Pizazz's Ravenloft and Beyond

"Meepo think things here not lost." Meepo says after some thought, dismissing his disk. "Meepo think maybe found, and at home now." He nods and leaves the things here at the castle, following the others back and, eventually, through the mist.

Ulthan shrugs but says "hrmpfh mace good give range hrmpfh".
<Turns to page 57, and 20 minutes later of next page discovers it was a all a trick, damn you slow web pages. That said, hey it's Bluebayou from a year ago. You looked way different... :)

(You don't say... Pointed look at DM)

((We could always seek out someone to fix you..,))

(With a wish, that that someone wishes to spent on Lionel? We can probably fix Mordenkainen... Well, for now with Fili's look and no haunting spirits - he can live with that.)

((Maybe a greater restoration would do it?  But if a wish is needed, well wacky wizards always have need of odd jobs done, or something...))

With a feeling of somber reflection, but tinged with an excitement for seeing familiar places and maybe even friends, the group trudges through the fog. Before, where the mists held death and pain, they instead are just wet air....cool to the touch and empty of any threat. You walk for perhaps an hour, the road a monotonous muddy path winding between bare dead trees hunched in bog like surroundings.  

At some point something changes however. There's a subtle shift in the air...the ...feel of your feet on the ground. Cobblestones are mixed with the mud path...than larger patches. The trees seem to close in, until you're walking down a narrow passage between crowded branches. The cobblestones cover the ground, with only the odd pot hole of missing stone.  Then, all of a sudden the trees around your are just paintings on the walls on either side of what appears to be an alleyway. You trudge forward and arrive at the mouth of the alley.  A troop of six yellow skinned warriors with sharp features and pointed ears, wearing heavy, decorative armor....walk past in the fog. They pay you no attention. A fat half-frog creature walks by going the other way...shrouded under a black cape. He ignores you. A human child, perhaps twelve walks past, eyeing you suspiciously as he moves past in a blue-green cape...oversized boots on his feet. It seems the street is quite busy, and all manner of creatures wander past. 

Sitting on a bench nearby however, is a familiar looking fellow. Mordenkainen the wizard looks over at you. He looks....tired. Face drawn and haunted, clothes a little tattered...but a clarity in his eyes you'd not seen before. He stands up and walks to the group.  He glances at each of you. He sighs.  Then he speaks, "When the fog clears, if it ever does, I have a feeling you should take a moment to look up."  His thoughts seem uncollected and random as he looks at each of you.  "I do not like claiming credit, but...it would seem my gambit with the soul pact worked out."  He glances at the dwarf, "You seem to have come through it alright."  A few more moments of pause, "All the same, I suppose you each deserve some credit. Congratulations on your success. I will be in ...um...town...for a while.  Find me at the Fortune's wheel. It's in the Lady's Ward. If you ...ahem...need anything....and this is not a debt but a reward for fine service, simply ask and I will help how I can."  He raises a finger, "Don't get all jittery with greed. I do not brook well those who don't understand what is reasonable."  

He looks around, "Ug.. this place...getting around is so mundane...."  He holds out his hand and whistles to a something just out in the fog and you see a covered sedan chair approach, essentially a box with two long handles sticking out the front, and two more out the back, being held aloft by four muscled human men.  They silently lower the chair to the ground.  The wizard climbs in and mutters, "To the Fortune's Wheel please."  He nods to the group and then holds out a hand to stop the men, "Any questions before I leave?" 

Meepo is still staring off after the child in the over-large shoes. He caught about half of what the wizard said to them...

"Meepo have question." Meepo speaks up. "Meepo no know this place... Where Meepo is now?"

He grins at Meepo, "Ha...the very edge of reality? Or perhaps it's very center?  Though for some fool reason people think it's at the tip of reality. Infinity my friend....the city at the end of the rainbow.  No...the end of all rainbows.  No...not...at the end of the concept of rainbows. Just....keep following that logic until you get exhausted then you'll be half way there.  Others though...others just call it the Cage." 

With a grin he makes a motion to the men and they start walking, carrying his chair out into the fog.

     Ketch looks to the left.  Ketch looks to the right.  "Well ain't that a thing," Ketch says, and spits.

     "Not withstanding what the crazy wizard who seems to have lost his tower said...  Anyone have a clue where we are?  Not that not there anymore isn't a good starting point, mind ya," Ketch says, after a beat.  He takes a moment to hitch up his gear and stretch a bit.  "Just hope this here Fortune's Wheel has drinks..."

((Hurray!))

It was a safe question - or at least sounded like one and most importantly was not asked by him. Lionel did not wish ill fate upon his friend, of course, and was ready to defend Meepo as best he could, but he did not trust the sanity of that wizard one bit and did not want to attract his attention. Lionel even swallowed an obvious comment about "Fortune's wheel" in the "Lady's Ward" - even though wizard's destination somewhat proved return of the sanity it was only only somewhat.

Lionel personally was curious about that yellow skinned warriors. Somehow they felt connected with the walking toads, but the connection eluded him now. May be if they learn where the group ended up, that would become more clear.

Nope. Not really. Not at all even. It's amazing how fast "all happy and rainbow-y" can turn into "I need to kill someone" - or was it Lionel? Anyway, before the mad wizard disappeared the dwarf asked and even made his voice sound passably politely. "And is the a way out of this cage? Perhaps somewhere closer to the other end of the rainbow?" 

He shrugs to Lionel's question, "In a city full of doors, the key master is king. Wouldn't you agree? Just...uh....make sure you choose the right door, or you could find yourself living some very short lives." 

A Tiefling walks by with big feather angel wings on its back. What can only be described as a walking suit of armor with two beady red glowing eyes making all sorts of mechanical noises walks by. The cracks in the street cobbles here are filled with grime. A trickle of black water runs down an open gutter at the edge of the street. There is a tangy acrid smell in the air, like an uncleaned fireplace. The air is somewhat cold....and thin, as if you were up a mountain. Most everyone who walks by has a stained well used cloak on.  The lower portions of the walls seem stained brown.  You see creeping vines here and there clinging desperately to life. A creature with the lower body of a large sheep and curved horns against his head, wearing a fine suit under his brow leather cloak wanders past. A pack of six young kids, all holding poles with lanterns that glow with blue magical light, held up on poles walk past...though one of them spots the group and pats another shoulders and soon they've all stopped. They approach the group.  One of them speaks, "Oi there. You cutters lookin fer a light boy? It'll be gettin dark soon and the city of shadows and one wrong turn ull end ya in the hive real quick."  A younger girl in the back with a dirty face and dirtier clothes says, "They ain't cutters Tommy, they primes. At best. More'n likely they Clueless screwheads."  One of the other kids, "Aww man, I 'ate clueless...they ask so many questions like, who dat, what dat, why dat, dat ok to be happenin, dat guy ok..." 

A gray bodied raven with black wings and head comes to a landing, perched up on a dark light post and caws loudly. 

 The spirit of Samanthan seemed to leave a lasting impression on either the mind of Lionel or the body of the dwarf. In the best tradition of the passed away paladin Lionel declared: "We are not on the Primal Plane." Lionel was nowhere near the stage of "I saw it all and I am always prepared now" but he - as well as all others - did see enough strange things to skip the mouth-gaping and loud cries "oh, no" and get to the point from the start.

He found a coin in his thin moneybag and threw it to the kids. "We can ask less questions and tell some stories in exchange for the answers, how about that? Or get us to someone who likes to answer questions."

"Now Meepo wishes Meepo no leave Vampire place without more skeletons." Meepo mutters almost under his breath. "Meepo should have made sure had all skeletons Meepo could have..."

Adjusting the spotless cloak he wears, Meepo steps forward and gives the kids a sharp-toothed smile. "Me Meepo." He says. "Meepo great and brave dragon..." He uses Minor Illusion to make the sound of a dragons roar. "Meepo is clueless. Meepo does have lots of questions." He glances between the kids. He grips the staff of frost in his hand as he does so. "The Lionel right. Bring Meepo, and Meepo friends, to someone like answer questions?"

     "Worry not, Meepo, if a place has people it has skeletons..." Ketch offers reassuringly?

At Meepo's introduction and grand roar....the kids look the least impressed Meepo has ever seen.  Usually this plays quite well with the little ones.  One of the girls even laughs...but it's a mocking laugh.

Tommy responds to both Meepo and Lionel.  The coin (1 gold) in Lionel's hand vanishes before he can blink and is gone.  The other five kids turn and head off, leaving behind only Tommy. "Alright sirrahs. I'll walk ya through the murky twilight and teach you the dark o' things....that'd be secrets, for a clueless dragon like yerself.." he says to Meepo.  "Mind, you don't brush against the grime; there's a lot of soot-stained walls round here....oh, and if you come across a puddle of mud, steer well clear. Sometimes they like to grab. Come, follow me."  He leads you through the narrow street. The buildings around are crowded so close together that they seem to reach over the street itself.  Eventually though he leads you out into a sizeable intersection of six streets. In the center, a three level fountain with a statue of four eagles pressed together sits. Water pours out of the eagles mouths. You see five well armed soldiers of a variety of mixed races standing in a circle around the fountain.  Here....the fog has thinned.  The boy points up, "Now sir, prime, look up. Makes you dizzy, don't it."  

You each look up and see....miles away, and through a hazy sky, you see a thin strip that stretches down on two sides...towards the ground.  As if a massive ring were buried in the ground beneath your feet and you were looking up to the top of it....5 miles away, but slowly arching out to each side and bending eventually to the ground...though you can't see where it connects because of all the buildings in the way.   Though from here you can see that indeed the city seems to bend upwards beneath your very feet.   

"Seeing the city of Sigil above you, ya are. See, livin in an impossible city ain't always simple. You need a guide. It'll cost you another gold for me to do a bit of that, and to get you someplace you can ask some of those questions ya got."  (assuming you give him the gold, he continues)

You see two purple robed creatures, with dark skin and horns, white long hair like a mane around their heads...floating through the square.  Floating above their heads, symbols seem to appear and vanish.  They seem to glance at each others symbols and more symbols appear and vanish.  Tommy says, "Oh...those fellows, they're Dabus. They speak to each other with those illusions. They're servants of the Lady of Pain, she rules round here...and keeps it safe. Safe from nasty gods and such."  Two angels, a bare chested man and a woman wearing an almost transparent white hazy shirt, both glowing slightly with massive blades on their back, piercing blue eyes, and long flowing blond hair walk by.  The boy, "Celestials, them and fiends rub shoulders here. No fightin, no wars. Not allowed."   He leads you from the square and part way down the streets stops outside a large shop, squished between other builds, really a door in a wall of doors...with some windows looking into what appears to be a restaurant.  Five floors of building stretch up overhead. "You need a place ta stay. This is the Mhole Note Inn. Good place, real safe, good food. I'd say you should getta room here, then I'll take ya to the answers place." 

A sign on the door reads the Inn's daily specials.  "Carceri Snails (fried in goat butter)   7sp.    Poached Stirge Eggs  5sp.   Glorium Ox (roasted with onions)  8sp.  Goat Filet in Strawberry sauce     6sp.  Pickled Eel and Mustard Pie  6sp.  Boiled Shank of Bebelith 5sp.  All meals include almond bread, sherry cheese, beverage (house ale, peach wine, or lemon mead), and dessert.  Choose from Pelion cake, starflower ice, or honeyed enderpine nuts." 

     “I could use a meal and a drink.  And we will need lodging, for sure,” Ketch says, considering the situation aloud and wondering after the goat filet.

     “Kid,” he calls out.  “What’s your name again, kid? Timmy?  Johnny? Anyway, how much it cost to hire you for a week?  You come here first thing in the morning and see if we need a guide around.  If we don’t, you get paid for that day anyway.  If we do, you lead us around most the day, get paid and yet meals are on us.  Say we’d have yer services Morning til Dusk if we need ya that day, just a quick hello in morning if we don’t.  How much that cost?”

     Ketch (likely) agrees to the kids quote and adds “There’ll be a heft bonus at the end of the week if we feel ya steered us right and didn’t try takin advantage or just steering us to where ya get kickbacks and such.  Hefty...  sound good?”

     Assuming agreements are made, Ketch suggest they go inside and dine and get rooms before continuing on.  “Tell me, kid... you prefer the goat or the ox here?”

Yes, the view was head-spinning. And the name - Sigil - joked the memory. Nothing much, Lionel was never too scholarly or interested in cosmology and all that "Great Wheel" grand discoveries and theories, but some things just stuck with you. "The cage... The Cage indeed..." He said it out loud but could not add much. Names like "Lady of Pain" or "City of Doors" are too colourful to forget, yes, but meant nothing at the moment. They did need someone with answers. 

Somewhere to stay in too - even without kid's warning Lionel had a feeling this place is not the most hospitable in the Universe. He was glad Ketch took care of things and liked the view of the inn regardless if little Tommy had his cut for bringing customers. "Ox and eggs. Whatever kind they are, sounds good to me. With the pie, of course, "Lionel realised he was truly hungry and not ready to think with an empty stomach. "Let's just get inside." He pushed the door and stepped inside the building.

"Meepo hungry." Meepo says as they enter the inn. After getting a room reserved he moves to a table. "Meepo want Shank of Bebelith and Lemon Mead." He tells the serving person when they come by the table.

(I just googled Bebelith, and their shanks don't look very meaty...)

Mordekai will take the Eel and Mustard pie, and the peach wine.  He's been looking around wide-eyed, too busy taking the sights in to speak until now.  Mostly some discreet people-watching, getting ideas for future disguises - particularly taking in the details of several larger groups, the yellow-skinned warriors, and Tommy's mates.

"Whilst we're here," Mordekai begins, "Would you all mind writing your names in this book of mine?  Ive been working on this page.  It's magical.  I mean, I know it's a magical tome, but I've been imbuing this page itself with a specific magic.  I can just about fit all four of your names on it, and the magic will hold up.  As long as your names are written on this page, if you're ever knocked down and out, it'll add an extra level of protection.  Within some limitations, at least."  Mordekai looks to Ulthan somewhat doubtfully, unsure of his written literacy.  Presumably a random scrawl on a page that Ulthan intends to be his name will work.  Right?  Of course it should.  Mordekai thinks.  (Whenever someone is taken to 0 hit points, they are restored to 1hp - basically the same as the half-orc "Relentless Endurance" trait - and works once per long rest).