The Five in the Cave:
The party in the cave sets about drying themselves off a little, and Ebri heals herself a little with divine magic, refusing Melisande's offer of the rest of her healing potion - as the divine energy flows into the woman there's the gristly crunch of broken bones shifting back into position.
It seems that for the time being at least, they're safe, and Mel takes advantage of this to show her eye emblem amulet and vial of evocation shadowstuff to Meg'anna and Ebri, since they're both also spellcasters. No-one can puzzle out the shadow-in-a-bottle, but Ebri recognises the emblem as being the holy symbol of the Great Prophet, which she describes as a rare fringe cult. She's very interested in how Melisande came about it but before the aasimar can elaborate she suddenly realises she's being scryed. The apprentice bio-thaumaturges were trained to recognise the sensation of scrying spells back in the labs, and she is totally sure that's what she's experiencing now.
She panics, trying to pull the amulet off, but the clasp wont undo. Ebri acts more rationally, trying to calm Mel by grabbing the eye emblem and enclosing it in her fist. "Now it can see nothing, for the moment at least," she says, while questioning the upset sorceress as to how she came about the thing. Of course, she has no idea whether simply putting a hand over the eye will block the scrying but she hopes it will serve to allay the fears of the others and encourage calm thought. Mel describes how she came across it and the potions in the forest, a present from the shadow-figure - "It was a gift--a knife offered handle last, as they say in Carthagia." But as Ebri points out, it may be genuinely for her own good - they just don't know.
To make sure, they wrap in in a strip of cloth torn off Seb's trousers, and he offers to try and cut the chain of the unremovable amulet with his glaive. Even with a quick reduce spell to make the weapon a better suited size for the job, it proves impossible to break the chain and all they succeed in doing is damaging the glaives keen edge.
In the meantime, Sandslipper had wandered over to the rusty gate blocking the tunnel out, and the heavy earth genasi had knocked it open with one kick - it crashed against the tunnel wall loudly. They'd thought nothing of it for a while, but then air current of cool breeze had begun to stir in the previously still room, and from down the winding tunnel sounds could be heard. Mel recognised the high-pitched voices that they could hear as speaking draconic, and getting closer.
Amid the sound of approaching skittering and high-pitched chatter, the sorceress picks out one particular commanding voice:
"Whatever's down there, we'll kill it. Inform Asak to bring a war party and comb the tunnels if it evades us - nothing can defeat the Fire Snake! The silver head is with us, we are favoured, warriors! Good hunting!"
Of course the others can't understand the draconic but they can understand that the incoming creatures are now just around the corner, and they all flatten themselves as best they can amidst the stalagmites and against the cavern walls. Unfortunately it's too late to douse the light, and without it the humans wont be able to see anyway, so they know that whoever is approaching will know something is wrong. Mel tries to misdirect the creatures, calling back in draconic in a high-pitched voice about 'ogres and dreadspawn in the outer cave', but it doesn't seem to trick the figures, which can now be seen as shadowy shapes scuttling round the corner, all short and gremlin-like though they can't be made out clearly yet. Their weapons glint in the light though, and they hurl alchemists fire and slingstones as they close in, the authoritative voice yelling "Kill them!" Fortunately none of the barrage hits any of the party, who are mostly shielded by cover and shadows. Sandslipper prepares to manifest Skate on Sebastion, but avoids any more psionic manifestation than that because she needs reserves to keep her Inertial Armour up.
Then, as the short figures surge forwards to attack, the leader holds up a strange silvery skull in one hand, yelling more encouragement.
To the shock of the party, the skull then opens its jaws - and begins to speak in common!
"Ah, hello? Good to see some humans again, I must say. Watch out - the fellow holding me up here's a sorceror, I believe - just thought I should warn you!"
Wyshira, Kale and Burl:
Wyshira, Kale, Kaerval and Wolf discuss plans in the Mirrorscales over a meal. Eventually they settle on the following:
- Wyshira will wear a hooded cloak so that her odd skin colour is not obvious, and will wear plain clothes rather than priestly so that they can't trace back any link to the temple of Ishrak. She then will run towards the soldiers guarding the wizard as they head through the streets, screaming for help, as Wolf charges after her.
- Wolf pretends to be some brigand after Wyshira, with the hope he will draw the soldiers attention and perhaps even get some of them chasing off after him. By this point, Wyshira should be amongst the soldiers.
- Kaerval and Kale will wait nearby in a side alley. When the confusion happens, Kaerval will cast a sleep spell on the soldiers and Kale will sneak up to attack with his saps.
- As Kale closes on the wizard to try and grab him and run, Wyshira will unleash an Obscuring Mist spell to cover the getaway.
- Then, everyone runs hell for leather out of there!
One development during the discussion is that Kaerval doesn't intend to leave with them. Instead, he wishes to remain in Iril because there are so many opportunities for him as a bard that he just can't afford to pass up.
The next day, Kale pays a visit to an Irilson clerk in a shipping administration bureau, armed with his letter of introduction from Captain Marsans. His aim is to get the Irilsons to make sure the mercenary unit he deserted from, the Fuldarian Auxiliaries, don't come after him, in return for which the Irilsosn get the services of a competent freelanceer whenever they want them. It also serves as an 'in' with his patron house without having to involve the Amegrion family at all, since he doesn't get on well with his parents. The meeting is short, the bureaucrat making vague and disinterested promises but at least it means that his request has now been lodged, and will come to the attention of the relevant people eventually.
Both Wyshira and Kale then do a bit of information gathering, pulling up all sorts of interesting info about goings on in Iril. A bit later, the four meet up again at the north-western gate to prepare for their planned ambush.
Meanwhile Burl has been speaking to Tewlcroghen. His patron reveals to him that the strange black men are a mercenary company called the 'Black Hunters' that the Pendarmes have on retainer - they're all half-dragons, the children of some black dragon that was apparently killed, leaving its brood of halfbreed children with little other option than to strike out for their own. Tewlcroghen also tells Burl that if when he reaches Naseria he feels the need for aid, the Pendarmes have contacts within the noble House Fayen of that country, for Karai herself is of Fayen descent.
House Fayen are one of the five sorcerous noble Houses that rule Naseria. In particular, House Fayen is entirely elven and rules the elven settlements of the Fayen forests that cover much of the north-west of that nation.
The necromancer stes to work trying to make another healing salve, and this time is successful, then decides to visit Karai and say his goodbyes. He finds the elf up in her laboratory-observatory, all sorts of strange equipment like orreries and astrolabes and telescopes littering the place, a large one grinding round on gears and cogs as it realigns itsel in the centre of the room. The place is covered in a dome of blue stained glass, and the elf is gracefully wandering around the lab in a veridian green dress when Burl enters.
They converse for a bit, the wizard attempting to discover more of just how Karai and Tewlcroghen fit into the scheme of things, for instance why he never sees his patron outside of the man's chamber, but Karai remains cryptic, hinting also that Tewlcroghen can move around outside his room without Burl ever realising it is him. The wizard also touches on the matter of the death of Karai's sister, Morgrims mother, but it is evidently a sore spot for the elven woman and she becomes businesslike and brittle in demeanour - though from what she did say, she doesn't seem to have approved of her sisters husband. Realising he's put his foot in it, the necromancer quickly beats a retreat and retires to his room to await the guards who will be taking him to the temple.
It gets rapidly darker, and by the time Burl and the eight tough, chainmail clad warriors exit the Pendarme residence it is drizzling and the winds are getting up. There's the promise of a storm ahead, and the guards pull their heavy, hooded cloaks tight around them. Meanwhile, in the spot of ambush on the street, Wolf and Wyshira wait in position, while Kale and Kaerval lurk in a nearby alley. The mercenary slips on his onyx ring and immediately the dense shadows cling to him, making him harder to percieve as the two men wait silently.
The drizzle turns into a downpour of rain amd the winds get up; Wyshira changes from being nervous over the ambush to being excited over the storm, her eyes beginning to shine with a slight inner light. The guards escorting Burl meanwhile are rather less observant than they might usually be, more caught up in their own misery at the awful weather.
Wolf spots the procession approaching the ambush site, and they make final preparations. As the guards pass by the alley where the two K's are hiding, a stray glance from Burl stares in at the strangely moving shadows there and he locks eyes for a moment with Kale.
Lightning crashes amidst the thick storm-clouds overhead, and the guards stop in confusion as through the poor visibility afforded by the rain, they see a cloaked woman come running towards them, screaming in terror about her pursuer. A shadowy figure lopes after her, blade glinting in the light.
Another flash of lightning silhouettes Wolf's form behind her, and with a hiss of steel the soldiers all draw blades. Yet they are still uncertain and confused.
Burl is confused too. He knows there will be an ambush, but surely the mercenaries wouldn't use a woman as bait? Yet he can't be sure, and worriedly tightens his grip on his scroll of sleep that the Black Hunter had given him.
In the wind-blown street, torrential rain pouring down and hampering visibility, everything hangs on a knife-edge...
