Sure enough, the medallion returns it's normal blue glow when held near Marion, who offers no resistance to the scrutiny. "Glad to see you are still being careful. I came to tell you that there is a vessel waiting in the river. We have packed it with as many of the city watch as we could, though there is room for 5 more, if you are willing. I'd be glad to hear of what transpired last night as well."
Ashley is thrilled to see Marion and lets the others welcome and well, interrogate her. The ladder makes her smile even more. Turning back to Samir, "What was it you wanted to show me? What is odd?"
Then to Marion, "Vessel to where? Am I missing something? Well... apparently I am, I must have slept harder than I realized."
"Oh, certainly, the amulet." Samir ducks back into the workshop for a moment, coming out with said item clasped in one hand. On seeing no ill indications near Marion, he gives her a smile and tucks the necklace back into his pocket. "So good to see you again, Marion. Perhaps Vilus and the others can fill you in. Ashley, can you just step back here into the workroom with me for a moment?" Moving past Ashley, Samir moves back into the room where he slept, giving his friend plenty of space to join him. After a moment's silence, he arches an eyebrow and looks around the room. "Do you feel anything... odd, back here? Like a... like a static feeling in the air? Like being too close to one of Professor Ludbridge's lightning generation rings."
"Vessel arrived from Tensmith, and headed out to pay Marigold's ship out in the bay a nice visit?" Joren's tone is both light and grim at the same time as he both gives what he thinks is the answer to Ashley's question and attempts to confirm it with Marion.
"Going to be on that vessel, me, come hell or high water. Knowing the cultists, it is a trap, and we will no doubt be getting both the hell and the high water in good measure, but it is a trap we must be springing nonetheless."
(If no one else does, Joren recounts the events since the party had parted ways with Marion, including the encounter with Andra, the subterranean cultist-constructed railway ride past the gloazworm den, the hall of the ancient fire genasi, the cultists with the explosive rig from Tensmith and the captive magic-users, the gloazen queen, and perhaps most importantly, the Heart of Fire, what the cultists had planned with it, and Ashley's claiming of it).
"Marigold is still aboard the ship in the bay, my spies have confirmed it..." Vilus admits, still giving Marion a cautious eye "the cultists ship is prepped and ready to move at a moments notice, the vessel from Tensmith will need to utilise a favourable wind to intercept quickly enough, but there's no telling when that wind will come. If they get it before we arrive they're gonna take that chance and go, we should move as soon and as fast as possible"
"I've memorized a spell that I think should help in that regard," Marion says. "But once we reach the other ship, I will be unable to join you for the battle. I remember when we fought Andra. He summoned an aspect of Razmus using a magical ring and a sacrifice of his own flesh. If he had access to that kind of power, I fear Marigold almost certainly will to. I've been working on a counter-measure, though. It should stop her from seeking help from her god, but I'll need to be below-deck for it to work. You'll see when we get to the ship."
“A boat full of the watch? Good, let them handle it, haven’t we done enough? And so what if they do escape? Maybe they will carry word of their failure back and call this whole invasion thing off.” Malachi plops one of the wigs on his head, a mass of curly, straw colored hair that makes him look quite ridiculous. He carefully adjusts the wig to cover the tips of his ears and the scarred mark on his forehead. “A trap, and someone else who can summon as aspect of a god? Why Joren? It is even better reasons to be far away from that boat if you ask me. Now did someone say something about breakfast.”
Joren turns to look at Malachi, expressionless. "True, Mal. You can be doing what you need to save yourself. You are having no obligation."
"Asking me, a cult which was trying to enslave us and others as rat-hybrids when we were exhausted after the Shield Pass, kidnapping Marshal Lanya and shutting down Tensmith mines to put thousands out of work to avoid discovery, murdering citizens to steal their faces, kidnapping magic-users like you to drain them as thralls, seeking a volcanic eruption to annihilate Cambria for their god - you are thinking Marigold will call the whole thing off now?"
"The Talmouth Watch is having capable men and women, no doubt. Yet without us, the cult succeeds yesterday, Watch or no. We few who were crossing the Shield Pass are the one factor the cult was not expecting, though they are knowing us now. If fate is presenting us a chance to cripple them, we should be grabbing on with both hands and not letting go. Especially as they wait in ignorance for an eruption that we hope is never coming."
"The visions I had before, the something coming from across the sea... Taking the heart of fire has not stopped that. But you've got a point Mal, we have stopped the first step of their plan which would have made their invasion easier. From here on out it's going to be more of a struggle for them than they anticipated. So now is the time for anyone who wants to leave to do so...
I'm a ticking time bomb, I feel whatever happened to Andra could take over me at any moment, so I'd rather be in enemy territory if thats going to happen, and that's my choice.
But Ashley has this aspect of the primordial flame within her now and that's a responsibility and a burden of its own.
Joren you have an untapped well of dunamantic possibility within you aswell as a personal honour code you hold.
Samir you're the smartest bastard I've ever met. The blue lady said as much in your vision.
And Mal... there is a fate that you want to avoid, and I don't blame you for wanting out. But there is also a reason the blue lady and red huntsman were so interested in you.
But this goes for everyone. The choice to go forward is ultimately yours, no one else's. If you join me heading to that boat, then do it for yourself. Not for honour, not for the burden of responsibility placed at your feet, or Fate, or just having the potential to be helpful to the cause... For yourself."
With that Vilus grabs his pack and swings it over his shoulder. Standing by the door and waiting for anyone to join him.
Ashley steps in the back room with Samir and pauses a moment. "You're right, there is something about this room...a sort of familiar tingle of magic? Can you locate a spot that it is coming from or is it the whole room?"
Joining the other conversation, "Like I am going to try and handle this burden on my own! You all gotta help me and what better way then to use it against those bastards? I'm with you Vilus, Joren, you both know this." And she heads over to stand by the goliath as they wait for the others.
Malachi raises his hands in mock surrender “Guys, alright, alright! I was just sharing an option. You are right, I didn’t much like being marked and even if it is broken, I still owe them for that. And if we are going to deliver the heart of fire right back to the cultist’s reach, we will need to watch Ashley’s, and each other's, backs. No way I will let you go at this without me.” He looks over at Vilus "I wish I knew why they were interested. The blue lady said I was tainted. But what if she was not referring to the mark of Razmus, what if it was something else?"
He stops for a moment of silent thought before he grabs his bag and catches sight of himself and his new wig in the reflection of the window. “Oh my, that is terrible. You were all going to let me out in public with that thing?” He shoots an angry glare at Ashley and the others before switching out the wig with a new dark colored wig that hung down to his shoulders and was very similar to his original hair. “Much better. I guess that means breakfast is to go, right?”
"I can certainly try and narrow it down." Samir turns away and picks up his satchel, digging a hand into it and coming up with what looks like a tuning fork wrapped in silvery wire of some sort. Slinging his bag into it's normal position, he holds up the tuning fork and flicks it with the nail of one finger, eliciting a faint ringing sound that likewise chimes with faint magical energy.
Casting Detect Magic to see if I can narrow down the source of whatever it is we're feeling in the room.
As Malachi responds Vilus' face softens a little, he leaves the door and approaches Malachi putting a large hand softly on the half elf's shoulder. Vilus leans in and whispers "the blue lady was sorry for what is in store for you, said that with our help you could escape your mother's fate... I dont want to prod and poke but if we knew more we could maybe help more. We don't want to lose you, for whatever reason Mal"
Samir feels the magic more acutely with his implements in hand, and as he examines the space, his eyes fall on the statue of Drun at the end of the room. There is a faint colourless glow about her. As Samir draws nearer, he spies runes that had not been there previously, circling the base of the statue. Like when the magic was released in Tensmith and the artifacts in Andra's office showed new runes briefly before they faded from sight.
These one's are not fading though. At least to Samir's eyes. And they are clearly not in the Godtongue of Razmus. There may not be much time to study them in depth at the moment, but they could serve as a valuable reference.
Drawn to the small figure, Samir's eyes widen slightly behind his glasses, tracing the lines of runework that had most certainly not been there before. A long sigh escapes him as he turns back towards Ashley. "I swear, when this is all over, I will spend a month simply cataloguing all of the new things I need to study in depth." Putting his implement away with a shake of his head, Samir heads back out to the others. "Well alright then. We're off to beard the beast in it's floating lair then, are we? Best to just get it over with, like pulling a splinter."
Marion leads everyone through the streets, towards the east end of town. No people walk the streets except for regular patrols of armed guards. A look and a nod from Marion always sends them on their way without suspicious looks or questions. It seems she has become known to them.
They reach the east gate, which is promptly opened before them, and they step foot outside the city. The river is before them, and a large river boat equipped with 16 rows of oars is anchored near the shore. Guards aboard the ship wave down as the group crosses the pebbly beach, and they gesture to three rowboats sitting on the shore, waiting.
Joren takes the hint and prepares to man the oars of one of the rowboats.
He looks around to confirm the obvious. Whether Marigold's ship is out of view and thus has no line of sight, whether the wind is blowing in from the sea so that it would be more difficult for the cultist vessel to flee. He summons his echo and speaks matter-of-factly.
"We can only be hoping that the cultists were not leaving behind watchers here, or among the guards on the river boat."
From where the boat is situated, the rising cliffs of the city's shore obscure a good portion of the bay, including Marigold's ship. Seeing Joren testing the wind, Marion assures him, "We should have a few hours of light wind blowing in to the harbour. When they see us, they'll have to row against the wind just like us if they want to flee. But their ship has fewer oars, and probably lacks a dedicated rowing team. These men are used to fighting the river. The cultists I've seen have been... unimpressive in terms of muscles. So if it comes down to a race for the mouth of the bay, my money is on us."
Ashley grins at Marion's assessment. "I like those odds!" and she joins Joren in the rowboat, ready and raring to row with the best of them. She's feeling invigorated by the long rest and an action plan laid out in front of them.
As the group make their way through the town, Vilus spots an open shop and pops in momentarily. Once out and caught up with the group he begins walking and changing into his purchase, a new set of studded black leather armour.
His Goliath hide, not effected by the cold, gives Vilus no problem as he strips down and changes his top half whilst walking along with the group, but he waits to be sat on the boat before trying to fiddle his way in and out of the bottom half, having to navigate a false leg into the new straps proves a little more of a challenge but he eventually succeeds and takes a perch on the bow of the boat, keeping an observant eye out over the part of the bay which isn't currently obscured.
Sure enough, the medallion returns it's normal blue glow when held near Marion, who offers no resistance to the scrutiny. "Glad to see you are still being careful. I came to tell you that there is a vessel waiting in the river. We have packed it with as many of the city watch as we could, though there is room for 5 more, if you are willing. I'd be glad to hear of what transpired last night as well."
Ashley is thrilled to see Marion and lets the others welcome and well, interrogate her. The ladder makes her smile even more. Turning back to Samir, "What was it you wanted to show me? What is odd?"
Then to Marion, "Vessel to where? Am I missing something? Well... apparently I am, I must have slept harder than I realized."
"Oh, certainly, the amulet." Samir ducks back into the workshop for a moment, coming out with said item clasped in one hand. On seeing no ill indications near Marion, he gives her a smile and tucks the necklace back into his pocket. "So good to see you again, Marion. Perhaps Vilus and the others can fill you in. Ashley, can you just step back here into the workroom with me for a moment?" Moving past Ashley, Samir moves back into the room where he slept, giving his friend plenty of space to join him. After a moment's silence, he arches an eyebrow and looks around the room. "Do you feel anything... odd, back here? Like a... like a static feeling in the air? Like being too close to one of Professor Ludbridge's lightning generation rings."
"Vessel arrived from Tensmith, and headed out to pay Marigold's ship out in the bay a nice visit?" Joren's tone is both light and grim at the same time as he both gives what he thinks is the answer to Ashley's question and attempts to confirm it with Marion.
"Going to be on that vessel, me, come hell or high water. Knowing the cultists, it is a trap, and we will no doubt be getting both the hell and the high water in good measure, but it is a trap we must be springing nonetheless."
(If no one else does, Joren recounts the events since the party had parted ways with Marion, including the encounter with Andra, the subterranean cultist-constructed railway ride past the gloazworm den, the hall of the ancient fire genasi, the cultists with the explosive rig from Tensmith and the captive magic-users, the gloazen queen, and perhaps most importantly, the Heart of Fire, what the cultists had planned with it, and Ashley's claiming of it).
Tanis(Ranger1): Shiverquill's Tempest City | Xarian(Fighter2): NioNSwiper's Tyranny of Dragons
Dyson/Eleo(TwilightCleric4): Vos' Beyond the Veil | Soren(ShepherdDruid5): Bartjeebus' Ravenloft | Ophelia(WildMagicSorcerer4): Ashen_Age's Risen from the Sands
Joren(EchoKnightFighter6): NotDrizzt's Simple Request | Sabetha(MercyMonk3): Bedlymn's Murder Court | Seri(NatureCleric3/DivineSoulSorcerer1): Bartjeebus' Greyhawk
"Marigold is still aboard the ship in the bay, my spies have confirmed it..." Vilus admits, still giving Marion a cautious eye "the cultists ship is prepped and ready to move at a moments notice, the vessel from Tensmith will need to utilise a favourable wind to intercept quickly enough, but there's no telling when that wind will come. If they get it before we arrive they're gonna take that chance and go, we should move as soon and as fast as possible"
"I've memorized a spell that I think should help in that regard," Marion says. "But once we reach the other ship, I will be unable to join you for the battle. I remember when we fought Andra. He summoned an aspect of Razmus using a magical ring and a sacrifice of his own flesh. If he had access to that kind of power, I fear Marigold almost certainly will to. I've been working on a counter-measure, though. It should stop her from seeking help from her god, but I'll need to be below-deck for it to work. You'll see when we get to the ship."
“A boat full of the watch? Good, let them handle it, haven’t we done enough? And so what if they do escape? Maybe they will carry word of their failure back and call this whole invasion thing off.” Malachi plops one of the wigs on his head, a mass of curly, straw colored hair that makes him look quite ridiculous. He carefully adjusts the wig to cover the tips of his ears and the scarred mark on his forehead. “A trap, and someone else who can summon as aspect of a god? Why Joren? It is even better reasons to be far away from that boat if you ask me. Now did someone say something about breakfast.”
Joren turns to look at Malachi, expressionless. "True, Mal. You can be doing what you need to save yourself. You are having no obligation."
"Asking me, a cult which was trying to enslave us and others as rat-hybrids when we were exhausted after the Shield Pass, kidnapping Marshal Lanya and shutting down Tensmith mines to put thousands out of work to avoid discovery, murdering citizens to steal their faces, kidnapping magic-users like you to drain them as thralls, seeking a volcanic eruption to annihilate Cambria for their god - you are thinking Marigold will call the whole thing off now?"
"The Talmouth Watch is having capable men and women, no doubt. Yet without us, the cult succeeds yesterday, Watch or no. We few who were crossing the Shield Pass are the one factor the cult was not expecting, though they are knowing us now. If fate is presenting us a chance to cripple them, we should be grabbing on with both hands and not letting go. Especially as they wait in ignorance for an eruption that we hope is never coming."
Tanis(Ranger1): Shiverquill's Tempest City | Xarian(Fighter2): NioNSwiper's Tyranny of Dragons
Dyson/Eleo(TwilightCleric4): Vos' Beyond the Veil | Soren(ShepherdDruid5): Bartjeebus' Ravenloft | Ophelia(WildMagicSorcerer4): Ashen_Age's Risen from the Sands
Joren(EchoKnightFighter6): NotDrizzt's Simple Request | Sabetha(MercyMonk3): Bedlymn's Murder Court | Seri(NatureCleric3/DivineSoulSorcerer1): Bartjeebus' Greyhawk
"The visions I had before, the something coming from across the sea... Taking the heart of fire has not stopped that. But you've got a point Mal, we have stopped the first step of their plan which would have made their invasion easier. From here on out it's going to be more of a struggle for them than they anticipated. So now is the time for anyone who wants to leave to do so...
I'm a ticking time bomb, I feel whatever happened to Andra could take over me at any moment, so I'd rather be in enemy territory if thats going to happen, and that's my choice.
But Ashley has this aspect of the primordial flame within her now and that's a responsibility and a burden of its own.
Joren you have an untapped well of dunamantic possibility within you aswell as a personal honour code you hold.
Samir you're the smartest bastard I've ever met. The blue lady said as much in your vision.
And Mal... there is a fate that you want to avoid, and I don't blame you for wanting out. But there is also a reason the blue lady and red huntsman were so interested in you.
But this goes for everyone. The choice to go forward is ultimately yours, no one else's. If you join me heading to that boat, then do it for yourself. Not for honour, not for the burden of responsibility placed at your feet, or Fate, or just having the potential to be helpful to the cause... For yourself."
With that Vilus grabs his pack and swings it over his shoulder. Standing by the door and waiting for anyone to join him.
Ashley steps in the back room with Samir and pauses a moment. "You're right, there is something about this room...a sort of familiar tingle of magic? Can you locate a spot that it is coming from or is it the whole room?"
Joining the other conversation, "Like I am going to try and handle this burden on my own! You all gotta help me and what better way then to use it against those bastards? I'm with you Vilus, Joren, you both know this." And she heads over to stand by the goliath as they wait for the others.
Malachi raises his hands in mock surrender “Guys, alright, alright! I was just sharing an option. You are right, I didn’t much like being marked and even if it is broken, I still owe them for that. And if we are going to deliver the heart of fire right back to the cultist’s reach, we will need to watch Ashley’s, and each other's, backs. No way I will let you go at this without me.” He looks over at Vilus "I wish I knew why they were interested. The blue lady said I was tainted. But what if she was not referring to the mark of Razmus, what if it was something else?"
He stops for a moment of silent thought before he grabs his bag and catches sight of himself and his new wig in the reflection of the window. “Oh my, that is terrible. You were all going to let me out in public with that thing?” He shoots an angry glare at Ashley and the others before switching out the wig with a new dark colored wig that hung down to his shoulders and was very similar to his original hair. “Much better. I guess that means breakfast is to go, right?”
"I can certainly try and narrow it down." Samir turns away and picks up his satchel, digging a hand into it and coming up with what looks like a tuning fork wrapped in silvery wire of some sort. Slinging his bag into it's normal position, he holds up the tuning fork and flicks it with the nail of one finger, eliciting a faint ringing sound that likewise chimes with faint magical energy.
Casting Detect Magic to see if I can narrow down the source of whatever it is we're feeling in the room.
As Malachi responds Vilus' face softens a little, he leaves the door and approaches Malachi putting a large hand softly on the half elf's shoulder. Vilus leans in and whispers "the blue lady was sorry for what is in store for you, said that with our help you could escape your mother's fate... I dont want to prod and poke but if we knew more we could maybe help more. We don't want to lose you, for whatever reason Mal"
Samir feels the magic more acutely with his implements in hand, and as he examines the space, his eyes fall on the statue of Drun at the end of the room. There is a faint colourless glow about her. As Samir draws nearer, he spies runes that had not been there previously, circling the base of the statue. Like when the magic was released in Tensmith and the artifacts in Andra's office showed new runes briefly before they faded from sight.
These one's are not fading though. At least to Samir's eyes. And they are clearly not in the Godtongue of Razmus. There may not be much time to study them in depth at the moment, but they could serve as a valuable reference.
Drawn to the small figure, Samir's eyes widen slightly behind his glasses, tracing the lines of runework that had most certainly not been there before. A long sigh escapes him as he turns back towards Ashley. "I swear, when this is all over, I will spend a month simply cataloguing all of the new things I need to study in depth." Putting his implement away with a shake of his head, Samir heads back out to the others. "Well alright then. We're off to beard the beast in it's floating lair then, are we? Best to just get it over with, like pulling a splinter."
Marion leads everyone through the streets, towards the east end of town. No people walk the streets except for regular patrols of armed guards. A look and a nod from Marion always sends them on their way without suspicious looks or questions. It seems she has become known to them.
They reach the east gate, which is promptly opened before them, and they step foot outside the city. The river is before them, and a large river boat equipped with 16 rows of oars is anchored near the shore. Guards aboard the ship wave down as the group crosses the pebbly beach, and they gesture to three rowboats sitting on the shore, waiting.
Joren takes the hint and prepares to man the oars of one of the rowboats.
He looks around to confirm the obvious. Whether Marigold's ship is out of view and thus has no line of sight, whether the wind is blowing in from the sea so that it would be more difficult for the cultist vessel to flee. He summons his echo and speaks matter-of-factly.
"We can only be hoping that the cultists were not leaving behind watchers here, or among the guards on the river boat."
Tanis(Ranger1): Shiverquill's Tempest City | Xarian(Fighter2): NioNSwiper's Tyranny of Dragons
Dyson/Eleo(TwilightCleric4): Vos' Beyond the Veil | Soren(ShepherdDruid5): Bartjeebus' Ravenloft | Ophelia(WildMagicSorcerer4): Ashen_Age's Risen from the Sands
Joren(EchoKnightFighter6): NotDrizzt's Simple Request | Sabetha(MercyMonk3): Bedlymn's Murder Court | Seri(NatureCleric3/DivineSoulSorcerer1): Bartjeebus' Greyhawk
From where the boat is situated, the rising cliffs of the city's shore obscure a good portion of the bay, including Marigold's ship. Seeing Joren testing the wind, Marion assures him, "We should have a few hours of light wind blowing in to the harbour. When they see us, they'll have to row against the wind just like us if they want to flee. But their ship has fewer oars, and probably lacks a dedicated rowing team. These men are used to fighting the river. The cultists I've seen have been... unimpressive in terms of muscles. So if it comes down to a race for the mouth of the bay, my money is on us."
Ashley grins at Marion's assessment. "I like those odds!" and she joins Joren in the rowboat, ready and raring to row with the best of them. She's feeling invigorated by the long rest and an action plan laid out in front of them.
As the group make their way through the town, Vilus spots an open shop and pops in momentarily. Once out and caught up with the group he begins walking and changing into his purchase, a new set of studded black leather armour.
His Goliath hide, not effected by the cold, gives Vilus no problem as he strips down and changes his top half whilst walking along with the group, but he waits to be sat on the boat before trying to fiddle his way in and out of the bottom half, having to navigate a false leg into the new straps proves a little more of a challenge but he eventually succeeds and takes a perch on the bow of the boat, keeping an observant eye out over the part of the bay which isn't currently obscured.