Interlude
Below is the text of what I sent Quintus' player when he called his familiar...
Quintus Calls His Familiar
Valyria has helped you obtain the necessary incense and herbs to perform the ritual you have felt straining to burst the bonds of your mind for so long, although the costs ran slightly higher than you would have thought (1,100 denarii). She bids you meet her an hour before first light and use your shape-changing magic to appear as a common seaman. She meets you, heavily cloaked, and brings you by way of sewer and alley to the fog-shrouded waterfront.
She bundles you into a small skiff and gestures, speaking arcane words. The oars of the skiff begin to move themselves in perfect rhythm and you quickly pass over the harbor boom and move west down the rocky coast. After an hour, she guides the skiff into a secluded beach. “I will return ‘ere sunset. May Gabriel’s fortune smile upon you!”
With that, she departs.
You settle yourself in, lighting the incense and carefully burning the herbs, softly chanting words that rise unbidden into your throat. You continue for hours and Osirian’s Eye climbs high into the sky. Sweat runs freely from your body and your throat grows parched. The shadows lengthen, heralding the coming of evening and still you croak on. Finally, a shadow crosses the sand in front of you and you hear the almost silent whisper of wings.
A large dark-feathered bird wit alights on the sand before you and regards you curiously with brilliant blue eyes. You notice that many of the dark feathers are tipped in deep blue. You reach into your pouch and pull forth the mouse that has nested there all day, placing it before the bird. The small rodent barely moves before the bird is upon it, rending it and greedily gulping it down.
The bird approaches closer and you extend your hand. The bird’s curved beak flashes forward and scores a deep furrow in the back of your hand. It dips its head once, twice and then thrice, tasting your flowing blood each time. Seemingly satisfied, the bird shrieks fiercely and you feel a consciousness enter your mind with the shriek…‘Talyn, Talyn, Talyn’.
You smile wanly, pushing back against the consciousness, ‘Talyn is a fine name, but I shall call you Severus!’
The bird shrieks loudly, flapping its strong wings. For a moment, you battle against its mind, then it calls out a final time and dips its head in submission. You immediately feel your sense sharpen, picking up the buzzing of a gnat and the sail of a far-away ship that you did not notice before. The bird settles onto your shoulder and the two of you gaze out over the Crescent Sea.
You are exhausted, but elated, when Valyria returns. She grins when she sees the bird riding contentedly on your shoulder. “A fine choice, Quintus. An osprey – or sea eagle – Gabriel has smiled upon you!”
As you drop heavily into your seat, she cocks her head and whispers, “Don’t forget to change your appearance…”
~ Old One
!. I envy you the fine group of RPers you are able to DM for/with. The ability to leave out-of-game knowledge, out of the game is a rare gift. And trying to chew one's way out of captivity is priceless
