Jean-Lou looks at Vilus. "Just over three months now. There were signs of a struggle at her shop. The guard did what investigating they could, but the people in the Rows don't tend to be particularly compliant with law-enforcement, so it ran into a dead-end"
"she worked and lived at Mother Magath's, right?..." Vilus trails off, collecting himself a bit, "there has been a wave of kidnappings recently, yes? Swathes of people disappearing under similar circumstances. You should know that they too are under the city, in caves that connect to the sewers and out to the sea front. I know this because I've been there, I know this because I was with that woman when she died.
You still haven't answered whether you can give us the names of those on that failed expedition..."
Malachi’s eyebrows raise at the offer of a shop and a regular stipend, they would both open up interesting possibilities. He nods to the councilman “That could come in very useful, a place to lay low when the cultists are clearly going to be searching the city for us, and after this is over” he looks over at Samir “maybe the beginnings of the shop you set out here for in the first place. With your family’s craftsmanship and my keen eye for value we could establish some of those trade connections you seek. Just maybe.” He looks over at Jean-Lou “What kind of proof do you need exactly? We have already delivered what proof we could from Tensmith.”
His mood quickly sours as Vilus shares the information on Mother Magath and brings him back to the present “A herbalist and healer? They are gathering up anyone who has a connection to magic.” He pauses before continuing “Whatever we do, we should move quickly. I overheard Speaker Marigold on the staircase, she is receiving a visitor with information this morning. It could be anything, but I wager it is the report on us. She will be searching for us soon and our story is not as likely to fool her.”
Ashley looks over to Joren with sympathy in her eyes as he talks about his home. She knows there is pain there, but she hasn't pushed and knows what it feels like to be pushed away from your home.
As discussion moves to what is at hand, she can't think of anything that wasn't mentioned so far and as Malachi asks what proof that Jean-Lou needs, she nods emphatically. "Trust me, you don't want to go meet a gloazworm."
She agrees with the rest on the location for them to hunker down and she really does want to help in any way she can, but decides to keep quiet about things as Malachi, Joren and Vilus seem to have it pretty well covered.
"They know your faces?" Jean-Lou looks disappointed, but not surprised. "We'll need to make sure you are not seen leaving my office. In fact, conspicuous as you are, you've almost certainly been noticed by a neutral party entering the counsel hall. You'll need another reason to be here in case anyone starts asking questions, which leads us to your question about the expedition records. They are held beneath the archives, in deep storage. I can't retrieve it myself without my access being logged, but if you went to the archives and inquired, that would answer questions about what you are doing here. You will be denied, of course, as deep storage is for sealed records not available to the public."
He gets out a quill and paper. "There will, however, be a guard change at 12:30 PM, when the library will be quiet for lunch. I can make sure the replacements are stalled for a few minutes, giving a small group of people enough time to quietly slip in." He writes down details, including what to look for, and a small patrol map, then looks questioningly at the group. "If you get this document, I'll have a place to start my investigation. I'll be able to give some pretext for a quick series of home searches, and detain anyone we encounter. Hopefully, that is what will give us the proof I need to convince the others before Marigold wises up. What do you think? Can you do it?"
"Of course we can do it. If you knew the half of the shit we've been through lately... this'll be a cake walk." Ashley grabs the slip of paper and map from him and tucks it securely away.
"Once we have acquired this document, how will we contact you again? Like you said, we probably shouldn't just walk in here again. Did we want to meet at a neutral place that you feel is secure for something like this?" She also looks to Vilus to see if he has any input, since he seems to know how to hide in this town as well.
With the conversation having moved on, Joren tamps down his urge to ask Jean-Lou about whether he knew his dwarven father, given that the councilor had referred to his being Thalvik's son. Fighting a war you are, sure as on the northern plains back home. Staying focused is coming first. Asking him how he is on a first-name basis with my father can wait until you and your friends are surviving this ordeal and the continent is still standing.
He returns Ashley's glance with a sad smile, reminded once again how both of them had been compelled to leave their respective homes. Perhaps being a good thing if I am meeting her and the rest of our companions. He emphasizes her point about gloazworms by pointing to the rents in his chain mail.
He defers to Malachi and Vilus to negotiate and plan the details, and to Samir for any technical expertise. When the former mentions Marigold lurking nearby, Joren tenses and instinctively summons his echo, positioning it next to the door. Soon realizing this is likely an unnecessary precaution, he nevertheless maintains the echo at that position since Jean-Lou already knows of his capabilities.
Perhaps there is a thread of fate in which Marigold walks through the door right into striking range of my echo's greatsword, he broods darkly.
Jean Lou taps his large chin. "That is a good thought." He writes something on an additional piece of paper and hands it over to Ashley. "Here you are. This is my home address. Disguise yourselves if possible, and find me there after 1800 hours (6 PM). Also, if you want to get to the treasury, now is the time to do it. It's just on the opposite side of the building. I'll have my attendant come and guide you to the archives where you can make your show of requesting documents. Although, if you wouldn't mind staying back a moment," he says to Joren, glancing at the echo, "I would very much like to have a quick chat. Assuming you are being amenable to that?"
Vilus addresses the group, "Marigold has likely seen me before, not like this, but I don't want to risk wandering around this building too much incase she senses me. I'm thinking I head directly out and wait for you guys there, Mal too, same reason, just in case... What say you?"
“If we make a show of requesting documents, they may suspect us when they come up missing later. Still, I think we can make something work if we have enough time.” The potential plans race in Malachi’s head. He looks up as Vilus comments “Eh? Yes, I will join you. We are not about to let you run off on your own again. No telling what you may end up missing next time.”
"Without Vilus and Malachi, we should probably be letting Ashley do the talking when it comes to requesting admission to the archives," Joren ventures. "I am not sneaky while wearing my armor but can be jumping past a guard by swapping with my echo if needed. Anyone else wishing to come? Your knowledge and noticing of patterns may come in useful if we find anything, Samir. And if the documents are lying deep within the archives, Mal, it may not be easy to be finding exactly which documents, if any, are going missing? And by the time they do, this shadow war may be resolving itself."
He turns back to Jean-Lou, not quite standing at attention but slightly tense, ready for the councilor's proposed "quick chat".
"don't worry too much about the documents right now Joren, we will get our hands on them, the feign comes first." Vilus looks to Jean Lou, "the expedition we want information on, do you at least know the ships name? It will make our search easier"
"Oh, yes, of course. In all honesty, it is quite an exciting idea to be able to go down into the archives in the first place." Samir fidgets with his glasses before returning to silence with a hesitant smile.
"It was called the Intrepid," Jean-Lou says, walking over to the wall of his office where a small rope hangs down. He gives it a small tug, and a few seconds later, the office door opens up. A light bell chime can be heard from just outside as his attendant pokes his head in. "Ready for that tea?" he asks.
"We're done with code," Jean-Lou responds. "And this meeting didn't happen. Could you now guide some of these visitors, who I am never having met, to the archives?"
"Of course, follow me," the attendant says, bowing his head to Ashley, Marion, and Samir. A minute after they leave, he nods to Vilus and Malachi. "You two now. Being discreet, of course."
Ashley, Samir, and Marion:
The attendant walks back out the door and makes a pretext of checking the bell while looking around for witnesses. Seeing that the coast is clear, he nods to the three adventurers. He walks with them back through the way that they came. When he hears the voices of people approaching, he distances himself from the trio and says, "Hmm? The archives? Wrong way. You want to head down this corridor here and take your second left." Then he gives an apologetic shrug and starts walking away in a different direction, just as a pair of women in formal robes walk by, discussing business.
Following his directions, Ashley, Samir, and Marion arrive at the archives without incident. Going through an arched, wooden door, reveals a large room packed with tall bookcases. Rolling ladders constrict the already tight corridors between shelves. An ancient looking elvish man sits behind a small desk to the right of the entrance, reading a book titled, 'Untamed: The cursed expedition into the Lenazeeum Tangle.' The wrinkled elf hardly seems to take note of the three new arrivals as they stand before his desk.
Malachi and Vilus:
Making sure that once again, the way is clear, Vilus and Malachi leave the office. Malachi no longer feels the unpleasant sensation from before when Marigold was near
Joren:
As the door closes behind the last of his friends, Joren hears Jean-Lou speak to him. "It's been a long time since I've been seeing someone from home. And an echo knight, no less! I'm sorry to be keeping you back like this to sate my curiosity, but you mentioned Jolien Kryn. I only met her a few times, but Thalvik was a good friend of mine, and last time we shared a drink, he mentioned having had a son with her. By any chance, being this son you are?"
Joren stands tense, both eager and apprehensive while trying to appear as neither.
"Sir- ah, sorry. Councilor Jean-Lou. Thalvik Dorral is my father though I... was never knowing him. My mother would reminisce of him sometimes when I was having a bad day as a child and seeking refuge with her. How my father had a strange way of speaking that removed wards and barriers, as if directly to the hearts of those he addressed. She said that is why she fell for him, though never being truly sure if he loved her in return."
Joren's voice sounds almost strangled as he tries to be forthright in the presence of such an unexpected link back to his father and his homeland.
"I... I have spent my young life wondering about him. Though I am lacking his reputed charm and wit, being replaced in me sometimes with rage, I believe that I am having in my soul the same urge to wander as he did. To be seeing what is beyond the next horizon or mountain range. No matter the reasons for my having to depart the Dalmodh Plains, I am now glad I did, meeting my new friends as I have. I will protect them."
He subsides, his echo flickering. Aware of having spoken too much about his father when it is Jean-Lou who knows Thalvik while Joren does not. Also aware suddenly that right this moment, he is not doing much to protect his companions...
Vilus gives a nod to Jean Lou, and before Mal and Vilus leave the room, Vilus hunches over, his firbolg form aging rapidly, as he gives Jean Lou a wink he offers an arm to Malachi and says "would you mind escorting an old man out of here" chuckling at his ruse.
Ashley coughs a bit so to try and and not startle the old elf then asks, "cursed expedition into the Lenazeem Tangle eh? any good? The title sure pulls you in, doesn't it?"
"Charming he was certainly being," Jean-Lou responds. "Though for all that, he sure made plenty of enemies in Khirian High society simply for not ''knowing his place." He makes air quotes with his fingers. "Not that he ever wanted or needed any kind of place. His relationship with your mother is the closest I ever saw him to slowing down, and well, clearly even that was only temporary. He was always popping in and out of my life when I was still a fresh recruit, but then as we headed into a particularly fierce period of conflict with our northern neighbours, he disappeared for a few decades. Showed back up again eventually though, with a few new scars and some new magic tricks, and stuck around long enough to court your mother, much to the disdain of the rest of the Kryn family. Then he was gone again. Last time I am seeing him... gosh, maybe 10 years back now? Maybe more? Was being after I was sent here as a high commissioner. Came through the city and we caught up over drinks."
Ashley, Samir, Marion:
The old elf startles a bit at the cough, and looks up. "Oh hello," he says slowly with a smile. He carefully places a bookmark at his current page with a trembling hand. "Yes, it is rather informative, if rather morbid. But it gives all the thrill of visiting the southern forests without having to brave that damp heat and whatever curses lie there, hehehe. Now, can I help you find something?"
Malachi and Vilus:
Vilus does not have to fake a limp as the duo make their way back out to the main entrance. They pass by several groups of people as the halls started to get more crowded, but the more eyes that are present, the more of a crowd there is to disappear into. They pass through without noticing any undue attention coming their way, and Malachi feels no stirrings in his mind as they get out the front door.
Samir, being Samir, finds his attention immediately drawn to the book the older man was reading. He steps forward rather quickly, one hand adjusting his glasses as he moves, eyes widening behind their lenses. "Lenazeeum? Oh, that's a fascinating subject! I once had the absolute pleasure of auditing a class from Orinal Thomgast, who was the lead alchemist on the Gibrail Expedition in Lenazeeum, which took place some fifteen years after this particular one."By this point, Samir has almost unconsciously scooped up the book from the man's desk and is examining it delicately. "This is an excellent copy of the text, by the way. You see Orinal is herself an alumnus from Nos'Argo as well. She presented an altogether fascinating accounting of picking up in the tracks of the original expedition, and of the wide variety of different insect and aquatic life found in the small streams and standing pools inside the tangle. In fact, there turns out to be a specific breed of barely detectable slime that apparently lives its entire life within these near-permanent pools of water that appear in the massive leaves of the huanaga tree. Completely clear, very tiny. Orinal believes that it was, infact, the ingestion of these tiny, crystalline slimes while collecting water from the leaves that led to the deaths of several of the original expedition members. Apparently doing so causes severe effects on ones digestive system that are almost indistinguishable from several other waterborne ailments and is an extremely messy and foul way to go."
He looks up, his smile faltering as he sees everyone else looking at him. With a small clearing of his throat, he sets the book down and attempts a weak smile at the attendant. "Ah yes, hello there. Ummm."
Joren drinks up what Jean-Lou tells him, though none of it is a major surprise. When he speaks, his voice is both subdued and wry.
"It is seeming that I too, like my father, am not knowing my place." He pauses, conscious of taking up the councilor's time. And of being away from his companions where he cannot protect them as he had claimed he would. Still...
"From how you are saying it, he was not telling you where he was bound next when you last saw him here ten years ago?"
Joren doesn't sound hopeful, but as he asks the question, something else strikes him. "Did you say they were sending you here as as High Commisioner? They Khirian Empire? Are you still maintaining lines of communication back home? Do the Dalmodh Plains still stand, repelling Khorinian advances?"
Joren is aware how little he understands of diplomacy and international relations, wishing he had paid more attention while he had the chance.
Jean-Lou looks at Vilus. "Just over three months now. There were signs of a struggle at her shop. The guard did what investigating they could, but the people in the Rows don't tend to be particularly compliant with law-enforcement, so it ran into a dead-end"
"she worked and lived at Mother Magath's, right?..." Vilus trails off, collecting himself a bit, "there has been a wave of kidnappings recently, yes? Swathes of people disappearing under similar circumstances. You should know that they too are under the city, in caves that connect to the sewers and out to the sea front. I know this because I've been there, I know this because I was with that woman when she died.
You still haven't answered whether you can give us the names of those on that failed expedition..."
Malachi’s eyebrows raise at the offer of a shop and a regular stipend, they would both open up interesting possibilities. He nods to the councilman “That could come in very useful, a place to lay low when the cultists are clearly going to be searching the city for us, and after this is over” he looks over at Samir “maybe the beginnings of the shop you set out here for in the first place. With your family’s craftsmanship and my keen eye for value we could establish some of those trade connections you seek. Just maybe.” He looks over at Jean-Lou “What kind of proof do you need exactly? We have already delivered what proof we could from Tensmith.”
His mood quickly sours as Vilus shares the information on Mother Magath and brings him back to the present “A herbalist and healer? They are gathering up anyone who has a connection to magic.” He pauses before continuing “Whatever we do, we should move quickly. I overheard Speaker Marigold on the staircase, she is receiving a visitor with information this morning. It could be anything, but I wager it is the report on us. She will be searching for us soon and our story is not as likely to fool her.”
Ashley looks over to Joren with sympathy in her eyes as he talks about his home. She knows there is pain there, but she hasn't pushed and knows what it feels like to be pushed away from your home.
As discussion moves to what is at hand, she can't think of anything that wasn't mentioned so far and as Malachi asks what proof that Jean-Lou needs, she nods emphatically. "Trust me, you don't want to go meet a gloazworm."
She agrees with the rest on the location for them to hunker down and she really does want to help in any way she can, but decides to keep quiet about things as Malachi, Joren and Vilus seem to have it pretty well covered.
"They know your faces?" Jean-Lou looks disappointed, but not surprised. "We'll need to make sure you are not seen leaving my office. In fact, conspicuous as you are, you've almost certainly been noticed by a neutral party entering the counsel hall. You'll need another reason to be here in case anyone starts asking questions, which leads us to your question about the expedition records. They are held beneath the archives, in deep storage. I can't retrieve it myself without my access being logged, but if you went to the archives and inquired, that would answer questions about what you are doing here. You will be denied, of course, as deep storage is for sealed records not available to the public."
He gets out a quill and paper. "There will, however, be a guard change at 12:30 PM, when the library will be quiet for lunch. I can make sure the replacements are stalled for a few minutes, giving a small group of people enough time to quietly slip in." He writes down details, including what to look for, and a small patrol map, then looks questioningly at the group. "If you get this document, I'll have a place to start my investigation. I'll be able to give some pretext for a quick series of home searches, and detain anyone we encounter. Hopefully, that is what will give us the proof I need to convince the others before Marigold wises up. What do you think? Can you do it?"
"Of course we can do it. If you knew the half of the shit we've been through lately... this'll be a cake walk." Ashley grabs the slip of paper and map from him and tucks it securely away.
"Once we have acquired this document, how will we contact you again? Like you said, we probably shouldn't just walk in here again. Did we want to meet at a neutral place that you feel is secure for something like this?" She also looks to Vilus to see if he has any input, since he seems to know how to hide in this town as well.
With the conversation having moved on, Joren tamps down his urge to ask Jean-Lou about whether he knew his dwarven father, given that the councilor had referred to his being Thalvik's son. Fighting a war you are, sure as on the northern plains back home. Staying focused is coming first. Asking him how he is on a first-name basis with my father can wait until you and your friends are surviving this ordeal and the continent is still standing.
He returns Ashley's glance with a sad smile, reminded once again how both of them had been compelled to leave their respective homes. Perhaps being a good thing if I am meeting her and the rest of our companions. He emphasizes her point about gloazworms by pointing to the rents in his chain mail.
He defers to Malachi and Vilus to negotiate and plan the details, and to Samir for any technical expertise. When the former mentions Marigold lurking nearby, Joren tenses and instinctively summons his echo, positioning it next to the door. Soon realizing this is likely an unnecessary precaution, he nevertheless maintains the echo at that position since Jean-Lou already knows of his capabilities.
Perhaps there is a thread of fate in which Marigold walks through the door right into striking range of my echo's greatsword, he broods darkly.
Tanis(Ranger1): Shiverquill's Tempest City | Barn(Paladin1): Damian_May's Ereworn Under the Shadow | Lyra(Warlock2/Bard4): VitusW's Silverwood Forest
Dyson/Eleo(Cleric4): Vos' Beyond the Veil | Soren(Druid5): Bartjeebus' Ravenloft | Ophelia(Sorcerer4): Ashen_Age's Risen from the Sands
Joren(Fighter6): NotDrizzt's Simple Request | Sabetha(Monk3): Bedlymn's Murder Court | Seri(Cleric3/Sorcerer1): Bartjeebus' Greyhawk
Jean Lou taps his large chin. "That is a good thought." He writes something on an additional piece of paper and hands it over to Ashley. "Here you are. This is my home address. Disguise yourselves if possible, and find me there after 1800 hours (6 PM). Also, if you want to get to the treasury, now is the time to do it. It's just on the opposite side of the building. I'll have my attendant come and guide you to the archives where you can make your show of requesting documents. Although, if you wouldn't mind staying back a moment," he says to Joren, glancing at the echo, "I would very much like to have a quick chat. Assuming you are being amenable to that?"
Vilus addresses the group, "Marigold has likely seen me before, not like this, but I don't want to risk wandering around this building too much incase she senses me. I'm thinking I head directly out and wait for you guys there, Mal too, same reason, just in case... What say you?"
“If we make a show of requesting documents, they may suspect us when they come up missing later. Still, I think we can make something work if we have enough time.” The potential plans race in Malachi’s head. He looks up as Vilus comments “Eh? Yes, I will join you. We are not about to let you run off on your own again. No telling what you may end up missing next time.”
"Without Vilus and Malachi, we should probably be letting Ashley do the talking when it comes to requesting admission to the archives," Joren ventures. "I am not sneaky while wearing my armor but can be jumping past a guard by swapping with my echo if needed. Anyone else wishing to come? Your knowledge and noticing of patterns may come in useful if we find anything, Samir. And if the documents are lying deep within the archives, Mal, it may not be easy to be finding exactly which documents, if any, are going missing? And by the time they do, this shadow war may be resolving itself."
He turns back to Jean-Lou, not quite standing at attention but slightly tense, ready for the councilor's proposed "quick chat".
Tanis(Ranger1): Shiverquill's Tempest City | Barn(Paladin1): Damian_May's Ereworn Under the Shadow | Lyra(Warlock2/Bard4): VitusW's Silverwood Forest
Dyson/Eleo(Cleric4): Vos' Beyond the Veil | Soren(Druid5): Bartjeebus' Ravenloft | Ophelia(Sorcerer4): Ashen_Age's Risen from the Sands
Joren(Fighter6): NotDrizzt's Simple Request | Sabetha(Monk3): Bedlymn's Murder Court | Seri(Cleric3/Sorcerer1): Bartjeebus' Greyhawk
"don't worry too much about the documents right now Joren, we will get our hands on them, the feign comes first." Vilus looks to Jean Lou, "the expedition we want information on, do you at least know the ships name? It will make our search easier"
"Oh, yes, of course. In all honesty, it is quite an exciting idea to be able to go down into the archives in the first place." Samir fidgets with his glasses before returning to silence with a hesitant smile.
"It was called the Intrepid," Jean-Lou says, walking over to the wall of his office where a small rope hangs down. He gives it a small tug, and a few seconds later, the office door opens up. A light bell chime can be heard from just outside as his attendant pokes his head in. "Ready for that tea?" he asks.
"We're done with code," Jean-Lou responds. "And this meeting didn't happen. Could you now guide some of these visitors, who I am never having met, to the archives?"
"Of course, follow me," the attendant says, bowing his head to Ashley, Marion, and Samir. A minute after they leave, he nods to Vilus and Malachi. "You two now. Being discreet, of course."
Ashley, Samir, and Marion:
The attendant walks back out the door and makes a pretext of checking the bell while looking around for witnesses. Seeing that the coast is clear, he nods to the three adventurers. He walks with them back through the way that they came. When he hears the voices of people approaching, he distances himself from the trio and says, "Hmm? The archives? Wrong way. You want to head down this corridor here and take your second left." Then he gives an apologetic shrug and starts walking away in a different direction, just as a pair of women in formal robes walk by, discussing business.
Following his directions, Ashley, Samir, and Marion arrive at the archives without incident. Going through an arched, wooden door, reveals a large room packed with tall bookcases. Rolling ladders constrict the already tight corridors between shelves. An ancient looking elvish man sits behind a small desk to the right of the entrance, reading a book titled, 'Untamed: The cursed expedition into the Lenazeeum Tangle.' The wrinkled elf hardly seems to take note of the three new arrivals as they stand before his desk.
Malachi and Vilus:
Making sure that once again, the way is clear, Vilus and Malachi leave the office. Malachi no longer feels the unpleasant sensation from before when Marigold was near
Joren:
As the door closes behind the last of his friends, Joren hears Jean-Lou speak to him. "It's been a long time since I've been seeing someone from home. And an echo knight, no less! I'm sorry to be keeping you back like this to sate my curiosity, but you mentioned Jolien Kryn. I only met her a few times, but Thalvik was a good friend of mine, and last time we shared a drink, he mentioned having had a son with her. By any chance, being this son you are?"
Joren:
Joren stands tense, both eager and apprehensive while trying to appear as neither.
"Sir- ah, sorry. Councilor Jean-Lou. Thalvik Dorral is my father though I... was never knowing him. My mother would reminisce of him sometimes when I was having a bad day as a child and seeking refuge with her. How my father had a strange way of speaking that removed wards and barriers, as if directly to the hearts of those he addressed. She said that is why she fell for him, though never being truly sure if he loved her in return."
Joren's voice sounds almost strangled as he tries to be forthright in the presence of such an unexpected link back to his father and his homeland.
"I... I have spent my young life wondering about him. Though I am lacking his reputed charm and wit, being replaced in me sometimes with rage, I believe that I am having in my soul the same urge to wander as he did. To be seeing what is beyond the next horizon or mountain range. No matter the reasons for my having to depart the Dalmodh Plains, I am now glad I did, meeting my new friends as I have. I will protect them."
He subsides, his echo flickering. Aware of having spoken too much about his father when it is Jean-Lou who knows Thalvik while Joren does not. Also aware suddenly that right this moment, he is not doing much to protect his companions...
Tanis(Ranger1): Shiverquill's Tempest City | Barn(Paladin1): Damian_May's Ereworn Under the Shadow | Lyra(Warlock2/Bard4): VitusW's Silverwood Forest
Dyson/Eleo(Cleric4): Vos' Beyond the Veil | Soren(Druid5): Bartjeebus' Ravenloft | Ophelia(Sorcerer4): Ashen_Age's Risen from the Sands
Joren(Fighter6): NotDrizzt's Simple Request | Sabetha(Monk3): Bedlymn's Murder Court | Seri(Cleric3/Sorcerer1): Bartjeebus' Greyhawk
Vilus gives a nod to Jean Lou, and before Mal and Vilus leave the room, Vilus hunches over, his firbolg form aging rapidly, as he gives Jean Lou a wink he offers an arm to Malachi and says "would you mind escorting an old man out of here" chuckling at his ruse.
Ashley coughs a bit so to try and and not startle the old elf then asks, "cursed expedition into the Lenazeem Tangle eh? any good? The title sure pulls you in, doesn't it?"
Joren:
"Charming he was certainly being," Jean-Lou responds. "Though for all that, he sure made plenty of enemies in Khirian High society simply for not ''knowing his place." He makes air quotes with his fingers. "Not that he ever wanted or needed any kind of place. His relationship with your mother is the closest I ever saw him to slowing down, and well, clearly even that was only temporary. He was always popping in and out of my life when I was still a fresh recruit, but then as we headed into a particularly fierce period of conflict with our northern neighbours, he disappeared for a few decades. Showed back up again eventually though, with a few new scars and some new magic tricks, and stuck around long enough to court your mother, much to the disdain of the rest of the Kryn family. Then he was gone again. Last time I am seeing him... gosh, maybe 10 years back now? Maybe more? Was being after I was sent here as a high commissioner. Came through the city and we caught up over drinks."
Ashley, Samir, Marion:
The old elf startles a bit at the cough, and looks up. "Oh hello," he says slowly with a smile. He carefully places a bookmark at his current page with a trembling hand. "Yes, it is rather informative, if rather morbid. But it gives all the thrill of visiting the southern forests without having to brave that damp heat and whatever curses lie there, hehehe. Now, can I help you find something?"
Malachi and Vilus:
Vilus does not have to fake a limp as the duo make their way back out to the main entrance. They pass by several groups of people as the halls started to get more crowded, but the more eyes that are present, the more of a crowd there is to disappear into. They pass through without noticing any undue attention coming their way, and Malachi feels no stirrings in his mind as they get out the front door.
Samir, being Samir, finds his attention immediately drawn to the book the older man was reading. He steps forward rather quickly, one hand adjusting his glasses as he moves, eyes widening behind their lenses. "Lenazeeum? Oh, that's a fascinating subject! I once had the absolute pleasure of auditing a class from Orinal Thomgast, who was the lead alchemist on the Gibrail Expedition in Lenazeeum, which took place some fifteen years after this particular one." By this point, Samir has almost unconsciously scooped up the book from the man's desk and is examining it delicately. "This is an excellent copy of the text, by the way. You see Orinal is herself an alumnus from Nos'Argo as well. She presented an altogether fascinating accounting of picking up in the tracks of the original expedition, and of the wide variety of different insect and aquatic life found in the small streams and standing pools inside the tangle. In fact, there turns out to be a specific breed of barely detectable slime that apparently lives its entire life within these near-permanent pools of water that appear in the massive leaves of the huanaga tree. Completely clear, very tiny. Orinal believes that it was, infact, the ingestion of these tiny, crystalline slimes while collecting water from the leaves that led to the deaths of several of the original expedition members. Apparently doing so causes severe effects on ones digestive system that are almost indistinguishable from several other waterborne ailments and is an extremely messy and foul way to go."
He looks up, his smile faltering as he sees everyone else looking at him. With a small clearing of his throat, he sets the book down and attempts a weak smile at the attendant. "Ah yes, hello there. Ummm."
Joren:
Joren drinks up what Jean-Lou tells him, though none of it is a major surprise. When he speaks, his voice is both subdued and wry.
"It is seeming that I too, like my father, am not knowing my place." He pauses, conscious of taking up the councilor's time. And of being away from his companions where he cannot protect them as he had claimed he would. Still...
"From how you are saying it, he was not telling you where he was bound next when you last saw him here ten years ago?"
Joren doesn't sound hopeful, but as he asks the question, something else strikes him. "Did you say they were sending you here as as High Commisioner? They Khirian Empire? Are you still maintaining lines of communication back home? Do the Dalmodh Plains still stand, repelling Khorinian advances?"
Joren is aware how little he understands of diplomacy and international relations, wishing he had paid more attention while he had the chance.
Tanis(Ranger1): Shiverquill's Tempest City | Barn(Paladin1): Damian_May's Ereworn Under the Shadow | Lyra(Warlock2/Bard4): VitusW's Silverwood Forest
Dyson/Eleo(Cleric4): Vos' Beyond the Veil | Soren(Druid5): Bartjeebus' Ravenloft | Ophelia(Sorcerer4): Ashen_Age's Risen from the Sands
Joren(Fighter6): NotDrizzt's Simple Request | Sabetha(Monk3): Bedlymn's Murder Court | Seri(Cleric3/Sorcerer1): Bartjeebus' Greyhawk