Pizazz's Ravenloft and Beyond

((It’s fine, I can be a bad guy.  Just clarifying that I did not draw the axe and at most made that one, singular threat.  I can be bad and detail oriented...))

"Well, that is much better." Meepo says with a nod to the entity. "Well, I a Meepo, and I am indeed a fairly powerful wizard. How were you bound into this book? he narrows his eyes a bit, and why were you bound into it to begin with? Do you know how you can be set free?" He frowns as he considers the book. "I feel I should read the text inside this book before making any decisions, as your state of being might be truly for the good of all for all I currently know." He glances around. "Regardless, I am not certain this is the right place to make such a decision. Can you aid me in hiding the book as I leave this place, so i can take it with me?"

Gazre-Azam mutters to himself for a moment, then says to Meepo, still in Draconic, "Yes, go ahead and read the text of course. I can't help you smuggle the book out..of..wherever you are...I can only really influence myself. But, I can speak freely and offer valuable information!  I was summoned by Zikran, a water genasi wizard, and bound to the book. Zikran wanted me to teach him how to make elemental devices, with the ultimate goal of building a floating castle fortress. For some time, I served the wizard. I was hoping to earn my freedom, so I shared much of my knowledge, but the wizard would not release me. So then I changed tactics and became less helpful, and Zikran cast a complicated spell to keep me from escaping. The only way to free me is for Zikran to end the enchantment willingly or for Zikran to be killed. I promise you I am no threat. I simply desire my freedom, and offer you fair payment for your assistance. If you agree...though I have not seen Zikran in many years, he must still be alive because the enchantment is still working, then I can lead you to his laboratory. Are we in Sigil? Is this Sigil? His laboratory was in Sigil.  I can lead you there. If we are not in Sigil....then...goodness....our quest starts with trying to find a way there."

A quick scan of the pages seem to be lab notes from Zikran's hand.  The first ten pages of the book contain various notes that indicate Zikran tried several times to trap a djinni in the book before finally succeeding. The next eight pages are observations of Gazre-Azam’s behavior during his time of servitude to Zikran. Beyond that are nothing but blank pages. Zikran seems...analytical and without much emotion in his writing, stating notes about Gazre-Azam's emotional pleas with cold precision.

(What do the rest of us see of Meepo and his conversation? Not that Mordekai's really paying attention to the others at this point.)

"To go back to your question, we don't really know how we got here. We had previously come across a wizard who was, and possibly is, quite mad. Then earlier, we all just.... sort of... find ourselves here. So we don't know how we got here, we don't know how to leave here, we don't know anything about here. The boy who led us here started to tell us about some factions. But he only got as far as the Harmonium and the Revolutionary League before we arrived here. Are there others?"

"Seems we lost our guide," concluded Lionel when Polk's indifference confirmed his suspicion. Mordekai was still building bridges with the ram-man, Meepo and Ulthan disappeared in the labyrinth and the dwarf could inform about their misfortune only Ketch for now. "Anything worthy in these piles of last year newspapers?"

     "The kid?  Bah, he'll turn up again, just like a bad copper...  And if not, like as not meant he was planning a scam and my little speech scared him off.  If so, good riddance to him," Ketch says, distractedly.  His nose is buried in "Cats of the Rivers" and he is enthralled by what seems to be some kind of murder mystery wrapped up in the mysteries of the feline aristocracy...

Polk smiles at Mordekai, placing a hand on Mordekai's knee, while shaking his head, "Well....i just can't fathom it. It's like...living in a house all these years, but not ever having been in the attic.  Or maybe you've been in the attic the whole time?  Hunh, a strange old wizard got you here? Big surprise. You know, your world on the prime, it's one of many worlds there, an infinite number of em actually. And you know every other plane...it's like, got an infinite of itself. And, though you can count the outer planes and inner planes, and the outlands as a plane, if you follow the great wheel to the middle, you'll find a mountain that climbs up for infinite. At the top, circling it's tip like a giant donut....that's Sigil. That's where you are. No more happenin place in the multi-verse.  Anyway, ok ok, I'll stop being so condescending to ya. I'm sure you know more about your prime plane than I could hope to understand.  Anyway....factions?  Well, we got no shortage of factions. They all believe something, they all have their rules. So, though they're all different, they're all sorta the same, cept for us. But, let's see...well, stay away from The Mercykillers. They're about as rigid as you get. Do something wrong, you deserve punishment. Punishment for doing the wrong thing is sorta their whole bag. They also run the jails and mete out death, maiming, or what not, all in the name of justice. Pfff, justice to them is not doing what your told,  sorta the exact opposite of justice if you think about it.  Alright alright, so recognize them, they wear red...burgs also call them Red Death. Trying to tell a Mercykiller to pike it though will just get ya nabbed, so skip it.  There's some other sorta interesting ones I guess.  There's the Transcendent Order. They're also called the Ciphers. They're sorta this league of wise advisors. They're after the perfect union of thought and action. They really are the ones that bring an evil keel to this bureaucracy gone crazy. Realize that rules aren't the be all and end all of it...all....so to say." 

"Do all of these Leagues...Orders...Factions...have headquarters?  Do they get along, or is there animosity, or do they generally keep themselves to themselves?  Do all the random civilians in the street hold allegiance to one of them, or is it only really signed-up members who get involved?  Sorry, I have a lot of questions.  I like to know these things, it really helps avoid making a big mistake."

Meepo considers for a moment. "Very well Gazre-Azam, I'll see about getting things started. We are indeed inside Sigil, though it is somewhere I have not been before, so you will have to forgive me some inexperience with the place. For now I am going to close the book, which I assume will force you back inside, but there is no leaving this place while you are out..." Meepo then closes the book. Assuming the book-cloud-thing disappears he sighs. Attempting to find a place where he is not being watched, Meepo then pretends to put the book on a shelf, while instead slipping it into his pack. he will then attempt to simply walk out of the place.

Stealth: 10
Sleight of hand: 27

It actually seems to take Meepo a few minutes to find his way out of the maze of stacks, but eventually he follows the light from the front windows and emerges amidst his friends who are standing around talking to the 'librarian'...who is paying precious little attention to anyone but Mordekai. Meepo walks outside easily enough.  

Polk says, "They do they do.  The faction headquarters are in the Guildhall Ward, go figure. And..they gotta get along. Anyone gets outta line and the lady put 'em back in in right quick. You know when you got two big powerful groups...sorta scrapping at one another...and then something happens and just wipes the other one off the map.  That's what we call the "New" "Clear" option.  Cause, it opens up some space for a new faction to form, and clears the air of any misunderstanding....that the city is under the Lady's control.  And, lots o people pay dues to factions of one or another, but not all people....it's just.....good to have friends sometimes, you know? Plus....even if you don't want to, you believe in somethin....or nothing,.....so you're probably aligned to one o the factions anyway." 

Lionel, Mordekai, Ketch and Ulthan see Meepo make a b-line for the door and head out onto the street. Little unusual for the kobold.

     "So how does one become a faction?" Ketch asks, wondering if that might be the profit line if they don't find a way to escape this... madness.  Ketch noted the Kobold skittering out but his proclivity for finding "lost" items isn't all that unusual so Ketch shifted to block more of Polk's view while asking the question.

Mordekai notices Meepo's hasty exit and excuses himself from the conversation now that Ketch is there to continue it. He'll follow Meepo outside and, assuming he's able to catch up and Meepo hasn't run off down the street, he'll ask if everything's OK. 

"Meepo need help." Meepo whispers to Mordekai. "Meepo found cloud-book-thing that need Meepo and Meepo friend help." He glances to the book-place and then away. "Need be further from library so Meepo can show Mordekai."

So would Lionel. Factions are very interesting - and that information is needed too, of course - but her still was not 100% convinced Tommy left on his own volition and would not want to count Meepo among lost things.

Fortunately, Meepo did not disappear and Lionel joined both mages. "Then let's get Ketch and Ulthan and may be return to our inn? Tommy is gone but it does not look like one can get lost in that place."

"I'll go." Mordekai heads back inside to get the others. 

"Apologies, Polk, our small friend has trust issues when it comes to large furniture. He was once attacked by a door. I fear he may not be coping with the volume of shelves in here. Nothing major, but we should all go with him. I'll have to take a rain check on being your wingman, but if I get a chance, I'll make a point of coming back to find you. It sounded like a lot of fun!"

Mordekai rounds up Ketch and Ulthan if they're willing, and goes to join the others. 

"hrmpfh thanks good info hrmpfh" Ulthan says and looks through his coin pouch full of coppers and finally fishes out a silver out of the three there. "hrmpfh for guild hrmpfh" as he puts it on the table and then follows the others out though longing to look through more maps and books of beasts showing their insides so he can try and figure out their weak points.

You all depart the library, leaving some unfinished business with atlas', monster compendiums, cat royalty, and wing men behind, and follow Meepo to a nearby alleyway. You're glad that you only came, essentially, three blocks from your Inn to get here. Without Tommy to lead you, this city is a big, mazy sprawling mess to navigate. You could probably figure out the major points after a day or two of just walking around, it's a big circle after all....but....you're not so interested in spending the time for the moment.  The alley way is cobbled, arching, sharp pointed architecture reaches out over the alley way that is filled with wooden bins filled with stinky trash....and a few odd folk sprawled here or there. You find a quiet spot down a ways, where the alley splits into three different directions, one of which ends in a high wooden gate that leads to an inner courtyard.  With the gate closed, it's a convenient and quiet dead end to speak. 

     “I could banish you.  All of you, over a bit of time.  It may not land you back home but you’d at least be on the proper plane of existence,” Ketch offers quietly, still thinking through the proposal even as he makes it.

     “Everyone would likely turn up half a world from each other, but the sky would at least make sense...”

Ulthan shrugs "hrmpfh home where am hrmpfh". Ulthan keeps an eye out around to see how many are paying especial attention to the odd bunch. Perception 18. And he notices some dirt. Look dirt he thinks of saying but then remembers something about mud and the trees, and the mountains and more dirt.

Lionel's eyes sparkled for a moment but dimmed back again. "Not a bad idea per se but... the part of "one by one" and "eventually" worries me. First, the one banished can land anywhere - alone(!)", Lionel raised one finger, "second, those here can run into any danger at any point lacking support of the banished one." (Second finger came up) "And third, who will banish you? Or do you feel at home already?" Lionel opened up full hand and waved the idea off. "We came here together - and we leave this place together. Now, Meepo, what have you found?"