(Casual D&D II) The Fellowship of the White Dove

[dpdx]

"Oh, nothing of the sort, thank the Light. I have a letter to deliver to him, after I am convinced that it is indeed safe to do so. They are letters from Sir Exantrius, or at least I think so. I would like to run some magicks upon the letters so that I can determine whether or not they are safe, is all. Your uncle is Chairman of the 'Council of Sages,' forgive me if I misremember the title, so I suppose Sir Exantrius, Pelor rest his soul, considered him the most important person in town."

Fendric considers a while, then rummages through his bag to produce the letter to Aesop. Placing the letter in front of him on the table, he touches his medallion with the other hand, and concentrating on the letter, casts Detect Evil.

 

[Guilt Puppy]

Chairman of the 'Council of Sages,'

"Counsel to the Jury of Sages," Ghant corrects, smiling. "But close enough. He definitely isn't the most important person in town, though -- popular opinion is, he's loony as a bat, and I'm not inclined to disagree."

He watches as you cast detect evil -- the letter does not detect as evil, by the way -- then grins, a bit amused.

"You really don't know what the Jury is, do you? They're some of the most well-studied arcanists from three continents -- granted, Uncle Aesop ain't much more than a glorified message-boy who reports back to 'em, but he'll have the thing well-analyzed before he opens it. But if you're especially worried, I'll tell 'im to be especially suspicious, and make sure not to miss anything."

 

[Festy_Dog]

Nurthk gains a degree of relief.

"Seems they'll be able to handle the letter then. If we're still around when they open it we should inquire as to the contents. Just to make sure it's alright we keep spreading these around," he says.

 

[dpdx]

"Counsel to the Jury of Sages," Ghant corrects, smiling. "But close enough. He definitely isn't the most important person in town, though -- popular opinion is, he's loony as a bat, and I'm not inclined to disagree."

"You really don't know what the Jury is, do you? They're some of the most well-studied arcanists from three continents -- granted, Uncle Aesop ain't much more than a glorified message-boy who reports back to 'em, but he'll have the thing well-analyzed before he opens it. But if you're especially worried, I'll tell 'im to be especially suspicious, and make sure not to miss anything."

"Whew - Praise the Heralds of Dawn, that is a relief." Fendric looks up from his spell, thankful that he can believe in something this trip, namely that he could presume he was doing the work of Sir Exantrius, and not his opposite...

"I'm terribly sorry, Mr. Ghant - indeed, the letter does say, 'Counsel to the Jury of Sages.' Forgive a road-weary young acolyte, I beg you. In any case, Sir Exantrius directed that the letter be delivered to none other than your Uncle Aesop, May the Light Reveal Him to be True. I merely had, erm, suspicions, May the Light Forgive Me, following the circumstances surrounding our delivery of the last two letters. One recipient had been kidnapped, presumably by death cultists, and the other, Visach Cheraul, must have indirectly precipitated that kidnapping by standing down the guard in the capital city!

This letter, for your Uncle Aesop, passes my circumspection. So I shall make sure he gets it, immediately upon the morn. However, if he is awake, still, and we can reach him without too much trouble, perhaps an evening stroll? I should like to at least note where my Temple is in this city.

And Nurthk is correct, that we should like to be present when your Uncle Aesop opens it. It IS addressed to him, alone, and need not concern the Jury if he does not wish it to. Perhaps then the morrow would be sufficient for its delivery - I believe the remainder of my companions are in various stages of undress for the night."

Fendric flags down the barkeep, and with another gold, buys another round for his friends, including Ghant.

 

[Guilt Puppy]

The gnome looks suddenly more serious, more interested in what you have to say.

"You think the letter may have played a part in causing the Battle for Bethel?"

Shavah's throat drops at the question, but she glances at Fendric, remaining silent.

Hiritus leans in, whispering a question into Fendric's ear: "Battle for Bethel?"

But Ghant is already up, gathering his coat. "Come along. If my uncle isn't awake, a few hard raps at the door'll change that." He turns, softening back his demeanor a little. "Oh, and if all looks well, perhaps on the way back we can discuss the matter of the full plate a little further."

Silently, Shavah hustles off to get Raven, while Oliver stays behind -- watches with keen interest, but stays behind nonetheless, hand across, singing softly:

"...don't be so forlorn, it's just the payoff
It's the rain before the storm..."

OOC: Lyric from David Bowie's Battle for Britain (The Letter)

 

[DrZombie]

Raven just finished drying and brushing his hair and beard, as Shavah starts knocking on the door."Shavah,you wouldn't happen to be handy with a pair of scissors, would you? I just had to evict a small familie of magpies from my beard, and ... Lemme guess. Fendric's in trouble? Pfff. That'll cost him a few beers. Allright, allright." He then puts on his leather armor and checks to see if his two-hander and short-swords are loose in their sheath. "Off we go. And I was looking forward to a nice night of carousing. Well, win somelose some"

 

[Festy_Dog]

"If we're going to deliver that letter now I'll not be taking any risks. Wait a minute and then I'll join you," Nurthk hurries to don his armour and collect his double axe before returning, "Ready when you are."

 

[Guilt Puppy]

Raven: "Carouse if you wish," Shavah says. "You got us across the mountains, which was everything you promised and more than we asked. I just thought you might be curious to see why."

She does her best to explain the conversation upstairs as she leads Raven to meet with the rest of the group...

Meanwhile, Hiritus fetches Niccolo from the stables, coming back just in time to see Ghant holler for a carriage.

As it arrives, Hiritus leans in toward Fendric, whispering beneath the sound of hoof and wheel: "Are you sure this is a good idea?"

 

[Uriel]

OoC:Back after comp craziness...and yes, Niccolo is in the stables, thoug he would pause long enough to get his share of the loot.


IC

Niccolo curries Alexander with one hand while offering the biscuits and mutton that he bought from the Innkeeper with the other, little gravy-coated lumps of greasy goodness, his fingers licked clean by the dog almost before they got messy.

 

[dpdx]

Meanwhile, Hiritus fetches Niccolo from the stables, coming back just in time to see Ghant holler for a carriage.

As it arrives, Hiritus leans in toward Fendric, whispering beneath the sound of hoof and wheel: "Are you sure this is a good idea?"

Fendric whispers back to him, concerned: "Speak your mind, Brother Hiritus - is it the going out at night, or do you detect taint?"

While he waits for another noisy moment to receive Hiritus' answer, Fendric turns to Ghant: "And what of this Battle of Bethel? Last I'd heard, Shavah here had her guard unit stood down, on account of the Visach, and I knew of Father Premule being kidnapped. But nothing about a Battle, as you say. What happened?"

Fendric hands Raven his share of the proceeds (Raven +250gp) when he comes down.