Tales from Talaveroth

He looks up from the others and just snaps his fingers, causing the bird to vanish and then reappear on the pommel of one of his swords. "I can honestly say I was not tracking you anymore. Chernobog is a celestial creature and a particularly cheeky one at that. He enjoys messing with folks and I suspect that's what he was doing with you. Knowing he can't be killed on this plane gives him more confidence than it should." 

"You should keep better tabs on him. You know full well, apparently, that I have enough reason to be looking over my shoulder. I don't need any more."

He then immediately walks into the inn and heads for the nearest washroom, or anything equivalent, to be able to splash some water over his face, generally freshen up.

Before you walk in he produces a key and holds it up for you. "I took the liberty of purchasing two rooms for your group for the night, assuming you might need to get supplies and a rest on dry land before you go on." 

He then turns to Paren. "I assume I won't have any trouble convincing you to come with me. We need to go talk to some old friends of yours. We will leave in the morning so you have a chance to chat and tell them what a terrible person I am." 

Paren nods. "It will be nice to have a last chat with some good people before we go, if I'm thinking about the friends I think you're talking about." He smiles and gives the bird a quick flick, jerking his hand away before it can bite. It gives him a look of indignation. "I agree with Si'Juul about the beast though. He's a right prick." 

Si'Juul, as you head inside you hear, "Right you are about that. They never tell you that the chance is so high that familiars will be jerks.... Yes you are... Well, you leave the man alone. He's done nothing to you.... I don't care that he looks like you, leave him alone...

You make your way to the room indicated on the key, 102, and find a simply furnished room with 4 beds. There's a wash basin in the corner for you.

(Then the washbasin in the room is where I am. :) )

Out loud, but soft enough that someone would have had to be right next to him to hear, Si'Juul says,

"I really hate magic....."

He sits down on the bed nearest to the window, or close to one of there are multiple windows.

There are 2 windows in the room that you are in. Both face away from the small patio, towards the river as it heads up into the small hills.

Poinki sits on the bed and starts figuring out the mysteries of the hat.

He soon realizes that there is no need to buy a pair of dark glasses to wear with it, he can make them appear.

He tries out a few different appearances, disguising himself as a gnome, a dwarf, a very short drow, a tiny Aaracockra, his Goblin ex-Chief, Twitch, and finally chooses a shady-looking halfling's form for when he needs to be disguised.

This hat going to be fun," he says.

Elhanna hand over a pouch to Elixisys containing 20gp and a letter containing her journey so far. She tell him the name of her village (got any suggestion for name?) and that it is Father Bernard who is the receiver. 

This should keep them going to a little while at least. Unless he gives it all away of course.. she thinks 

Then she will walk out to see if the port has a religious quarter where people can go and prey. She doubt that there is a shrine or church for Mishakal, since she’s not one of the major goddesses. if there isn’t one she will try to find a quiet spot to kneel down and prey. investigation 2

After preying she will look for an medical center where she can help out for the rest of the evening. She will treat or heal anyone who needs it. 

Twitch, worried about her friend, slowly approaches Si'Juul in the privacy of their room. She gently lays a hand on his feathered wing, and asks softly: "That man really got to you, didn't he? If you ever want to talk about what it is you're hiding from, I hope you trust me enough to listen to your story and keep your trust."

She had to agree that she was somewhat unsettled by their encounter today, but Elhanna and Poinki didn't seem to mind as much. 

"It's not just him, it's many things at once. And I'm not sure I would want to tell you, keep you in blissful ignorance. Plausible deniability. But since you all seem keen on working with this guy, I don't know if it would be best to tell you, or have you all leave me behind. Last thing I want is you all getting killed by association."

Si'Juul slightly flicks his wings away from Twitch's hand more out of reflex than anything, but then relaxes his wings again. His usual calm, indifferent demeanor completely gone in this moment.

Paren wanders in as Twitch finishes and sits down on a free bed. "He's like that now. Don't think too much on it. Losing almost everyone you know and then becoming an undercover spy gives you a detached sense of how normal people work." 

Elhanna, you find only a single temple in town, tended by an old cleric, it seems to cover all the gods that anyone wants to worship in it. Since he also has some healing abilities it functions as the town clinic. It's quiet today, the only person you see is a fisherman who hooked himself.

Elhanna will help treat the man and give him a salve to put on the wound. Then before leaving she will put 3gp in the clerics hands “Thank you father for having me. Please take good care of the people need your help.” Then she leave for the inn. 

"Si'Juul, without your brave fight against the Eveswyrms, Helga wouldn't have been able to rescusitate me after I almost drowned in the bay. In my book, I'd be dead without your...association already. Don't think you're alone in this. But I don't want to force you to tell me something, if you're not comfortable."

Paren's addendum certainly got her attention though.

Si'Juul just sighs.

"I suppose you will find out sooner or later, and better you find out from me rather than a man who apparently doesn't give a damn about other people."

Si'Juul sits silently for several moments before speaking again.

"I suppose it's pretty obvious, but this whole stoic indifferent attitude I have been presenting is a fraud. I'm a decent guy, at least I like to think so. I have my moments, same as anyone else. I tried being an ass to make you all not want to be around me....to protect you....and apparently that failed."

Another moment or two of silence before he takes out his pepperbox and waves it a little before holstering it again.

"It all centers on these. I was a member of a group of people specialized in firearms called The Black Brand, dedicated to keeping them in capable hands and out of dangerous ones. Basically mercs with guns, but generally good guys.....at least they were. For a while it was simply that, we would take odd-jobs like any other mercs, but also regulate firearms, try to recruit those who have them, and when we couldn't we would make sure the firearms weren't left in the hands of someone dangerous. But then I start hearing things about some of the guys taking jobs for big coin to do things we shouldn't have been doing. Some rich....."

Si'Juul clearly showing to be restraining himself.

".....idiot..... started offering large amounts of gold to have us take down people who were absolutely no match for even one of us.....innocents... untrained civilians. So, when one such job lands in my hands, I pretended to accept it, but fled in the middle of the night. Spent hours if not days traveling, ended up on the Mobius. No idea what they think. No idea if they have sent people after me. No idea if I have a price on my head."

He hangs his head, staring off into space towards the floor, not saying anything more.

Paren nods along a bit but stays quiet. He finally speaks. "I never thought I would do this but I feel the need to defend the barkeep, after all he is family. Elixisys is my brother-in-law. I never knew him much while they were married but my sister said he was a nice man, if a bit unambitious. He knew a little magic back then but only really enough to entertain my nieces. I don't know how much you all know about the Westwoods but not too long ago the gnolls came through, burning and destroying. When they reached my hometown my sister fought back but a clan against one person isn't a fair fight. When she fell he apparently picked up her sword and tried to fend them off. They beat him down and then threw him into his bar to burn with it. He lived but he couldn't get my nieces out." He turns to Si'Juul. "That's why he doesn't care. When you watch your children burn in front of you you only have two options, care about everyone or no one. He chose the second one. What you can do is trust that he's working for good though. Everything he does he does in my sister's name and she wouldn't let him do anything evil." 

Si'Juul just keeps staring at the floor, not saying anything. His wings starting to curve forward in front of him.

Poinki listens with horror to both stories.

"If Si'Juul's friends come, Poinki protect him in the name of Ilmater.  Protect all of you. Poinki know bad peoples, too, but not important enough for goblin chief to send killers or buy Poinki's head. You see bad friends, you point Poiki at them, and Ilmater SMITE." He whacks his flail down on the pillow, and as the spiked metal ball hits it, a cloud of feathers poofs up into the air.

"I have no idea how many of them I could consider my friends. The whole group could be corrupted by greed for all I know. I didn't find out who the man was who was offering those jobs. But if we come across them, it will be hard to beat them, and I am not just talking about combat. They have at least some governmental support, possibly more. Again, I don't know. I think that about covers everything. Can't think of anything I might have missed at the moment. Any questions?"

Si'Juul sits up and glances at each of you. Not putting on his stoic facade, just trying to get serious to get out of the funk he put himself in.

Elhanna lean against the wall outside the room. She had gotten back just as Si’Juul told the ending of his story. 

Damn.. I though I had it rough.. but Si’Juul has had his whole life uprooted, but what’s worse is that those responsible is the very people he though of as family.. I still have my goals, but maybe I should invest more in those around me.. 

Elhanna walks in with a smile on her face, pretending as if she hasn’t heard anything. “Who’s up for some beer? Tonight we celebrate that we’re off the sea!”

"I don't know if today's the day I start drinking, rough as it's been. But I am happy to have land beneath my talons."

Twitch places her hand on Si'Juuls wing again: "I'm so sorry to hear that, Si'Juul. I just never imagined anything like that could happen to people. I mean, when my parents died in a mudslide on the way to the nearest town, that was a tragedy, but it happens you know?... I barely even remembered them, and all I know of them know was told to me by my grandfather. He was heartbroken when I left, but understood that there was so much more in the world that I wanted to know and which he couldn't teach me about...I never thought others I'd meet would have to choose this life, since it's always been such a wish for me." She gets contemplative for a second.

"Si'Juul- I promise you that I'll be beside you, whoever comes to hunt you down. And I can promise you one thing- I've got tricks up my sleeve your Black Brand has never read of before!"