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Welcome to the Halmae (updated 2/27/07)
- Thread starter spyscribe
- Start date
Fajitas
Hold the Peppers
dpdx said:
While they are bigger hardasses for Kettenek than your average Confederate Kettenite, Lords Fau Meen and Agasha, I'm not sure I'd say they out-Anvil Anvil, or were really trying to. They're both relatively secular Sovereigns, living pretty far out on the Sovereign frontier. And Anvil is, after all, pretty... well, Anvil.
Steadfast the Just, the Justicar in Noran, was definitely trying to out-Anvil Anvil. But, alas, Steadfast couldn't quite get his Justice up.
The Madame Inquisitor, on the other hand... well, we'll see how it turns out.
Last edited:
Fajitas
Hold the Peppers
Spyscribe is about to update, but I needed to say a brief word before she does.
The following spoiler block is for NON-PLAYERS ONLY. Repeat, those of you who play in my game, DO NOT CLICK THE BUTTON. Those of you who do not play in my game, ABSOLUTELY CLICK THE BUTTON.
If anyone's worried about having the plot ruined for them, I promise that what lurks below is not a huge-giveawayish spoiler. It's something important I need to say to everyone who doesn't play in my game.
[sblock]Non players only?
Promise?
Okay.
Something important gets said in the update below. It was said in-game, and is recorded here, but none of the players picked up on it at the time. It's nothing that will be relevant in the immediate future of the Story Hour, and in fact has yet to become relevant in the game at all. But, nonetheless, there is material here that, if added up properly, equals something pretty interesting.
The reason I'm posting this is to request that people not speculate too heavily in this thread about the things said in this update. I'd rather not have one of you put it together for my players; I'm really looking forward to watching this bomb explode on them in-game.
As soon as the New Thread Posting Bug is fixed, I'll start up a Non-Players Only thread in the Rogue's Gallery Forum, where y'all can speculate to your hearts' content.
But till then, please don't speculate in this thread.
Thanks.[/sblock]
The following spoiler block is for NON-PLAYERS ONLY. Repeat, those of you who play in my game, DO NOT CLICK THE BUTTON. Those of you who do not play in my game, ABSOLUTELY CLICK THE BUTTON.
If anyone's worried about having the plot ruined for them, I promise that what lurks below is not a huge-giveawayish spoiler. It's something important I need to say to everyone who doesn't play in my game.
[sblock]Non players only?
Promise?
Okay.
Something important gets said in the update below. It was said in-game, and is recorded here, but none of the players picked up on it at the time. It's nothing that will be relevant in the immediate future of the Story Hour, and in fact has yet to become relevant in the game at all. But, nonetheless, there is material here that, if added up properly, equals something pretty interesting.
The reason I'm posting this is to request that people not speculate too heavily in this thread about the things said in this update. I'd rather not have one of you put it together for my players; I'm really looking forward to watching this bomb explode on them in-game.
As soon as the New Thread Posting Bug is fixed, I'll start up a Non-Players Only thread in the Rogue's Gallery Forum, where y'all can speculate to your hearts' content.
But till then, please don't speculate in this thread.
Thanks.[/sblock]
spyscribe
First Post
Part the Ninety-Third
In which: resistance is futile. (In a few cases anyhow).
The spell-casters in the group quickly realize he is casting a zone of truth, and all the party members decide that resisting might not be such a bad idea, although some are more successful than others.
Once the Inquisitor lowers her hands, she begins to ask her questions. She aims each question at a specific individual.
“What is your business in the Sovereignty?”
Anvil: “We are on a mission from our King and our Temples.”
“Do you know a man by the name of Komatsu?”
Lira: “I believe I may have met him.”
“You will describe your relationship to this man.”
Eva: “We traveled with him by ship from Dar Karo.”
“And beyond that?”
Kiara: “No, we didn’t travel with him beyond that.”
“I meant, your relationship to him beyond that.”
Kiara: “Oh. Nothing.”
“What was your impression of him?”
Thatch: “Don’t like him. Don’t trust him. Don’t want to see him again.”
“Have any of you ever been to the Sharp Stone Monastary?”
Annika: “No. Not as far as I know.”
“Do any of you have any intention of traveling to the Sharp Stone Monastery?”
Reyu: “As I believe my colleague has already told you, no, we do not.”
The questioning continues for some time. The Inquisitor asks many questions, confirming what Anvil has told her about the party’s mission, but mostly focusing on what they know of Komatsu and the Sharp Stone monks. She asks different questions of different people, changing the phrasing but always searching for the same basic information. Fortunately, the party is truthfully able to give the same answers: they have no relationship with Komatsu, and they have no intention of going to the Sharp Stone Pass.
Yet.
That night, as they all bed down on deck for a few hours sleep before the now expected midnight bell, they finally all get a chance to discuss the matter together. Of course, they hadn’t been planning on going to the Sharp Stone Pass, but…
Lira bites her lip. “I don’t know. She seemed so adamant that we not go there--”
Anvil breaks in, “--that now you want to go.”
Small shrug. “Kinda.”
Reyu sighs. “I confess, you are not the only one feeling a… perverse desire to annoy the Inquisitors.”
But Thatch, to everyone’s surprise, speaks up firmly. “No. We find the archmage, we leave. We have no reason to go to this monastery.”
“Look, there’s clearly something wonky going on there,” Lira says. “Why else would they want us to stay away?”
Thatch shrugs. “Not our problem. We’ve got other things to worry about. Why risk getting ourselves in trouble and endangering our mission?”
Reyu blinks. When she first met the young fighter he seemed much less… cynical.
The argument goes on. Thatch is adamant that they not go looking for trouble that does not concern them. But Lira’s curiosity has been piqued. Reyu is also inclined to swing by eventually—perhaps after they visit the dwarves and the Archmage of the Valley—theorizing that anyone who can annoy the inquisitors that much cannot be all bad. Anvil, on the other hand, tends to agree with Thatch; this could be trouble they don’t need. He and the young fighter’s arguments begin to take sway.
Eva had been hoping to stay out of the argument. She had been hoping not to have to say anything, to count on the group’s natural curiosity and do-gooding tendencies to get the result she wanted without tipping her hand. But now it doesn’t look like that’s going to happen.
“Everyone,” she breaks in, “I sort of think… that I need to go to the monastery.”
The silence that follows is punctuated only by the lapping of the water against the boat, the background rumble of the dwarves at work, and the sound of the Inquisitor’s tent canvass flapping in the breeze.
Then, in a rush:
“What do you mean need to?”
“Why do you say that?”
“Huh?”
Eva waves them all down, and continues in a whisper. “I’ve been told I have to go. It’s important and… and I think it relates to our mission.”
She looks around at her companions, expressions ranging from outright skepticism to confused support.
“Told by whom?” Anvil demands.
“Kemmer,” Eva says.
“Who is Kemmer?”
Eva squirms, uncomfortable with all this direct questioning. There are things she’s not supposed to talk about, but the party clearly won’t be comfortable until they get some kind of answers…
“Look, he’s someone I… answer to, okay? He contacted me and told me to get in touch with the Sharp Stone monks, see if they needed aid, and help them if I could.”
“How did he contact you?”
“Magically. It was some spell. Like the one the headband uses.”
Reyu pauses, studing Eva. “Why did you not tell us when he first contacted you?”
“I was hoping I wouldn’t have to,” Eva admits.
Thatch speaks up. “Look, we don’t know for sure that these monks need any aid, right? If they don’t need aid, then you don’t need to go there, do you?”
“I… I guess not,” Eva says.
“So can we use the headband to contact the monks and see if they need aid?”
Everyone looks to Annika to answer this. They’ve never used the headband to contact anyone but Professor Alexandra before.
Annika winces slightly. “Well, I’m fairly certain, if I understand the spell involved, that we can use it to contact anyone we want. However…”
“However…?” Eva prompts her.
“We can only use it to contact someone we’ve met. We’ve never met any of the monks.”
“As the Inquisitor has taken great pains to remind us, we’ve met Komatsu,” Anvil observes wryly.
A plan is hatched. Anvil gives Eva the headband and shows her how to use it. She’ll use it to contact Komatsu and see if he needs help. If he doesn’t, they’re free and clear. If he does… they’ll have to find a way to get to the monastery without arousing the ire of the Inquisitors.
Carefully, Eva composes her twenty-five words. When she’s ready, she activates the headband and speaks through the sending. Komatsu, it’s Eva, from Alirria’s Star. I’ve been asked to assist you. Where are you? Inquisitors are coming. Do you or your monastery need help?
There is a brief pause. And then a voice speaks in her mind.
What? Huh? Oh, praise the Goddess! I had lost all hope. I’ve been taken by the Inquisitors. Warn my Abbey. The relics must be safely—
That’s it. Twenty-five words.
Eva relays the response to the others.
“Well then,” Anvil says.
“’Praise the Goddess’?” Lira repeats. “Which Goddess? I thought they were Sovereign monks.”
“I did, too,” Eva says.
“You probably should have warned him he only had twenty-five words to respond,” Annika says, meekly.
“I thought it was more important to warn him that the Inquisitors were on their way,” Eva replies, though inwardly she’s been thinking the same thing.
“Regardless, it does appear that this settles the matter,” Reyu points out. “If he has been taken by the Inquisitors, he is clearly in trouble. And he has asked us to carry a message of warning to the monks.”
“Indeed,” Anvil agrees. “It appears that we must now go to the Monastery, and that we must arrive before the Inquisitors, without letting them know that we are involved.”
The party sits back, trying to figure out how they’re going to pull that off.
“Polished,” Thatch says, out of the blue.
“What?”
“What Komatsu was going to say. Polished. ‘The relics must be safely polished.’”
“Do you really think that’s it?”
Thatch puts a hand on the hilt of his greatsword. “I can hope.”
In which: resistance is futile. (In a few cases anyhow).
The spell-casters in the group quickly realize he is casting a zone of truth, and all the party members decide that resisting might not be such a bad idea, although some are more successful than others.
Once the Inquisitor lowers her hands, she begins to ask her questions. She aims each question at a specific individual.
“What is your business in the Sovereignty?”
Anvil: “We are on a mission from our King and our Temples.”
“Do you know a man by the name of Komatsu?”
Lira: “I believe I may have met him.”
“You will describe your relationship to this man.”
Eva: “We traveled with him by ship from Dar Karo.”
“And beyond that?”
Kiara: “No, we didn’t travel with him beyond that.”
“I meant, your relationship to him beyond that.”
Kiara: “Oh. Nothing.”
“What was your impression of him?”
Thatch: “Don’t like him. Don’t trust him. Don’t want to see him again.”
“Have any of you ever been to the Sharp Stone Monastary?”
Annika: “No. Not as far as I know.”
“Do any of you have any intention of traveling to the Sharp Stone Monastery?”
Reyu: “As I believe my colleague has already told you, no, we do not.”
The questioning continues for some time. The Inquisitor asks many questions, confirming what Anvil has told her about the party’s mission, but mostly focusing on what they know of Komatsu and the Sharp Stone monks. She asks different questions of different people, changing the phrasing but always searching for the same basic information. Fortunately, the party is truthfully able to give the same answers: they have no relationship with Komatsu, and they have no intention of going to the Sharp Stone Pass.
Yet.
That night, as they all bed down on deck for a few hours sleep before the now expected midnight bell, they finally all get a chance to discuss the matter together. Of course, they hadn’t been planning on going to the Sharp Stone Pass, but…
Lira bites her lip. “I don’t know. She seemed so adamant that we not go there--”
Anvil breaks in, “--that now you want to go.”
Small shrug. “Kinda.”
Reyu sighs. “I confess, you are not the only one feeling a… perverse desire to annoy the Inquisitors.”
But Thatch, to everyone’s surprise, speaks up firmly. “No. We find the archmage, we leave. We have no reason to go to this monastery.”
“Look, there’s clearly something wonky going on there,” Lira says. “Why else would they want us to stay away?”
Thatch shrugs. “Not our problem. We’ve got other things to worry about. Why risk getting ourselves in trouble and endangering our mission?”
Reyu blinks. When she first met the young fighter he seemed much less… cynical.
The argument goes on. Thatch is adamant that they not go looking for trouble that does not concern them. But Lira’s curiosity has been piqued. Reyu is also inclined to swing by eventually—perhaps after they visit the dwarves and the Archmage of the Valley—theorizing that anyone who can annoy the inquisitors that much cannot be all bad. Anvil, on the other hand, tends to agree with Thatch; this could be trouble they don’t need. He and the young fighter’s arguments begin to take sway.
Eva had been hoping to stay out of the argument. She had been hoping not to have to say anything, to count on the group’s natural curiosity and do-gooding tendencies to get the result she wanted without tipping her hand. But now it doesn’t look like that’s going to happen.
“Everyone,” she breaks in, “I sort of think… that I need to go to the monastery.”
The silence that follows is punctuated only by the lapping of the water against the boat, the background rumble of the dwarves at work, and the sound of the Inquisitor’s tent canvass flapping in the breeze.
Then, in a rush:
“What do you mean need to?”
“Why do you say that?”
“Huh?”
Eva waves them all down, and continues in a whisper. “I’ve been told I have to go. It’s important and… and I think it relates to our mission.”
She looks around at her companions, expressions ranging from outright skepticism to confused support.
“Told by whom?” Anvil demands.
“Kemmer,” Eva says.
“Who is Kemmer?”
Eva squirms, uncomfortable with all this direct questioning. There are things she’s not supposed to talk about, but the party clearly won’t be comfortable until they get some kind of answers…
“Look, he’s someone I… answer to, okay? He contacted me and told me to get in touch with the Sharp Stone monks, see if they needed aid, and help them if I could.”
“How did he contact you?”
“Magically. It was some spell. Like the one the headband uses.”
Reyu pauses, studing Eva. “Why did you not tell us when he first contacted you?”
“I was hoping I wouldn’t have to,” Eva admits.
Thatch speaks up. “Look, we don’t know for sure that these monks need any aid, right? If they don’t need aid, then you don’t need to go there, do you?”
“I… I guess not,” Eva says.
“So can we use the headband to contact the monks and see if they need aid?”
Everyone looks to Annika to answer this. They’ve never used the headband to contact anyone but Professor Alexandra before.
Annika winces slightly. “Well, I’m fairly certain, if I understand the spell involved, that we can use it to contact anyone we want. However…”
“However…?” Eva prompts her.
“We can only use it to contact someone we’ve met. We’ve never met any of the monks.”
“As the Inquisitor has taken great pains to remind us, we’ve met Komatsu,” Anvil observes wryly.
A plan is hatched. Anvil gives Eva the headband and shows her how to use it. She’ll use it to contact Komatsu and see if he needs help. If he doesn’t, they’re free and clear. If he does… they’ll have to find a way to get to the monastery without arousing the ire of the Inquisitors.
Carefully, Eva composes her twenty-five words. When she’s ready, she activates the headband and speaks through the sending. Komatsu, it’s Eva, from Alirria’s Star. I’ve been asked to assist you. Where are you? Inquisitors are coming. Do you or your monastery need help?
There is a brief pause. And then a voice speaks in her mind.
What? Huh? Oh, praise the Goddess! I had lost all hope. I’ve been taken by the Inquisitors. Warn my Abbey. The relics must be safely—
That’s it. Twenty-five words.
Eva relays the response to the others.
“Well then,” Anvil says.
“’Praise the Goddess’?” Lira repeats. “Which Goddess? I thought they were Sovereign monks.”
“I did, too,” Eva says.
“You probably should have warned him he only had twenty-five words to respond,” Annika says, meekly.
“I thought it was more important to warn him that the Inquisitors were on their way,” Eva replies, though inwardly she’s been thinking the same thing.
“Regardless, it does appear that this settles the matter,” Reyu points out. “If he has been taken by the Inquisitors, he is clearly in trouble. And he has asked us to carry a message of warning to the monks.”
“Indeed,” Anvil agrees. “It appears that we must now go to the Monastery, and that we must arrive before the Inquisitors, without letting them know that we are involved.”
The party sits back, trying to figure out how they’re going to pull that off.
“Polished,” Thatch says, out of the blue.
“What?”
“What Komatsu was going to say. Polished. ‘The relics must be safely polished.’”
“Do you really think that’s it?”
Thatch puts a hand on the hilt of his greatsword. “I can hope.”
spyscribe
First Post
Part the Ninety-Fourth
In which: Kiara is shocked, simply shocked! (and the rest of the party is rather surprised as well)
Kiara doesn’t care a whole lot about whether they go to the monastery or not. She’s still not sure why so much of the rest of the party seems so nervous all the time. Sure, they don’t want to get arrested and executed by the Inquisitors, but they’d have to get caught first, right? In her years on her own, Kiara has become an expert in not getting caught.
Instead, Kiara is spending her time trying to become an expert on barges. The low flat boat is very different from the sailing vessel they took from Dar Pykos, and even the smaller schooner that slipped up the coast from Seaward. Besides, one of the dwarves is… different.
She first noticed him because Eva and Anvil were noticing him. He’s a younger dwarf, and he seems kind of, well, jumpy. He keeps glancing over his shoulder to see if anyone is looking at him. Once, Kiara caught a glimpse of him tying off a line, which wouldn’t have been unusual except he was using both hands at the time to keep the rope from slipping overboard.
She follows him around, trying to stay out of the way, but also keeping up a running list of questions, and helping as much as he’ll let her. She finds his name is Evor, and he proves to be friendly, if nervous and not particularly chatty.
She can’t help but notice that he gets more and more nervous the closer they get to the Inquisitors’ tent. They’re at the edge of the deck, only about ten feet away from the sentry standing guard at the tent’s entrance. For the last few minutes, Evor’s usually tolerant replies to her questions have been getting more and more terse.
There’s a line, coiled on deck. He and Kiara reach for it at the same moment, accidentally brushing hands.
At the instant of contact a shower of blue sparks shoot from Evor’s hand, burning Kiara’s palm, and starting the rope smoldering. Kiara leaps back with a short shriek before she can stop herself. Evor goes suddenly pale.
“Are… are you okay… I… I…” Evor is the picture of panic and confusion. Kiara though, risks a glance at the Inquisitor. The guard seems concerned, but not sure what just happened. Kiara however, has no such doubts.
She smiles though gritted teeth and says loudly to all who might be listening, “Shoot! I hate rope burns.”
Annika is on deck like a shot, dashing towards Kiara. “Are you okay? What happened? Let me see…”
Kiara tries to calm her down, simultaneously elbowing Evor to keep him from ruining the cover story she’s giving him. “I’m sorry, Annika, it’s all my fault. I know I’m supposed to be more careful, but I was trying to help…” At last, Annika is able to get enough of an impression through their empathic link to figure out what happened. She fusses over Kiara’s hand, but no longer tries to raise a general alarm.
The alarm that has ensued has been enough to attract the attention of most of the rest of the ship however: chief among them, a burly dwarf who is quickly making his way to their position.
Thatch walks casually over to the area, keeping his distance but staying close enough to keep an ear on the proceedings. Don’t mind me, he thinks as loudly as he can, I’m just looking at the lake-waders…
The older dwarf is glaring down at the younger. “What happened?”
Kiara leaps in before he can answer. “Oh, it’s all my fault. I was trying to help and I know I should be more careful. I was an accident, honest. Really.”
The dwarf remains dubious. He continues to stare at Evor. “I thought we had a little discussion about ‘accidents’ and how they shouldn’t happen.”
Evor stares at the deck, miserable. “I know.”
Kiara tugs on the older Dwarf’s sleeve. “Please, it really was my fault. I wanted to learn about barges.”
He looks at the little girl beside him. “If you really want to learn barge-craft, you should ask someone more experienced.”
Kiara’s eyes light up. “Would you teach me?” she asks.
The dwarf blinks for a moment. “Umm… Sure.” With a quick backward glance to Annika, Kiara happily follows him for the rest of the afternoon, until the ship docks for the evening.
###
Evor spends the rest of the evening below decks, away from the Inquisitors, away from the passengers, and most importantly, away from his father.
So, he is a bit startled when Lira interrupts his work with a soft, “Hello.”
Lira had missed the excitement on deck at midday. She had been on the other side of the boat. With Benedic. Admiring the scenery on shore. Also, making some really horrible rolls for her spot-checks, a trend that was to continue for the rest of the session. However, upon hearing the story from Eva, she had gone looking for Evor.
He looks up and watches in something close to panic as a flower appears in her open palm. “I hear we might have something in common,” she says.
Evor quickly goes back to his work. “I doubt it.”
“There was an… accident earlier today?”
Evor mutters back something non-committal.
“I once blew up the asparagus entree in the middle of dinner.”
For the first time since she appeared, Evor looks the human in the face. “Really?”
Lira nods. “Spattered all over my older brother.”
Evor cracks a smile, and to Lira’s surprise, she finds herself smiling too.
The young dwarf ducks his head and quickly checks to be sure they are alone. “I lit the end of my father’s beard on fire.”
“No!”
“Uh-huh.”
“Wow… I used to tell my parents it was candle-wax to explain why the windows were frosty in the middle of summer.”
“And they believed it?”
Lira shrugs a half-smile. “Apparently, their powers of denial are not to be trifled with.”
Evor deflates a bit. “My dad doesn’t think magic is a proper dwarven thing to do.”
“Really? I’m—Well, I’m not surprised, I mean, you should meet my parents. But I thought here people were more accepting of arcane magic.”
“The humans maybe, but he just doesn’t see how it would be useful.”
Lira wracks her brain trying to come up with a spell she knows that might be considered “useful” by a dwarf. It’s not a long list. “Well, there are some spells, that let you shape stone, or fabricate, I know there are others.”
“Can you teach them to me?”
“It’s not something I can teach. I mean, I could start to show you how to focus, but…” she trails off. Unfortunately, the only metaphors that she can think of for how she learns new spells involve constipation or orgasm, not subjects she really wants to broach in present company. “It’s something that takes practice, and I have to leave when we dock this evening,” she finishes, only slightly lamely.
Evor considers. “Isn’t there anything you can show me now?”
Lira thinks hard for a few moments. “Well… Are you averse to travel?”
“What do you mean?”
“I don’t know anyone here, but there are people in the Confederacy, who taught me how to control my talents.” She smiles a bit. “And they are talents, believe it or not.”
Evor considers. “I’d have to talk to my father.”
“Would a word from me help?”
“It might.”
The two set off in search of the Evor’s Father, Brant. On the way, a thought occurs to Lira. “Does you father like cold ale?”
“Doesn’t everyone?”
Lira grins. “I think I’ve got a spell your father is going to appreciate.”
In which: Kiara is shocked, simply shocked! (and the rest of the party is rather surprised as well)
Kiara doesn’t care a whole lot about whether they go to the monastery or not. She’s still not sure why so much of the rest of the party seems so nervous all the time. Sure, they don’t want to get arrested and executed by the Inquisitors, but they’d have to get caught first, right? In her years on her own, Kiara has become an expert in not getting caught.
Instead, Kiara is spending her time trying to become an expert on barges. The low flat boat is very different from the sailing vessel they took from Dar Pykos, and even the smaller schooner that slipped up the coast from Seaward. Besides, one of the dwarves is… different.
She first noticed him because Eva and Anvil were noticing him. He’s a younger dwarf, and he seems kind of, well, jumpy. He keeps glancing over his shoulder to see if anyone is looking at him. Once, Kiara caught a glimpse of him tying off a line, which wouldn’t have been unusual except he was using both hands at the time to keep the rope from slipping overboard.
She follows him around, trying to stay out of the way, but also keeping up a running list of questions, and helping as much as he’ll let her. She finds his name is Evor, and he proves to be friendly, if nervous and not particularly chatty.
She can’t help but notice that he gets more and more nervous the closer they get to the Inquisitors’ tent. They’re at the edge of the deck, only about ten feet away from the sentry standing guard at the tent’s entrance. For the last few minutes, Evor’s usually tolerant replies to her questions have been getting more and more terse.
There’s a line, coiled on deck. He and Kiara reach for it at the same moment, accidentally brushing hands.
At the instant of contact a shower of blue sparks shoot from Evor’s hand, burning Kiara’s palm, and starting the rope smoldering. Kiara leaps back with a short shriek before she can stop herself. Evor goes suddenly pale.
“Are… are you okay… I… I…” Evor is the picture of panic and confusion. Kiara though, risks a glance at the Inquisitor. The guard seems concerned, but not sure what just happened. Kiara however, has no such doubts.
She smiles though gritted teeth and says loudly to all who might be listening, “Shoot! I hate rope burns.”
Annika is on deck like a shot, dashing towards Kiara. “Are you okay? What happened? Let me see…”
Kiara tries to calm her down, simultaneously elbowing Evor to keep him from ruining the cover story she’s giving him. “I’m sorry, Annika, it’s all my fault. I know I’m supposed to be more careful, but I was trying to help…” At last, Annika is able to get enough of an impression through their empathic link to figure out what happened. She fusses over Kiara’s hand, but no longer tries to raise a general alarm.
The alarm that has ensued has been enough to attract the attention of most of the rest of the ship however: chief among them, a burly dwarf who is quickly making his way to their position.
Thatch walks casually over to the area, keeping his distance but staying close enough to keep an ear on the proceedings. Don’t mind me, he thinks as loudly as he can, I’m just looking at the lake-waders…
The older dwarf is glaring down at the younger. “What happened?”
Kiara leaps in before he can answer. “Oh, it’s all my fault. I was trying to help and I know I should be more careful. I was an accident, honest. Really.”
The dwarf remains dubious. He continues to stare at Evor. “I thought we had a little discussion about ‘accidents’ and how they shouldn’t happen.”
Evor stares at the deck, miserable. “I know.”
Kiara tugs on the older Dwarf’s sleeve. “Please, it really was my fault. I wanted to learn about barges.”
He looks at the little girl beside him. “If you really want to learn barge-craft, you should ask someone more experienced.”
Kiara’s eyes light up. “Would you teach me?” she asks.
The dwarf blinks for a moment. “Umm… Sure.” With a quick backward glance to Annika, Kiara happily follows him for the rest of the afternoon, until the ship docks for the evening.
###
Evor spends the rest of the evening below decks, away from the Inquisitors, away from the passengers, and most importantly, away from his father.
So, he is a bit startled when Lira interrupts his work with a soft, “Hello.”
Lira had missed the excitement on deck at midday. She had been on the other side of the boat. With Benedic. Admiring the scenery on shore. Also, making some really horrible rolls for her spot-checks, a trend that was to continue for the rest of the session. However, upon hearing the story from Eva, she had gone looking for Evor.
He looks up and watches in something close to panic as a flower appears in her open palm. “I hear we might have something in common,” she says.
Evor quickly goes back to his work. “I doubt it.”
“There was an… accident earlier today?”
Evor mutters back something non-committal.
“I once blew up the asparagus entree in the middle of dinner.”
For the first time since she appeared, Evor looks the human in the face. “Really?”
Lira nods. “Spattered all over my older brother.”
Evor cracks a smile, and to Lira’s surprise, she finds herself smiling too.
The young dwarf ducks his head and quickly checks to be sure they are alone. “I lit the end of my father’s beard on fire.”
“No!”
“Uh-huh.”
“Wow… I used to tell my parents it was candle-wax to explain why the windows were frosty in the middle of summer.”
“And they believed it?”
Lira shrugs a half-smile. “Apparently, their powers of denial are not to be trifled with.”
Evor deflates a bit. “My dad doesn’t think magic is a proper dwarven thing to do.”
“Really? I’m—Well, I’m not surprised, I mean, you should meet my parents. But I thought here people were more accepting of arcane magic.”
“The humans maybe, but he just doesn’t see how it would be useful.”
Lira wracks her brain trying to come up with a spell she knows that might be considered “useful” by a dwarf. It’s not a long list. “Well, there are some spells, that let you shape stone, or fabricate, I know there are others.”
“Can you teach them to me?”
“It’s not something I can teach. I mean, I could start to show you how to focus, but…” she trails off. Unfortunately, the only metaphors that she can think of for how she learns new spells involve constipation or orgasm, not subjects she really wants to broach in present company. “It’s something that takes practice, and I have to leave when we dock this evening,” she finishes, only slightly lamely.
Evor considers. “Isn’t there anything you can show me now?”
Lira thinks hard for a few moments. “Well… Are you averse to travel?”
“What do you mean?”
“I don’t know anyone here, but there are people in the Confederacy, who taught me how to control my talents.” She smiles a bit. “And they are talents, believe it or not.”
Evor considers. “I’d have to talk to my father.”
“Would a word from me help?”
“It might.”
The two set off in search of the Evor’s Father, Brant. On the way, a thought occurs to Lira. “Does you father like cold ale?”
“Doesn’t everyone?”
Lira grins. “I think I’ve got a spell your father is going to appreciate.”
.
PhoenixAsh
First Post
I think if I've learned nothing else from this storyhour its never to underestimate a handy ray of frost.
Great stuff as usual!
Great stuff as usual!
Notification is back up? Hey Spyscribe, Fajitas; Can you add me again? Or is that something I'm supposed to be able to do myself? I haven't been getting notifications since last summer! And thanks for all this wonderful writing. I miss you guys and the story hour gives me a nice dose of y'all... though not nearly enough.
