Togo's Planar Adventre set partly in Sigil (part II)

[Togo]

This thread is a continuation of the old thread, located here:
http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?202019-Togo-s-Planar-Adventure-set-partly-in-Sigil-%28IC%29/page57&highlight=Togo

[Togo]

The Foundary is very wecloming.

Of course we can help, the lady behind the desk efuses. Her thick blindfold, made blue and glistening by the crystals impregnate the heavy cloth, doesn't seem to stop her orientating her head in your direction. A blue-violet headscarve, made of the same heavy cloth, is wrapped tightly around her head, totally obscuring her hair, which makes strange bulges against the cloth. Only the olive skin of her neck and shoulders, and a rather fetching green silk dress, is visible.

You're the nice people who were looking around the library yesterday, with Kalinor, isn't he a pleasant fellow? We'll be happy to share our resources with you as prospective members, because that's what it's all about isn't it? Being a community, being family, sharing. The corners of her mouth twich upwards, as if sharing a joke.

So you want to know where to find another portal? Well, I can see why you might want to avoid going far afield, we haven't had this kind of street violence for decades now, but not to worry, the Harmonium will find out what's at the bottom of it, they always do.

She rests a clawed hand on the counter, each 3-inch nail painted silver blue at the bottom, running to silver crimson at the top.

So you could just wait. It never takes long to sort these things out, and unless the perpetrator has the protection of a Faction, or gets out of the city, they'll catch them, and it will all settle down again.

Or you could a few of the local places. There's a simply splendid portal nearby, very large, goes straight to the 1st level of Hades. Or if you could probably just about reach the Lanyard's rest, a sort of drinking establishment. It's a bit of backstreet, but they have a portal through the city of Pandemonium, in the Outlands. Then there's the lost portal - very easy to use, but noone' ever come back, so it's bit tricky to tell where it goes. And then there's that silly bakeshop run by that dwarf. He has his own gate, but you might find it a bit of tight fit - it barely fits him, from what I hear.

She smiles again, broadly this time.

Or, you could use one of ours. As a member of the Foundary, prospective, you of course have our full support. We can set you up with the destination of your choice, arrange for someone to take receipt of whatever it is you're transporting, and make sure there are no... ah... loose ends.

Beneath her headscarf, something slides, scale against scale.

[Toliudar]

Godot

The little gnome smiles at the possibly-petrifyingly-beautiful receptionist.

"That is so, so kind of you. While of course we are distressed by violence of any kind, the current furor on the streets is less central to our vacation planning than a more personal need for a change of scenery. A discreet change of scenery, ideally with a two way portal, to a place somewhere on a Prime world. I, personally, would be honoured to be considered a member, whether provisional, conditional or prospective. How soon might we be able to make use of one? I could have the other prospective members back here within the hour."

[Cespenar]

The giant's bushy brows furrow with skepticism as he tries to figure out if it's just a predator trying to be civil despite herself, or are there some other implications behind her words. Either way, he keeps silent as the two women trade words with eloquence fitting a theatrical play.

Taking 10 for Sense Motive for 25.

[Togo]

She gives a brilliant smile, white fangs flashing.

Not at all. Ah.. the Prime plane you say? Why on earth would you want to... Well. We may have something there, or if not, something close by. Why don't you scare up your people and I'll go and see what we can do? We'll need the names of all the people you're travelling with, where you're going, details of any goods you may be moving - we charge a small percentage I'm afraid - and who you're meeting on the other side.

You're in a hurry? Well then, I'll organise security and a team to inspect your goods. So long as you're not moving anything controvertial, or that anyone else has a claim on, it should just be a question of totting up a fee.

She gives another toothy smile.

[Cespenar]

Listening to the medusa's conditions, Rhion sighs deeply, turns his head just a fraction to Godot's side, but refrains from responding. News traveling quickly or a simple coincidence, it nevertheless wouldn't be that easy, would it?

[Toliudar]

Godot

Godot smiles warmly.

"Why 'on earth' indeed, madam. I see what you did there. Your wit is sharp, madam."

Godot completes the thought only in her mind. How sharper than a serpent's tooth...

"If you could let us know the name of the prime world that your gate opens onto, and the cost for ten people to cross over, that would help us arrive prepared. I don't have all of the details at my fingertips, but I'm sure that Kalinor will be able to itemize something. And, out of curiosity, given the rather extraordinary circumstances here, and the rather lively life that is lead here under the best of circumstances, how do you determine whether something or someone is or is not controversial?"

[Togo]

She shakes her head

Sigil is... a small place and politics and gossip willl always be with us. You wouldn't believe some of the things that people will say about each other. I don't always like it, but there is some sense to it.

She gives a soft sigh.

Think of it like this. You arrived two days ago in the company of Kalinor, merchant and importer of large magical mirrors, met immediately with Nephira, who has been running a small mirror business on his behalf, whereupon people tried to kill you. Since then Kalinor has been asking rather a lot of people about magical items, which is odd because other people have been asking remarkably similar questions. Meanwhile we've been having at least two groups of people moving heavily laden wagons around at night, and leaving a trail of bodies in their wake. Today a group attacked Kalinor's compound, including some of the winged fiends that had been lurking on rooftops watching for something. Meanwhile there was a magical attack on Shutters, a gentleman's club for the discerning fiend. Someone put some kind of flaming ball through the roof of the Pavllion of Eternal Grace, and a celestial attacked the Temple of Abyss single-handed. Since someone would have to be mad or magically controlled to do that, there's some speculation that someone, very powerful with mind control, is stirring up trouble.

She reaches up and tightens her headscarf with a non-nonsense yank.

A certain gnome really impressed our observer in the marketplace with her mind control magic. Kalinor has suddenly disappeared, even though some people now have information for him. His compound, the same compound as that gnome, gets attacked by fiends, and now we suddenly have you, here wanting to leave in a hurry.

She gives a wan smile.

Now I know gossip's very unfair, and I'm sure you're all above board and with nothing more than the usual to hide, but if we were to help a mind-controlling gnome or a valuable magical artifact flee the city with no questions asked, we might get asked some really very uncomfortble questions. We'd be fine, this is the Foundary, and we answer to no one, but it would be a shame to take all that on without at least trying to make a profit out of it.

Unfair on you, of course. But you're right. Whether you're what people are looking for or not, you'd best get out of the city as soon as you can. Because soon even people outside the Foundary are going to start putting the peices together, and when they do, being innocent really isn't going to help.

She straightens up.

So. If you have that artefact that we're being offered so much for, bring it in, we'll help you haggle a decent price without getting killed. It's worth the cut. If you're the ones behind all this havok in the streets, well, I don't give much for your chances. If you're not, well, you're still not going to last long. My advice? Grab a portal, any portal, anywhere, and get out of here while you still can.

She pulls a wax tablet from behind the counter, and holds a stylus, poised.

If you still want to go through the Foundary, use our portals and contacts and protection, then yes, we're going to take precautions. A few questions under truth magic, search your bags and baggage. Nothing too personal. It's not fair, but we'll do it anyway. Because when you leave, we'll still be here.

She gives a smile.

How many people shall I say are coming?

[Toliudar]

Godot listens, hoping very hard that her actor's face betrays little, and also that whatever magic that the receptionist is using to replace her rather arresting vision is not so specific as to pick up a slightly slackened jaw.

"Please accept my humblest apologies, madam. I come from a small, mouthy and rather insular group of gnomes, and gossip within the group is, roughly speaking, a blood sport. Which is why I say to you now, that I am in the presence of a master. Please understand that I say this without a hint of irony, and with the utmost admiration. And alack, I don't even know your name. This is unforgiveable."

She hops down from Rhion's shoulder to land on the medusa's desk, trying to be as light footed as possible in doing so. She extends a hand in greeting.

"I am Godot, and I'm a writer by vocation. Whom do I have the pleasure of addressing, madam?"

Pleasantries out of the way, Godot picks her way through the minefield of questions, trying to clarify which ones she could confidently answer.

"The truth magic is of course as you wish, although I had no intention of lying to you. As I'm sure you understand, discretion is about the best eight-tenths of valour in circumstances like these. I anticipate ten of us returning, if we do return. The decision to make use of this portal is not entirely my own. And while I am not in a position to precisely deny or confirm the existence of an artifact, I'll ask in return - what would the presence of such a cargo do to the prospect of a possible portal arrangement with the Foundry?"

[Cespenar]

"By the by, the trail of bodies and the wagon carriers aren't really correlated to each other," Rhion interjects out of the blue, gazing outside the window in an innocuous manner.

"Or so I've heard, anyway."

[Toliudar]

Thinking back to the spider riders in the marketplace, and then the Children of Korolis, Godot felt a pang - both of regret, at the loss of life, the senseless violence. Also a niggling suspicion that it really was all connected. And as a dear but very blunt friend had once told her, 'the only thing that all of the evil in your life has in common is you.'

Her voice is soft and thoughtful.

"Well, not directly connected, anyway. We think."

She turns to smile up at Rhion. What a stroke of luck that they had been thrown together in their travels! How appallingly badly would it have ended if she had tried to take on the Children of Korolis herself. If Umbriel and Derk had been the only ones facing that atropal-thingy. Disastrous! Perhaps, if there were dark forces manipulating their lives, there were counterbalancing white kings and queens using them as their pawns.

[Cespenar]

Rhion smiles back at Godot (if a little apologetic for his hasty comment), and shoots a curious side glance at the lady medusa.

[Togo]

She gives a shrug, and holds out one delicately taloned hand.

I'm Cethyale. Charmed.

What would happen if you bring an artefact of some kind into the Foundary? Well.. if it's nothing particularly special, they'll probably let you keep it, but if it's rare or impressive in some way, they'll get it off you. They'll be talk, and a lot of arguement about the responsiblity of the Foundary not to export dangerous items to hapless destinations, even though that's kinda of our main business here, but basically it would be a bit like trying to carry a bread sculpture through a flock of pigs.. ah... pigeons.

[GuesssWho]

We need a new OOC post