"Was there anythin' unusual 'bout the merchants collectin' yer goods fer Spiritfork? They were no yer usual folk. Disguised through illusion," Orimdal chimes in.

Though saying nothing, Evi, still on edge with the mysterious spy still out there, will pay very close attention to Frillis' responses and attempt to deduce his sincerity.

Insight: 18

(Evi can tell that Frilis is being honest.)

"Well then the portents must be true." The voice says. The man on the chair stands, revealing himself. He is an old man, between 60 and 70. His hair is a fine, silvery grey. His beard hangs down to his chest and comes to a point. He wears mahogany silk robes embroidered with gold stars and crescents. In his right hand is an ornate staff, which the man uses to balance.

Tender tilts her head curiously. "Portents," she asks, considering for a moment before taking a breath. "Like the big two-headed flying creature? It has a red light following it. We've seen it, and I think it saw us, too." 

"The Zurstacan Chimera?" Frilis asks. HE approaches the group of you at a pace quite fast for his age. Within the blink of an eye he has crossed the entire room and is looking each of you up and down. "Who among you has seen it?"

Fletcher stays cool, but you see a flash of surprise in his eyes. "Um....not me. I think Kallista, Orimdal and Tender saw it. We.....I thought it was because they were not human, and me and Evi......You know that was a stupid thought."

"Ah yes, you were right to think that, young man." Frilis says to Fletcher, laying a hand on his shoulder. "But the truth is there is no pattern to the 17. They are chosen at random, a new one born whenever another dies. But this can all only mean one thing." Frilis says, walking over to a window and peering through its curtains.

Fletcher grimaces "I am guessing it isn't good."

"Um," Tender cuts in hesitantly, glancing at the rest of the group. "The 17? What does that mean, exactly?" 

"Look master sage," Orimdal adjusts his belt a little, feeling uncomfortable at the potential meaning of the sage's words, "I'm no incredibly special man. Just an armourer out o' his element that happens ta be somewhat observant. I'm no sure what yer diviners have told ya, but we've seen the flyin' beast after an attack by some shapeshiftin' fiends posin' as yer merchants makin' a 'delivery' ta Splintfork. We're just here ta gather their goods an' be on our way."

"Yeah, we don't want to get involved in anything," Kallista agrees. "But, out of curiosity, who are these 17 that we're supposedly part of?" He's making it sound as if they have some sort of destiny or purpose to fulfill.

Frilis laughs for nearly a minute straight. As he calms himself, he wipes a tear from his eye. "I haven't laughed like that in years. Thank you, I needed that." He then clears his throat and becomes more serious. "If you don't want to be a part of something, well you no longer have a choice. In fact, you never did. Whatever you think you're doing here, forget it. You are destined for more. I have received various portents as of late. These 'shapeshifting fiends' you speak of are minions of Knurath. The '17' I have mentioned are very special people indeed. Much mystery still surrounds the origin and purpose of them, but they supposedly hold the power to unlock the gates of Zurstac itself. I'm unsure as to why these fiends posed as our merchants, however." He frowns, then sighs. "And yes, you are right, young lad. This isn't good at all. I fear that darkness has been reborn. I fear... (pause, for dramatic effect...) Knurath has returned."

Tender frowns, unsure how to feel about being told she has some grand destiny; even more unsure of being part of some mythic group of people who could unlock a lost city. Was the city even real? "Look, I don't know about any of that...Chosen, Knurath returning stuff. I grew up on the edge of a desert; I'm just here 'cause this is the direction the caravan was..," she stops, brows furrowing. "Splintfork was the direction the fiends were going; they gave all of us a ride. Why did they give us a ride there and leave? They didn't try to kill us until we went after them." 

Dragged from one situation to another, Evi thinks depressingly  as she hears Frills' story of legends... chosen ones... and Knurath (visible shivering at the final thought).  Though dreading the answer before she asked, Evi quietly pipes up and adds, "And what about those who have not seen the creature?  Does that mean we are not apart of this '17'?" hoping against all hope that she might not be linked to whatever craziness would certainly follow if she were.

Kallista can't help but chuckle at this, though her laughter isn't nearly as jovial as Frillis's. "There must be some sort of mistake. Tender and Orimdal are good people. They deserve this power. They deserve to go on to great destinies. I don't."

Fletcher looks at Kallista “You don’t choose the path you are given. You choose whether you walk the path, or someone else walks it for you.”

(That was like something from a fortune cookie, wow, GoodBovine)

Frilis nods towards Evi. "Indeed it is rumored that only those who can see the Zurstacan Chimera are part of the 17, otherwise everyone would be, and then there would be more than 17."
He then turns to Kallista. "But trust me, there has not been a mistake. The universe does not make mistakes. There are no accidents. Now, if I may ask, what compelled you to seek me out, and how did you find me?"

"Merely by chance." Evi begins, (slightly) more opportunistic about her future prospects knowing she wasn't a "chosen one", "We all just happened to be in the same caravan and events lead us to search you out; though for a completely unrelated matter to my companions supposed destinies."

Fletcher looks confused “if orimdal, tender and Kallista are three, where are the other fourteen”

"Orden from Splintfork told us to find you," Tender adds, leaving off the strange, unsettling conversation about destinies for now. It isn't particularly something she wants to think about - certainly, she doesn't believe the man's words about the universe not making mistakes. What happened to her monastery was definitely a mistake on the universe's part, and if he was wrong about that, then he could be wrong about this, too.