Carnifex's Story Hour (Updated January 20th, "The Union")

[Mr Fidgit]

okay, i've finally read through the entire thread (i know it's not that long, but for some reason i have a difficult time reading through story hours...)

so, i've liked what i've read and i must say i've been cheering for the PCs (especially against the werewolves with baby shields, you RBDM! ), and even for Pierre!

is this game still ongoing? and have the PCs stats ever been posted?

if you continue to update this SH, i promise to continue to read it

happy new year!

 

[Stinky]

Go Buckeyes!

Hi Fidget. I thought I'd reply in my capacity, since I saw you are from Colombus OH, and I needed to be sure to say GO BUCKEYES! NATIONAL CHAMPS! YEAH!

Buckeyes Rock. Hurricanes blow.

Anyway, I play Kale in the game, and I can assure you that the game is still ongoing, although a bit of footdragging by myself and some others has not helped the game speed along. I hope things'll speed up after the holidays.

Stats haven't been posted, but I'll say that we made our chars with a point-buy system, and Kale made sure to bite the bullet and get max agility. Shortsighted, perfaps, because we all got another att point at fourth level, but considering how Kale lives, he might not have survived that long without incredible dexterity. Everything else is balanced. Wisdom very average, as I see Kale very practical, not necessarily the deepest or most connecting guy. But he does need to develop social and personal sense- his CHA is decently high, but every att point I earn is going to CHA. He started out a gutter mercenary, but the path of power is along simple, easy-on-the-manipulation accrual of contacts and experience that will insure that he knows what he needs to about the world and his enemies.

Of course, given our enigmatic and deeply connected enemies, something tells me he's never going to know quite what he needs to before he ends up in battle with a big baddie who simply needs a brine blade to the gut.

I sense a revitalization of the story in the future... hopefully progress in the game will be quickly reflected here. It's fun to hear people's comments, and to know that people are interested.

And yes, I cheer for Pierre, too,

 

[Mr Fidgit]

Re: Go Buckeyes!

Hi GO BUCKEYES! NATIONAL CHAMPS! YEAH!

thanks! (there were a few of us watching the game and posting. after the win (woot! ), 3 or 4 threads popped up. it was an OSU National Championship posting frenzy!)

I sense a revitalization of the story in the future... hopefully progress in the game will be quickly reflected here. It's fun to hear people's comments, and to know that people are interested.

i hope so too. Carniflex was commenting in a Hivemind thread recently that there weren't alot of people reading this SH, so i promised to stop by.

i just hope he has seen that at least one more person is reading
(because he hasn't commented yet...), and i certainly look forward to more updates

 

[Carnifex]

I've seen now, Mr Fidget! Thankyou muchly!

Well, I'll go home and work on an update this evening, I think; I'll post on the Hivemind threads whenever I actually get an update done, I think But yes, it's still going.

One problem I'm facing in writing it up is that there's a lot of rp'ing stuff which can be quite important but just isn't necessarily as interesting to non-players in the campaign, mized in with the battles and major plot points - I think I also need to summarise stuff better as well

 

[Carnifex]

Well, this is something of a rebirth for my Story Hour! The posts up until now have tracked the events of the various players as they made their way through the 'prologue' of the game, but now, for the first time, they all meet up together as one group, and Chapter 1: The Arcanist's Tower, begins!

To summarise the status of the two parties that the PC's are currently split into at the moment:

The 'Cavern Company': Consisting of the aasimar sorceress Melisande, the mysterious cleric/monk Ebri, the magic-wary soldier Sebastion, and two NPC's, both ex-PC's - the eartn genasi psion Sandslipper and the Flame Hawk mage-knight Alaric. This party is heading north through the lands of Naseria, a kingdom ruled by sorcerous noble houses; Sandslipper bears a package that she is to deliver to a nobleman of House Tarravus called Ecurius, and the others accompany her for their own reasons; friendship, duty, or deeper purposes.

'Wolf's Company': Consisting of Wolf Kieresane, a veteran NPC mercenary and both a ranger and warrior of some skill, as well as Kale, a wily young mercenary ranger and rogue, Wyshira, a water genasi priestess of the goddess of Storms, Burl, a necromancer quite different from others of his profession, and Cord, an aged, blind dwarven monk and worshipper of the Stonelord Grumand. They seek Truth Seeker Ecurius Tarravus because he has work for them...

Chapter 1: The Arcanist's Tower - The Offer Is Made

The warmth of the first days of summer caressed the rich Naserian countryside, lush and verdant vegetation covering the landscape in vibrant green. Blue skies were marred by only the occasional meandering cloud of cotton-like white, the rays of the sun conveying Solanthar's blessing without obstruction.

Deep within the realm of Tarravus, the heartland of Naseria, the well-kept residence of a nobleman looked down over rolling hillside, giving an excellent view of the valley below in which nestled the capital of the nation. The mighty city straddled a winding river, already spilling out of the boundary of the city walls that had so recently been rebuilt to defend the burdgeoning population. Above the roofscape of slates and occasional rising towers, of the larger bulk of nobles houses and the ornate delicacy of observatories eternally examining the skies, the awe-inspiring palace of House Tarravus rose up, its marble-clad stones lavishly decorated, great arches and tall towers lifting it up to dominate the skyline. Across the marvellous city rose another amazing site; the fortress of the Wind Hawks, the Air Tower of Tarravus. The white marble construction rose higher than the palace, much higher, its tip seeming as if it could pierce the sky itself, and a myriad of smaller battlements and towers rose off the thick central trunk. Within this mighty fortress the legion of mage-knights trained and studied, walking its high and airy corridors in the multicoloured light that the great stained glass windows let pour into it. A great swathe of open land further down the valley was given over to the stables and grounds for the knights to cultivate and hone their cavalry skills.

The nobleman's residence up on the crest of the valley's side, looking down over all of this, was a small estate. A cluster of buildings housed the servants and served the farmlands of the estate, while where the view of the city below was best, the home of the noble himself had been built. A large house ending in a squat tower, all of exquisite architecture and elaborated with wondrous azure blue stained glass; this was the home of the Truth Seeker Ecurius Tarravus.

The sorcerer stood in his private study at the top of the tower, looking through the window over the bustling city below. It teemed with life and movement, tiny gleams over the city making it look like a shimmering pool of water as people flowed around it in tiny currents. Summer had come, and on this pleasant day the lives of all the people in the city were in full swing.

He was drawn away from his ponderings by a polite rap on his door. Turning quizically, he called them in; a servant, apologising for disturbing him but there were people approaching, up the drive.

<center>* * *</center>

Wolf's band had left the sundered village the very morning after the vicious werewolf attack; behind them peasants were heaping the dead monstrosities into piles and putting them to the torch. The Inquisitor had replied to Wyshira's inquiries that the mercenaries need not fear infection with lycanthropy; the mere bite of the master werewolf was not enough to transmit it, but rather a debased and fould ritual to some dark god had to be performed on the subject.

They'd left on foot, their horses having been slaughtered in the initial werewolf attack; but Latorath had provided them with a signed letter of authority to requisition horses from the next temple they came across; he professed that since he could offer them no real reward for their part in exterminating the vile coven, he could at least compensate them for the loss of the steeds.

They'd left Adbar itself some few days later, crossing out of the country and into the wilderness of the untamed Drakkath once again. Spring was wearing on, summer approaching, and the weather held out for them as they travelled over the land called the Plain of Sorrows. Wolf warned them all to be eternally vigilant, for this landscape, covered in tangled undergrowth and copses of gnarled trees, was reported to be the home of fragments of the Dread March, dark undead which had refused to die for good after their master had been slain and still roamed the wilderness. They saw none though. Once or twice they came past ruins of buildings, covered in tangled vines and weeds, but that was all.

Cord still felt that faint unease, as if the land itself was displeased, but the almost overwhelming nausea that the coven had infected the village with seemed to have faded; it seemed they were a symptom of something more widespread. All he could do was wonder whether there were more like the dark, corrupted lycanthropes prowling the land, or if it was something else entirely, something even darker. The strange, wild land they travelled now gave him a sense of unease due to entirely different reasons, but still the malaise of the Drakkath seemed present even here, faintly detectable. He could make no sense of it, nor understand it, other than to know that Grumand was ill at ease; how could the land itself be sickening for something? Did other followers of Grumand sense it? Certainly, none of those around him seemed to feel it.

Wyshira had found the link to her goddess even stronger after the battle with the werewolves. Her magics and faith were stronger, the favour of Ishrak more tangible to her, and it seemed that the experience had improved more than just her skills in battle. Was the Storm Lady pleased with her performance against the abominations? She could not tell for sure, but it certainly seemed so. One day, Burl handed to her a small cluster of scrolls, imbued with divine magic; since he could not use them himself, it seemed sense to give them to her.

Burl took advantage of the long days of travel over the Plain to study, to contemplate and theorise. The encounter with the werewolves, the magic he had unleashed then and the death all around, had given him new insights and understanding, and he found his magics strengthening as he gained a better grasp on the arcane. He managed to successfully scribe the spells on the scrolls of the wizard he had slain beneath Iril, adding more to his magical arsenal. Yet he was plagued too, by the same strange dream of standing upon the blasted scorched earthen plain as around him behemoth shapes struggled and blurred figures scurried. The dreams were by no means regular, and seemed to have no pattern, yet they had become more real and tangible since they had begun on their journey over the haunted Plain of Sorrows. One day he finally saw the massive thing looming over him, the shadowy shape, as a thing of fire and shadow and scorched, charred scales, and its red eyes locked onto him mere moments before he shot awoke, cold sweat soaking him. He could not fathom why these happened.

When they eventually crossed the Plain, more of the Drakkath rolled away before them; wilderness thick with woods and valleys. Beyond the green rose the shapes of the Sarokean mountains, gray and monolithic shapes reaching upwards. Burl's dreams faded in intensity, and he did not see the beast of fire and shadow clearly again.

One day as they rode, they encountered a small band of horsemen, some five or six riders of the simple armour and weaponry that indicated militia. They'd watched the travellers carefully, before saying their piece; this land was the edge of the new domain of Mirayek, the lord of which they served; the travellers should pay good heed to his authority or be subject to punishment. Wolf hadn't seemed too worried, explaining afterwards to the others that it was not an irregular occurance for some would-be warlord to carve his own little territory out of the wilderness. What was more unusual was that this must be the lord whom Evant had spoken of; a man who had, apparently, the backing of the church of Kevayek the Bringer of Pestilence.

They'd encountered no problems from Mirayek, or in the lands beyond, as they approached the grand range of mountains called the Sarokeans. With the good weather finding a pass had been easy; Wolf had planned to lead them north to cross west through the well-travelled Emerald Pass but they found a more serviceable path into Naseria before having to travel any further. It was not many days before they had crossed the broad and rugged Sarokeans and entered the lush and civilised lands of Naseria.

* * *

The band of five urged their horses up the tree-lined path towards the residence of Ecurius Tarravus. Wolf had already told them that this man needed mercenaries, and was likely to pay well being a wealthy nobleman with royal connections. His home certainly seemed to reflect this, clearly the abode of a rich man. As they halted on the gravel before the house itself, servants came and greeted them.

"Good day, sirs; what is your business here?" asked a sturdy man in well-cut garb, perhaps a butler or chief servant.

"I am Wolf Kieresane, and these are my fellows; we have been informed that Lord Ecurius seeks men to perform a task for him. I believe he has been awaiting us."

Wolf had explained to Kale that his networl of contacts would have carried word to the man long before the mercenaries themselves arrived.

"Indeed. Please, follow me in; your horses will be stabled and looked after."

"Remember, this man's a Truth Seeker as well as a member of the royal family; the Truth Seekers are a well-respected orgainsation of sorcerers, so on both counts be respectful to him. From all I've heard, he deserves it."

Within the grand building, the band found themselves in a large hall, richly decorated with tapestries and paintings. At the far end a broad staircase rose up, and walking with proud bearing down it was a tall man who wore clothes of white and cream silk and high-quality cloth, golden threads stitching them together. He stepped lightly down onto the floor of the hall, and slowly approached; not with caution but rather with a rather calm disposition that indicated he was in no desire to rush about.

Tall, well-built and handsome, Truth Seeker Lord Ecurius Tarravus was young for a sorcerer of his power, not even past his early thirties and incredibly handsome. Light brown hair was close-cropped over his noble features, and he moved with grace and agility. At the moment, he wore a smile that displayed his pleasure at seeing the newcomers.

"Ah... the mercenaries, at last! Most excellent, I have been awaiting your arrival; I'm sure you'll find me a most generous employer, it's a possibly dangerous but definitely well-paying task... but perhaps more on that in some few moments. You've doubtless travelled hard, it must have been a long way if Roberto was right in telling me you'd have to come all the way from the eastern Drakkath; but his recommendation was enough for me to be willing to put up with the wait, for certain. I've had some rooms prepared for you in the guest wing, so you can go and put your belongings there, then come and join me for lunch. I'm expecting some other guests as well, so it should be a most intriguing meal. Cirius will show you to your rooms..."

The butler nodded. "Please, gentlem... um, noble warriors, follow me."

* * *

The travel north across Naseria had been pleasant for all of the band who had so recently departed from Corvus. Fine weather and views of the countryside raised spirits so soon after the vicious battle with the scorpion-tattooed assassins in the Cowardly Dragon tavern, combined with the fact that the rations which Alaric - now officially granted the title of Flame Hawk Errant - had acquired were far from the iron rations of the common soldier. They ate well as they journeyed.

Ebri had found that her connection with the divine had strengthened, her faith ever greater. Perhaps it had been the meeting with the Old Master, the inspiration of meeting one of the mighty beings and it actually talking to her in person, or perhaps she had pleased her deity through her performance so far and the battles she had fought. Whatever the explanation, she felt stronger and more secure in mind, body and faith, though there were no more night-time visitations. The renewal of faith she felt had been most displayed when she had practised her kata, and found a small amount of what could only be called enlightenment, a greater understanding of the monastic arts her teachers had trained her in.

Melisande found her own powers greater, honed by practice and insight, but above all she had plenty of time to think as they travelled. She had so many questions, and there seemed no-one to answer them all for her... and more strangely, one night early on she had experienced a strange dream in which she had witnessed, as if disembodied, a conclave of shadowlike figures in some dark and hidden place, circling another figure which stood half-illuminated in gray light. Then she had realised that the figure was herself and just before she woke had seen from her own eyes the tide of shadows flood in towards her, the faint light around her being overrun by darkness.

The dream had only come on that one night, and when she had woken she had found Ebri performing some sort of religious dance; the woman claimed she had been unable to sleep but certainly seemed happy and invigorated by something - Mel could have sworn she saw the remnants of a tear shed in happiness in the mysterious priestesses eye. Mel had sunk back into sleep, untroubled this time until dawn came.

Sebastion had found his won sword-arm and reflexes improving; he spent time sparring with undergrowth and training himself to consolidate what his recent battles had taught him. He understood now what his father had meant when the man hda said that real skill could only be taught through real battle; already the warriors fighting abilities were definitely greater.

Sandslipper remained quiet, almost introverted, as if something was troubling her. She spoke rarely to the others, keeping instead to herself when she could.

* * *

Alaric grinned broadly. "And here we are; the residence of Lord Ecurius Tarravus."

They had rode up the path towards the house and its outlying buildings, and now found themselves before the grand central residence, where servants came out to greet them. Alaric quickly told the butler of their purpose, and the man nodded. "My lord Ecurius awaits you, and would invite you all to dine with him for lunch, with his other guests. Rooms have been prepared for you all; you must have had a long journey."

Cirius led them to their rooms to deposit their belongings, then they followed him into the dining hall. Sandslipper seemed to be fidgeting uneasily all the while.

* * *

The long table was well-stocked with food, water and wine, and at the head, in an ornately carved chair of mahogany depicting scenes from the history of the royal House Tarravus, Ecurius sat. He had donned the azure blue robes of the Truth Seekers, and looked regal and commanding.

Wolf, Kale, Wyshira, Burl and Cord had already entered and the sorcerer had bade them sit in a friendly manner, inviting them to eat. It was soon afterwards that Melisande, Ebri, Sandslipper, Sebastion and Alaric had entered too, and saw the handsome noble for the first time.

"Ah! Most excellent, I am glad to see that you have arrived at last. Falkmar told me of your departure from Corvus, so it is good to see you finally here." He smiled, and took a drink of wine from his goblet. "Please, be seated, eat. You must have had a long journey too."

Those of the band from Corvus could not help but look curiously at the strangers who sat on the other side of the table; a grizzled-looking Cryosian man of heavy build, next to him a younger man probably of Corinthian origin, then another Cryosian man, dark haired and dark garbed who had an intangible air around him of something sinister, and finally a woman of strange aquatic colour of skin and hair who somehow brought the sea to the mind of her viewer. The band of mercenaries saw a man of southern blood, maybe Carthagian or Huronese, a bizarrely blue woman and another who looked like a living statue, a third woman of sturdy build and simple garb and a man in the uniform of a noble warrior.

When all had sat, Ecurius spoke again.

"Well, welcome to you all, indeed! I believe," he said, looking at Sandslipper, "that you have something to deliver to me?" She nodded and handed him her package. He slipped it into his robes, for the time being seemingly unconcerned to investigate it.

"Well, this is most fortuitious - please, all, eat! It is most excellent food that my cook has prepared today, I must say - for I find much luck descending upon me today. It seems Naskha smiles upon me! Wolf," he said, addressing the veteran, "the reason why I procured your services was, well, listen and I shall reveal all - ah, could you pass me that wine? Why thankyou, lady, and I must say you have a most impressive shade of skin, I first thought you to be a Cerulean One when I saw you! Ah, but back to my story... there is a tower in the Sarokean mountains, well beyond the border of Naseria and the patrol routes of the Iron Hawks, and I want you to, well, for lack of a better word, loot it."

"I'm not talking about simple plundering here, of course. You see, it seems that many decades ago a rogue wizard from Carthagia left that dark land for some reason or another - I don't know why, I'm afraid, and you couldn't pass that bowl over there, could you, I'm afraid I cannot reach quite that far - and set himself up ina tower deep in the wild mountains. Apparently quite a genius, a clever man when it came to machines, rivalled the gnomes of Kerr in the department of thaumineering. My research has turned up reports that he's now dead, has been for many years, so the tower is just standing there accumulating dust."

"That leaves a lot of valuable knowledge in there too, knowledge I'd love to have access to, especially his thaumineering designs and theories. Those designs could prove to be of real worth if the tales of some of the wizard's inventions are anything to go by, a step forwards in the art of thaumineering. I want you people to acquire these plans from the tower. Now, why I'm hiring you to do this is because the tower is both in a wild and potentially dangerous area - the Sarokeans are hardly safe with all the beasts and peoples that roam them, from giants to goblins - and because the wizard's tower is almost certain to have its own defences, and possibly its own inhabitants. But if you can get me those plans, then you can have anythign else you salvage from the tower - books, wealth, whatever, all I want is his notes on magical artisanship and machinery - as well as the fee of..." he paused, thinking.

"I would say two hundred and fifty pieces of gold would not be an inadequate sum, would you not agree?"

"Now... I have no doubt of the skill of Wolf and his men here," the sorcerer said, turning to the other side of the table and looking at them appraisingly over the food heaped high on the silver plates, "but by all accounts you fellows can hold your own with the best of them as well; I hear you fended off some people who wanted to steal my package from you," he said with a frown. "You seem like the right sort for this job, and certainly a slightly larger band would probably be a safer bet for all of you. I open this offer to you people as well, if you wish; a journey into the Sarokeans in search of treasure and knowledge," he finished with a grin, before addressing the entire gathering again.

"Now of course this is a low-profile little mission you'll be running for me, and I'm looking to hire all you people because I think you lot are probably up to the task. And... I might have more employment for you all, if you do this well."

"If you do agree, there'll be a few days before I can finalise arrangements and you can all depart, so I'm willing to offer you all lodgings here, in my humble abode, and feel free to go and visit the city; it's a truly great place. Plenty for you to see and do there."

 

[Sniktch]

Looks interesting Carnifex. I'll need to go back to page 1 now so I have a better understanding of what's going on

 

[Mr Fidgit]

an update! woo hoo!

so let me get this right - the werewolves and baby shields was a prologue?! sheesh! ( )

 

[Carnifex]

an update! woo hoo!

so let me get this right - the werewolves and baby shields was a prologue?! sheesh! ( )

Yep indeed

I'm even now trying piece together another update from the batch of posts in reply to Ecurius's offer; mhopefully it'll be up before too long

 

[Horacio]

Well, you got the story hour addict back to your story, my friend...

 

[Carnifex]

Well, you got the story hour addict back to your story, my friend...

And here's another update for ya

Ecurius's offer wasn't the only thing on the minds of the assembled adventurers who sat at his table that day; they were also assessing each other. Burl found himself surprised at Melisande's strongly blue-hued skin, which made his companion Wyshira, the water genasi, look more blue-green. But his eyes were locked on Sandslipper in awe, the woman who looked so much like a statue. To his eyes, she seemed perfect, stunningly beautiful. Others were making more practical assessments of their new aquaintances, and introductions were made. Still, a slight distance remained between the two bands, emphasised by the table-width between them. They didn't know each other properly yet, and some, such as Kale, were hardly the instantly trusting type. The young aasimar, on the other hand, was; the point at which Melisande produced Pierre, her two-headed toad familiar, certainly caused a bit of surprise.

Melisande, rather taken with the handsome Lord Ecurius, quickly made it clear that she would be interested in taking part in the venture; though she wasn't willing to go it if none of her friends were going to. Pretty soon it became clear that all those present were also attracted by the offer of coin or knowledge to be gained, and discussion turned to the details, and to idle conversation, and to Kale and Melisande trying to play practical jokes on one another involving reduce spells and suchlike.

After Ecurius finished up his quite appealing offer, Kale washed down the last bit of bread and sauce, and looked briefly to the lord. His eyes only meeting the lord’s long enough to be polite, his eyes were fixed on his plate of honeycake before he spoke. ”You can count me in. Only, I wonder if there’s any strong activity in that region…” he said before taking a bite, thinking specifically about dreadspawn, fleshtearers, undead, and lackeys from Mirayek. Still, the cake tasted quite yummy. And that ‘research’ that indicated the mage was ‘likely dead’… Unlikely Ecurius knew more that he’d already volunteered. Shrugging, he continued. ”Can’t say I’ve looted a mage’s tower before, magic’s not as easy to identify as traps or gold. I don’t suppose you’d have a token we could borrow to help find the items of interest…” he suggested helpfully. But essentially, he did not want Burl and any spellcasters from the other side of the table to be the only ones able to discern trick from treasure. The notes Ecurius desired may not be magical, but any wards guarding them very likely might be. It was something he’d like to look into…

Cord listened intently, pouring himself a second mug of ale as Ecurious spoke. He paused when their host mentioned plundering the tower, but did not respond. He set down the pitcher, his cup only half-fill. He did not touch food or drink until after Ecurious had finished.

One of the women was the first to speak, seemingly eager for such an adventure. Another sighed disconsolately. Cord felt his mouth twitch into a smile beneath his beard. Love, it seemed, in some form or another, had found roots in this particular group.

Cord nodded as Kale began the introductions, chuckled at his own description. "I'm afraid Kale exaggerates my abilities somewhat," he said, taking another long drought from his mug, finishing it off. "But he is right, in this case. Perfumes, no matter how fragrant, do little to conceal the stink beneath."

His sightless eyes fixed on an imaginary point several inches to Ecurius' side, Cord refilled his mug and continued speaking. "Why hire strangers, even with such reputations? No doubt your own people have similar experience, and you have contacts with those with stronger loyalties. Why us? What true dangers lurk in that abandoned tower?"

Cord was not naturally suspicious. In his travels, people often opened up to him, were oftentimes more honest than they normally might be. He had always been cautious, relied on common sense, but never had he doubted the words. Perhaps it was the general sense of unease, gnawing at his heart. Perhaps it was the coincidental arrival of their two groups. Perhaps he was, in fact, getting too old. He lifted the mug to his lips, took another swallow.

"I once lived in these mountains," he said, "'Stone is in our blood,' as the saying goes for us dwarves. If some of you decide to visit this tower, and wish for my company, I will join." He nodded curtly, to no one in particular. The world was a large place to search for the origins of his unease. But, a wizard's tower hidden in the wild mountains was as good of a place to start as any.

Ecurius gave a wry smile at Kale's request for some aid to magical identification. "Well, I'm sure your own spellcasters are plentifully capable enough of such cantrips."

To Cord's questions, the smile became more humoured. "My own people? I'm not quite sure what you mean. I cannot send House Tarravus troops off on a private errand without riling others, and besides, I don't really want this to be a high-profile operation by dozens of foot soldiers. The thing is, when it comes to this kind of task, mercenaries are always the best bet since you people tend to be far tougher and more tenacious than a guardsman. I cannot ask any of my friends in the Wind Hawks, for they have other troubles occupying them at the moment and even if I had the audacity to request their attention for my own matters I would not want to do so. The Iron Hawks, though well positioned to aid me, would be more interested in looting the tower for themselves than for my purposes if I informed them about it. Oh, there are a handful of mercenary bands and adventuring companies but a friend advised me to employ Wolf and his men, and as for the rest of you I simply think you capable enough."

He chuckled as Melisande produced the Manipulated toad, peering at the two-headed creature with curiosity and the slightest hint of the revulsion which most people felt for such a sight. "As to the actual dangers in the tower, I cannot predict what you might face, which is why I'm hiring mercenaries as opposed to heading in there myself." He shrugged. "Which seems, to me, reasonable enough."

When Kale erupted into motion from Melisande casting reduce on his boots in revenge for some teasing, Ecurius looked somewhat bemused, laughing at Melisande's comments about brain ailments. Sandslipper nearly jumped out of her skin at the surprise, but calmed down to answer Burl's eager question. "Well, I'm from Myrmecia, a pathfinder for my tribe. My family was one of the bloodlines blessed by Grumand, which is why I am, well, as I am," she said shyly. "I'm a capable scout and good at surviving in the wilderness, and my blessing has gifted me with other powers too from the Stone Lord."

"I travel because I like to, because I feel a kind of... wanderlust in my veins. Do you understand what I mean? I just want to see new places and people, so I left my tribe," at this point Kale noticed her almost imperceptibly flinching a little - it seemed there was something she wasn't telling them, "and came north. On my way, a friend of Lord Ecurius's" and she shot the sorcerer a questioning glance, "asked me to deliver a package to him, so I did, and here I am now."

"And yes, Lord Ecurius, I think I would like to undertake this journey to the tower, if you have no objections?"

"Certainly not; now, for the rest of you, are you all agreed to come? I will understand if you do not wish too, of course; oh, and Hawk Errant," he said to Alaric, nodding in acknowledgement, "I understand your own duties keep you from joining the expedition. The Wind Hawks will provide you with lodgings and a fresh steed for the journey back south."

"Thank you, my Lord; actually, I was thinking of travelling to Thrazan. After all, I have Errant status now, I might as well make use of it," the mage knight finished with a smile.

Cord nodded in response to Ecurius' explanation. He leaves the dirty work to the mercenaries, of course. And, Cord was forced to admit, he was considered to be one of these mercenaries. Cord had never charged for anything, often relying either on his own skill or the kindness of others. The concept of payment for fighting, although not foreign to him, did leave an unpleasant taste in his mouth.

"I am agreed to go to this tower, Lord Ecurius," he said. "However, do not worry about my payment. I have no need for coin. Exploration of the demesnes would be adequate compensation." Not to mention finding the root of this corruption.

Cord absently rested a hand on Wyshira's arm and lifted his nearly empty mug in the general direction of Ecurius' voice. "I will be honored to travel with the outgoing party and provide guidance where I may." With a brisk nod, he finished the mug.

Leaning forward slightly as the talk turned to the practicalities of their journey, Sebastion listened in to the - apparently plausible - reasonings of the noble and cleared his throat slightly.

"What's the territory like between here and this tower?" he asked, pushing his plate aside a little. "Are we likely to run into any troubles before we ever get there, or it will it simply be the tower itself to worry us?

At the same time, Burl began questioning about where he might acquire spell components in the city, and adding her own questions to those of her old and new companions, Melisande tucked Pierre back into his pocket and addressed Lord Ecurius. "Personally I'm not so concerned with material supplies as with knowledge. We have a couple of items we gathered on our journeys that we can't use because we don't know what they do. If your Lordship has a moment, I wonder if you could have a look at them? As a Truth Seeker you're more likely to know what to do with them than most."

Listening to Melisande’s question, Burl was a little taken back by her snubbing of his need for spell components. It must be a great boon to be able to channel magic without using material components , he thought, but then Burl’s ears perked at the mention of a couple of mysterious objects. He decided to wait for Ecurius’ answer before offering his services to discover the unknown qualities of the items.
Ecurius gave Melisande a lop-sided grin. "I wish the rest of us sorcerers could have such a disregard for supplies, but we happen to be unable to subsist on air. And yes, let me have a look at those objects you have there..."

He looked at the rod and the small vial of shadow for a few moments, curiously perusing them for any outwards clues. "Hard to tell anything just by looking at them, let me see." He muttered the words of a detect magic, nodding to himself, then looked up again. "Pass me that plate of oysters, please."

He reached out and took one of the shellfish, then another, prying them open to reveal the mollusc within and, nestling within each, a pearl. The nobleman looked a little embarrassed about such lengths of opulence in front of the mercenaries, but spoke some arcane words under his breath and with two quick spells, one on each item, dropped into a brief reverie.

When he came out, a few moments later, he handed them back to Melisande. "Well, I cast a minor identification spell on each one. The rod... it has a conjuration spell bound up into it, one that summons an elemental creature from the Elemental Plane of Fire upon the word agemon. It waxes and wanes with the cycle of the sun - you can still use it at night, but it'll only work once per day. From the carvings on it, I guess it's some sort of snake that it summons. The vial is filled with some sort of shadowstuff, that can be released when its seal is broken. The shadows within will flood out, but they wont last for long."

"The rod has other powers too, but the spell I cast cannot divine them. I can do that if you want, but that'd require a spell with a fairly costly focus which I don't possess and so I'm afraid I can't do that for free."

He turned to the questions of the others. "Burl - there are plenty of places for acquiring components in the city; it is, after all, ruled by sorcerers, and sorcerers need components. You could try the wizard's guild, I reckon. And yes, I will be procuring some supplies for your journey."

"Sebastion - the countryside between here and the Sarokeans is navigable enough. It's all Naserian land, mostly Tarravus but for the last leg you'll cross Merlihr land; it's a bit more rugged and forested there, but still it should be pretty safe. When you hit the mountains, that's when travel will become more difficult, but I've been assured that the path you'll need to take will be by no means intraversible. I have a cartographer putting together a good map of the area there for you."

Wolf nodded at all the information. "Sounds good to me."

At Cord's declaration that he needed no pay Ecurius looked impressed.

DM's Note: The game stats of the magic items are:

Fire Serpent Rod: Can summon a Fire Elemental viper 1/day. It has other powers.
Vial of Shadow: When opened, casts Darkness centred on the vial.