“Travelers, I am glad to be away from the intoxicating smoke below and the prying eyes and ears that surrounded us. It would be wise that we heed Mr. Leewamba’s advice and strive for discretion about this expedition.”
Erolith takes a deep breath of the twilight air and exclaims “Ahh, the outside air does me good.” He looks towards the surrounding lands and lingers his gaze on the forest.
"The night is short..." Artifex says wistfully, gazing after Myrine with a grin before turning once more to the group.
They can't help but giggle a little at Tarton's question. "You misunderstand. I meant we should call this place Cállambëa, not our Patron. And yes, there is meaning. In elvish, it means Place of Heros. Seemed rather fitting, though I can't quite say why."
The Black Rose turned his blank eyes to Tarton and spoke with enthusiasm as a teacher passionately explaining their favorite subject. "I was born blind, but I have learned to perceive the world through my other senses. Just as a bat effortlessly navigates a dark cave, I can do the same on a smaller scale. It's a remarkable but natural ability, a weak form of echolocation if you're familiar with the term."
He then shifted his gaze to the scroll in his hands and couldn't contain his excitement, "But the suspense is unbearable. I simply cannot wait any longer to read this. May I suggest that we take a look?"
The piece of parchment Zanexi handed to Artifex has the following words written upon it in his florid script. All are carefully penned in violet ink unless otherwise noted. The leather scroll The Black Rose received contains an exact copy in characters that have been pressed into the leather with a sharp tool deeply enough to be traced with his fingers:
"...No. I will not even WRITE her name. But suffice it to say, direct action is futile at this point. I do NOT want you to move against the giants themselves; I do not want you, unless it becomes absolutely necessary for the completion of the task I DO want you to do, anywhere within seven leagues of Cricket Tor itself. Although I do not THINK the giants are there in person or indeed, that SHE would have revealed her presence or involvement to them at all. She regards them as ...
Never mind. This is not to the point, I do not want you moving against the giants. At this point. There may come a time in the future when I can take direct action and in that case, I would certainly prefer to employ those who have already been involved and know the situation without the necessity for tedious explanations. At the moment, however, I need you to find the Puzzle Box of Bria'rkzot Gling.
Yes. That Bria'rkzot Gling. Not to worry, I am not casting you from the frying pan into Avernus. While it is true that Bria'rkzot Gling is in fact a lich, what most people are not aware of is that he is more specifically a ... *snrk* ... GOBLIN lich.
Yes. That's right. I have no idea how the silly little creature managed to do it, their shamans generally get eaten by Mablugiyet before they even begin to approach the level of power to master the first cantrip necessary in the lichification process and most of them ... aren't all that bright anyway. I mean, far be it from me, a ***** gnome, to cast aspersions on the spiritual leaders of any other race, but I've seen some of these guys operate. Couldn't think their way out of a three-door paradoxical dilemma if you made the doors of completely transparent glass for 'em, for all the gods sake. Mmmm ... anyway. excuse me ... but really ...
In any case, I don't anticipate that the quest for the Puzzle Box of Gling should prove a challenge beyond your capabilities. From what little I have been able to learn, it is very unlikely that the box even remains in Gling's possession. He tends to ... lose track of ... his lairs from time to time, and certain indications I have recently discovered indicate that the box may have been left in one of the forgotten ones somewhere in the mountains north of the Reykhlot Dolmen. Once I have that box, I can use it to make certain ... adjustments. Inconspicuously. The giants are VERY familiar with goblin slaves, and they will not expect any serious threat from energies bearing the fingerprint of goblin shamanic magic. They may even be so confident there will be no threat from that direction that they won't even bother to scry for it. At worst, one of their own shamans will detect the initial tendril and believe he has cut off the whole tentacle ...
I am sure those rumours that the box itself may be intelligent are simply the street babblings of untrained minds who have nothing better to do than hatch idle speculations based on wild ignorance ...
I will pay you a stipend of 2 cyfreith per day for traveling expenses while you are employed on your quest. If you need to replace or purchase any equipment before you depart, go to the shop of Tiquisi Nienatho and mention my name; tell her I will cover half the expense of your purchases up to a limit of 20 cyfreith. If you require arms or armor, my friend Glynogan has a smithy in Little Twyrch Tywyth Street, and the limit there is 100 cyfreith.
When the box is found, I will present each of you with your choice of a jewel, a figurine wrought of silver and gold, or a magical weapon or armor. For those of you who do not follow the arts of war I will substitute a magical item suited to the arts you do practice. In all cases the value of the reward will be equivalent to 1000 cyfreith.
If you choose to accept my offer, order one more round of drinks for yourselves of whatever nature you choose; then have a round of sinsir metheglyn and ask to rent rooms facing the garden for the duration of your stay..
At the bottom of The Black Rose's copy is written, "Apologes. We found no way to copy the map accurately enough in time. It is enclosed in your colleague's copy." And indeed, folded up inside Artifex' parchment is the following map:
"Oh wonderful!" Artifex says, visibly brightening. "We get to go to the Feywild Lands! If we're lucky, we may even get to visit Durmista!"
They scan the text again. "A woman who's Name is best left unspoken..." It laughs "I should be terrified, but I'm not gonna lie, that just makes me even more intrigued. A possibly sentient box, two gold a day with discounts on supplies and a significant reward upon completion... Not to mention the boost a Faerahrn Mormhaor's knowledge could provide to my research, even if it's from a creature so simple as a goblin"
They look at the others. "There's a few additional points I'd add if this were the Üthermarket. Faerie take their deals very seriously after all, so it's extremely risky to leave any room for interpretation. Luckily my experience in this realm has been a bit more... Forgiving I suppose, so such trickery is unlikely, though not impossible. Any thoughts?"
"I'll not back out now. Yes, lets order that round." Tarton replies to Erolith.
To The Black Rose he asks, "So, I am guessing that you can't perceive colors with this echo thing since you can't see with your eyes. And that is why they brought you your own scroll explaining all this, right?"
To Artifax he says, "I'm sure we all want to be thought of as heroes eventually, though I don't know if I want the fame that usually comes with being recognized as such. It would be tough to be in my line of work if everyone recognized me on sight. No, I would rather no-one recognized me at all." He says the last sentence sadly.
When it is time to order he says, "I'll have another ceirios juice and a round of... sinsir metheglyn. And may I have a room facing the garden?"
"A chance to shield the realm from an unseen threat, and one that will be very well rewarded." The Black Rose nodded to himself.
"Yes, this is a chance I cannot let pass me by! Let's order that round of drinks!"
Then he turned to Tarton and said, "Yes, indeed, colors have always eluded me, and they will continue to do so. Also, I cannot feel writing." He elaborated, "You see, this scroll is textured so that I can feel the writing with my fingers."
As he heard Tartons sad remark he smiled and continued "I believe it is not the circumstances of your birth that define who you are. I believe it is what we do with the gift of life that determines our true selves." "Our story has not been concluded yet, and we are all writers of our own tale." "The man you become does not have to be the man you are now."
Artifex chuckles. "You're cute. Do you truly believe it best to leave no trace of yourself on the world?" They shake its head. "All who breath leave their mark on the lives of others Tarton. Footprints if you will. The only thing one can truly control is what shape that mark takes"
"Just listen to me, droning on and on. My curiosity has me talking more tonight than I have in the last month. You are both right, of course." Tarton replies.
Another laugh, and a wink. "I do my best darling boy. Let's have that last round, then I'd like to speak to the beauty who has been serving them to us. Perhaps she'll see fit to guide me to to my room." As they say this, Artifex looks in the direction Myrine went once more, a smile dancing on the edge of it's lips.
Myrine shortly arrives with a tray of sinsir metheglyn and a wink for Artifex. "Oh, the garden rooms are very difficult to find. So many intricate passages and all, I'll have to guide all of you. And yours is the very last one we come to, so I'm afrraid you'll have the most ... exercise ... of all ahead of you before you finally get to sleep tonight. Let me know when you all want to retire." She giggles and scampers off with her remaining cargo to one of the few other occupied tables in the rooftop garden, where a group of four half-elves seem to have been playing 'rotating couples' since you came up; the female half-elf with purple eyes and silver hair is currently passionately in love with the androgynous one with green hair, eyes, skin, and you presume internal membranes; and passionately hates the black-haired males she was kissing with equal passion five minutes ago, and who are now kissing each other with an abandon that is completely oblivious to her hatred.
The metheglyn is, quite simply, honey mixed with the nectar of peach blossoms and then distilled into midsummer noonday sunlight fire. And then kicked up a notch or twenty with enough ginger to perfectly balance the liquor's heat. Only in Tarton's glass is the taste of pure undistilled honey and nectar, and for him nutmeg, cinnamon and clove join with the ginger to give a respectable imitation of the kick without the alcohol.
"My my that does look fun" Artifex says with a smirk, gazing at the passionate foursome for a moment as they savor this new drink.
"The beverages here are quite delightful" it says as they turn back towards the group. "Complex, layered, each sip a story unto itself. This has been a most fortunate meeting." It raises their glass in a toast. "To new allies, and stories yet to be told"
The Black Rose raised his glass and nodded approvingly "May we protect the innocent, while embracing the exhilaration that only true adventurers know."
You all notice Tarton start fidgeting and after a while he stands up and walks over to The Black Rose. He then ask, "So you were born blind, and learned how to perceive the world though other senses and mentioned echolo... something. Is that something you could teach me? I'd love to be able to move freely in the dark. Does that let you hear and feel what is around you? What if there is a lot of noise, does that interfere with you detecting things around you? Have you ever tested out your ability within a silence spell area? Can you hear more subtle things farther away but not know exactly where they are, but get the general direction?" You can see that once again Tarton's curiosity has gotten the better of him, and though he looked like he was done talking for the rest of the evening, he is a fountain of questions once again.
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“Travelers, I am glad to be away from the intoxicating smoke below and the prying eyes and ears that surrounded us. It would be wise that we heed Mr. Leewamba’s advice and strive for discretion about this expedition.”
Erolith takes a deep breath of the twilight air and exclaims “Ahh, the outside air does me good.” He looks towards the surrounding lands and lingers his gaze on the forest.
"The night is short..." Artifex says wistfully, gazing after Myrine with a grin before turning once more to the group.
They can't help but giggle a little at Tarton's question. "You misunderstand. I meant we should call this place Cállambëa, not our Patron. And yes, there is meaning. In elvish, it means Place of Heros. Seemed rather fitting, though I can't quite say why."
The Black Rose turned his blank eyes to Tarton and spoke with enthusiasm as a teacher passionately explaining their favorite subject. "I was born blind, but I have learned to perceive the world through my other senses. Just as a bat effortlessly navigates a dark cave, I can do the same on a smaller scale. It's a remarkable but natural ability, a weak form of echolocation if you're familiar with the term."
He then shifted his gaze to the scroll in his hands and couldn't contain his excitement, "But the suspense is unbearable. I simply cannot wait any longer to read this. May I suggest that we take a look?"
"Indeed." Artifex says as they lay the paper down, open for all at the table to see.
The piece of parchment Zanexi handed to Artifex has the following words written upon it in his florid script. All are carefully penned in violet ink unless otherwise noted. The leather scroll The Black Rose received contains an exact copy in characters that have been pressed into the leather with a sharp tool deeply enough to be traced with his fingers:
"...No. I will not even WRITE her name. But suffice it to say, direct action is futile at this point. I do NOT want you to move against the giants themselves; I do not want you, unless it becomes absolutely necessary for the completion of the task I DO want you to do, anywhere within seven leagues of Cricket Tor itself. Although I do not THINK the giants are there in person or indeed, that SHE would have revealed her presence or involvement to them at all. She regards them as ...
Never mind. This is not to the point, I do not want you moving against the giants. At this point. There may come a time in the future when I can take direct action and in that case, I would certainly prefer to employ those who have already been involved and know the situation without the necessity for tedious explanations. At the moment, however, I need you to find the Puzzle Box of Bria'rkzot Gling.
Yes. That Bria'rkzot Gling. Not to worry, I am not casting you from the frying pan into Avernus. While it is true that Bria'rkzot Gling is in fact a lich, what most people are not aware of is that he is more specifically a ... *snrk* ... GOBLIN lich.
Yes. That's right. I have no idea how the silly little creature managed to do it, their shamans generally get eaten by Mablugiyet before they even begin to approach the level of power to master the first cantrip necessary in the lichification process and most of them ... aren't all that bright anyway. I mean, far be it from me, a ***** gnome, to cast aspersions on the spiritual leaders of any other race, but I've seen some of these guys operate. Couldn't think their way out of a three-door paradoxical dilemma if you made the doors of completely transparent glass for 'em, for all the gods sake. Mmmm ... anyway. excuse me ... but really ...
In any case, I don't anticipate that the quest for the Puzzle Box of Gling should prove a challenge beyond your capabilities. From what little I have been able to learn, it is very unlikely that the box even remains in Gling's possession. He tends to ... lose track of ... his lairs from time to time, and certain indications I have recently discovered indicate that the box may have been left in one of the forgotten ones somewhere in the mountains north of the Reykhlot Dolmen. Once I have that box, I can use it to make certain ... adjustments. Inconspicuously. The giants are VERY familiar with goblin slaves, and they will not expect any serious threat from energies bearing the fingerprint of goblin shamanic magic. They may even be so confident there will be no threat from that direction that they won't even bother to scry for it. At worst, one of their own shamans will detect the initial tendril and believe he has cut off the whole tentacle ...
I am sure those rumours that the box itself may be intelligent are simply the street babblings of untrained minds who have nothing better to do than hatch idle speculations based on wild ignorance ...
I will pay you a stipend of 2 cyfreith per day for traveling expenses while you are employed on your quest. If you need to replace or purchase any equipment before you depart, go to the shop of Tiquisi Nienatho and mention my name; tell her I will cover half the expense of your purchases up to a limit of 20 cyfreith. If you require arms or armor, my friend Glynogan has a smithy in Little Twyrch Tywyth Street, and the limit there is 100 cyfreith.
When the box is found, I will present each of you with your choice of a jewel, a figurine wrought of silver and gold, or a magical weapon or armor. For those of you who do not follow the arts of war I will substitute a magical item suited to the arts you do practice. In all cases the value of the reward will be equivalent to 1000 cyfreith.
If you choose to accept my offer, order one more round of drinks for yourselves of whatever nature you choose; then have a round of sinsir metheglyn and ask to rent rooms facing the garden for the duration of your stay..
At the bottom of The Black Rose's copy is written, "Apologes. We found no way to copy the map accurately enough in time. It is enclosed in your colleague's copy." And indeed, folded up inside Artifex' parchment is the following map:
Famh Thrawn Fiadhaich - 'half elven' sorcerer (wild magic) 2, Sleeping Gods - A Dragon Warriors campaign in the Lands of Legend
Quspira Inirali - tiefling cleric (Life domain) 4, Painted's "He'll be the father of my child"
---RETIRED HEROES' REST HOME---
Sae Ivui Nailo - wood elf rogue (inquisitive) 5 , Sea of Death: Captain Hailstorm's Lost Treasure
Ryshraxea "Shra" Naranthi - tabaxi artificer 1, Nyx's Tomb of Annihilation - Group 1
"Oh wonderful!" Artifex says, visibly brightening. "We get to go to the Feywild Lands! If we're lucky, we may even get to visit Durmista!"
They scan the text again. "A woman who's Name is best left unspoken..." It laughs "I should be terrified, but I'm not gonna lie, that just makes me even more intrigued. A possibly sentient box, two gold a day with discounts on supplies and a significant reward upon completion... Not to mention the boost a Faerahrn Mormhaor's knowledge could provide to my research, even if it's from a creature so simple as a goblin"
They look at the others. "There's a few additional points I'd add if this were the Üthermarket. Faerie take their deals very seriously after all, so it's extremely risky to leave any room for interpretation. Luckily my experience in this realm has been a bit more... Forgiving I suppose, so such trickery is unlikely, though not impossible. Any thoughts?"
“Adventure beckons and I dare not answer its call. Consider me onboard to see where this tale traverses,” says Erolith.
”Shall we order that round?”
"I'll not back out now. Yes, lets order that round." Tarton replies to Erolith.
To The Black Rose he asks, "So, I am guessing that you can't perceive colors with this echo thing since you can't see with your eyes. And that is why they brought you your own scroll explaining all this, right?"
To Artifax he says, "I'm sure we all want to be thought of as heroes eventually, though I don't know if I want the fame that usually comes with being recognized as such. It would be tough to be in my line of work if everyone recognized me on sight. No, I would rather no-one recognized me at all." He says the last sentence sadly.
When it is time to order he says, "I'll have another ceirios juice and a round of... sinsir metheglyn. And may I have a room facing the garden?"
"A chance to shield the realm from an unseen threat, and one that will be very well rewarded." The Black Rose nodded to himself.
"Yes, this is a chance I cannot let pass me by! Let's order that round of drinks!"
Then he turned to Tarton and said, "Yes, indeed, colors have always eluded me, and they will continue to do so. Also, I cannot feel writing." He elaborated, "You see, this scroll is textured so that I can feel the writing with my fingers."
As he heard Tartons sad remark he smiled and continued "I believe it is not the circumstances of your birth that define who you are. I believe it is what we do with the gift of life that determines our true selves." "Our story has not been concluded yet, and we are all writers of our own tale." "The man you become does not have to be the man you are now."
Artifex chuckles. "You're cute. Do you truly believe it best to leave no trace of yourself on the world?" They shake its head. "All who breath leave their mark on the lives of others Tarton. Footprints if you will. The only thing one can truly control is what shape that mark takes"
"Just listen to me, droning on and on. My curiosity has me talking more tonight than I have in the last month. You are both right, of course." Tarton replies.
Another laugh, and a wink. "I do my best darling boy. Let's have that last round, then I'd like to speak to the beauty who has been serving them to us. Perhaps she'll see fit to guide me to to my room." As they say this, Artifex looks in the direction Myrine went once more, a smile dancing on the edge of it's lips.
Erolith also tells the staff, "I'll have a round of sinsir metheglyn as well plus a room for the night facing the garden"
”Travelers, would you mind if I inspected the scroll?”
Torton moves aside to give Erolith more room to look at the scroll.
Myrine shortly arrives with a tray of sinsir metheglyn and a wink for Artifex. "Oh, the garden rooms are very difficult to find. So many intricate passages and all, I'll have to guide all of you. And yours is the very last one we come to, so I'm afrraid you'll have the most ... exercise ... of all ahead of you before you finally get to sleep tonight. Let me know when you all want to retire." She giggles and scampers off with her remaining cargo to one of the few other occupied tables in the rooftop garden, where a group of four half-elves seem to have been playing 'rotating couples' since you came up; the female half-elf with purple eyes and silver hair is currently passionately in love with the androgynous one with green hair, eyes, skin, and you presume internal membranes; and passionately hates the black-haired males she was kissing with equal passion five minutes ago, and who are now kissing each other with an abandon that is completely oblivious to her hatred.
The metheglyn is, quite simply, honey mixed with the nectar of peach blossoms and then distilled into midsummer noonday sunlight fire. And then kicked up a notch or twenty with enough ginger to perfectly balance the liquor's heat. Only in Tarton's glass is the taste of pure undistilled honey and nectar, and for him nutmeg, cinnamon and clove join with the ginger to give a respectable imitation of the kick without the alcohol.
Famh Thrawn Fiadhaich - 'half elven' sorcerer (wild magic) 2, Sleeping Gods - A Dragon Warriors campaign in the Lands of Legend
Quspira Inirali - tiefling cleric (Life domain) 4, Painted's "He'll be the father of my child"
---RETIRED HEROES' REST HOME---
Sae Ivui Nailo - wood elf rogue (inquisitive) 5 , Sea of Death: Captain Hailstorm's Lost Treasure
Ryshraxea "Shra" Naranthi - tabaxi artificer 1, Nyx's Tomb of Annihilation - Group 1
“Thank you, Tarton.” Erolith studies the scroll, lettering, and script carefully to try to discern anything.
"My my that does look fun" Artifex says with a smirk, gazing at the passionate foursome for a moment as they savor this new drink.
"The beverages here are quite delightful" it says as they turn back towards the group. "Complex, layered, each sip a story unto itself. This has been a most fortunate meeting." It raises their glass in a toast. "To new allies, and stories yet to be told"
The Black Rose raised his glass and nodded approvingly "May we protect the innocent, while embracing the exhilaration that only true adventurers know."
Tarton raises his glass and nods, but doesn't say anything.
You all notice Tarton start fidgeting and after a while he stands up and walks over to The Black Rose. He then ask, "So you were born blind, and learned how to perceive the world though other senses and mentioned echolo... something. Is that something you could teach me? I'd love to be able to move freely in the dark. Does that let you hear and feel what is around you? What if there is a lot of noise, does that interfere with you detecting things around you? Have you ever tested out your ability within a silence spell area? Can you hear more subtle things farther away but not know exactly where they are, but get the general direction?" You can see that once again Tarton's curiosity has gotten the better of him, and though he looked like he was done talking for the rest of the evening, he is a fountain of questions once again.