The Derro laughs at Syllens words, hard to work out what’s going on inside the head of a Derro. “Prey? The Inheritors rule this neighbourhood, the toughest gangs in the city answer to us.”
Interest: 2 Patience: 3 (It shouldn’t have gone up before, accidentally wrote 4.)
Unless Khessa, Avery, or Theldrin want to try and bump up the Interest, that will end the negotiation.
Khessa, as mentioned, leaves the interrogation to those she considers "true" adventurers, more experienced than she is in these matters.
The blonde arcane warrior knows that, if necessary, she can try to be persuasive, and on several occasions she manages to get herself heard; but there are also several times when the interlocutor seems not to pay much attention to what she says and remains, for some reason, distractedly staring at chest level... something that has often left her puzzled.
The tall adventuress therefore limits herself to acting as a guard.
Seeing that the questioning doesn't seem to be working very well, Theldrin reluctantly decides to join in. He slowly walks over to the Derro and gives him a long hard look, then says solemnly as he shakes his head, "You know... this doesn't have to end badly for you. You could.... use it to your advantage." He then tries to get a sense of what might motivate the Derro to cooperate.
Eamoth shakes his head at Avery and Theldrin’s threats and appeals (we can’t count Coriana’s second success as the others had to go first and Eamoth’s Patience is now down to 0.) He laughs at Coriana’s threat and you get the feeling the negotiation is over (with a result of Yes, but. Which I interpret as he’ll answer some of your questions now, and others if you complete a task for him.)
He begins to talk, “The Company, that’s what you’re called huh? Been doing jobs for Es Sarch apparently, although no one knows what exactly, except perhaps for a certain Assassin. You’ve got yourselves an enemy in this city, the Guilds head wet worker, Fhadheela, and don’t ask me anything about her, she gets around in a cloak and that’s about it. She’s got it in for you for some reason, to the point where she’s willing to tell us where to find the crew that took out Bloobbloum‘a crew… and now Quindal’s I suppose. Xeron’s Cult? Never heard of them, and as for the Plaguelost, you probably know as much as anyone at this point.”
He then clears his throat and holds up his head a little, “But I cannot tell you anything of our Saint, the Blueknight. If you want any chance of finding out about him, or of continuing to survive here in The Riddle, you’ll need to seek him out. And if you bring me to him, alive, I will garuntee an audience with the sacred one himself… or at least with someone you can. Take me to the Temple of Berei in the deepest parts of The Riddle.”
Khessa, completely unconvinced by the Derro's proposal, murmurs to her friends: "Once in their lair, we could find ourselves severely outnumbered and at a disadvantage. Ready to be slaughtered at the first cry from our guide, or even just by the first member who recognizes us as individuals who have killed others of his faction... or even just on a whim, given how sane these gentlemen seem."
"Let's forget it," the blonde arcane warrior advises. "Let's maintain the alliance that, so far, hasn't failed us and has brought us this far."
"If we want," the tall adventuress concludes, "we can try to add an alliance with Irennaste, if he doesn't hold us responsible for what happened to him. As long as we're useful to him by weakening the other factions, he might not try to kill us. But the Blue Knight... in my opinion, that's too risky an option in our situation."
Yep that’s fine. As far as it goes so far, you have gained enough reputation in The Riddle that non one will try to take this spot from you for now. However, because of the issue with the Deep Gnomes, you still have a couple days before Es Sarch locates Fadheela for you. So you’ll have some downtime no matter what. And Eamoth will make it clear, while The Inheritors won’t attack your stronghold again, they may try something else now that your power seemingly threatens theirs.
In other news, assuming you stay here for a Long Rest tonight, you’ll awake in the morning at Level 6!
He then clears his throat and holds up his head a little, “But I cannot tell you anything of our Saint, the Blueknight. If you want any chance of finding out about him, or of continuing to survive here in The Riddle, you’ll need to seek him out. And if you bring me to him, alive, I will garuntee an audience with the sacred one himself… or at least with someone you can. Take me to the Temple of Berei in the deepest parts of The Riddle.”
Xanrym doubts that the Inheritors are really followers of Berei, a lesser goddess of hearth and agriculture. Maybe they just commandeered the temple when the city fell into chaos?
Realizing that they're unlikely to get anything else useful out of the slightly-crazy Derro, Xanrym says, "Thank you for this offer. We must think on it, but we've already seen more Inheritors than we wanted this this day. We're not going anywhere 'tonight.' Rest here and be glad that you're alive. Keep still and quite and don't give us a reason to kill you, and perhaps we can take you back to the Temple of Berei tomorrow." Persuasion: 17 (minimum of 17 from Silver Tongue Feature)
Khessa, completely unconvinced by the Derro's proposal..."Let's maintain the alliance that, so far, hasn't failed us and has brought us this far."
"If we want," the tall adventuress concludes, "we can try to add an alliance with Irennaste, if he doesn't hold us responsible for what happened to him. As long as we're useful to him by weakening the other factions, he might not try to kill us. But the Blue Knight... in my opinion, that's too risky an option in our situation."
Xanrym's head agrees with Khessa, but he's burning with curiosity about the leader of the Inheritors. He would love to discover the secret of the Blueknight and why they couldn't remove their helmet outside of the Inheritors' headquarters. At first, Xanrym thought that it might be a drow, a traitor against House Dusklorn, but if that's true, it seems like Irennaste would know after his torture at the Blueknight's hands. And he still doesn't know what to make of the strange way the Blueknight won the duel he witnessed.
But the Company still has a lot to do before they can rest! They need to clear the dead bodies out, secure their hideout, and set a watch over both the Derro and the house. He's not sure whether the Plaguelost can infect dead bodies, but proposes dragging the dead Derro and Kurthiks away from their Townhouse and maybe leaving them in front of another abandoned building. That way, the Inheritors can come collect their dead if that's something they do.
Xanrym wants to check on Irennaste himself and confirm that the drow still alive and stable. If the Company is going to be hiding out in this house for a few days while they wait for an update from Es Sarch, they'll have plenty of time to check Irennaste's mood, but they need to make sure he lives through the night first! If Irennaste is content to rest under their guard for the night, Xanrym thinks that they can deal with him in the morning.
While Irennaste is still recovering and presumably sleeping, Xanrym proposes that The Company examine the treasures that they recovered from Ellesarwa and her consort. They finally have time to use Detect Magic and Identify to see what they found. Xanrym wants to make sure that the statue of Lolth is just a work of art and does not have some foul magic to it. He's especially interested to learn about the tome -- Xanrym loves books! -- and the wand -- Xanrym loves magic! Once they know what they have, The Company can figure out how to divide everything fairly.
After they finish all of that and have a meal, Xanrym takes some notes for his planned Chronicles of the Company of the Grey Chain and settles down for a Long Rest.
Irennaste recovers quickly with your help, although the scars and maiming still live on. His mood is different now, less youthful and arrogant, far more somber and resigned. “I suppose I owe you my life… again.” He’ll stay with you all for now, and if you tell him of his mother he hardly seems to acknowledge it. Clearly this young drow has a lot to work through before heading back into the real world.
Now, as for the magic items you picked up. They were:
Theldrin agrees with both Khessa and Xanrym... it seems too risky to head to the temple just yet, and it would be good to move the bodies out of the townhouse.
"Also quite risky this one," he eyes the wand with a amused glint in his eye. "I think we should probably just sell it." He adds with a sigh, "To Morley I hope... hopefully we can escape this gloom and treacherous city, and make it back to Greyhawk before too long."
Khessa, after hearing the description of what the wand can do, doesn't entirely agree with the wizard's response: "I don't know, Theldrin... You're magical power incarnate compared to me, but I'm still an amateur adventurer who learns things here and there... Many of this wand's effects will probably remain beyond my capabilities for a long time. I'd perhaps try using it— say, against a group of enemies at a distance, before we get close. I... I'd keep it, as a possible magical complement to my martial skills".
"Also quite risky this one," he eyes the wand with a amused glint in his eye. "I think we should probably just sell it." He adds with a sigh, "To Morley I hope... hopefully we can escape this gloom and treacherous city, and make it back to Greyhawk before too long."
Xanrym sympathizes with Theldrin's feeling about this gloomy place. The Great Grotto has a eerie certain beauty, but since it seems like everything here is trying to kill them (aberrant creatures, the horrible aboleth, and even the mushrooms on Rykarion's Isle!), it's hard for Xanrym to relax enough to appreciate it.
Khessa, after hearing the description of what the wand can do, doesn't entirely agree with the wizard's response: ... I'd keep it, as a possible magical complement to my martial skills".
But Xanrym agrees with Khessa here. Always trying to maintain harmony within The Company, Xanrym says, "Since we cannot barter with Morley over this wand until we get back to the Free City, someone should keep it for now. Does anyone other than Khessa want to make a claim for the wand? Theldrin?Syllen?" Xanrym is already attuned to three magic items that are more valuable to him, so he has no interest in the wand, but he wants someone to attune to it.
Theldrin frowns an even deeper frown than his usual, as he shakes his head and says in an admonishing tone. "It's too dangerous... other than as a last resort perhaps, if we are facing certain doom. Do you want to risk blinding all of us? Or possibly turning yourself into stone like that poor soul we saw back there?"
He sighs then soften his tone a bit, "Look I understand wanting to wield such power, but the road to arcane mastery is littered with the wreckage of those who over reached too soon... Well, i's not my place to tell you what to do, but I strongly advise extreme caution."
Syllen seems as though he has a bad dream when he finishes his long rest. Joining the convention he seems to be talking to himself more so than responding to anyone at first.
“The stairs speak of ill omens. May they grant us strength and show those fates to our enemies.”
After the long rest everyone gets 10 Temp HP. Turning to Xanrym.
“I am very happy having Khessa use the wand. I have more than enough options when we find ourselves in a fight.”
Theldrin frowns an even deeper frown than his usual, as he shakes his head and says in an admonishing tone. "It's too dangerous... other than as a last resort perhaps, if we are facing certain doom. Do you want to risk blinding all of us? Or possibly turning yourself into stone like that poor soul we saw back there?"
He sighs then soften his tone a bit, "Look I understand wanting to wield such power, but the road to arcane mastery is littered with the wreckage of those who over reached too soon... Well, i's not my place to tell you what to do, but I strongly advise extreme caution."
(OOC: Nothing significant here. Just some Xanrym role-play.)
Xanrym's eyes open wider, and he raises his hands slightly in a mollifying gesture toward Theldrin. "We don't doubt you, Theldrin!" he assures the wizard. "It sounds like the wand is infused with the whimsical magic of the Fey! Or perhaps it was forged by the follower of the forces of Chaos. But you've seen it yourself: these are dark times, with dark cults, like the naga worshippers or these followers of Xeron, who stole the Lost King's bones. It would be safer -- perhaps -- to find a job at a shop in the Free City or maybe to go work on a quiet farm outside the city. To shut the door to the darkness outside and hope that it doesn't come knocking in our time."
Here Xanrym's voice switches from sounding like he was starting to tell a ghost story to a rousing tone, as though he's trying to 'rally the troops.' He says, "But The Company of the Grey Chain will not sit idle. We have chosen a life of adventure! We gather treasure, true, but we also seek to use our power for Good. To thwart the plans of these evil cults. To rescue and protect the innocent, like Cirilli and -- hopefully, one day -- Khessa's family. But to challenge the great evils ahead, we must have courage to use whatever power we can find. Fighting back the darkness brings risks, and our fate isn't entirely in our own hands. Even with a good plan, like we had in our most recent job, things could still go horribly wrong. We can only do our best and then put our trust in the gods! Or to 'chance', if you don't believe that the gods intervene in our daily struggles. In the worst situations, when our fate hangs in the balance, we'll just have to take a chance and 'roll the dice'!"
Finally, Xanrym comes back to the point and tries to strike what at least sounds like a compromise,"How about this? Let's agree not to rely on the wand. Khessa will take the wand to use in those situations where the risks of an unintended effect are low or in the times of our most dire need, when we must take a risk whether we want to or not! Say that the slimy horror rises from the depths of the Sullen Sea again and tries to drag one of us into the cold, quiet depths...,"Xanrym pauses as a haunted look briefly passes over his face. He shudders and continues, "Yes! I say, 'take the risk!' Use the wand! Any chance is better than no chance against such a fate!"
Syllen After the long rest everyone gets 10 Temp HP. Turning to Xanrym. “I am very happy having Khessa use the wand. I have more than enough options when we find ourselves in a fight.”
Xanrym thanks Syllen politely, adding, "That makes everything easier." He suggests that Syllen take the Elixir of Health. "You've done a great job of keeping everyone alive through one deadly fight after another, my friend. We can trust you to know when best to use this elixir."
As The Company divides the items they acquired from Ellesarwa's chamber, his gaze keeps coming back to the tome. He wonders whether he'd have enough time to study it before Es Sarch sends them more information about Fhadheela.
(OOC: Thinking about how to use this day and the next few days.)
Syllen “The stairs speak of ill omens. May they grant us strength and show those fates to our enemies.”
Xanrym agrees: "Hear hear!" But then he says, "However, I think that we will be spending today and the next few days lying low. A this point, we're just waiting for our patron to reach out with more information about Fhadheela. In the meantime, it seems unwise to leave our temporary home here unguarded, and the Inheritors may seek to waylay us if they find us on the streets. Perhaps we could go exploring in smaller groups?"
Xanrym has been thinking about the Derro. If The Company is not going to trust the Derro to get them an audience with the Blueknight, Xanrym suggests (quietly, far from the room where they keep the Derro), they may still want to send him with an escort. Xanrym says, "For example, one of us could escort the crazy fellow openly, make sure that he gets back to The Temple of Berei. Don't follow him inside! Just to ensure that he isn't taken by House Dusklorn or the Guild before he reaches his allies. But then a couple of us could follow in secret. With my cloak, I may be able to follow, undetected. Or Coriana and I could use Invisibility to conceal a couple of us. We could leave 2 or 3 here to defend the Townhouse in case it comes under attack again."
Xanrym asks what the others think:
Just cut the Derro loose and send him out on his own? Or escort him back to The Riddle and see how the Inheritors treat our 'lone' escort? We may learn something interesting about the faction that has the most reason to come after us again.
How much does everyone want to do with Irennaste? Once he is sufficiently healed, we could also just send him on his way, but if we want to have an opening to learn more about the Drow, our best bet is to ensure that Irennaste makes it back to House Dusklorn's headquarters and into a position of power with that faction.
If they have a few days before Es Sarch finds more information for them, does anyone want to do any more exploring in Pedestal? Anything else we want to do?
Xanrym would still like to check out that secret door at the South Gate.
Xanrym also suggests that The Company should try to fight / kill some Plaguelost. He doesn't want anyone to get infected, but he would like to get a better idea of how tough the Plaguelost are before the The Company finds themselves in a situation where they must fight them.
Was there anything else that we wanted to do in Pedestal / The Great Grotto?
Well, beyond those activities, Khessa would obviously be very interested in investigating where her family might have been taken... before Irennaste's gratitude runs out. Perhaps not explicitly asking about "her family," but more generally about where any slaves captured in a raid might have been taken...
Syllen attempts to empathize with the Derro.
“For prey you and your friends were surprisingly weak. It must be hard living in such a violent city without the strength needed to defend yourself.”
Insight Roll: 10
The Derro laughs at Syllens words, hard to work out what’s going on inside the head of a Derro. “Prey? The Inheritors rule this neighbourhood, the toughest gangs in the city answer to us.”
Interest: 2 Patience: 3 (It shouldn’t have gone up before, accidentally wrote 4.)
Unless Khessa, Avery, or Theldrin want to try and bump up the Interest, that will end the negotiation.
Avery will state, "Weak? We have already shown we can chop up anything that gets in our way. Look at your present situation." Intimidation: 18
Khessa, as mentioned, leaves the interrogation to those she considers "true" adventurers, more experienced than she is in these matters.
The blonde arcane warrior knows that, if necessary, she can try to be persuasive, and on several occasions she manages to get herself heard; but there are also several times when the interlocutor seems not to pay much attention to what she says and remains, for some reason, distractedly staring at chest level... something that has often left her puzzled.
The tall adventuress therefore limits herself to acting as a guard.
"My masters are going to LOVE scooping out your brain." Intimidation: 18. (Game log, advantage from lucky.)
Coriana - Company of the Grey Chain
Wagner - Dragon Heist: Bards.
DM - The Old Keep
Seeing that the questioning doesn't seem to be working very well, Theldrin reluctantly decides to join in. He slowly walks over to the Derro and gives him a long hard look, then says solemnly as he shakes his head, "You know... this doesn't have to end badly for you. You could.... use it to your advantage." He then tries to get a sense of what might motivate the Derro to cooperate.
Insight: 18
Eamoth shakes his head at Avery and Theldrin’s threats and appeals (we can’t count Coriana’s second success as the others had to go first and Eamoth’s Patience is now down to 0.) He laughs at Coriana’s threat and you get the feeling the negotiation is over (with a result of Yes, but. Which I interpret as he’ll answer some of your questions now, and others if you complete a task for him.)
He begins to talk, “The Company, that’s what you’re called huh? Been doing jobs for Es Sarch apparently, although no one knows what exactly, except perhaps for a certain Assassin. You’ve got yourselves an enemy in this city, the Guilds head wet worker, Fhadheela, and don’t ask me anything about her, she gets around in a cloak and that’s about it. She’s got it in for you for some reason, to the point where she’s willing to tell us where to find the crew that took out Bloobbloum‘a crew… and now Quindal’s I suppose. Xeron’s Cult? Never heard of them, and as for the Plaguelost, you probably know as much as anyone at this point.”
He then clears his throat and holds up his head a little, “But I cannot tell you anything of our Saint, the Blueknight. If you want any chance of finding out about him, or of continuing to survive here in The Riddle, you’ll need to seek him out. And if you bring me to him, alive, I will garuntee an audience with the sacred one himself… or at least with someone you can. Take me to the Temple of Berei in the deepest parts of The Riddle.”
Khessa, completely unconvinced by the Derro's proposal, murmurs to her friends: "Once in their lair, we could find ourselves severely outnumbered and at a disadvantage. Ready to be slaughtered at the first cry from our guide, or even just by the first member who recognizes us as individuals who have killed others of his faction... or even just on a whim, given how sane these gentlemen seem."
"Let's forget it," the blonde arcane warrior advises. "Let's maintain the alliance that, so far, hasn't failed us and has brought us this far."
"If we want," the tall adventuress concludes, "we can try to add an alliance with Irennaste, if he doesn't hold us responsible for what happened to him. As long as we're useful to him by weakening the other factions, he might not try to kill us. But the Blue Knight... in my opinion, that's too risky an option in our situation."
Yep that’s fine. As far as it goes so far, you have gained enough reputation in The Riddle that non one will try to take this spot from you for now. However, because of the issue with the Deep Gnomes, you still have a couple days before Es Sarch locates Fadheela for you. So you’ll have some downtime no matter what. And Eamoth will make it clear, while The Inheritors won’t attack your stronghold again, they may try something else now that your power seemingly threatens theirs.
In other news, assuming you stay here for a Long Rest tonight, you’ll awake in the morning at Level 6!
Xanrym doubts that the Inheritors are really followers of Berei, a lesser goddess of hearth and agriculture. Maybe they just commandeered the temple when the city fell into chaos?
Realizing that they're unlikely to get anything else useful out of the slightly-crazy Derro, Xanrym says, "Thank you for this offer. We must think on it, but we've already seen more Inheritors than we wanted this this day. We're not going anywhere 'tonight.' Rest here and be glad that you're alive. Keep still and quite and don't give us a reason to kill you, and perhaps we can take you back to the Temple of Berei tomorrow."
Persuasion: 17 (minimum of 17 from Silver Tongue Feature)
Xanrym's head agrees with Khessa, but he's burning with curiosity about the leader of the Inheritors. He would love to discover the secret of the Blueknight and why they couldn't remove their helmet outside of the Inheritors' headquarters. At first, Xanrym thought that it might be a drow, a traitor against House Dusklorn, but if that's true, it seems like Irennaste would know after his torture at the Blueknight's hands. And he still doesn't know what to make of the strange way the Blueknight won the duel he witnessed.
But the Company still has a lot to do before they can rest! They need to clear the dead bodies out, secure their hideout, and set a watch over both the Derro and the house. He's not sure whether the Plaguelost can infect dead bodies, but proposes dragging the dead Derro and Kurthiks away from their Townhouse and maybe leaving them in front of another abandoned building. That way, the Inheritors can come collect their dead if that's something they do.
Xanrym wants to check on Irennaste himself and confirm that the drow still alive and stable. If the Company is going to be hiding out in this house for a few days while they wait for an update from Es Sarch, they'll have plenty of time to check Irennaste's mood, but they need to make sure he lives through the night first! If Irennaste is content to rest under their guard for the night, Xanrym thinks that they can deal with him in the morning.
While Irennaste is still recovering and presumably sleeping, Xanrym proposes that The Company examine the treasures that they recovered from Ellesarwa and her consort. They finally have time to use Detect Magic and Identify to see what they found. Xanrym wants to make sure that the statue of Lolth is just a work of art and does not have some foul magic to it. He's especially interested to learn about the tome -- Xanrym loves books! -- and the wand -- Xanrym loves magic! Once they know what they have, The Company can figure out how to divide everything fairly.
After they finish all of that and have a meal, Xanrym takes some notes for his planned Chronicles of the Company of the Grey Chain and settles down for a Long Rest.
Irennaste recovers quickly with your help, although the scars and maiming still live on. His mood is different now, less youthful and arrogant, far more somber and resigned. “I suppose I owe you my life… again.” He’ll stay with you all for now, and if you tell him of his mother he hardly seems to acknowledge it. Clearly this young drow has a lot to work through before heading back into the real world.
Now, as for the magic items you picked up. They were:
Armor of Poison Resistance, Breastplate
Wand of Wonder
Tome of Leadership and Influence
Theldrin agrees with both Khessa and Xanrym... it seems too risky to head to the temple just yet, and it would be good to move the bodies out of the townhouse.
"Also quite risky this one," he eyes the wand with a amused glint in his eye. "I think we should probably just sell it." He adds with a sigh, "To Morley I hope... hopefully we can escape this gloom and treacherous city, and make it back to Greyhawk before too long."
Khessa, after hearing the description of what the wand can do, doesn't entirely agree with the wizard's response: "I don't know, Theldrin... You're magical power incarnate compared to me, but I'm still an amateur adventurer who learns things here and there... Many of this wand's effects will probably remain beyond my capabilities for a long time. I'd perhaps try using it— say, against a group of enemies at a distance, before we get close. I... I'd keep it, as a possible magical complement to my martial skills".
Xanrym sympathizes with Theldrin's feeling about this gloomy place. The Great Grotto has a eerie certain beauty, but since it seems like everything here is trying to kill them (aberrant creatures, the horrible aboleth, and even the mushrooms on Rykarion's Isle!), it's hard for Xanrym to relax enough to appreciate it.
But Xanrym agrees with Khessa here. Always trying to maintain harmony within The Company, Xanrym says, "Since we cannot barter with Morley over this wand until we get back to the Free City, someone should keep it for now. Does anyone other than Khessa want to make a claim for the wand? Theldrin? Syllen?" Xanrym is already attuned to three magic items that are more valuable to him, so he has no interest in the wand, but he wants someone to attune to it.
Theldrin frowns an even deeper frown than his usual, as he shakes his head and says in an admonishing tone. "It's too dangerous... other than as a last resort perhaps, if we are facing certain doom. Do you want to risk blinding all of us? Or possibly turning yourself into stone like that poor soul we saw back there?"
He sighs then soften his tone a bit, "Look I understand wanting to wield such power, but the road to arcane mastery is littered with the wreckage of those who over reached too soon... Well, i's not my place to tell you what to do, but I strongly advise extreme caution."
Syllen seems as though he has a bad dream when he finishes his long rest. Joining the convention he seems to be talking to himself more so than responding to anyone at first.
“The stairs speak of ill omens. May they grant us strength and show those fates to our enemies.”
After the long rest everyone gets 10 Temp HP. Turning to Xanrym.
“I am very happy having Khessa use the wand. I have more than enough options when we find ourselves in a fight.”
(OOC: Nothing significant here. Just some Xanrym role-play.)
Xanrym's eyes open wider, and he raises his hands slightly in a mollifying gesture toward Theldrin. "We don't doubt you, Theldrin!" he assures the wizard. "It sounds like the wand is infused with the whimsical magic of the Fey! Or perhaps it was forged by the follower of the forces of Chaos. But you've seen it yourself: these are dark times, with dark cults, like the naga worshippers or these followers of Xeron, who stole the Lost King's bones. It would be safer -- perhaps -- to find a job at a shop in the Free City or maybe to go work on a quiet farm outside the city. To shut the door to the darkness outside and hope that it doesn't come knocking in our time."
Here Xanrym's voice switches from sounding like he was starting to tell a ghost story to a rousing tone, as though he's trying to 'rally the troops.' He says, "But The Company of the Grey Chain will not sit idle. We have chosen a life of adventure! We gather treasure, true, but we also seek to use our power for Good. To thwart the plans of these evil cults. To rescue and protect the innocent, like Cirilli and -- hopefully, one day -- Khessa's family. But to challenge the great evils ahead, we must have courage to use whatever power we can find. Fighting back the darkness brings risks, and our fate isn't entirely in our own hands. Even with a good plan, like we had in our most recent job, things could still go horribly wrong. We can only do our best and then put our trust in the gods! Or to 'chance', if you don't believe that the gods intervene in our daily struggles. In the worst situations, when our fate hangs in the balance, we'll just have to take a chance and 'roll the dice'!"
Finally, Xanrym comes back to the point and tries to strike what at least sounds like a compromise, "How about this? Let's agree not to rely on the wand. Khessa will take the wand to use in those situations where the risks of an unintended effect are low or in the times of our most dire need, when we must take a risk whether we want to or not! Say that the slimy horror rises from the depths of the Sullen Sea again and tries to drag one of us into the cold, quiet depths...," Xanrym pauses as a haunted look briefly passes over his face. He shudders and continues, "Yes! I say, 'take the risk!' Use the wand! Any chance is better than no chance against such a fate!"
Xanrym thanks Syllen politely, adding, "That makes everything easier." He suggests that Syllen take the Elixir of Health. "You've done a great job of keeping everyone alive through one deadly fight after another, my friend. We can trust you to know when best to use this elixir."
As The Company divides the items they acquired from Ellesarwa's chamber, his gaze keeps coming back to the tome. He wonders whether he'd have enough time to study it before Es Sarch sends them more information about Fhadheela.
(OOC: Thinking about how to use this day and the next few days.)
Xanrym agrees: "Hear hear!" But then he says, "However, I think that we will be spending today and the next few days lying low. A this point, we're just waiting for our patron to reach out with more information about Fhadheela. In the meantime, it seems unwise to leave our temporary home here unguarded, and the Inheritors may seek to waylay us if they find us on the streets. Perhaps we could go exploring in smaller groups?"
Xanrym has been thinking about the Derro. If The Company is not going to trust the Derro to get them an audience with the Blueknight, Xanrym suggests (quietly, far from the room where they keep the Derro), they may still want to send him with an escort. Xanrym says, "For example, one of us could escort the crazy fellow openly, make sure that he gets back to The Temple of Berei. Don't follow him inside! Just to ensure that he isn't taken by House Dusklorn or the Guild before he reaches his allies. But then a couple of us could follow in secret. With my cloak, I may be able to follow, undetected. Or Coriana and I could use Invisibility to conceal a couple of us. We could leave 2 or 3 here to defend the Townhouse in case it comes under attack again."
Xanrym asks what the others think:
Well, beyond those activities, Khessa would obviously be very interested in investigating where her family might have been taken... before Irennaste's gratitude runs out.
Perhaps not explicitly asking about "her family," but more generally about where any slaves captured in a raid might have been taken...
Avery concurs with laying low, letting the dust settle so to speak.