Austin had been there for the last visit to the shop in question.

"Let's just get to the shop and be done with this." She says with a shrug. "If something is asked then I expect the Right Hand's men will pay whatever is asked without question." She starts off towards the shop.

Dismounting and leaving their steeds, the party and their two escorts, Sharpe and H'Aris, make their way through the streets/alleys of Northern Midgar, until arriving at the building they knew to be the shop Unfamiliar Familiars. 

The shop was exactly as the party had last left. It was a one story wooden building, though the wood seemed sturdy and cared for. It was definitely a building built to last the test of time. There was a wooden door with metal studs, and a window on each side. The windows were glazed over, so while the glass likely let light through, the building’s interior was not visible. Additionally, both windows had bolted metal bars covering them. A scrawled sign, hung by a piece of twine, on a hook, next to the door, it read “Ring bell”, with an arrow pointing towards a piece of rope, that ran into a small hole.

"I assume we oblige." H'Aris said, and then pulled the rope.

Just as before, so most of the party already knew where to look, a slot in the door pulled back and a pair of eyes appeared.

H'Aris then proceeded to say something in a foreign language, though from the tone, he sounded unsure. It was only after the man's voice replied, who could be identified as belonging to Adrian Tepes (the shop's 'owner'), both he and H'Aris communicated back in forth in conversation, still with the same foreign language. 

After several gestures by H'Aris to the party, the slot was closed and the door cracked opened. H'Aris steps aside for the party to enter.

Uthal lumbers inside, careful once again not to touch anything. He keeps from engaging the Right Hand's men if at all possible.

With a sigh of both frustration and annoyance Austin also steps inside. "Why couldn't you just speak so we could understand?" She mutters. "Does it cost you that much to be open with us..." She doesn't bother to keep her voice down, but also doesn't wait for any response. She simply walks inside and steps off a short distance from the Right Hand representatives.

Anearis follows the group inside, looking around at all the things both familiar and new.

Inside the shop, Adrian doesn't waste anytime in the front room, and is already leading the group to one of the otherwise roped off back rooms, before every member of the group had even come in off the street. 

"Only as much as the cost for basic manners." Ser Sharpe commented being the last to enter the shop, watching the street, to the last second, until the door was closed completely. 

H'Aris pushed his spectacles up the bridge of his nose and took in the interior of the shop with great fascination; even though the front room was merely shelves upon shelves of various sized boxes and chests. "Your priest friend informed us that the contact here was an Assimar. Forgive me if I thought it prudent to foster a solid respect with him, by addressing him in his own tongue." Although H'Aris had been responding to Austin, it is possible that he did not even know which member of the party he was addressing at the time. Upon entering the back room, H'Aris had become evidently overtaken with curiosity at the shelves of books and tabletops covered with parchments and even more tomes.

While although most of the party had been in this physical space previously, it was not the same room in which they had set foot. This room, while containing the floor to ceiling shelves of books, as every other room, possessed these on every wall space that wasn't the door through which they entered. The previous room had a fire place, and had a ceiling that was easily raised atleast another five more feet or so. The room had three tables, standing in a U-shape around a simple wooden chair. The three tables, as mentioned, were covered with open books and tomes and a large piece of parchment seemed to be the center of attention. The room lacked the trophies and extravagant decor of the other rooms as well.

"It would appear that everytime I see you, you've traded in some of your friends for someone new." Adrian said, as he took a place behind the tables.

"I, of course did make your dragonborn friend quite a lucrative offer, so I did play a part in him leaving your group. However, it was a scroll that he brought me, the last time I saw you all that may be a key to these locations I'm told you are looking for."

"Good to see you again," Atal says to Tepes when he enters the shop.  After being taken inside and hearing Adrian out, he smiles.  "He was probably smart to split from us, but it's good to see he did us a good turn of sorts anyhow," he replies.  "Let me tell you a little about our adventures so far..."

Atal begins, as he has so often does in the past, to recap in perhaps overly excessive detail what has happened to the group the last time, from the assassin that just wouldn't die even with all of his fingers broken, to taking special care this time to describe what they witnessed in the encounter with Zelda.

"... and then the tentacle just seemed to keep bringing her and maybe the others back," he finishes.  "So we don't know what happened after that.  Just that it's important we find Zelda and Tetra before they activate any more of these tentacle ruins they've been digging through.  Which is, I guess, where your map comes in."  He pauses and looks at the group.  "Did I forget anything important here?"

Uthal is simply quietly standing inside the room, watching without speaking. He looks a little uncomfortable with Atal saying everything that has happened to them.

"Yes manners are important." Austin says back to the representatives. "Which would mean you would greet him in his own language, then ask politely to move to speaking in a language the rest of the group can understand. That is being polite, while continuing to speak in only a language not understood is rude and, frankly, doesn't improve the disposition between us and the Right Hand, as it makes it seem you are, again, keeping secrets from us." She shrugs it off though and moves, following the way back into this other chamber. after their story has been updated to the shop's owner she nods her head. "That pretty much sums it up."

Taking in everything that Atalura had to offer, in way of the party's adventures unfurled, Adrian brought one particular piece of parchment to the forefront of the others; laying it atop and baring down, talking to it as much as he was speaking to the party.

The paper had what looked to be a map of some land mass. It was somewhat non-descript having only a nearly single body of land and water features, and little identical symbols scattered throughout.

"This is Theviranne. From what we could gather, the ethereal plane map that your former travel compatriot, Viilgahan, provided, there are 12 potential locations of transference. In simpler terms 12 'gateways', between this world and Xoriat. All of which we've managed to align to twelve specific sites on the continent of either ancient ruins or more modern constructs where older structures may have once stood. Now if what you say is accurate. These gateways-" He looked towards Atalura as he pointed to three of the symbols on the map. ((Location 1, 3, and 4 on the map.)) "have already been closed and are no longer accessible to the Berossus's."

"Aye, and this one?" Ser Sharpe asked, pointing to a fourth symbol. ((Location 2 on the map)). "Assuming it's supposed to be the Kaah Me'eno site, no longer exists. The ruins as well as the chamber holding the structure responsible for the gateway has been destroyed completely. As have much of the land around it for the matter." This particular mark was over the map's water, rather than the land.

"You are correct, which leaves eight separate locations, that we know of, that they may have gone. Since they were most likely to go through Midgar, the easiest route would be west to the capital of Shinra," Adrian says pointing at another symbol ((Number 6 on the map)) "or the Mos Isleey tombs." pointing again ((Number 5)).

((Map provided on discord))

Uthal stares at the map for a long moment before speaking. "So you're saying we need to take a guess about where they are and if we guess wrong it's another step towards darkness and destruction?"

"Unfortunately. However, the option isn't so helpless." Captain Sharpe spoke again, addressing the party, and tracing movements along the map. "They may have started in the Capital together, but you all found Anton beneath the stronghold, here. And Zelda off the coast by Sardynea, here. Both times without any sign on Tetra or Trevor. Currently, they seem less interested in fortifying themselves, and more on dividing and conquering with their efforts. It is most likely, they spread themselves to all directions of sites they assume to hold gateways, in an attempt to grow their numbers and power as quickly as possible."

He jabbed his finger at some of the symbols on the map. ((Numbers 5,6,7,8)) "Certainly they have a head start to the next destinations, but that's assuming they know which ruins to go for. Even if they possessed the same map, locating, opening, and using the summoning chamber's takes time that we don't have to waste."

Straightening, he looked around the party to address them. "We are trying to stop the royal traitors and their followers. That is by any means necessary. Capturing and killing them will accomplish nothing if the gateways remain. You will need to ensure every gateway is closed. If you can't figure out how to close them, then destroy them."

"The horrors that come through those doors dwarfs the threat that these people pose by myself. Even as one who trades in knowledge and items of the past can agree that these cannot be left standing." Adrian announced.

The only significant movement Current had made since entering the city, was when Adrian began to point out locations on the map. When that happened, she simply leaned over to Atalura and whispered, "You couldn't have rubbed everyone the wrong way if this man is willing to be of this much assistance." She only speaks up, however, when the captain mentions closing the gateways. She introduces herself to the aasimar before addressing her concern. "Hello, my name is Current. We haven't met before, but I appreciate the assistance you are able to give us." Turning to the Captain, "I am not sure what you mean by close the gateways. Have you ever seen a gateway closed or destroyed? Is there a method by which it could be done?"

Anearis stares at the map during the whole conversation, his gaze shifting from marker to marker. He glances up as he’s about to ask a question.

"Do we know if these markers are associated to any landmarks? Maybe knowing what they represent could help lead us in the right direction. You mentionned the Mos Isleey tombs. What can you tell us about those?"

"Sealing them, would be more accurate. Preventing the gateways from being opened again. There is a way of doing it, however, each gateway appears to be unique with the exact incantations and sigils involved. There is much mention of requiring blood as a magical component, though my research has only given me so much." Adrian said, waving to the stacks of books and papers atop, and beneath the tables.

"Destroying them, however has been a proven method." Sharpe added, his eyes wandering back across the map. "The one below the stronghold, west of here, was completely demolished. The summoning pool smashed and dynamite used to bring the until thing down. When the recovery team is done up north, the same will happen there."

"An unfortunate last resort." 

Adrian looked to Anearis, "Whatever significance these ancient sites held previously will likely remain undiscovered. It is only in these past months that certain areas of the uncovered ones are even being explored, before being destroyed. The Mos Isleey tombs are an overgrown burial mound just north of the forest village of Korusant, in Shinra. The locals tend to keep people away, saying that site of the tomb is cursed land."

Atal shrugs.  "Adrian is a pretty relaxed guy," he whispers back.  "Creepy shop, but he knows his stuff.  And he doesn't let red tape get in his way.  He's a good fellow to have your back, if you can deal with his eccentricities."  His glance slides over to Uthal.  "If you can't, well, uh... this place might make you a little irritable, I guess."

Turning his attention back to the map, he frowns.  "So far we've been playing a game of catch-up with the royals.  I hate that.  What if instead, we tried to strike first?  Go for one of the ruins we think they'd least likely try for one reason or the other, and destroy it before they get there?  It stands to reason that they can't accomplish whatever it is they're trying to do if they can't complete their ritual, and we're going to have to take care of all of these gateways one way or the other anyhow."

Current chimes in, "I'm not sure that we could do that though. If we destroyed the ruin that they weren't at, couldn't they just complete the ritual unhindered at another ruin? How many times do they have to do this ritual anyways?"

"I don't believe it to be a single large ritual that requires all gateways." Adrian pulled a book from one of the stacks on the table, and flipped through the pages before setting it down. "It's a ritual that can be moved multiple times." The page showed a black charcoal drawing of a scene similar to one most of the party had seen before. There was a circular black pool, in front of a stone throne. Hooded-robe individuals stood around it, while a single individual on the throne held his hands aloft. A streak ran from the head of the single individual to a large tentacled blob mid-emergence from the pool. "For simplicity sake, consider the following metaphor. The gateways are locked doors to prison cells, with prisoners inside. When the ritual can be performed, the the gateway is opened and that one prisoner is released. Now the difference between the prisoners or what they can do, I haven't the fainest. However, I do not believe the rituals to be performed so that a single evil can be unleashed, but rather each ritual brings another to this world."

Atal rubs his chin.  "So if the prisoners... tentacle monsters.... eldar brains... are each different facets of evil that bring different dangers to this world, and these fools are trying to release them all, it stands to reason that the people who trapped them there in the first place would have made the prisons correspondingly secure to the danger they housed.  In other words, the most dangerous prisoners would be in the ruins least disturbed, because they were the most impenetrable, defenses which stood the test of time so far.  So maybe then those should be our first targets."

"Well, that assumes the current people around them, all had the same mindset." Sharpe responded, returning to the map. "So if that's the Tombs of Mos Isleey, and that's the Shinra capital-" he said hovering his finger ((Number 5 and 6, respecrively)) "-then those are the twin towers of Muss'Ta A'farr, in the disputed lands of the tiefling nomads." He said to Adrian for confirmation, while pointing between two ((Number 7 and 8)). 

"What are the rest of them?"

Adrian spoke as he guided the group through the rest of the map. "The further west ruins are ones I have less information on,, so it's entirely possible that they've been explored but word has simply never made it back to our league, though highly unlikely. As far as the towers go, you likely assume the same, Captain, in that if anyone's explored them, its the tiefling nomads, but they don't exactly make a habit of sharing information, or their land."

((Number 9)) "This one is beneath an abandoned dwarven mine in the Yaveen region. Several writings of the entrance being uncovered, though considered to have already been picked clean of anything of value. The mine itself is most likely only home to whatever wildlife moved in, and there is information to support that perhaps the easiest to walk right into, as the doors were probably left wide open." Adrian looked towards Atalura, as he referenced this point being one that likely did not meet the elf's criteria for one worth going to first.

((Number 10)) "Hutta Nal is a war-torn city, built atop an entire city of ruins. It's entirely possible that someone has entered it and never even knew. However, by the same measure, it could be lost completely, undiscovered still. The city...Hutta Nal...not the ruins, was met with a plague following a famine and constant conflicts which nearly wiped out its inhabitantscompletely, and as far as I know, may also be completely abandoned. The problem with the city of ruins, is that it consists of miles of tunnels, and may be the most difficult of all of these to properly locate."

((Number 11)) "I say properly locate because beneath Hutta Nal, it's just a matter of finding the correct one within the physical structure. This one, however, also a challenge. The exact location of the Jea'Nusis desert ruins is known. However, from what we know, it doesn't always decide to be there. Explorers and scholars who have visited, often have greatly differing reports of its physical existence, even though they went to the exact same place."

((Number 12)) "And finally the legendary Castle in the Sky, which the only information we have comes from fairytale and folklore, but it's said to be a castle that floats above the clouds, and is inhabited by giants."