Anything But Normal, Sailing the Endless Falls...

[Bront]

"Shooki!alui the Sea-Devil Slayer, I am called. There are others here of my little clan, my brothers and sisters in blood. There were sea devils, bloody sahaugin, seeking the death of a brace of ships. I was seeking the same devils, I and my little clan, as we slew the creatures as they attempted to board and loot and slaughter. For this we were paid in gold, rare woods, and fine cloth. We have been bartering with the mage-smiths for enhancements to our weapons," the other says, keeping his head a bit lower than yours, in the characteristic deference in the presence of a holy man.

"It is good your clan stays togeather," Ekilu says. "Unity is one of the few things we have left. Ridding of the Sea-Devils is fine work in deed. May the spirits bless you on your task. Perhaps I can meet the rest of your clan?"

 

[Rystil Arden]

"Our progress grows well. One moment please" the woman says, and lays her left hand on a small mirror panel on the counter. She picks it up and tosses it to you, and you catch it reflexively. It looks like a mirror from one angle, but from another it's clear, showing a letter of some kind, written in odd pictographs.

"But a true time elemental would have been immune to quintessence. There are too many illusions, too many shapechangers, and too many lies to give out information to anyone who shows up and wants information. You may leave, unless this was a grand joke," she says evenly.

*Nissa raises an eyebrow at the woman and then shakes her head slightly.*

"Well, you almost passed the Masters' first inspection, girl, but you at least proved sufficient security to keep us satisfied. If you had not used discretion and screening, you would have failed completely, so you are to be commended for your diligence, but you must also be chastised for your inattention to detail."

*Nissa taps her circlet.*

"If you had paid more attention, you would have noticed this circlet, which marks me the vassal and apprentice of the Masters. It was created through powerful chronomantic magics and made of platinum suffused with the eddies of the Plane of Time and of the very quintessence you so cleverly used as a test. The symbol of time flowing into eternity represents the glorious eternal future of the Masters' reign once we use your reagents to gain control of the weirds."

"Failure is not tolerated by the Masters, but you should feel fortunate that I like your spunk and your quick thinking, so as I said, I choose to view your performance as a partial success. With that out of the way, my question for you was not merely a pretense for the test, just as the Masters' choice of my presentation as a time elemental was not merely a test but also a way to ensure that their agents are not fully exposed without necessity, giving away one of their advantages."

"As such, I do still need to inspect your progress. If that is coming together well, then my report of your performance will be more positive. Remember that those who serve us well will be rewarded, while those who fail us...well, you know what happened to the Tempest Twins when they failed to perform their part on time, or if you don't, I suggest you look into it on your own time and educate yourself."

(OOC: Disguise +28, Diplomacy +22, Bluff +18)

 

[Shayuri]

Trebuchet draws the sign of Earth beside the smiley face...then thinks and draws a little volcanic caldera, complete with smoke coming out of it...and connects that to the Earth sign. Earth, from a volcano? Maddeningly imprecise for Trey's liking, but it was a start. He could narrow it down further if needed.

 

[Erekose13]

"I am interested in a sending, however I am a little short on coin. Do you take items in trade or can you suggest a locale shop that might be able to help liquidate a few things?" replies the Illumian.

 

[Shayuri]

(*nudge* On hold, but not forgotten.)

 

[Isida Kep'Tukari]

"It is good your clan stays togeather," Ekilu says. "Unity is one of the few things we have left. Ridding of the Sea-Devils is fine work in deed. May the spirits bless you on your task. Perhaps I can meet the rest of your clan?"

"Of course Whiteskin," he says and gestures for you to walk with him. He circles back near the dock, taking a roundabout path, eventually coming to the berth of a ship called the Bloody Fin. A half-dozen other darfellans drop down from the rigging or boil up from below when Shooki!alui calls out to them. People around you start covering their ears when the greetings get a little piercing. It's been a while since you've been able to converse in your own tongue exclusively, and the change is a pleasant one. There are two women and four men, all of them experienced sahaugin hunters. They're the remnents of a particularly small clan, the Wavebearers, now acting as their own miniature clan after the deaths of their kin.

Of Fee, they've only heard rumors, mostly that she was heading towards the Earth Wall. However, the Bloody Fin is currently docked for repairs, so they aren't in any shape to follow her for another week. Of the Kingdom of Knowledge they know little. They would very much like to consult the weirds as to the best place to strike next, but finding an appropriate offering can be difficult. They haven't heard anything of the upheavel.

*Nissa raises an eyebrow at the woman and then shakes her head slightly.*

"Well, you almost passed the Masters' first inspection, girl, but you at least proved sufficient security to keep us satisfied. If you had not used discretion and screening, you would have failed completely, so you are to be commended for your diligence, but you must also be chastised for your inattention to detail."

*Nissa taps her circlet.*

"If you had paid more attention, you would have noticed this circlet, which marks me the vassal and apprentice of the Masters. It was created through powerful chronomantic magics and made of platinum suffused with the eddies of the Plane of Time and of the very quintessence you so cleverly used as a test. The symbol of time flowing into eternity represents the glorious eternal future of the Masters' reign once we use your reagents to gain control of the weirds."

"Failure is not tolerated by the Masters, but you should feel fortunate that I like your spunk and your quick thinking, so as I said, I choose to view your performance as a partial success. With that out of the way, my question for you was not merely a pretense for the test, just as the Masters' choice of my presentation as a time elemental was not merely a test but also a way to ensure that their agents are not fully exposed without necessity, giving away one of their advantages."

"As such, I do still need to inspect your progress. If that is coming together well, then my report of your performance will be more positive. Remember that those who serve us well will be rewarded, while those who fail us...well, you know what happened to the Tempest Twins when they failed to perform their part on time, or if you don't, I suggest you look into it on your own time and educate yourself."

The void genasi looks bored throughout Nissa's speech. Then again, a void genasi always tends to look bored; they never waste energy on expression. As Nissa delivers her ultimatim, however, a curious change comes over her face. A knowing and wise expression, a quality of animation quite alien to her type, enters her visage. "You are an excellent actress, little Nissa. However, even if you were Chronotrypsis himself, I would not tell you a thing. Please, come upstairs, we need to speak more freely," the woman says, and suddenly points to a spiral staircase in the corner. If Nissa chooses to climb up them, she finds herself in due course in a comfortable sitting room. Mellow orange flames crackle merrily in a tapestry on the wall, and a spongy red-orange floor seems to provide the seating, as the only other furniture is a large, low table and a large rug under it. Sitting across the table is an elderly man, slender, wizened, perhaps of some fey heritage, given his pointed ears and violet eyes.

"Little Nissa," he says softly, "Oh child, what danger have you brought with you!"

Trebuchet draws the sign of Earth beside the smiley face...then thinks and draws a little volcanic caldera, complete with smoke coming out of it...and connects that to the Earth sign. Earth, from a volcano? Maddeningly imprecise for Trey's liking, but it was a start. He could narrow it down further if needed.

Shobrakka's entire carriage lifts in excitement, and he extracts something from his robe. Extending a gloved hand, he unwraps a handkerchief, revealing a sliver of obsidian inside. At Trey's and Lupaz's nods, he doodles another smile in the dirt, and waves a hand. Suddenly sound returns; nothing obvious, just the faint whispers of breezes, Lupaz's breathing, the faint noises from the street outside. The Dreammind takes out a small flask from his robe, along with quill with an iron feather. He acts as if he were talking into the bottle, then takes up the quill and pretends to write something short onto it, tapping the obsidian shard as he does.

"I am interested in a sending, however I am a little short on coin. Do you take items in trade or can you suggest a locale shop that might be able to help liquidate a few things?" replies the Illumian.

"Both, actually. But trading items directly leaves less of a trail to follow. What have you to trade?" the man says pleasently.

 

[Bront]

"Of course Whiteskin," he says and gestures for you to walk with him. He circles back near the dock, taking a roundabout path, eventually coming to the berth of a ship called the Bloody Fin. A half-dozen other darfellans drop down from the rigging or boil up from below when Shooki!alui calls out to them. People around you start covering their ears when the greetings get a little piercing. It's been a while since you've been able to converse in your own tongue exclusively, and the change is a pleasant one. There are two women and four men, all of them experienced sahaugin hunters. They're the remnents of a particularly small clan, the Wavebearers, now acting as their own miniature clan after the deaths of their kin.

Of Fee, they've only heard rumors, mostly that she was heading towards the Earth Wall. However, the Bloody Fin is currently docked for repairs, so they aren't in any shape to follow her for another week. Of the Kingdom of Knowledge they know little. They would very much like to consult the weirds as to the best place to strike next, but finding an appropriate offering can be difficult. They haven't heard anything of the upheavel.

"Be brave my friends, and be wary of the weirds, as the upheavel will put many in danger," Ekilu says. "With strength and courage, your clan will prosper, but in such times where few of us are left, we are all of the same clan, are we not?"

"Heed word of Fee, and join her if you can. She is strong, and will need great hunters such as yourselves by her side. And when you find her, tell her that I still ask for the spirits to lend her strength."

Ekilu will join them for a meal, and share stories of hunts with them. He will try to find out where their clan was from, and in general wish them well and offer his words to the spirits for them.

 

[Rystil Arden]

(OOC: Does Nissa remember this guy, that he's using her familiar shortened name? If so, assume she uses his name and acts generally more familiarly)

*Nissa sighs in resignation. Apparently her attempt was so poor that they not only found her out, they also recognised exactly who it was. At this point, the facade is pointless, so she drops her disguise.*

"The Kingdom is in grave and terrible peril because of the reagents you are supplying the time elementals," Nissa explains, "They plan to use them to wrest control of the weirds' senses and dominate their minds, seizing completely the mandate of the Kingdom of Knowledge and dooming the kingdom and its inhabitants forever to their tyranny. You have seen what happened to the Tempest Twins--the time elementals are not to be trusted, and they do not keep good faith even with their own supposed allies. I must know more of their supply lines and the eldritch ingredients they seek. They must be stopped."

 

[Erekose13]

"I have a ring and a spellshard. The first expands the number of spell matrices that a caster might hold onto and the second empowers a particular arcane spell with specific additional effects." replies Vaukriel.

 

[Shayuri]

Trebuchet tilts his head as he regards the objects and considers the proposed actions. He starts to reach out...then stops. Finally he says to Lupaz,

"He appears to be recommending mutually exclusive courses of action. One is to speak into the vial. The other is to write onto the parchment. Since, presumably, either action would be done while holding the obsidian fragment, I do not see how both could be accomplished simultaneously."

He pauses.

"If they are meant to be performed simultaneously. Hmm."

The warforged again reaches out then, for the vial, and for the obsidian shard.