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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Joshua Randall" data-source="post: 9591653" data-attributes="member: 7737">74We stand next to Dalris and the invisible Rufyl while the marines search the fishing boat for contraband. Our Kandian cloak with its "distracting mystical symbols" prevents anyone from noticing as we locate the "tiny ball of honeycomb wax mixed with powdered viper's tongue -- the material components of [our] Suggestion spell."Rufyl wants to know what the marines are looking for. We don't know, but we reply that we can suggest something to distract them.We see the leader of the boarding party, "a burly marine officer wearing the scarlet insignia of Archcleric Oram's private paladin guards, the Knights of Blessed Dyan." We pop the tiny ball of wax into our mouth, swallow it, and say the spellwords, "Mafran, mafran."Our suggestion is that when his men finish their search for nonexistent contraband, they might like to listen to some traditional Kandian music and songs played by our "lady friend". The officer attempts to resist our spell, his eyes quivering….INT test(62) if 22 or more.(53) if less.---62The Google dice roller is pent up after approximately a billion sections without being asked to engage the game mechanics, so it unleashes a 6 & 5 which added to our base INT 19 gives us a 30. Booyah!"Jongleurs?" says the marine’s officer, showing off his old-timey vocabulary. "This native gentleman" and "his comely girlfriend" must be minstrels, which makes this "a showboat, not a smugglers’ scow!"The laugh track fires up — wait, sorry; that’s actually the boarding party laughing. They make some crude jokes about actresses. Dalris gets into the part we "thrust" upon her [oh dear] and promises that if the marines land us at Saven, she’ll give them a show they’ll never forget.The marines cheer even more loudly as Dalris "cocks [oh dear] her head at the nearest marines and smiles coquettishly."If they could only see the ice behind those promising embers! we think."What ice? And I don’t see any fire, either!" Rufyl thinks, because apparently now he’s the alien outsider who doesn’t understand this Earth-man concept known as "metaphor".We tell Rufyl to stay invisible and out of the way until the marines get us to Saven. Meanwhile Dalris is flirting with the three marines who are helping her cross the gangplank to their galley. Once on the other ship, Dalris pulls out her flute and plays a jaunty tune. Two of the marines dance with each other which causes the rest to laugh even louder.Dalris "sings, dances, plays, and frolics" for the rest of the brief voyage.The "moon-eyed" marines put us (and, unknowingly, Rufyl) into a launch and row us to the "busy dock of Tikandia’s largest port." Dalris waits until they are out of earshot, then tells us we’re not allowed to choose her cover story next time. She had to do all the work "because you have the acting skills of a lamppost!"We ignore the jibe and exclaim, "You were wonderful!""I’m a professional bard," Dalris replies coolly. "Now let’s find the cathedral and see if we can spot this old rival of yours."Dalris turns and heads for the street at the end of the pier. You watch her long black braid dance lightly against the tight leather of her trousers and smile softly before following her haughty but captivating figure.Wipe the drool off your face and turn to (100).</blockquote>

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