Korba looks to Thampalic through his dark lenses and says, in Undercommon, "If you have studied the underdark, you know it is not all dangerous. I lived most of my life there, and will hopefully be able to deal with any local, uh, issues, that may arise."

Tamphalic will answer in Undercommon

"I meant no direspect, I of course know that same with the surface not all of the Underdark is dangerous, but as far as I have seen in my studies there are inherently more dangerous situations in the Underdark than on the surface, but as I said I am no full expert, as it wasn't my main topic, and if I'm shown my position was wrong I will happily change it."

Hewelathan doesn't understand the side conversation in Undercommon, but he suggests to Tamphalic, "Well, Firion is a wizard, but he posses a dragon vessel that can enable him to transform into a dragon.  And Firion's Cult of the Dragon seeks to restore the mad Dragon Sserrah Nightbane.  We have already fought cultists who rode dragonnels, and I wouldn't be surprised to find that the cult is working with true dragons in service of Sserrah.  I think that we will be able to put your knowledge to good use eventually, Tamphalic."  

Hewelathan smiles kindly at the wizard's cat, but he reminds himself that a wizard's familiar is not a regular animal companion.  It is some sort of spirit that takes the form of a common animal. 

All that is true, Akkron says to the Wizard. But... there is another reason I felt you would be useful in an expedition to the Underdark. There are rumors that an adult deep dragon has made its lair somewhere within the forgotten city. Hopefully you will be able to avoid rather than confront it, but I feel it is wise to have an expert on hand.

Now, reaching the city and the tomb... the city should be simple enough to find. It is the same one from which an army of dark elves emerged to destroy the place I call home. There should still be a teleportation circle within the ruins, and there is another one in the my own land that you will be able to use to return when you have recovered the blade. I can provide you with a modified orb of direction that will point you towards the tomb of the dark priestess.

(So, basically, what he's saying is that he'll be able to teleport your party directly into the city thanks to the teleportation circle that is somewhere within the ruins. He'll also be able to give you a sigil for a teleportation circle on his island; to return you will need to make your way back to the teleportation circle and use the sigil to teleport back to the Shaded Isle).

[History 12 to see if Nickeline knows what they're talking about]

Nickeline hops up onto a bench and listens to Jodie's incredible performance, entranced by the music. She starts to forget her fear as she looks around at all the fancy equipment everyone has. She stares for a while at Hewlathan's crab armor. 'The folks back home would get a real kick out of that,'  she thinks, resolving to ask him later how he got it.

When the discussion turns to visiting an underground city retrieve a Luck Blade , Nickeline listens closely to the parts she can understand. "If that be the task, then I will gladly lend my assistance," she says. "I have little experience with Drow and dragons, but I know caves and magic items well, and I can at least light the way, if needed."

When Lord Akron mentions the orb of direction, her demeanor brightens significantly. With eager persistence, she peppers him with questions: "A modified orb of direction? Did you calibrate it yourself? May I ask how? That is quite remarkable."

Quote from Mister_Whisker >>

As expected, it's hard to gauge Lord Akkron's feelings from the skeletal face, but he does seem pleased with Jodie's performance.

The Bard summed up what is happening quite well, he says approvingly. These three have a difficult and dangerous task ahead of them... one which they cannot accomplish alone. Each has had the misfortune of coming into possession of a piece of Sserah's soul... and to rid both themselves and this world of those shards, I have given them the task of recovering a luck blade from an abandoned city in the Underdark. I feel that you would be well-suited to help them in this endeavor.

(Jodie, with that excellent performance you may well be able to get some additional favor)

 "Lord Akkron, surely you have some dusty items that might help us in this quest?  We would write them in lyric, in this peril we face.  If we fail, what song will there be for any of us?  With your aid, the name Akkron would be sung in a chorus for the ages!"  Jodie smiles, claps her hands today in front of her, and spreads her arms out wide picturing a band name in a large illusionary banner...

"Do you think we should expect armies of undead in this ancient city?" Korba asks, thinking of the undead drow leader that they'll need to deal with. "And, can you tell us anything that might be helpful when dealing with her? Ah... and... you mentioned that I would likely need a master crafter to add weight to my blade. Do you happen to know of any crafters who might be willing to work with me?"

Akkron chuckles at the barrage of questions.

Yes, I did, he tells the gnome. Though it would be difficult for me to explain exactly how... it would likely take several hours to give a full explanation. If you're still interested by then, I would be happy to give you a full explanation after all other important preparations have been made.

He then addresses Jodie and Korba.

If you fail... the ballads written or not of our exploits will be the least of my concerns, he sighs. The Clerics of Boccob and I can certainly provide you with a few items to aid you on your quest... as to what you will face, I doubt that the entire city will be overrun with the undead the way that mine is, at least not until you are extremely close to the tomb itself. The damned priestess is a fairly potent spellcaster, but her most dangerous weapon is her wit. Do not believe anything she tells you.

There will also be other dangerous creatures to contend with... for example, if the rumors that a dragon has made its lair in the ruins are true, then there will likely be kobolds. They may not be especially impressive on their own, but they will have numbers on their side and, even more importantly, they could alert the dragon to your presence.

As to finding a skilled craftsman who can modify your blade, I will call upon my allies to see if one can be found, though it could be several days before he or she arrives.

Lord Akkron then beckons to a Cleric of Boccob...

I need some items to ensure that these six succeed in their task, he says. Bring me some things that will be of use to them...

The cleric returns with the following:
A scroll of protection (protects against undead)
A quiver containing six +1 arrows
2 pouches containing dust of corrosion
3 vials of mummy rot antidote (big hint what you're dealing with when you get to the tomb...)
And for Nickeline... a ring of mind shielding (to help deal with the fact that a demon keeps trying to spy on her through her crystal ball)

And finally, he gives you the orb of direction to the party.

Do not let this fall into the wrong hands, he warns as he hands off the orb. If the blade is captured, its wishes could be put to devastating use.

Hewelathan has a couple of questions about timing:

• Thinking about what provisions they need to take, Hewelathan asks, "Once we use the teleportation circle to teleport into the abandoned city of the Drow, how far do we have to travel or how long should we expect it to take us to find the tomb, steal the the blade, and get back out?"  He has no concept for how large a Drow city is and whether they'll be exploring a tomb for a few hours or scouring a system of caverns for several days.
• Seeing that a light drizzle has started falling while they were in library, Hewelathan is reminded of his belt's curse.  He asks Korba, "Did you want to wait here until the weaponsmith arrives and modifies your blade?  Or shall we go to Talice's tomb, and then you'll just have your sword modified when we get back?"  

That also reminds him to ask, "Lord Akkron, the city where Talice lies in her tomb...it isn't directly beneath this island, is it?  I mean, if we were not going to use the teleportation circle, would we be trying to dig straight down from here, or is it far away and under some other land?"

[History Check 24 (w/ Artificer's Lore) to see if she recognizes the item Lord Akkron gave her]

When Korba mentions needing a weaponsmith, Nickeline speaks up: "I'm a great blacksmith! I made this mace." She holds out her mace for Korba to see; it's competently done, but nothing to write home about. "If there's a smithy I could use I could totally add some weight to your...sword," she says, peering at Korba but seeing no sword on his person. 'Are they talking about his dagger?' she wonders.

She gratefully accepts the Ring of Mind Shielding from Lord Akkron. "Thank you!" she says, imagining with glee all the ways she could use her crystal ball without that killjoy's incessant screaming in her mind. She continues, "And I would love to learn all about your orb and how you modified it if there's time before we have to leave. I guess you already know I've got a problem with my own orb."

OOC: I believe a Ring of Mind Shielding wouldn't stop the Crystal Ball of Telepathy's Scrying, only allow Nickeline to mute the its telepathy effect. Something like an Amulet of Proof against Detection and Location would fully prevent the spying, if that was your intention @Mister_Whisker.

Korba nods and thanks Akkron for his assistance in finding a craftsman, and says to Hewelathan, "No, there is no reason to wait. Though I have gained strength in using my blade since we have joined together, the small weighting change I am hoping to do is not of extreme importance. It will happen when it happens. Thank you though."

To Nickeline he says, "That is a well crafted mace, though Lord Akkron here is likely correct. Though the entire history of the blade is a mystery, it's story goes back generations and would likely only even allow itself to be worked on by a full blooded elf. It's not even happy having one without pure blood holding it..."

Finally, looking at the items offered, Korba pauses at the antidotes and says, "It seems there will be frightening undead that we will need to deal with..."

Tamphalic listens to what Hewelathan and Lord Akkron had to say

"Ah, alright those sounds like the topics I am indeed an expert on. A Deep dragon you say, I have read about them but I'll have to have a look at your library before we leave to gather some extra information regarding that type of dragon." Tamphalic answers. He suddenly seems very eager "I'll happily accompany you on this quest than."

He than listens to the preparation talk

"Would you know the exact location of the tomb? Or would you maybe have a map of the city, so we can track our progress?"

Quote from Mister_Whisker >>

The cleric returns with the following:
A scroll of protection (protects against undead)
A quiver containing six +1 arrows
2 pouches containing dust of corrosion
3 vials of mummy rot antidote (big hint what you're dealing with when you get to the tomb...)
And for Nickeline... a ring of mind shielding (to help deal with the fact that a demon keeps trying to spy on her through her crystal ball)

And finally, he gives you the orb of direction to the party.

Do not let this fall into the wrong hands, he warns as he hands off the orb. If the blade is captured, its wishes could be put to devastating use.

 Jodie looks at the arms of her new companions and reaches for the quiver of arrows.  "Magic arrows.  These will be useful against some creatures.  I will put them to good use with my bow.  Who will hold the other items?  Nickeline, I'm glad to have a cleric alongside us.  Would you hold the scroll of protection and vials of mummy rot antidote?  I'll take one pouch of the dust of corrosion, it may come in handy for locks and stuck doors.  Would someone like the other?  If there is some iron guardian, it could be used to great effect..."

"Who will take the orb of direction? Hewelathan, you are the closest thing to a guide we have and I trust your instincts.  The orb would be safe while you were transformed."

Jodie approaches Thamphalic, "We faced cultists before and captured their mithral armor.  At the time, I offered our sorcerer friend Rhaenys my elven chain as I believe I could wear their mithral armor to equal or better effect.  I'd make you that same offer.  If you are to aid me in this task, I will protect you all as best as possible."

Quote from Faux_Beau>>

Jodie looks at the arms of her new companions and reaches for the quiver of arrows.  "Magic arrows.  These will be useful against some creatures.  I will put them to good use with my bow.  Who will hold the other items?  Nickeline, I'm glad to have a cleric alongside us.  Would you hold the scroll of protection and vials of mummy rot antidote?  I'll take one pouch of the dust of corrosion, it may come in handy for locks and stuck doors.  Would someone like the other?  If there is some iron guardian, it could be used to great effect..."

It seems right to Hewelathan that Jodie take the quiver: she's the only one who uses a bow.

Hewelathan's other suggestions: 

• They might want to distribute the vials of mummy rot antidote to the ones most likely to come into close contact with the evil priestess, such as Korba and Hildegard.  That way, they can immediately take the antidote without Nickeline needing to approach too close to the mummy.  (It's best to keep the healer out of harm's way!)
• He's not sure who should take the scroll.  It seems like whomever is going to try to take the luck blade may need it.  The undead creatures would definitely try to stop them from getting it and will try to kill them once they have it.  But they may have to wait until they're in the tomb to figure out who that will be.  He's guessing it'll be Jodie since he expects that they may need stealth or deception to get close to the sword.
• Hewelathan finds the dust of corrosion intersting but difficult to use.  For example, Hildegard's chain mail isn't magical, so they couldn't use the dust within 10 ft. of her.  Hewlathan says, "If we need to use it in battle, someone else should probably carry it and then hand it to me once I've transformed into an animal form.  I wouldn't be wearing anything non-magical in that form, so the corrosion wouldn't be a danger to me or my possessions.  Everyone else could fall back while I shake the powder into the air."

"Who will take the orb of direction? Hewelathan, you are the closest thing to a guide we have and I trust your instincts.  The orb would be safe while you were transformed."

"I'd be willing to hold it," Hewelathan says uncertainly, "but although it's safe while I'm transformed, we also won't be able to use it while I'm transformed."  He looks around the group and says, "Until we get closer, we might want to have someone else carry it.  Korba, if he's helping to guide us in the Underdark.  Or perhaps Tamphalic, since his hands may be more free while we travel."

Hewelathan is still unsure how long it will be before they depart.  He asks the lich, "Lord Akkron, thank you for these generous gifts.  We will endeavor to put them to good use!  I wanted to ask whether there is be a jeweler in town who could create an item that I need for one of my spells: a hollowed and gilded acorn that contains some specific items.  I'm not sure long it would take to craft, and I don't have enough to pay for the work at the moment.  But I don't know where else I may be able to find such a component on the road ahead."

Jodie turns back to Lord Akkron, "Out of curiosity...what type of blade is the luck blade?  A sword of might or finesse?"

Lord Akkron speaks to all of you again.

To Hewelathan and Tamphalic:
The city was under the mainland, the lich says. So no, you will not be beneath the island while searching the ruins. I suspect that finding and recovering the blade will take at least three days, possibly longer depending on how often you stop to rest. I'm afraid that maps of the city are lost to time... but the orb will guide you to where you need to be. To your other question, you are free to examine whichever books you want, there are many tomes about dragons here. There might even be some tomes that the Clerics of Boccob would be willing to let you take when you depart.

To Hewelathan alone:
It will be fairly easy to find a jeweler who can accomplish what you require in an afternoon. I will cover the cost of crafting this item if you do not have the funds.

To Jodie:
It has been several centuries since I last saw the weapon, but I believe it is a scimitar.

If everyone else has done and said what they needed to, Lord Akkron spends the next several hours doing his best to explain to Nickeline how he calibrated the orb to point towards the tomb of the dark priestess.

What preparations would everyone like to make for the upcoming expedition?

Korba takes a potion and tucks it into his pouch, hoping to not need it, but grateful to have protection just in case. He then looks to the others and says, "When we find the blade, I would be able to shunt it away to safety to a place where no one can find it if we would like."

As Jodie approaches Tamphalic almost takes a step back, but keeps himself from doing this.

"Thank you for the offer, if no one else has a use of it I will happily wear it, and Hewelathan, I will most likely have my hands free most of the time indeed, so would be happy to keep the orb of direction on me."

Tamphalic will use the time before they leave to read up on deep dragons and the kobolds that might be close by such a dragon. If there are 2 or 3 books that seems of particular interest to him regarding those, or the underdark he will ask the Clerics if he can take them with him for further studies during travelling.

((The elven chain gives Tamphalic the same AC as with mage armor, so will save a lvl 1 spellslot, but if anyone else can wear it who gains more from it, have it)

Quote from Secretfool >>

As Jodie approaches Tamphalic almost takes a step back, but keeps himself from doing this.

"Thank you for the offer, if no one else has a use of it I will happily wear it, and Hewelathan, I will most likely have my hands free most of the time indeed, so would be happy to keep the orb of direction on me."

 

 Jodie replies, "If we come across the cult again, we are apt to acquire another set of mithral half plate.  Until then, the mithral scale will serve me as well.  Saving your magic is good, in additional to preparing a different spell than mage armor. Tamphalic, what illusion, enchantment, and abjuration do you know that might aid us in avoiding the kobolds and facing undead?"

Jodie goes to the smith in town to store some weapons until her return. "Sorry, I'm a bit overloaded with weapons.  I'd like to store a rapier and hand crossbow with you.  I'm still figuring out my sword you see...and bow."  Jodie smiles warmly for a good exchange (26).  She leans in and whispers, "If you have any magic blades, I'd be very interested."  She tips 5 sp  and offers the weapons as collateral for any storage fees she'll pay upon her return.

(EDIT: Thought a whip was light, but I guess not)

As usual, Jodie's charms work like a... well... charm.

The smith, a middle-aged mountain dwarf by the name of Hogurn, promises to take excellent care of the weapons, which he proceeds to place in a vault.

"A magic blade you say?" he says, scratching his chin. "I ain't got nothin' too fancy... but... I might 'ave something for ya..."

He disappears into the back of the shop for a few minutes, then returns with a sheathed rapier. He unsheathes it for the half-elf to examine, revealing that it's a moon-touched rapier.

"It don't do too much," he admits, a bit sheepishly. "Just that glowin' thing, which ain't too much use for people like us who see just fine in the dark, but it can cut through those nasty things that tend to ignore ordinary blades. Best deal I can offer you is the sword for 50 gold."