Shattered Star: The Asylum Stone [IC]

[Tippnick]

Iluvar watches the Scribe head to his room. Iluvar only eats a light meal then asks for a bottle of wine and a glass from the server. Then heads to his adjoining room. He will drink enough to help him sleep and leave enough in case he wakes up needing a drink.

[lostsole31]

Oathday, 2 Gozran 4714 AR

lluvar, you wake up and commit to your one hour of prayers, meditations and combat drills. Then what?

[Tippnick]

Iluvar goes to the common area either to wait for The Scribe or join him. We will rehire Gav when he shows up.


"Good morning Scribe, hopefully your sleep was recuperative. Have we seen any of these two that Gav has spoken of?", Iluvar greets the Scribe.

[lostsole31]

So, it usually takes The Scribe an extra hour of morning preparations. It comes from the fact he dabbles in so many fields.

So well before your intended statement above, you take your seat and are served a simple hot lamb porridge and bread for breakfast. You had expected Gav to already be here, but you don't see him yet. Shortly after you are served breakfast, a tall elven - pure elven - woman comes to your table. She is only an inch taller than you, but as you are half-human, you probably have a good 30 pounds on her. She has light red hair, almost luminous light green eyes, and is well-dressed but not to the point of noble, rich, or fashionable, though she does possess accents of very fine jewelry in a ring and some bangles. An ioun stone of a soft carnelian circles her head.

She speaks, "You are..." and here she does a very comical job (and not particularly good) of adopting Gav's patois, but more parody than impression ".... the friend o' the guv what pays."

Returning to her normal speech, she says, "Gav Nahli sends his deepest apologies, but he saw a regular come into town late last night and wanted to switch service. He briefly sought me out and told me what you seek. You may call me Myki*. I am a member of the Lamplighter's Guild. I had employed the two ... men ... that Gav had recommended to you yesterday on a personal mission of my own. It touches on a great sadness, and their prowess does not end my sadness, but helped me provide closure on five years of anguish and misery and my own investigations. My time spent on this investigation and my payment for services rendered to the pair proposed to you and your partner have put me in peril of pawning my property.

"Gav's apologetic statement is a cover, and I believe it is really the young boy's kindness, not some other service that is why he basically recommended me as your guide, though it is true I am very knowledgeable of Kaer Maga. Still, for being a human adolescent, his knowledge of Kaer Maga's living spaces is cyclopean, and he shall not want for custom.

"Are you fine with me taking his place as your guide? I will submit to any divinations, as long as you let me know what they are ahead of time. But my history and past are my own. You may not demand them of me."

Spoiler: Iluvar

Show

*"Myki": Pronounced just like "Mikey," is Elven for "Emerald Void."

[Tippnick]

"Well Myki, Gav earned his custom from us by being bold. He proved his worth by being knowledgeable. If he directed us to you, and I won't say he didn't, so you have two points in your favor. For now, I will say your hired. If the Scribe, my companion, agrees we will take you on", Iluvar says. "I am Iluvar." Iluvar stands and extends his hand to shake

He will try to get a good sense of her.

[lostsole31]

Spoiler: Iluvar

Show

She is a healthy, living creature. However, hers is a significant departure from your own worldview as she possesses faint auras of both chaos and good. Given she is an elf, and that is the most common aura read from an elf, that part is not surprising. I used one round of discern lies and it seems she is telling the truth. What your magical senses don't register, but your excellent skill with people does, is that she hides a great sadness and anger, but also something more primal he can't put a finger on that she hides well.

Iluvar and Myki sit quietly together, mainly having some small talk, but otherwise awkward around each other. possibly interacting over the next hour before The Scribe finally shows up. Introductions are made, and The Scribe seems fine with the change in guide. As soon as the 5 gp is paid and then the Scribe orders breakfast for himself (his and Iluvar's is on a "tab"), she orders food for herself as well out of her own coin. When she drops the four coins into her pouch, the only clinking sound made is of the coins going in ... her pouch was empty, and Iluvar now understands that "primal" sense is that this woman in strange finery is fiercely hungry.

The three of them finish up their meal (Iluvar might have eaten earlier), and she takes you around a large horseshoe section of the bar back to the "Big Booths" where you met Vargun yesterday. At a table are two massively muscled giants, both bedecked in heavy armor. While they wear full plate each, still their skin tone and general trappings indicate they come from much warmer climes far away. Iluvar can instantly see that both of these giants are some type of Jalmeravian giants, so specified because while of a general Vudrani nature, the accents and touches of their garb speak specifically of the island nation in the Obari Ocean.

Myki .... who was the giants' employer the past few days in tracking down and slaying a negative planar creature called a sceaduinar that had pilfered and stolen children from an orphanage in the Bottoms... approaches the table. Business had been concluded, and she paid well enough for the good deed she sought from the giants, but here she is again. This time, there are two more humans with her.

"Honored brothers Vedavyasa," Myki begins, "our recent business admirably concluded, I thought you might be back on the market for a new job. May I introduce to you Iluvar, of the Pathfinder Society, and his chronicler, The Scribe."

Okay .... INTRODUCTIONS & DESCRIPTIONS!

[DrK]

Akif

Akif looks up from his platter of food as the young woman and two strangers approach. Glancing to his brother he utters in giant <"We have guests it would appear"> before looking up at the approaching strangers. Akif is massive, there is no other way to describe it. Not only tall, topping 15ft he is wide and bulky, made only more so by the huge plates of ornate armour strapped onto his form. He gently takes off his helmet revealing a smooth dark skinned face with a jagged scar down one cheek. Piercing purple eyes look at Iluvar, Myki and the Scribe, his height meaning he still looks down at them even when seated

Switching to common he greets the young woman, "Greetings little Myki. You have new friends with you? I am named Akif Vedavyasa how may my brother and I be of service to you on this fine day."

[Qazgir]

Sisir

Seated across the table from his brother, Sisir is similarly massive. Slightly shorter than his brother, with an athlete's build, Sisir wears a suit bronzed full plate. His helm is off, revealing the same dark skin as his brother, although instead of a scar, Sisir's cheek sports a star surrounded by a circle. His long brown beard is pulled into three braids. Hearing his brother's words, he looks up from the book in his hands and turns to face Myki and her new companions. As his brother introduces himself, Sisir eyes the two new arrivals with interest.

Once his brother finishes introducing himself, Sisir speaks up, "Good morning Myki, and good morning to your companions as well." He stands, stepping out from the table, shrinking to half his previous size as he does. Walking up to Illuvar and the Scribe he says "my name is Sisir Vedavyasa, it is a pleasure to meet the two of you, any friend of Myki's is a friend of mine. Might I have the pleasure of knowing your names?", as he extends a hand to Iluvar to shake.

[Tippnick]

In Vudrani Iluvar says, "Greetings, my name Iluvar. Myki has sang your praises."
Iluvar is an athletic looking half-elf male with easily recognizable Vudrani lineage, with dark skin and black hair. His hair is usually shaved at the sides. His eyes have a red tint to them. His is unarmored but seems like he is able to defend himself.

"Myki says you might be available to help us find what you are looking for. We are looking for an ancient item hidden somewhere here in the city. And indeed we are part of the Pathfinders", he continues in Taldane.

[lostsole31]

Even sizing down to human portions, as Sisir stands by Iluvar he is still a hulking and nearly impossibly tall man at 7' 9" .... nearly two feet taller than Iluvar (5' 11") and Myki (6').

"It seems our guide is to be commended on her knowledge," says a tall-for-a-human man in scholar's robes (6'4"), "for either she recognized us thus, or our previous guide who recommended her let her know, but with a bound book at her side I am one to think the former, even if the latter situation is a truth, for they need not be exclusive. You may simply refer to me by my professional appellation, for I am called The Scribe."

The Scribe is of a lean build, though with broad shoulders under his flowing robe. His skin is pale in hue, nearly as white as snow. He has jet black hair with a widow's peak, though to Sisir's trained eye this man seems to still only be in his early 20s (at best). His eyes are a piercing violet, not possessing the luminous quality of Akif, but not less stunning for his other coloration. Sisir recognizes what seems to be very classical, patrician handsomeness in an old Chelaxian style in this otherwise young man. He is almost .... "too Chelaxian" .... even for a Chelaxian. This makes him seem something of an oddity or a standout among that ethnicity, and even more so among any other human ethnicity. He seems to recognize this, though, and his scholar's hood is worn to put shadows on his pale skin, hide the widow's peak, and darken the purple eyes such that people are likely to not notice.

Wielded as a walking stick is a incredibly ornate ranseur made in a style that neither brother recognizes. A finely crafted longbow is set in a quick-snap release leather thong attached to an expertly crafted rucksack with a bedroll bound to top while this rucksack seems to be moderately full of equipment, as well a single quiver of arrows mostly full. He possesses several accoutrements at his belt line, including a couple wands and a couple unusual bird-hunting weapons (bolas).

"My peer speaks true, though that is an endgame to our purposes here in the City of Strangers. Yesterday, we entered into an agreement with Vargun of the Augurs to rescue her brother Augustille from Berkanin Ardoc in Bis, to keep the troll seer with real talent from being vivisected. Once we return Augustille safely to the Augurs, it is possible that Augustille may point us towards our prize. For reasons of internal security, we cannot at this time discuss the nature of that item, but once we are successful, if you get us to that end point, then we can let you know more. But again, for now, it is Pathfinder business.

"We do not offer mercenary rates, but we do offer partner extensions ... except our singular prize is not any of our 'treasure share' as it is The Mission. That said, wholesale looting of people's homes is frowned upon. We have a mission .... get the troll safely out. If something falls in your lap, use your best judgment, but don't put your lap up against everything so you can claim 'to the victor go the spoils.'

"Are these acceptable terms?"

[Qazgir]

Sisir

"A pleasure to meet you Scribe, you've certainly brought us an interesting proposition." He turns to his brother, saying in Giant "What do you think? It seems like a good cause, restoring a broken family, I'm in favor of assisting them." He turns back to the Scribe, once again speaking Taldane, "while my brother deliberates, I don't suppose you would be willing to reveal any more information?"

[DrK]

Akif

Akif listens to the scribe watching man keenly and listening to everything he says. ”So. You wish us to search for a mystery object by taking a troll home.” He chuckles slightly, “But you will not pay us nor tell us what you seek.”

“These northlanders are amusing no?” he asks Sisir. But then nods his head “We have little else on, and this intrigues me. I agree let us go on this merry quest.”

[lostsole31]

"If you will all please follow me," says Myki, "I will guide you to the Hanging Gardens of Bis."

For her part, your guide is an even six feet in height - which is relatively standard for a female elf, and bears the classic willowy frame of an elf, but with lean muscle. She possesses dark red hair, similar to the bark of a mahogany tree, and her eyes are a soft green. Though her skin is very pale, betraying an urban upbringing, yet she doesn't appear to have any markings of a Forlorn about her.

She wears tasteful elven noble wear, and with rings and necklace and bangles she possesses the bejeweled accoutrements to carry it off. Or rather, she would, as her clothing is beginning to wear, something most people thought elven wear didn't do while the wearers were yet living. Many old russet-color stains (definitely blood) and the other odd chemical stains discolor her once finery. There is a coral-colored stone that orbits her head. She has a top-quality backpack and bedroll, not necessarily full, however. She sports a variety of small pouches about her waist. It appears that as she goes without armor, she goes almost unarmed but for a very finely crafted basket-hilt rapier.

She is relatively well trained at interacting with others, but that is what it seems to be ... training. Otherwise, it seems that this woman would be just fine in solitude cogitating over whatever happens to be her elven specialty. But even at rest, she is possessed with that classic elven grace and beauty.

She will take you on almost exactly the same path Gav took Iluvar and The Scribe on to get to the Sorry Excuse. On the way, she will regale all with her knowledge.

THE BALCONIES OF BIS
The district called Bis is one of the most storied vistas in Kaer Maga. Here the usual honeycomb maze of chambers inside the city’s great ring wall gives way to a single enclosed, cavernous space. While the floors are cluttered with shops and boarding houses, many of which stand several stories tall, the true elite of the city have gradually crawled up the great walls of the chamber to distance themselves from the rabble. These are the Balconies of Bis, enormous buttressed ledges that stick out from the walls like shelves and support the manors and workshops of the wealthy, with the higher balconies being harder to reach and thus more prestigious. The lights of the balconies cascade down the walls like a glowing waterfall, while the primary light sources at the district’s center are great lanterns that hang down from the ceiling 80 feet above, illuminating streets packed with residents, construct servitors both large and small, and the occasional Ardoc brother who walks through keeping the peace, offering opinions or passing sentences on criminals with his bloodstained chisel of office.

Do you seek to know more from her about Bis and the operations of the Ardoc family, or is that enough?

[Tippnick]

"Myki, what can you tell us about this family and if we go after one member would expect reprisals from the rest of the family?", Iluvar asks.

[Qazgir]

Sisir

"Do we have any idea why they kidnapped this particular troll? Do we think his prophetic powers known to them, and if so, what are they looking to do with him? If not, why kidnap him in the first place?" Sisir rattles off a series of questions after Iluvar finishes speaking. "How long will it take us to walk there, and should we expect resistance when we arrive?" Having asked these final questions, he thinks for a moment before saying "well, as we will be working together, it is only proper that I offer you a measure of protection. If you would take my hand for a moment, I would gladly offer you a boon. Akif, the usual for you."

Spoiler: Tricks

Show

If the other members of the party take Sisir up on his offer, he will impart the following tricks on them: Scribe - Compel Alacrity, Myki - Mask Misery, Iluvar - Mask Misery, Akif - Mesmeric Mirror and Compel Alacrity. He will implant Mask Misery in himself, for a total of 6 tricks implanted if everyone accepts. Each implantation is a standard action.

[Tippnick]

Iluvar accepts Sisir's hand.

[lostsole31]

Myki begins her masters-level dissertation ....

The fabled Balconies of Bis are far and away one of the most recognizable landmarks in Kaer Maga, and no traveler who ventures among them ever forgets the sight. In the southwestern-most district of the city, called Bis, the multi-floored structure found in other Ring districts long ago fell and gave way to a single cavernous space, so vast that huddled but freestanding buildings rise several stories into the gloomy, foggy air. Yet it is not the crowded streets or the shocking amount of airspace within the chamber that makes newcomers stop short, but rather the fact that the people of Kaer Maga have literally climbed the walls to create more room for themselves, building fresh or repairing outcropping ledges of old masonry to line the chamber with eight stories of towering cliff dwellings.

In need of continual repair due to the strain placed upon them, the buttressed platforms of the Balconies rise up the eastern and western walls of the chamber like shelving or tree fungus, sometimes protruding hundreds of feet from the walls. While they tend to be small and separated from each other, with each balcony holding a few structures at most, there are generally at least three ledges on any vertical patch of wall, and sometimes as many as five, with the topmost structures brushing the ceiling. The means of accessing these structures vary, from narrow spiral staircases to ladders carved into the chamber wall itself, and the hassle involved in hoisting up any significant amount of material means that, in Bis, the height of one’s balcony frequently reflects one’s wealth and social standing. Though members of the powerful Ardoc family are above such petty games and live wherever they please (often near the Kiln for the sake of convenience), the rest of Bis has an unofficial system of social rank based on who lives higher than (and thus “shades”) whom, leading to the constant and sometimes ill-advised repair of aging balconies, and construction of new ones wherever possible.

In reality, of course, the idea of shading is somewhat ludicrous, as the entire cavern exists in a permanent twilight, with the lights of the businesses and homes on the Balconies creating a shimmering, twinkling waterfall. For the center of the district, where the light from the walls is merely decoration, the citizens have foregone streetlights in favor of enormous lanterns that hang from the ceiling 80 feet above at staggered intervals, like a swarm of motionless fireflies. These lamps are tended by the district-funded Lamplighters’ Union, -- of which Myki herself is a member -- who operate the complex system of ropes and pulleys necessary to keep the lamps suspended and frequently change their positions in artful ways, making the lighting of Bis a constantly shifting work of art.

One of the most orderly districts in the city, Bis is watched over by the Ardoc family, a cabal of golemcrafters bound by blood and marriage who rule with quiet but absolute power. Somewhere between magistrates and mafia dons, most of the Ardoc brothers are content to work in the massive factory workshop known as the Kiln, producing golems and constructs for sale and district use, but all are ready and capable of pronouncing judgment on any found breaking the district’s strict yet just laws.

While any citizen of Bis has the right to request the brothers’ official judgment, most know better than to bother them with trivial matters—even minor crimes—as the chisels that all Ardoc brothers wear on their belts to proclaim their status aren’t just for golem-crafting. Penalties for crimes are generally given in terms of “knuckles,” with the punishment carried out on the spot by the brother passing the sentence. Each knuckle represents the removal of a single finger joint, with the punishment spread equally across both hands. For example, a criminal sentenced to 10 knuckles—such as a rapist or a major thief—would still have eight single-jointed fingers and two stubby thumbs with which to work and attempt to atone for his misdeeds. Given the nature of the average Kaer Maga resident and the amount of trade that flows through Bis, such mangled digits are common throughout the city.

More often, problems in Bis are solved by simpleminded golems programmed to keep the peace and report incidents to the nearest brother, or else by residents consulting the brothers in an unofficial capacity under the guise of asking advice. While not all brothers possess great wisdom—their status being based entirely on nepotism and magical ability—they are overwhelmingly a lawful and methodical sort and tend to be good at finding logical solutions to conflicts.

Along with the Balconies, Bis is distinguished from other districts primarily by the prevalence of magical constructs. In addition to those creations that act as the eyes and muscle of the Ardocs, close relationships with the Ardocs mean that the citizens of Bis have comparatively cheap and easy access to construct labor. As a result, many houses on the Balconies have simple arcane machines that exist solely to haul up dumbwaiters and elevator platforms, and it’s not uncommon in the marketplace to see twiggy, bird-like messenger golems running errands for their masters.

---

You are well in the Balconies of Bis as Myki finishes her tour-guide script and says, "Berkanin is a bit of an embarrassment to the family, though I don't know why. I couldn't answer why he would have a troll kidnapped, since most Ardocs much prefer more concrete sciences and forms of magic."

The Scribe and Myki both take the boon offered by Sisir, both feeling a little funny as there is a faint, almost perceptible psychic transmission.

THE HANGING MANSE

Berkanin’s mansion-turned-laboratory is situated on the southwestern wall of Bis, a prominent balcony 40 feet above the floor of the district, with no other structures beneath it. From below, all that’s visible is the extensive stone buttressing that supports the massive weight of the complex above. The two most obvious ways up are an arched entrance in the wall leading to an enclosed stone staircase and a complex affair of ropes and pulleys attached to a wooden platform that currently rests on the ground. Scaling the stone wall leading up to the balcony would be a challenging endeavor and both hands must be free ... meaning that the two party members with polearms and oversized spears would be left behind or having to find their way in the first two means.

What do you wish to do?

[DrK]

Akif

Akif nods his thanks to his brother at the psychic mask then listens to Myki nodding and smiling. "My thanks for the history lesson little Myki, I appreciate the lessons of your city here." As they stare at the dwelling he gauges the doorways and allows him to slowly shrink from his towering 15ft height to a merely "big" 7 or so feet tall. "I will will hopefully fit more easily now in these small dwellings."

Looking further he points at the archway, "Shall we enter and retreive this wayward little troll?"

[lostsole31]

"I might not be the sharpest nib on the quill," says The Scribe, "but if that archway leads to something like a front door upon which to knock first, I'm all in."

[Qazgir]

Sisir

"Myki, what are the odds a diplomatic approach might work, given the circumstances? I'd imagine they're nonexistent, but you are the expert here." Sisir pauses to brush off some dust, real or imagined, from his armor, before continuing. "If it is the case that there is no diplomatic way to go about this, then I'd prefer going through the door to going up the ropes, but I could be convinced either way."

[lostsole31]

Myki gives a doubtful look, but The Scribe says, "It's not about 'chance of success.' It's more a matter that we tried, and should our actions be under review one day, we can answer that we attempted the proper course first. I have no standing bet that would say this is the winning tactic .... just the right one."

[Tippnick]

"Let us go up to the door and try. But first prepare yourselves for trouble", Iluvar advises

[lostsole31]

"Allow me to go first," offers Myki.

It is important to note that the stairwell is a 5-foot-wide area. V-sibs, will you squeeze on the way up?

Also, ALCON what order do you recommend?

[DrK]

Akif

Akif, now medium size looks at the others and then nods slowly as he follows Myki, his spear leaning casually against his shoulder as he follows the small child. "I will follow you little Myki" Akif booms as he follows her towards the doorway, eyes and ears alert for any danger.

[lostsole31]

Who is next (or recommended next)?

[Qazgir]

Sisir

"I'll take up the rear, unless you want that position Iluvar" Sisir says as he shrinks down to his smaller size.

[Tippnick]

"I will go last", Iluvar informs the group.

[lostsole31]

The Scribe watches the transformation with rapt fascination, as well as the handling of the oversized weapons as he takes the only place leftover ... the middle.

A five-foot-wide stairway is situated inside the wall of Kaer Maga itself, accessed through an arched opening at ground level whose surrounding stone is perfectly smooth save for many tiny lines or slits carved haphazardly along its length. The stairs wind upward inside the wall toward the Hanging Manse on the wide, buttressed balcony forty feet above.

As soon as Myki - the first of your group - approaches w/in 5' of the entrance to the stairs, the dozens of lines carved into the archway twist and snap open, revealing blankly staring eyes of the same gray stone. A chorus of high, discordant voices calls out: “No solicitors, petitioners, inquisitors, or social calls! This is your only warning.” With a sound like shuffling cards, all of the eyes swivel to focus on the closest figure, Myki. A single tiny voice then sings out, “This means yooo-oou...”

[Qazgir]

Sisir

Hearing the warning and seeing the eyes, Sisir smiles before speaking up, "We have business with the master of the house, could a message be taken to him?"

[lostsole31]

The eyes all shift in unison to Sisir, but then back to Myki, blinking every now and then.

Myki shakes her head. "It's a programmed illusion that mixes the elements of a magic mouth. There is no intellect here with which to converse."