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Message: <blockquote data-quote="WayneLigon" data-source="post: 1454127" data-attributes="member: 3649">Ashes of ZarhanEpisode 14: The Mageborn  The party consists of…Vorz, male Litorian Totem Warrior (Wolf)2/Litorian3Sellik, male Verrik Mage Blade4, Verrick 1Kyran, female Verrik Iron Witch3/Mage Blade2Mont Nuyen, male Human Unbound Unfettered5Alayah, female Loresong Faen Greenbond5Na-Vilarus, male Giant Giant 3, Warmain 2 Rizz, male kobold Expert2Fourthmonth 21 As the days warm and grow longer, the party begins to settle into their new permanent residence. Mont uses the leisure time to practice forging several documents relating to Mojh while the magic-types work on putting permanent glowglobes around the villa rea, and even offer them to the neighbors (of which a number accept the offer). The group decides to hang around the city while the artificer works on their magical weapons.Fourthmonth 23The group invites the healer Iaska to dinner, and talks to her about her brother Arad, the politics of court and the city, and anything she's heard about the Count of Wealstone. During this time, they also ask her to recommend a good trustworthy Magister that they can use from time to time. Na-Vilarus goes to the Guild of the Akashics to deal with the scholar Mellen and research some things about the past history of The Crimson One. Alayha Bonds with the Green to determine if there is any significant taint or threat to the green growing world around the city; she experiences for the first time the odd effect of doing this within a city. Fourthmonth 26Mont goes to Court, generally mingling and talking, seeing who is who and who wants what. He's there in the capacity of entertainer, and when the Queen makes her appearance he comes out with a song praising her bloodline and her efforts, sending a subtle message about support and that the Queen has a legitimate claim to the throne. (Perform roll: 31). Alayah continues to cultivate rare herbs in her garden, looking at finding seeds and researching the proper conditions for growing what she needs in the way of spell catalysts. Sellik joins the Giant at the Akashic Guild to research weird tales and local legends, just to see which ones might be based in truth. He also looks at the local geography. Meanwhile, back at court, Mont is making acquaintances with two sibeccai salt merchants: Keselott the Moneychanger and Elilisot the Wide-Handed, a mated pair who have traveled to here from the Empire to seek new trading routes and concessions. They invite the sibeccai to a party that night. The party is a collection of young people from Court and others, commoners and merchants alike. Ilmon the merchants son, Cheya, daughter of the Queen's Huntsman, Theros, son of the master of the Stonemason's Guild, Mellis, an apprentice Magister, and Ilara, a merchant's daughter all attend. The strange and exotic lives of the adventurers are quite the talk of any circle and the young Court personages know they'll make a lot of social credit by attending. The party gets too wild and 'uncouth' for a couple, through the young lady Ilara maintains a good face about it though she leaves. One large source for the 'uncouth' aspect is the faen Akashic Tethya, who runs an information service down by the Crow Gate. In fact, she even has one of the crows with her, bloodstained beak and all. She tells amazingly outrageous stories, makes innuendos about the court, the nobles, the wealthy and powerful, drop hints, makes allusions, whacks people on the butt and generally behaves in a totally scandalous manner while maintaining everyone's dignity at the same time. It's quite an amazing balancing act to watch. Along with the treats made by Alayah and others, the party is a big hit.Fourthmonth 27The party continues on into the next day, with most of the revelers leaving as dawn lights the way home. They break for breakfast, and Vorx is able to go pick up his newly enchanted blade.Shemes the Magister shows up at the villa, being the one sent by Iaska. They discuss with him the ability to send messages back and forth to Baron Cort, and why they might want to do this. The man is uncertain, but will speak with his old master to see what might be done; his master knows the rare Teleport Other spell, and he may be able to send not only messages but also physical things that way. Alayah pays him a great deal of embarrassing attention, rubbing his feet, making him herbal teas, seeing that he has a soft cushion to sit on, etc. They discuss payments and other ways for him to help establish a form of backdoor communication with the baron.Fifthmonth 1The group is contacted by Shemes for a job; the Goldsmith and Jewelers Guilds are feuding and the conflict has spilled over into the Magister community; one of the Master Goldsmiths children is an apprentice in their small academy. They feel it's safer for the boy outside the city, and there are two others that need to also go to the island academy at Sa-Luros, so they wish the party to discretely take them overland while a decoy group goes by sea (the expected route). Mont gets Conn to create soap-replica heads for decoys of their own, and the group slips out of the city via the former-smugglers river entrance. They take a punt up the river to a ford, then continue on via cart from there. The apprentices are Coran, the Goldsmith's son, Thesa, a girl from the slums, and Ra-Calus, a Giant who is the son of a Magister on the island they are going to. The group moves out quickly, then slows to a normal pace as they travel in civilized lands. They get a bad scare when they encounter the Flashing Blades mercenary band camped outside the hamlet of Thris, all 2000+ of them; one of the largest bands still in existence. Vorz runs back to Runestone to seek advice in case this is an invading force they've stumbled across but finds out from Ia-Ka that the Queen has in fact hired these people to work for her for a time. Rejoining the group, Vorz keeps a wary eye on the mercs. They're well-behaved, vigilant and more accommodating of the peasantry than most companies. The group continues on their way, eventually passing out of the civilized lands on their way into the kingdom of Huran. Fifthmonth 3Just outside the border to Huran, as the road parallels the vast salt-water marsh, they encounter a group of stirges who descend on them like giant bloated flies. The apprentices prove they can be somewhat useful, delaying or disorienting the monsters. They prove less useful when a rampaging group of inshon rise out of the swamp to attack; in fact, Coran almost dies right there, his throat almost torn out by one of the mutated monstrosities. The attack by a hunting pair of displacer beasts signals that civilization has truly been left far behind...</blockquote>

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