Cerebral Paladin's Storyhour (updated 4/22)

[Cerebral Paladin]

Session 17 (cont'd):

As the door opens, arrows streak down towards the visible members of the group from arrow slits in the boards covering the second story windows. Lhovrik and Melania are both wounded, but the archer aiming at Aurora misses. The group must have been spotted while sneaking around the building, but the attackers waited until they were sure it was a raid. Invisible figures unlocking the back door are hard to interpret as friendly.

Vannser reacts first, slipping through the backdoor and rushing through a large but poorly kept-up kitchen into a dining room. Two men in leather armor play cards at a small table, while a half-dozen other people simply stand about. The standing people where heavy cloaks and have veils or masks concealing their faces, leading Vannser to assume that they are undead. Vannser notes a door leading to a staircase into the basement, where he assumes Desi is being kept as a prisoner. The two men at the table, unable to see any foes but knowing that something is going on, ready their swords and begin looking for someone to fight. Aurora rushes forward into the doorway from the kitchen to the dining room and brandishes her holy symbol, crying "May the rays of Luirta drive you back to the places from which you came!" Rays of light shine forth from her sun disc and most of the figures in robes collapse into small piles of rags. Two of the robed forms recoil from her, but do not collapse, apparently the stronger undead that she detected.

The archers fire again, wounding Melania further, but she hurries into the kitchen where they cannot fire on her. Ginara tumbles past the guards and begins hurrying down the stairs into the basement. The basement is a largely open area, but it has a large prison or cage in each corner. Two ogres, each towering nearly ten feet tall and armed with a giant club, stand in the open area between the cages. The ogres are not secured at all, but Ginara notices that they have heavy iron collars around their necks and can see a large, badly healing wound on each right shoulder under the heavy cured hide armor. More importantly, Desi lies on a bunk in one of the cages, looking up at the noise of combat with a mixture of hope and fear on her face. She appears largely unharmed, although very dirty and unhappy. Sturdy chains secure her to the walls of her cell but give her a reasonable freedom of movement within the cell.

Lhovrik rushes into the kitchen and casts a Sleep spell at the only remaining targets. Fortunately, he positions the area of effect so that it does not include the invisible Vannser, and the two guards collapse into unconsciousness. The remaining robed figures move, shambling out of the dining room at the same time as another robed form shambles in. Dove trades blows with the presumed undead, but without much effect, while Vannser follows Ginara into the basement.

Ginara quietly creeps up to Desi's cage and scrawls out a note saying that Vannser and Desi's sisters have come to rescue her. Desi looks up in surprise and relief as the note appears before her and carefully tries to cover her reaction so the ogres will not realize that something is happening. The ogres grunt and yammer at each other, aware that something is happening upstairs but unable to do anything about it. Unfortunately, Ginara does not speak whatever language they are using and cannot understand them. As Vannser follows Ginara down, one of the ogres hears his armor clanking, but the dumb brute is unable to figure out what that could mean and does not try to attack its invisible foe.

Aurora finishes off the fight upstairs, turning the remaining undead. Lhovrik casts Sleep at the ogre he can see, but it resists his spell, while Melania fires her crossbow at it. The ogre begins attacking the staircase, apparently hoping to clear it out of the way so it can attack the foes who are pestering it from above. Its first blow shakes the staircase, but does not do much damage. The second ogre hears Vannser again, and finally realizes that there must be an invisible person present. It follows its usual plan of "kill first and eat the bodies later," but guesses incorrectly and swings its mighty club a good fifteen feet from where Vannser is actually.

Vannser concludes that the time has come to engage the foe and charges the ogre by the staircase, wounding it lightly. Sister Aurora casts a Hold Person, only to see the ogre shrug it off, not truly a person. Lhovrik casts his last Sleep spell and topples Vannser's target. Ginara charges the other ogre. With the advantage of her invisibility, she is able to badly wound it with her rapier, and it roars in pain and dismay. Dove rushes down the stairs to come to Ginara's aid, but the ogre slams its club into her as she approaches her, knocking her unconscious. The rest of the group hurries down the stairs, with Melania seeking to heal Dove. Sister Aurora tries another spell, commanding the ogre to "Fall!" But the ogre seems unable to understand her and is unaffected. Its mighty club crashes down near Ginara, but she nimbly steps aside. Lhovrik tries to Sleep the ogre again, this time with a scroll, but its will is too strong for the weaker magic in a scroll. Finally, Ginara tumbles behind the ogre, flanking it with Vannser, and finishes the brute off with a precise thrust of her rapier.

The group rushes to Desi's cage, promising that they will have her free in moments, as Ginara sets to work on the locks. Lhovrik encourages a newly healed Dove to finish off the sleeping ogre, and she happily lops its head off. After a minute or two of work, Ginara frees Desi from all of her chains, and she joyfully embraces her sisters and Vannser. She assures them that she's fine, although she was very scared. They ask about Marna, and Desi confirms that Marna was held in one of the other cells for the first day or so, but was then taken away. Sister Aurora sadly informs her sister that Marna was probably sold into slavery, but that they will strive to free her.

Sister Aurora and Dove head to the second floor, to deal with the archers. One of the archers is no longer there; apparently, that archer was a human who fled out of the windows when it was clear that his side was outmatched. Dove quickly smashes the other two archers, both animated skeletons.

The group searches the building quickly. Sister Aurora examines the wounds on the ogres' shoulders. They do not appear to be combat wounds, but are large areas where a quarter-inch or so of skin and flesh was cut away. An ugly mass of scar tissue was still forming at the time of their deaths. Sister Aurora and Ginara speculate that there may have been tattoos or brands there, although Lhovrik opines that the wounds are deeper than would be necessary to eliminate a tattoo.

With everything wrapped up, Vannser and the Skyrnath sisters take Desi back to her parents' house, where her parents are overjoyed to see her. Sister Aurora, hoping for another clue to trace back to Feldmar, asks Desi whether the kidnappers took her necklace. Desi is unable to remember for sure, but thinks they probably did. Unfortunately, she cannot provide any other helpful information, because she was struck from behind and knocked unconscious without ever seeing her attackers. Vannser quickly arranges for guards to watch Desi to prevent any further problems. Meanwhile, Lhovrik hires a coach, pays the driver a substantial bribe to not worry about why a young noble needs to transport some unconscious bodies from a building in the Docks to a house in the Noble Quarter, and takes the two thugs, along with Ginara, Melania, and a reluctant Olin, back to his house.

 

[Cerebral Paladin]

Session 17 (cont'd):

Lhovrik and Ginara quickly position the captives in the basement of the cath Kalissar townhouse. The basement is usually only used by the servants, but they figure that performing the interrogations there minimizes the danger of their parents interrupting. They are both glad to hear that their father is at his club and their mother is still occupied with her enchantment. Ginara sends a runner with a message to Kinric, telling him that they will not need the thing he was preparing and that she will come to speak to him soon. Their friends return from the Skyrnath household, determined to get information out of the captives.

The group separates the two thugs so they can interrogate them seperately. They choose one at random to begin with, and Sister Aurora casts her last Detect Thoughts. She then casts a Cure Minor Wounds to wake him up.

The thug is only too eager to spill everything he knows in hopes of leniant treatment. "My friend Gerrik told me that he had heard about some work. Just some guard work... It seemed like easy money, and they were offering a silver a day." Sister Aurora can hear the panicked thoughts easily. <I wish I knew more to tell them, but Gerrik took care of all the details.>

The questioners press for more information. "Can you tell me who you were working for?"

"I never knew his name. He was kinda thin, with light, messy hair. He came by every day, sometimes a couple of times a day." His thoughts confirm his statements.

"Anyone else?"

"One time the boss came with some other people, but I didn't get a look at them. He sent us upstairs while they did whatever they were there to do."

"Do you know what was going on in the basement?"

"Not really. We weren't supposed to look down there, just to keep other people out. I think there may have been some giants or monsters." The thugs thoughts confirm his lack of understanding. <They were probably involved in the underground pit fights. I bet we were watching some of the monsters for the fights...>

Sister Aurora pulls the rest of the group aside. "He's an idiot. We should interrogate his friend before my spell fails."

The group quickly wakes Gerrik. Unfortunately, Sister Aurora is unable to read anything from his mind. "Look, Gerrik, you should tell us what you know and we can make things go more easily for you."

Gerrik looks at his captors calmly. "Sure. I know a lot of useful information that you want to get. I'll tell you what you want to know if you let me walk when we're done."

"After what you did, we're not going to let you go. But we can make this easier or harder. You can determine whether you go to the Inquisitors or to the city watch."

Gerrik seems unimpressed. "It's not going to matter who you initially turn me over to. If you want my information, you're going to have to make me a meaningful offer."

Vannser shakes his head menacingly. "We can't agree to any deals like that."

"Then you'd best fetch the person who can."

"The Inquisitors will force the information out of you anyway. Telling us will make it easier on you."

"You're not offering anything that gets me anything."

The group withdraws from the room and discusses whether to torture him, but no one is really willing to go that far, especially because the Inquisitors will certainly take a dim view of it when they find out. Most of the group goes back in to threaten Gerrik a little more, while Sister Aurora remains outside, perhaps to allow a little more flexibility with the truth.

One of the servants comes down to access the supplies in the basement and is very surprised to see Sister Aurora. "Excuse me... may I ask what you're doing here?"

Sister Aurora flusters. "Lhovrik just wanted a place where we wouldn't be disturbed."

The servant stiffens up and gets a prim look on his face. "I see. Pardon my intrusion." He turns to leave.

Sister Aurora, embarrassed by his conclusion, proceeds on, "no, Lhovrik and Ginara and a whole group of our friends are down here. We just didn't want ..."

The servant, increasingly confused and worried, hurries away.

The interrogations conclude without any more information. Gerrik is clearly the leader of the thugs, but he refuses to talk without an offer of freedom. Everyone is adamant about not letting any of the captives go. Concluding that they have done as much as they can, the group prepares to transport the captives to the local Inquisitors station. They start by knocking the captives unconscious again.

While they begin their preparations, the butler pulls Lhovrik aside. "Master Lhovrik, if I could have a word with you?"

"Yes, what is it?"

"You seem to have bothered one of the other servants by having a group of your friends visit you in the basement."

"Oh, I'm sorry. We just didn't want to be interrupted by any of the other servants. We were having an important conversation."

"I understand, m'lord. In the future, you should come to me. It's my job to make sure that the other servants are out of your way when you do not wish to be interrupted. I can't do my job if you do not keep me informed, and it is much less disruptive to household order and discipline for me to simply keep the servants away from your rooms than to have to deal with the servants wondering what the family is doing in the basement."

"I understand. I'll take more care in the future."

"Thank you, Master Lhovrik."

While Lhovrik deals with the butler, Ginara quickly hurries the whole group out the servant's entrance to the cellar and bundles the captives into the family carriage. By the time Lhovrik is done, he only needs to walk into the carriage house and join his friends.

 

[Cerebral Paladin]

Session 17 (cont'd):

They quickly drive to the Inquisitors. They begin explaining their business and are shown in to a private office. An Inquisitor sits behind a heavy desk. One of the Watcher celestials perches on the Inquisitor's shoulder, wings extended and unblinking eyes staring in every direction.

The group quickly explains everything, omitting Kinric's involvement but mentioning the ransom demand. Lhovrik stresses that he came to the Inquisitors about this matter earlier, while Ginara pushes her theory that this is part of the same Nusaybian plot as the incidents in Lir Galdra. The Inquisitor mostly listens quietly, periodically asking for clarifications or elaborations.

When they finish, the Inquisitor berates them for not bringing the ransom demand to the Inquisitors immediately. Vannser responds that he was worried the Inquisitors would not care enough about Desi's life, but the Inquisitor is unimpressed. "A military officer of all people should understand the threat posed by an effort to steal the Commander's Seal. Your concern about saving one life may have endangered thousands."

Ginara tries to get some information from the Inquisitor. "Do you know why stealing the Seal so quickly mattered? We figure they must want to get it before the new governor is inaugurated. Do you know why that would matter?"

The Inquisitor refuses any answer. After they finish explaining what they know, the Inquisitor informs them that they may leave.

End of Session 17

 

[Cerebral Paladin]

Session 18:
5/30, afternoon:

After finishing with the Inquisitors, most of the group returns to the cath Kalissar townhouse. Vannser heads directly to the Skyrnaths, so he can comfort Desithia. As they enter, the butler steps forward to Ginara with a sealed message on a silver platter. She notes that the seal is blank, and ignores Lhovrik's griping about her sharing information with Kinric. She quickly opens the letter.

Please come see me as soon as convenient.

If you have prisoners, bring them with you, or leave them in a safe place and I'll arrange to have them picked up.

--K.

Ginara looks up from the note. "I need to go talk to Uncle Kinric. Does anyone want to come with me?"

Dove nods. "I'll come."

Sister Aurora looks at her friends. "We need to get Marna back. It's my family's responsibility."

"I'm happy to help with that," Melania says. "The first step will be to check the city slave market."

Lhovrik gestures at the ragged rips in the group's clothes. "We should probably clean up first. We'll be less obvious that way."

The butler steps back into the room. "Master Lhovrik, Mistress Ginara, we have laid out fresh clothing for each of you in your rooms."

"Thank you. Can you take care of our friends as well?"

"That shouldn't be a problem, m'lord. We have clothes that will suit most of them, and I'll have the maid use the Mending Stick on Sister Aurora's vestments during her bath."

A little later, the two groups depart.

Dove and Ginara travel across the nice sections of the city to Kinric's office in Dro Sanek.

Ginara quickly describes the recent events. Kinric smiles. "I'm glad that you're sister was recovered safely," he says to Dove. "All of you handled the situation very well. It's a little unfortunate that you turned the prisoners over to the Inquisitors..."

"But aren't they the right people to handle things like that?"

"Yes, but the prisoners would have been more useful to me. The Inquisitors tend to not be very interested in exchanging spies, and when the Nusaybians capture my people, I try to get them back. Still, the most important thing is that you saved your friend. And turned up some interesting leads as well."

Kinric pauses. "I have some further news about the Lir Galdra incident. I sent an agent to look into matters at the Aretash monastery here in Lir Sanek. He was supposed to check in, but he's missed the last two. I suspect they've killed him.

"That may not mean much. The Aretash are touchy about their secrets, and may have just killed him because he was looking around in places where he wasn't welcome. And while we don't officially recognize their claim that their inner sancta are extraterritorial, we don't contest the claim. It's very delicate. If a conflict comes with Nusaybia, it's essential that the Aretash remain at least neutral."

"They may already be choosing to not be neutral..."

"I know, but I can't give them reasons to not be. I would really like to get his body back, though. Feel free to investigate further, but don't create any incidents. And be careful, if you do... Cathen was a much more experienced operative than you are."

Kinric opens a drawer in his desk and removes a set of small pieces of parchment. "There is a ball celebrating the new governor's installation tomorrow evening. You and you're friends should attend." He tosses the invitations across to Ginara and Dove. "Just let my people know who to expect so we can include you on the security list."

"Can we talk to you at the ball?"

"I will be on duty, of course. You should also be a little careful about being seen around me. There are some people who know my role, and you don't want to be identified as connected to me."

Ginara and Dove head back to the city. As they walk away, Ginara excitedly says to Dove, "Did you hear that? Uncle Kinric called me an operative!"

 

[Cerebral Paladin]

Lhovrik, decked out in a particularly foppish outfit, smiles at Sister Aurora and Melania. "I feel like shopping for a slave." His efforts at levity are not rewarded, but the group soon reaches their destination. The slave market is in the Docks, but near the Merchants Quarter. One side of the market abuts the main avenue that separates the two quarters. Usually, the areas near the border are the nicest sections of the Docks; Melania lives in one of those neighborhoods for precisely that reason. But the area around the slave market has an oppressive feel to it, and seems to draw many shady people.

The slave market itself is a sprawling complex. A stout wooden palisade with guard towers manned by archers surrounds the entire complex. Near the main entrance are a collection of nicely appointed buildings decorated with banners and signs; barkers stand outside each of these buildings trying to convince the customers that their employer is the best merchant to use. Beyond those buildings, the various slave pens sprawl, occupying most of the complex.

After a quick discussion of strategy, Melania waits at a nearby tavern, busking to pass the time, while Lhovrik and Aurora head in to the complex.

Lhovrik and Aurora walk past the barkers and in among the cages. The slaves are roughly sorted, so several cages are filled with strong,unskilled adult laborers and another is filled with human children and so forth. After a few minutes of searching, Lhovrik and Aurora find the set of cages filled with halflings. They begin carefully examining the halflings inside; while a few of the halflings look somewhat similar to Marna, they cannot find her. After a while of searching, a young halfling man bounds up to the edge of the cage.

"Looking for a servant, m'lord? I'll do great work as a valet or household servant, or whatever you need!"

Lhovrik shakes his head. "I'm sorry. We're looking for a specific halfling." He briefly describes Marna.

"Can't say I've seen anyone like that. But you should buy me anyway. I can do domestic work, and I'm sure I can do anything that she can." He pauses for a second. "Well, almost anything..."

Sister Aurora and Lhovrik finish their search of the halfling cages. They make a quick swing around the rest of the cages, in case Marna ended up in the wrong cage. They do find some other halflings scattered about, but no Marna. After about an hour of searching, they return to the tavern where Melania has been waiting and give her the news.

Lhovrik says to Melania, "Don't be afraid to spend really prodigious amounts of money to get her back. You may need to."

"You know, Lhovrik, not all of us have prodigious amounts of money..."

Lhovrik hands Melania a heavy purse. "This should take care of it."

Melania walks straight in towards the barkers and merchants. She heads straight towards the largest building, and says to the barker outside, "I'm looking to buy a slave."

"Then you've come to the right place. My principal has the best selection in Lir Sanek."

He leads her into a large room where several people are bustling around. A heavy, balding man looks up at her. The slave merchant is dressed in fine, expensive clothing, with some gaudy jewelry as well.

"Good afternoon. I'm Brek Ferund."

"And I'm Melania. I'm hoping you can help me out."

Brek smiles. "First things first. Are you buying or selling?"

"Buying."

"I'm sure I can meet your needs then. I have the finest and largest selection in all of Lir Sanek." At a gesture from Brek, a servant brings over two glasses of wine. Melania makes a show of sipping hers, but does not actually drink much. Brek does the same with his glass. "What sort of slave are you looking for?"

"I'm actually looking for a specific slave, a halfling maidservant." Melania describes Marna. "She was sold by mistake-- my friends were going through a confusing time. But she has a lot of sentimental value, and they want to get her back."

"Ah. About when was she sold?"

"Within the past few days."

"I don't think I've seen any new slaves that match that description, but let's take a look to be sure."

Brek leads Melania to a set of slave pens filled with halflings. They search for Marna, but to no avail. Brek then leads Melania to another set of halfling holding areas, but again, there's no Marna to be found.

As they head back to his office, Melania slips a few silver to Brek, "Thank you for your help. If you do see a halfling that matches the description, let me know. My friends would be willing to pay to get her back." Melania gives Brek her address.

"I'll certainly keep my eyes open. If any of the other merchants acquire her, I should find out fairly quickly, and I'd be happy to work as your friends' agent and acquire her."

"I'm worried that in the confusion, my friends may have sold her to a less reputable merchant."

Brek sighs theatrically. "Many people try to set up deals outside the legitimate trade to save a few gold on fees. But those fees pay for the reliability and service we provide. You know when you buy from me that everything is perfectly above board. Because I only deal in merchandise that I know was fairly purchased, I don't deal with any of the less reliable, unofficial dealers."

"Do you know any of your fellow merchants that might be a little less careful?"

"We're all guilded, of course, and the guild tries fairly hard to eliminate any unsavory business practices." Brek looks around to make sure no one is likely to overhear him. "But you might try Salish Verr. I think he may cut some corners and deal with some underground sources. Not that you heard it from me, of course." Brek smiles at Melania, who passes him a little more of Lhovrik's money.

"Thanks for all your help."

"My pleasure. You know, I understand the sentimental attachment that your friends had to their servant. But they'll still need someone to take care of her tasks. If we can't find their old slave, I'd be happy to help them get a good replacement."

"Thanks. I'll keep you in mind."

Melania heads to the smaller, less ostentatious building Salish Verr operates. Salish is a younger man, with a compact, heavily muscled frame and a nasty scar on the left side of his jaw that is only mostly concealed by his thick beard.

"How can I help you?"

"I'm looking to buy a halfling maidservant."

Salish frowns. "I don't have a big stock of halflings. Most of my slaves are human laborers..."

"I'm looking for a specific halfling." Melania describes Marna again. "My friends sold her by accident and are trying to get her back."

"Hmm. I don't think that I've seen that halfling. Do you know who they sold her to? Brek Ferund handles most of the halfling trade."

"I'm afraid that it may not have been to a legitimate dealer."

"I'm not surprised. Guild dealers have rules to prevent these sorts of things, but underground dealers will try to rush in to make deals without following the rules, like when a death in the family leaves people desperate to settle newly discovered debts." Salish rubs his chin. "I can keep my eyes open, of course. If the dealers try to sell the halfling to a legitimate dealer, I'll buy her to hold onto her for your friends. But if they make a direct sale, there won't be much I can do."

"Thanks for your help."

"You might also check out some of the institutional buyers-- inns, taverns, maybe a brothel. But in order to do a full search would take a full time agent, and wouldn't be cheap."

"Thanks. I'll see whether my friends are interested in going that far."

 

[Cerebral Paladin]

Session 18, cont'd:
Later that afternoon, Sister Aurora travels to the employers of Marna's mother.

"You wanted to see me, ma'am?"

"Yes... you know that we've been trying to rescue my sister and your daughter." Sister Aurora struggles to find a way to say this gently. "We were able to rescue my sister, but Marna had already been sold into slavery by the kidnappers. We're still trying to get her back...."

Marna's mother miserably forces herself to say, "I'm glad your sister is safe."

"We'll find her. Did Marna have any other skills that might help us figure out who would have bought her?"

"I trained her well in cleaning, cooking, and other skills a domestic servant would need. Other than that... she is a little light footed, but I taught her to be honest." The halfling woman chokes back tears. "We all know that there's a chance that slavers will kidnap our children, but you always hope that you'll be the lucky family..."

Sister Aurora frowns. "Wait... how common is it for slavers to kidnap halflings?"

"Everyone knows a family that has lost a child that way. I'm not sure how common it is, but it's a fact of life in the Halfling Quarter." Marna's mother thinks for a second. "It's probably a little less common than it seems. After all, a family wouldn't want to admit that one of their sons couldn't support himself and had to go to the slave merchants. It might be easier to say that he was kidnapped. But enough of the families have to be telling the truth, and everyone knows a family that lost a child that way..."

"I'm sorry again for your loss. I promise that my family will bring Marna back to you."

* * * *

That evening, Lord Lhovrik greets his mother as she emerges from another long day of enchanting in her lab. "Mother, may I speak with you about the Skyrnath kidnapping?"

"Of course, dear. Have you made any progress in finding the poor girl?"

"Yes, we rescued her earlier this afternoon. My question is about some discoveries we made during the rescue."

"Oh, I'm very glad to hear that. What did you find?"

"Desithia was guarded by two ogres, in addition to some more readily explained guards. Do you have any idea how someone could have gotten ogres into the city? Is it legal to own ogres?"

"Ogres... that's very odd. I suppose they could have captured them. There are wild ogres in the hills in parts of the Empire, although they have been wiped out close to Lir Sanek, so they would have had to transport them some distance. Ogres fall into a gray category... I'm not sure if it's illegal to hold them as slaves, but tolerated for some heavy work like construction, or legal, but heavily frowned on."

"Can you think of any way that they might have been gotten besides capturing them?"

"I can think of one other place I've heard of ogres. But it's illegal, and very dangerous. You must promise that you won't investigate it yourself."

"Don't worry. I won't tell Ginara."

"I'm glad you understand." Lady cath Kalissar smiles. "You know that there are illegal pit fights in the bad parts of town? I've heard that some of the pit fights use ogres, at least some of the time. I don't know how common it is, because I don't visit such vile places. But the kidnappers might have bought the ogres from the people who run the pit fights."

"Thank you. That's useful to know."

"Oh, I thought you might want to know that we've received invitations to the Governor's Gala, for myself, your father, and you. Your father and I won't be attending, but if you want to, just let the butler know so he can make preparations."

"Thank you, Mother. I may."

* * * *

Melania continues the search by checking out some of the inns and taverns in the area. She neither sees Marna, nor hears anything about her when she asks some of the staff.

 

[Cerebral Paladin]

Session 18, cont'd:
6/1

The next day is full of festivities and ceremony, as the new governor takes office. None of our heroes pay the celebrations any mind, however, choosing to work on practicing their respective skills instead. After many hours of hard work during the day, they are eager for the Gala in the evening.

The preparations are largely uneventful. Dove and Sister Aurora offer a spare invitation to their sister Desi, but she declines it with a wan smile. "Thank you; Vannser had already asked me if he should try to get an extra invitation for me, but I just don't feel ready for a big event yet. I think I'll just stay home, where I feel safe."

Sister Aurora and Dove exchange worried glances. Before her kidnapping, Desi would have viewed the opportunity to attend a state ball as a prize beyond price. But even now that she has been freed, it will take time for the emotional wounds to heal.

Melania spends some time getting a suitably fancy outfit, since the only comparable clothes she has are for entertaining at parties, not enjoying them. She asks Ginara if she would like to come with her while she tries on possible dresses and Ginara surprises her with the enthusiasm of her response; Melania never thought that Ginara had much interest in clothing.

As the time of the Gala draws near, the whole group gathers at the cath Kalissar townhouse. Following their usual somewhat antisocial ways, Lhovrik and Ginara's parents have declined their invitations and are neither hosting a gathering nor attending any of the numerous pre-parties in the elite social scene. On the upside, this allows Lhovrik to commandeer the family carriage without any difficulty. The butler seems slightly nonplussed when the Skyrnaths arrive on foot, but he maintains a steady expression, and everyone climbs into the carriage with the assistance of the more junior servants who are spending the night as footmen.

The trip to the Governor's Palace is uneventful and short. The Palace, in the heart of the Noble Quarter, is designed for massive social events like this. A swarm of carriages surround the gated walls of the Palace grounds. As the cath Kalissar carriage approaches the gate, Dove and Ginara notice that one of the guards atop the guard tower is scanning the area vigilantly through unusual lenses over both eyes. A footguard approaches the carriage and looks at each occupant while confirming that they are on the list of expected guests. This guard wears a monocle, much like the one that Kinric has used on occasion. Seeing that everything is in order, he waves the carriage through the gate.

The carriage rolls around a great U in front of the enormous Palace. The Palace is ornate yet tasteful; while it is impossible to not realize how expensive it must be, it is mostly breathtaking for its beauty. Great domes rise up from the Palace, in the finest Imperial style, and a splendid, sprawling garden extends beyond the building itself.

The cath Kalissars and their guests head into the Palace. Protocal suggests that they should attend the formal reception in one of the great ballrooms. They thus join a long line of guests awaiting the opportunity to greet the Prince, the Governor, and the other high dignitaries. The crowded line mills slowly forward. Most of the people in the line are humans, although there are a smattering of halflings and a few more exotic peoples; Sister Aurora perks up with interest when she catches a glimpse of a wolfen wearing the regalia of a Champion. Melania looks around attentively, hoping to find Yeron Moril, or at least Andolin cath Deliton, and is pleased to spot Yeron further forward in the line. As they finally reach the doorway into the ballroom, they pass by Captain Taledra cath Varish, on duty in her capacity as captain of the Governor's Footguard. She smiles and nods at them, but otherwise remains at her post, staring out at the crowd through a monocle.

The ballroom is spacious but mostly filled. Along the far wall, a line of dignitaries sit or stand on a prominent dais. In the center, His Imperial Highness Gallus cath Belath, Prince of Arnesia sits on a raised throne. The Prince almost shines with a radiance of his own. He looks to be in his thirties or early forties, although the better informed members of the group know that he is, in fact, well over a century in age. On his right hand sits the new Governor, bedecked in all the formal insignia of his office, as well as a variety of other decorations including his Champion's sash. To the Prince's left sits a man wearing the unmistakable vestments of a lord of the Church-- Metropolitan cath Sanek, the highest ranking cleric in Lir Sanek or the surrounding lands. Near the Metropolitan, but standing off the dais, are two other religious leaders: an elderly woman wearing a silver sickle and formal gray robes and an Aretash monk surrounded by a few other, clearly deferential monks. Sister Aurora is sure that the woman is Archdruid Riothan, while the monk must be the Abbot of the Aretash monastery of Lir Sanek.

Lhovrik, for his part, notices that the dais is also attended by two wizards of great reknown: Archmage Lorak cath Galdra, reputed to be the most powerful mage in Lir Sanek, and Grand Master Selendrina, the head of the guild mages. Consistent with the attitude towards guild mages that Lhovrik has learned from his mother, the Archmage appears to be largely ignoring the guildmistress. Unlike all of the other figures on or near the dais, very few people seem interested in paying their respects to the arcane masters.

While the dais displays some of the great personages of the Empire, the left wall of the ballroom is dominated by some of the strange delegations that imperial ceremonies attract. Closest to the entry door, and surrounded by a wide area that the crowd seems uninterested in entering, a large, six-foot diameter orb floats. The rough sphere is dominated by a single, giant eye over its gaping maw. At the top of the sphere, ten eyestalks project upwards, looking around in every direction at once. The eyestalks project through a finely made piece of clothing that hangs down from the beast, making the creature look like a cloth cylinder except for the open area in the front from which the mighty main eye stares out. Sister Aurora easily identifies the creature as a beholder, one af the most feared creatures of all. The beholder floats above a silver disk on the floor that has arcane symbols inscribed around its edge.

Further into the room, a small cluster of elves stand. The elves are tall and elegant, wearing fine silver robes that could be silk, but might be the famous elven chain that is stronger than steel mail yet as light as cloth. The leader of the elves is one of the few people besides the guards who bears a weapon: a long sword with an exquisite white rose at the pommel rests on the elf's hip. The elves quietly talk among themselves, occasionally staring at the Prince and Governor, but ignoring the humans around them the rest of the time.

The remaining groups along the left wall are small human delegations. The closer group is smaller, only three people. The leader wears a long armless robe that hangs open in the front, while his two attendants are dressed in fine but unremarkable courtiers clothing. The last group is a handful of humans dressed in clothing similar in style to imperial fashion yet subtly different. Each member of this group has a chestful of bright ribbons and medals; the apparent leader, an attractive middle-aged woman, has far more ribbons and medals than any of her companions.

Sister Aurora immediately heads towards the beholder. Lhovrik tags along nervously. "I really don't think we should be going near that thing."

"But think of the opportunity to learn about it. When else are we likely to get an opportunity to see a beholder up close?"

"Hopefully never..."

Sister Aurora stands in front of the monstrosity, considerably closer than anyone else has been willing to approach. Most of its eyes continue to survey the crowd, but one eyestalk focuses on her. "You may perform an obeisance."

Sister Aurora bows awkwardly. "I am Sister Aurora of the Rays of Truth. This is Lhovrik cath Kalissar."

The creature turns a second eyestalk to examine Lhovrik. "You are a human nable. Who are your most significant ancestors?"

Lhovrik relunctantly tells the beholder a little about his parents and then briefly describes some of his more prominent but more distant ancestors. The beholder listens patiently.

Sister Aurora asks, "Who are you, and what brings you here?"

"I am Ixithilrix, of the true breed beholder city. I have come to observe your political event and to gain knowledge."

"The true breed beholder city? Where is that?"

The creature stares at Sister Aurora with one of its small eyes. "That is very valuable information. What information do you have to offer in exchange?"

"I'm afraid that I don't have a lot of information that you would find valuable..."

"Then this conversation has little further point."

Lhovrik finally manages to convince Sister Aurora to come away from the creature.

"That was fascinating."

"I'm just glad that it was only an illusion, presumably with some divination to allow it to perceive us. At least, I hope I read those runes right."

The rest of the group notices that Kinric has approached the human delegation with the ribbons and medals and is exchanging some friendly banter with the lady that leads the delegation. After a few minutes, he slips away.

A clumsy member of the crowd thwarts Kinric's efforts to approach Ginara stealthily. "Ginara, while you're here, you might want to speak to the Nusaybian ambassador. It could be worthwhile for you to make her acquaintance." Kinric smiles at Ginara and slips off through the crowd.

Ginara gamely makes her way across to the ambassador. She curtsies and introduces herself. The ambassador smiles in response and tries to make up for the awkwardness of Ginara's efforts at small talk. After a minute or so, Ginara decides that she has adequately followed Kinric's suggestion and heads back to her friends.

As they slowly make their way up to the dais where the most honored guests sit, Ginara carefully watches the Nusaybians for any signs of interactions between the Nusaybians and the Aretash monk who stands near the Metropolitan. She does see one Nusaybian approach the monk, genuflect deeply, and have brief conversation with the monk before receiving a blessing and returning to his compatriots, but it's hard to see anything sinister in that.

After quite a long time in the reception line, the group reaches the honored guests at the dais. The Prince greets each of them and the Metropolitan makes the sun disk of blessing over each of them, much to Sister Aurora's excitement. As they approach the Governor, an aide whispers their names in his ear. The Governor looks with a smile at Lhovrik and Ginara. "What are your parents' names?"

"Karina cath Kalissar and Loraton cath Kalissar-Valnay, your Grace."

"Ah... I thought so. I met them in the South, during the war. They were good people. I'm sure you will also be a credit to four family."

Dove notices that, in addition to the Governor's regalia of office and his Champion's star and sash, he has another medal, which is awarded to heroes who are killed in the service of the Empire and then restored to life. She is suitably impressed, whispering to her friends as they walk away, "The Governor was killed in action in the war against the kobolds. That's hard core..."

Having paid their respects, the group begins to head on to the rest of the party. Before they leave the room, though, they notice a man, Nusaybian based on his dress and the couple of ribbons on his breast but not part of the ambassadorial party, approach the Governor. The Governor's face shows surprise and pleasure, and he firmly clasps the man's forearm. The Governor speaks to his aide, who leads the Nusaybian towards a small door to the green room.

Sister Aurora catches Sir Kinric's eye, although perhaps less suavely than could be hoped. He makes his way across the crowded room.

"Do you know who the Nusaybian speaking to the Governor is?"

"I'm afraid I don't, Sister Aurora. But it is interesting... I'll have to see what I can find out." Kinric slips away from the group, and the group leaves the main ballroom.

Melania finds Yeron picking up a drink and walks over to him. He smiles warmly, "Ah, Melania, I was hoping I might see you here."

"It's good to see you as well, Yeron. How have you been since our trip to the North?"

"Quite well. I have had to deal with some rather tiring business at work-- interminable old disputes that take many people's time and yet never seem to be finished. But otherwise, I've been well. And yourself?"

"I've been well. I've been thinking about a conversation we had on the trip north. You mentioned the possibility af my being involved in more diplomatic work, and that's something I would like to pursue."

"Glad to hear it. I think there are some tasks that we could use your skills on. Come by my office some day in the next week or so and I'll introduce you to the people you need to know."

"Thank you, I appreciate it."

 

[Cerebral Paladin]

Session 18, cont'd:
Sister Aurora, meanwhile, strikes up a conversation with an older Wolfen, enjoying the opportunity to practice her language skills. They enjoy a pleasant walk through the gardens, growling and barking at each other about Wolfen society, while Lhovrik follows them around dejectedly.

After some time, Lhovrik heads to refresh his drink, and meets his friend Balthrin cath Helur, who introduces him to Ayendar cath Coritz. Ayendar's family is a prominent colonial family, but Ayendar is travelling the Empire. He demonstrates an impressive awareness of cath society in the South, even knowing that Lhovrik's parents spent some time there during the war. Lhovrik quickly concludes that Ayendar's breathing is a waste of air and heads away. As he leaves, Ayendar says something unintelligible to Balthrin, who responds by smacking him lightly. Lhovrik figures that the less he learns about what that was about, the better.

Ginara and Dove have a pleasant conversation with Calia cath Nortis, who regales them with her father's ongoing efforts to marry her off advantageously. They express their sympathy, shortly before Lhovrik walks by. As Lhovrik approaches, Melor-Major appears as if out of nowhere to continue his campaign to recruit Lhovrik for his family. Lhovrik calls over Sister Aurora. "You remember Sister Aurora, Melor? She's my date tonight." This declaration has the desired effect of thwarting Melor-Major, and provokes a smile of gratitude from Calia. Sister Aurora, however, is thoroughly disconcerted by it.

Ayendar approaches Ginara and invites her to accompany him on a tour of the Palace's famed art galleries. Ginara deflects his tipsy flirting for some time until Melania comes by to help her friend out, only to trigger an awkward yet offensive discourse on the importance of ancestry in determining character. Ginara understands the insinuation, but remains civil while Ayendar defends the importance of noble birth.

Having had about enough of the gala, the group returns to their carriage and travels back to the cath Kalissar townhouse, where they exchange stories of their experiences before the carriage takes the Skyrnaths and Melania home.

6/2-6/5

The next several days pass uneventfully.

On the evening of the 5th, Melania goes to a tavern that has a lively card game in the backroom, with stakes that are still meaningful despite the profits of her adventures. She joins in, and after a few hours of play is a little ahead. One of her fellow players, a bulky man named Rorgin, has been less lucky, losing most of his money to a third player. Between hands, he pulls out a strange coin minted from a dull grey metal. Rorgin asks the winning player if he would advance him some money against the coin. The other player frowns. "How much is the coin worth?"

Rorgin smiles. "Several hundred gold. Watch." Rorgin takes the coin and an iron fork from one of the plates. He hammers the coin into the fork, nearly cutting the fork in two. The coin is unchanged, its edge as sharply cut as before he began.

Rorgin and Melania's mutual opponent grunts. "I'll spot you a hundred gold against the coin." Rorgin hands the coin over, and the game continues.

While they play, Melania asks Rorgin where he got the strange coin. "Ah, I needed a loan a while back. I found some people who were happy to help, and they gave me some of the money as that coin."

After a few hours, Rorgin has done well enough to claim his coin back. Melania notices that the other player holds onto it a little bit longer than he should, forcing Rorgin to tug on the coin a little to get it back.

 

[Cerebral Paladin]

Session 18, cont'd:

Across town, Ginara meets with Kinric to discuss the gala.

"How did your conversation with the Nusaybian ambassador go, Ginara?"

"Not bad. Is she a friend of yours?"

"A friend? No."

"Oh. I thought you might have set up my conversation with her, so I could practice my skills."

"No. It wouldn't be safe for you if Countess keth Allis associated you with me. If she ever had me within Nusaybia, she would have me put to death." Kinric pauses. "Did you notice the ribbons and medals she wore? Those represent various Nusaybian orders. Every Nusaybian is a member of some orders, and the nobles are members of many. The Countess knows that I swore loyalty to the King of Nusaybia to join some of those orders- you have to in order to find out anything useful there. If I ever return to Nusaybia, the Countess would take a certain pleasure in ensuring I was punished for not remaining true to those orders."

Ginara's eyes widen. "Oh. I didn't understand..."

Kinric smiles. "Just don't agree to join a Nusaybian order lightly."

"Speaking of Nusaybians, do you know who the Nusaybian that the new governor greeted was?"

"I don't. That was a curious thing. Especially because he had a strange mix of orders. Many of the more obscure orders, and none of the royal orders. I don't really know what to make of that, but it's definitely worth keeping our eyes and ears open."

End of session 18