Planes to Shape, Secrets to Keep... (Dromus)

[Mad Hatter]

OOC- Feiran is female, Zerth.



This woman appreciates fine breeding in an animal and such style! I like her already! Perhaps I should have worn the trappings of my office a Legate-Candidate? No, such an act would draw far too much attention, not to mention the unmitigated arrogance in such a gesture. I can only imagine what the local guard will think: "Secret meetings? Under the cover of night in a seemingly abandoned warehouse? Only reason for this is treason of some sort! We'll work it out later. Escort them to the jails!" On second thought, this'll be great! I have been bored lately...

With a shake of her head and a clear voice, Feiran says: "Please forgive me, Narine. I did not mean to ignore you. I was too intent on my beloved scoundrel of a friend, Adinal. As for the monkey, he's a colobus by the way, he does have a name. His name is Grax, pay him more compliments and there'll simply be no living with him. His impeccable breeding and conformation is a testament to my skills. You know how it works, Adinal, to name is to know. Thus the only conclusion to be reached is this: to name imprecisely is to know imprecisely, which leads to all sorts of thoughts against the noble rank. The nobility stands on ceremony and formalities to determine the station of another, thus to have a short name is to be uncertain of one's status. Or so I'm told. I'm not exceptionally fond of the pomp and circumstance of the nobility, but we must know the rules. And yes, Adinal, mead would work wonders for my disposition. It has been one of those days. So...since we are missing at least another person, getting to know one another can only be to our advantage."

So we are to have others...hmmm. Illira seems...uncertain. Could this be an act? If it is, she could make a living on the stage. Ahhh... and this Minaesbart is playing the gallant scoundrel. Interesting indeed. What part shall this group play in grand drama that is Dromus? Curiouser and curiouser...

 

[rangerjohn]

Kestral was very distraught. This city that Illiria had led him to was as much a warren as a Quillathe. He was making his way to the meeting that Illiria had made with this Adinal, person, with he assumed Illiria right behind. He rounded a corner, and turned behind him to check with Illiria, to not only find no alley, but no Illiria! Finding no way, to whence he had come, he made his way to the meeting. Perhaps, this Adinal can help me find her. After all, he is a native of the city. He thinks. Making his way into the bar/warehouse, he is releaved to see Illiria. " What happened to you? I turned around and you were gone."


OOC:Character up in correct format in RG. Kellis, what is the weight of the Planar touch stones?

 

[Zerth]

Illira

(Mad hatter: Of course. I've edited my previous post.)

Illira was visibly glad to see the elf finally arrive. "Kestrel!" she shouted excitedly sprinting to him. "What do you mean, where I went? We've been waiting for you. I don't care where you were as long as you're here now," she said and even smiled a bit for the first time since arriving here.

She didn't even realize herself, that she had absent-mindedly wandered away from Kestrel, because the image of the amulet had completely blurred all clear thinking. And it doesn't take even that much for a newcomer to get lost in Dromus.

Relieved, Illira turned to look at Adinal as if waiting for him to speak now, that everybody is here.

 

[DemonWolfZero]

Adinal stands to greet the newest guest. "I bid you welcome Kestrel. I am glad that our streets were more or less kind to you all." He stops and looks confused for a second, "Oh forgive me, where are my manners. Please sit down." At which Adinal stands and begins pacing and talking with no sign of stopping. "As I said earlier, I have much of import to discuss. To my great dismay, I have become involved in matters that I feel are beyond my abilities on their own. I have recently come into possession of a very potent magical item. The last time I witnessed its power, it had taken over the mind and soul of an...acquaintance of mine. I still don't know what has become of her since we escaped, but I fear the worst. The artifact is definitely intelligent..." As Adinal says this, he passes a hand over his eyes and winces at the memory. "I apologize. When I encountered the intelligence, my mind was overwhelmed almost completely. The intellect I felt was strange. Godlike in power, but childlike in mentality. I cannot explain more clearly. Simply put, its power seems to be immense. I fear for the balance of power in Dromus, should this device fall into the hands of...of anyone. For those of you who do not care of the fate of my home plane, know this. If Dromus' delicate balance tips too far in the favor of any one side, all of our home planes could be embroiled in a second Crossroads War." At this, Adinal falls heavily back into his seat with his head in his hands. From his thoughtful and slightly mournful look, you easily infer that any solution you might offer would be well-entertained indeed.

 

[Jolmo]

Taking a seat when prompted, Cagthail listens attentively to Adinal's story.

This had better be for real, I can't waste time dealing with a madman. If it is though... I can't miss a chance like this.

His full attention on Adinal, he replies: "So, how did it gain control over this acquaintance of yours? It cannot do the same to us?"

After a pause to hear Adinal's response, Cagthail continues to ask questions, waiting for a response after each: "And you do not know what to do with it?"; "So how did you come across this item?"; "You 'encountered' the intelligence? How?"; "Do you have the item here, with you?"; "Who else knows about its power?"; "And do you know, anything, else about it?"

 

[Zerth]

Illira

Illira sat down as instructed and listened eagerly as Adinal spoke. And almost right to the point he went. The amulet. Her copper eyes visibly glowed a little more intensively every time the amulet was mentioned, if anyone had any interest to study her reactions. She instantly believed Adinal, because she knew the amulet was real. She had seen it, she had almost felt it, so real-like her dreams had been about it.

The voice was right. This item must be protected, it was the right choice to listen to it. Such power. Adinal is also right, it must never fall to wrong hands.

She listened as the man named Cagthail made many questions, but didn't speak much herself. She was so overwhelmed just being here and knowing she was a part of something big and exciting. "See, Kestrel, I told you the amulet was real," she whispered to the elf sitting next to her eyes gleaming.

 

[DemonWolfZero]

As Cagthail asks his questions, Adinal answers each one. "As far as I could tell, it appeared to gain control of my companion over the course of several days. She had it in her possession for almost a week before it took her over. There was some mental grappling between myself and the artifact before she was freed. I was injured in the exchange, but so was the artifact...or so I think. It has been dormant for a time since then."

"I have had some ideas of what could be done with it, but none of them seem very valid. There may be ways to destroy it, but I know of none. The best concept I have had yet is to exile it...send it to parts unknown. The only location I can think of other than an inner plane is the Tangle. But there is no guarantee that a Tangler would protect it. Present company excepted of course. Barring those options, I have no ideas, but am open to any suggestions that you all may have."

"A series of strange circumstances which led to an unjust imprisonment with a lunatic of a rogue, a paladin and a cleric. More than that, I will not say for now."

"There were...strange and complicated circumstances. Again, I am not comfortable discussing the specifics. Through a combination of our skills I was able to establish contact with the intelligence. All I could gather from my contact was that its intellect is ponderous but underdeveloped. I will explain more to you, but only when we have more private lodgings to discuss this matter in."

"No, of course I haven't brought it here. That would be terribly unsafe. I have no faith in the streets of Dromus, to put it very simply."

"The only others who may know as much as myself - or more as the case may be - are the Tower Sorceire, and whoever it was that employed the psychotic rogue I mentioned earlier. He was sentenced to be executed by the Tower, but I have since made arrangements for his reprieve. Sometime shortly I should be able to further arrange for his...unauthorized release. *cough*

"I do know more information about the artifact, but I am as yet uncertain as to what it means, so am unsure of whether I should share it yet. But perhaps more minds thinking on the subject will avail me. When I was in contact with the intelligence through the complicated circumstances I mentioned earlier, I could see lines of power all around us. They corresponded to various sources of magical energy. As near as I could tell, it had pulled many lines of power related to earth to itself. I attempted to free my compatriot from its compulsion by drawing on the power of a line of domination. The fact that the artifact has such power is primarily what led me to believe that it should not be allowed to fall into the hands of any of Dromus' power players."

Spoiler

All - Bluff check to avoid letting anyone know I have the amulet on my person. Result: 22

Illira - Perception check to notice her whisper. Result: 12 Sense motive to figure what she's whispering in response to, if I get the Perception. Result: 24

(OOC: My name on the die-roller database is Adinal. So you can check on anything if you want.)

 

[Mad Hatter]

Feiran sits. After she hears Adinal answer Minaesbart, she looks at Adinal and says:"Hmmm...Adinal, have you not done any research on this item? Granted a little research might call attention to you but seemingly innocuous historical accounts may hold the key necessary to solving this riddle. Signifiers might be evident to us or you given the fact that you have an idea of what to look for. Do you? Have an idea I mean? A clue may be found where other, more powerful people might not look. Dromus is a veritable hotbed of activity. If that's too risky or too difficult to do given the multitude of books and treatise on Droman history, politics, and philosphy then what about the underbelly of Dromus? Are you having no luck there as well? Are they keeping silent? But it might be best if you explicitly state what you want from us. Is it simply to find a place to hide it, destroy it, or what? Or is that something that isn't written in stone?"

 

[DemonWolfZero]

Adinal sighs and says, "I realize that research is my best option to find out more about the artifact. But I have not had the time. The incident that led to my possession of the amulet was less than a week ago. I spent three days after engaging with its intellect recovering my strength. Immediately thereafter I decided that something had to be done with it and sought out assistance. That is where you all come in." Adinal indicates all present with a flourish of his hand. "I suspect that anything I do involving the artifact may be watched, but I am not certain of any surveillance as yet. Whatever happens, I will need companions. More than anything, I will need people I can trust. And in Dromus...it's as easy to trust a stranger as a friend, and to put it simply, strangers are less likely to be believed by the authorities." He sits back with a hint of a smile on his face, though he still looks completely worn out.

 

[Kelleris]

(OOC: I'm not going to explicitly call for Knowledge checks for the time being, but I will be generous with respect to any plausible request for information. If you happen to be from a region that you want to ask a question about - i.e. Kestrel evaluating the Tangler exile idea - just roll and add Int mod. +2 and see what you can come up with.)

All of you have had some experiences with the shadowy cloaked figure hiring dangerous adventurers before, and at first you thought this would be no different. As on-guard as you may be, however, it's hard to suspect too much danger coming from this obviously-overwhelmed man. Adinal's aura of exhaustion is practically a palpable presence, and you can readily believe that he has dropped the amulet (statue?) into the deepest hole he could find, and would forget about it without a moment's hesitation if he could think of a way to do so that didn't involve mind flayers.

Adinal -

Spoiler

You don't overhear Illira's whisper, but she seems positively a-quiver with excitement, and shivers slightly whenever you mention the amulet. Given the context, it's almost disturbing.