The Leng Caravan IC

[Dromuthra]

The Leng Caravan

http://fc07.deviantart.net/fs70/f/2011/132/6/9/market_by_fetsch-d3g4ynt.jpg

You approach the gathering warily – after all, these are no ordinary Leng. You have never seen them before, but that is of little consequence. They do not seem malevolent or aggressive, but their aura of power and otherworldliness is on an entirely different level from any other Leng you have encountered. The others look up as you approach the table, upon which is what appears to be the strangest map you have ever seen – if it can be called even that. Those who have traveled longer with the Leng might recognize the item to be one of their rumored planar atlases, magical logbooks that hold maps to the ever-changing locations of the portals between the planes. However, something about this one looks odd. Where the sections of the map would normally be moving to reflect the locations of the portals, three paths appear to just be flat, non-magical ink. These three appear to be heavily annotated in the Leng language.

Noticing your gaze, after a moment the speaker says, “You have good eyes. But the book can wait for a moment. My name is Marath Ilarnen Theri pa-Tarkor Liva Sirat ma-Oran, and I am Wagonmaster and Waycaptain for this caravan. You may address me as Master Oran.”

Gesturing to the others, he continued, “These are some of the wayfinders for the individual clans. Their areas of expertise and mine align with the task the caravan has for you. You noticed the way that the atlas appears… incomplete? Or rather, how three sections lack the magical and living nature of the others?" Here Master Oran paused, continuing after you nod in assent. “These three paths correspond to three portals that have ceased to exist – or rather, are no longer connected by any of the paths that we once took. We will be sending out expeditions to retrace the proper ways, and your name was recommended to us. We will be assembling small groups – after all, these portals are not our only means of travel to their respective planes, and the caravan is not planned to make use of them for several months. All the same, we wish to know what caused the collapse and relocation, and in particular what separated the portals from the atlases.”

“You may go now. You will be called to your groups within the next week.”


__________________________________________________ _____________

Five days later, you stand in a gathering of roughly twenty people, facing a group of seven Leng. Neither Master Oran nor any of the other Leng from the purple tent are present. The leader of the seven steps forward, pulls out a scroll, and then begins reading off names. "The first group will be: Master Septus, Mistress Ordeth, Master..."

"The second group will be: Master Gnara, Master Juura, Mistress Tigersoul, Master Tumblegrove, and Mistress Rachany. You will be accompanied by Acolyte Kuros pa-Tallik ma-Oran."

"The third group will..."

Once the groups have formed, you find yourself among five strangers, the last of whom is a Leng wearing the markings of an acolyte scribe. Once the groups are assembled, the speaker continues: "In accordance with prestige, the group lead by Theri pa-Shorma ma-Tarkor may make the first choice. You may choose now or within the next twenty-four hours which portal you wish to reconnect with. Would you like to make your decision now?"

Nodding, a young-looking Leng in stately clothing says, "This expedition wishes to pursue the portal that leads to the Dwarven forge-city of Grumdek on the plane of Asgard."

At that statement, the two other navigators sigh in resignation, though do not appear surprised. Neither do any of the Leng watching. Nodding, the speaker addresses your group. "Very well. You are to depart within two days. Prestige now falls to the group led by Kuros pa-Tallik ma-Oran. Do you wish to choose now?"

"I choose to discuss the journey with my expedition." the Leng standing with you replies.

"Very well. We will gather here tomorrow except for Acolyte Takor's group. You are dismissed. Choose wisely.

Several minutes later, you are within Acolyte Oran's personal tent. It has few furnishings, though they appear to be of a fine quality. Once you are gathered, he addresses the rest of you. "Now that the most profitable choice is taken, what remains are the portals to the Brass City in the Plane of Fire and to the Jade Palace of Mechanus. What are your opinions?"


Please post ooc comments in spoiler tags if necessary or in the ooc thread, which is here. (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?p=17113433#post17113433)

Players to post here:
Lostbutseeking
Magnema
Ophiuchus
Solan
FirebirdFlying

Let the adventure begin!


Image Credits to Fetsch (http://fetsch.deviantart.com/#) of DeviantArt.com.

[Solan]

Through the folds of his robe, Bari examines the others gathered. Seeing the opportunity, he quietly speaks:

I know little of either destination, although news of the opulence of the City of Brass has reached even my ears. Would it be a valuable destination? I know not.

Bari sits back in silence, ears open.

[Dromuthra]

Turning to the halfling, Kuros replies, "The City of Brass is the 'capital' of the lands of the efreet, such as they have one. We often trade with them, but their trade is neither more valuable nor less valuable than the trade from the Celestial Emperor's palace. At this point, it's a matter of preference. I myself don't particularly care - the greatest prize is already taken."

[Solan]

Quietly speaking again:

I will admit to being intrigued by the Efreeti, and would value an opportunity to visit their lands, presuming, of course, that we will not be roasted alive.

Bari chuckles grimly.

[Magnema]

Scita pulls out her pack and takes a quick inventory of her gear.

"Hmm... What threats do you predict at each location? As I'm currently equipped, I think I'm probably more prepared for a journey to Mechanus, because I don't have too much to deal with fire, but the more I know about our locations the better I can say."

She looks up expectantly, awaiting an answer, still absently sorting through items in her pack.

What do I know personally of these locations?
Knowledge(The Planes): [roll0]

[Lostbutseeking]

Hollyana looks almost timid and speaks softly

"I know nothing of either place or what we might found, I can offer no meaningful opinion. I would value your opinion though, on which you consider the most profitable and which the most dangerous."

As she speaks her mothers words echo in her mind.

The first step is admit your own ignorance, if you charge ahead without thinking, you will stumble into the pits layed out before you.

[FirebirdFlying]

Rachany flicks her tail thoughtfully, trying to remember what she knows of each city.

1:[roll0]
2:[roll1]

[Solan]

Knowledge Rolls:


The Planes (City of Brass) [roll0]

The Planes (Jade Palace) [roll1]

[Dromuthra]

Knowledge

Magnema, treat your first roll as for the Brass City and then roll again for the Jade Palace.

Brass City:
[15+]
The Plane of Fire is a land made of compressed flame. Seas of Fire, volcanoes, and blisteringly hot air are common to the Fire-Dominant plane. The Brass City is the greatest city the efreet have ever built: the soaring architecture, majestic spires and balconies all sculpted of a single metal gleam as the fiery sun of the Plane of Fire shines down upon them. It acts as a respite from the heat, and the air is slightly cooler in the city than anywhere else on the plane.
[20+]
You recall that the city itself is within a sort of "brass fishbowl" and floats above a cracked obsidian plain in a hemisphere 40 miles across. It is where most interplanar trade occurs on the plane of fire and where the king of the efreet lives.
[25+]
You also find a note mentioning that the plane is mildly evil-aligned, and that unprotected travelers are damaged by the hostile environment.
[30+]
Devils commonly visit the city, as it houses portals to the Nine Hells.


Jade Palace:
[15+]
The plane of Mechanus is famously home to the inevitable races, and consists of many cogs spinning in space with gravity directed to the surface of each cog. The plane is known for its perfect balance of light and dark, heat and cold.
[20+]
The Jade Palace is known to be the seat of the Celestial Emperor who governs the plane of mechana.
[25+]
The plane is strongly law-aligned, and you recall that it is home to members of both the heavenly and hellish persuasion.


Turning to Hollyanna, Kuros answers, "There is little difference between the two in terms of value - personal preference perhaps, but on the whole the Brass City's fine metalworking is no less valuable than the cogwork wonders that come out of Jade Palace. If you wonder at environmental danger, the Clan Oran will be providing suitable equipment to survive on whichever plane we choose. I have no preference between dealing with efreet and elementals as opposed to angels and devils."

Glancing at Scita, "The trip itself should not be any more dangerous than traversing the Astral Plane normally is. We do try to avoid the areas frequented by the Gith pirates, but as you know by now that doesn't always work. We may encounter hostile residents, but we Leng are rarely targets for aggression considering the wealth of trade we bring."

Looking at the group, "That is largely the reason that I did not simply make the choice for us. I was not given house retainers to use and so had no way of knowing what would work best. On that topic, what skills do each of you bring to this expedition? I am an training to become a master artificer and Lorescribe."

If you've traveled with the Leng:

Lorescribes are craftsmen and women whom carry on the history of the Leng people. They hold positions of high prestige within the clans as a result of their knowledge. It is from the pool of Lorescribes that Wayfinders are chosen.

[Magnema]

Oh, right, two rolls.
Second roll: [roll0]

(Edited to match above-edited post)

"Well, if we're being equipped to deal with environmental danger, that takes care of that concern, and if there shouldn't be conflict, that's one less thing to worry about there as well. As for my function, well I've lived long enough to be able to do a lot, so I'll do whatever you need me to. My motto is "a tool for every situation," so I do my best to be prepared for whatever comes along, which is why I was initially concerned about those sorts of danger. As for my preference of location... at the very least, the Jade Palace would probably feel more comfortable, and besides, if - for whatever reason - our planar defenses are attacked, I'd rather be on Mechanus than on the Plane of Fire. Additionally, the..." *sounds of clattering from inside the pack* "Hmph, gotta re-sort all this - keep discussing, ignore my clattering." *begins to sort through pack again*

[Solan]

Bari nods along with the discussion, his ears perking up at the mention of the Gith pirates, although he makes no outward sign.

I am content to pay a visit to the Celestial Emperor, for who knows who we might meet on that journey. As for my skills, well, shall we say, I have a certain talent for ... mobility. I would rather conserve my strength for the moment, but I am sure an opportunity for a demonstration will present itself.

As for you Kuros, I would be intrigued to see some of your personal projects. Fine craftsmanship is always of interest to one such as myself.

[Dromuthra]

Kuros nods at Bari's comment. "You will have plenty of chances to admire my handiwork when you are wearing it. Are we in agreement then that we will pursue the route to the Jade Palace? If so, then we can go and I can fit you all for your traveling clothes."

Turning to the others, Kuros continues, "So, they have given me a jack-of-all-trades and a psion. Do we at least have some muscle in our group?" At Bari's raised eyebrow, Kuros smiled. "When one grows up surrounded by psions, it becomes easier to identify them." he answered dryly.

[Lostbutseeking]

"I agree to try for the jade palace then."

Hollyana hesitates for a few moments before replying to Kuos question as to whether the group had any 'muscle' "ah...I am notably stronger than I appear."

[FirebirdFlying]

"And I am not at all. I mostly work with illusions, although I have other tricks." Rachany leans back, arms crossed. "The Jade Palace sounds lovely this time of year."

[Lostbutseeking]

"I imagine it's lovely at any time of year, Jade is a beautiful stone to behold when shaped with some care and I doubt anyone would make a palace without such care."

Hollyana's voice is suprisingly earnest now, the chance to see such a wonder inspiring her.

[Dromuthra]

"Very well, we will go take the expedition to the Jade Palace. I will inform the others tomorrow at the gathering, and we should be able to leave within a day or two." At that, Kuros crosses the room to a large, ornate wardrobe. He opens the door, and as you peer around him you see a long hallway filled with coat racks, shelving, and chests of all description. You notice a few metallic constructs flying and walking in the space, cleaning or adjusting the items lying in attendance.

Kuros walks in, closing the doors behind him, and you wait patiently staring at the wardrobe. A few minutes later, the door opens again and Kuros emerges, carrying a number of odd-looking outfits. Handing one to each of you except Rachany, he says, "These will be your traveling outfits. I had to estimate your sizes - they ought to fit." Looking at Rachany, he says, "I'll have to make yours along the way - I rarely have a need for crafting for Naga."

You unfold the item, and the strange cloth seems to shimmer slightly in the light. You have seen these items occasionally on the Leng or others who work for them - usually worn when leaving or returning to the Caravan. The outfit itself is tight-fitting, with a hood that seals itself around you, and has goggles and a mouthpiece that allows you to see and talk normally. The shimmering appearance comes from the elemental-colored thread stitched in runes that pattern the outfit. The cloth seems to pulse with magical energy, and a large sigil is emblazoned on the back - you recognize it around the tent as the symbol of the Oran clan.

"We call these Planeweaves. They should protect you from most environmental effects as well as allowing you to breathe underwater. You should wear these while we are traveling, though don't worry -" here he glances at Rachany again "- we shouldn't need them before I can finish yours. At this point, you all should get some rest. Meet back tomorrow at the gathering, and after that we will meet again here two days later. Do you have anything that you need to do before we depart? I know that you at least -" gesturing towards Scita "-need to close your shop in the interim. At any rate, I will see you tomorrow. Good night."

At that, you all leave the tent and spend the night as you please, preparing for your coming journey. At the meeting the next day, Kuros declares your choice, stating clearly that you have decided to take the journey to the Jade Palace on Mechanus. After that, the gathering disperses and you all find yourselves together, waiting to leave on your first assignment.


So, we can either go straight to the mission, or if you all want to interact with each other or Kuros or just more people around the camp, by all means go for it. We can discuss this in the OOC thread.

Also,

Planeweave (Vest Slot)
Provides continuous water breathing and protects against most of the basic climate effects of the planes. It also provides a +2 bonus on Fortitude saves against airborne things. Makers mark - Oran Clan.
Value - 20,000 gp (Not counted against WBL)

[Magnema]

(muttering) "Ugh, my waterskin leaked onto my tindertwigs, what a mess, they'll take hours to dry out... oh yes, close up shop, right..." She looks up and says "Sounds good. See you all tomorrow," then departs.

The next day, after the group disperses, she says: "You know what I just realized? We totally should have asked the other group how much they would pay to have second pick. Since we don't have a huge preference, we might have been able to make a profit there. Oh well, next time, I guess." *Shrug*

[Lostbutseeking]

"But if they were willing to pay for it, what do they know, that we do not, that guides their choice? Being ignorant of something does not protect us from the consequences of our ignorance."

[Magnema]

Scita nods knowingly.

"Ah, but we would be better equipped due to the extra funding. So which is better: 50-50 odds of picking the better option, seeing as our knowledge doesn't lead us to conclude either is better, or knowing that we picked what they think is the worse option (whether or not they have more information than we do), and being better equipped for it? The extra wealth, I think, would have made up the cost of their choice - especially if we got a good deal, and if not we could always refuse... indeed, we could have pretended we knew something they didn't, and so raised the price as they were getting the chance to pick the 'obviously better' destination. You need to think like the Leng do if you expect to work well alongside them, word of advice. Ah, well, no point debating it now, the opportunity is lost. Something to re-evaluate next time, I suppose."

[FirebirdFlying]

"If it makes it easier for you, I can grow legs," Rachany tells Kuros, albeit with a hint of distaste.

Being only recently arrived, she knows few in the caravan, and is somewhat relieved to be setting off the next day.

"I like the way you think," she tells Scita. "Have you traveled with the Leng a long time, then?"

[Magnema]

Scita nods. "As long as I can remember - longer than almost all of the current population has been alive, as a matter of fact. I'm a hundred and seventy, so 'as long as I can remember' is a pretty long time.

"I was found in the caravan as a child, and was worth more as a slave to the Leng than anyone would pay for me due to my long lifetime. Eventually, I bought my own freedom, and, well, that was that. I don't begrudge them anything, of course; I owe them my lifestyle, after all."

She stares off into space for a moment, then shakes herself back to reality. "But yes, anyway, as a result, I'm probably the most Lengy non-Leng you'll meet in the caravan."

[Dromuthra]

The conversation continues long into the night until the fires of the caravan begin to die down, and you all depart to go to sleep. The next two day passes uneventfully, and then it is the day of your departure. When you meet with Kuros in the early morning, you see that he is holding a planeweave. Offering it to Rachany, he said, "If you can grow your own legs, then feel free to use this one in the interim. Now I have to add a shifting property to yours..." he added, muttering and staring distractedly into the distance. Turning back to the group, he continues, "I assume that you all are ready to depart? It wouldn't really matter if you weren't; you'd just be dropped from the caravan at the nearest stop and a replacement would be found. At any rate, I am glad that you all decided to be here."

Turning to Bari, he asked, "Master Tumblegrove will provide our method of transportation. To that effect, please put on the planeweaves. You may change in privacy if you have not already done so." he added, pointing to a small tent. "The planeweaves can be modified to also allow their wearers to manifest the Astral Traveler psionic power, which will be the method of travel that we will be using. Once you are wearing the weaves, please turn around to that I can attach the proper patch."

As each of you turns around, Kuros approaches and deftly sews a new patch on over the Oran Clan sigil. The patch still contains the symbol, but now is studded with small pieces of purple crystal that pulse faintly with energy. When the last one is on, Kuros turns to address Bari. "As you will be manifesting the power, and have never been there, I have found an item from the Jade city itself. It should make finding the correct location easier." At that, Kuros hands Bari an heavy, ornate scroll. Opening it, you see written in several languages - Common and Gith included - what appears to be a legal system for running a household.

Noting your surprise, Kuros added, "One of the exports of the Jade Palace is the legal systems they develop. Very few civilizations can match the unbiased devotion to law found in the courts there, and so the works of their philosophers have value elsewhere. There, however, they just regard it as a mental game." Turning back to the rest of you, he continued, "Please hold hands now so that Master Tumblegrove may begin the manifestation. It will take a while."

As Bari begins to manifest, a large, translucent egg of energy appears before him. Slowly, over the hour, it opens from a single point and expands to engulf the entire group, sealing itself shut. Lifting off the ground, it begins to move slowly, gaining speed as the caravan falls away. "You may now release your hands as Master Tumblrgrove has completed the manifesting. It will take us some time to reach our destination, so I suggest that we work out a series of watches. I would prefer either the first or the last, but that can be decided later. For now, please just make yourselves at home in this small area. I'll be working for the next hour."

At that, Kuros puts on a strange mask attached to what appears to be a decanter, opens a large bag he had been carrying on his back, walks in, and closes the bag.

Scita + Rachany

You recognize the item to be a Decanter of Endless Air, having either heard about them in your studies or seen the actual thing.


The hour passes amicably, and you each divide up the small space into separate sleeping areas. Kuros emerges fro the bag, takes off the mask, and then turns to all of you. Pulling out a roll of vellum and turning to Bari, he said, "This map should tell you where the islands will move to, so that we can avoid them as necessary." After speaking, he hands the roll to Bari and addresses the group. "So, who will take what watch? We can divide night into fourths and alternate who gets to sleep the whole night. As I said before, I would prefer first or last watch when I must."

Bari

You have to open the map to use it to navigate; be sure to include this in the post when you want to use the map.

[Magnema]

Scita gives Kuros a raised eyebrow.

"Recalculate. Three people get a night's rest every night, including myself. I only need four hours of trancing, unlike the rest of you. Perk of being an elf. I'll take either the first or last half of the night, and trance the other half."

[Solan]

Bari smiles softly as he completes the manifestation. To himself, he thinks,

It works, I can indeed bring others along with me.

Fascinated by the map, Bari takes as much time as he can to review it.

Knowledge Psionics/Arcana: [roll0]


As for the watch, I would prefer a full night's sleep whenever possible, to be well-rested to guide us on our journey.

[FirebirdFlying]

"As I'm sure we all would, especially those who rely on magic. Well, if Scita takes half the night, the rest of us can easily alternate the remaining two watches. I'll volunteer this first night."

[Dromuthra]

At Scita's comment, Kuros replied, "Ah, yes, I had forgotten that peculiarity of your race. All the better for us then."

After Rachany speaks, "Very well. I can take the last watch tonight; the order then will be Mistress Gnara followed by Mistress Rachany and myself. Mistress Rachany, I should have your new suit finished sometime tomorrow."

Solan

The map is indeed complex, and the paths of the islands are convoluted enough to confuse the average person. As you proceed to trace the paths relevant to your journey, you remember that most of the Leng maps were known for being living things - or at least, that the map the Wagonmaster showed you was. This one, however, lacks that trait. Curious, you begin to trace every path back along its route, and find no less than three impossibilities or errors.

[Lostbutseeking]

Hollyana, still slightly uncomfortable in this 'planeweave' clothing that had been provided stares out through the glimmering of the bubble, absorbed by the majesty of the Astral plane shifting around and past the bubble.

"Then I shall take each second watch, I am used enough to getting too little sleep."

[Dromuthra]

Chuckling slightly, Kuros replied, "I forget the effect this form of travel has on those not used to it - we have already finished the watch order for tonight. You are, however, welcome to take the second watch tomorrow night."

Looking over and noticing Bari's puzzlement with the map, Kuros asked, "Is there some difficulty? If they forgot to translate the words, I can fix that for you quickly."

[Lostbutseeking]

"Kous forgive my ignorance of navigation in this plane please, but how exactly are we to ... ,would it be right to say, reconnect the portals?

[Dromuthra]

Turning to Hollyanna, "Well, to clarify, I hope that the portals are not disconnected. That would represent a problem within the fabric of the Astral Plane itself, one that we are unequipped to handle. Asking is to do that would by much like putting a baby into a fight with a bear. What happened - at least, as far as any of the elders can tell - is simply that the portal was disconnected from our maps. Or, perhaps, the other way around. Our job is simply to find where the portal is now, and if we can learn what caused it to move so violently."

"And there is nothing to forgive - it has simply been a rather long time since I saw someone's first reaction to the plane."

[Dromuthra]

Bari remained silent for a few moments after Kuros' question, wanting to be certain of his opinion before asking the Leng. When there was a pause between Hollyanna and Kuros' conversation, he asked, "Was this map supposed to be like the one we saw when we met the Wagonmaster? That map seemed almost alive, and yet this one appears to be flat and normal."

At Bari's comment, Kuros' head snapped around, and he quickly walked over to the halfling and grabbed the map. Scanning it quickly, he then closed it angrily and looked out at the group. Composing himself, he stated, "It appears that someone in the caravan is unable to put aside the game of prestige for the sake of the whole. The map is useless, probably a fake someone substituted. I suppose I ought to return the favor at some point... but no matter. At any rate, we do not have a map. I roughly know the way to go, as I have been there before, and I do know the area that the portal used to be in - it should still be somewhere nearby. I had hoped to avoid traveling on the continents, but it appears that we will need to do so if only to ask for directions. Fortunately, we discovered this error close enough to the caravan that my maps of the area surrounding it should be able to point us to a nearby settlement. I'll talk briefly with Bari to determine the best way for us to go."

After conferring with Bari for a few minutes, the Astral Caravan shifts directions. An tense hour later, you see a landmass on the horizon, the green of foliage visible in the distance. As you approach, you see that it is a giant forest, the trees all a hundred feet tall at a minimum. The forest looks much like a combination of the two images:

http://fc09.deviantart.net/fs70/i/2012/235/5/3/forest_is_home_by_jcbarquet-d3edie1.jpg
http://fc07.deviantart.net/fs71/i/2010/350/5/b/le_jardin_enchanteur_by_digitalhadz-d30v1qn.jpg

Credits to jcbarquet and FerdinandLadera respectively, both of deviantart.


When you arrive at the edge of the woods, Kuros anounced, "We should be arriving at Neul Geall sometime tomorrow. The settlement is not one that I would exactly choose to visit... but it was the closest one that should have the maps of where we need to go. Unfortunately, the village is run by the Sidhe, or Fae, as they are called in the common tongue. Speak carefully when you are there during the day. At night, unless you are very sure of who you are talking to, do not speak unless spoken to. Make no promises, or anything that could be construed as such. We will probably be a curiosity - in fact, I'm counting on it. The Sidhe do not trade like we do. Sure, they will deal in trinkets and beautiful objects as a passing game, but for what we need I will need to trade information or a favor. To do so, I will have to be publicly available, so I will set up a stall in the market if it is around. Otherwise, we will have to wait until a market day arrives or get lucky and have the right person introduce themselves to us. At any rate, it is late, and these woods are dangerous. We ought to go to sleep soon, and Scita will have the first watch."

[Magnema]

Scita nods at it being her watch, and settles in appropriately.

"Please, let me know if and when you find out who swapped our maps. There's no greater crime in my mind than to deliberately render someone who should have been prepared for what was to come unprepared, and I would like to respond in kind via... my own methods.

That said, do you have any theories, at present, as to who might have due motivation, either, as you mentioned, for pride, or - although I desperately hope not, I dislike making enemies - someone attempting to sabotage the caravan or similarly more dramatic reasons?"

[Dromuthra]

Shaking his head ruefully, Kuros replied, "Scita, our children are told to avoid playing pranks on you for a reason. Though not, perhaps, the reason you might think." Pausing for a breath, "You are one of the longest travelers with the caravan, and are considered valuable. However, if you were to 'get back' at someone to the extent that you have to some of the other caravan followers... the clan would be forced to take action. Note that I said that you were valuable - not indispensable. This case of sabotage is an internal affair, and though it affects all of you it would not be wise for any of you to attempt to seek retribution."

After a moment, Kuros continued, "The prank was not intended to kill us - only to make us forfeit the honor. If I were not as paranoid about keeping maps as I am, losing track of where the islands are would have crippled this expedition. Yes, we could have continued, drawn by the power of the Astral Caravan, but we would have no way of avoiding the less savory locations. As such, we would have needed to return to the caravan and announce our failure. Given that my father holds the position of Wagonmaster, this would look very bad in a very public way. A brilliant play on someone else's part." Smiling evilly, Kuros added, "I have some guesses as to who did this, and I always return the favor."

[Magnema]

Scita's eyes flash with irritation at being told off, but then she regains her composure upon hearing that it was unlikely to be intended to kill.

With a slight bow to Kuros, she says: "Apologies, I was indeed out of line. I took your implication that we could have been farther out before we noticed the error too far, I was assuming we could have been in dangerous lands by the time we had noticed. Compliments to you" (gestures to Bari) "on that point, by the way. In that case, it seems less threatening, and more... childish, to me. I understand that it is a matter of honor to you - indeed, to you, the personal threat is greatest, and so you deserve the highest retribution. However, at this point, it seems to be more of a matter of annoyance to me, and so I'd like to subject the person to equal... annoyance..." Scita gives Kuros a half-smile and a wink.

Scita reaches into her bag and pulls out a piece of chalk, then surveys the rest of her things. She mutters "Paper! I knew I was missing something. Guess I'll have to commit it to memory.", then smiles and says, "Well, composing a good, long lecture to tell someone off takes time, so at least I have something to do on my watch now." She continues to mutter about what she's going to have to say: "Now let's see, I need one for if we know who did it and he's not being punished, one for if we know who did it and he is being punished, another for if we know but can't prove it, subtly dropping hints but making no accusations, another if..."

[FirebirdFlying]

Rachany does not miss the tension between Kuros and Scita. Longer than she can remember, she said, and still not much respected, it seems. Though tense herself given the revelation about the maps, she cannot help but be distracted by the beauty of the forest.

"Mmm, I have paper," she says, extracting it from her pack and handing a sheet out to Scita, although keeping most of her attention focused on staring at the trees.

[Dromuthra]

Smiling as Scita gazes off in thought, Kuros addresses the rest of the group. "It would be best to get to sleep now. in four hours, Mistress Scita will wake up Mistress Rachany, and two hours after that it will be my turn. If you have any questions before we sleep, ask them now before I depart to dream."

So saying, Kuros reaches into one of his bags and pulls out a strange tube-shape of fabric. Unbuttoning one side, he then pulls out a small tent and begins setting the tent up within the bubble, which is still moving, though a touch slower now to compensate for the underbrush. He will continue to set up the tent, put the fabric-tube in, and then enter and begin to sleep. Kuros will answer any questions you have while setting up the tent.

[Magnema]

Scita, being lost in thought, only notices a second later: "Oh, well, I could hardly write everything I need to on any reasonable number of sheets of paper, which is why I usually bring my own, although I suppose temporarily writing pieces down on one sheet does tend to help memorization... on second thought, I have other surfaces I can write on that are easier to clean off, and that wouldn't use up expendable resources. Other than the chalk, of course." She smiles, then adds, "Besides, it's not really necessary for the mission as a whole, and I've learned to keep possessions in their owner's hands unless something critical occurs that requires it... leads to fewer problems along the line, and so forth. Especially important in a..." (she conscientiously glances briefly at Kuros) "merchant... caravan such as this, where fiscal differentiation can be highly relevant."


Knowledge: Local (to know of customs, laws, etc.) [roll0]
Knowledge: The Planes (to know of any interesting planar features of this location) [roll1]

She then walks over to Kuros, and asks (if no one else has a more important question, or after those conversations if someone does), "I've always wanted to ask this - why do you use a tent? Personally, I tend not to use them. I find they're typically a waste of money and weight, and downright inconvenient if something happens that requires quick readiness - although I could see how it would be useful for consolidating a larger group, for bad weather, or for when comfort is more of a concern than immediate mobility, and so I was wondering what you tend to use them for on a mission like this, where those wouldn't appear to be issues."

As per OOC thread, Spot and Listen checks will go up tomorrow morning or once discussion is complete, whichever comes second.

[Magnema]

Local: [roll0]
Planes: [roll1]

[FirebirdFlying]

Rachany shrugs, "Fair," and replaces the paper in her pack. Problems over a sheet of paper? I suppose it's not entirely cheap. Still, even that gnome we worked with wasn't so petty.

She pulls her bedroll out of her pack and settles down beside it, sipping tea from a flask she drew from the depths of her cloak and watching the others. What have you gotten yourself into this time?

[Dromuthra]

At your question, Kuros directs your attention to what you thought was only a slight pattern on the fabric of the tent. Instead, looking closely, you see very faintly glowing magic runes. "Simple. A tent provides more room to enchant."


Natural 20. Hoo boy. You recall Neul Geall as a name from a map of the Faen outposts, and that in turn reminds you of a book you once read on Faerie etiquette. The Fae are fickle, and often will twist one's words against them in the worst of ways. They tend to view slight agreement as a binding promise, though they do not treat their own words with that meticulousness. Worse, they have the magic to hold so called 'oathbreakers' to their promise. You remember scrawled in messy handwriting in the margins was a message that read,

"The Fae are either kind and welcoming, or capricious and fickle. They can turn a phrase into a horrible promise and a greeting into a life-long debt. They will obey only the exact letter of what they promise you, and claim to follow spoken promises, but they do not. They will claim to have forgotten what you said, or that it was a different Fae, or any number of excuses. The only promise they will not - can not, perhaps - break is an oath upon their queen. Be warned, though - do not insult her majesty in any way or form. The Fae are wrathful and can be quick to anger."

Yay, worldbuilding! I knew this would come in handy someday... Note, the elemental descriptors of Fae are accurate, as are the printed D&D seasonal Fey.

The Fae are divided into three general sections - The Seelie Court, the Unseelie Court, and those not privileged to belong to either, who live as outcasts and are prey for those within the courts.

The Seelie Court is the closest thing that exists to what mortals would call “Good Fae”. They tend to be more courteous and polite to mortals, and are more inclined to help them - though whether out of compassion or for amusement, it is often difficult to tell. Of the Faen races, the Cuirbith (Fire Fae) and the Bùrnbith (Water Fae). The Seelie Court often conducts itself in a Lawful manner, and if given an alignment it would most likely range from Lawful Neutral to Lawful Good. They do not actively seek to harm innocents, but will do so for the greater good.

The Unseelie Court is the closest thing that exists to what mortals would call “Bad Fae”. They tend to be more chaotic and deceitful in their actions, and are known to prank and torment mortals for their own amusement. They will sometimes help mortals, but often only if the result will be particularly amusing or if the mortals will offer a suitable price - often several times more valuable that the service the Unseelie Court renders in return. They are more often the lawbreakers in the Faen lands. Of the Faen races, the Sgàthbith (Shadow Fae) and the Teòbith (Air Fae) tend towards the Unseelie Court. However, while the Unseelie Court is considered to be the “eviler” of the two, it does not bear that reputation within the Faen realms. The Courts are viewed much as Night and Day for the Fae, and are respected and considered beautiful for their separate qualities. There is no inherent hatred between the Courts; merely a political/social divide.

Those unfortunate enough to have been cast out of the Courts have no rights for themselves under Faen Law, and are often killed on sight for the value of their souls. As a result, it is very rare to meet a Fae not at least loosely associated with one of the courts.

[Magnema]

Scita nods, and asks: "So is it itself enchanted - presumably, to be larger on the inside than the outside, then?"

She also adds to Kuros' advice to the group on the Fae: "Another point to consider: don't insult their queen; they... won't take very kindly to that. Fair warning. Also, be VERY careful on the promises; I don't want to be tied down by the obligations of any of you saying anything foolish. Not that you will, or that I'll be entirely safe from it myself, but my experience with the Leng over the years has led me to avoid making statements that could be construed as me having an obligation, so it comes naturally to me. To that end, it'd probably be wiser not to speak with people in general, while we're here, or at least to minimize discussion, just in case."

"Additionally, a crash-course on Fae politics, to minimize the chance of doing something foolish due to lack of knowledge... Essentially, there are 'Day' Fae and 'Night' Fae, or, more properly, the Summer and Winter courts - due to political reasons, almost every Fae is in one of these. The Fae in the Summer Court tend to be helpful and the Winter Court tend to be spiteful; the former aid by nature, and the latter... perhaps 'harm' is too strong a word, but... 'prank', which will end up being akin to the problems we're already facing." She gestures to the faulty map.

"Internally, the differences are political, although to us the differences may appear moral. The two courts are the reason that Kuros gave different advice for what to do during the day and the night. Remember: Day is fairly safe if you're careful about what you say. Night, I won't even say that much - if you expect to be safe, you have to be extremely careful, so don't risk it if you can. Remember: if it sounds too good to be true, they're probably scamming you. They're Fae - it's their nature. They'll follow their promise only to the letter, and that's at best - if you get a verbal promise, they may not even follow that, claiming 'that must have been someone else' or some such excuse. They claim they can't break promises by their queen, so use that if you must, but in general it'd probably be best to let Kuros do the dealing - and take the risks."

[Magnema]

Scita prepares to take watch, and so pulls out her signal whistle and firmament stone (to tell the time in case of trees fully blocking out the sky) and begins to walk back and forth, occasionally pausing to scratch something out in chalk.

Hour 1:
Spot: [roll0]
Listen: [roll1]
Hour 2:
Spot: [roll2]
Listen: [roll3]
Hour 3:
Spot: [roll4]
Listen: [roll5]
Hour 4:
Spot: [roll6]
Listen: [roll7]

[Lostbutseeking]

Hollyana does her best to take in Scita's advice, the elf was perhaps nine or ten times her own age, with far more experiance of, well it would not do to call it the world for now it was so much more, everything then. Or close enough to make no difference.

I think the best thing to do then would be to let one of the others do the talking, I will either give offence or say something binding.

The discussion of the stolen map leaves but one thought in her mind before she settles down to rest.

What if we can not find our way back

[Dromuthra]

Scita's watch passes on through the deepening twilight and into the night. As the stars come out, some plants begin to give off an eerie luminescence, adding to the natural starlight to provide somewhat decent visibility. As she sits composing her angry letters idly, small animal sounds can be heard in the woods around.

Three hours into the watch, Scita sees a large creature walking in the direction of the camp not one hundred feet away. As you prepare to wake the others, though, the beast pauses and then turns completely around and moves away slightly faster than it had come. The rest of the night passes uneventfully, and at the appropriate time you wake Rachany up for her watch.


Rachany, give me a Spellcraft check every hour in addition to your Spot and Listen. Also, a Will save.

Yes, there is a reason that this is different from what I wanted from Scita.

[FirebirdFlying]

Rachany wakes grudgingly, then packs up her bedroll and settles into a slow, quiet stroll around the edges of the camp. Truth be told, she likes the night when no one else is awake.


Hour 1:
Spot: [roll0]
Listen: [roll1]
Spellcraft: [roll2]
Will: [roll3]
Hour 2:
Spot: [roll4]
Listen: [roll5]
Spellcraft: [roll6]
Will (if you meant twice, otherwise ignore): [roll7]

[Dromuthra]

The time seems to pass uneventfully for the first hour, the stillness of the night broken occasionally by far-off sounds of predator finding prey. You find yourself sitting against a tree, nearly dozing off, when your mind suddenly snaps awake. You suddenly realize that the drowsy feeling that you had wasn't natural. Carefully, you sample the ambient energies of the forest, finding the subtle strain that doesn't belong.

Turning back to the camp, you notice that everyone is unnaturally quiet - and that the bubble has stopped moving. It is still there, but it no longer glides through the foliage as it had been when you were first awoken.


You can tell that some sleep magic has been cast by someone or something, but you cannot seem to identify the source. It is almost as though the forest is casting it, or that it has no single caster.

[Dromuthra]

All of the sleepers suddenly jerk awake as what sounds like a cannon explodes in your head. The startling noise is suddenly followed by an almost whispered, "Wake quietly but do not move - I believe that we are being watched."

Cautiously, you open your eyes. Minutes pass by, then half an hour. Tentatively you sit up and look around.


Spot checks please.

[Lostbutseeking]

As the crashing boom rolled over their small camp Hollyana's eyes snapped open instanly, with full awareness only moments behind. Kuros warning makes her tense, the boom sounded like far more than merely being watched. She fidgets as time goes by until finally unable to take being still any longer she stands up, unfastening the chain as she rose and stares uneasily into the distance.

]

[Magnema]

Scita's ears perk up at the initial cannon sound, but she keeps her eyes closed for a few seconds until she's sure it's safe to open them. She slowly opens them (as if she was just waking up naturally from being asleep) and slowly looks around, with the appearance of sleepy idle stirring, but with her mind operating at full capacity to try to figure out what's going on.

[roll0]

[Dromuthra]

As you four gather - Bari still has not awoken, and your brief efforts to that effect do not succeed - a pale, richly garbed figure appears in the trees. Looking down at you through large, black eyes, its grin changes to a pout when it sees you awake and alert. It turns to the side and appears to silently berate several dark, winged shapes you now notice in the area.


DC 18: This creature is a banshrae, a wicked fey that can play music to bewilder and harm mortals.

DC 23: Banshraes are powerful combatants that use their flutes to fight, with magical musical effects and by firing clouds of darts.

DC 28: Sometimes, they can shoot a special dart that causes a swarm of locusts that will attack their prey.


DC 12: This creature is a shaedling, a hateful fey with command over shadow.

DC 17: The spinnerets on a shaedling's belly allow it to form weapons and other implements from shadowy strands. They can also weave a wall to block light.

DC 22: They have an ability to put other creatures to sleep, and are weak to cold iron.


Turning its mouthless head back to you, you suddenly hear a voice in your minds. "You are lucky that the Game considers your consciousness in this case to be victory - though a claim could be made for the sleeper."

Stepping forward, Kuros replies, "Pah. You know as well as I that Neul Geall owes many debts to my kind - do not think that we would not contest the unwarranted seizure within your courts, such as they are. However, aren't you beyond your authority to be taking travelers in this region?"

"Much is forgiven if the tribute presented to the Queen at the solstice is worthwhile. I do, however, concede the difficulty of taking him forcefully... A shame, his unusual appearance and power would make him a most desirable feast-gift. Perhaps, though, we can trade? We have one of yours and her companions, at present, and you have such fine rarities. Come, tradesman, let us make a deal, you and I."

Kuros appeared shocked at the mention of a possible Leng captive, and several minutes of tense silence pass. You assume that he and the creature are communicating telepathically, and your suspicions are confirmed when both the creature and Kuros nod. "Repeat the agreement for the witnesses. In exchange for the prisoners you have taken, and a debt of three minor lives to be repaid at a later time, you may make a gift at the Festival of Light of this year of the services of Rachany, the naga, and Bari, the halfling. Their service will last for a year and a day, to begin immediately following the Festival of Light, and at its end they will be returned whole, healthy and well, immediately to the Leng Caravan. I swear by the clan-honor of the Oran clan, foremost of the Oran Caravan, that these terms will be followed. Now, swear upon the name and honor of your Queen if there is to by any deal."

Looking irritated, the creature broadcast its message to all listeners, "I swear to follow these terms by in the Name of the Queen and by her honor."

At that, Kuros whips out what appears to be a small silver rod, striking Rachany as the full impact of what she had just heard hit her. Immediately, her eyes roll up into her head and she collapses to the forest floor. One of the flying figures comes over to collect her, wrapping her carefully in what appears to be gossamer made of darkness. Leaping down from the branch, the mouthless creature continues, "You will now follow us to your lodgings."

Silently, and flanked by the insect-winged dark bodies, one carrying Bari, another carrying Rachany, the group is guided through the forest passes. When questioned on his actions, Kuros responds, "They will fulfill their service and then be returned to the caravan, where they will be compensated for their help. Besides - this frees three who, according to my business partner, bear goods from Mechanus. It is a more than fair trade off for this mission." Hours later, you emerge into a a clearing overlooking a massive settlement. The buildings range across the forest floor and up into the trees, the buildings coming in every construction style imaginable, all made from natural materials. Fae wander throughout, some celebrating, some working, and others preparing for the festival to come. Comparing the dwellings, though, you do notice that the ones ascending into the forest canopy appear to be more finely crafted, and that their occupants - what little of them you can see, at this distance, appear to wear finer clothing than those on the ground below. A great space has been cleared and a large, unlit bonfire dominates the center, in front of a raised dais.

Your guide draws you through the crowd, eventually reaching a small building at the base of one of the trees. Leading you inside, you see five holding cells - three of which are full. The creature gestures towards the flying ones, and they place Rachany and Bari - still kept unconscious - in the two waiting cells. After this, they open the three remaining cells and hand the unconscious subjects over to you one at a time. Kuros ensures that he is the one carrying the unknown, female Leng. The other two appear to be of some sort of canine race and a human female, respectively. You are all then led from the building a ways away to what appears to be a tavern, whereupon you are all deposited by your guides. Kuros produces some smaller rubies, purchasing four rooms; one for him, another for the unconscious Leng, and the last two to be split among the genders of those remaining. Following him upstairs to his room, he says, "Lay them out on my bed - I believe I have something that should wake them up."

Rummaging about in his pouches for a bit, Kuros eventually produces three thin vials of a dark blue liquid, and pours them down the three sleepers' throats. In moments, the three begin spluttering and coughing, waking up to the world around them. As they reach consciousness, Kuros looks towards Serena and asks, "Who are you? What is your clan, and why do you have goods from Mechanus?" turning to the others, he adds, "If either of you two know anything, speak up."


When you look at the most beautiful of the Fae, you recoil in horror. Though you can still see the beautiful glamour that they present outwardly, you also note the repugnant, hideous forms within. They appear as sick as their glamours are healthy - as though they were garbed in rags, anorexic, and unkempt as though unwashed in months.


Please assume that you had demonstrated your telepathy but not your psionic powers to the Fae, and that they do not yet know of them.


Whew, that took a while to write. But, it ought to have tied events together pretty well!

[Morbis Meh]

Serena remembers her conversation with the fae, knowing their true forms but not caring, she had struck a bargain of her own but it would seem they had violated it by a considerable margin. She had offered herself as a willing gift if the other two would be allowed to go free with the goods, a deal she thought has been accepted. The voice was not familiar but she could tell that the speaker was Leng within her mind's eye which caused her to scowl inwardly Will I ever be free of them?. Sitting up she touches the minds of her companions Tell him nothing of me.... She turns her head to face the voice, her eye sockets covered over by a layer of skin was unnerving for most to look at, and covered her mouth to symbolize that she was mute then gestured for a writing implement.

[Dromuthra]

Reaching into his pouches, Kuros wordlessly produces an inkwell, quill and paper, passing them carefully into Serena's hands, and making sure that she knows where everything is.

[Morbis Meh]

Serena grabs the quickly, fills it, and puts it to the velum. Slowly she begins to write in a tight but flowing script "I thank you for your actions; however, is it not proper etiquette to introduce yourself first and ask of your guests condition? I would have thought that such a courtesy would have been taught to you within your clan. As for your questions, that is none of your concern they pertain to my clan's business and not yours. If you wish to speak to me civilly then you may refer to me as Serena but if your intention is to merely interrogate then this conversation will be at an end." She places the quill down and hands the scroll towards the other Leng for him to read.

[Magnema]

At the trade of Rachany and Bari, Scita first raises an eyebrow, then nods as she thinks: Well, at least I've earned enough respect that THAT isn't my fate - or at least not yet. Advantages of being well-established.

Roll 1: [roll0]
Roll 2: [roll1]

At the current exchange:
Scita squats by the Human-looking-one's bed and asks quietly (so that while they may be able to hear, it won't intrude upon their conversation), "While they settle their politics, what's your name, and, since I'm sure you probably aren't about to tell me everything about what you were doing and what happened to you" - she gives a half-smile - "what do you want to tell me about it?"

[RecoveringGamer]

After controlling her coughing fit, Telina lifts herself upright and takes stock of her surroundings. Where in the Nine Hells am I? She calms down slightly after seeing Alphonse and their employer present, doubly so when Serena enters her mind. There's another Leng...

"-Wha?"

Telina scrambles to the back of the bed as the elf starts speaking to her, caught off-guard by the sudden barrage of questions. She takes a moment, looking over the elf, then to the Leng, before settling into a similar half-smile. "Telina. My name is Telina. I don't think there's much more to say... I don't remember a whole lot of what happened."

Giving the room another glance, she adds, "and can I ask who you people are? Where are we?"

[Time Blossom]

Alfonse coughs his way to consciousness, rolling over on his side and spitting out the acrid liquid. Had he been drugged? No, not drugged... something else... the waking mind asserts itself slowly, cautiously, then with a sudden intensity as his eyes clear and he sees Serena, Telina and a trio of strangers, including, of all things, another Leng.

He instinctively coils back on the bed, scanning the three silently and rubbing his wrists. Not tied up, and the three weren't Fae. Both very good signs. Perhaps they'd been rescued? Though that didn't do Darrick much good, he remembers with an inner lance of pain that prompts him to give his allies a second look. They seem uninjured enough, all things considered.

His examination of the situation is interrupted by questions from the Leng, and a silent warning from Serena. Ever paranoid, that one; probably for the best, he adds to himself.

He reads over Serena's shoulder as she writes her response, and can't help but half-smirk at it. Leave it to her to complain about etiquette after they'd been plucked out of the fire and put back in the frying pan.

Telina's question cuts through the moment, bring the crux of the problem to bear: they were all on uneven ground, uncertain of one another's intentions.

Well. Only one way to solve that problem.

He glances up at the strange Leng. "I'm Alfonse," he says with a courteous nod and a deft twirl of his hand. "As I'm sure you can gather, my associate Telina and I are contractors attached to Serena's service–and as she in her own uniquely eloquent way has just pointed out, deciding whether or not to reveal the exact nature of that service is her prerogative as our employer. However, as you have by all evidence liberated us from the claws of the Fae, I ask that you please forgive any... brusqueness that our recent endeavors may have caused. Neither Mechanus nor the Astral Plane has been particularly kind to us; we did not, as the saying goes, give as good as we got."

Not sure if this is quite appropriate or not, but Bluff check to pass a hidden message:

[roll0]

The idea here is to make it clear to Kuros that we were on a trade mission (the give as good as we got bit), while not explicitly saying so out of respect for Serena's 'none of your business' speech. Alfonse figures that them being on a trade mission should be obvious enough (the Leng he's met do little else), and letting that out instead of trying to (in his mind, pointlessly) hide it will be good for first impressions with whoever the heck these new people are.

[Morbis Meh]

Serena on the outside remained composed but was very annoyed by Alfonse's response, she couldn't discern what he meant by it but she told him not to mention anything about it Alfonse, when I ask for you to tell him nothing of me that includes anything that has to do with me including of our mission, do not speak of Mechanus. You do not understand our politics and I can guarantee that we were not rescued out of the kindness of his heart. It was done for leverage and exploitation. Speak another word and your contract will be null and void thus you will not be paid for the expedition; not because you didn't fulfill your duty but because there will be nothing left to pay you with.

[Lostbutseeking]

Standing behind Kuros as he wakes and talks to, or is that interrogates, the captives Hollyana is visibly unsettled.

Trading people the way Kuros had rubbed a raw grain deep within her, it tasted of betrayel, if them then it could easily happen to her. As they talk she keeps fidgeting now, as if expecting to assailed at any moment.

Finally she breaks her silence to whisper to Scita in an urgent, agitated tone "When we can , we and kuros need to talk, where are there no ears. I think something is very wrong"

[Magnema]

(Assuming the telepathic message is sent to Alfonse only)

In response to Hollyana, Scita mutters: "Agreed. At least briefly, soon, and at length later, once things settle down."

To pick up on his clues, Sense Motive:
[roll0]

To the wider audience, Scita then smiles at Alfonse, nods, and replies: "Of course." She turns to Serena and says curtly, but feigning politeness (restraining her irritation at the childishness of hiding even basic details): "In light of your undoubtedly unfortunate recent experiences, your discomfort is to be expected." She turns to Kuros: "Perhaps we should let them some time to discuss with each other and decided how they should feel about us? We rescued them, trading some of our own, which would seem to indicate a certain degree of courtesy - and, equally if not more importantly, information surrounding circumstances - should be granted to us, but with... interrogation, as you [Serena] call it... emotions may be stretched more thinly than would allow for reasonable conversation. And besides, I don't feel we have adequately discussed recent turns of events ourselves, so we should discuss as well."

She then leans to Kuros and whispers quietly, such that the others cannot hear: "We can watch the door to make sure they do not run away, and I sense disagreement among them over the amount they should reveal - I hope this will work to our advantage in terms of information gain."

[Dromuthra]

Reading Serena's writing, Kuros' eyebrow quirks with wry amusement. "Under the circumstances, I would have expected more in the way of gratitude and less in the way of irritation. No matter; I am Kuros Kuros pa-Tallik ma-Oran, of the Clan Oran. I do not care what business you had with Mechanus; only that your travel there is pertinent to our mission, which is directed by the Wagonmaster and an agreement of the clans. We are tasked with finding the portal to Mechanus, since something happened to it and it no longer responds to our planar atlases. We don't know why, and as a stopgap measure we need to find the portal, and if possible discover what went wrong."

As Telina splutters awake, Kuros' attention turns to her. "You are in an inn - the... Iteal Bachair I believe? It translates something close to the 'Flying Reveler.' It is in the Fae settlement of Neal Geull, and I and my friends just saved you from a life of slavery to the Fair Lords. Ah - your friends is waking."

Listening to Alfonse, Kuros smiles slightly in understanding. He appears about to respond when Scita breaks in. After listening to her, he replies, "A good suggestion - We will let you discuss things briefly among yourselves. We will return in, say, 10 minutes? We are all stuck here until the end of the celebration to come in two nights. I fully expect to depart after that, and we could use your expertise. Besides, if you just came from Mechanus, you -" looking at Serena - ought to know the way back. You would be paid for completing your job, which assume to have been a trading mission, and additionally compensated for aiding us in this. Also, if it matters to you, you three do owe me a life debt. I won't hold you to it, but some people consider themselves honorable." Here Kuros shrugs. "Your choice is your own - I hardly have the resources to force you to come, and there is no value in it if you do now choose willingly. In any case, we will talk again soon."

At that, Kuros draws Scita and Hollyanna with him out into what will be Serena's room. "Now, you whispered that we ought to talk?" he says, looking at Hollyanna.


Solstice Festival (Knowledge Local)

The Solstice Festival is held by the Fae on the eve of the Solstice with nightly celebrations the week before. The Summer Solstice Festival is in three nights.


The Solstice Festivals mark the middle of the Court Sessions, the Summer Solstice marking the middle of the Summer Court and the Winter Solstice marking the middle of the Winter Court. It is one of the largest and best attended social events of the season for the Fae, and Fae lords can be found in attendance. All Fae and visitors present gifts to their Lords or to the Queen, depending on their social status.


From what you heard moving through the settlement, the current Master of the Hunt will lead a Great Hunt here that night. The Master of the Hunt chooses one location each solstice to lead a Great Hunt from, and only infrequently returns to a location. It is a great honor to host a Hunt.

[RecoveringGamer]

Sofar, this experience has been quite unpleasant for Telina. She returns to a regular sitting position as the other group leaves the room. Her anxiety is a bit more apparent now, as she rubs her scale-patterned wrists. "What do we do, boss? I don't think they mean us harm, and I figure they more know about this place than we do. I'm guessing we're still on the Astral Plane, since nobody said otherwise." Despite the telepathic communication Serena is able to offer, Telina is still more comfortable speaking aloud when prudent.

She gives a weak smile to Alphonse, before turning back toward Serena to await her reply. Fae, eh. I hope we'll be able to have a look around.

[Morbis Meh]

Serena turns her head to both of them after Kuros leaves If you wish to return to Mechanus that will be up to you, our contract does not stipulate that you agree to such terms so I will not hold it against you if you decide against it. I will also say this: YOU DO NOT owe a life debt to that man, never let him hold that over you in any way or else he will exploit it until your death. Do not trust him, he is one of my kind and we are not known for generosity or kindness without strings. I can guarantee that he is doing this to further his own goals and not for your benefit; with that said I have decided to return with him, if either of you desire to return to my Clan's caravan and collect the other half of your fee I will understand.

[Lostbutseeking]

When Kuros has drawn her and Scita aside Hollyana speaks quickly in the same urgent whisper. The agitation she has been feeling since she saw clearly evidenced in her body language.

"Those fae, nobles were they? The 'beautiful' ones. They are not what they appear... that appearance is some kind of magic, I don't know what you would call it..." she looks briefly at Scita as if expecting him to fill in the magics name before continuing " but under that magic they are not like the rest of the fae, I only got a glimpse of what was underneath so I can't be completely certain as to what is there. They looked ill though, plagued and wasting and in tatters not the finery of the other fae. What does that mean? Do the other fae know even?"

[Time Blossom]

Alfonse nods a silent thanks to Kuros as he leads the other two out of the room. All the same, he makes a point of waiting until he is comfortably out of earshot before speaking. Serena was right, after all; he was a Leng.

"That seems as fair a bet as any," Alfonse answers in response to Telina's theorizing that they are still on the Astral Plane. Fae were very much outside his areas of expertise, but planeswalking kidnappers probably would have had more valuable targets in mind than the four... rather, the three of them.

He is shaken from that moment of dark reflection by Serena's psychic words, which bring an unbidden chuckle. "Well, I may be as ignorant as you say about your people's politics, Serena, but they do seem to have a habit of only offering someone a choice when they don't really have one."

Like Telina, he was somewhat more comfortable with speaking aloud; and at any rate, if their 'rescuers' were listening at the door, a silent room would only draw more suspicion.

"You know as well as I do–and as well as Kuros does, for that matter–we'd be lost the moment we stepped into the astral sea without the proper transport, and if we try to find that with the Fae we might as well just tie ourselves up and ask whose sequined boots we're going to spend the next ten years polishing." He laces his fingers and leans back against the headboard, staring at the door with an unreadable expression. "No, my friends, we're not free to do anything except join up with them, and all the empty words in the world aren't going to change that."

"And besides," he adds with a sigh. "Whether we owe Kuros anything or not, I think we at least owe Darrick something for helping us get out of Mechanus alive. And considering we can't exactly swear vengeance on a set of faulty doors, figuring out how to fix them is probably as close to repayment as we're going to get."

Knowledge (Local) roll: [roll0]

[Dromuthra]

Kuros begins to eye Hollyanna with appreciation as her explanation continues. At her question, he replies, "In a word, yes - they all know what they look like underneath, to an extent. Apparently, you have to ability to see through their glamours. Normally, the Fae use them to make themselves seem to possess otherworldly beauty, enhancing their own natural charms. But if they have to use them to appear normal... hm. Perhaps they are indeed suffering; I recall something about them being connected to their Queen in some manner."

Kuros turns, and begins to talk, almost to himself, "If they really are sick, then the Great Hunt can't be a coincidence. Perhaps a test of some sort?" Looking back at the two, he says, "Since we will be here for the next day or two, we might as well figure out what is happening. Also, we need to find suitable gifts to present to the local lords." Grimacing, Kuros continued, "Those Fae we dealt with were... kind... enough to point out after I sealed the deal that we would be required, as guests, to present solstice gifts along with the rest of the Fae. I will be trying to trade for something appropriate; perhaps you two could convince the others to help find something? At any rate, we ought to get back to the others soon and find out if they are willing to help."


The Fae, after many decades away from their Queen, begin to decay and atrophy unless they can back in her aura to rejuvenate themselves. Given Hollyanna's description of the decay, it must have been intentional.

[Magnema]

Local: [roll0]
Nature: [roll1] (using Inspiration point - I'd really like to know what's going on here)

(Curses, just under!)

"Indeed, I would rather know what's going on for my own knowledge, at least, and depending on what the details are, for the sake of the favors we might earn - valuable thing to own, a favor from a fairy, if hard to hold on to for all their excellent tendency to retain their spoken contracts..."

"Would the others be bound by the same rules of guesthood surrounding gifts as us, or not because they were just freed? Also, I've heard whispers of this 'Great Hunt' going around, or at least heard the name, but I'm not aware of what it is. What details do you know, and - assuming it's important that these two events coincide - of what relevance could it be?"

[Morbis Meh]

Serena stands up and grabs her walking stick whilst smiling Don't blame your inability to navigate on others, he just met you and wouldn't know; I am free to make the choice, I know the astral planes after all but I have little desire to return to my clan. If you wish to have a pity party I can ask the others outside to bake you a cake if it would improve your mood. What of you Telina, shall you be joining as well? If so I do hope you don't choose to pout all the way like dear Alfonse. As for owing a debt to this 'Darrick', I am not indebted to any who offer their help freely and it is hardly my fault they died. So may I suggest you keep your notions of 'honour' to yourself, if you wish to chain yourself to the past that is your decision but I will have none of it. Quietly she begins pacing about the room, counting the steps and noting the furniture within it.

[Dromuthra]

Regarding Scita, Kuros replied, "It would depend on whether they intend to travel with us. If not, I have bought their freedom, and by that their free passage out of Neul Geall should they choose to leave now. If they choose to travel with us, they would become a part of our group and thus be required to tithe. We could probably submit a gift as a group and be fine. As to what the Great Hunt is... the name in a way says it all. The Master of the Hunt, an exceedingly powerful Fae lord, chooses one location each solstice to begin his Hunt. He then leads his followers - any may join, though the danger is somewhat prohibitive - towards game of an appropriate challenge. Those who secure the highest honors in the Hunt receive specific boons, and according to lore it is even possible to gain an audience with the Queen if your accomplishments are great enough."

Kuros goes silent for a moment to consider Scita's second query. "Though the Great Hunts always begin on the solstices, it is odd that there is one this year when the Fae of Neul Geall are so weakened. That line of inquiry would perhaps yield much, I think."

Turning back towards the door, Kuros opens it and goes out into the hallway, leading Scita and Hollyanna back to the waiting three.


You have time in the other room for Hollyanna to answer the question or one more person to speak, and then Kuros is entering.

[RecoveringGamer]

Telina can't help but to roll her eyes as her employer rapidly fired off a string of assertions into her mind. Rather than reply to the Leng, she turns to Alphonse with a coy smile lighting up her face. "I see our boss is her cheery, charitable self! All is right with the multiverse, at the end of the day."

Standing up, she adds, "Shall we be off, Alphonse? I want to see what kind of cake the Fae make!" Her smile melds into a full grin as she laughs at her own joke, helpless to resist.

[Time Blossom]

Alfonse's mouth twists into a half-grin. I suppose if I have to be stuck in a gilded cage, he thinks to himself, I've met worse birds to be stuck with than these two.

"Let's make this little decision of ours official first; cake can come after." He holds up a finger and turns to Telina and Serena, pointing at each in turn. "And no angel's food. That'd be too on the nose, even if this is a 'pity party.'"

Whistling in the dark? Maybe. But until they found their way out of this broken wonderland, he'd take whatever he could get. Especially until they got to know their white rabbit a little better.

Speaking of which... he pushes himself out of the bed and walks over to the door, rapping on it thrice.

"Kuros?" he calls out. "I believe my employer will see you now."

[Dromuthra]

Hearing Alphonse's call, Kuros doesn't even bother to knock, instead opening the door and holding it open as Scita and Hollyanna enter the room behind him. "I take it that you three have made your decisions?" He asks, after closing the door.

[RecoveringGamer]

As the other Leng opens the door, Telina tries to wipe the mirth off of her face to the best of her abilities. Rather than respond to his question, she merely turns her head towards Serena, waiting for her response. She is still the boss, after all.

[Time Blossom]

"Made, had commissioned," Alfonse answers with a noncommittal wave of his hand. "Who's counting, really. While I know better than to speak for our boss, however, I would personally be thrilled to plant my banner beside yours and return to Mechanus, if only for a change in scenery. The weather here is absolute murder on my skin."

"Particularly around the wrists," he adds, rubbing a tender spot where the fae's shackles had worn through his fur. "And ankles. And probably neck eventually, knowing my luck."

[Morbis Meh]

Serena just turns and gives a simple nod then continues her pacing, getting a clear mental picture of the area in her head. The others wished to accompany her which was fine, she only hoped that they would keep their mouths shut in regards to their previous exploits. Last she needed was this joker to try to blackmail her.

[Dromuthra]

At Serana's nod, Kuros speaks up. "Very well then. The three of you are now members of my expedition to the portal to Mechanus, and will be compensated as such upon our return to the caravan. At the present time, we must spend the next few days in the Fae city of Neul Geall until the solstice festival is over. In order to leave and continue, we will need to present whoever the local Fae lord with some solstice gift, preferably during the festival. At this point, we have several tasks to complete in order to get out of this city without provoking the court's anger."

Here, Kuros begins to tick the options off on his fingers. "First, we have to find out which Fae we need to present our gift to. Hollyanna here" gesturing to her, "Can see through the Fae glamour, so she will be able to tell whether or not one of them is trying to trick us into giving them the gift instead."

"Second, we need to actually prepare a suitable solstice gift. Because we are one group, we need only find one. The gift could be quite literally anything, but it must have some value to the Fae or some great value to us. I will attempt to trade at the markets for such a gift, though this close to the festival I don't expect to find much. I do expect to be able to find out more of what is going on, however. One opportunity in particular may be to win honor in the Great Hunt; a special event lead by the Queen's own Master of the Hunt, a great Fae lord. He is visiting this settlement this year, and it may be possible to trade winnings from the games as our gift to the lord."

"Once we are free of Neul Geall, Serana ought to know the way to the portal. Am I correct in my guess that you were mapping your way back from Mechanus? At any rate, now is a good time to discuss possible courses of action for the next two days before the celebration. First, though, you may want to get situated..." Kuros quickly describes the distribution of the rooms, and then waits for the others to go, check them out, and return before the discussion starts.

[Time Blossom]

Alfonse listens to Kuros describe the division of rooms, and raises a questioning eyebrow.

"Really?" he asks, looking over the group. "Well, that seems a rather lopsided distribution of wealth. Not that I have any personal or professional objection to that as a concept, but you needn't worry about me being anything less than an absolute gentleman, if that's your concern."

[Morbis Meh]

Finished and satisfied with her survey of the room, Serena promptly goes to her bed and sits down on it. She moves her head toward the others and gives a look that would clearly say 'Get Out'. She would allow the others to get the gift since she would be doing the majority of the work for the last task. She could also identify the Lordling if she really wanted to but that would give away her ability and that wasn't something she was prepared to do in front of another Leng.

[Magnema]

Scita, seeing the look, leads the other two non-Leng females into their collective room.

She plops her stuff on her bed, turns to Telina, and says: So. I don't want to press, but I know Leng politics can be somewhat... oppressive of information. Understand, I work with the Leng, not for them - or at least, that's how I consider myself, even when I'm on missions. Thus, just as the Leng don't tell me everything, I don't tell them everything so if there's something we should be made aware of, feel free to let me know, and I won't tell Kuros. I understand the whole Serena-Kuros issue - the Leng are... competitive at best; indeed, we're only here because our mission was sabotaged by a faulty map - but that doesn't mean we can't share information more freely."

She smiles and adds, "Doesn't mean we have to, either - as I said, I don't want to press. Just... don't feel uncomfortable, and understand the nature of the Leng to Not Leng politics here when you're deciding whether or not to share information, 'kay?"

She says, "For instance, it's appropriate that you know some of my abilities. I have some spellcasting ability, and would deem it appropriate to use it here. So: I'm going to cast an Alarm spell, which will wake me if someone comes near, just as a precaution against possible Fey intrusion; the password is 'Rutabaga.' Kuros knows this, as I mentioned it to him as a part of a standard defense in a town earlier; use that password and, at least for this casting, you won't give me a mental ping." She then casts the spell, with the aforementioned password.

[RecoveringGamer]

Now that she is accustomed to Scita's speaking habits, tilts her head in mild curiosity as the elf speaks at length. When she's finished, Telina gives an awkward smile and rubs the back of her head.

"Well, I can breathe fire!" she exclaims, with a small laugh. "There's some other stuff too... maybe you noticed the scales? Dragon blood." She rubs her wrists again, averting her eyes as she usually does when mentioning her nature.

[Dromuthra]

Each of you settles in to your rooms, and eventually drifts off to sleep. In the morning, you awaken to find plates of food in your room along with a note. It reads, "I've gone off to the markets today to set up shop there, and I should be back in my room in the early evening. You know what needs to be done; work amongst yourselves to figure out how. Don't worry about the food, I checked and it isn't poisoned. I've drawn a rough map of the settlement on the back of this note. Remember that we have today and tomorrow to find the Lord and a suitable gift, and that the Great Hunt is tomorrow night."

The food itself is fairly basic, a plate of eggs and toast along with some hot oatmeal. A small glowing glyph carved into the dishware reveals how they have kept their warmth in the time it has been sitting there.


You see Kuros come in, carrying all his gear on his back, and bearing several plates of food. Speaking the password, (if necessary) Kuros quietly slips into the room and places the food down on the table there. Looking at you, he whispers, "Good morning. It would probably be best for you to wait for the others to awaken so you can search with them, but I'm off to the markets now." So saying, he closes the door silently, and you hear muffled footsteps moving down the hallway and out of the building.

The "rough" map provided reveals that Neul Geall is divided into general districts based upon the purpose of those areas. Several areas are marked off as "Lower Fae Living," while others are noted as the Market District, Entertainment District, Courts District, and Noble Fae Living. He has also circled three of the larger trees closer to the center of the settlement, with a footnote that the Lord probably lives in one of these three locations.

[Magnema]

Well, we've got a few things to do. We have to figure out who the Lord is, find an appropriate gift, and work out what is going on with the Fey and why the Hunt is here given that."

(Consider Hollyanna and I to have relayed information from Kuros to the others concerning the Hunt and explained what we know of what is happening to the Fey at this point.)

"First decision is, do we split up or not. Concerning that: who here is able to communicate with the Fey in their native tongue, and who feels confident enough in their abilities to deal with them? I speak Sylvan and have some knowledge of their ways; anyone else have anything worth noting, or any skills worthy of mention which can help us in this regard?"

"Insofar as other abilities go, I can also cast Detect Thoughts, but I think most Fey would resent the intrusion, and powerful Fey might be strong enough to do something about it."

[Morbis Meh]

Serena ignores Scita and begins to eat her breakfast quietly, she didn't even bothering reading the note since she was more than sure the others would talk about it. She was content to remain passive for the time being, it was in her best interest for the time being to keep her ability secret. Sylvan generally wasn't a language learned by her people since it was a very rare occasion to trade with them because they were too bothersome to deal with. Her opinion on the matter of splitting up was that it was hardly a good idea, wandering in small groups in a foreign city was just plain foolhardy not to mention having more people around usually meant having a more diverse skill set available.

[Time Blossom]

Alfonse picks his teeth with one of breakfast's bones as he listens to Scita's spiel.

"Can't say as I speak Sylvan," he answers, when the question of talents is raised. "I did, once, but that was a long time ago. Just common and celestial these days. Though speaking of intrusions, do we have any insights into how the Fey feel about ownership? And more to the point, theft?"

He tosses the bone onto his plate with a clatter, and laces his fingers behind his head. "Because depending on their attitudes on that sort of thing, it might be both more economical and more impressive to the Queen if we were to steal something from the Hunt than buy something."

I assume that would either be Knowledge(Nature) or Knowledge(Local) to understand their stance on theft?

I only have ranks in the latter, so if it's the former and more than DC 10... just ignore this roll.

[roll0]

[Dromuthra]

You recall hearing that the Fae do believe in ownership, but regard theft as a game. If you can get away with it, bystanders (Fae not directly affected) will show your action a little respect, like an impressive magic trick. The audacity of the crime and difficulty determines its impressiveness. You also recall several stories of the nasty punishments inflicted on captured would-be criminals.

[Magnema]

"Question is, as guests, how grand our prize has to be. If it doesn't have to be anything special, then it's easy enough - theft would work, although so would more conventional methods. If it has to be something grand... well, I'm concerned that theft from any Fey powerful enough to have something of importance would be theft from someone powerful enough to have resources that might find out what we were doing. I'm good at that kind of thing, but not so good that I'd feel confident stealing from someone high up."


Due to my high bonus, I'm assuming I'll know what Alfonse knows, or close enough, and maybe more. Just in case:
Nature: [roll0]
Local: [roll1]

To find out what I know about the local lords (if anything - not expecting much, since N&R is the more relevant Knowledge, but Local's close enough I might know something):
Local: [roll2]

(Geez, a 2? Really? Guess I don't know too much then...)

Also, to know about the gifting traditions (figuring that'd be Nature and not Local due to it being more than a local phenomenon.)
[roll3]

[RecoveringGamer]

Nibbling on a point of toast, Telina listens to the talk of theft with no small degree of concern. She eventually speaks up after finishing. "Sticking together is safer, I think. I don't really understand what this hunt is about, but stealing something in a completely foreign culture like this doesn't seem like a good idea. Is there no way we could simply purchase a gift? It isn't profitable, but I'm more concerned with survival at this point."

She briefly turns to her employer, but looks downward after it is apparent that the Leng does not wish to contribute her opinion.

[Time Blossom]

"I'd think that the Queen would be able to offer some kind of clemency, if the bauble were shiny enough," Alfonse answers, leaning back in his chair and setting his boots on the table. "And two thieves can prevail where one might fail, if I might be so bold."

He sighs, mildly annoyed at the dismissal of the idea but understanding of the logic behind the objections. "Still, better to lose gold than blood, I suppose. If it will get us out of here that much faster, buying is at least almost as good as stealing. Fewer warrants and such. Not that I would ever plan on coming back here. Ever. Exceptional stress on 'ever,' if that wasn't clear."

He sweeps his legs off of the table and springs to his feet, dusting himself off. "Either way, I think I am going to go find the nearest friendly innkeeper and get a feel for the area. Window shopping may ensue. You're all welcome to join me."

With that, he sets off downstairs to chat up the innkeeper, and generally poke around their erstwhile home.

Gather Information: [roll0]
Listen: [roll1]
Spot: [roll2]

[Morbis Meh]

Serena finishes her meal and daintily wipes her lips with a serviette before abruptly standing up and following after Alfonse with her staff feeling its way around the halls. Telina and how do you suppose we pay for such a trinket? Especially one grand enough to impress the ruler of the Unseelie court? I am not discounting your idea but simply requesting further details to your suggestion... Nonetheless before such a gift could be purchase it would be prudent to understand the nature of the being we are attempting to impress, now come along we have work to do, unless you trust Alfonse not to get himself arrested without us. Shifting her concentration to her other companion Serena sighs If you wish to steal Alfonse then fine, but I expect a full, detailed plan outline before execution, understood? Before you begin casing out places it would be a better idea to get a sense of what our target covets, there are much more tantalizing commodities than gold and gems I assure you.

[RecoveringGamer]

Telina telepathically responds to Serena, explaining, "I've no idea what the collective funds of our party are, especially considering the other Leng. Though even if we do not have sufficient funds, bartering away a few items might be something to be considered if it would save our lives."

She sighs under her breath as her companions rise before doing the same. "Alright everyone, we've got to get our bearings." Hopefully there will be sights worth seeing.

[Magnema]

As Serena made her announcement telepathically and not (I assume) to myself and Hollyanna, Scita says while Serena is speaking telepathically (as it appears to her to be a lull in the conversation): ""Whether stealing or paying is better would depend on the expense and defense of the item we are planning to obtain. Thus, I believe it would be logical to decide our method only once we have an item chosen. So: I agree, lets go try and work out what we're getting for whom."

(She takes note of the apparent fact that (I assume) while Hollyanna looks at her and listens to her, Alfonse and Telina seem to be probably looking at Serena at the same time or at least paying less attention to her personally, and therefore, if they do look, that it would appear that they have some secret means of communicating, whether sign language or telepathy, or, if they're just not paying as much attention, that at the very least they don't seem to be acknowledging her opinion on this particular matter as highly important, which was odd, considering they acknowledged her completely before.)

I assume that would be a sense motive? It does seem like a reasonable thing to notice, but I might be prescribing more sensitivity than my character would have to to OOC knowledge. Then again, that's what rolls are for, so:
SM: [roll0]

[Dromuthra]

Sorry for missing the Knowledge Nature check.

From what you know about Faerie gifting traditions, you think that you will be presenting your gift to a lord, not the queen (since you aren't important enough) and that whatever it is has to hold value either to the gifter or the recipient.

Sense Motive Check: You notice that Hollyanna seems to be paying slightly less attention to your words than normal, similar to a person lost in thought.

[Time Blossom]

Alfonse rattles off a vaguely annoyed telepathic response to Serena as he walks down the hallway.

Serena, I'm honoring your wishes to keep up this little blind-mute-and-helpless charade instead of sharing valuable information with our allies and thusly improving our chances of survival like a smart person would do. Because you hired me, and as a professional, I respect that. But if you're going to keep micromanaging and telling me obvious things like 'have a plan' instead of treating me like a professional... well, I won't make the obvious threat. That would be petty and gauche, and we both know I wouldn't really do it. Because I'm a professional. And a pretty nice guy, all things considered, I don't know if you've noticed.

But it would make both our lives a little easier if you remember that I know what I'm doing and I was doing it long before you hired me. Which is why you hired me, no?

Following this, a conversation about the Hunt catches Alfonse's attention, and his ears prick up in the direction of the voices, followed soon after by his legs.

Several fascinating conversations with the locals later, Alfonse pulls his allies aside for a tête-à-tête to share what he's learned.

"So I've at least found out who we'd need to approach in regards to the Hunt, whether we want to trade in gold or... well, nothing." He holds up a hand, ticking off each name with a finger. "High Lord Dubhar is the top of the Unseelie totem pole, and High Lady Soilse is his Seelie distaff counterpart. They would seem the most likely candidates to bring back a worthy gift, assuming the Queen would be interested in something from the Hunt. They would probably also have the homes most worth plundering while everyone is busy with the Hunt, if I might be so bold."

He crosses his arms. "Unfortunately, the Queen's gift registry doesn't seem to be a common topic of breakfast conversation. If we want to know what sort of bauble to be on the lookout for, we'll need to inquire elsewhere."

[Morbis Meh]

Serena's mouth twitched at Alfonse's retort May I suggest simmering down that temper, the next time you feel it necessary to insult my intelligence I just may feel inclined to throw you out the window. I understand you are a professional, I wouldn't have hired you if it were not so, I am merely trying to determine if I wish to give aid to your designs or Telina's. So far both of your ideas are quite lackluster which is something I would expect of AMATEURS not professionals. As for survival you seem to show disdain for it, I find it rather unsettling you would blindly trust people you randomly just met. Now quit questioning my motives and get to work unless you expect me to do it for you.

[RecoveringGamer]

Stoically ignoring Serena, Telina turns her full attention towards Alphonse. "Good work, Alphonse. Shall we inquire elsewhere, then? Let's try to get a clear picture of what we need before deciding on what to do."

[Magnema]

"Well, if they're the ones we would steal from, and they're the ones we would give to... I am wary of stealing from one and giving to the other, lest we make enemies. Taking from one and returning what they 'lost,' on the other hand, might be a more viable option to avoid making enemies, but still get the gift given without a lack of resources. But let us see what is reasonable as a gift, as well as what defenses they might have, before coming to a final decision."

[Time Blossom]

"Stealing from one and giving to the other?" Alfonse asks, his eyebrow raising in puzzlement. "Do you think one of them would be the Queen, then?

'Twould make sense, of course, but it was not the impression he'd gathered. Mind you, he hadn't heard it explicitly ruled out either, so that might simply be a matter of jumping to false conclusions...

[Magnema]

"I apologize, I should clarify. Upon further thought, I realized that, according to Fae gifting traditions, we probably would not be important enough to warrant giving a gift to the Queen, and would instead be giving one to one of the Lords.

"Although... I suppose, if we had something worthy to give the Queen, then earning her favor might be well worth the effort, albeit possibly less safe. That said, our purpose here is not intended to be to curry favor, it is to do what we need to do and leave, so while gaining the favor of the queen may be an excellent idea, it is not one that I think we should currently intend to do."