"I thank you Ophelia for this" says Jada. After a light meal he will jot down the encounter with the manticore. He spends some extra time drawing as well. The violin music is pleasing to the ear and he absentmindedly taps his foot.

"Yes, thank you very much for the lovely performance," Firebrand tells Ophelia. Like Jada, the dragonborn is ready to call it a night after a light meal.

It's nearing 9 o'clock as the remaining passengers begin to leave the lounge area and bar. The party however lingers. Arduus then suddenly appears in the dining room of the ship which also doubles as a lounge area in a flurry of robes.

"Please, come..." the blue-skinned man says curtly to all of you but does not elaborate on this command.

His tone is firm and his expression stern. He waits for a few seconds for all of you to rise from your seats or resting places before turning on his heels and leaving the lounge area before moving down the corridor out of view.

That guy certainly knows how to make an entrance, the paladin thinks to himself.

Firebrand grumbles under his breath, since he is tired and wants to get to sleep, but he ultimately follows Arduus with minimal protest to find out what's going on.

Ophelia finishes her song with a slow, sustained note that soothes the frayed nerves of the other travelers. As she begins putting away her viol, she looks up at Glyph over the top of her spectacles. "My pleasure, mister Brookstone. I must say, you've quite a way with words yourself. Are you a poet, perhaps? Your manner of speaking is reminiscent of Al'Qassid of the Imperial College." She snaps the fine leather case shut. The silver fittings gleam in the firelight. "I'm glad I could be of assistance. I'm not much of a fighter myself, but I've found that when one goes in search of ancient secrets, one must be prepared for anything," she says, affectionately tapping the rapier at her side. It's plain to see that, much like her instrument, it's an object of some value. "And as for my interest in Anjara, well . . . I'm willing to brave much worse than manticores to get there."

She rises as Arduus gives the command. She looks to Glyph with a sly smile. "At last, our host makes themselves known. I suppose we ought to see what professor Maitland has to say." She follows the genasi.

A poet? Oh no!" Glyph responds with a chuckle. "I've read a fair bit, I'd say, but I'm rubbish with meter and rhyming and all that. No, I have to stick with nonfiction, you see, just the facts. Of course, writing an autobiographical series on one's life isn't always a rage of excitement, but it's what I've got, and sometimes I get lucky enough to tell the right story to the right audience." Nobody had ever accused his books of being boring, tending, as they did, to shift from one fantastical battle or deed to the next. As the bard patted her rapier, the half-elf instinctively reached down to Beatrix--the sword he recovered from his room after the battle--cursing himself mentally for leaving her there.

I see what you've done there, he thinks to himself, still pondering about Ophelia's unspoken interest in Anjara. Admiring the scholar for her hands-on approach to research, Glyph made a mental note to spend more time trying to discover the particularities of Ophelia's archaeological interests.

"Always with the dramatic entree, Arduus. You're a master of the craft," Glyph muttered, more to himself than anyone. "Well, hopefully nothing worse than manticores tonight."

Jada puts away his journal and inkpen and follows along with the others

Going below deck the party finds Arduus waiting outside Maitland's cabin. 

"They are ill. Make your questions brief," the towering air genasi says curtly gesturing for the party to enter the room.

It's slightly cramped but much like before you all fit. This is the largest passenger cabin on the ship or at least the largest the party has been in. It has two twin beds and a table between them on one side and a sitting area on the other where they find Maitland seated in an overstuffed chair,  that loosely resembles a squat throne. The adventurer gestures for the party to approach once you enter. 

"I have heard all of you and your valiant actions protected the ship from a beast! I knew I choose well," they begin sounding even weaker and more breathless than ever before. "I fear I may have left it too long on returning but I trust you will be able to fulfill my promise to Al-Said Barakah-Set and their family," they explain which is news to the party. "An object is entombed in the desert. It along with a book of great power are your goals. The object is a holy relic and the book will aid Lord Set and their people to take their place amongst the ruling mages," they explain in more detail. "The object is the severed hand of a divine being and the book is filled with enchantations to divine truth," the professor pauses to cough and then gasp for air behind their golden mask.

Arduus steps forward at this commanding the elements as the room around Maitland fills with a cool breeze which they inhale deeply.

"Thank you my friend," Maitland says to the monk before they continue. "You will escort me to our rooms at the villa of Lord Set in Me'at Halwa and their you will continue to the village of Lord Set's estate and look for the tomb of Meneptah," they nod. "You can gather supplies and anything you need from the city with my coin then hire a guide if you'd like. Lord Set nor I can travel with you," Maitland finishes. "Questions, " they add quickly moving in the arm chair and moaning slightly obviously in great pain.

Glyph takes in the room, a bit shocked at Maitland’s decline. They certainly didn’t seem at the top of their physical game when the group set out, but they were definitely more mobile when they’d first met. Drawing his cloak tighter around his waist, the shimmery gold looked even more out of place in the cramped cabin. There were few opportunities to speak to Maitland or Arduus, so he decided to pay them his full attention. After Maitland finishes their tale, the half-elf raises an eyebrow, saying, “Magical class struggle? Severed hands? What an intriguing story, Professor Maitland.”

Glyph remains unsure about the sudden news of their promise to this Lord Set person, though he tries not to let it show on his face. The half-elf ponders, momentarily, on what sorts of art and artifacts were housed in Set’s collection. He’ll have a collection, right? Glyph thinks to himself. He’s rich, of course he has a collection.

After a brief pause, he grabs onto the next thing to catch his attention. “About this hand. Very strange relic, an entire hand. You often hear of bones, hair, and fingernails—recovered a few of those in my day—but a whole hand! That’s really something. And severed from a divine being? Please do go on, professor, I simply must know more!”

At the very least, good material for my next book.

Persuasion check on Maitland to get him to say more about the hand:

1d20 + 6 13

I'd also like to roll one of my 1d8 psi-bolstered knack in case the roll fails. If it fails I keep the psionic die, if it succeeds I lose one/long rest).

8

So, I'd have 21 total on persuasion!

Ophelia’s curious smirk turns to a look of concern as she sees the state Maitland is in. “Professor, had I known you were in such grave condition . . . how long have you been in such a state? Is there nothing we can do to slow the progression of your illness?”

She kneels before the professor. “Professor Maitland, with all due respect I joined your expedition as an academic pursuit. Playing politics in a land I’ve only heard tales of seems irresponsible at best. Who is this Al-Said Barakah-Set? Why are we attempting to recover an ancient relic for them?”

"I... I think that if there was something we could do, they would have already requested our aid," Firebrand says to Ophelia, concern evident in his voice as he processes the scene before him. "Though if I am mistaken, I will gladly help in any way I can."

He honestly doesn't think too much about the details of the mission presented... it sounds like a fairly standard quest to fetch a relic, though he can't help but wonder which divine being the hand might belong to and listens a little bit more intently in anticipation of the professor's response to Glyph's question.

"I understand your request Maitland. Who was this Metemptah?" asks Jada. Hmm...Maitland is dying. I wonder what makes them use what time they have left to help Al-Said Barakah-Set 

Maitland takes a ragged breath and exhales as Adruus levels a hard glance at the party. 

"This is too much...," Adruus begins but Maitland cuts him off with a hush holding their now ungloved nearly skeletal deeply tanned hand to their masked lip to quiet their companion. 

"They have a right to know. The relic I am told can cast out the undead from the Kingdom.  Long ago the now recently deceased rulers forebears used unholy magic to prolong their lives as well as their rule. The common people suffered as well as anyone who opposed the ruler and their priests. This divine being was called forth by Lord Set's ancestors to rid the land on this cursed king and his followers.  The being succeeded but fell in the last battle that turned the tied against the undead. I myself was a scholar of such times.  My mistress Ioun herself gave me vision of this distance past to find Lord Set. Only his families bloodline can command the being will enable the ancestor of Lord Set to enact the magic in the book. There is whispers in Anjara of these priests,  lich priests, are growing strong again and wish to return to power. They seek to overthrow Queen Regent Kurru and deny Nefru-Nefru the throne and stop the legacy of change and renewal Seqenenre Ta'a and Al-Said Barakah-Set began. These items will aid Lord Set, one of the Queen Regents chief advisors, to root out these heretics hiding in plain sight amongst the court," they explain. "I...I couldn't trust you with such knowledge until observing your character throughout the voyage.  I had hoped my illness would spare me one last look at the desert where I have devoted much of my life but alas...." they take another ragged breath, "Ioun calls me," they add with an odd fondness in their tone. "You are outsider. No one will suspect what you seek," they add firmly now their emotions rising. "I....I can trust you to complete this task, yes," they ask rising slightly from their seat.

"Yes, Maitland I will see this task completed" says Jada solemnly. It is a person's last wish and they should honored so. Wait why does Maitland where a mask. Are they hiding some diseased ravaged flesh or something else. Jada takes a closer look and studies Maitland.

Insight Check - to see if they are sincere

20

Ophelia adjusts her spectacles. "I'll see what we can do. Tell me, professor, is this tomb related to the item I mentioned in my initial letter? Could it be where that dreadful item originated?"

She makes note of the withered hand of their benefactor. What manner of illness could cause this? she wonders. She thinks back to her medical classes at the university. Could this disease be magical, perhaps? Or do they bear a curse like me?

"Thank you Jada," Maitland nods. "May your heavy heart be lighten in this endeavor, " they add with a nod.

Jada can tell that this is a righteous cause for Maitland. They are sincere and resolute. Event though traveling might kill them, they still came in service of a friend. They believe this is a justice and good cause. 

Opelia make a medicine or arcane check.

"Yes, as I said before the item you seek to return comes from the same tomb. Such an item was cursed to discourage anyone of taking anything without the proper rituals performed to gain blessings for it's removal," they explain Ophelia taking another rasping breath. 

Arcana check: 18

Jada now satisfied of his gut feeling of Maitland, moves to stand by the door, ready to leave when the others are ready.

Firebrand doesn't have much to say either, as it seems that there is nothing that he can do for Maitland at the moment except to try to complete the assigned task to the best of his ability.