With Michael added your group now totals five, and you have one more stop to make before leaving town. Arden follows the directions given to her by Marda and winds up on 7 Sylen Avenue. The street is a bizarre amalgam of trinket shops, antique booths, and most wondrous of all, Kelper's Magnificent Emporium. You can smell the place before you see it. The undeniable scent of animal dung, sawdust bedding, and iron cages wafts into your unwelcoming nostrils as you move down the street. With animals and creatures of all shapes and sizes, the store looks more akin to a zoo than a pet shop.
As you enter you are greeted with howls, screeches, and hoots of the wildest variety as animals of all kinds size you up from within their cages. Here a rather large looking cat seems genuinely curious while there a furry burrowing creature with large front claws snarls at your approach. "Aw, shut up all o' ya!" comes a voice from the back room, followed shortly by one of the ugliest little creatures you have ever laid eyes upon. One of his ears is long, pointed, and jagged at the edges while the other is wide and floppy. His nose is enormous and bulbous and one nostril is perched higher on his face than the other. His brown left eye is scrunched up while his yellow left eye peers at you intently. His teeth are absolutely horrid, those that remain. They are varying shades of yellow and black and it seems each is of a different size. In summary, his appearance has a complete lack of symmetry.
"Come looking for a pet?" he asks with a grotesque kind of smile.
Arden coughs rather discreetly (she hopes) to cover her surprise at the man's appearance. "No, I've had my fill of pets, thank you." She smiles to take the sting from her words before continuing. As she speaks she slips out of her pack and removes the wooden box containing Psycho. "Are you Kelper? My master, Haerdal, sent me to speak with Kelper. Or rather, he sent me with this." She holds out the box tilting it and lifting the lid so the man-creature can see inside. "He said...Haerdal, that is, says it is ailing and that you would know what to do with it."
"Aye, that would be me," the ugly little creature replies when Arden asks if he is Kelper, "and what have we here?" he asks, pulling the little black mole from it's box and cradling it in his arms.
"Has itsy widdle Psycho got a booby boo? Poor widdle Psycho boo," he says to the tiny burrower in his arms, apparently quite familiar with the creature. Their combined ugliness is almost endearing in a way.
"Not to worry, Miss. I'll make sure he's well taken care of. I'm sure I'll have his malady figured out in no time. Now," he says, putting his surprisingly strong and limber arm up and around Arden's shoulder and moving her off to the side, "let's talk payment. Haerdal's a friend so I'm doing him a favor by even taking this case despite the absolutely dreadful amount of work I've already got piling up. Clearly you don't have any money though..." he says disdainfully, trailing off. You now notice that, despite his hideous appearance, he is actually rather finely dressed, with bits of gold and silver jewelry here and there. Clearly he is a...creature of fine tastes.
"However, perhaps we could come to some other arrangement; a trade perhaps. How's this? I'll fix up Psycho, make him good as new, if you bring me back something...odd. Any creature I don't already have will do, as long as it isn't normal. Think you can do that? I knew it! Wonderful sport you are. Now, off you go. You've got an adventure now don't you? And I've got a business to run. Toodles!"
With that, Kelper rushes you all quite hurriedly out the door and closes it behind you, but not before giving you a toothy grin and what you believe to be a wink under his wrinkled, knotty skin.
OOC
Kelper was almost hypnotically persuasive. You all found yourselves unable to do much more than nod agreeably while you were in his shop.
"Well that man was... disturbing," Kleb says with a grimace. "Been friends with him long or is this the first time you've met? Anyone else have anything to take care of or can we head out?"
__________________ My Involvement:
Spoiler:
Player of Doral Kinsman the Beguiler in Who Wants to Be a Wayfinder IC
Arden stares at the closed door before turning to look at Kleb blankly. "What? Oh, yes, disturbing. No, we've never met before today. Marda said to stop by Dawn House on our way out of town and she would have more information for us.
Where am I going to find an odd creature?" mutters Arden as they walk away from Kelper's Magnificent Emporium.
Lestrivius suddenly pipes in we may find one along the road though I doubt we have that much time I can go reasearch creatures in the library and find a sutble one before we leave unless you need for something else?
__________________ Human Wizard:"The world is but a manifestation of the dreamings
Arden laughs. "Well, I'm not going to go running off looking for odd creatures just yet. Let's see what Marda has to tell us about her contact and then we can be off for the farms." Arden will trace their way through the streets and back to the Dawn House.
By the time you find your way back to the Dawn House, it is already midafternoon; you have spent much of the day traipsing around the city. Marda is in the main room when you arrive, tidying things up. "You've come just in time," she says with a smile as you enter, "I just finished getting together the information you'll need."
Marda hands Kleb two scroll cases. One is made of dark cherry wood. The other is a slightly rusted iron case. "Inside the wooden one you'll find a map to Karowick. I expect it will take you a day or two to get there so I've noted a few roadside inns along the way. I don't recommend camping out. Hokken is certain he found signs of a werewolf on the loose nearby. I've also taken the liberty of marking the location of the keep. You'll note the keep is not far from the town; perhaps an hour's walk at most.
"Once you arrive in Karowick, you should visit the Hogspride Tavern and Inn. A man named Gaman frequents the place in the evenings. You'll know him by his bushy black beard and bright blue eyes. He is of strong build and tall height; hard to miss him. When you think you have the right man, go up to him and ask if he happens to have any sheep for sale. He will respond with 'Wolves have taken my sheep, but I do have a prize llama.'
"The metal case contains a letter for Gaman. Give it to him once he gives you the password, and he'll take it from there. Do you have any questions?"
"Yes, just one question. Should we expect any direct aid from Gaman in regards to our assault on the tower or is this simply a side task and a means to meet a informed contact?"
__________________ My Involvement:
Spoiler:
Player of Doral Kinsman the Beguiler in Who Wants to Be a Wayfinder IC
"Honestly, I have no idea whether Gaman currently has the resources to offer you any material aid, although I am certain he will do everything in his power to ensure your success in the mission. At the very least he can guide you to the keep and give you his intelligence on the enemy."
"That's doubtful. Still time is of the essence. It is possible the orcs are gathering strength for something, perhaps a large-scale raid. If that happens before you get there the people of Karowick will suffer."
"Well, I don't suppose you have anything that might keep a werewolf at bay or know someone who sells such? We could spray our camp down with the stuff and then make it sooner rather than wait for daylight."
__________________ My Involvement:
Spoiler:
Player of Doral Kinsman the Beguiler in Who Wants to Be a Wayfinder IC
are not you as champion of justice prepared with such a weapon which shall smite foes and heretics and rid taint in the world faining alarm as he says it
__________________ Human Wizard:"The world is but a manifestation of the dreamings
are not you as champion of justice prepared with such a weapon which shall smite foes and heretics and rid taint in the world faining alarm as he says it
Micheal looks at Lestrivius and asks "If I may sir...what do you define as a heretic?"
"I've heard weapons coated with alchemical silver are effective tools against werewolves, but there is nothing to 'spray,' as you put it, that would keep a werewolf at bay. However, if you make haste and are willing to exert yourselves a little, you should make it to the first roadside inn not long after dark. I imagine your chances are quite good that you won't run into anything untoward if you are only in the dark for an hour or two. Walking with little more than the stars to light your path can be dangerous though so bring torches to help you stay on the road and avoid hazards."
Arden takes Marda's hands in her own. "Thank you, Marda. We'll certainly do our best to resolve this issue for you. Now since time is dear we'll hurry on towards Karowick, or at least as far as we can get this day. Fare well." She'll take her leave and head south as directed on the map in order to reach the first inn.
Linear Mode
And yet another word from our sponsors
