Airwalkrr's Shatterscape IC (Cooperative Design-As-You-Go PBP)

[GlassEye]

Arden is relieved to see the lights of Dawn House. As they approach, the Coward scuttles over to hide within Arden's sleeve once again. Once at the door she'll look at the man's tattoos to see if they are from the Order or if they are decorative.

"I am Arden. We seek a place to sleep in safety off the streets."

 

[airwalkrr]

There is something strangely potent about the man's piercing stare as he appears to carefully consider your words. His eyes move slowly over each member of your group, assaying you carefully. Finally, he says to the woman, "It is well, milady. They bring with them no harm.

The dark man stands aside, and the woman, who up until now had worn a look of present hesitation appears greatly relieved. A small child attempts to run past her but she snatches him up and scolds him, Dimus, you really needn't be so overactive this late at night. Look, we have company. You wouldn't want them to think you act this way every night would you?"

The child buries his face in the woman's shoulder and she moves forward to motion you all inside. "Please, do come inside. I'll put some tea on in a moment. For the preset, please warm yourselves by the fire. I have to get these little rascals into bed."

As you enter, you see a well-furnished sitting room complete with fireplace and stove. There are several casks along the wall and a number of cupboards as well. At least a half dozen children are scampering around the place in their nightrobes. The woman sighs in frustration and runs her hand over her hair. As she does you catch sight of a pointed top to her ears. She is clearly conscious of this however, and quickly covers the tops of her ears with her voluminous curly black hair.

"Please, have a seat," she says. "I'll be with you in a few minutes."

 

[Deuce Traveler]

"Thank you," Kleb says in relief. He sits at the table, then lays the corpse he had been carrying gently on a nearby bench. He hopes to give her a proper burial and find her identity from someone here. He was unable to use his healing skill to find out how long she had been dead or anything else about her (rolled a 4). He puts the captured gear on the table his companions and he are sitting at along with the 10gp, 40sp, and curative vial. "Maybe it's about time we split up this gear."

When the elf returns he asks, "Would you know who this woman is? We found her in an alley before being ambushed by assassins. I fear she was their victim and believe that any enemy of theirs must have been decent of heart. I would like to tell her kin of her fate and she that she receives a proper burial.

 

[arcanaman]

My name lady is Lestrivus do you have any ancestors with similar arcane abilities they have to come from somewhere?

 

[airwalkrr]

You watch as the woman corrals the children together and begins to whisk them upstairs. She has a nurturing air about her, and although she is clearly challenged by prospect of so many children in her care, she never raises her voice in anger at them. She is firm when they are directly disobedient however. Eventually, they are all put to sleep and she returns downstairs. She immediately heads over to the stove and puts on a kettle of water for tea.

"I must apologize. Usually they are in bed by now. But Dimus has been acting fitfully and it riles the other children up. I've had difficulty getting them all calmed this evening. And now you arrive. I have to say this is most unexpected. It is rare we even get visitors these days. Hokken tells me I should close the doors at night, but this is the only place people can go. I guess it's nice to know we're still needed. I'm Marda by the way. It's a pleasure to meet you all."

When Kleb asks about the woman on the bench, Marda goes and has a look. "I'm afraid she's no one I know, and I know just about anyone who's worth knowing in this city. I imagine she was stolen from a morgue. See here? She's already been embalmed. That's probably why she doesn't smell quite as terrible as she ought to."

Marda pulls back the woman's cloak a bit and points to a scar on the woman's chest where she has been sewn back up. Marda then covers the corpse and calls to the dark man at the door. "Hokken, would you please take this body around back? We'll have to find out where she came from in the morning."

Hokken nods and retrieves the corpse, then disappears through a door to the back. The kettle begins whistling and Marda heads over to pull it from the stove. She serves each of you a mug of tea, then one for herself before sitting down on a lush divan. "So tell me. I know a couple of your names now, but not much about you. Who are you, and what is your story?

[sblock=ooc]arcanaman, what arcane abilities are you referring to?[/sblock]

 

[Deuce Traveler]

"My name is Kleb, and I am simply a humble traveler trying to spread the word of Luthes to needy folk. While I am here in the city, I also seek and old friend of my master, a lady by the name of Canestriel. I have something that belongs to her."

 

[GlassEye]

[sblock=OOC]Arcanaman is continuing the conversation between Arden & Lestrivus, trying to find out where Arden's power comes from.[/sblock]Before Marda returns Arden answers Lestrivus.

"I am an Illene Mystic, sir. Our power comes from our dreams, manipulated by will and bound and bolstered by the Law. The 'how' of it, I don't know. And as far as my ancestors, my parents are clay-diggers and have shown little inclination for power such as I wield or time for pursuits that do not directly relate to putting food in their mouths. Before my parents? I don't know; they all died long ago."

Aware that Hokken is listening Arden falls silent until Marda returns.

---

Arden accepts the tea gratefully and sips it allowing the warmth to spread out from her stomach and banish the lingering cold.

"Thank you for the tea.

I just returned to the city today. I was raised in the clay-digger camp north of Narovan and apprenticed on the Street of Potters until I... left to join the mystics. My mentor sent me here with an ailing creature to seek out a man named Kelper in the Banker's district in hopes that he can heal it.

Tonight, we were lured from our inn on the pretext of aiding a woman in distress and then attacked. We beat them off but the inn had bolted its doors so we made our way here."

[You spill your secrets too readily. Hold your tongue!]

A look of uncertainty briefly crosses Arden's face and she quickly sips from her tea again.

 

[airwalkrr]

[sblock=ooc]Ah, I got mixed up and thought he was addressing Marda. Makes sense now.[/sblock]As Marda engages you in conversation, you notice Hokken stares fixedly into the night, seemingly oblivious to any goings on in the room. "He's like that, I'm afraid. Vigilant but with a bad case of tunnel vision. Of course, it's against Guild rules to actually break into a house so I guess it doesn't... but anyway I shouldn't talk of such things now."

At the mention of the name Canestriel, Marda gives a soft sigh and stares into her cup. "It's been a long time since I've heard that name; almost ten years in fact. She created this place you know. The entire idea was hers. My father thought it was gallivanting mad, but she was determined. I didn't imagine my father would leave her over it though. Oh, I'm sorry to get like this," she says, wiping a tear from her eye, "It's just that I haven't thought about her in so long. And when I returned to the city ten years ago to find her dead, well, it was just difficult. I was foolish to have left her alone in the city like this. But I was young and impetuous. Look at me! Bearing my soul out to perfect strangers."

Marda gets up and walks over to the cupboards and opens a high one. She pulls out a bottle, uncorks it, and takes a large swig. After wiping her eyes again, she appears to regain her composure and brings the bottle over to sitting area. "Anyone care for some? It's Dardessian Whiskey. Well aged."

[sblock=GlassEye]Realized that I forgot about this earlier, sorry. You don't recognize Hokken's tattoos as belonging to your order, however if you are not mistaken, they do place him as of Dardessian descent. Whether or not most people around here would know that you are unsure, but it is unlikely. But if you had to guess, you would say he is from up north.[/sblock]

 

[Deuce Traveler]

Kleb stares in shock at her before saying, "She was a friend of my master. His name was Born, and I had hoped to receive answers on the Order he followed and perhaps even advice. I have this locket that I was meaning to give to her from Born. He carried it through his many years until he died from the weight of his elder years. I suppose if you were a relation of hers that I should now give it to you instead." Kleb hands over the golden locket to Marda.

As he releases with shaking hand the locket that has been his burden these last few years he realizes what he could use now. "I will take a small bit of that whiskey, please."

 

[airwalkrr]

Marda stares at the locket aghast. Her mouth gapes open for a moment before she manages to stutter out, "Wh...what order did you say he followed?"