"The Cult of Drench-Oyster fighting the were-raven elves again."Copper half hears while still grazing over the buffet. "Tell us more about this vault filled with diamonds?"
Shamal watched as the Wizard entered, and listened intently to Imani's words. He filed away the information that came out ... Company of the Sunlit Sea ... Fabled Diamond Staff of Chomylla ... Elf Loremasters of Ulvaraen ... Bhaal ... Dracolich named Dretchroyaster and the Cult of the Dragon ... but none of it registered.
Until the elderly Imani concluded. Eldritch power in the service of evil? Fate of all the lands? Shamal realized that this must be why Istus's web had drawn him here! The Sheikh had used to say that the end of a good deed was a slap by the fronds of a palm, but the Sheikh, and his proverbs, were buried by the weight of his indifference to the plight of others.
Shamal stood up and exclaimed:
I swear on the khanjar to recover the Staff of Chomylla! The djinn smile upon this venture, and their will shall be carried out.
Having said what was in his heart, Shamal said naught more and sat back down.
OOC:
Not rolling, because I assume Shamal is ignorant of the local history.
Audio Cue: A clear chime echoed through the hall as the halfling woman hopped down from her perch and rang a bell, drawing everyones attention to the stairwell.
The Primary Subject [Imani, Sage of Hap] attempted a grand entrance, his robes vibrant, his greeting expansive as he used the stairwell like an elevated stage, was this in accordance with status culture in Hap? Note Extensive dermal scarring. Facial burns evident across left cheek, jawline, and neck. No illusion present. Damage is not concealed. Subject exhibits adaptive confidence, functioning at full cognitive capacity.
Nonetheless, the wizard did not linger too long before any of the attentive gazes turned to skepticism. He quickly moved on from the theatrics to the heart of the matter, continuing in more sincere tone, more likely to build rapport with the adventurers gathered. Shade-9 also noted that Imani had not masked his underlying scarring with illusion, did he wear it as a badge of honour or as a reminder?
The intelligence the wizard provided about a Diamond Staff of Chomylla, the Loremasters of Uvaraen , a forgotten temples of a once-dead god, Bhaal helped to explain the wizards motivation and naming the Cult of the Dragon and their terrible champion: Dretchroyaster, added to the impetus.
[Arcana Subsystem. “Diamond Staff of Chomylla”
[Historical Index.
"Uvaeren" - Confirmed
[ Mission Profile. "Dretchroyaster"
- Dracolich
Fail / Data Gap
Loremasters. Elven
Fail → Corrupted entries.
Flagged as anomaly
Seek further data
Chomylla is Uvaeren
Extrapolated threat level: CRITICAL.
Even without primary data available it was easy to extrapolate from Imani's words that the Cult of the Dragon and their champion posed a critical threat. Shade-9 had already detected signs of such corruption and Imani had establish clear mission parameters to act upon.
Each of the adventuers present were presenting themselves. The Orc Urgan Magall was the first to accept the assignment, speaking with an unbridled confidence that was greeted with a distant fanfare of trumpets. Shade-9 could not tell if it was real or magical, but it certainly added ambience. The others stepped forward in turn The red-haired teleporter and the dwarf druid committed easily and Merrick with a little hesitation.
The warforged's systems ticked with quiet efficiency. A new mission directive was being written in the algorithms of war and destiny.
