(20th of Beauty, before Granophyre’s message from Omar)
After Auger has finished cleaning up — for the bug, if ordered to help, seems quite incompetent at cleaning, instead, merely pushing the mess around and making matters worse — after cleaning up, Auger descends from the terraced guest room level down the creaking stairs to the saloon’s dining room and bar. Tamazaert is the first to look up from her breakfast at the kind older man, and when she does, the young mother focuses on his shoulder, utters a high, window-shattering scream of surprised, disgusted terror, scoops up her infant from her lap and turns away, running for the farthest corner of the room. Auger looks to see what Tamazaert saw that shocked her senses so powerfully, and sees the fey quasit on his shoulder, finishing its snack from before, a chicken heart, and dripping blood from its mouth onto the warlock’s robe.
‘What?!?,’ It sends, ‘do I have something stuck in my teeth?’
Benita, in a flash, has unsheathed her dagger, and sent it flying into the creature, which is impaled upon it, and is hurled off of Auger from the impact, the dagger now thunking it into a wooden post. Granophyre is not far behind. “Duck!,” he shouts, and one of his darts tears directly out of his pouch and flies at the disgusting creature, exploding into a bolt of acid which covers it, eating away at its revolting flesh.
A small whirling vortex of dandelion seeds then forms beside it, out of which slips just the mouth, moustache, and eyes of an enormous bright green catfish, whose lips suck in the evil creature little by little as it writhes and screams at the party in anger, ‘NOOOOoooooo!! Youuuuu!!! Flockinnnng floooocks!!!,’ before disappearing into the Fey lake-dweller’s mouth. The vortex closes, but just before it does, two pieces of carved thuya wood — the very same ones Auger purchased in Hyewush — plop out onto the floor. Then the vortex, and the Fey quasit, are gone, leaving only a wispy trail of dandelion seeds to float aimlessly in the shocked silence.
The innkeeper, returning inside after gathering a sack of flour from the pantry, obliviously sets a cup of strong tea and another meal on the table for Auger, then leaves again to begin repairing a broken door.
"Well,"says Auger, clearly in a state of shock, "well, perhaps that was for the best." Auger slowly bends over and picks up the two pieces of wood and then recovers Benita's dagger and hands it to her while sitting down with everyone. To Tamazaert he says, "Do not worry, I would not have allowed it to hurt you or Sura. Nonetheless I apologize for its shocking appearance. Sometimes-- sometimes my abilities do not do what I expect them to do. This was... very unexpected." Auger then realizes he is no longer hungry.
As Granophyre's message arrives Auger holds the two simple blocks of wood in front of him, only half-listening at first, missing his friend and guide while wondering how things could have gone so wrong.
Later that evening (OOC: at next viable opportunity, this may leap ahead of the current narrative) Auger uses the wood to carve a Dragonfly from the inter-connected pieces, while burning more incense over some coals he recovers from the evening's fire. While he maintains his connection to the Sea of Stars he does not again attempt to push anything into the new form, beyond what it... needed. At last he leans back and again watches the form twitch to life. (OOC: Find Familiar hoping to bring back the Fey Alyasub).
With some trepidation and tears near flowing Auger again sends, Py? Is that you?
You set off a few minutes later, and within an hour arrive at the Queen’s High Way, running east through the Bantu foothills. Landscaped and flat, covered evenly with gravel, the road eases your way, and you make 25 miles the next day and stop at another Shian village, much like the one at which you just stayed, but ten times larger. The inns are packed with Shians heading to Kalahata for the Spring Festival, and you can find only two small rooms to share between the seven of you.
That night, Auger casts Find Familiar once more, and the blue-glowing fey alyasub which he has known as Py arches its form, extends it wings and gives them a shake, and then flits up to Auger's shoulder. 'I am here,' it responds. 'I do not die when my form is destroyed, I merely transition to the fey wild for a time. There is no need to be sad. Also, I have a message from the Lady of the Lake. She will communicate with you directly now that your connection to the Sea of Stars has deepened, she says. If you wish her to hear you you must find a quiet place with water, and meditate. And wait. Like you did at the lake.'
The next morning you set out from the crowded inn, after Granophyre purchases Spring Festival banners for each of you from busy market stands set up beside the road. The decision is finalized to split the party and enter Kalahata in two groups. Benita tells you the name of a hotel where you can meet up later in the day: Riedh Irhalne in Benepota Amboule.
And so the final leg of your journey to the capitol of the Shian people begins. Within two hours of leaving the town of Matmata where you spent the night, you come around a bend in the road and see it before you: Kalahata! As you make your way down onto the plains, as the crowd on the Queen’s High Way approaching the city thickens minute by minute, Benita tells you more about what to expect.
The first thing you notice are the enormous city walls, built tall enough to withstand the reach of giants. Damaged decades ago during the Shian Rebellion when the city went rogue and the Empire flexed its vast might to wrest it back in line. As a matter of principle, the city leaders have never repaired the battlements, preferring to leave the Empire to foot the bill, but that also hasn’t happened, and so there remain clefts in the yellow rock faces where something huge made vast tears in the ramparts.
Behind the city stand the great Bantu mountains: snow-capped, they pierce the high encircling clouds, and from them, from behind the city as you approach, sluicing down through the foothills leading to the fabled Vale of Deshar, issues the great Sebu river, running through the crowded Shian capitol, and thence southeast to cut a path all the way to Ishi Ammah and the Awhar Gulf.
But from this distance, rising higher than the mountains, seemingly, the Poppy Citadel stands before you, thrusting skyward farther than any structure you have seen outside of Jen Ghessa. The royal castle of the Shian families, over which a hundred wars are said to have been fought, a hundred kings stabbed in the back and overthrown, the Poppy Citadel brightly reflects sunlight from its yellow gold embedded walls and tall stained glass windows.
Each neighborhood is a fiefdom, called an ‘amboule,’ controlled by one of the noble families, and each amboule is a city within the city, vying for dominance, favors, and power. All pay a tithe to the Poppy Citadel or face an ancient curse.
The city is alive, bustling, movement everywhere, pulsing with industry, with trafficking, and with crime, which flourishes flagrantly. There is no city guard, each district is on its own, and the lurking, invisible, capricious hand of the drug lords forms the subcutaneous tissue which many would say holds the city together.
Smoke rises from countless chimneys, and even though there is a sewer system, there’s no real cooperation in its maintenance, and the smell of Kalahata is infamous. Fetid, poisonous clouds have been known to rise from sewer grates and kill dozens during the hot summers. So watch your money purse, and watch where you step!
Then there are the casinos. Wealth flows in as the poppy lords from the vale and their henchmen fight their own personal battles and vendettas over games of chance, spending their drug money and propping up the city’s reserves. But only a relative few prosper, while countless men and women were born into serfdom, living in fear from day to day, powerless and helpless.
Kalahati-ur, the inhabitants, wear scarves around their mouths and noses, both to protect themselves from the smell and the sands, which have been known to rise up in whirling clouds for days upon end. Dust flies constantly off of the shifting dunes bordering the city’s eastern walls, an arid sea upon which move small vessels, pulled by twisting subterranean worms.
There are other beasts too, the Indallian points out, in the plains and farmlands west of the city, and even within the walls, one can see enormous elephants, giant hyenas, and huge lizards, their strength harnessed to pull contrivances or carry riders, to plow the fields, or to charge in battle, to kill.
And speaking of military might, and of the Empire, there! High above, circling through the bright, smoke-hazed sky, you see eight Imperial soldiers in heavy plate mail wearing sky blue and daggered sun/moon livery, the sigil of the Jenghen Empire, fly thousands of feet high, upon enormous rust-colored Rocs which circle and wheel, their distant screeching echoing against the hillsides.
Cats, which are relegated to rug-weaving in Ishi Ammah, control the banks and finance here, and are not to be trifled with. For as Macchiavellian as the Shians can be, none can hold a candle to the scalding flame of a Cat’s jealousy, a Cat’s subtle maneuvering, or a Cat’s relentless negotiations and political machinations.
You arrive at a predetermined point, and split into two groups: Auger and Granophyre together, and a hundred yards behind, separated from the lead pair by dozens of travelers and revelers, Varielky, Ednyss, Benita, Tamazaert and her child.
Separately, you continue onwards, surrounded by revelers, pressing toward the city’s towering gates, one hundred and twenty feet tall, the anticipation growing among the crowd as the music grows louder and louder. Trumpets and huge conch horns sound from the Arena. Music of all kinds resounds in the streets, and dancers line the avenues, shaking and bouncing to the seductive rhythms. Throngs entering the city carry poles with banners or long ribbons flapping in the cooling breeze blowing down from the Vale onto the Steppes, and you unfurl yours and join in the frenzied celebration.
Slowed almost to a stop to funnel into the gates, finally you break through, and immediately, the music has you in its grip, the ground is shaking under your feet, and you see ahead of you a stage, upon it, dozens of dancers gyrating and leaping, their bodies glistening with perspiration, and leading them, twelve costumed women singing in unison, and an Eye standing before them and beaming what he sees to his arcane Box, which multiplies the sound, and which beams and magnifies what the Eye sees, throwing the three-dimension image high above the stage so that it can be witnessed from a distance and heard, and felt deep in the bones of all who enter.
Auger decides it would not be a good idea to flaunt his coat and walks in with a simple cloak covering him. Py is put away in its special place in the Sea of Stars. Idly Auger wonders if he should have connected with the Dowager before entering the city where any body of water may not be a private place. As the size and scale of the city grows before him Auger wonders again at the powers required to damage such huge walls.
Entering Kalahata
Noting the obvious need, Auger attempt to cover his nose and the lower part of his face with his cloak, thinking he will need to acquire a scarf himself to handle the smell. Auger looks around at the populace, he is particularly interested in understanding how much he sticks out as a dark man accompanying an older dwarf. He also finds himself placing his free hand on his money purse and not letting it go. He would have to adjust its position and place it inside his coat at the earliest opportunity.
Hearing the music and seeing the effect of the Eye, Auger feels his pulse racing. This would be an exciting place. Looking around for a street vendor who might be selling scarves, Auger turns to Granophyre and asks, "To our hotel or shall we get your message sent immediately?" Regardless of the response, Auger lets Granophyre lead the way through the city and follows as best he can, while noting the various sights.
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DM of RotFM | AUGER the Warlock (Archfey & the Chain) / Shadow Sorcerer in Age of Resurgence | Rahui & Javier in Sea of Memory
Varielky doesn't have to worry much about thieves. She used every single one of her coins to pay for the fitting of her armour, so that can't be taken away. Her sword teleports back to her hand, so it should be fine as well. Someone could try to steal her shield, but she doubts they will be able to do it without her noticing. Still, just in case, she stays aware of it. After all, Strewn will not be happy to hear that Tuff's shield was stolen if it were. The last thing that could bother her would be her armour, but honestly, anyone brave enough to try and skilled enough to succeed at stealing her armour while she is wearing it probably deserves it more than she does.
When Benita talks about the cats in the city, Varielky is reminded of Mittens. She wonders where the brave warrior might be at this time, what he might be doing. She also wondered if he too bears the so-called mark that the Azhvuv talked about.
Varielky gets a little lost at the amount of information given about every amboule and at some point stops paying attention. She wasn't really sure how it even matters. Then, the Amazigh name was mentioned, and its description matches what Varielky would imagine from the little she knew. Obviously, they were connected, but Varielky wonders how close are the connections between the Amazighs here and in Ishi Ammah. Perhaps there isn't even a real distinction. Perhaps those who poisoned Bali and all the others, including Benita and herself, are all from this city. Either way, that's not her worry right now. On the other hand, she wasn't really sure what she's supposed to worry about... other than everyone's safety and all. By itself, it was already difficult, so maybe it was enough. "So where are we headed exactly? Do we have any plans while staying here?" Varielky asks the ones around her.
(I know that Granophyre needed some time, but didn't remember anything other than that. Maybe it just slipped out of my mind, if someone did mention anything. Do we have free time like back in Ishi Ammah?)
(OOC: this was not discussed, but Granophyre and Benita agreed that you should not bring your mounts into the city. They do bear markings of the Empire, and are stolen property. Benita will have found a stable outside the city to either leave them temporarily or sell them.)
Q: Auger… is particularly interested in understanding how much he sticks out as a dark man accompanying an older dwarf.
A: Throughout the Lands and Seas of the Age of Resurgence world, skin pigmentation is completely varied among humans in degrees of violet, even between members of the same family. It creates no distinction of any kind in re nationality, class, religion, gender, sexuality, etc. So Auger’s dark skin means nothing. As for walking beside a dwarf. Auger notes that those surrounding him are about 75% Shian, judging by their language, mode of dress, and other cultural signals. The rest of the crowd — a significant number — are humanoids of every stripe: orracans, cats, dwarves, chimps, orcs, reptile folk, elves, and half-elves.
Re: Auger turns to Granophyre and asks, "To our hotel or shall we get your message sent immediately?"
A: Granophyre scowls, and mouths, “I can’t hear you!,” due to the loudness of the music, and the press of the crowd threatens to separate the sage and the southerner.
Q: Auger: Looking around for a street vendor who might be selling scarves
A: None visible here.
Re: [Auger] also finds himself placing his free hand on his money purse.
At this exact moment, Auger’s hand touches another hand which is gripping his money purse from below. Looking down, he sees it is a child, no more than seven years old, who, when discovered, cowers in fright as Auger towers above him, and whose eyes widen to huge round, watery moons. He says something in Shian and looks like he is about to run. Granophyre, shorter by a foot than the average Shian, is being jostled away from Auger, as someone tries to lead a pair of camels through the throng. Auger can act first in initiative if he wishes.
Re: Varielky: "So where are we headed exactly? Do we have any plans while staying here?" Varielky asks the ones around her.
A: Benita can barely hear Varielky. Guiding the group around the edge of the entry square to avoid the thickest part of the crowd, the Indallian points in the direction they must go and leads the way, deftly slapping away the hands of two cutpurses.
Varielky, meanwhile, has to shove away a trio of revelers who were moving close to her and Tamazaert, intent upon hugging and kissing the women. The shield-maiden realizes that the three seem out of their heads -- opium! -- and being that the trio are hugely obese, it takes an effort to discourage them, but she manages.
While this is happening, a thief successfully pick-pockets 10GP from Ednyss’ money purse. (Ednyss can roll Perception save vs DC20 to notice before the thief -- a teenaged Shian girl -- gets away. If successful, Ednyss can act first in initiative if he wishes. Roll 2d6+4 to see how far away the thief is. Roll 2d6 to find out how many bystanders are between Ednyss and the thief & feel free to interpret. )
Q: Varielky: (Do we have free time like back in Ishi Ammah?)
A: Granophyre mentioned having a task for you which he would detail when you arrived in Kalahata, after regrouping at your lodgings. (OOC: spoiler alert: the answer will eventually be, yes, you will have a chunk of free time in Kalahata.)
It doesn't take much for the perceptive war priest to notice the young Shian girl that is making off with his coin. He whirls around with a stern expression as she tries to getaway. Ednyss sees that there aren't many bystanders, so he quickly covers the distance between them and places a rough gray hand on her shoulder. Gently but firmly, he turns her back around to face him and quietly says, "Return it." His eyes flash with a divine spark as he draws upon his divine connection. Regardless of whether she resists the spell or not, Ednyss keeps his hand on her shoulder and says, "There is no honor in thievery. Find a real profession for your next target may not be as kind as I."
(OOC: The spell being cast is Command and it is a DC 17 Wisdom Save. On a failure, the girl must "Return.")
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
Auger, long hours of crafting having improved his eye-hand coordination, attempts to remove the coin purse from the child's hand and maintain possession of his money (Sleight of Hand roll, if needed: 18). Auger will keep his attention focused on the child until he is sure he has his money in hand.
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DM of RotFM | AUGER the Warlock (Archfey & the Chain) / Shadow Sorcerer in Age of Resurgence | Rahui & Javier in Sea of Memory
Opium. Of course. Varielky shoves the three away and sticks close to Tamazaert, making sure the woman can't be separated from her. She'd stick to Benita too if possible, but if the three are not close enough, she'll trust Benita can handle herself here. She can probably do so better than Varielky can. As for Ednyss, Varielky makes sure she knows where he is by looking once in a while, but overall she trusts he can handle himself. For now, Varielky follows Benita.
(In case it turns out to be something more than what has already happened, does Varielky notice Ednyss stopping and breaking off from the group to retrieve his gold?)
In an instant, Auger has removed the child’s hand from his coin purse, and, grasping the urchin’s wrist in front of him with one hand, the warlock places his other hand upon his purse, searching for tears or cuts. It seems to be intact. The child struggles, throwing up his other arm to deflect any blow the southerner might inflict, screaming and pulling with all his might to get free, but it’s not enough and his cries are lost in the pounding music.
Spotted by Ednyss as she tries to dodge away with his coin, and unable to withstand the cleric’s divine command, the teenager, her face covered in dust, stops in her tracks, her eyes glazing over. Her limbs obey the dwarf’s will, and she seems to sleepwalk back to him, bumped by revelers, then extends her hand softly to release the gold into Ednyss’ waiting grasp. At that moment, focus returns to her eyes, and her jaw drops in fear and bewilderment as she perceives Ednyss’ power over her.
Varielky witnesses Ednyss’ invocation and the return of his gold, as does Benita. Tamazaert’s eyes are wide and awestruck, and she holds Sura close to her as a group of dancing young men, their skin oiled and shining, bounces past, yelling in counterpoint to the music. One of them bumps into the young mother, she is knocked sideways, and Varielky springs to stop her fall. In that moment, a young man grabs the shield-maiden’s sword and rolls under the feet of a camel with it, then springs up on the other side. In an instant, he -- holding the sword -- is lost in the crowd as a red glyph shines on Varielky’s forehead, drawing stares from the closest revelers.
The theft of the sword itself doesn't bother Varielky too much. It does, of course, but because she knows the sword will teleport back to her hand. That's the only reason she doesn't immediately begin to chase the thief. Well, that, and the more pressing problem. She has been away from crowded civilization for quite a while now and forgot that people don't like to see Dreyen warriors. She doesn't expect anyone to recognize the symbol on her forehead, but it wasn't impossible for one to assume something like that. "We need to get out of the crowd!" Varielky shouts to Benita, trying to be heard over the music. It seemed that every second, something bad happens. The worst part was that they didn't want to attract any attention, so anything that will drive people away from them or even powering their way through was not really an option. "And fast!"
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
Auger releases the child in such a fashion that allows the child to fall back or move into the crowd, hopefully moving away from him. He concentrates for a moment on finding a better spot for the coin purse and securing it inside his coat. If the child stays nearby Auger keeps his attention on him, waving at him in a fashion intending to make him go away.
Only then does he start to look around for Granophyre (Perception, if needed: 16). In order to aid his search he summons Py above him.
Stay invisible up there and help me keep an eye out for more thieves while we find Granophyre!
Meanwhile Auger continues moving forward through the crowd, intending to get to a place where he is not always being jostled, hoping Granophyre would do the same. Auger keeps one hand on his coin purse in his coat and with the other he uses his Quarterstaff to aid him in creating space to proceed.
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DM of RotFM | AUGER the Warlock (Archfey & the Chain) / Shadow Sorcerer in Age of Resurgence | Rahui & Javier in Sea of Memory
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
Seeing Varielky handle Tama out of the corner of his eye, Ednyss decides that the shield maiden has her situation handled, and instead focuses on the girl before him. He continues to keep one hand on his money pouch as he speaks, and if he catches Varielky's eye, he gives her a look and mouths clearly, "I will meet you at the hotel." Throughout this time, he does not release the girl in front of him and keeps his other hand on her shoulder. Ednyss utters a quiet divine incantation to increase the volume of his voice, just loud enough to be heard by the girl, but not loud enough to make a scene. "Come child, I have a few questions for you, and I believe that you owe me for trying to take what I had earned." Keeping a firm grip on her arm now, he attempts to lead her through the crowd to a place where there are fewer people.
Re: [Varielky]: "We need to get out of the crowd!"... "And fast!"
(OOC: this has transpired over about 10 minutes of pushing through the throng.)
A: Benita nods to Varielky. She points to an alley and leads the party to it. Ednyss comes along, pulling the girl with him, who can’t break his grip. This is the nearest place out of the crush of sweaty bodies, and shielded to some degree from the noise.
Benita turns around and yells to be heard over the crowd, “I warned you. Did you notice that almost no one is carrying packs in the crowd except for us? That says, 'Hi! I'm from out-of-town! Rob me!' You have to keep a hand on your belongings!”
Auger manages to secure his coin purse under his robe, and sees the child scowl as he does so, looking past the southerner. Quickly the warlock glances over his shoulder and sees an older boy poised behind him, a cutpurse accomplice, fumbling due to the object of his pursuits having been concealed. Perhaps a brother to the first one, seeing himself caught, the older boy tries to kick Auger down, but the warlock’s mists suddenly rise up, engulfing the offending foot, much to the brother’s confusion. Then both boys turn and bolt. (OOC: Auger may have an opportunity attack if he wishes).
Led by Py, Granophyre finds Auger a minute later and yells into his ear to be heard, “Someone tried to pick my pocket. But it seems, to their surprise, they pricked my pocket instead. On one of my darts!” You both turn and see a scrawny, harsh-featured older man holding in front of his face one of his thin hands, the index finger of which shows a tiny dot of blood. The bony form, pale-faced and feverish, doubles over and vomits on the ground causing revelers to cut away from him, frowning. Granophyre winks at Auger and the pair continue on, out of the square.
(I assume the sword returned to Varielky's hand? If so, she'll put it back into its scabbard so that the mark on her forehead will disappear. Otherwise, it will obviously change her next actions.)
"How else were we supposed to enter, though? Our equipment has to be somewhere." Anyway, Varielky looks around. "Do you remember the layout of the city well enough? Do you think you can find us a path that doesn't pass through the crowd, or the least possible?" She then addresses Tamazaert and Sura. "Are you both alright?"
(I assume the sword returned to Varielky's hand? If so, she'll put it back into its scabbard so that the mark on her forehead will disappear. Otherwise, it will obviously change her next actions.)
"How else were we supposed to enter, though? Our equipment has to be somewhere." Anyway, Varielky looks around. "Do you remember the layout of the city well enough? Do you think you can find us a path that doesn't pass through the crowd, or the least possible?" She then addresses Tamazaert and Sura. "Are you both alright?"
Varielky has to call the sword by forming her hand into a sword grip position, as if wrapping her fingers around an invisible grip. Assuming she does so presently, it returns instantly (OOC: and btw, she can do this in the act of striking, or in the act of resheathing her blade.) Somewhere nearby, the smile of a thief suddenly vanishes along with the sword which, just a second ago, was in his now-empty hand.
"I don't know! Just hold onto your things," Benita responds, impatiently, "if you want to arrive at the hotel with them." In answer to Varielky's question, Tamazaert nods yes, although Sura is crying (as babies sometimes do), while Benita continues, "It's not far, just around the edge of the square and past the canals and shops. The alleys are very easy to get lost in, so I'm going the way I remember. Just follow me and keep close, and hold onto your things."
(OOC: we'll allow Ednyss to act in regards to the young thief he caught before moving on.)
(20th of Beauty, before Granophyre’s message from Omar)
After Auger has finished cleaning up — for the bug, if ordered to help, seems quite incompetent at cleaning, instead, merely pushing the mess around and making matters worse — after cleaning up, Auger descends from the terraced guest room level down the creaking stairs to the saloon’s dining room and bar. Tamazaert is the first to look up from her breakfast at the kind older man, and when she does, the young mother focuses on his shoulder, utters a high, window-shattering scream of surprised, disgusted terror, scoops up her infant from her lap and turns away, running for the farthest corner of the room. Auger looks to see what Tamazaert saw that shocked her senses so powerfully, and sees the fey quasit on his shoulder, finishing its snack from before, a chicken heart, and dripping blood from its mouth onto the warlock’s robe.
‘What?!?,’ It sends, ‘do I have something stuck in my teeth?’
Benita, in a flash, has unsheathed her dagger, and sent it flying into the creature, which is impaled upon it, and is hurled off of Auger from the impact, the dagger now thunking it into a wooden post. Granophyre is not far behind. “Duck!,” he shouts, and one of his darts tears directly out of his pouch and flies at the disgusting creature, exploding into a bolt of acid which covers it, eating away at its revolting flesh.
A small whirling vortex of dandelion seeds then forms beside it, out of which slips just the mouth, moustache, and eyes of an enormous bright green catfish, whose lips suck in the evil creature little by little as it writhes and screams at the party in anger, ‘NOOOOoooooo!! Youuuuu!!! Flockinnnng floooocks!!!,’ before disappearing into the Fey lake-dweller’s mouth. The vortex closes, but just before it does, two pieces of carved thuya wood — the very same ones Auger purchased in Hyewush — plop out onto the floor. Then the vortex, and the Fey quasit, are gone, leaving only a wispy trail of dandelion seeds to float aimlessly in the shocked silence.
The innkeeper, returning inside after gathering a sack of flour from the pantry, obliviously sets a cup of strong tea and another meal on the table for Auger, then leaves again to begin repairing a broken door.
DM for Candlekeep Mysteries // Dev Hornd in Curious Critters // Eclipse Faraway in Gallows Dancer
"Well," says Auger, clearly in a state of shock, "well, perhaps that was for the best." Auger slowly bends over and picks up the two pieces of wood and then recovers Benita's dagger and hands it to her while sitting down with everyone. To Tamazaert he says, "Do not worry, I would not have allowed it to hurt you or Sura. Nonetheless I apologize for its shocking appearance. Sometimes-- sometimes my abilities do not do what I expect them to do. This was... very unexpected." Auger then realizes he is no longer hungry.
As Granophyre's message arrives Auger holds the two simple blocks of wood in front of him, only half-listening at first, missing his friend and guide while wondering how things could have gone so wrong.
Later that evening (OOC: at next viable opportunity, this may leap ahead of the current narrative) Auger uses the wood to carve a Dragonfly from the inter-connected pieces, while burning more incense over some coals he recovers from the evening's fire. While he maintains his connection to the Sea of Stars he does not again attempt to push anything into the new form, beyond what it... needed. At last he leans back and again watches the form twitch to life. (OOC: Find Familiar hoping to bring back the Fey Alyasub).
With some trepidation and tears near flowing Auger again sends, Py? Is that you?
DM of RotFM | AUGER the Warlock (Archfey & the Chain) / Shadow Sorcerer in Age of Resurgence | Rahui & Javier in Sea of Memory
That night, Auger casts Find Familiar once more, and the blue-glowing fey alyasub which he has known as Py arches its form, extends it wings and gives them a shake, and then flits up to Auger's shoulder. 'I am here,' it responds. 'I do not die when my form is destroyed, I merely transition to the fey wild for a time. There is no need to be sad. Also, I have a message from the Lady of the Lake. She will communicate with you directly now that your connection to the Sea of Stars has deepened, she says. If you wish her to hear you you must find a quiet place with water, and meditate. And wait. Like you did at the lake.'
DM for Candlekeep Mysteries // Dev Hornd in Curious Critters // Eclipse Faraway in Gallows Dancer
POST #9, Entry to Kalahata (21st of Beauty)
The next morning you set out from the crowded inn, after Granophyre purchases Spring Festival banners for each of you from busy market stands set up beside the road. The decision is finalized to split the party and enter Kalahata in two groups. Benita tells you the name of a hotel where you can meet up later in the day: Riedh Irhalne in Benepota Amboule.
And so the final leg of your journey to the capitol of the Shian people begins. Within two hours of leaving the town of Matmata where you spent the night, you come around a bend in the road and see it before you: Kalahata! As you make your way down onto the plains, as the crowd on the Queen’s High Way approaching the city thickens minute by minute, Benita tells you more about what to expect.
The first thing you notice are the enormous city walls, built tall enough to withstand the reach of giants. Damaged decades ago during the Shian Rebellion when the city went rogue and the Empire flexed its vast might to wrest it back in line. As a matter of principle, the city leaders have never repaired the battlements, preferring to leave the Empire to foot the bill, but that also hasn’t happened, and so there remain clefts in the yellow rock faces where something huge made vast tears in the ramparts.
Behind the city stand the great Bantu mountains: snow-capped, they pierce the high encircling clouds, and from them, from behind the city as you approach, sluicing down through the foothills leading to the fabled Vale of Deshar, issues the great Sebu river, running through the crowded Shian capitol, and thence southeast to cut a path all the way to Ishi Ammah and the Awhar Gulf.
But from this distance, rising higher than the mountains, seemingly, the Poppy Citadel stands before you, thrusting skyward farther than any structure you have seen outside of Jen Ghessa. The royal castle of the Shian families, over which a hundred wars are said to have been fought, a hundred kings stabbed in the back and overthrown, the Poppy Citadel brightly reflects sunlight from its yellow gold embedded walls and tall stained glass windows.
Each neighborhood is a fiefdom, called an ‘amboule,’ controlled by one of the noble families, and each amboule is a city within the city, vying for dominance, favors, and power. All pay a tithe to the Poppy Citadel or face an ancient curse.
The city is alive, bustling, movement everywhere, pulsing with industry, with trafficking, and with crime, which flourishes flagrantly. There is no city guard, each district is on its own, and the lurking, invisible, capricious hand of the drug lords forms the subcutaneous tissue which many would say holds the city together.
Smoke rises from countless chimneys, and even though there is a sewer system, there’s no real cooperation in its maintenance, and the smell of Kalahata is infamous. Fetid, poisonous clouds have been known to rise from sewer grates and kill dozens during the hot summers. So watch your money purse, and watch where you step!
Then there are the casinos. Wealth flows in as the poppy lords from the vale and their henchmen fight their own personal battles and vendettas over games of chance, spending their drug money and propping up the city’s reserves. But only a relative few prosper, while countless men and women were born into serfdom, living in fear from day to day, powerless and helpless.
Kalahati-ur, the inhabitants, wear scarves around their mouths and noses, both to protect themselves from the smell and the sands, which have been known to rise up in whirling clouds for days upon end. Dust flies constantly off of the shifting dunes bordering the city’s eastern walls, an arid sea upon which move small vessels, pulled by twisting subterranean worms.
There are other beasts too, the Indallian points out, in the plains and farmlands west of the city, and even within the walls, one can see enormous elephants, giant hyenas, and huge lizards, their strength harnessed to pull contrivances or carry riders, to plow the fields, or to charge in battle, to kill.
And speaking of military might, and of the Empire, there! High above, circling through the bright, smoke-hazed sky, you see eight Imperial soldiers in heavy plate mail wearing sky blue and daggered sun/moon livery, the sigil of the Jenghen Empire, fly thousands of feet high, upon enormous rust-colored Rocs which circle and wheel, their distant screeching echoing against the hillsides.
Cats, which are relegated to rug-weaving in Ishi Ammah, control the banks and finance here, and are not to be trifled with. For as Macchiavellian as the Shians can be, none can hold a candle to the scalding flame of a Cat’s jealousy, a Cat’s subtle maneuvering, or a Cat’s relentless negotiations and political machinations.
You arrive at a predetermined point, and split into two groups: Auger and Granophyre together, and a hundred yards behind, separated from the lead pair by dozens of travelers and revelers, Varielky, Ednyss, Benita, Tamazaert and her child.
Separately, you continue onwards, surrounded by revelers, pressing toward the city’s towering gates, one hundred and twenty feet tall, the anticipation growing among the crowd as the music grows louder and louder. Trumpets and huge conch horns sound from the Arena. Music of all kinds resounds in the streets, and dancers line the avenues, shaking and bouncing to the seductive rhythms. Throngs entering the city carry poles with banners or long ribbons flapping in the cooling breeze blowing down from the Vale onto the Steppes, and you unfurl yours and join in the frenzied celebration.
Slowed almost to a stop to funnel into the gates, finally you break through, and immediately, the music has you in its grip, the ground is shaking under your feet, and you see ahead of you a stage, upon it, dozens of dancers gyrating and leaping, their bodies glistening with perspiration, and leading them, twelve costumed women singing in unison, and an Eye standing before them and beaming what he sees to his arcane Box, which multiplies the sound, and which beams and magnifies what the Eye sees, throwing the three-dimension image high above the stage so that it can be witnessed from a distance and heard, and felt deep in the bones of all who enter.
The sultry, deafening, pulsating song welcomes you to:
Kalahata, City of Thieves!
Kalahata, Ancient Seat of Shian Royalty!
Kalahata, Gateway to the Vale of Deshar!
(OOC: turn up volume & play the video, then read the card at the end for more information about the city.)
DM for Candlekeep Mysteries // Dev Hornd in Curious Critters // Eclipse Faraway in Gallows Dancer
On the road to Kalahata
Auger decides it would not be a good idea to flaunt his coat and walks in with a simple cloak covering him. Py is put away in its special place in the Sea of Stars. Idly Auger wonders if he should have connected with the Dowager before entering the city where any body of water may not be a private place. As the size and scale of the city grows before him Auger wonders again at the powers required to damage such huge walls.
Entering Kalahata
Noting the obvious need, Auger attempt to cover his nose and the lower part of his face with his cloak, thinking he will need to acquire a scarf himself to handle the smell. Auger looks around at the populace, he is particularly interested in understanding how much he sticks out as a dark man accompanying an older dwarf. He also finds himself placing his free hand on his money purse and not letting it go. He would have to adjust its position and place it inside his coat at the earliest opportunity.
Hearing the music and seeing the effect of the Eye, Auger feels his pulse racing. This would be an exciting place. Looking around for a street vendor who might be selling scarves, Auger turns to Granophyre and asks, "To our hotel or shall we get your message sent immediately?" Regardless of the response, Auger lets Granophyre lead the way through the city and follows as best he can, while noting the various sights.
DM of RotFM | AUGER the Warlock (Archfey & the Chain) / Shadow Sorcerer in Age of Resurgence | Rahui & Javier in Sea of Memory
Varielky doesn't have to worry much about thieves. She used every single one of her coins to pay for the fitting of her armour, so that can't be taken away. Her sword teleports back to her hand, so it should be fine as well. Someone could try to steal her shield, but she doubts they will be able to do it without her noticing. Still, just in case, she stays aware of it. After all, Strewn will not be happy to hear that Tuff's shield was stolen if it were. The last thing that could bother her would be her armour, but honestly, anyone brave enough to try and skilled enough to succeed at stealing her armour while she is wearing it probably deserves it more than she does.
When Benita talks about the cats in the city, Varielky is reminded of Mittens. She wonders where the brave warrior might be at this time, what he might be doing. She also wondered if he too bears the so-called mark that the Azhvuv talked about.
Varielky gets a little lost at the amount of information given about every amboule and at some point stops paying attention. She wasn't really sure how it even matters. Then, the Amazigh name was mentioned, and its description matches what Varielky would imagine from the little she knew. Obviously, they were connected, but Varielky wonders how close are the connections between the Amazighs here and in Ishi Ammah. Perhaps there isn't even a real distinction. Perhaps those who poisoned Bali and all the others, including Benita and herself, are all from this city.
Either way, that's not her worry right now. On the other hand, she wasn't really sure what she's supposed to worry about... other than everyone's safety and all. By itself, it was already difficult, so maybe it was enough. "So where are we headed exactly? Do we have any plans while staying here?" Varielky asks the ones around her.
(I know that Granophyre needed some time, but didn't remember anything other than that. Maybe it just slipped out of my mind, if someone did mention anything. Do we have free time like back in Ishi Ammah?)
Varielky
Chapter 8: Kalahata
POST #1
(OOC: this was not discussed, but Granophyre and Benita agreed that you should not bring your mounts into the city. They do bear markings of the Empire, and are stolen property. Benita will have found a stable outside the city to either leave them temporarily or sell them.)
Q: Auger… is particularly interested in understanding how much he sticks out as a dark man accompanying an older dwarf.
A: Throughout the Lands and Seas of the Age of Resurgence world, skin pigmentation is completely varied among humans in degrees of violet, even between members of the same family. It creates no distinction of any kind in re nationality, class, religion, gender, sexuality, etc. So Auger’s dark skin means nothing. As for walking beside a dwarf. Auger notes that those surrounding him are about 75% Shian, judging by their language, mode of dress, and other cultural signals. The rest of the crowd — a significant number — are humanoids of every stripe: orracans, cats, dwarves, chimps, orcs, reptile folk, elves, and half-elves.
Re: Auger turns to Granophyre and asks, "To our hotel or shall we get your message sent immediately?"
A: Granophyre scowls, and mouths, “I can’t hear you!,” due to the loudness of the music, and the press of the crowd threatens to separate the sage and the southerner.
Q: Auger: Looking around for a street vendor who might be selling scarves
A: None visible here.
Re: [Auger] also finds himself placing his free hand on his money purse.
At this exact moment, Auger’s hand touches another hand which is gripping his money purse from below. Looking down, he sees it is a child, no more than seven years old, who, when discovered, cowers in fright as Auger towers above him, and whose eyes widen to huge round, watery moons. He says something in Shian and looks like he is about to run. Granophyre, shorter by a foot than the average Shian, is being jostled away from Auger, as someone tries to lead a pair of camels through the throng. Auger can act first in initiative if he wishes.
Re: Varielky: "So where are we headed exactly? Do we have any plans while staying here?" Varielky asks the ones around her.
A: Benita can barely hear Varielky. Guiding the group around the edge of the entry square to avoid the thickest part of the crowd, the Indallian points in the direction they must go and leads the way, deftly slapping away the hands of two cutpurses.
Varielky, meanwhile, has to shove away a trio of revelers who were moving close to her and Tamazaert, intent upon hugging and kissing the women. The shield-maiden realizes that the three seem out of their heads -- opium! -- and being that the trio are hugely obese, it takes an effort to discourage them, but she manages.
While this is happening, a thief successfully pick-pockets 10GP from Ednyss’ money purse. (Ednyss can roll Perception save vs DC20 to notice before the thief -- a teenaged Shian girl -- gets away. If successful, Ednyss can act first in initiative if he wishes. Roll 2d6+4 to see how far away the thief is. Roll 2d6 to find out how many bystanders are between Ednyss and the thief & feel free to interpret. )
Q: Varielky: (Do we have free time like back in Ishi Ammah?)
A: Granophyre mentioned having a task for you which he would detail when you arrived in Kalahata, after regrouping at your lodgings. (OOC: spoiler alert: the answer will eventually be, yes, you will have a chunk of free time in Kalahata.)
DM for Candlekeep Mysteries // Dev Hornd in Curious Critters // Eclipse Faraway in Gallows Dancer
Perception: 18
“The mark of a successful DM is when you have caused more player deaths with doors than dragons, demons, or devils.”
Distance: 12
Bystanders: Distance: 4
“The mark of a successful DM is when you have caused more player deaths with doors than dragons, demons, or devils.”
It doesn't take much for the perceptive war priest to notice the young Shian girl that is making off with his coin. He whirls around with a stern expression as she tries to getaway. Ednyss sees that there aren't many bystanders, so he quickly covers the distance between them and places a rough gray hand on her shoulder. Gently but firmly, he turns her back around to face him and quietly says, "Return it." His eyes flash with a divine spark as he draws upon his divine connection. Regardless of whether she resists the spell or not, Ednyss keeps his hand on her shoulder and says, "There is no honor in thievery. Find a real profession for your next target may not be as kind as I."
(OOC: The spell being cast is Command and it is a DC 17 Wisdom Save. On a failure, the girl must "Return.")
“The mark of a successful DM is when you have caused more player deaths with doors than dragons, demons, or devils.”
Auger, long hours of crafting having improved his eye-hand coordination, attempts to remove the coin purse from the child's hand and maintain possession of his money (Sleight of Hand roll, if needed: 18). Auger will keep his attention focused on the child until he is sure he has his money in hand.
DM of RotFM | AUGER the Warlock (Archfey & the Chain) / Shadow Sorcerer in Age of Resurgence | Rahui & Javier in Sea of Memory
Opium. Of course. Varielky shoves the three away and sticks close to Tamazaert, making sure the woman can't be separated from her. She'd stick to Benita too if possible, but if the three are not close enough, she'll trust Benita can handle herself here. She can probably do so better than Varielky can. As for Ednyss, Varielky makes sure she knows where he is by looking once in a while, but overall she trusts he can handle himself. For now, Varielky follows Benita.
(In case it turns out to be something more than what has already happened, does Varielky notice Ednyss stopping and breaking off from the group to retrieve his gold?)
Varielky
In an instant, Auger has removed the child’s hand from his coin purse, and, grasping the urchin’s wrist in front of him with one hand, the warlock places his other hand upon his purse, searching for tears or cuts. It seems to be intact. The child struggles, throwing up his other arm to deflect any blow the southerner might inflict, screaming and pulling with all his might to get free, but it’s not enough and his cries are lost in the pounding music.
Spotted by Ednyss as she tries to dodge away with his coin, and unable to withstand the cleric’s divine command, the teenager, her face covered in dust, stops in her tracks, her eyes glazing over. Her limbs obey the dwarf’s will, and she seems to sleepwalk back to him, bumped by revelers, then extends her hand softly to release the gold into Ednyss’ waiting grasp. At that moment, focus returns to her eyes, and her jaw drops in fear and bewilderment as she perceives Ednyss’ power over her.
Varielky witnesses Ednyss’ invocation and the return of his gold, as does Benita. Tamazaert’s eyes are wide and awestruck, and she holds Sura close to her as a group of dancing young men, their skin oiled and shining, bounces past, yelling in counterpoint to the music. One of them bumps into the young mother, she is knocked sideways, and Varielky springs to stop her fall. In that moment, a young man grabs the shield-maiden’s sword and rolls under the feet of a camel with it, then springs up on the other side. In an instant, he -- holding the sword -- is lost in the crowd as a red glyph shines on Varielky’s forehead, drawing stares from the closest revelers.
DM for Candlekeep Mysteries // Dev Hornd in Curious Critters // Eclipse Faraway in Gallows Dancer
The theft of the sword itself doesn't bother Varielky too much. It does, of course, but because she knows the sword will teleport back to her hand. That's the only reason she doesn't immediately begin to chase the thief. Well, that, and the more pressing problem. She has been away from crowded civilization for quite a while now and forgot that people don't like to see Dreyen warriors. She doesn't expect anyone to recognize the symbol on her forehead, but it wasn't impossible for one to assume something like that. "We need to get out of the crowd!" Varielky shouts to Benita, trying to be heard over the music. It seemed that every second, something bad happens. The worst part was that they didn't want to attract any attention, so anything that will drive people away from them or even powering their way through was not really an option. "And fast!"
Varielky
Auger releases the child in such a fashion that allows the child to fall back or move into the crowd, hopefully moving away from him. He concentrates for a moment on finding a better spot for the coin purse and securing it inside his coat. If the child stays nearby Auger keeps his attention on him, waving at him in a fashion intending to make him go away.
Only then does he start to look around for Granophyre (Perception, if needed: 16). In order to aid his search he summons Py above him.
Stay invisible up there and help me keep an eye out for more thieves while we find Granophyre!
Meanwhile Auger continues moving forward through the crowd, intending to get to a place where he is not always being jostled, hoping Granophyre would do the same. Auger keeps one hand on his coin purse in his coat and with the other he uses his Quarterstaff to aid him in creating space to proceed.
DM of RotFM | AUGER the Warlock (Archfey & the Chain) / Shadow Sorcerer in Age of Resurgence | Rahui & Javier in Sea of Memory
Seeing Varielky handle Tama out of the corner of his eye, Ednyss decides that the shield maiden has her situation handled, and instead focuses on the girl before him. He continues to keep one hand on his money pouch as he speaks, and if he catches Varielky's eye, he gives her a look and mouths clearly, "I will meet you at the hotel." Throughout this time, he does not release the girl in front of him and keeps his other hand on her shoulder. Ednyss utters a quiet divine incantation to increase the volume of his voice, just loud enough to be heard by the girl, but not loud enough to make a scene. "Come child, I have a few questions for you, and I believe that you owe me for trying to take what I had earned." Keeping a firm grip on her arm now, he attempts to lead her through the crowd to a place where there are fewer people.
Intimidation (If Needed): 24
“The mark of a successful DM is when you have caused more player deaths with doors than dragons, demons, or devils.”
Re: [Varielky]: "We need to get out of the crowd!"... "And fast!"
(OOC: this has transpired over about 10 minutes of pushing through the throng.)
A: Benita nods to Varielky. She points to an alley and leads the party to it. Ednyss comes along, pulling the girl with him, who can’t break his grip. This is the nearest place out of the crush of sweaty bodies, and shielded to some degree from the noise.
Benita turns around and yells to be heard over the crowd, “I warned you. Did you notice that almost no one is carrying packs in the crowd except for us? That says, 'Hi! I'm from out-of-town! Rob me!' You have to keep a hand on your belongings!”
Auger manages to secure his coin purse under his robe, and sees the child scowl as he does so, looking past the southerner. Quickly the warlock glances over his shoulder and sees an older boy poised behind him, a cutpurse accomplice, fumbling due to the object of his pursuits having been concealed. Perhaps a brother to the first one, seeing himself caught, the older boy tries to kick Auger down, but the warlock’s mists suddenly rise up, engulfing the offending foot, much to the brother’s confusion. Then both boys turn and bolt. (OOC: Auger may have an opportunity attack if he wishes).
Led by Py, Granophyre finds Auger a minute later and yells into his ear to be heard, “Someone tried to pick my pocket. But it seems, to their surprise, they pricked my pocket instead. On one of my darts!” You both turn and see a scrawny, harsh-featured older man holding in front of his face one of his thin hands, the index finger of which shows a tiny dot of blood. The bony form, pale-faced and feverish, doubles over and vomits on the ground causing revelers to cut away from him, frowning. Granophyre winks at Auger and the pair continue on, out of the square.
DM for Candlekeep Mysteries // Dev Hornd in Curious Critters // Eclipse Faraway in Gallows Dancer
(I assume the sword returned to Varielky's hand? If so, she'll put it back into its scabbard so that the mark on her forehead will disappear. Otherwise, it will obviously change her next actions.)
"How else were we supposed to enter, though? Our equipment has to be somewhere." Anyway, Varielky looks around. "Do you remember the layout of the city well enough? Do you think you can find us a path that doesn't pass through the crowd, or the least possible?" She then addresses Tamazaert and Sura. "Are you both alright?"
Varielky
Varielky has to call the sword by forming her hand into a sword grip position, as if wrapping her fingers around an invisible grip. Assuming she does so presently, it returns instantly (OOC: and btw, she can do this in the act of striking, or in the act of resheathing her blade.) Somewhere nearby, the smile of a thief suddenly vanishes along with the sword which, just a second ago, was in his now-empty hand.
"I don't know! Just hold onto your things," Benita responds, impatiently, "if you want to arrive at the hotel with them." In answer to Varielky's question, Tamazaert nods yes, although Sura is crying (as babies sometimes do), while Benita continues, "It's not far, just around the edge of the square and past the canals and shops. The alleys are very easy to get lost in, so I'm going the way I remember. Just follow me and keep close, and hold onto your things."
(OOC: we'll allow Ednyss to act in regards to the young thief he caught before moving on.)
DM for Candlekeep Mysteries // Dev Hornd in Curious Critters // Eclipse Faraway in Gallows Dancer
(OOC: Auger takes no opportunity attack)
Now that they can be heard, Auger again asks Granophyre, "To our hotel or shall we get your message sent immediately?"
DM of RotFM | AUGER the Warlock (Archfey & the Chain) / Shadow Sorcerer in Age of Resurgence | Rahui & Javier in Sea of Memory