"In private?" Martha seems slightly worried "It must be an important matter so... Dobbian, can you manage social relationships alone, for a few moments? So that no one comes looking for me - at least for a few minutes? I'll withdraw for a moment..." yeah, withdarw, but where? Crossing the crowd to exit the crypt seems like a hopeless undertaking - especially considering that the crowd is looking for her! And in the crypt... "Here!" The young noble woman seems to be struck by inspiration, dragging the half-orc wizard... into the area of the tomb where Dobbian was until recently! "Well, we'll probably have a few minutes..." she sighs "Nobody can possibly listen to what we say here, with all the noise of other conversations. Tell me everything Rash!"
Rash glances around quickly, then he launches into his explanation...
"Well... you already know we captured two bandits... but... well... we also captures a third. The pretty young lady who's been on my arm since we got here. I won't mince words here, I made her a promise that I intend to keep... but I want to try to keep everything on the right side of the law. I wish, as a boon for the service I have done for you (a task which she aided us in), for her to receive a full pardon for her prior criminal activity... Is that something you have the power to grant?"
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"It seems that this girl is very dear to you..." smiles Martha "And she also looks like my cousin Tharby! Maybe a little shorter and a little younger... But anyway, since she helped you in saving my Dobbian, tomorrow she too will be rewarded, as is right! And her reward will be the forgiveness of her past - you have my blessing from now on, couple of heroes... you will be free to start again and build the life you want!"
"You are a kind and generous woman indeed, Lady Martha... thank you so much. We both appreciate it more than you can know!"
When he returns to Anita, the half-orc is beaming.
"She agreed to our request! It looks like, at least in Longsaddle, your past will no longer be any concern to us. Now when you meet my parents that might be a different story..."
He can't help but to chuckle and add.
"On the other hand, smacking a woman over the head and holding her hostage is a pretty traditional Orcish engagement, so they'll probably approve after all."
Roxana was glad to have had reasonto get up to talk to Thia. She had felt a little bit flushed as Gaer was suddenly really close to her. 'But it was kind of nice, wasn't it?' she thinks.
"Let's go see if the others want to talk to Colin," she tells Gaer, then starts to see who she might be able to speak with first. She will go to that person and then try to gather others to see about trading a quick trip to the Harpell's.
When Roxana approaches her Aidwyn nods in agreement.
"I almost forgot about that! You are right Roxana, I will go with you if we have time before sunset, if not, please tell him that I am sorry not being able to attend but I must go to pick up Balbfy. " she thinks for a moment "I guess he would like to go to investigate the place... make sure to give him a couple of yellow and purple flags, and the password... and make sure that he seals the secret door again when he leaves... I am very concern that some kids, or even worse, some creatures like the goblins or the likes of the zhentarim find that place and could take some advantage thanks to it and threaten the city... "
“Oh, do you want to journey to your tribe to introduce me to yours?” Anita jokes "But you'll protect me, won't you, Rash? You won't let some other Orc or Half-Orc club me on the head to kidnap me and make me his property... You're going to blast him or, failing death, you're going to wrestle him like he's a Devil, right?"
Aidwyn meanwhile realizes that there is definitely time before sunset to go to the "Ivy Mansion" (in particular the "Fuzzy Quarterstaff") and return. It's still afternoon, maybe two hours until sunset.
"Trust me, I won't let anyone kidnap what I have rightfully stolen," he says with a chuckle. "And if they try, they're going to get a lot worse than a smack on the head."
He pauses.
"Actually, I probably should bring you to see my family... at this rate it looks like we're probably going to be delivering your former associates there to pay their debt to society anyway, so we might as well stop in and say hello."
"I will gladly meet your family, Rash. And I'm happy that you are so taken by me..." Anita smiles, pleased and flattered "that you don't notice that your adventure companions are contemplating a visit to a certain ' Colin' who is located in a certain 'Ivy Mansion'. Is this something we should be interested in too?"
"Oh yes... I guess we probably should take note of that," the half-orc says sheepishly. "Colin is a wizard who gave us a prophecy and asked us to share anything we learned during the journey with him. I guess we'd better go ahead and go say hello to him."
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Thia shows you your rooms, small but welcoming - undoubtedly much more welcoming than the windswept prairie or a dungeon room, also due to the small fireplace they are equipped with. She managed to find one for each of you... except Roxana, who had expressed an obvious preference to sleep at her house. "They will remain reserved for you, as long as you remain here at Sharnshield Mansion!" the lively young half-elf girl announces "I still have some business to do now - but get ready to tell me all about your adventure, tomorrow at breakfast!"
Free from further commitments, having agreed on the need to report to Colin, you set off again amidst the gusts of cold wind that Hammer enjoys blowing against you. This time you almost all already know how to use the Underbridge.
Gaer, perplexed by seeing Roxana walking upside down, is hesitant at first... but when he sees that the girl from Longsaddle is succeeding without difficulty, he mutters: "It can't be worse than the puzzle of dragons, fiends and celestials..." and follows it. Walking in a world that seems upside down, he looks around and, after getting used to it, almost ends up smiling: "Well, definitely a new experience".
Anita, she observes, eyes wide with wonder: "That's cool, Rash! Do you think you'll be able to make an entrance like that into our house one day?" and she giggles in amusement as he crosses the Underbridge.
Shortly thereafter, you enter the 'Fuzzy Quarterstaff'... at practically the same time as Colin! He must have just come down to take a break and refresh his mind from his studies. The genial middle-age man recognizes you immediately: "Oh, wonderful! Have you already returned? You have been successful, I hope? Come, let's sit at a table together, I can't wait to know how much and what Arcane Knowledge you have recovered... There must have been a lot of it, in a place that hid a means to bring back a dead man! Sit with me, it's on me".
When the green eyes of the girl from Longsaddle lift up to once again gaze back at Gaer, they meet those, black as the moonless night, of the tiefling: "If I have reason to wait - and it seems I have, fortunately - we can certainly stay for several days, Roxana. Maybe even a decade or two. After all, Spira will be paid for the deed she accomplished... And I can make something by selling some of the remaining Kylth's flags. We won't have an urgent need to change town. But sooner or later the money would run out and in this life, so free and stimulating, but so full of uncertainties, you never know when the next opportunity will arise... so I won't be able to afford to wait, for example a whole month. I'm pretty sure, however," he must have (unknowingly?) gotten even closer as he spoke - he's so close now... "that a determined girl like you will decide what she really wants much sooner than that".
Gaer willingly lets himself be dragged to Thia and when Roxana talks about Colin, he admits: "I don't know anything about this guy, but from the way you talk about him I guess he's a Harpell? They're the lords here... So if you've made a pact with him, better to honor it... And I will accompany you, of course. But I share your concerns... The complete truth is not always the best thing to say... What are you supposed to do, according to your agreement? Report to him? You could do it, but omitting the detail that the wizard who ran that place was a Harpell. Even if, out of curiosity, the Harpells decided to go and visit the dungeon in person, perhaps they wouldn't do it right now. Maybe after a few days... And, at that point, we could already be far away - safe from from uncomfortable questions. Obviously they wouldn't hunt us - after all, we didn't do anything wrong - we just defeated a band of Zhyentarim and saved the betrothed of a noble woman! Let's hear from the others what they think too?"
"The job we did, Gaer. All of us. And though I agree you both might have reason to consider yourselves well paid already," Spira winks and grins at Roxana as she continues, "you'll probably need at least a little money besides flag sale proceeds to support Roxana here in the style to which she richly deserves to become accustomed, whether you two keep on wandering with me or settle down here as a home base to roam from. I'd hope the Harpells and Sharnshields would be able to arrange for you both to be rewarded well enough to never have want limit your options again." She twirls a lock of her hair absentmindedly around one finger as she considers the other issue.
"I think that whatever questions telling the full story might raise, it would be more risky to try and withhold information from a diviner. We didn't wantonly damage the place beyond what we needed to do to secure it. I think the only thing the Harpells might be truly unhappy about is the release of the devil, and at that point we didn't know the true savior the divination pointed us to was only a few yards away. For all we knew, the devil could have been the only creature able to help us. And besides, we've told most of the story six times over already to various people in this jubilant crowd, so Colin has probably already heard."
Thia shows you your rooms, small but welcoming - undoubtedly much more welcoming than the windswept prairie or a dungeon room, also due to the small fireplace they are equipped with. She managed to find one for each of you... except Roxana, who had expressed an obvious preference to sleep at her house. "They will remain reserved for you, as long as you remain here at Sharnshield Mansion!" the lively young half-elf girl announces "I still have some business to do now - but get ready to tell me all about your adventure, tomorrow at breakfast!"
Free from further commitments, having agreed on the need to report to Colin, you set off again amidst the gusts of cold wind that Hammer enjoys blowing against you. This time you almost all already know how to use the Underbridge.
Gaer, perplexed by seeing Roxana walking upside down, is hesitant at first... but when he sees that the girl from Longsaddle is succeeding without difficulty, he mutters: "It can't be worse than the puzzle of dragons, fiends and celestials..." and follows it. Walking in a world that seems upside down, he looks around and, after getting used to it, almost ends up smiling: "Well, definitely a new experience".
Anita, she observes, eyes wide with wonder: "That's cool, Rash! Do you think you'll be able to make an entrance like that into our house one day?" and she giggles in amusement as he crosses the Underbridge.
Shortly thereafter, you enter the 'Fuzzy Quarterstaff'... at practically the same time as Colin! He must have just come down to take a break and refresh his mind from his studies. The genial middle-age man recognizes you immediately: "Oh, wonderful! Have you already returned? You have been successful, I hope? Come, let's sit at a table together, I can't wait to know how much and what Arcane Knowledge you have recovered... There must have been a lot of it, in a place that hid a means to bring back a dead man! Sit with me, it's on me".
Looking around for a table with enough seats free to accommodate everyone, Spira replies, "Oh yes, it was quite ... interesting. We were successful, and Lady Martha and her newly invigorated fiancé are happily picking out crystal and silverware patterns for the wedding dinner as we speak. The interpretation proved to be a little different than we'd thought: the bead your magic saw was not actually the item that brought Dobbian back. Instead, it was the release trigger for a magic circle which imprisoned a celestial being. She was the one whose powers did the resurrection; and she's been talking as if she was intrigued by the Material Plane and wanted to spend some time here investigating it. You might have time for several productive conversations with her before she goes back, and perhaps find out quite a bit. And of course we'll tell you all the rest of our story right now." Remembering the mechanism that has been set up here to get drinks, she orders a large double Red Dragon's Morning After and gulps down a quarter of it in one swallow. "Been wondering something since we drank together here last time. Just how in the Nine Hells does a quarterstaff get fuzzy?"
===========
(Ooc: A Red Dragon's Morning After consists of a large mug of dwarven ale into which is dropped a large shot glass of whatever the Realms equivalent is to strong single malt Scotch.
"Oh, I wouldn't be at all surprised if the name refers to some side-effect of a spell cast by the Harpells" Colin replies regarding the name of the place, while ordering a more sober yarrow infusion.
"A celestial being! Oh, wonderful" he then goes on to comment on the rest, sipping the infusion. "It might be interesting to talk to her, I admit... But I was hoping that you would be able to find more specifically magical information... You know... Rituals, spells..." the wizard begins to look at you with very attentive, almost penetrating eyes "Haven't you found anything like this, in a place where there were spellcasters powerful enough to imprison celestial creatures inside magic circles?"
"Keep drinking those Spira and you just might find out how the quarterstaff becomes fuzzy!" Roxana says with a laugh. Being here, she seems a bit more relaxed. "I'll have some wine. Do you have any of those Elvish vintages? That would be nice."
Turning to Colin, she nods her head in agreement with Spira's description. When Spira pauses, she adds, "There was quite an elaborate maze to get through. You needed particular flags to dispel the fog. And then various creatures pursued you if you took a wrong turn."
She then responds to his comments. "Where the Celestial was imprisoned there was evidence of some terribly powerful being that must have escaped. The place was a disastrous mess! We certainly find no writings, whether book, scroll, or engraving. Only those circles I guess."
"Well... I suppose it's possible that there might have been some old spellbooks or scrolls in the nooks that we neglected to explore," he says. "But... after our experience with the rest of the dungeon, we thought the wisest thing to do would be to avoid going anywhere that we didn't absolutely have to once we found the Celestial because it seemed that any time we did anything we were immediately set upon by various monsters... such as disembodied heads and hands, living fireballs, and even some kind of aberration... my guess would be that it was some kind of lesser beholder judging by all the eyes. But I concur with Roxanna that most likely any writings were destroyed during that powerful prisoner's escape. What I still don't understand is why that stupid dungeon had these flags to allow 'guests' to pass unharmed, and then constantly attacked us anyway."
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The fine wine requested by Roxana arrives on the usual floating tray; Anita, excited by this unique environment in which she has never been, insists on tasting it then she orders a glass for herself too. Colin pays all, as he promised to do.
After Roxana and Rash's considerations, the middle-aged wizard seems to get lost in his own thoughts for a moment: "Yeah... so many mysteries... that will probably remain so" he sighs. But then he recovers "Oh, wonderful. At least you managed to help Miss Martha! And you came back safe and sound! It wasn't so obvious, if you really had to deal with a Beholder..." he shivers slightly "It's not easy use magic directly against them. Too bad, if immediately applicable arcane knowledge has not emerged from that place; fortunately, thanks to Miss Martha, I have the privilege of being able to study a little here!"
"Well, it's a good thing that most of us are pretty decent at smackin' stuff around even without magic," Rash replies with a smile. "Just ask that bearded devil that I got in a little wrestling match with..."
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"Oh really?" Colin raises an eyebrow, partly surprised, partly amused. “It would probably have been a really fun scene to see… although perhaps not very suitable for a bookworm like me”.
"My Rash is full of hidden talents!" assures a jovial Anita.
The middle-aged wizard focuses his gaze on her and says: "You weren't there... the first time. Were you at home? Did you only join 'your' Rash now that he's back? And Rash is your... husband?"
"I..." Anita suddenly feels embarrassed "Of course, at home! Where else would the wife of a powerful magician be? At home... preparing... hmmm... a magic cake for him! Yes, a magic cake!"
"A magic cake?" Colin's expression is initially skeptical, but then he smiles "Oh, wonderful. It must have been delicious. Plus, I didn't want to be prying - after all, everyone has the right to some privacy".
"Well, gentlemen..." the middle-age wizard gets up from his chair "Although you didn't have much to tell me, I'm glad you felt compelled to come and report. You are people of your word. Oh, wonderful. Who knows? Will other agreements be concluded in the future? But for now, I think that's all. The arcane studies are calling me..."
He greets you with a wave of his hand and (unless you stop him for some reason) leaves the 'Fuzzy Quarterstaff', presumably heading either to his room, for private study, or to some lesson with a member of the Harpell family. ..
"Oh, I wouldn't be at all surprised if the name refers to some side-effect of a spell cast by the Harpells" Colin replies regarding the name of the place, while ordering a more sober yarrow infusion.
"A celestial being! Oh, wonderful" he then goes on to comment on the rest, sipping the infusion. "It might be interesting to talk to her, I admit... But I was hoping that you would be able to find more specifically magical information... You know... Rituals, spells..." the wizard begins to look at you with very attentive, almost penetrating eyes "Haven't you found anything like this, in a place where there were spellcasters powerful enough to imprison celestial creatures inside magic circles?"
"Well, as far as the magical aspect goes, that bead trigger is a twist I've never heard of before.", Spira replies. "I don't want to haul anyone back to that place but I must admit I'm curious too. If the Harpells decide another expedition there is advisable, I might just volunteer to go along as guide. And since we really didn't bring you back much knowledge, I'd be glad to poke around a little more to see what more might be there. As my friends and colleagues have already mentioned, the flag access system is also a little ... unusual, and bears further investigation. Do you think the spells might have degraded over time, and that's why we were attacked in spite of having the correct flags? Don't know if that's possible in arcane magic, since I haven't had much experience working with wizards until Rash here. But I do know there are some divine rituals that must be renewed periodically, so maybe ...?""
"In private?" Martha seems slightly worried "It must be an important matter so... Dobbian, can you manage social relationships alone, for a few moments? So that no one comes looking for me - at least for a few minutes? I'll withdraw for a moment..." yeah, withdarw, but where? Crossing the crowd to exit the crypt seems like a hopeless undertaking - especially considering that the crowd is looking for her! And in the crypt... "Here!" The young noble woman seems to be struck by inspiration, dragging the half-orc wizard... into the area of the tomb where Dobbian was until recently! "Well, we'll probably have a few minutes..." she sighs "Nobody can possibly listen to what we say here, with all the noise of other conversations. Tell me everything Rash!"
Rash glances around quickly, then he launches into his explanation...
"Well... you already know we captured two bandits... but... well... we also captures a third. The pretty young lady who's been on my arm since we got here. I won't mince words here, I made her a promise that I intend to keep... but I want to try to keep everything on the right side of the law. I wish, as a boon for the service I have done for you (a task which she aided us in), for her to receive a full pardon for her prior criminal activity... Is that something you have the power to grant?"
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"It seems that this girl is very dear to you..." smiles Martha "And she also looks like my cousin Tharby! Maybe a little shorter and a little younger... But anyway, since she helped you in saving my Dobbian, tomorrow she too will be rewarded, as is right! And her reward will be the forgiveness of her past - you have my blessing from now on, couple of heroes... you will be free to start again and build the life you want!"
Rash breathes a sigh of relief.
"You are a kind and generous woman indeed, Lady Martha... thank you so much. We both appreciate it more than you can know!"
When he returns to Anita, the half-orc is beaming.
"She agreed to our request! It looks like, at least in Longsaddle, your past will no longer be any concern to us. Now when you meet my parents that might be a different story..."
He can't help but to chuckle and add.
"On the other hand, smacking a woman over the head and holding her hostage is a pretty traditional Orcish engagement, so they'll probably approve after all."
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Roxana was glad to have had reasonto get up to talk to Thia. She had felt a little bit flushed as Gaer was suddenly really close to her. 'But it was kind of nice, wasn't it?' she thinks.
"Let's go see if the others want to talk to Colin," she tells Gaer, then starts to see who she might be able to speak with first. She will go to that person and then try to gather others to see about trading a quick trip to the Harpell's.
Rabbit Sebrica, Sorcerer || Skarai, Monk || Lokilia Vaelphin, Druid || Vanizi, Warlock || Britari / Halila Talgeta / Jesa Gumovi || Neital Rhessil, Wizard ||
Iromae Quinaea, Cleric || Meira Dheran, Rogue || Qirynna Thadri, Wizard || Crisaryn Melkial, Sorcerer || Bronnryn Hethgar, Cleric
When Roxana approaches her Aidwyn nods in agreement.
"I almost forgot about that! You are right Roxana, I will go with you if we have time before sunset, if not, please tell him that I am sorry not being able to attend but I must go to pick up Balbfy. " she thinks for a moment "I guess he would like to go to investigate the place... make sure to give him a couple of yellow and purple flags, and the password... and make sure that he seals the secret door again when he leaves... I am very concern that some kids, or even worse, some creatures like the goblins or the likes of the zhentarim find that place and could take some advantage thanks to it and threaten the city... "
PbP Character: A few ;)
“Oh, do you want to journey to your tribe to introduce me to yours?” Anita jokes "But you'll protect me, won't you, Rash? You won't let some other Orc or Half-Orc club me on the head to kidnap me and make me his property... You're going to blast him or, failing death, you're going to wrestle him like he's a Devil, right?"
Aidwyn meanwhile realizes that there is definitely time before sunset to go to the "Ivy Mansion" (in particular the "Fuzzy Quarterstaff") and return. It's still afternoon, maybe two hours until sunset.
Rash smiles and holds her tight.
"Trust me, I won't let anyone kidnap what I have rightfully stolen," he says with a chuckle. "And if they try, they're going to get a lot worse than a smack on the head."
He pauses.
"Actually, I probably should bring you to see my family... at this rate it looks like we're probably going to be delivering your former associates there to pay their debt to society anyway, so we might as well stop in and say hello."
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"I will gladly meet your family, Rash. And I'm happy that you are so taken by me..." Anita smiles, pleased and flattered "that you don't notice that your adventure companions are contemplating a visit to a certain ' Colin' who is located in a certain 'Ivy Mansion'. Is this something we should be interested in too?"
"Oh yes... I guess we probably should take note of that," the half-orc says sheepishly. "Colin is a wizard who gave us a prophecy and asked us to share anything we learned during the journey with him. I guess we'd better go ahead and go say hello to him."
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Thia shows you your rooms, small but welcoming - undoubtedly much more welcoming than the windswept prairie or a dungeon room, also due to the small fireplace they are equipped with. She managed to find one for each of you... except Roxana, who had expressed an obvious preference to sleep at her house. "They will remain reserved for you, as long as you remain here at Sharnshield Mansion!" the lively young half-elf girl announces "I still have some business to do now - but get ready to tell me all about your adventure, tomorrow at breakfast!"
Free from further commitments, having agreed on the need to report to Colin, you set off again amidst the gusts of cold wind that Hammer enjoys blowing against you. This time you almost all already know how to use the Underbridge.
Gaer, perplexed by seeing Roxana walking upside down, is hesitant at first... but when he sees that the girl from Longsaddle is succeeding without difficulty, he mutters: "It can't be worse than the puzzle of dragons, fiends and celestials..." and follows it. Walking in a world that seems upside down, he looks around and, after getting used to it, almost ends up smiling: "Well, definitely a new experience".
Anita, she observes, eyes wide with wonder: "That's cool, Rash! Do you think you'll be able to make an entrance like that into our house one day?" and she giggles in amusement as he crosses the Underbridge.
Shortly thereafter, you enter the 'Fuzzy Quarterstaff'... at practically the same time as Colin! He must have just come down to take a break and refresh his mind from his studies. The genial middle-age man recognizes you immediately: "Oh, wonderful! Have you already returned? You have been successful, I hope? Come, let's sit at a table together, I can't wait to know how much and what Arcane Knowledge you have recovered... There must have been a lot of it, in a place that hid a means to bring back a dead man! Sit with me, it's on me".
"The job we did, Gaer. All of us. And though I agree you both might have reason to consider yourselves well paid already," Spira winks and grins at Roxana as she continues, "you'll probably need at least a little money besides flag sale proceeds to support Roxana here in the style to which she richly deserves to become accustomed, whether you two keep on wandering with me or settle down here as a home base to roam from. I'd hope the Harpells and Sharnshields would be able to arrange for you both to be rewarded well enough to never have want limit your options again." She twirls a lock of her hair absentmindedly around one finger as she considers the other issue.
"I think that whatever questions telling the full story might raise, it would be more risky to try and withhold information from a diviner. We didn't wantonly damage the place beyond what we needed to do to secure it. I think the only thing the Harpells might be truly unhappy about is the release of the devil, and at that point we didn't know the true savior the divination pointed us to was only a few yards away. For all we knew, the devil could have been the only creature able to help us. And besides, we've told most of the story six times over already to various people in this jubilant crowd, so Colin has probably already heard."
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
Looking around for a table with enough seats free to accommodate everyone, Spira replies, "Oh yes, it was quite ... interesting. We were successful, and Lady Martha and her newly invigorated fiancé are happily picking out crystal and silverware patterns for the wedding dinner as we speak. The interpretation proved to be a little different than we'd thought: the bead your magic saw was not actually the item that brought Dobbian back. Instead, it was the release trigger for a magic circle which imprisoned a celestial being. She was the one whose powers did the resurrection; and she's been talking as if she was intrigued by the Material Plane and wanted to spend some time here investigating it. You might have time for several productive conversations with her before she goes back, and perhaps find out quite a bit. And of course we'll tell you all the rest of our story right now." Remembering the mechanism that has been set up here to get drinks, she orders a large double Red Dragon's Morning After and gulps down a quarter of it in one swallow. "Been wondering something since we drank together here last time. Just how in the Nine Hells does a quarterstaff get fuzzy?"
===========
(Ooc: A Red Dragon's Morning After consists of a large mug of dwarven ale into which is dropped a large shot glass of whatever the Realms equivalent is to strong single malt Scotch.
You know, for the fire?
And, ah, smoke ... ) lol
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, I wouldn't be at all surprised if the name refers to some side-effect of a spell cast by the Harpells" Colin replies regarding the name of the place, while ordering a more sober yarrow infusion.
"A celestial being! Oh, wonderful" he then goes on to comment on the rest, sipping the infusion. "It might be interesting to talk to her, I admit... But I was hoping that you would be able to find more specifically magical information... You know... Rituals, spells..." the wizard begins to look at you with very attentive, almost penetrating eyes "Haven't you found anything like this, in a place where there were spellcasters powerful enough to imprison celestial creatures inside magic circles?"
"Keep drinking those Spira and you just might find out how the quarterstaff becomes fuzzy!" Roxana says with a laugh. Being here, she seems a bit more relaxed. "I'll have some wine. Do you have any of those Elvish vintages? That would be nice."
Turning to Colin, she nods her head in agreement with Spira's description. When Spira pauses, she adds, "There was quite an elaborate maze to get through. You needed particular flags to dispel the fog. And then various creatures pursued you if you took a wrong turn."
She then responds to his comments. "Where the Celestial was imprisoned there was evidence of some terribly powerful being that must have escaped. The place was a disastrous mess! We certainly find no writings, whether book, scroll, or engraving. Only those circles I guess."
Rabbit Sebrica, Sorcerer || Skarai, Monk || Lokilia Vaelphin, Druid || Vanizi, Warlock || Britari / Halila Talgeta / Jesa Gumovi || Neital Rhessil, Wizard ||
Iromae Quinaea, Cleric || Meira Dheran, Rogue || Qirynna Thadri, Wizard || Crisaryn Melkial, Sorcerer || Bronnryn Hethgar, Cleric
Rash thinks for a moment.
"Well... I suppose it's possible that there might have been some old spellbooks or scrolls in the nooks that we neglected to explore," he says. "But... after our experience with the rest of the dungeon, we thought the wisest thing to do would be to avoid going anywhere that we didn't absolutely have to once we found the Celestial because it seemed that any time we did anything we were immediately set upon by various monsters... such as disembodied heads and hands, living fireballs, and even some kind of aberration... my guess would be that it was some kind of lesser beholder judging by all the eyes. But I concur with Roxanna that most likely any writings were destroyed during that powerful prisoner's escape. What I still don't understand is why that stupid dungeon had these flags to allow 'guests' to pass unharmed, and then constantly attacked us anyway."
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The fine wine requested by Roxana arrives on the usual floating tray; Anita, excited by this unique environment in which she has never been, insists on tasting it then she orders a glass for herself too. Colin pays all, as he promised to do.
After Roxana and Rash's considerations, the middle-aged wizard seems to get lost in his own thoughts for a moment: "Yeah... so many mysteries... that will probably remain so" he sighs. But then he recovers "Oh, wonderful. At least you managed to help Miss Martha! And you came back safe and sound! It wasn't so obvious, if you really had to deal with a Beholder..." he shivers slightly "It's not easy use magic directly against them. Too bad, if immediately applicable arcane knowledge has not emerged from that place; fortunately, thanks to Miss Martha, I have the privilege of being able to study a little here!"
"Well, it's a good thing that most of us are pretty decent at smackin' stuff around even without magic," Rash replies with a smile. "Just ask that bearded devil that I got in a little wrestling match with..."
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"Oh really?" Colin raises an eyebrow, partly surprised, partly amused. “It would probably have been a really fun scene to see… although perhaps not very suitable for a bookworm like me”.
"My Rash is full of hidden talents!" assures a jovial Anita.
The middle-aged wizard focuses his gaze on her and says: "You weren't there... the first time. Were you at home? Did you only join 'your' Rash now that he's back? And Rash is your... husband?"
"I..." Anita suddenly feels embarrassed "Of course, at home! Where else would the wife of a powerful magician be? At home... preparing... hmmm... a magic cake for him! Yes, a magic cake!"
"A magic cake?" Colin's expression is initially skeptical, but then he smiles "Oh, wonderful. It must have been delicious. Plus, I didn't want to be prying - after all, everyone has the right to some privacy".
"Well, gentlemen..." the middle-age wizard gets up from his chair "Although you didn't have much to tell me, I'm glad you felt compelled to come and report. You are people of your word. Oh, wonderful. Who knows? Will other agreements be concluded in the future? But for now, I think that's all. The arcane studies are calling me..."
He greets you with a wave of his hand and (unless you stop him for some reason) leaves the 'Fuzzy Quarterstaff', presumably heading either to his room, for private study, or to some lesson with a member of the Harpell family. ..
"Well, as far as the magical aspect goes, that bead trigger is a twist I've never heard of before.", Spira replies. "I don't want to haul anyone back to that place but I must admit I'm curious too. If the Harpells decide another expedition there is advisable, I might just volunteer to go along as guide. And since we really didn't bring you back much knowledge, I'd be glad to poke around a little more to see what more might be there. As my friends and colleagues have already mentioned, the flag access system is also a little ... unusual, and bears further investigation. Do you think the spells might have degraded over time, and that's why we were attacked in spite of having the correct flags? Don't know if that's possible in arcane magic, since I haven't had much experience working with wizards until Rash here. But I do know there are some divine rituals that must be renewed periodically, so maybe ...?""
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