Something Wicked (A D&D 3.5 Horror Game)

[Haluesen]

http://fc07.deviantart.net/fs70/i/2010/217/a/1/Foggy_Forest_by_HouEvil.jpg

Most of this world of Gorim that you live in stands firmly in the light. Heroism is strong, good prevails, darkness is cast away. But that's not where you are right now. Here lies The Whispering Plains, an ignored and scorned area in the kingdom of Goro, where all evil is known to dwell. Monstrous creatures, cannibalistic cults, and savage warlords are just the surface of this place. Crimes are commonly ignored, self-interest is the norm. Most simply put, all manner of darkness and evil are found here, with only those feeding off of it staying in this cursed place.

And you're stuck here.

Maybe you were traveling through on the way to another kingdom, perhaps you were delivering a package, and maybe you even came here intentionally to take advantage of their ways to gain power and wealth. But whatever your reasons, you're here now and you can't leave. A thick fog has fallen over the land, not unknown for this place but certainly rare. And this ancient curse keeps you here. Those that have tried to wander out of the region either are found to have been turned back, or are never seen again. So unless you are willing to risk it yourself, you're here until it passes.

So welcome to the town of Crasspatch. What brings you here now? The town is small but it has your basic needs met. The tavern Just Enough is always open to travelers, there are a fair number of shops open to be seen (assuming you care to have your money taken), and the town center has a large fountain that has been there before the town even rose around it. What are you doing now, where at? Then we shall see where this goes.

http://img2.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20130525004251/villains/images/thumb/a/a6/The_Evil_Grin.jpg/250px-The_Evil_Grin.jpg

[EdroGrimshell]

T'aella had only just arrived in town, Meeko perched on her shoulder, and Flit attached to the tanuki's collar. T'aella was not the norm of the region, dark skinned, white hair, and light purple eyes with a hint of pink to them. Meeko, a small red panda, was simply resting her head on T'aella's shoulder, the rest of her body across the haversack T'aella carried, she was normal for the most part, but her eyes showed an intelligence not seen in animals. Flit, on the other hand, was a simple gem, blue shot through with silver, in the shape of a tear drop, except when forced to use his power, where he blazed red.

T'aella wore surprisingly little, the most substantial thing she wore being her mantle, a thicker scarf draped over her head and shoulders, small beads hanging as a veil before her face. Few would suspect the simple piece of cloth to be enchanted to protect the wearer, nor that the unassuming girl wearing it was the pioneer of a new form of magic, and currently hunting down strange and powerful beasts for her magic.

Until she left town though, she'd have to find a place to settle in and rest. She headed to the tavern, hoping to hear some tales of the creatures in the region, she might be able to add some new ones to her tome soon, speaking of which, she took her monstrous tome from her haversack and set it out to look into some of her previous entries.

It's safe to assume that T'aella would be psionically focused coming into town.

[Jacior]

Corbin walks out of the fog again, facing into town. "Fascinating. The third time I've tested this and I end up facing the opposite direction I left in, but the same spot I left! I should really get a notebook to write this all down." He puts his hands on his hips and quirks his head to the side. "Would it do the same if I walked backwards I wonder." The tall grey elf turned and looked back at the fog. He really didn't look like half the adventurer he imagined himself to be.

Corbin didn't look imposing at all, even with his impressive height. He had no muscle mass, no apparent marks on his skin, not even a weapon to show. Wearing a simple brown shirt, a very patched pair of... what might have once been nice breeches and a similarly worn looking pair of boots. The only things that even indicated he was a traveler were the backpack and the quiver he carried, not that he had a bow to use with it.

Corbin sees T'aella come out of the fog and blinks. "So wait, people can come into the town from outside, but they can't escape it?" He rubbed a hand on his chin in a nearly comical manner. "That would mean whatever causes the fog is centered on the town? Hmm..." He wondered if the town had any records.

I would like to say that I currently have two spirits bound to me right now.

Gwenolyn's Ghost (With the Commune with Spirits and Last Impression abilities)
Milo of Clyde (With the Canvas the Streets and Urban Tracking abilities)

[Haluesen]

T'aella
The tavern Just Enough is quiet and somber, a fair change from standard taverns. A few groups sit together in a long-formed organization, and those that looked your way didn't bother to hide their looks of suspicion, curiosity, and refusal. Not long after you enter, a middle-aged human woman with lanky limbs and frayed blonde hair approaches you. She gives a polite bow and a nervous smile, before asking if there was anything you would like.

This region uses the standard D&D units, copper silver and gold, they sell pints of ale for 2 copper, glasses of wine for a silver, snack for a silver, and more complete meals for 5 silver, unless you are looking for something more specific in which case the cost will rise. Or you could ask her questions if you wish.

Corbin
The woman continues to walk past you as you muse to a tavern down the street. Meanwhile the whole time a male guard stood watching you with a mildly amused expression. When he spoke, his voice was gravely and deep, and held the same humor his look did. "Must be a newcomah then. We get your sort lookin around at the fog, playin with it. Should be glad it hasn't swallowed you whole. It does that at times." He shook his head and chuckled. "It's only this way because this village is on an edge of the mist. Walk to the other side of town, and you'll make progress. But only deeper into the Plains, and a pity you if that's what you desire. You're safer waiting it off in town, paying for a room at the inn before they run out, or begging someone to let you stay with them for however long that may be. Days, weeks, months maybe."

Duly noted, though I will probably have to read the abilities many times over and over before they stick in my mind. :smalltongue:

[EdroGrimshell]

T'aella pays five silver for a meal and some water, no need to buy wine when she could make good quality wine in seconds through her metabolic reserve. She'd just need the water to put it in. She didn't mind the stares, it made sense they'd not trust her with the mist about, "could you also bring something for Meeko?" she indicates the red panda currently curled up on the table, "fruits, nuts, or small game would be fine for her." as she says this, Meeko uncurls enough to show her head, giving a full view of the cute fuzzy animal she was. Flit was a bit more active in his own recon, being slightly nervous about the surroundings, though that was mainly because the waitress seemed nervous.

[Regalus]

When he had set out that morning Daenith had hoped to cover as much distance as he could before nightfall, but it seemed like the Fates had other plans for the young journeyman. Despite his best attempts at traversing the foggy domain, his efforts were for naught; only earning the certainty that whatever force was at work was well beyond the scope of the natural world.

So it was that frustrated, but undaunted, the young man made his way back to the village he had departed from a scant few hours ago to attempt and reclaim his room at the inn; all the while whistling a jaunty tune whose melody stood in stark contrast and deliberate defiance to the oppressive gloom that enshrouded the land tighter than the mist that heralded it. All in all, the weary young man simply hoped to rest his feet for a while and get a warm meal in his belly, before he tackled his traveling problems once more; even if the innkeeper would no doubt greet him with a smug grin after his failure...


Rolling Knowledge History and Arcana to see what I might know/be able to figure out about the way the mist is acting; let me know if any other roll is applicable.

History:[roll0]
Arcana: [roll1]

Well that was an unexpected result; a natural 20 on the second one no less.

[Jacior]

Corbin looks at the man. "Not particularly new, actually! I've been here about a week. I was hoping this mist would appear before I moved on, so this is a magnificent turn of events." He feels his pockets. "As for paying for a room, I'm actually about out of coin. You wouldn't happen to know anyone hiring would you?"

[Haluesen]

T'aella
The waitress took the coin and put it in a pocket of her apron, nodding. "Very well then coming right up. As for the food for your pet...I'm certain we must have some suitable things in the back. It'll be about 1 sp for a good assortement." She had a weak smile as she spoke and was clearly using a pretty standard professional tone for dealing with customers.

Feel free to try checks here in the tavern to gain some details, Listen, Spot (or did we make those Perception? I forgot), Sense Motive, similar things would prove useful. I rarely ask for such checks unless it's important, so get used to making your own if you want more information on your surroundings.

Daenith
The town itself was much the same as you left it: quiet, with a few people meandering about with their business, no one outside for long and basically everyone of age wielding at least a dagger or club openly. The village itself is primarily residential, with a couple small shops and businesses despite being practically the gateway into The Whispering Plains.

At the inn, the hulking bartender sees you enter and, as expected, grins mockingly. "So, d'ya like your trip in the fog? Please direct all comment 'n' complaints 'ere, I'll let our Board o' Tourism know." He laughed heartily, but you know from experience that the guy isn't all bad; just prone to playful teasing of people new to town.

Corbin
The guard chuckled a little bit again. "So you were waiting for this? A strange sort you are, though you aren't the first. Well, the owner of the main inn and tavern of the town, called Just Enough, does usually offer travelers rooms and meals for work done for him. He might have somethin' that works. Aside from that, the Capitain of the guard was lookin' for guards offering to clear some annoyance out in town. None 'ave taken the offer yet though. She might accept outside help."

[EdroGrimshell]

Meeko's ear twitches at the word 'pet' and a subtle growl echoes from her throat, causing T'aella to giggle a little when Flit relays the message, "she'd prefer to not be called a pet," T'aella comments as she hands over an extra silver coin.

T'aella
Perception: [roll0]
Sense Motive: [roll1]

Meeko
Perception: [roll2]

Flit
Perception: [roll3]

[Jacior]

"Not exactly waiting... More like hoping it'd happen while I was passing through!" Corbin says excitedly. "Where exactly would I find this guard captain? I'm not really familiar with the town. Sounds like it'd be right up my alley."

[Regalus]

"Aye!" Dani countered with a wry grin in good humor, not about to let the man's quip go unchallenged, "Such a majestic view truly like none I've ever seen before! In fact, I am already composing a song for it as we speak; such is how deeply your lands have touched my heart!" he exalted dramatically as he placed a hand tenderly over his heart and sighed.

"In fact, so enamored am I that I've decided to extend my stay a while longer," he ended genially with toothy smile.

[Haluesen]

T'aella
The woman looked somewhat confused but took your coin and went anyway without much other word. You could tell that 'nervous' seemed to be a mostly default state for her, she even walked off in a hurry. But the amount of coin requested suggested she was either going to bring out a rather healthy amount of food for Meeko or that she placed a heavy price, either for her own needs or at the request of Brutus, which would be a little odd of him.

Around the tavern Flit could pick up some of peoples' conversation; not a lot was about T'aella, because although people did find her manner and appearance odd she had been in town long enough to stop being such a spectacle. They also commented on the reemergence of the fog; it also wasn't too much of an oddity, but it was a lot more worrying. Some people spoke of considering moving to a larger city for protection from the creatures of the mist.

Not long later the waitress returned with 2 plates; a meal of bread with a cheese spread, pork, and a bit of vegetable soup and the mug of water for you, and a modest plate of nuts, berries, and even a little hunted rabbit. It seemed a little small for the price but not overwhelmingly so, maybe by 2 or 3 coppers.

Corbin
"Well if I'm thinkin' right she'll still be in the barracks; it's the only tall building in the town at the east end so it is hard to miss. If she ain't there, someone else'll be able to point ye the right way." The guard responded and, assuming you were done with conversation, went back to patrolling around this entrance of town. The few growls you could hear in the distance showed that maybe that was a good idea.

Daenith
The tavernkeeper, Brutus, laughed more at you dramatic way of speech and smiled more pleasantly at you. "Guess you don't have much choice if you can't make it far outta town. Yes, well the room is still open lucky for you, and no one else has requested a chamber so you don't have to share that one. Might as well enjoy that while you can, we'll have more people lookin' for lodging since all this is starting." Your room had a cost of 3 gp per night and came with breakfast each day, usually with enough variety to not go stale. But as he said it was a room with 2 sets of accommodations, so there was no knowing when you might have to share the room with another patron.

[EdroGrimshell]

T'aella thanked the server, not minding the extra cost all that much, a few coppers wasn't a big deal to her, and set the plate for Meeko down near her, giving her head a scratch that drew something akin to a purr from the small animal. Meeko opened an eye and inspected the plate, then stretched and yawned before she began to eat, starting by actually mashing a couple berries into the rabbit to give it some sweetness before taking a few bites, then turning to the nuts and switching. She seemed to like the chestnuts most out of the food though.

While Meeko eats, T'aella goes back to her book, grabbing the cup of water by the rim, pouring some into a little bowl she had for Meeko and setting it down for her, then lets a red powder fall from her palm into the water and swirling it into the mix, the water quickly changing color to wine red. After a few moments, she's set with a nice cup of elven red wine to go with her meal, which she picks at slowly while continuing to read her notes, specifically on wolves since she'd heard some howling on her way to the town.

She'd have to look into talking to Ovin and Dlimsim, her old cauldron was wearing out, she'd needi t fixed or a a new one for her rituals soon, and they were the most likely to be able to help with it, she herself wasn't very adept at crafting magical items, so she'd need the help. She'd brought roughly five thousand gold pieces specifically to pay for it and she hoped to leave with it, she'd need to pay for a horse and cart to help carry it back though. If they couldn't help she'd have to switch over to the much less familiar Strand Weaving method she discovered a few weeks prior.

[Regalus]

"No skin off my back, if ya gotta choose just make sure to send someone interestin' my way," he quipped cheerfully as he passed the man the coin's he was owed, "Any way, gonna head up to put my stuff away; see ya in a bit," he says in parting cheerfully, knocking on the wooden counter thrice before heading up to his room and putting his travel gear away. With that done, the young man heads back down to the common room to try to find a table, and get something warm and hearty into his belly.

[Jacior]

Corbin resists the urge to go investigate the growling noises and heads east through the town. "At least it's simple enough directions, I shouldn't be able to get too lost with that." He whistles a tuneless melody as he walks, which ends up sounding very unsettling with the mist around.

[Haluesen]

Daenith
The tavern is about half full of people, so finding a solitary table is pretty easy if you so choose. Everyone else here is a local that you might at least vaguely recognize, relaxing after a day or work or what have you. The only thing standing out in the room is a tanned woman in interesting garb that you're fairly certain you may have seen around town once or twice. She sits with small red panda that's currently eating. Normally she might be lost in a crowded tavern but the place isn't full and she looks distinctly different than others here.

If Dani sits alone, then a woman comes by a short while later to take whatever his order might be. If he goes to a more occupied area, then that will depend on where and how the people react to him.

They sell pints of ale for 2 copper, glasses of wine for a silver, snacks for a silver, and more complete meals for 5 silver, unless you are looking for something more specific in which case the cost will rise.

Corbin
The town itself is very quiet right now, being late enough in the day that many people are either at home or in the tavern. This combined with the fog leaves what would generally be a strong feeling of isolation. The 3 story tower though has a number of lights glowing on it, so it's easier to see than it would otherwise be in all this. That and the fog seems to be thicker outside of town than inside of it.

Roll a Perception check please. You are alone in the foggy, cleared town after all. :smallwink:

However while you are walking on your way to the barracks ahead, you hear a footsteps on the cobblestone somewhere behind you. Slow and methodical steps, only once marred by a stumble. Something is certainly behind you, and slowly approaching at that.

T'aella
Dlimsim would probably have more magical experience to help with anything related to your magical items. As for wolves the most common sorts around this town and the region in general would be worgs, rather than more conventional normal wolves. Naturally a pretty good deterrent for people leaving the town. Also it would seem, according to rumor at least, that a number of very large, pure white wolves have been seen in recent years traveling the region as well.

The tavern remains fairly rowdy while you read notes, a group of people glad to have survived another day without incident. There aren't a load of people though, so you at least aren't surrounded on all ends by loud, excitable civilians.

[EdroGrimshell]

T'aella hums lightly, worgs were more intelligent than wolves, meaning that her methods using them would be as well, but they were also more vicious and violent than normal wolves because of it. Maybe if tempered with a horse, a docile one, she could create a decent mount that could fight fairly well once trained, and a properly sentient one may even be able to learn basic skills as a warrior of some kind. White ones as well, those could be a local variant, or another species that may have unique traits she could study and use. But she caught herself before she went to far into planning and stopped that line of thought, she got too much into her work sometimes, that was not her purpose for being here today. Though the fact she'd probably be purchasing a horse anyway made this somewhat more viable than her other runs... no, stop that already.

T'aella sighs, rubbing her temples, her thoughts were wandering too much lately, that always seemed to be the case when the fog came around, like they caused her already limited attention span to shorten. She had to force herself to focus every so often, losing track of her own thoughts, it got tiresome quickly.

Speaking of, Dlimslim, the magic worker, and Ovin, the metal worker. She'd need to talk to them still, then find a stable later to see if she could purchase a horse and cart. That would be difficult, she didn't know Dlimslim all that well, and Ovin even less so, and she didn't know anyone in town that could help her with a horse and cart, not to mention the need for protection on the road. She closed her book at took a sip of her wine, letting the rich spirits clear her head a little.

[Jacior]

Corbin stops suddenly, being alerted to someone following him. But, were they following him? Or were they just walking this way as well? He listens to the footsteps to see if they stopped when he did. That'd be the best indicator if someone was following him.

Perception: [roll0]

[Regalus]

Noticing a fellow foreigner, which seemed to wrestling quite intensely with frustration if her expression was anything to go by, Daenith walks over to the dark-skinned traveler with a chipper smile, "Excuse me miss, couldn't help but notice you aren't from 'round here either. Would you mind if I kept you company, and swapped stories for a while?" he merrily requested as he fondly eyed the woman's pet.

[EdroGrimshell]

T'aella shifts her hand to look at the elf, "not at all, though I'm probably a bit more local than you might think," she says, then follows Dani's gaze, "I'm T'aella, and this is Meeko, she won't mind if you pet her, just let up if she starts making a little growling noise."

[Haluesen]

Corbin
The footsteps continued when he stopped, right up to him. There was now someone standing right behind Corbin, about his height maybe slightly taller. There was also something sharp being poked against his back. The person whispered in a snarly tone. "Don't make any sudden moves. Or I will gut you." Well that explained the sharp thing at least.

Dani and T'aella
Nothing to post here; the tavern remains active behind you two, Brutus kept up his work, simple stuff. Keep interacting.

[Jacior]

"Ok, ok. No sudden moves." Corbin says merrily. "How can I help you on this fine day... Sir?" Just because he might be gutted doesn't mean he couldn't be polite. It also didn't mean he wasn't going to create a rune underneath his feet as he spoke.


Trigger: Command Word
Base: Sonic Boom (Made to sound like screeching demons)
Damage: 3d6 Sonic, DC 18 Reflex for half

[Haluesen]

Corbin
The robber smirked and kept his threatening posture. "A fine day, sure sure. You should know the drill. Give me your coin, and I don't stab you and take it anyway. Pretty easy. Just hand it over, good and slow." Again he lightly prodded Corbin with the sharp object.

[Jacior]

"Ah, well, you see, that's the problem. I uh, only have one coin at all. And I kind of need it to eat and pay for my room at the inn." Corbin says, unable to see the man who was standing behind him. "Honestly, I'd rather you drop your coin and weapon and leave them with me so I can stay here in town for a while longer still."

[Haluesen]

Corbin
This would-be thief started to laugh a bit at that, though it was more of a cruel mocking laugh. "I'm not about to do anything you say! I'm the one with the weapon here. So you have 5 seconds to give me whatever you do have that's valuable, or I start taking out your insides. And no magic tricks! If I see one odd hand motion, hear one crazy voodoo word, it'll be over for you." He snarled at the end and waited.

[Jacior]

"But, what if I've already done a magic trick? For instance, I'm very good at making explosions!" Corbin turns around slowly, holding his hands up in a show of not doing anything with them. "I'll demonstrate now!" He makes a show at looking down between his legs at the ground, bringing the rune now inscribed there to light. "Cascade!" A moment passes before the world distorts with a cacophony of sound.

Explosion Damage: [roll0]
Reflex Save: [roll1]

[Haluesen]

Corbin could now see the man, sorta, heavily cloaked and hooded but he could at least see a scowling face under that cloak, overall the guy looked somewhere in his 30's or 40's. At first he gripped the dagger tighter and growled, "What're ya-" KABOOM! The guy was thrown back by the force of the sonic effect, reeling and dropping his dagger and generally looking like an absolute mess. By the time it was done he was on his knees on the ground, shaking, hands on his head with what seemed to be a bit of blood leaking from his nose. "What...what in the Hells..." he muttered, looking very shaken and weak.

[Jacior]

"Yes! As a matter of fact it was! You have a good ear for sounds!" Corbin looked almost completely unruffled by the event. The only things that showed he was affected by it were his hair standing on end and, when the man looked closer, blood in his teeth. "Have you heard demons screeching before, or was that a guess?" His head tilts ever so slightly to the side as his already manic grins spreads just a little wider.

[Haluesen]

Corbin
The thief looked at Corbin dumbfounded, then scuttled back a bit from his, sitting in the dirt with a hand still on his head but the other pointing at him accusingly. "H-H-Hey! I s-said no magic!" It was all he could really get out what with the wincing in pain, and probably didn't have a lot of threatening to it considering he was taken to the ground and Corbin wasn't. "I th-thought the guild mages didn't c-c-come out this far, what gives?!" Also, his knife lay about 5 feet away from him, and looked like a pretty standard knife used for cutting thick meat.

[Jacior]

"And you had a knife at my back wanting to take my very last coin!" Corbin says merrily. "And I'd already cast the magic before you said so, so that didn't count." He nods, like it was a perfectly reasonable answer. "What's a guild mage?" He asks with an interested tone. He taps the buckle on his belt with an offhand manner, taking the sting out of his wounds.

Using Healing Belt (1 charge): [roll0]

[Regalus]

Dainith's smile brightens as he takes as seat, genially extending a hand towards T'aella, "Daenith Eruantien, though most folks I meet prefer to call me Dani it seems," he greets airily, "Might I have the honor hearing your name?"

[EdroGrimshell]

"T'aella Avo'tinas Ne'cota," T'aella replies, taking the hand with her own, "what brings you to Crasspatch?" she asks, "not many travelers come here, as you may have noticed."

[Regalus]

"Too true! Though the land has a certain charm to it," he quips in god humor, "I'm here looking for songs, though I hope to find the Whispering Planes have been muttering about for so long,"

"What about you? You say that you're more local than I think, yet you seem as if you're a long way from home if your friend and name are anything to go by," Dani comments as he gently reaches towards Meeko to pet its fur.

[EdroGrimshell]

"I was born on a trip through the region, my parents left me here thinking that it was some kind of ill omen," T'aella replies, "it reflects in my name as well, which I learned means 'Child of Grave Whispers' in an old dialect of undercommon. I lived in an orphanage in Scapwatch, a city a ways travel from here, until I was eleven. And Meeko is a local as well, though I think they were accidentally introduced to the area a few decades ago, they're rather naturalized now," speaking of the red panda, Meeko pushed her head into Dani's hand, much like a cat would.

[Regalus]

"I see, so what do you do for a living then?" he inquires, briskly trying to change the subject to something that wouldn't drudge up any more bad memories from the woman.

[EdroGrimshell]

"I'm an alchemist, though I do train animals as a hobby as well," T'aella says getting a look from Meeko, "Oh I don't mean you Meeko and you know it," she says to her familiar, getting Meeko to nod with what could be called a satisfied look. With that settled, T'aella looks back to Dani, "what about yourself? You said you were looking for songs so I take it you're a bard?"

[Haluesen]

Corbin
He looked very confused at Corbin's questioning. "Wh-wha? But ...how do you not..." He looked away and whistled lowly before speaking again. "Crazy man...the Order of the Whispering Councilors. They may as well run this place, the entire damn Plains. You don't cross them. And if you aren't one of them, the you either gotta get their permission fast or go find somewhere to hide and cry until they find you. If you're lucky, they'll ruthlessly kill you." The thief was visibly shaking at the mention of this Order. "No one here uses magic without joining them, or at least getting a license from them."

[Jacior]

Corbin kicks at the dirt while the man finishes his explanation of this so-called guild. "Oh, I'm not worried!" He grins again, blood still in his teeth. "That was only a little explosion! I can make much, much bigger!" He claps his hands excitedly. "Do you wanna see?"

[Regalus]

"Yes, thank you! You wouldn't believe who often people call me minstrel," he starts with a wide grateful smile, "While the arts are my lifeblood I do get some coin on occasion from playing guard or helping with wounded; along with the ocassional services as a lorekeeper, though I confess the market in that isn't what it used to be these days,

"It's a pity really, but it makes the duty no less important,"

[EdroGrimshell]

T'aella stifles a laugh at that, it seems he had a little tick when it came to that, she was interested to see his normal reaction to being called a minstrel now, though she wouldn't act on it herself, "too true," she says once she's controlled her laughter, though a glimmer of mischief and knowing enters her eyes, "the times are indeed changing, and the market with it. My own sales have been rather... profitable, of late. The mists making everyone paranoid leads to higher sales of alchemical wares. My anti-toxins, sleep aids, and clearwater tablets have been selling quite well, earning me enough for the reason I am here."

[Haluesen]

Corbin
The thief crawled back further. "U-ugh! You k-keep your explosions to yourself! AHHHH!" And he jumped to his feet and ran off down the street in terror, stumbling and at one point even doing a full roll to escape. In his haste, he left a brown leather pouch on the ground.

[Regalus]

After calling over the waitress and ordering a simple meal, the young elf turns his attention back to his companion to continue their conversation, "Oh, and what would that be? Looking for ingredients?"

[EdroGrimshell]

"Not quite, I have an enchanted cauldron back home, however, it is in disrepair, possibly on its last few dregs of magic, it's an old design, I'm not entirely sure if it can be recreated with today's methods," T'aella replies, "I'm looking to have it repaired or remade, or at least a suitable substitute. Dlimslim is the closest person that can aid me in that endeavor that I know of, and Ovin is one of the best blacksmiths I know."

[Jacior]

Corbin watches the man flee, debating shooting him in the back with an arrow. After a moment, he decides against it and picks up the bag and takes a peek inside before grabbing the knife. "What an absolutely odd man."

[Regalus]

"Sorry to hear that, I know a bit of magecraft myself; but alchemy and items aren't really my forte," he comments sadly, "Though I'm hoping to talk to Dlimslim myself to see what he has in stock; I'm planning on traveling around the region for a while, and I think he's my best shot at getting some decent wards for the area,"

[EdroGrimshell]

"Hm," T'aella hums, "perhaps you'd be interested in accompanying myself when I leave, I have plans for an... interesting bit of work that will likely require large amounts of travel to obtain various creatures, which would allow you to see much of the region and see things that are likely unseen outside the whispering plains."

[Regalus]

"Well, I wouldn't mind at all. You can count me in then!" Dani starts, his smile blossoming into a full grin as his food arrives, "Gotta say your a blessin' straight from the gods; always best to travel with someone who knows the area, saves ya a heap of trouble. Of course, I'll do what I can to help ya,"

"Sure I can help you pass the time and make the trip more enjoyable, but as I can also help keep you safe. I may not look it by human standards, but I'm not too shabby with a sword when push comes to shove," he explained happily before trying his food.

[EdroGrimshell]

"I wouldn't know, the most I've seen for weapons are spears, clubs, and daggers, with the occasional crossbow or sling," T'aella replies, "my father used a staff as his primary weapon, and my mentor only carried an elven longbow, the ones that can be used as staves," she continues before Meeko makes a noise, pushing her head under Dani's hand, I think she likes you, a sudden male voice rings into Dani's head.

[Haluesen]

Corbin
Inside the leather bag were a handful of 10 gold coins, some carved bit of wood no bigger than a finger, and some type of scrawled writing on a slip of paper with a rope through it, almost looking like a pendant on a necklace. The words appeared to be some sort of magical writing, perhaps an enchantment, though to find out more would require some dedicated thinking and maybe research. Either way, with the thief cleared out the way to the barracks was free of obstacles.

If you think Corbin might be able to understand the enchantment, roll a Spellcraft check. Knowledge (arcana) may help as well.

[Regalus]

"I'd sure hope so, Dani commented in good cheer before blinking in confusion, wondering where the mental projection had come from before his gaze fell upon Meeko, "Well, I'll be...aren't you something special! I haven't come across someone with your gift in quite sometime," he praises the familiar as he renews his caresses with greater appreciation at Meeko's apparent approval of him as a companion for it's mistress.

"You were trained by an elf?" Dani questioned curiously

[EdroGrimshell]

T'aella seems confused, until she gets what happened, "I take it you heard a male voice right? That would be Flit, Meeko's female," she comments, "Flit is that little gem on her collar, say hi," a moment later, the gem grows a dragon-like body and comes off of the collar to look up at Dani, Hello, came the voice again while the little dragon-like body uses its tail to wave at Dani, "he's a psicrystal, a rather advanced one at that."

"And I was indeed, her name was Riena, a sorceress that was acquainted with my adoptive father," T'aella replies to the inquiry, "she helped me refine some of my skills as well as teaching me how to keep detailed notes in my grimoire," she pats her rather large book.

[Jacior]

"This is enough money for at least a week! Maybe I don't have to go see the guard person after all!" He pulls the little wooden carving out of the bag and looks at it. "What are you?"

[Haluesen]

Corbin
The carving didn't seem to be anything special, a bit of pine wood cut into a small vaguely cat-like shape, easily made to fit in the palm of your hand. There's no feeling of magic on or around it, it's either some superstitious symbol or just something the thief made to pass the time. It's not an expert work, but it does look like what it was trying to portray...most likely at least.

[Jacior]

"I shall call you Bernard!" He declares at the small cat figurine. "I shall find a string and display you as soon as possible my elaborately underdone effigy!" He sticks the carving back into the bag. Noticing nothing else of note, Corbin makes his way to the barracks. The trip is made longer by his fighting imaginary robbers with the knife he'd just obtained.

When he arrives, he bursts in with a mighty declaration. "I HAVE COME FOR A JOB! Also, I've freed the town's populace from a number of uncharacteristically vaporous villains."

[Haluesen]

Corbin
There were a few people in this little entry room before the barracks chambers, and all of them were looking at Corbin now. The 2 armed men standing by the entrance gave him bewildered looks, one even jumping upon Corbin's entry. A woman with a bow who had just been entering the room looked surprised and thoughtful for a moment, before slowly walking back away into the room she was just in. And another heavily armed woman who was sitting at a table a few feet from where Corbin was just gave him a sort of blank, serious look. It was this woman who spoke first.

"A job...I see then. Well it seems we will have to give you the psyche evaluation first, but then again you'll have to score pretty badly to do worse than most of the people here. So you have a chance. Come here then, take a seat." The woman spoke in a tone as deadpan as her expression, and motioned to a chair at the table and move a mess of paperwork as well as some food on a plate more to her side of the table.

Daenith and T'aella
While they were having their discussion, and meetings and greetings were being had, a very familiar person entered the tavern. It was Dlimsim, the gnome dealer of the arcane. Unless either of the two wanted his attention, he was going to go take a seat over at the bar. It may be coincidental that he's here, but then again this is the only tavern in this small place.

[Jacior]

"No, that's quite alright, I need no reward for the vanquishing of villainous vapors, thank you anyway." Corbin says, appearing to have misheard the woman entirely. He turned to one of the armed men and extended the knife towards him. "Concierge! My weapon, if you would deign to put it in the coat room with the others." His face scrunches up for a moment at the presumably recoiling man before a light seems to come on in his head. "Oh yes! Of course, how silly of me." He reaches into his pocket and pulls a silver coin out. "I almost forgot to tip!" He presses both the knife and the coin into the guards hands and places his hands on the chair. "Now, I assume part of this test is you not telling me exactly where to take this seat, hmm?!"

[Haluesen]

Corbin
The guard looked utterly bewildered at the basic knife and silver coin, before neatly setting the blade on a nearby stool and pocketing the silver coin. The other guard stared at him accusingly, and neither of the 2 seemed to be able to come up with any words in light of this.

The guard woman toyed with a quill for a moment as she considered Corbin and his strangeness there, thought on everything he said, and then spoke in the same quiet serious inflection. "I do thank you for stopping any criminal threat in this city, but I will need proof before I can offer up an appropriate bounty. Anyone can walk in and claim to have stopped crime, expecting payment and further work. And as for the chair, you may "take it" where you wish, but wherever it goes you must then sit in it, and it must be somewhere that you can reasonably still speak with me, as I have important questions I need to ask you. Is my meaning clear?" She gave him a sort of challenging look, still messing around with the quill. Whatever she might think of Corbin's behavior, it didn't show on her face. Just the same calm and direct focus.

[EdroGrimshell]

"Speak of a devil and it shall appear," T'aella says on spotting Dlimslim, "should we call him over or leave him be until he goes back to his shop? I'm not certain he'd be all that happy talking business if he came here to relax."

[Jacior]

Corbin takes a moment in response and frowns. "Well that's not very fun at all! But fine, I'll play this game your way... As long as I get to ask you some questions too!" He nods, apparently appreciating his own cleverness. "Yes, yes. Many important questions to be asked and so much time to ask them!"

[Regalus]

"Wait. You're a student of both arcane magic and psionics, and have two familiars? " he questioned in amazement and surprise after giving Flit a curt greeting, "I have to admit that's a first in my book; don't think I've met anyone who's gone so in depth into both schools," he commented in wonder before his attention was turned to the arriving gnome.

"Honestly, I'd say let the poor chap enjoy his meal first; we can talk to'em once he's done. No one likes to have their peace interrupted for buissiness,"

[EdroGrimshell]

T'aella chuckles at Dani's amazement, "I was born with a strong psionic talent, according to my mentor, but it was naturally tempered with magic. My arcane tutor describes it in the reverse sense, a strong magical talent tempered by psionics. My belief is that the two are twined so tightly that when one grows, so does the other," the dragon-shaped shell around the crystal made its way back to Meeko, twining its tail around the collar and pulling back up, folding in on itself back to its crystal form as T'aella speaks, "which neither of my mentors have ever heard of before."

[Regalus]

"That makes three of us! I've run into some people with psionic talent before, but usually the story goes that they use it to either augment their magic; or focus solely on their innate talent. I imagine it must require quite the rigorous training to maintain such a delicate balance, and prevent either one from getting rusty,"

[EdroGrimshell]

T'aella chuckles again, "not as much as you might think," she replies simply, "as I said, the two are entwined. Put simply, my psionic talent is the structure and shape, while my magic is the power. Like a house, the psionics are the support beams while the magic is the roof and walls. Without both, a house is ineffective, either because it won't stay together or because it doesn't protect from the elements. I don't really know how else to explain it."

[Haluesen]

Corbin
The woman sighed in frustration and gave a curt nod. "You may ask questions but I cannot promise you an answer to them. Now sit down please." Even though she said that, she decided to start the questioning whether he sat or not, looking at a parchment she pulled from seemingly nowhere. "First question, the most plain, have you ever experienced strange mental phenomenon, such as hearing voices in an empty room or seeing things that others do not? Things seen through magical spells are to be ignored here." The guards still in the room just looked confused, like they didn't understand why there was such a question.

[Jacior]

"Yes and yes." Corbin says with no hesitation, flipping the chair around and sitting on it backwards. "My turn then... Hmm..." He sat still for a moment, as if listening to something. "Oh! This is a good one: Why don't you have any vices? It seems like most people would resort to some sort of escapism in a place like this!"

[Haluesen]

Corbin
She gave him an altogether suspicious look and tossed the paper into a drawer. "That is no real business of yours. Not everyone needs one, I do well enough with my service to the town to not need something like that. And those were the only questions I need to ask if you answer so readily. I'm sorry, but I cannot allow you a job as a guard without feeling like I am putting my warriors here at risk." She leaned back in her chair now, assuming he was done talking now that she had given an answer to his request for a "job".

[Jacior]

"Oh, well isn't that terribly boring! But I'm afraid I simply must insist that you allow me to assist you. I'm very good at what I do." Corbin says, thinking for a moment. "Or you can answer a question! And if you choose that one, I want a real answer!"

[Haluesen]

Corbin
She gave him another serious look, but now more appraising and thoughtful. After a moment she spoke. "Well I can't use you as a guard, but you do at least seem like a skilled sort. So I may indeed have some work for you, but it will just be an assignment or two, not a steady career. Would you be up for something like that? And you can continue to ask questions, but I stick to what I said before. I may not be able to give you answers. Not that I know why you wanted the answer to that last one anyway..." she muttered the last sentence.

[Jacior]

"Curiosity! No better reason to do anything really!" Corbin says cheerily. "And I'm pretty sure you COULD give me an answer. You might just not want to. Besides, that's not how the game is played. I can't just ask a question willy-nilly." He nods to himself seriously. "I wasn't expecting a career. Nine Hells know I certainly don't want to. I came hear because a man in a helmet said you were looking for a man for serious things. Not guarding against the mundane!"

[Haluesen]

Corbin
"What? Then why didn't you just say so upfront? Geez..." She looked somewhat baffled, then just annoyed as she rubbed her forehead and temple. After a deep breath, she went on. "Well yes I certainly could use the help with certain problems in town. It will likely be dangerous though. But there will be substantial rewards. Are you still in?"

T'aella and Dani
About 10 or 15 minutes later, the mysterious gnome finished with this meal and sat back at his table, flipping a silver coin. If either of you were to look his way, he'd show a cunning smirk and a little motion as though expecting you to speak with him.

[Jacior]

"You didn't ask! I assumed you knew already. A good guard captain usually knows everything that goes on in her town. At least, that's what my books have led me to believe." Corbin says, referencing things he doesn't seem to have on him. "There's rarely point in doing anything that isn't dangerous. And what I consider dangerous and what you consider dangerous are probably two different levels of dangerous. My magic lets me take care of a lot of problems."

[EdroGrimshell]

"my request will probably take some time to talk specifics," T'aella says to Dani, once it was obvious that Dlimslim was waiting for them, "it may be better for you to ask first, I don't want you waiting all night after all."

[Regalus]

"Thank you kindly T'aella," he said with a smile, the relatively young man finishing his drink before walking over the the waiting merchant.

"'Ello sir, hope you enjoyed your meal," Daenith starts with a friendly grin as he takes a seat opposite to the smirking gnome, "I'm hoping to do a bit of traveling 'round the plains, and word has it your the man to go to for the discerning traveler; any chance you have anything that can help?"

[Haluesen]

Corbin
"Well the danger comes from the fact that the situation is mysterious and magic is likely involved. Nonetheless, I feel like you are capable enough." the captain spoke to him, preferring to not engage in a topic she didn't care about. "A number of strange occurences around one building in town have led to panic among the people, including some injuries and a death. I need for you to find out if it is a haunting, dark magic, or just some tricky people, and make the place safe again. It causes enough trouble to even bother people who are not in the house itself; just being on the street near it is enough to provoke it." She paused to give Corbin the chance to ask questions.

T'aella and Dani
The cunning gnome gave a devious grin, his hands folded on the table as he addressed Daenith in a raspy voice. "There is much I can do to help, assuming you can meet my prices. I have maps of various places in the region, I have supplies that you may not be able to find with others. I even carry magical trinkets that can ward away insidious influences. What is it you're looking for, good sir?"

[Jacior]

"Well, if it's a haunting, that's easy enough to take care of. I can talk to ghosts, you know." Corbin says with that slightly manic grin of his. "I'm mightly knowledgeable about magics and such as well! But Tricksy People, I'm not sure I can handle that. You sure you don't have a mysterious murder you'd like me to look at? Any corpses laying around without a known killer?" He says all this with a certain child-like glee, like he knows something everyone else doesn't. "Or maybe you just want something, or someone, blown up? I'm really good at that!"

[Regalus]

"Primarily I'm looking for protection; there's little point to exploring or knowing exactly where I want to go if I can't make it there in the first place,"

[EdroGrimshell]

T'aella listens in to the conversation, both to know when she could jump in and to get a better read on Dani himself.

[Haluesen]

Corbin
The guard captain sat up in her seat to address Corbin but looked worn out by him. "No I have nothing like that. Not right now. Just this investigation needing done. That said if you can find the perpetrator then you can deal with them as you wish. They need to be punished for the trouble they've caused to the town."

T'aella and Dani
Dlimsim just scoffed at this. "Hah, protection? I can offer those talismans for warding away vile essence, that's the best protection I can offer to you. If you need safety from the dangers of the uncivilized areas, hire mercenaries." He took a long drink of his ale and muttered, "Trouble in civilization is another problem entirely..."

[Jacior]

Corbin jumps up out of his seat, tripping over it and falling on the floor. After a moment of being on the floor, he scrambles to his feet and slams his hand on the desk. "It's an accord then!" He extends his pinky to the captain. "Shake on it!" If she refuses, he basically takes a huge affront to it and collects his knife from the guard before walking out.

A moment later, he pokes his head around the edge of the door frame. "Do perpetrators need hands? Eh, I'll figure it out!" Corbin says vanishing back on onto the streets.

[Regalus]

"Oh? Strife brewing in Plains?" Daenith prodded with interest, hoping the gnome would explain what he meant.

[Haluesen]

Corbin
The guards jumped in surprise at the sound of the chair crashing to the floor. The captain at this point seemed to just understand that Corbin may be nuts. When he held out a pinky to shake to her she gave him a look with a raised eyebrow and slowly took his with hers to shake. At his departure she spoke to one of the guards who quickly ran out after Corbin. "Wait sir!" He called out to Corbin, hopefully before he went too far.

Dani
Dlimsim laughed and shook his head slowly, an expression like 'can you believe this?' written on his face. "You know where you're at. This is the Whispering Plains, m'boy. If you can walk through most towns without getting robbed, assaulted, conned, blackmailed, pressed into working for someone, propositioned, or enchanted in a day, then you haven't gone anywhere or done anything that day. You're currently in one of the calmer parts of the region, and I can bet that someone is getting robbed or attack as we speak. He chuckled again wickedly and finished his drink, motioning to a barmaid for more. "And with the mist billowing in again, it'll only get worse. Lycanthropes, vampires, ghosts, ghouls, you name it, they'll be around out there. More of them the farther north you go. Comes with living on the border of Darscap, having long nights, frequent full moons, and a cloud that makes there be even less daylight than before.

[Jacior]

Corbin looks over his shoulder, having been staring at the ground intently not ten feet from the door. "Yes, my associate in keeping the pieces? But you don't have to call me Sir. I much prefer His Lordship, Your Majesty or HEY! THOSE ARE MY FRUIT TARTS YOU SCOUNDREL!" He shouts the last part, much to no one's surprise. Except maybe the guards. "But I prefer that last one to be shortened to Fruit Scoundrel if you must call me by it."

[EdroGrimshell]

T'aella hums lightly, a lycanthrope might be interesting, a natural lycanthrope could be an interesting creature to try her ritual with, though she'd already determined that using a shapeshifter was more difficult than using a normal creature, it could still be worth the effort.

[Haluesen]

Corbin
Indeed the guard did jump in startlement as Corbin shouted, but he had been pretty on edge since encountering the man anyway. He passed over a piece of paper. "Th-this is the address you need to get to. The captain forgot to tell you before you left. Is also so you can tell people who are wonderin what you're doing that it's important business. Thas all." He nodded, and sorta fled back inside.

[Jacior]

Corbin watches the man scramble away in fear. "What a strange and rude man." He glances at the sheet of paper and decides to hold onto it for reasons. "They would have figured out I was important anyway."

[Regalus]

"Well ofcourse this place is dangerous; that was never the question, though I doubt it's quite as impeccably distasteful as most stories say. Otherwise I doubt anyone would would want to remain living here a few years, let alone for generations," Daenith counters in good spirit, not minding his heckling, "Besides, in all likely hood my travels are going to take me further north if I want any chance of finding what I'm looking for; and if I wasn't willing to deal with danger along my trip I wouldn't be much of a bard, now would I?"

[Haluesen]

Corbin
(Going to assume you are heading to the place, since you didn't post exactly what you were doing next.)
The building itself was a 2-floor place, looking something like a shop or business with a dwelling at the top. The rotted and rusty sign on the building adds to this possibility. Everything about the place gives off the impression "abandoned and forgotten". The windows on the lower floor are boarded up haphazardly, and the windows on the top floor look to be cracked in some places, shattered in others. Most of the wood that makes up the building has the paint faded, and in some places there are holed from rot and damp.

As you get near the place, a low whistling sound emanates from within, as well as a voice that you hear more in your head than in your ears...

Roll a Will save, as well as either a Concentration check, Spellcraft check, or a slightly higher DC Listen check to make out the words from the unclear voice.

Dani
"Well alright then, you figure you know what to expect." Dlimsim spoke with that same smirk. "So here's some proper advice then. Do not go alone into the fog. Get yourself a crew, or some hired hands. Also get a map of the region. Traveling through the fog works by knowing exactly where you intend to head, so you need directions. I sell some maps in my shop, for just this sort of thing. While you are in towns or cities, be always cautious and aware. And be careful who you trust. Some may be honest but cruel, others devious manipulators. Others could be the puppets of powerful evils. So do not let your optimism die, but do not let it have the better of you either." He nodded at the end of his talk, as though appreciating his own words.

[Jacior]

"I like it!" Corbin says to the front of the building. "Ah sure, it's a little run-down, but it's just a fixer-upper. A coat of paint, a little airing out, a new... everything and she'll be good as new!" He nods to himself. "I wonder if they're selling the place. I'll bet I can get a discount for whatever that weird whistling noise is."

Will Save: [roll0]
Spellcraft: [roll1]

[Regalus]

Daenith nodded in time with the gnome, "Thank you for sharing your wisdom with me good sir," he says respectfully to the gnome, "I think I may have the start of a crew at least, the young lady who wishes to speak with you shares my interests in traveling these lands for her own reasons. So my greatest need at the moment would be a map, and see what talismans would be good for us,"

"Per chance could you offer me an estimate, or would you rather wait 'till later so we can discuss such things at your shop?"

[Haluesen]

Corbin
The whistling continued but the sound became quite a bit quieter. You could only make out a few words in all of it, "...join us..." and a light shines from a room at the front of the house. No one answers your comments about the house.

Daenith
"It would be best to wait until tomorrow. I can tell you that the maps are not overly expensive, only a gold coin or two. Something an adventurer can easily afford. The talismans shouldn't bother you in terms of price either, but are invaluable when exploring cursed places." With that said, he then nodded toward T'aella. "So, you had a question of me as well then? Well I have time. Speak up."

[EdroGrimshell]

T'aella nods and stands up, waking Meeko in the process, who quickly hops into T'aella's shoulder, "yes, you see I am in possession of an artifact that is... the keystone to a magical ritual that is my primary form of income. While I do have other ways to perform a similar occurrence, I am more familiar and proficient with the one using the artifact. It is a cauldron that has several old enchantments placed on it, which have recently begun to fade. I am in need of repair or a replacement if I wish to continue using my current method. Your one of the few I know that may be able to help in that regard."

[Jacior]

"Seems I'm welcome!" Corbin says, clapping his hands together in the empty street. "I wonder if there'll be tea. I hate tea, but I wonder!" The elf steps forward and pushes open the door to the house.

[Haluesen]

T'aella
Dlimsim made an open gesture with his hands on the table and nodded. "Hmm I see then. It may very well be possible. I will open my shop for a bit longer tonight, you can bring the cauldron in to me and I shall take a look at it. I'll let you know what can be done after I can check on it. I need to see what enchantments there are on it, the make of it, I need to inspect all I can to see what can be done, and of course the price." His smile was a bit lopsided and strange, but at least casual.

Corbin
The door opens up to a simple entrance passage, covered in dust and grime. The only thing in the area is a coat rack in fairly good condition. A long hallway stands open to the back of the place, an open door to the left is where the light is coming from, and there is a closed door on the right. All of this is only shown by the flickering light from the left room. In all of this, the whistling sound continues from the back of the building.

[EdroGrimshell]

T'aella hums at that, "it may be a bit difficult to get to you tonight, it's rather well established in my workshop back home, mounted into the stone. I brought diagrams with me but you'd have to travel to my hometown or wait for me to bring it here by cart, which could take a couple of days, either way," she pulls some sheets of paper, with depictions of the cauldron from several angles, as well as a few with notes that translate some of the runes, though nothing complete, "I know it's made of an alloy of iron and mithral, though I cannot say the exact composition," she pulls a small piece of metal, "this was part of the old handle if it helps at all, it's made of the same metal at the very least. And I know for a fact it possesses strong transmutative properties. I'm not sure how much of the enchantment is left on that handle for you to look into, but I couldn't procure a cart before coming here and there are no horses there besides the older workhorses no one is willing to sell."

[Jacior]

"A coat rack! If only I had coat with which to placate it." Corbin says, anguishing over his misfortune. "I shall have to subdue it by other means!" He cautiously reaches out with a single finger and traces a rune onto the rack. After he does so, he waits a moment to see if there is a response. "Success. I have conquered the rack with sheer power alone." He nods again and looks at the hallway. "I guess I shouldn't leave my host waiting for me." He heads into the room with the light.

[Haluesen]

T'aella
"Horses and a cart won't help you at this point anyway, with the fog how it is." Dlimsim commented while taking the diagrams and metal piece. "So your cauldron's just gonna have to be out of commission for awhile. But I'll look these over all the same, and see what can be done for when this blasted fog vanishes again. Until then, I recommend you look for another way to work your art."

Corbin
The room you enter seems to be a shop area, complete with dusty counter and empty shelves. The flickering light emanates from a single torch behind the counter, attached to the wall. The room is much easier to see than the last chamber, so you can clearly see a floating human shape poring over a bookshelf; a young boy in fanciful clothing. The other shelves in the room seem to have no stock of goods, other than one with some moth-eaten clothing.

[EdroGrimshell]

T'aella rubs her temple at that, "it's a thousand gold pieces to set up my lab for the other method, making an entire alchemist's lab air tight and putting in a system to infuse specialized incense into the air is quite expensive and will require extensive renovations to my home, hence my preference for the cauldron, even if it is more expensive at certain points."

[Jacior]

Corbin stops and looks at the boy for a moment before waving at him. "Hello! Who are you? My name's Corbin." Despite his curiosity to explore the room, he didn't want to seem rude.

[Haluesen]

T'aella and Dani
Dlimsim just shrugged and put the things in his pack. "There's little else I can say. I shall look these over and Send to you once I know what can be done for your cauldron. Until then, you'll just need to find some way to find coin for this other method. That or head to a larger city to see if they might have a similar item for sale. I'm sorry to say that I have nothing at the moment that will work for your livelihood." With that he stood up from the table. "You two can still follow me to my shop if you wish. I will have maps and talismans for sale Daenith, as well as other wares either of you may find interesting. But I must be off either way." He gave a tip of his hat, then walked out of the inn whether they followed or not.

Corbin
The boy jumped (however a restless spirit does that anyway) and looked to Corbin in alarm. "You...you should not be here..." the child ghost muttered fearfully. "If you can get in here then that means...they're loose right now. No...no!!" He shrieked and flew up through the ceiling to the second floor very quickly.

At the same time the flame of the torch dims and you hear a loud sound in the entry hall, like that of wood being scratched with long claws...

[EdroGrimshell]

T'aella sighs, "I am thankful that my profession provides me with additional skills I can draw on, shall we follow him?" she asks Dani.

[Jacior]

"I shouldn't be here? I was invited in!" Corbin says indignantly. He crosses his arms across his chest. "He didn't even offer me a cup of tea which I would have refused. That's just plain rude!" Then he hears the sound of scratching in the hallway. "Another guest? Well, you might as well leave, our host has floated through the ceiling!"

I realize I forgot to do that.

Trigger: Command Word
Elemental Base: Acid

[Haluesen]

Corbin
A shape moves into the doorway, tall and slim like some twisted skeleton. It looms in the door, pointed towards Corbin menacingly. The light adjust enough to show the horror blocking the way, revealing the traitorous coat rack that now stood guard! The cursed jacket pole stands sturdy, as though daring you to pass.

[Regalus]

"Sounds like plan; lead on," Daenith commented in good spirits, knowing he shouldn't be surprised that his possible future companion was after for magic that potent given what she'd explained of his livelihood. Daenith was no arcanist like several of his kin, but even could tell that his friend seemed to have her heart set on more than a simple alchemist's tool.

[EdroGrimshell]

T'aella nods, setting down an extra silver for the barmaid to take and took to the road to follow the gnomish dweomerist.

[Jacior]

"I KNEW IT!" Corbin says, brandishing his knife. "I KNEW THEY WERE OUT TO GET ME!" He draws the might of a thousand burning hot suns into himself and then screams a battlecry most fearsome. "Allons-y!" Which also happens to be the trigger for his rune to explode, splattering acid across the waistcoat mount.

Acid Damage: [roll0] DC 18 for half

[Haluesen]

T'aella and Dani
Leaving after Dlimsim, he waits across the road for you to catch up before walking along. He stays quiet, not worrying about the business to be had until at his shop. While you three walk a chill wind blows through the town, the fog showing thinner in town than out of it but still obscuring some distance ahead. And from the depths of the fog a low humming tune issues forth, a quiet and somber bit of music. Dlimsim wears a sort of weak smile and mutters, "Looks like we may have a visitor this evening..."

Corbin
The blast of acid coats the...well, the coat rack, and a loud sizzling sound is heard as it eats at the wood. Though badly worn away by the arcane assault, the animated coat holder still stands sturdy. It moved into the room, front legs scuttling against the pine floor but back legs scraping into the wood with that familiar scratching noise, and once near Corbin one of the arms from which a coat might hand lashed out at him violently.

Slam attack from the coat rack
Attack= [roll0]
Damage= [roll1]
Crit= [roll2]

Currently at about half health.

[EdroGrimshell]

T'aella listens for a moment, before asking "the good kind, the bad kind, or neither?"

[Jacior]

Corbin takes a step back as the coat strikes him, scratching his face. In the same motion, he pulls an impossibly long bow from the quiver on his back and an arrow, taking aim at the coat rack. "YOU WILL NOT HAVE MY HAT THIS DAY, VILE FIEND!" He looses the arrow, which, hit or miss, explodes loudly in a cacophony of sound.

5 foot step
Attack: [roll0]
Damage: [roll1]
Explosive Rune Damage: [roll2] Sonic, DC 18 Ref for half

[Haluesen]

T'aella and Dani
Dlimsim kinda shook his head and chuckled again softly. Miss, in this place you always expect the bad kind first, if you want to live. The humming music continued, and a humanoid silhouette could be seen walking through the mist. The haunting tune could remind one of a funeral procession, though the person seemed to not even notice the others there.
The music she seems sounds old and sad, and perhaps a little unique. There is definitely some feeling of magic in her music, though you do not feel any assault on your mind.

Corbin
The arrow strikes true and buries into the wood. As the rack leans back to prepare another strike, the concussive force of your power blasts in two at the center. The two pieces of broken wood crumble to the ground, unmoving.

Right after this, the light in the room dims to nearly nothing, and a quiet sound like a breeze through wheat can be heard in the room...as well as a low hoarse chuckling...

[EdroGrimshell]

"Same as Scapwatch then," T'aella comments, "a truly haunting melody..." she says as she tries to identify whatever this phantasm was or may have been.

[roll0]

[Regalus]

Daenith's breath catches as he hears the melody hanging in the air; the bard recognizing the power the melody held even if he didn't understand it's significance. For several moments the elf watches the stranger approach, seemingly deaf to his companions words as his mind studies the song; part of him preparing for a counter song should it be needed, while the other wonder's if the music was native to the region or not.

"Sir, have you heard this song before or know its name?" the elf finally said, pulling enough focus away from the somber song to voice his inquiry.


Bardic Knowledge: [roll0]
Arcana: [roll1]
Religion: [roll2]
Local: [roll3]

[Jacior]

"Victory is mine, creepy voices. You can't take away my triumph over the wooden stand!" Corbin says, stepping on part of the broken object and posing triumphantly. He looks around after than, slightly bored by the sudden lack of events. "Well, now what!" He exclaims to the floorboards and waits a moment to see if they'd answer him. "Follow the ghost it is! ... Now where are the stairs?" Seemingly ignoring the creepy laughing in his pursuits.

[Haluesen]

Corbin
The low chuckling fades out after a few seconds, and the stairs are out through the door directly behind the broken stand; that direction though is still rather dark (unless you have some source of light or darkvision). The sweeping sound also seems to go quiet too, but more abruptly than the laughter.

T'aella
From what you can tell the phantom image ahead is human, or something like it, assuming it isn't some form of illusory magic. It's rather hard to tell from a distance. The humanoid shape continues its stroll through the mist, along one of the nearby streets. An odor of decay emanates from it.

Dani
The song continues with its mysterious quality, and you can be almost completely certain that it is tied in some way to the same ancient ballad that you yourself came here to seek. The tune is full of emotion, even if it is sung quietly and those emotions seem to mostly be ones of sorrow or regret. Dlimsim shook his head and muttered, "I haven't heard anything like it before. Not a lot of music to be heard this far south."

[EdroGrimshell]

T'aella narrows her eyes, "...there's a scent of decay on them... it makes me believe it may be some variety of undead, possibly a necromancer... maybe both," she comments, having a bad feeling about whatever it was, before she could even ask Flit, he mentioned he could sense them.

I could try talking to them, Flit says, Meeko think's it's a bad idea though, he continues as said tanuki shifts on T'aella's shoulder.

She's right, I'll leave it up to you, though, T'aella replies mentally, she'd taken to this some time ago, he may have been a shard of her own personality, but Flit was still his own individual, as was Meeko.

1 = He contacts
2 or 3 = He doesn't contact

[roll0]

Hello! This is a very beautiful song, what's it called? Flit asks with childish curiosity.

[Jacior]

"Well this is irritating! I shall have to improvise." Corbin proceeds to rip the curtains down and gather up all the cloth in the room. "I'll need to redecorate anyway and these are hideous." He heads for the door, stopping to pick up the head of the coat rack. Stepping back out into the hall, he looks around and if he's not impeded he heads out the door onto the street. It was all well and good for the house to be dark and spooky if it was appropriate, but it lost the effect if you couldn't actually see anything!

Corbin drops everything but the upper half of the coat rack on the ground and grabs up the first piece of cloth. He wraps in and the next few pieces until he had a fair sized wad of fabric wrapped around the head. Making sure to step away from the other fabric, he presses the toe of his boot into the ground, writing out a rune. He steps to the edge of the explosion radius and sticks the head into range. "Let there be light!" He exclaims and another explosion rocks the small town this evening. Smiling at the now flaming torch, he heads back into the house and up the stairs. Assuming nothing happens, of course.

[Regalus]

"That...is a tragedy," he replied absentmindedly to Dimslim as the figure approached at a glacial pace; slow, steady and inevitable, baring a strange weight to it that muted all else but its song. Before he even realized it the young elf was already stepping towards the figure, hoping to catch a glimpse of the artist behind it; yet not calling out lest he disturb the delicate melody. All the while a song rested upon his lips, held back for the moment though ready to take flight at a moments notice; for while enraptured with the melody, a phantom of the very thing he sought out in these lands, he was no fool and new well the dangers that might await him.


Namely Bardic Music, just in case any funny business crops up from him or the song.

[EdroGrimshell]

T'aella rests a gaze on Dani, "this won't end well..." she says, then to Dlimsim, "I'll catch up, I need to make sure he doesn't get himself turned into a zombie," she had the urge to say 'again' as a joke but it was not the time, and certainly not the place, for that kind of joke. Instead, she simply goes forward to follow the bard, "you know this is not the wisest course of action," she whispers to the entranced elf, Meeko having crawled down her side to walk alongside her rather than tagging a ride.

[Haluesen]

T'aella and Dani
The humanoid figure now stood about 5 feet away, give or take a little, and the humming stopped. The person wore a long grey cloak-and-hood gown, and turned just slightly to face the two of you. Only a little of a pale face and ruby lips could be seen, as the person spoke in a low, feminine tone that just about matched the song. "It's a lovely night for a melody, isn't it?" Her words came slow and methodical, and something of a twisted smile showed on her face.

In the distance came a loud sound, like thunder, breaking the tense silence of the engagement here. The woman gave only a small glance in that direction, but otherwise made no other moves.

Corbin
The impromptu torch works well to show the decaying mass of the building. Upon stepping back in however, a soft form falls over Corbin's head, and attempts to latch on!

Opposed grapple checks
Grapple= [roll0]

If it wins, Corbin takes [roll1] damage as it constricts his air flow harshly.

[Regalus]

"We all have our goals and the paths we must take to reach them. What is foolish or wise is chosen by the storyteller; just be sure you do not regret the choice you make," he muttered back absentmindedly in his own warning to the girl, sparing what little of his attention he could from his study of the song. When at long last the mysterious performer is in sight, the young man beams; a wide boyish smile that seemed to light up the gloom shrouding them with its warmth and excitement as he gazed at the woman with eyes full of wonder.

"For a melody such as that, I scarcely imagine one more fitting for this night," he began with a soft and lilting tone, like a cool nights breeze, "If you would be so kind as to honor me, what song was that?"


Now that we're closer is the smell of decay actually coming from her, or from where she came from.

Also, at risk of not knowing what better knowledge roll to make. Bardic KNowledge Roll to check if she's human and/or if I recognize her from any local stories, or if there's something off about her. [roll0]

[Jacior]

"AAAAAAAH! IT COMES FOR MY SOUL!" Corbin yells and throws the soft thing off his head. "You can't have mine! I'm busy using it!" He swings the improvised torch at the... beast.

[roll0]
Damage: I dunno

[EdroGrimshell]

T'aella looks at Meeko, getting a shake of the head from the little tanuki, relaxing to T'aella's nerves ever so slightly before the noise goes off and setting them right back off. Taking a moment, T'aella decides to get this going somewhere, "we may need to delay talking, unless you want to help deal with whatever caused that. Something able to cause that could prove... profitable," she comments.

Diplomacy to get her to help investigate
[roll0]

Note: I have beguiling influence active and am psionically focused, granting me a +9 extra bonus to Diplomacy on top of my normal +18 modifier.

[Haluesen]

Corbin
The thing appears to be nothing more than a rag, though it writhes and looks as thought it is attempting to fly at you again. However, a decent strike with the torch sets it alight, and it quickly burns away to ash and dust.
The fiendish attacker slain, the rest of the house/shop building remains open to be searched. The stairs await you as before, and the young ghost from earlier did seem like he had traveled to the upper floor.

T'aella and Dani
You can definitely tell that up-close the smell is coming right from her. It's less putrid and more stale, sickly but not quite gag-inducing, unless you are particularly sensitive to such things. Also, you could probably cite a dozen or more stories of "mysterious woman causing either good fortune or ill", but as far as you can tell nothing about a woman with a stale smell coming from her.

She took in what the two said, and gave a rather weak smile. "I believe I can follow along with you and continue to talk. It is a splendid night, and my walk is not nearly done yet. Perhaps on the way to that loud noise, I might tell you something of the song." She winked at the two of them and started walking in that direction at a leisurely pace.

Dlimsim looked at them and scratched his wiry hair, before chuckling. "I suppose we will talk about business later. I'm heading to my shop, to sit and tinker. Come in the morning, and we can talk more of cauldrons and protections." That said, he wandered off in his own meandering way towards his store and home.

[Jacior]

Corbin just hrumphs. It wasn't bad enough that there was a terrible host, and a lethal predator in the hall, but now he was being assaulted by drapery! Drapery! "DRAPERY I SAY!" He yells at the burned remains of the rag on the ground. Hrumphing again, he starts up the stairs. "I would have knocked, but by the authority invested in me by myself and a questionable protective agency, I'm just coming in anyway."

[EdroGrimshell]

T'aella waves back to Dlimsim, "see you then," she then focuses more so on the woman, such a cliché these days, but one with its merits. This would be... interesting. It took some effort to keep the amused smirk off her face, but she managed. Depending on how things went, this woman could be an ally or foe, friend or enemy, weal or woe. It would be so interesting to find out what she could do, and if she was the type to help or hinder.

Still, it wouldn't do to let herself get too into this situation, letting her emotions be a controlling factor had gotten her in trouble in the past, she had to keep her head or she'd miss any sign of what could happen. Not an easy task given her interest in the situation... she'd have to have Flit remind her to keep her head on straight every now and then. Luckily Meeko was much more wary in this kind of situation.

Regardless, she'd follow the lead and head in the appropriate direction, it had been a long time since her interest was truly peaked, not since she first learned of the rituals that made up her profession.

[Haluesen]

Corbin
With your light source you can see much better as you traverse up the creaky wooden steps. Before long you find yourself on the landing of the second floor, a hallway before you with a number of open rooms before it. You hear quiet sobbing that you could swear is similar to that boy from the bottom floor. But before you can react to that, a voice yells from the far end of the hall, sounding like a petulant young girl. "YOU GO AWAY! LEAVE ME ALONE! AND HAVE YOUR STUPID TEA!" One of the doors at the end of the hall slammed shut, as a couple of teacups full of peculiarly hot tea are propelled you way!

Roll a Reflex save! Success means you can post however you want to dodge or block these vial drink vessels, failure leads to strike of glass and burns of the liquid variety, meaning damage.

T'aella
With you leading but keeping an eye on the woman, you have to keep to her slow pace, despite the possibilities at the end of the loud sound. With no one speaking for the moment, she returned to humming that melancholy tune.

[EdroGrimshell]

T'aella sidles up to Dani, "now's probably your best time to talk to her about that song," she comments, "I have a feeling about her, whether it's good or bad though... I can't say just yet."

[Regalus]

At her offer the young elf beams with boyish grin that threatened to sear away all the night's gloom within several yards of him; the woman had clearly just made his week through her company, in truth only a slight wrinkling of his nose was the indication he even perceived the woman's disquieting presence and scent as he pet in step with his companions.

"Madam, my name is Daenith of House Eruatien; though if it pleases you many in these parts prefer to address me as Dani, and it is a pleasure to keep you company at this hour," Dani began cordially, as he dimmed his smile to a more polite radiance; yet the fire in his eyes at the sight of the woman remained. "Would you so grace with me with your name and that of thyne melody?"

[Jacior]

Corbin watches the cups fly at him with some amount of curiosity considering the implications of a ghost that could make tea, before lifting his empty hand and slapping both cups out of the air. "Well that was rude. I already said I didn't want any." He just sighs and walks down the hallway. "I told you that I have been invested with the authority to investigate here! I'm not leaving until... I'm not sure really! I figure I'll just know when it's time." With a wicked grin, he flexes the muscles in his back and a quartet of long, whip-like tentacles the crimson colour of the vein and studded with wicked thorns burst from his skin. "I forgot that that stings a little bit." He frowns. "Now I want a peppermint candy." He hasn't stopped walking down the hallway as he spoke and became slightly more terrifying, only slowing down slightly as the tendrils grew out. He heads for the door that slammed shut.

Spend 5 Blood Points to Invoke the Thorny Vines and increasing the damage by 1 die size

[Haluesen]

T'aella and Dani
The woman chuckled quietly as she walked, hands folded in front of her in some manner that suggests nobility or at least good manners. "Quite an articulate one you are." she murmured with her same fading smile. "My name is something lost to history and memory, as quite so many things can be. You may call me Sonata if you wish, it works well enough. As for my song, it is both ancient and newborn, as it is a song of my making but inspired by a snippet of a lovely verse I heard long ago. I call my tune Moonlight Watches, Good and Ill. The song I heard before that made me create this one...there's a lot of a story behind that, and a short walk before us."

Corbin
The door itself is old wood, like much of the building around it. The door however stands strong to any attempt to simply push it open, as though it were barricaded. Either more force is required to get into it, or finesse or smarts. There can be no sound heard from within.

One door away the sobbing still continues uninterrupted even by the smashing of the glass cups. As well as there is a low sound from the floor below, like padded footsteps.

[EdroGrimshell]

T'aella hums, "reminds me of this poem I heard when I was younger," she says, "quite dark really."

[Jacior]

Corbin frowns at the door. "I'm starting think all these problems make the hose not worth buying. First that vicious demon, the drapery, and now stuck doors?! I guess I'll just have to knock harder." He takes a moment to first shake out his makeshift torch, no sense in burning the place down... yet. Flexing his figures, he summons more of the power that fueled his blood, feeling it course and rush through him. What blood he still hadn't gotten out of his mouth from earlier and more still flowed around his teeth and out of his mouth, protecting his lips and jaw while forming a set of horridly jagged blood red teeth. "Knock. Knock. Knock. Knock. I'm coming in whether you open the door or not!" Each utterance of the word knock is coupled with one of the tentacles lashing out at the door. His eyes well up with blood as well, giving him sight in the darkness.

Spend 4 Blood Points to manifest Aggressive Energy: +8 Dex, +4 Con, Gain Bite Attack, Gain 60ft Darkvision

Tentacle Attacks:

To-hit: [roll0]
Damage: [roll1]

To-hit: [roll2]
Damage: [roll3]

To-hit: [roll4]
Damage: [roll5]

To-hit: [roll6]
Damage: [roll7]

[Regalus]

"Well then, might you grant us a snippet for now? And then, perhaps you could regale us with the rest of the tale once this affair has been sorted?" the elf proposes hopefully as he committed the name of the melody to memory.

[Haluesen]

Corbin
The door easily fell under your attacks, broken to bits as your tentacles lash at it. Inside is the rotted remains of a bedroom, the furnishings still here despite few individual pieces being gone. A spectral-looking young girl sits on the bed, playing with a small sack doll. On your entrance she jumped to her feet, looking terrified and yet angry despite it. "HEY, I SAID TO GO AWAY! YOU NEED TO LEAVE HERE. AND WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO MY DOOR??"

T'aella and Dani
Sonata nodded at T'aella. "It is fairly dark, but you know where you are. This is just one of the few dark things here that is also beautiful." She spoke it seemed to give herself time to consider Daenith's request. "Well...you may say that I've been blessed in life. I had heard the small piece of melody many times in my life, as though it followed me. Or perhaps I only heard it once, and then found it conjured elsewhere from my own memories. It was rather captivating after all, that I can only barely trust my memory as to where and when I heard it. But it filled my life." She gave him a wide grin. "It might capture you as well, should you let it. Is that something though that appeals to you, dear Daenith?"

[EdroGrimshell]

T'aella doesn't let her suspicion show, not yet at least. She sets about for a few hand signs, focusing on detecting magic, and focusing.

Basic Arcana to use Detect Magic

If she starts to use a spell or any kind of magic after I get to the 3rd turn I'll know it.

And readied action to use a Screaming Flask from my Metabolic Reserve right next to her ears (hoping to deafen as that makes magic relying on vocals more difficult) if she starts casting a spell or using any kind of magic really.

[Jacior]

Corbin would have smiled if he could have been seen through the blood-plate mask. "I'm here on the authority of someone who likes to think themself more important than most people! Therefore I cannot leave until I have completed the task I was so brutally pressed into completing for the good of the most people!" The tentacles emerging from behind his figure twist and twitch, like they're barely being held in restraint by his force of will. "As for the door, I've decided to start redecorating early and honey, it's so far out of fashion that it was a mercy killing."

[Regalus]

"I know that kind of beauty; the kind of rapture one can only hope to be blessed by, and that lingers upon your very soul. It's a glorious thing truly, and I hope to witness those like it," Daenith replies as nostalgia graces his features,

"I'd be honored to witness that which has enraptured you so on a more suitable occasion; yet I fear that it may not capture me quite as it has you," he continues gratefully, if apologetic.

[Haluesen]

Corbin
The young girl fumed and stomped, though it made no sound against the ground. "Grr you! That's not your door to break! Now get out of here, fiend!" A wave of air rammed into Corbin, trying to force him from the room.

Bull Rush attempt with some kind of telekinetic force
Opposed Str Check= [roll0] cannot push her if you win.

T'aella and Dani
The woman chuckled again, shaking her head. "I am certain you will find it enjoyable and enlightening. It's rapturous at its core." By now the 3 were at the source of the sound from earlier, a very old 2-story building. A faint light emits from the top floor, beyond that the place is dim and clearly abandoned.

Looking at the woman, T'aella immediately sees a magical aura. A little bit of time on it and it is clearly felt as a moderate aura around the woman in some way.

[EdroGrimshell]

"We may have to hold on that, we're at our destination," T'aella says, looking the house over, "whatever caused that commotion earlier, it's in here," a few hand motions and she set her hand onto Meeko, her fur darkening and her eyes gaining a slight glow, followed by another few gestures that had no visible effect. Finally, a brief moment where T'aella's eyes turn dark green, then return to normal.

Taking some time to prepare, using Enhance Familiar and See the Unseen then spending 1 power point to use Inertial Armor.

[Jacior]

Strength Check: [roll0]

Corbin stands still, the force merely blowing his hair into dishevelment and bringing him to an even more frightful visage than before. "Well that wasn't nice. And I told you, the woman in the big boots told me to come get rid of you!" He tilts his head to the side as he talks, stopping at an almost perfect 45 degrees as the rest of his body stood nearly straight. one of the tentacles lashes out at the door frame, taking a chunk out of the wood. "Oops, sorry. I can't always control myself!" The jaws of the red mask part slightly and inside can be seen his regular, white teeth. "So... why don't you tell me where the boy is and then I can rid this place of ghosts and be on my way?!"

[Regalus]

"Taella, can your Psycrystal fly up to the window to get a better look at what's happening?"Daenith requested as his demeanor slipped back to what the other girl might perceive as normal; the elf taking note of the changes in the girl and her familiar, but withholding his comments for the moment.

[EdroGrimshell]

"Flit can't fly yet, but he can get up there regardless," T'aella replies as the psicrystal detaches from Meeko's collar in mini-dragon form, and quickly made his way to the second floor window to peek inside.