelix-Mu: [Rhenium Fort save 19 v 18 DC, Millima 24 v 18 DC of stinking cloud spell]
Phelix-Mu: A cat, seemingly made of water, jumps down from somewhere above, hissing and arching its back. The tiny creature seems to be trying to block the progress of the escaping duo.
Phelix-Mu: Although the monk and Rhenium resisted the sickening vapors, their vision is still limited by the fog, making progress difficult.
Phelix-Mu: ..........
Morcleon: Rhenium coughs once, wincing at the sickening vapors. He grabs Millima's hand and begins dashing toward where he knows the nearest exit to be. Upon seeing the cat, he raises an eyebrow, then glances to Millima. "You go on ahead. Just get past it and get out. I'll follow soon."
Morcleon: He gestures toward his shadow, which flies past the cat, going to approximately 40' away from Rhenium, past the cat.
Morcleon: ......................
Phelix-Mu: (Just to clarify, you are retaining possession of the portable hole?)
[ | Edited 9:25:10 PM] Morcleon: (Yes.)
Phelix-Mu: (Gotcha)
Phelix-Mu: (You are transfering your sight to the shadow? what command have you given it this time?)
Morcleon: (No sight transfer. Just ordering it to get past the cat and hopefully into another room if there's an opening within 40' of Rhenium.)
Morcleon: (I'm setting it up for Benign Transposition.)
Phelix-Mu: (Ah, nice, good idea)
Phelix-Mu: The shadow proceeds, and shortly emerges past the stacks of crates at the directed distance.
Phelix-Mu: The cat gives chase to the shadow.
Phelix-Mu: ...............
Morcleon: Rhenium raises an eyebrow, then orders his shadow to peel away at an angle, attempting to lead the cat away from him and Millima.
Morcleon: ...........
Phelix-Mu: The cat follows the shadow, and the curtain of fog rises. Rhenium finds himself near the edge of the crates, facing a 30' gap of clear open space before the open front door to the warehouse. A blue hand waves quickly around the corner, apparently a signal from Millima.
Phelix-Mu: (around the corner of the open front door)
Phelix-Mu: ..............
Morcleon: Rhenium takes the opportunity, dashing out of the warehouse. He looks at Millima, grinning. "Looks like we made it. Shall we leave this barge, then?"
Morcleon: ....................
Phelix-Mu: Millima is about to open her mouth, when suddenly the elven leader, dressed in his strange garbage-outfit, appears within arms reach of the duo, hands spread in a gesture of surrender.
Phelix-Mu: Elven Leader
Phelix-Mu: "You have proven yourselves worthy of capturing your quarry," he says. "We will not try to stop you from leaving. Before you leave, however, please listen to what I have to say."
Phelix-Mu: ..........
Morcleon: Rhenium quirks an eyebrow, then slowly fingers the teleportation beacon in one hand and grabs Millima's hand with the other. "...say it then."
Morcleon: He readies himself to activate the beacon if this turns out to be a trap.
Morcleon: .................
Phelix-Mu: Elven Leader
Phelix-Mu: "My name is Doraien. I lead a pack of lythari, and am responsible for protecting this part of Merstangoth. As head of a circle of urban druids, I was compelled by the imminent bombing of these neighborhoods to draw attention to the plot. I hoped a high profile kidnapping would attract attention from the authorities."
Phelix-Mu: "While you do not appear to be the authorities, I remain in a bit of a bind, and could use any assistance you could render in this matter."
Phelix-Mu: ................
Morcleon: "I see... unfortunately, I have no power to assist in this matter beyond simply informing people, which I would presume you could do as well." Rhenium sighs. "From what I've heard, this bombing is a political thing in which I cannot interfere. However, there is nothing preventing me from lowering the body count by alerting the populace to this issue. We must move quickly if we are to save lives."
Morcleon: .........
Phelix-Mu: Doraien
Phelix-Mu: "Due to forces beyond my control, I have been prevented from acting openly to oppose the plot. Those responsible seem to have a very, very long reach, and have set up measures to ensure that the plot was both quite secret, and that those in a position to prevent it would be unable to act."
Phelix-Mu: "I can lend some limited spellcasting and some manpower, but I must remain away from the action, as my movements are almost certainly being monitored."
Phelix-Mu: "What exactly do you have in mind in terms of intervening in the plot or working to save civilians? Overt action could well alert the bombers, and I can't be sure they won't change plans to ensure maximum impact."
Phelix-Mu: ..........
Morcleon: Rhenium tilts his head to the side. "What sort of spellcasting do you have? Any stealthy ranged communication?"
Phelix-Mu: Doraien
Phelix-Mu: "I have an item," he says, and withdraws a large tin pan from some hidden space within his garbage-bedecked robes. "I use it to communicate with the other members of my circle, but I can attune it to you. It's primarily a means of scrying, but I can send limited messages through it."
Phelix-Mu: "My casting is granted by the spirits of the city, the energies created by some many people living and feeling in close quarters for so long. It is the magic of place. In an emergency, I can send a one way message to you anywhere in the city, but you won't be able to respond."
Phelix-Mu: "Some of my subordinates have their own limited magical abilities, several of the lythari rangers in particular."
Phelix-Mu: .........
Morcleon: "I suppose the simplest method would be to go door to door, although that would be inefficient. Do you have any sort of contact network that you could spread out to inform the people within the bombing area?"
Morcleon: ..........
Phelix-Mu: Doraien
Phelix-Mu: "We could easily spread word, but there is a high likelihood that it would quickly devolve into a panic, as many people don't have a personal means of getting off of the barge," he says, before pausing to think.
Phelix-Mu: "There are several spells I could use to spread word, and minions that I could summon; these methods entail a bit of risk, but there is much at stake."
Phelix-Mu: ...........
Morcleon: "...well, that would be an issue. Perhaps the Interest could help? Do you think they would be willing?"
Phelix-Mu: Doraien
Phelix-Mu: "The Kandori Interest? They may have a financial stake in the nearby neighborhood, but it is a small account in their plane-spanning banking empire. I also have reason to believe that they have political connections to some of the factions of the Puraria that may be the source of this plot."
Morcleon: "Hm... that could be an issue, if the major player here is against us. Perhaps I could spin it as a way to get publicity?"
Phelix-Mu: Doraien
Phelix-Mu: "As a way to garner public good will? Could work, actually. But I'd warn you that they are a pretty cold, calculating bunch. If you can make an argument that this will positively affect their bottom line, then that would be your strongest position with them. But if they are alienating high-rolling clients like many members of the Puraria, then that is a big bit of red ink in their ledgers, if you follow my meaning."
Phelix-Mu: Doraien rubs his brow, clearly under a fair bit of stress. His long silver hair appears a bit haggard, detracting from the typical elven grace that marks his demeanor.
Morcleon: "True... we might have time to contact one of Puraria's rivals to get them to do a rescue." Rhenium shrugs. "Well, the bottom line is, unless we can get a major player in to help this, these people are going to die, either unprepared, or in a chaotic rush to leave."
Phelix-Mu: Doraien
Phelix-Mu: "This is the case, I'm afraid. I am limited in my selection of allies; we urban druids are strictly unaffiliated in the political sense, but the practical allies that I might normally rely on have been isolated or bribed, or otherwise prevented from interfering. I have contacts in both Numeria Ultima and the Myriad of the Jade Star that I could normally call on for assistance, but someone has taken steps to sideline them. Hence the very long reach that I mentioned earlier."
Phelix-Mu: [Rhenium gets a 23 on a Knowldege(local) check. He has heard of the Myriad of the Jade Star; it's an affiliation of independent psionicists and the talented. They generally support the interests of those with mental abilities, fight prejudice, share teaching and training, and get jobs for psionic adventurers. It's a fairly small organization, but it counts some truly powerful minds among its members.]
Phelix-Mu: (the Kn(psi) was lower, and thus a bit redundant, as it was to recall the same set of info)
Morcleon: "How have they been sidelined? If only you have been prevented from contacting them, perhaps I could get a message out."
Phelix-Mu: Doraien
Phelix-Mu: "Numeria Ultima members that used to be active in Black Shelf have been reassigned. I attempted to go further up the ladder, but was told that all inquiries into numerical phenomena on Black Shelf have been exhausted." He makes an exasperated sound. "Some kind of bureaucratic backstopping, as that is patently untrue."
Phelix-Mu: "As for the Myriad of the Jade Star, I suspect someone has spread just enough money around the lower echelons of the group that my requests never reach the right people, or are altered to make them seem less important. Normally, I can use spells to reach the right ears, but someone has taken to redirecting messages, which, as you may be aware, is no small feat."
Phelix-Mu: "If you want to try to contact them, do so, but I'd advise trying soon, or whoever is hindering my efforts may realize that you are helping me, and target you as well."
Phelix-Mu: .........
Morcleon: "I will see what I can do..." Rhenium turns to Millima. "I don't suppose you have anything?"
Phelix-Mu: Millima
Phelix-Mu: "Something useful for communications? No, not really. The few things I use tend to be single-use items that can only contact our superiors."
Phelix-Mu: .......

[Phelix-Mu]

For Liliana:
Through half-open eyes, she sees a rusty ceiling fan through dim light, spinning unevenly, creaking rhythmically. Criiiik......criiiik......criiiik.

The sound wouldn't be tolerable, but there is another, louder sound, which now comes to her. A colorful din of tinny music, from many sources, all overlapping to form a low racket at the edges of her awareness.

Her leg is asleep. Really asleep. Motivated by the pins and needles sensation, she shifts, opening her heavy eyes fully. What at first seemed like dim light proves to be a haze of stale smoke.

She is sitting in a booth of some kind, and a translucent crystal pane, the size of a school desk, is angled towards her, a worn velvet-covered stool beneath her. The screen overlays a black-colored panel, and the whole pane is bordered by several prism-shaped crystals of deep blue and red colors.

The narrow, long room about her is filled with similar booths, occupied by all manner of folk. The only difference is that the other booths' crystal panes are lit by patterns of lights and images that dance just above the pane, accompanied by the tinny music. The people are enraptured by the images, barely moving.

To her left, in the rough center of the room, is a depression in the floor. In the midst of the depression, a reclined chair in which sits some kind of humanoid construct with vestigial arms and an oversized head. Crystalline cords are joined to its head, rapidly pulsing with red and blue light, before they descend to the floor.

Amidst the noise and the flashing lights of this place, there is little movement, but after a moment, she spots an elevated area at the back of the room. Upon a dingy crystal platform is a desk made of stained wood. A short person, seemingly a scrawny male child in a ruffled, maroon shirt, is arguing in hushed tones with a very large man. The man pounds on the desk loudly, practically shouting some unintelligible insults. The child sits heavily on a tall chair, rubbing his temples and squeezing his eyes shut.

Child
"Really wish you hadn't done that. We were actually getting somewhere with the negotiations."

A loud noise comes from a half-open doorway behind the platform. The door swings open, and a hairless woman of very large proportions emerges, half-stooped to fit through the seven-foot doorway. Wearing a stout leather apron splattered with scorch marks and a set of tinted goggles, she seems to have been interrupted, but quickly sheds the goggles and jumps onto the platform.

Once there, she takes the large man in hand.

Literally.

The large man yells in protest.

Immense Woman
"You would do well to shut it, creep."

He continues to protest, and swings a few punches her way. The people in the booths start to notice.

Immense Woman
"And disrupting the customers? Wow, you just can't get a break." She bounces the man brutally off the floor, and he crumples unconscious. She carries him toward the front door effortlessly, and tosses him at several other large men who are standing there slack-jawed. "Your friend needs to learn how to talk without using his fists," she calls to them in a sonorous voice.

The big woman walks back toward the platform, but pauses nearby.

Immense Woman
"Benyé," she calls, somewhat quieter but no less audible. "I think that woman Danina brought in finally woke up." She turns toward the woman in the booth. "Hi there. I'm Memorra. I work for Benyé, the owner."

[Reyne]

Darkness. Flashes of images flash through her mind, as vivid as they are ephemeral. Pictures, memories, names, faces, knowledge, information... all there and yet missing at the same time. It makes one almost want to scream in frustration, at the way they slip like sand through one's clutches, lost in the tides of the past, scattered like dust to the four winds.

The sleeper is waking.

Who am I? The question lingers in the sleeper's mind, groping for a name that's almost there on the tip of one's tongue... L... Lara? Leslie? Lynn? None of them sound quite right. For a brief moment, zhe wonders briefly what zher gender is ('Gender? What's that... oh, yes, that') before her mind sarcastically sends a reply of 'female, of course!', surprised that the issue could even be up to question. Though she doesn't quite have proof of her own eyes on that yet.

Oh, yes, that reminds her. Eyes. Those things. She should open them,

The first sight that greets her in this strange new world... an odd rusty metal object, resemblant of a giant spider in its eight-pronged shape as it lazily rotates in jerks and spits. She blinks her eyes, once, twice at the oddness of the sight, of the... creature? No, its movements are too regular to be alive and thinking. Automaton? The concept seems utterly foreign to her patchwork mind. From elsewhere, a jaunty tune quietly plucks at her senses, begging her to get up and sway along.

Shelving the oddity away into her mind, she attempts to sit up, wincing over the pins and needles that seem to throb through her legs, searching for what else she can tell of her surroundings, looking through the haze of...oh. Smoke. Part of her mind screams at this revelation: Danger is near! The other struggles for answers, as she cannot, for the life of her, tell you why smoke is dangerous. Besides, as the world grows less blurry and more clear, she can see figures, creatures, people, moving and talking of their own volition. If they do not panic, why should she?

She takes her surroundings in more fully, now. A translucent crystal pane, a stool covered with velvet. Crystal panes, crystalline cords, crystal prims, crystal platforms.... oh so, so many crystals. Why crystals - are they needed here for some reason? The thought of commonplace crystals sounds so odd, almost unfamiliar to her. Other sounds percolate through her mind... an argument, a confrontation. She filters out the noise, the haze, the buzzing confusion and worry that threaten to consume her mind (which is starting to feel like a piece of... what's that type of cheese, the kind you get with all the holes in it?) and hones her senses towards that. There. A child and a man, deep in their conflict. She resists the urge to intervene, to jump in without knowing the situation, and instead watches the events as they play out, struggling to regain her senses.

And then the woman turns towards her. Damn. Wait, since when did she swear? Anyways, it seems that playing asleep isn't exactly an option.

She quietly clears a throat that feels rusty and clogged from disuse. A sudden wave of fear and distrust runs through her mind - somehow, she thinks that mentioning her evident... (what's the word for losing your memories? A... am.... amour? amnesty? ....no, amnesia, amnesia, that's it!) amnesia would be a really bad idea. Best play it safe, but how to, when she can't even remember her name? Li... how about just pick Lily for now? It feels a bit off, but close enough for her purposes.

"Hello; I'm Lily. Thanks so much for bringing me in, and nice to meet you.

....Umm, where did you find me?"

[Phelix-Mu]

For Liliana:
Memorra
The immense woman smiles, white teeth gleaming like ivory dominoes, her head inclined down from a vast height. "I didn't find you. A charming young elf by the name of Danina did. You'll probably meet her before long if you hang around; she usually comes by and offers to buy us out around this time of day." She begins to extend a hand the size of a buckler shield, covered in thick skin, a mottled mix of pecan and moss green tones.

Suddenly she looks up, as though remembering something. "Oh, gods, the heating matrix!" She breaks into a sprint, and seems to cover half the length of the room in three strides.

The child has risen from his seat and walked over. As he approaches, it seems he is not well; his skin is a pallid color, and his eyes are sunken, a washed out shade of green. But he seems composed, even as he leans on a fancy-looking cane with a golden grip.

Benyé
"Don't mind Memorra. She's a big softy. Danina, on the other hand...well, she comes from a strange place, and it clings to her." His voice is calm, but dry-sounding. "You are welcome to play some skaena, if you wish. First-timers get a few free rounds," he adds, every bit the salesman as he gestures to the booths with the crystal panes. "Our cognition golem may look shabby, but it's actually a first-rate setup."

He turns back to his guest, and focuses his gaze on her.

"But enough about us. You seem to have the much more interesting story going on. Danina said she found you, quite insensate, not far from here. I usually wouldn't keep a stray, but Danina offered to lay off the incessant buyout offers if I let you stick around for a short time."

[Reyne]

"Oh wow, I guess I owe Danina quite a thank you when I see her. It's really nice for her - and you - to have taken me in, when I could easily have been robbed while unconscious." Still, the suspicious part of her mind is worrying about just why this Danina had been helping her.

In a slight effort to change the subject and try to learn more, she asks politely "So, I'm a bit embarrassed to ask, but since I'm a bit new here, as you can probably tell, can you tell me about skaena?" At least she thinks she's new to the city at least - judging with her instinctive unfamiliarity with the various technological marvels and the travelers outfit and cloak she seems to be wearing. The latter would pretty much tell it to anyone besides.

[Phelix-Mu]

For Liliana:
Benyé
"Why, yes I can, Missy," he replies, eyes lighting up. "And don't be shy. It's fairly complicated, as games of chance and skill go."

Patient, yet animated and engaged, Benyé proceeds through a fairly complicated explanation of skaena.

Just gonna use a raw Int-check here, and I'll roll it to speed things along. Later on, she can apply class stuff, but since she is only just remembering how to use her brain, we'll leave it at the basics.

[roll0]

Hmm, pretty terrible.

Well, Lily caught most of it, she thinks. The basics are that there is a complex series of interactions between several variables. The first variable is a three-dimensional illusory image, one of a set of twelve possible. Each image has a place in a hierarchy of values. The second variable has to do with the color of the lights that make up the image, a set of five possible; no light (black), red, blue, purple (red+blue), and white (a trump color).

But then he gets into a system of wagering, and it's all very complicated.

Benyé
"Ah, I see I am starting to lose you. No problem. If you wish, you can play around with one of the machines for free. But not for long, mind you," he says, coughing slightly. "Ahem, I do run a business, after all." He smiles and fiddles around with a crystal wand he draws from up one of his sleeves. Waving it above the crystal pane, the pane lights up with a peal of familiar, tinny music. "There you go."


A new figure appears suddenly, a very short...elf? Bearing exquisite ear piercings that combine three shades of jewels (pink, green, and amber) and platinum studding and bridging across the piercings, the woman strides confidently up to Benyé, only an inch or so taller than the child. Not counting her bouncy, kinky hair, which sways behind her like a collapsed beehive, its rainbow-hued length reaching midway down her neck.

Benyé
"Ah, damn, right on time. Now I recall; this month's budget couldn't afford the wards." He rubs his forehead in exasperation, before raising his voice to shout toward the front door. "NOW THE SECURITY REALLY IS WORTHLESS."

After shouting, the short Benyé is attacked by a fit of coughing, doubling over and leaning heavily on his cane.

Short Elf
"Benyé, your really should take care of yourself there," she says, hands clasped behind her back as she observes Benyé's helpless state.

She turns toward Lily.

"I'm Danina, by the way," she says as she maneuvers around Lily, looking her up and down from several angles. "My, oh my," she says. "What exactly is a woman from out of town doing in these parts? Hardly safe to be alone hereabouts."

[Reyne]

Confused and dazed, it's all Lily can do to keep the worry and panic in her head under control, the pink haze from rising up to swamp the rest of her mind. Worrying about the rules to a game is frankly more mental energy than she can spare at this point. Perhaps she'll figure it out later, but for now, she'll file it away in her head as an esoteric complicated game, one step closer to figuring out this strange new world in which she finds herself.

And then the elvish woman appears. Lily can scarcely stop herself at almost staring at the colorful ear piercings (are they crystal again, or other jewels?) and hair. This is the woman who took me in? She's so... not quite what I expected. For a passing moment, she contrasts the woman's appearance to her own rather drab and faded look, almost a bit dowdy in comparison, before scolding herself for focusing so much on looks.

Wait, who's coughing? Oh no; poor... Benyé, was it? She rushes over to see if she can help with a cry of "You okay there?" , inwardly wondering all the same just what he is - the owner of the establishment, apparently a child but sounding like an adult. And his poor health - pallid skin, sunken eyes, cough, leaning on cane - seems to indicate an elderly man. This city still holds many wonders yet for me to discover, she muses to herself.

Oh. Words. Sounds. The woman has asked her a question. The sounds and words penetrate weakly through the now-rainbow haze and noisy din in her head that threatens to consume her. For a moment, it's all she can do to keep her knees from buckling, to resist the urge to succumb to the wave of tiredness that swells over her and topple over unconscious once more. But she manages to resist the wave that crashes over her like an oceantide before she steadies herself and pushes it away, opening her eyes once more to meet Danina's look.

Calmly, as if nothing had just happened, she responds to the query. "Nice to meet you Danina; I'm Lily." Apparently that'll be the name she's going by now. "What part of town am I in, did you find me in? Honestly, I don't really remember anything that happened after making it to the city; it's a bit of worrying" She winces a bit inwardly at the misdirection - she doesn't remember what happened since making it to the city, yes, but she doesn't remember what happened before coming to the city either. At least she thinks - hopes - it's a city. Danina's words and the look of the establishment seems to imply that. "I'm told that I have you to thank for having me taken in, so thank you so much. I'm really grateful for it"

[Phelix-Mu]

For Liliana:
Benyé
The small humanoid wards off Lily with a raised hand. After his coughing subsides, he smiles as he wipes a dark phlegm from his hand with a handkerchief. "Nothing to be done for it, Lily. This body bears the curse of my people."

Result of 23 on a Int-check for Knowledge(local).

Out of her general confusion, Lily recalls some loose facts. Something about magical experiments of the past that had been used to lock human children in their immature forms. The experiments were quite crude, however, and a weak constitution and shortened lifespan plagued their descendents.

Danina almost totally ignores Benyé's fit, and none of the other patrons of the skaena parlour even bat an eye.

Danina
"Why don't we move this highly interesting bit of conversation to a less well-attended piece of real estate," she says. "Benyé, is the back room available?"

Benyé
"Provided that Memorra hasn't burnt it down yet, yes. It will be slightly more cramped, though. Grab Lily's things, Danina," he says, gesturing toward the greatsword and bow that lie wrapped in a blanket of some kind a few feet from the booth.

Danina
"Say what?" She laughs, an unrestrained blend of high-pitched tinkling, and snorting. "I brought her here cause I wouldn't be caught lugging this crap around, even if I could." She regains her composure. "Isn't the heavy lifting why you employ the giant?"

Benyé
"Honestly, Danina. I know you like to play the fool, but you know Memorra; don't tease her, for the love of the gods. I can't afford to have elf-parts steamed out the carpet." He turns to Lily. "Lily, you haven't tried to kill us yet, and if you do, Memorra will beat you into paste; pick up your own weapons, if you wish, before one of the customers tries to turn them in for skaena credits."

The trio proceed to the back room. It is crowded with spare parts, cracked panes of crystal, ingots of raw metal, and all manner of tools, with Memorra sitting lotus style with a glowing-hot workpiece upon the apron covering her lap. The room has an acrid tang in the air, the taste of hot metal. Crouched over her work with goggles on and a miniature, winged cat of some kind perched on her shoulder. The cat creature is mildly interested in the newcomers. Memorra is not.

In the corner is a small table. Benyé sits down and withdraws a flask from a pouch on his belt. Danina leans against the wall, closely observing Lily.

Danina
"We are in a disreputable corner of Paths, practically in Dens, and not far from the Deeps. To an outsider, this may not mean much; basically, it's a bad part of a bad neighborhood. People that come here are largely looking to escape from life. Hence the prevalence of gambling parlours such as this, and further down in Dens, even darker forms of diversion and forgetfulness."

Lily gets a Knowledge(local) of 23, as noted above.

A big, complicated image of a city comes into Lily's mind. Maybe she saw a map or something once, but Paths seems to refer to the most commonly frequented, ground-level district of a vast metropolis. Dens seems to be...shady? Yeah, something about it is shady, and it's located beneath Paths. And the Deeps are some kind of outlying slums. Some things are quite clear, but it's all still surrounded by a jumble of confused background noise.

The diminutive elf checks her nails, which appear to have been stained a deep shade of purple. She's quite beautiful, somehow making a strange mix of industrial gothic, earthy silks, and classic elven grace combine into a harmonious whole.

"I found you not far from here. But you have Memorra as much to thank as me," she says, still looking mainly at her nails, with the occasional sideways glance at Lily. "If Memorra and Benyé hadn't agreed to take you in, then I wouldn't have had a place to put you, and likely would have had to leave you in the side street where I found you."

Sense Motive result of 6.

Danina's manner changed slightly as she was speaking, but Lily's mind was elsewhere.

[Reyne]

Trying to emulate the reactions she sees from others, Lily keeps her face impassive as she observes Benyé, almost stopping in sudden confusion as a wave of information floods her mind. Well, that was...interesting. At least whatever knowledge I had was still there, just...lost, like scattered papers in a messy room.

As Danina turns to offer her the wrapped weapons, Lily pauses in surprise. A greatsword, and a bow. Hers? That seems so direct, so blunt, so violent. Is that what I am? An adventurer? A hero? One who goes out for the glory, solves problems by beating them away with a sharpened stick? That seems so... crude. She reaches out, uncertainly, almost fearfully, afraid of the deadly weapon, or of the touch suddenly driving her insane (who hadn't heard of stories of insane weapons that possessed their users, after all?) When she finally closes her hand around the hilt, it's with relief when nothing seems to happen. No recollections, no memories, no sudden recuperation of martial skill, no possession or enchantment. Just her, now holding a sharpened piece of some silvery metal she struggles to distinguish. What is that...mithril? It certainly is heavier than a mithril sword should be, though, and for a moment she suddenly wonders just how she knows how heavy a mithril sword should be, before remembering where she is. And so, clumsily, almost reluctantly to let it go, she finds the scabbard behind the back and slides the sword inside it. The bow, meanwhile, she tries to stuff inside her backpack without thinking. To her surprise, it fits inside the much smaller pack without issue. Must be magic. I should figure it out at some point, she muses to herself. Turning to Benyé and Memorra, she manages a heartfelt "Thank you; it really means a lot to me, and I'm grateful that you kept them safe for me". For a brief moment, she almost contemplates the thought of fleeing, running away now that she has all her possessions from these people who seem so odd, escaping to find herself without the risk of being found out by others. But a moment only, for then she squelches that reflexive urge from the lowest recesses of her mind, following Danina and Benyé into the side room.

For a moment, she feels almost like a cornered cat what with the way Danina is looking so intently at her. It's almost as if she's being tested, before the feeling passes, and she pretends not to notice. She does feel another wave of gratitude as the pretty elf explains the situation she was found in, and a slight amount of shame for even contemplating the idea of running.

"I know I've said it already, but thanks again for finding me and taking me in. I really don't remember at all what happened, though...what sort of state did you find me in?" She winces a bit inwardly, both at not knowing (presumably the incident did cause her amnesia though. But the obvious answer - being mugged or jumped - couldn't be true, since her possessions were there. Though it's possible that she once had much more) and at the prospect of the two being unsatisfied with that answer - she may have to make something up at least, just to stave off their suspicions if nothing else.

[Phelix-Mu]

For Liliana:
Danina
"No sweat," she says with a wave of her hand. "Adamantine is damn heavy, and it would have been work trying to find a fence...probably some dwarf with a stick up his ass, wondering where I got it." She winks.

A image of a map keeps popping into Liliana's head while Danina is talking, a narrow domain crammed next to a massive, dark area. Something about special elves in a distant land. Bakland! That was it. Somewhere far, far away, filled with so much magic that the air hums with it. Or so the legends go? They are definitely rare and exotic. And here is one, in the flesh.

"As for your condition, you seemed to be locked in some restless, sleep-state. I tried to wake you, but nothing. After Big Hands over there was kind enough to bring you back here, you seemed to settle down, but we still couldn't wake you."

Benyé
"I am relieved that you are...okay," he says, eying Liliana carefully. "You may remain here for a few more hours, but I really can't allow you to stay here much longer. This business is constantly being watched by my competitors, and they will exploit any developments in my situation in an effort to get rid of this place. Like, say, an apparently wealthy, human woman hanging around, armed to the teeth. I smell someone thinking up a rather lame blackmail attempt right now." He smiles briefly. "On a more serious note, your extended presence will probably unsettle my customers, and I can't afford to lose any business."


Danina
"You wouldn't, by chance, have a place to stay? Other than the alleyway where I found you, of course."

[Reyne]

Lily bites her lip uncertainly as Danina describes the condition in which she was found. A trickle of unease washes over her, and for a moment she feels as if the entire world was holding its breath at the... Bakish(?) elf's words. She starts as a fleeting recollection suddenly touches upon the edge of her memory like a tattered cobweb draping itself over her hand, hints of forgotten memories and thoughts lost. But the sense lasts only for a moment as the memories fall through the cracks of her mind like a slippery eel, staying just out of her reach before vanishing. It feels almost like chasing phantoms, she muses to herself.

And then Benyé's words intrude upon her consciousness, and she feels guilty for a moment at the apparent sacrifice, however small, he's made for her. "Oh, I understand. Thanks for everything, I won't be troubling you too long then."

She briefly considers lying straightout to Danina before going with a version of the truth. "Actually, not yet... would you happen to have any recommendations for a reputable inn or something of that sort?" She gives her best attempt at a charming smile to the pretty elvish lady.

[Phelix-Mu]

For Liliana:
Danina
"Sadly, little around this neighborhood can be considered 'reputable,'" she says, almost breaking into laughter at the suggestion. "But it's a vast city; if you have funds, I'm sure you can find a place."

Benyé
"I, too, have little to offer, I'm afraid. I've spent most of my life within a couple miles of here. The only place in the neighborhood that might be both safe and cheap is Hadrimma Reformatoria. But expect some chores to earn your keep, and it's not an appropriate atmosphere for everyone."

Memorra
"I'm sure that Ygmalius can introduce you to the Matron," she says, without even looking up from her workpiece.

[Reyne]

Without any other leads to pursue, Lily is perhaps a bit overeager in her pursuit of answers. "So tell me more about this Hadrimma Reformatoria, please. What sort of chores, and why might it not be appropriate for everyone? Is she the one you call the Matron, and why? And who is Ygmalius?"

[Phelix-Mu]

For Liliana:
Benyé
"Hadrimma Reformatoria is a reform school and orphanage, mainly for girls. The children and youths maintain the place, cleaning and doing chores, ostensibly to improve discipline." It's clear Benyé is a bit skeptical of their actual motives. "You'd probably have to help out a bit, but they usually have rooms to spare. If you don't mind lots of children and a bit of work."

He coughs a bit. Withdrawing a scarlet handkerchief from his pocket, he coughs again.

"Ygmalius is a scribe that I employ to do our bookkeeping," he continues after recovering. "He also works for the Reformatoria, and is on good terms with the woman in charge, Matron Velhanna. Memorra probably mentioned the fact because Ygmalius should be here shortly to pick up this week's ledger."

[Reyne]

Without any other prospects, ideas, or direction, Liliana thinks that sounds like a splendid idea. She needs a place to stay while recuperating and learning more about the city, after all.

"Oh; I see. I'm actually quite fond of children, so that sounds pretty good to me." Somehow, she knows that's true - not why that's the case, but fond memories of laughter and smiling children trickle into the back of her mind. "Though more as a temporary place, of course, while I get settled in. I guess I can just talk to Ygmalius when he comes by then?" She resists an odd urge in the back of her mind to refer to the scribe as "Yggie."

[Phelix-Mu]

[skype backlog with Morcleon...up through 10/14]]

.......
Phelix-Mu: [Rhenium makes a 30 on a Kn(local) check to determine which organizations/individuals would be most able to help with this problem]
Phelix-Mu: Rhenium considers the matter carefully, and comes to conclude that there are three avenues that could yield helpful results.
Phelix-Mu: [1.) Contact the Ristaani. Due to the presence of a great many Ristaani on Black Shelf, and because their various houses share close family bonds and a strong sense of ethnic unity, the elders would want to know and have the connections to at least help their own people to begin an evacuation. They may be suspicious of outsiders approaching them, but Rhenium thinks they can be persuaded to at least help themselves.
Phelix-Mu: 2.) Templars of Mers. This is an organization of good-aligned interests in the city that share a sense of civic responsibility and leadership. They have many connections, as some of their members are placed quite prominently in the hierarchy of the city, since political interests and a desire to improve the city are common features of members.
Phelix-Mu: 3.) Surgeons of the Humble Way. A large, multinational organization of doctors. They should be made aware of the fact that a large-scale mass casualty event may be imminent. Any time that they might have to prepare and rally resources and personel could be extremely beneficial to those that survive the bombing but are injured. Even in the event that the bombing is averted, they would not be upset about the heads up, as they are a very altruistic organization, and feel that caution is a good thing.
Phelix-Mu: ]
Phelix-Mu: After discussing the matter briefly, Rhenium and Millima decide to split up. Millima will visit a clinic run by the Surgeons that she is familiar with. Rhenium will head over to An'Suman, and attempt to notify the Ristaani of the threat.
Phelix-Mu: Millima
Phelix-Mu: "Good luck."
Phelix-Mu: Doraien
Phelix-Mu: "I can help you with transport on, and off of Black Shelf, when the time comes."
Phelix-Mu: ......
Morcleon: "To you as well, Millima." Rhenium turns to Doraien, smiling. "Any transport throughout the Black Shelf would be highly useful, although I do have my own methods of leaving."
Morcleon: .........
Phelix-Mu: Doraien
Phelix-Mu: "Alright, I can contact an air cab for you."
Phelix-Mu: Doraien pulls out a token, casts it on the ground, and an illusory image goes flying off toward the more populated part of the neighborhood.
Phelix-Mu: "Shouldn't be a moment or two. You are very brave to be helping, and you have my thanks, whether you succeed or not."
Phelix-Mu: ......
Morcleon: "Thank you." Rhenium stares off into the distance, attempting to spot the incoming cab. "Nevertheless, let us hope that this works..."
Phelix-Mu: Doraien
Phelix-Mu: "Indeed. I will alert members of my pack in An'Suman that you are going to be contacting the Ristaani. Those people can be strange, at times, and if you get in trouble, send out a signal of some kind. We will be watching."
Phelix-Mu: After about a minute, a large flying carpet appears, along with a tiny griminny pilot.
Phelix-Mu: [Griminny are a kind of tiny, reptilian-looking biped with a long tail and a simian-type face. They are magical in nature, and used as familiars and companions by those that study arcane magic. Rhenium would be quite familiar with them.]
Phelix-Mu: Griminny Pilot
Phelix-Mu: "Greetings sent by the Mistress, Master Doraien."
Phelix-Mu: Doraien
Phelix-Mu: "Tell her hello when you see her again. Here is the fare. Please bear him to An'Suman, the Council Building, I think, and wait for him to come out. Put the charge on my tab."
Phelix-Mu: Griminny Pilot
Phelix-Mu: "Of course, Master."
Phelix-Mu: "Hop on, Sir Elf."
Morcleon: Rhenium nods to the griminny. "Could you please take me to the Ristanni headquarters around here?"
Phelix-Mu: Griminny Pilot
Phelix-Mu: "Sir Elf will be there before he knows it."
Phelix-Mu: The carpet flies off, smoothly and silently coasting along at about forty feet off the ground.
Phelix-Mu: In less than two minutes, the carpet has wound it's way into An'Suman. The large high-rises of Tesh fade away, and ahead are clusters of colorful tents, enclosures with domesticated animals and grassy patches, and avenues with adobe restaurants. Fragrant smells waft up through the chill air.
Phelix-Mu: The carpet approaches and circles a large wooden structure, single level, with colorful, stained-glass windows and elaborate carvings upon its exterior panels. A large, bright-blue tent stands in front of the main entrance.
Phelix-Mu: Pilot Griminny
Phelix-Mu: "Sir Elf must speak to the representative in the tent, or it will be tough to get in."
Phelix-Mu: The carpet descends before the tent, coming to rest a few strides away from the tent's open sides.
Phelix-Mu: Within are several individuals obscured by shade, seemingly talking amongst themselves.
Phelix-Mu: ...........
Morcleon: Rhenium gives the pilot a slight bow, then walks toward the tent, stopping just outside. "Excuse me? I would like to speak with the Ristaani representative on an urgent matter."
Phelix-Mu: There is a slight rustling of fabric and metal, and Rhenium sees three figures jump to attention, hands seemingly resting on weapon hilts. Another figure, further in, remains sitting.
Phelix-Mu: Standing Ristaani
Phelix-Mu: "State your business, elf."
Phelix-Mu: Sitting Ristaani
Phelix-Mu: "Yormus, surely we can spare a few more manners than that," a dry, old voice says, calm, but authoritative.
Phelix-Mu: Yormus
Phelix-Mu: "My apology," he says, hesitatingly, and backs away a few paces. "Please enter and be seated."
Phelix-Mu: .......
Morcleon: Rhenium nods and steps inside. He takes a seat near the others. "Thank you. Now then, I bring to you the news that the Black Shelf will be bombed sometime this afternoon. The exact time is unknown to me, so if the people of these neighborhoods are to be saved, action must be taken rapidly."
Phelix-Mu: Sitting Ristaani
Phelix-Mu: "Hmm." He calmly sits there a moment. The man is quite old, his swarthy skin spotted with age, a maze of wrinkles covering his face and neck. He wears a loose-sleeved white shirt, made of fine linen with barely noticeable silver thread embroidery on the cuffs, and around the laced front.
Phelix-Mu: "Talin," he say to a young, raven-haired woman beside him. "Bring our guest something warm to drink. An air cab this time of year is always a bracing experience, as I recall."
Phelix-Mu: Talin
Phelix-Mu: "Of course." She stands and moves to a silver decanter and tea service. "Tea? Coffee? We have other beverages, if you prefer something else, just ask." She makes a small, arcane gesture, and the silver decanter begins to glow. Within seconds, steam issues from it's spout.
Phelix-Mu: Her hair is long and quite wavy, and she wears a tight, black leather bodice laced up the back, over a sky-blue linen dress.
Phelix-Mu: ........
Morcleon: Rhenium smiles softly at Talin. "Some tea would be wonderful. Is that an enchanted pot? I should get one one of these days..."
Phelix-Mu: Talin
Phelix-Mu: "It is designed to be heat resistant. The cantrip is my own," she says over her shoulder, as she adds a tea strainer to a mug and pours the water. "Sugar? Cream?"
Phelix-Mu: She is rather breathtaking. Rhenium perceives a clever display at work, intended to disarm visitors and allow the elderly man a chance to perceive ulterior motives and the like.
Phelix-Mu: ......
Morcleon: "One sugar and a dash of cream, please." He smiles a little wider, sensing the ploy. "Perhaps I should find something for that as well. It would be very useful."
Morcleon: ...........
Phelix-Mu: Talin
Phelix-Mu: She completes the preparation of the drink, and passes an elaborately stamped silver mug to Rhenium, full of hot tea. Rhenium's nose tells him that it is extremely high quality; someone has taken care to impress guests, as well.
Phelix-Mu: "Here you go," she says, a warm smile as she kneels down to the level of Rhenium's low-slung chair. Her eyes are a distinct hazel, and meet Rhenium's gaze with the look of an intelligent and perceptive woman.
Phelix-Mu: Sitting Ristaani
Phelix-Mu: "Now, you seemed to have some very important news. I am inclined to permit you to see the elders, but first you must explain in more detail how you come by this information."
Phelix-Mu: (You may have Rhenium explain in-character, or just say "he tells them how he learned of ....." and summarize it, as you wish.)
Phelix-Mu: ............
Morcleon: "Thank you, Talin." Rhenium meets her gaze, smiling back and accepts the cup. He takes a sip and nods in approval. "Wonderful job. Very nice flavor and undertones."

He purses his lips and lets out a slow breath. "Well, the Black Shelf being laced with enough explosives to knock it out of the sky is fairly important information, yes. As to how I got it... I had been assigned a rescue mission that I have only recently finished successfully. Upon completion, the kidnapper approached me in defeat and informed me that the kidnapping was an attempt to draw attention to the imminent Black Shelf bombing. This information has also been confirmed by one of my trusted friends, who had heard of it from another source."
Morcleon: .........
Phelix-Mu: Sitting Ristaani
Phelix-Mu: "If you could let me know the identity of one of your sources," he says, taking a sip from a similar mug before him, "then I could likely confirm your story in time to let the elders know. You may garner guarded support, but independent confirmation would help all of us accept your story more quickly."
Phelix-Mu: ........
Morcleon: Pausing for a second, Rhenium nods. "He is an urban druid by the name of Doraien. It's likely that his area of town will be in the immediate blast radius of the bombing."
Morcleon: .........
Phelix-Mu: Sittting Ristaani
Phelix-Mu: He motions to one of the standing men, who walks over. A few moments of whispering, and the man departs quickly.
Phelix-Mu: "Our information network is quite extensive. Doraien is not exactly well-known, but he is an established landmark in the terrain of Black Shelf. I will have confirmation from him within minutes."
Phelix-Mu: The old man stands, a mild stoop, but otherwise quite firm. He walks around the low-table to stand beside you. He extends a hand in greeting.
Phelix-Mu: "My name is Nostrian of House Daeraldra. Welcome."
Phelix-Mu: .........
Morcleon: "Rhenium." He takes the hand, shaking it firmly. "It's a pleasure to meet you and your colleagues."
Morcleon: .......
Phelix-Mu: Nostrian
Phelix-Mu: "I can't vouch for my colleagues, unfortunately, especially the youth. While they do respect me, they respect little else, especially any from outside our fold. Some of the elders aren't much better."
Phelix-Mu: He returns to his seat.
Phelix-Mu: "I invite you to finish your tea. Assuming the elders approve, I will begin moving my people into place. We will need their blessing to commence the rituals, but we should be able to relocate most of our population quickly."
Phelix-Mu: "We come from a nomadic background, you see, and have been reluctant to give up this aspect of our heritage, even though we mostly stay put here on Black Shelf."
Phelix-Mu: .......
Morcleon: "Ah well. Such is life, no? Disagreements are to be expected." Rhenium takes another, longer sip of his tea, enjoying the expertly crafted drink. "I suppose that nomadic background will come in handy for moving this large population, then. Might I ask how you plan to move them?"
Morcleon: ...............
Phelix-Mu: Nostrian
Phelix-Mu: "Contingencies are in place," he says calmly. "We have connections with sister houses in other parts of the world. Portals will be opened, and horses and wagons sent from the other side. We will likely prioritize actual evacuation, as opposed to property relocation. We'll see who all cooperates, but the elders can command obedience when the situation calls for it. And, if it is as you say, I can hardly think of a situation that could be worse."
Phelix-Mu: "Which reminds me. Talin, summon the Sisters together. We may well need their magic, for help calming people if nothing else."
Phelix-Mu: Talin
Phelix-Mu: "Of couse," she says, bowing in deference to Nostrian as she leaves swiftly, her blue dress flowing behind her.
Phelix-Mu: .........
Morcleon: Rhenium glances at Talin as she leaves, then raises an eyebrow at Nostrian. "The Sisters?"
Morcleon: ...........
Phelix-Mu: Nostrian
Phelix-Mu: "Several types of traditional magic are practiced by the womanfolk among our people. Young women displaying talent learn arcane ways from our elders. I'm sure you would find it very interesting, but there is a strict policy against speaking of these matters to outsiders."
Phelix-Mu: "The Sisters are simply a group of those like Talin, and I believe their skills may prove helpful."
Phelix-Mu: He finishes his tea, and consults a clockword device in the center of the table.
Phelix-Mu: "Hmm. Well, the elders should be taking their afternoon refreshments presently. This is a good opportunity to speak with them; they are generally more receptive after a warming mug and a snack."
Phelix-Mu: "As your concern for life is admirable, and I perceive no deception, I would advise you to be honest. They can be harsh and direct at times, but they are deeply concerned with the future of our people."
Phelix-Mu: ......
[ | Edited 12:27:50 AM] Morcleon: "I shall heed your advice." Rhenium finishes his tea and places the cup down and stands up to stretch. "Shall we go now to speak with them?"
Morcleon: .......
Phelix-Mu: Nostrian
Phelix-Mu: "Indeed," he says.
Phelix-Mu: He stands up and gestures to two of the men in the room, who hasten ahead to the wooden building's broad double-doors, stained in dark tones and bearing woodland-themed carvings of great detail.
Phelix-Mu: The doors are opened, and Nostrian leads the way.
Phelix-Mu: After a brief walk down a corridor, a second set of double-doors are opened, revealing a dimly-lit chamber, illuminated primarily by shafts of sunlight from skylights in the ceiling above. The circular room is filled with a hazy smoke, and Rhenium's nose detects some exotic, scented spice or other. In the center of the room, five figures sit upon the floor, surrounded by large pillows and blankets of various colors.
Phelix-Mu: Each figure is wrapped in layers of fabric in dull tones, and they are presently imbibing liquid from steaming silver mugs. They appear to be three women and two men, but their wrappings make the distinction difficult to perceive.
Phelix-Mu: Female Elder#1
Phelix-Mu: "Ah, Nostrian, how kind of you to join us this afternoon," she says in a cracked voice, followed by brief, hollow cackle.
Phelix-Mu: Nostrian bows deeply.
Phelix-Mu: Female Elder #2
Phelix-Mu: "Bah, enough with the formalities. Have you brought the guest?" she asks. She appears to be blind, eyes a milky white, but Rhenium spots a blue eye painted on her forehead.
Phelix-Mu: Nostrian
Phelix-Mu: "Yes, Elder. He arrived as foreseen."
Phelix-Mu: .......
Morcleon: Rhenium raises an eyebrow slightly, then bows to the elder. "Greetings, Elder. I have come to tell you of a dangerous plot I have recently stumbled upon. According to multiple sources, the Black Shelf is going to be bombed very soon. I humbly ask your help in evacuating the population of this barge to save their lives."
Phelix-Mu: Male Elder #1
Morcleon: ...........
Phelix-Mu: "Ha, Gemelda wasn't joking when she said it was bad," he scoffs, taking a draw off a long pipe.
Phelix-Mu: Gemelda (Female Elder #2)
Phelix-Mu: "You know the visions don't work like that, Brevan."
Phelix-Mu: Brevan
Phelix-Mu: He blows several smoke rings.
Phelix-Mu: "What makes you think we give a bent copper about 'the population of this barge,' elf man?"
Phelix-Mu: ........
Morcleon: Rhenium quirks an eyebrow, then lets out a small breath. "The reasons are twofold. Firstly, the level of transportive capability that the Ristaani have is public knowledge, and is clearly enough to transport many of the inhabitants of the Shelf out of danger. Once it becomes known that the Ristaani have deigned not to help out those it definitely could have, any entities or groups dealing with you may take a more guarded or cautious stance. And secondly, an altruistic outreach of this nature would do much to grant your group more public prestige and honor, which would likely allow more opportunities to be presented."
Phelix-Mu: Brevan
Phelix-Mu: "Your points are valid, but overlook some important details," he says, releasing some residual smoke from his nostrils. "The portals that will be opened for the evacuation actually lead to a geographically distant location, in the territory of one of our sister houses."
Phelix-Mu: "So, firstly, it's as much their decision as ours whether to open the gates to non-Ristaani. Secondly, there would need to be some other system set up for returning the people that use the portals, for I can guarantee that they won't be welcome to settle permanently on the other side."
Phelix-Mu: Male Elder #2
Phelix-Mu: "We could make more allowance for those that we could be sure could return to Merstangoth under their own power. But as you well know, this lies well beyond the abilities of most of the residents of Black Shelf."
Phelix-Mu: ...........
Morcleon: "The benefits to opening the gates would apply to your sister house, as you could emphasize how it took the cooperation of both houses to perform the evacuation. As for the return method, perhaps you could enlist the support of the Templars of Mers. I suspect they would jump for a chance to share the spotlight in this effort."
Phelix-Mu: Male Elder #2
Phelix-Mu: "We are interested in increasing our profile within Merstangoth. This would help with the problems that we've been having with the guilds, would it not, Ebraria?" This elder is absent-mindedly speaking, while using a magnifying glass to read from the large tome that dominates his lap.
Phelix-Mu: Ebraria (Female Elder #1)
Phelix-Mu: "Oh, shut up, Gebrio. You know that the guilds don't give a damn about the lives of those that live on Black Shelf, much less our own interests. We could blow up the barge ourselves, and they wouldn't pay us one bit of notice."
Phelix-Mu: Gebrio
Phelix-Mu: "But surely this catastrophe would impact their bottom lines? I know that at least the guilds that run things in Maelish would suffer losses...."
Phelix-Mu: .........
Phelix-Mu: The elders consider things for a long moment.
Phelix-Mu: .........
Morcleon: Rhenium raises an eyebrow. "Certainly the public honor from this would help, yes? I doubt the guilds would ignore the possible prestige gain they themselves would get from associating themselves with the Ristaani if you do this. Of course, I suppose that does depend on the exact nature of your problems with them."
Phelix-Mu: Ebraria
Phelix-Mu: "The guilds that control things in Merstangoth guard their territory well, and have great resources to help them keep any newcomers from edging in on their spheres of influence, trade routes, markets, and so forth. Our craftsmen suffer from anti-competitive practices, and no small amount of racism among the elite leaders of the guilds. Civic prestige, saving lives...these are noble pursuits, but they are not the typical currency used in the halls of power."
Phelix-Mu: ........
Morcleon: "There is more than one type of power, though. Use this uncertainty of power against the guilds. Show yourselves to be a more honorable provider, one who will listen to the customers. Find a wordsmith to craft your arguments and draw in their consumers. Build up resources, then enter a single market swiftly and without warning. There are so many ways you could take something as influential as the gratitude of the customers to your advantage..."
Phelix-Mu: Gemelda
Phelix-Mu: The blind old woman chuckles, and makes a motion of some kind at Ebraria.
Phelix-Mu: Ebraria
Phelix-Mu: "Indeed," she says with a thin-lipped smile. " I think he could even sway old Evaliné, rest her bones."
Phelix-Mu: "We shall put it to a vote, as is our tradition. But as the eldest, I will recommend that we seriously consider his suggestions. Forget the rest of Merstangoth. We will forge a dominant place for our businesses among the many that can be saved by our actions."
Phelix-Mu: Gemelda
Phelix-Mu: "You know where my vote will land."
Phelix-Mu: Brevan
Phelix-Mu: "Hmm, we need assurances that someone else will assist in returning the evacuees from the lands of House Dorisia. We can't afford to be in their debt, as I'm sure you are all aware. But, otherwise, I approve."
Phelix-Mu: Gebrio
Phelix-Mu: "The Ordrus will back this effort," he says, looking up from his book. "I will take the opportunity to let you all know that we are making a move on the cotton guild interests of Maelish. Whether the bomb goes off or not will obviously affect our plans. But expect there to be fallout from our actions, as well."
Phelix-Mu: Female Elder #3
Phelix-Mu: "Then I guess my opinion little matters," she says, speaking up for the first time. "My only responsibility is to renew the pledge, then." She draws a curved dagger from beneath a piece of fabric, and begins to stand.
Phelix-Mu: Ebraria
Phelix-Mu: "Fine, the measure is passed. Nostrian, you should proceed with all due haste. Our people are the priority, but notify the other neighborhoods immediately."
Phelix-Mu: "Rhenium, your actions put us in your debt. I consider our acceptance of your plea for mangnanimous action to be partial payment, but you may consider us if you need assistance or information in the future. I would ask that you contact the Templars of Mers, or any other powerful spellcasters that you know of, and find a way to bring the evacuees back. House Dorisia lies in a far distant land, so nothing short of instant transport is likely practical."
Morcleon: Rhenium bows to the assembled elders with a small smile. "Thank you. I will keep your offer in mind. If there is nothing else that you need me for, then I shall take my leave to contact the Templars."
Phelix-Mu: Gemelda
[ | Edited 10:39:44 PM] Phelix-Mu: "Be careful, elf," she says. The third eye painted on her forehead seems to look right at Rhenium for a moment. "There are great forces at work here today. Some may not care for the interference you are producing."
Phelix-Mu: (lol, forehead, not "forum")
Phelix-Mu: The elder with the knife seems to be waiting for something, and Nostrian gestures toward the door, suggesting that the time to leave is at hand.
Phelix-Mu: .......
Morcleon: Rhenium nods in acknowledgement. "I will take care." He turns and leaves, headed for the air cab that is presumably still waiting for him.
Phelix-Mu: Pilot Griminny
Phelix-Mu: "Where to, Sir Elf?"
Phelix-Mu: .......
Morcleon: "The Templars of Mers, please."
Phelix-Mu: Pilot Griminny
Phelix-Mu: "There is a small branch office on Black Shelf, and there is a large headquarters in Amber Halls. There are many other branch offices and meeting halls around the city, but all are farther away."
Phelix-Mu: "To which will I be taking you?"
Phelix-Mu: .......
Morcleon: "The closest one, please. Time is of the essence."
Phelix-Mu: Pilot Griminny
Phelix-Mu: "That would be the branch office. Hold on; the cab can go faster."
Phelix-Mu: The carpet rises vertically beside the tent. Below, the Ristaani district of An'Suman has erupted into action; a series of singing voices can be heard in the distance, above the rising sound of people shouting orders and running about.
Phelix-Mu: With a flash, the carpet-cab accelerates, and the buildings go whizzing by. Rhenium's stomach jumps slightly with the motion, and the biting wind seems colder than ever.
Phelix-Mu: In less than a minute, the cab pulls up in front of a large stone building, seemingly near the central part of Black Shelf. A familiar insignia of the Templars of Mers, a fist and an open hand before a gateway, dominates a large sign: "Templars of Mers Hall #257."
Morcleon: Rhenium winces slightly at the combined nausea and cold wind. He shakes his head to clear the fuzz and strides toward the building, headed inside.
Phelix-Mu: Inside the building, the air is warm, and the smell of spiced cider is in the air. Distant images of orchards and yellow-rimmed leaves stir in Rhenium's subconcious.
Phelix-Mu: A large entry room is populated by cushioned chairs and a lobby of sorts. Straight ahead, there is a simple wooden table, with a seated elf behind it.
Phelix-Mu: Elf Greeter
Phelix-Mu: "Greetings. Welcome to the Templars of Mers, where every day is an opportunity to learn about and serve this great city in which we live." His tone is very bright and sweet, maybe too much so. It's not clear if he's over-selling it, or if there is an underlying sarcasm.
Phelix-Mu: He's dressed in a brown uniform, repleat with several versions of the insignia of the organization, and a quasi-military look, including several patches that seem to indicate some kind of status.
Phelix-Mu: .......
Morcleon: Rhenium smiles thinly. "To you as well. I have a pressing need to speak with your superior. One who has the authority to make things happen. This is both a very urgent and important matter."
Phelix-Mu: Elf Greeter
Phelix-Mu: "The most senior officer here is Vernidal. He is currently in the Blue Theater introducing new recruits to our doctrine. I will relieve him, and inform him that you are here to speak with him. Can I have a name to give him, or an organization that you represent?"
Phelix-Mu: .....
Morcleon: "The name is Rhenium."
Morcleon: He pauses, then adds, "I suppose as of right now I come on behalf of the Ristaani, although I do not affiliate myself with them."
Phelix-Mu: Elf Greeter
Phelix-Mu: "I will let you explain that more fully to Vernidal," he says, before walking off at a brisk pace to the left side of the lobby, where there are several sets of double doors set into the wall at distant intervals.
Phelix-Mu: Shortly, a salt-and-pepper-haird human male with a square jaw and close-cropped hair appears. He has the same uniform on, but with more badges, and has a fancy-looking longsword at his side.
Phelix-Mu: Vernidal
Phelix-Mu: "Greetings. Welcome to the Templars of Mers. Our greeter tells me you have a matter of some urgency to discuss. Let us proceed to my office on the second floor, if you don't mind. There we can discuss matters in private."
Morcleon: Rhenium nods in agreement. "Very well then. Lead on."
Phelix-Mu: Vernidal leads Rhenium up a nice, wooden staircase to a large office. Indicating a velvet-upholstered chair.
Phelix-Mu: Vernidal
Phelix-Mu: "So, what is this urgent matter that you speak of?"
Phelix-Mu: ........
[ | Removed 11:50:02 PM] Morcleon: This message has been removed.
[ | Removed 11:54:53 PM] Morcleon: This message has been removed.
Morcleon: "I have heard that the Black Shelf will be bombed sometime this afternoon. I have already managed to secure the help of the Ristaani in evacuating the inhabitants. However, they will need help during the evacuation to organize everyone, as well as help afterwards in moving the refugees into a better location for them."
Morcleon: .......
Phelix-Mu: Vernidal
Phelix-Mu: About to sit down, he instead remains on his feet, hands placed on a large, marble-topped desk, suddenly looking very serious.
Phelix-Mu: "That is extremely troubling news. How do you envision that we can help?"
Phelix-Mu: ......
Morcleon: "Well, during the evac, you should cooperate with the Ristaani to get as many people out as quickly as possible. Afterwards, it would be primarily a matter of relocating the refugees, as they will have no place to stay."
Morcleon: ..........
Phelix-Mu: Vernidal
Phelix-Mu: "I will have to contact headquarters. We have a couple members in Mendi, retired adventurers, they might be able to help," he rubs his chin, covered in a couple days' whiskers.
Phelix-Mu: He walks over to a cabinet set into a bookshelf, and withdraws a crystal sphere from it, along with a set of chimes and a flute.
Phelix-Mu: Placing the items on his desk, he rings the chimes and blows briefly on the flute. Small orbs of light appear. He speaks to them in Celestial.
Phelix-Mu: Vernidal
Phelix-Mu: "Go to Mendi, to Elmeron. Inform him that the Templars require immediate assistance. You know the code."
Phelix-Mu: One of the orbs disappears in a flash of light.
Phelix-Mu: "Go to Maestrix Anbroda," he says to a second orb. "Give her the code and tell her Vernidal is calling in that favor."
Phelix-Mu: "Alright, well, that should help. Do you have any information on the specific nature of the threat? Anything that might help us prevent the bombing?"
Phelix-Mu: .......
Phelix-Mu: [testing]
Morcleon: Rhenium lets out a slight sigh of relief. "Good... and as for the nature of the bombing... there are rumors that Puraria is behind it. Anything beyond that is pure speculation, although the blast radius is likely to have [Doraien's neighborhood] within it."
Morcleon: ...................
Phelix-Mu: Vernidal
Phelix-Mu: "Well, I will start the ball rolling here," he states confidently, clearly a leader-type. "My resources should help coordinate the evacuation of Mendi, and hopefully parts of Tesh, in a quick fashion. No garuantees, but we'll do the best we can."
Phelix-Mu: "I suggest you double check to make sure all your friends or allies are aware of the situation and off this air barge, just in case."
Phelix-Mu: .....................
Morcleon: Nodding, Rhenium smiles. "Thank you, Vernidal. The woman who helped me is already aware of the situation, and we both have a method of leaving rapidly if needed."
Morcleon: ..................
Phelix-Mu: Vernidal
Phelix-Mu: "Then I suggest you either return to help the Ristaani, or leave. Things here should be under control."
Morcleon: "Very well then. Good luck." Rhenium smiles as he bows slightly, then exits the building.
Phelix-Mu: Pilot Griminny
Phelix-Mu: "Where can I take you now?" the small creature asks.
Phelix-Mu: ...........
[ | Edited 9:47:58 PM] Morcleon: Rhenium ponders this for a moment. "Hm... I should probably go back to Doraein and inform him of what's happened so far. Could you take me back there?'
Morcleon: ............
Phelix-Mu: Pilot Griminny
Phelix-Mu: "Of course; hold on," it replies, and the carpet swoops up into the air toward the warehouse on the edge of Tesh.
Phelix-Mu: Nearing the warehouse, something seems amiss.
Phelix-Mu: (Rhenium can make a Spot check.)
Phelix-Mu: (Rhenium gets a Spot result of 19.)
Phelix-Mu: As the carpet slows down to maneuver toward a landing, Rhenium sees flashes of orange light coming from the high-up windows of the warehouse. The exterior doors have been closed again.
Phelix-Mu: ...............
Morcleon: "Excuse me, pilot. I don't suppose you could drop me off at that top window... I suspect something has come up that needs my immediate attention."
Morcleon: Rhenium slips out a necklace with a large black crystal hanging on it. Snapping his fingers, the crystal expands into a large tome covered in dark mist and strange crackles of violet light. He readies himself to fire a blast to allow himself entry to the window, should there be a dangerous situation inside.
Morcleon: ...........
Phelix-Mu: Pilot Griminny
Phelix-Mu: "Be careful," he warns, pulling the carpet up expertly beside the smeared, greasy pane of glass.
Phelix-Mu: Rhenium can make out flashes of light coming from below, on the floor of the warehouse, where two figures seem to be slinging some kind of magic (or other luminous attack form).
Phelix-Mu: The details are obscured by the thick, dirty glass.
Morcleon: Rhenium first tries to push or pull open the window. If it doesn't give within a few seconds, he will fire a blast to blow a hole large enough for him to climb through.
Phelix-Mu: The window pane appears to be fixed, more to allow light to enter, than to admit fresh air or ventilation.
Morcleon: And so a blast is fired at the window, washing over it in a fury of black and violet light.
Phelix-Mu: The window shatters into large pieces of glass that fly into the warehouse a ways before clattering to the ground, some thirty feet below this gable-end window.
Phelix-Mu: Below, there is Doraien, staff in hand, hurling spells of some kind at a figure obscured by a bright light emanating from its position. The figure in the light is hurling gobs of luminous energy right back at the urban druid.
Phelix-Mu: ................
Morcleon: Rhenium pauses for a split second, then dashes down the stairs, eyes flashing red as he stares at the obscured figure, analyzing its motions and composition.
Morcleon: Whatever information is found is subsequently beamed telepathically to Doraein.
Morcleon: "Doraein! What happened?"
Morcleon: ............
Phelix-Mu: (Rhenium casts Know Opponent, choosing to know two strengths and two weakness.
Phelix-Mu: Strength 1: Cast 7th level spells from Sor/Wiz spell list.
Phelix-Mu: Strength 2: Eldritch Blast using positive energy damage, unlimited use
Phelix-Mu: Weakness 1: Armour dispelled by high-level darkness effect
Phelix-Mu: Weakness 2: Limited duration: the effect that brought the creature here expires in three rounds
Phelix-Mu: (after which it will vanish)
Phelix-Mu: Doraien
Phelix-Mu: "Ah, excellent...you may have just saved my life," the lythari druid gasps mentally.
Phelix-Mu: "Stay under cover if you are planning to help; his blasts are quite painful and terribly accurate."
Phelix-Mu: .........
Morcleon: Rhenium nods, ducking down behind the nearest piece of cover. "Will do."
Morcleon: ........
Phelix-Mu: (Initiative is rolled anew after Rhenium joins the battle. Unfortunately, the results are:
Phelix-Mu: Bad Guy: (1d20+12)[30]

Rhenium: (1d20+6)[9]

Doraien: (1d20+8)[20]
Phelix-Mu: Bad Guy goes first)
Phelix-Mu: Bad Guy
Phelix-Mu: The Bad Guy, still hard to make out, unleashes a massive blast of white light at Doraien.
Phelix-Mu: (Doraien Reflex Save: (1d20+6)[9]

Damage: (12d6)[40])
Phelix-Mu: Doraien gasps in pain, and staggers behind a stack of crates.
Phelix-Mu: Doraien
Phelix-Mu: "I can't see," he says, despair in his voice.
Phelix-Mu: His cat familiar appears beside him, and begins to fumble around with an item hanging from the still elf's belt.
Phelix-Mu: "I have a spell that may be strong enough to dispel his armour," he continues. "But at this rate I won't have a chance to cast it. We must last out the next few moments, it seems."
Phelix-Mu: .................
Morcleon: Rhenium quickly dashes over to Doraein, placing a hand over the blinded druid's eyes, muttering darkly. "There. You should be able to have some modicum of sight now..."
Morcleon: (Move: Toward Doraien, behind the crates)
Morcleon: (Standard: Cast blindsight on Doraien, granting him blindsight 30')
Phelix-Mu: Doraien
Phelix-Mu: "Once again, you have snatched victory from the jaws of defeat," he says, and rises up, turns, and calls out to the spirits. He hurls an expanding sphere of darkness toward the enemy. The sphere hits the armour, and the light vanishes.
Phelix-Mu: The enemy stands visible now, an emaciated figure, almost skeletal, his fists obscured by bright spheres of energy. He spits in fury, cursing in a mix of Abyssal and Draconic.
Phelix-Mu: [testing]
Morcleon: Rhenium raises an eyebrow at it. "...well then. So that's what we're facing..."
Phelix-Mu: Doraien
Phelix-Mu: "I have no idea, I still can't see much detail," he says. "But it sounds very upset," he says with a laugh, only to sputter and cough up some blood.
Morcleon: .........,,,
Phelix-Mu: "Listen," he says to Rhenium, now crouching behind the cover again. "He may yet corner us. You must get out of here. Something is happening in An'Suman, with the Ristaani. I got a confused message from Talin that was all garbled, like she'd forgotten how to talk."
Phelix-Mu: "Then this thing ambushed me and my pack," he said sorrowfully. "They all died, as far as I can tell."
Phelix-Mu: Clearing his voice, he continues.
Phelix-Mu: "I owe this guy one," he says grimly. "But someone must go check on Talin and the rest. I fear this villain is but part of the plan."
Phelix-Mu: ..........................
Morcleon: Rhenium nods emphatically. "I will go check on her. Are you sure you can handle him by yourself?"
Morcleon: ..................
Phelix-Mu: Doraien
Phelix-Mu: "I have a few tricks yet," he says with a broad smile, his sharp canines showing for the first time. "Now hurry; if we split up, he'll have to follow just one of us."
Phelix-Mu: ..............

[Phelix-Mu]

[Skype sessions with Morcleon through 10/17]


Morcleon: Rhenium smiles grimly. "Then good luck." He runs back up the stairs, toward the window and the waiting carpet.

Morcleon: Rhenium turns and dashes up the stairs to the broken window, looking for the flying carpet.
Phelix-Mu: The carpet and it's pilot have remained, and the griminny has a concerned look on his face as he watches you approach.
Phelix-Mu: Pilot Griminny
Phelix-Mu: "Didn't sound good in there, Sir Elf. Where can I take you now?"
Phelix-Mu: .................
Morcleon: "It certainly was not. I need to get to An'Suman, to the Ristaani HQ you took me to earlier."
Phelix-Mu: Pilot Griminny
Phelix-Mu: "Hold on tight," he says, and the carpet wooshes off toward An'Suman.
Phelix-Mu: In a few short moments, the carpet is approaching the neighborhood populated by the Ristaani. The scene below is one of chaos.
Phelix-Mu: Numerous Ristaani, presumably having gathered as part of the evacuation, have drawn weapons, and are fighting each other.
Phelix-Mu: Rhenium even spots women and youths that have picked up improvised weapons and are using them to lay into the nearest person.
Phelix-Mu: Still others are running about, panicked, trying to avoid the widespread violence.
Phelix-Mu: {Rhenium may make a Spellcraft check, if he wishes.)
Phelix-Mu: (Rhenium makes a 16 on the Spellcraft check.)
Phelix-Mu: Rhenium strongly suspects that some mass enchantment effect has been used, as the majority of people are acting decidedly out-of-character, irrationally, and otherwise not seeming to be in their right mind. He's not sure what spell, but it must be fairly powerful based on the number of people affected (in excess of two-hundred that Rhenium can immediately spot).
Phelix-Mu: ........................
Morcleon: Rhenium turns to the pilot. "Go toward one of the fleeing people. I'll see if they're still lucid enough to tell us what's going on."
Morcleon: ..........
Phelix-Mu: Pilot Griminny
Phelix-Mu: "Be wary; I may be stopping suddenly to intercept someone," he replies, and deftly directs the rug into the path of a fleeing man.
Phelix-Mu: The man seems confused for a moment, startled by the appearance of a flying carpet while he was focused on running away. Then he realizes something.
Phelix-Mu: Scared Man
Phelix-Mu: "Can you help me get out of here?" he half-yells, the panic still evident in his voice.
Phelix-Mu: ...................
Morcleon: Rhenium smiles calmly, but the tension and anxiety is evident in his voice. "Sure. But can you tell me what's going on? Why is everyone attacking everyone else?"
Phelix-Mu: Scared Man
Phelix-Mu: "I don't know, everyone just went crazy," he says, gasping a bit from his running. "We were all summoned here as part of the escape plan should some large misfortune befall us. Everything was going smoothly, when suddenly people near the main hall started yelling and screaming. Next thing I know, some of the guards overseeing things drew weapons and started attacking the person closest to them."
Phelix-Mu: .....................
Morcleon: Rhenium frowns. "Odd... do you know if this insanity has spread into the building proper?"
Morcleon: ..........
Phelix-Mu: Scared Man
Phelix-Mu: "I'm...I'm not certain. I didn't see anyone going in or out at the time. The main building has it's doors closed almost all of the time, as the elders see few visitors. They would likely have been among the last group to evacuate, as well."
Phelix-Mu: .........................
Morcleon: Rhenium sighs. "I suppose that's my only hope then. I can't take you very far, as I need to back over to the building, but I suppose we can have my pilot drop you off somewhere after he drops me off at the building."
Morcleon: ..................
Phelix-Mu: Scared Man
Phelix-Mu: "Alright, I'll be waiting over there, under that cart," he says, gesturing to an abandoned cart.
Phelix-Mu: ....................
Morcleon: Rhenium nods and turns to his pilot. "Do you know a back entrance into the building? Or maybe a window that I can blast through to get to a place to see how the elders are doing?"
Phelix-Mu: (Rhenium recalls skylights that shown down into the council room.)
Morcleon: Pausing for a second, Rhenium snaps his fingers. "Oh, right! Take me to the top of the building. There's a skylight I might be able to get into."
Phelix-Mu: The pilot flies Rhenium up to the roof of the council building. A cluster of cleverly hidden skylights are located roughly in the center of the roof, amid various decorative peaks and valleys.
Phelix-Mu: The pilot stops beside the closest skylight.
Morcleon: Rhenium hops down from the carpet and examines the skylight closely, seeing if there's a way in without having to destroy it.
Phelix-Mu: The skylight appears to be a thick pane of magically transparent glass (a normal pane so thick wouldn't be so transparent). The exact thickness is difficult to judge because of this, but it is many inches thick.
Phelix-Mu: (Rhenium may make a Spot check and a Listen check as he examines the skylight.)
Phelix-Mu: (Rhenium makes a 24 on a Listen check and a 15 on a Spot check.)
Phelix-Mu: As he inspects the unusual design of the skylight, Rhenium perceives the sounds of a struggle and the clash of steel on steel coming from the room below the skylight. He can't make anything out from the narrow field of view of the skylight, but the room was quite large, so the action may be occuring elsewhere.
Phelix-Mu: .................
Morcleon: Rhenium growls to himself, then glances around the area, looking for a maintenance entrance or something of the sort.
Phelix-Mu: Rhenium doesn't spot any entrance, but does notice that the roof (and most of the rest of the building, from his recollection) seems to be made from wood.
Morcleon: With a sigh, Rhenium groans. "Dammit... I hope they don't mind me blowing holes in their roof to go save their lives." He targets the area he thinks would be the thinnest, and fires blast after blast until it gives way.
Morcleon: ...........
Phelix-Mu: (After three rounds of blasting, Rhenium has opened a hole in the roof.)
Phelix-Mu: ..............
Morcleon: Rhenium glances in and checks to see how far down the floor is. If it's too far to jump or climb easily, he'll ask his pilot to fly him down.
Phelix-Mu: The pilot volunteers, suggesting that he may be able to extract any injured parties.
Phelix-Mu: After a descent into the smokey, dim-light of the council room, Rhenium sees that the inside of the building has not been much spared.
Phelix-Mu: The heavy wooden doors of the council room have be blasted from their hinges, and around the elf, several skirmishes are unfolding.
Phelix-Mu: Nostrian, the man who introduced Rhenium to the elders, is wielding a slender, shining sword and moving with practiced speed as he fights off two large, reptilian humanoids. The old man handles himself with no small degree of grace, though it is clear that his superior skill will benefit him only so long against his larger foes.
Phelix-Mu: Nostrian is guarding a huddled group of elders, apparently three in number, along with Brevan, one of the male elders, who is launching fist-sized spheres of fire from his pipe.
Phelix-Mu: From the flank opposite Nostrian, the elders are beset by what appear to be humanoid zombies of some kind. Several are on fire, but there are about a dozen of them total. They are only kept away from the elders by some rough terrain filled with pillows, chairs, and other furniture haphazardly upended into a barrier.
Phelix-Mu: In the doorway to the room stands a figure cloaked in a smokey blackness, clearly intending to disguise features and lend an ominous appearance.
Phelix-Mu: The figure appears to be surveying the scene.
Phelix-Mu: .............
Phelix-Mu: (Rhenium receives a 26 on his Initiative check. He goes first.)
Morcleon: Rhenium bows his head down for a second, murmuring a few strange words. A rought rift shreds the air behind Nostrian's enemies, coalescing into a large skeletal chimera. Taking advantage of this distraction, he quickly moves over by Nostrian, keeping out of the way of the reptiles.
Phelix-Mu: Distracted, and possibly allied with the other undead in the room, the lizard men take little notice of the skeleton. Nostrian and Rhenium thus have a flanker against both lizard men.
Morcleon: With a silent howl, the chimera skeleton launches itself forward, ravenously assaulting the lizardman that appears the most damaged.
Phelix-Mu: Two bites and a claw from the chimera dig into one of the large lizard men. The creature hisses in pain, and turns to face the skeleton.
Phelix-Mu: Sensing a critical moment of advantage, Nostrian darts in, his rapier leading the way. In a flash of steel and electrical discharge, he slashes and then runs the big lizard man through, twisting the hilt after driving the blade home. The scaly creature groans and slumps forward, lifeless, amid a quickly growing pool of blood.
Phelix-Mu: Brevan takes the opportunity to catch the attention of Rhenium.
Phelix-Mu: Brevan
Phelix-Mu: "Hey, over here," he beckons, in between launching small orbs of fire in an attempt to distract the remaining lizard man.
Phelix-Mu: (The elder is only a few paces from Rhenium's position.)
Morcleon: Rhenium takes a few steps over, and crouches down.
Morcleon: "Brevan, what happened here?"
Phelix-Mu: Brevan
Phelix-Mu: "I'm afraid that tale will have to wait a more peaceful..." he punctuates the statement with another salvo of orbs, "...moment. For now, please clear a path toward the door. If your summoned creature can distract the remaining lizardfolk, I believe that Nostrian and I can distract that shadowy figure over there for a moment. It's vital that either Ebraria or Gemelda make it out of here. Then, seek out Talin. No matter what happens, our house will endure if you can save those few."
Phelix-Mu: The elder motions at Nostrian, who is backing away from the remaining lizardman.
Phelix-Mu: .......
Morcleon: Rhenium nods, then turns to the one remaining lizardman, lashing out with a dark bolt from his tome.
Phelix-Mu: The dark bolt catches the lizard man in the side as it turns to face the skeleton.
Phelix-Mu: Brevan moves beside Nostrian and the two move apart to approach the shadowy figure in the exit.
Phelix-Mu: Three living elders remain, as one had died before Rhenium arrived. Gebrio, Ebraria, and Gemelda are huddled together, awaiting assistance.
Phelix-Mu: (Remember Gemelda is blind. Also, the Pilot Griminny is still waiting up in the air a ways, and could evacuate one of them.)
Phelix-Mu: .............................
Morcleon: The skeleton steps between the remaining lizardman and the elders, slashing down as Rhenium sends another blast toward it. He raises his hand in the air, calling over his pilot. In a hurried whisper, he mutters. "Go take Gemelda out of here. Just get her to a safe spot, then return. If we've left this room, follow the trail of destruction or something."
Morcleon: ...............
Phelix-Mu: The skeleton and the lizard man exchange blows, but the lizard man finally falls after Rhenium hits him with another crackling burst of energy from his tome. Only the zombies remain, and are half on fire.
Phelix-Mu: Nostrian and Brevan have gotten the shadowy figure to back up slightly, and Brevan raises a curtain of flames behind the three of them, separating them from the rest of the room (including the path to the door).
Morcleon: Grinning, Rhenium targets one of the zombies and fires a blast as his creation lumbers forward to deliver a bite to another.
Phelix-Mu: The zombies fall easily, though several gather around the larger skeleton and attempt to impede it's movement.
Phelix-Mu: ............
Morcleon: Rhenium continues to provide fire support for his skeleton as it lashes out around it, attempting to take more of them down.
Phelix-Mu: Ebrario and Gebrio move cautiously in the direction that the skeleton is clearing out, stepping behind cover whenever possible.
Morcleon: Rhenium walks over to the two elders, looking at them. "So is there anything you two know about this situation? How did it start? Do you know who is behind this? I suspect some aspect of Puraria..."
Phelix-Mu: Gebrio
Phelix-Mu: "I'm afraid its something far darker. Even if Puraria were willing to go through with a bombing to make a politial statement, dark magic and necromancy are pretty different modes of operation to bombing."
Phelix-Mu: Ebraria
Phelix-Mu: "We were in the midst of evacuation preparations when four shadowy figures and a dozen of those lizard men showed up," she explains. "Out of nowhere...they must have procured a manner to bypass our wards. Luckily, each of us elders is heavily enchanted against slaying spells and attacks. We triggered our stored magic, and managed to strike down most of the assailants. But this one remains, and we were out of oomph, so to speak."
Morcleon: Rhenium frowns. "Hm... I somehow doubt that Puraria would use lizardfolk... perhaps a third force is at play here..." He continues to provide fire support as his skeleton lashes out at zombies.
Phelix-Mu: The zombies deal small-time damage to the unfeeling skeleton chimera, which cuts through them with the help of Rhenium's sniping. In short order, a path is cleared to the doorway. Now, they only have to brave the chaos outside.
Phelix-Mu: .................

[Phelix-Mu]

[Utility bump as the campaign returns to life.]

[Phelix-Mu]

[Utility bump as the campaign returns to life.]

Actually might happen this time.

[Morcleon]

Actually might happen this time.

I certainly hope so. :3

Although as it says in my sig, I'm gonna be erratic from June 1-24.

[DeusMortuusEst]

Actually might happen this time.

Yay! :smallbiggrin: