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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Cerebral Paladin" data-source="post: 743387" data-attributes="member: 3448">Session 2 (cont'd):The Gnomish Quarter encompasses a range of wealth, but is dominated by lower class buildings.  The buildings are uniformly small by human standards; many have mushroom influenced architecture.  As the group travels through the quarter, they experience its dual existence.  Where the gnomes of the Belat-Arnesian Empire dwell, there are wondrous illusions and disgusting realities.  Streets outside well-to-do households gleam as only magical cleaning can make them, but all savvy travellers know that the streets aren't really clean, just covered with illusions to make them seem nicer.  Many gnomes simply sit about on the street, their minds too wrapped up in illusions, brought on by magic or drugs, to notice the group as it walks past.  The residents of the quarter take no notice of the group; it's hardly the first time a group of humans have come to the area looking for some form of wonderment.Melania leads the group into what humans would assume to be a tavern.  As they enter, it becomes clear that it's more of a pipe garden.  Clusters of gnomes, and a few other peoples, sit at the tables, puffing strange colored smoke out of waterpipes.  As they approach the bar, the bartender looks up at them."What can I get you folks?""Ales for all of us," Melania says.The bartender shakes his head-- why did they come to the Gnomish Quarter if they want to waste their time on ale?  But he begins pouring the mugs.  He has some on tap, for those patrons who like a drink with their smoke."I've heard that Bildorintingallindorf can often be found here.  We were wondering if you could point us out for him.""He does come down here many afternoons, but not when he's had a big break.  Then he justs sits in his house and smokes his earnings.""Oh?  Did he get lucky recently?""About a week ago.  He came in to get a couple bottles of elven wine-- helps the mushrooms work, you know."Melania quickly gets directions to Bildorintingallindorf's house.When they get to the street by his house, the group splits up.  Melania and Dov head to the house to talk to the gnome, while the rest keep a watchfull eye on the street.  If he was in on the theft, this could get dangerous.Sister Aurora, who has been muttering about the evil, truth hiding ways of the gnomes, stairs in horror as Lhovrik and Ginara approach a gnome with a cart full of mushrooms."We need to look like we're here for a reason," Lhovrik argues.  "I wonder what mushrooms we should get?""You should get green ones," Ginara says.  "They don't really work.  I mostly just got a headache when I tried them.""You've tried mushrooms?" Aurora asks in horror.Ginara nonchalantly admits to having experimented a few times.Lhovrik quickly buys a few green mushrooms.  While Aurora shakes her head at the depravity surrounding her, the other two each grab a mushroom.  Because Lhovrik carefully chews a small amount of one mushroom while Ginara quickly downs two or three, Lhovrik is only slightly disoriented while Ginara is fairly disoriented and put in an even bubblier mood than normal.  Aurora steadfastly refuses their efforts to convince her to try a mushroom and, as the only unimpaired look out, devotes most of her attention to keeping an eye on her wayward friends.Happily unaware of the unreliability of their back-up, Melania and Dov approach Bildorintingallindorf's home.  Melania knocks on the door.  No answer.  They consider leaving...but wait.  Isn't that low moaning, or perhaps snoring, coming from within the house?  Dov knocks on the door this time, pounding rough booms that reverberate throughout the smallish house.After the better part of a minute, the door opens.  A gnome looks up at them.  He is dressed in garish colors, in clothes that are somewhere between tasteless expensive clothes and motley.  The clothes are in disarray, a stain from a spilled drink on his chest.  He stares out past them.  His eyes do not focus on them; indeed, it's not clear that his eyes are focusing on anything, and if they are, it isn't there."Bildo?  We're interested in talking to you about a job.""I'm not looking for work right now.  Go away.  And my name is Bildorintingallindorf the Magnificent." In a moment of vanity, he casts a minor spell.  His clothes are instantly clean and in perfect array and the confused look on his face is replaced with an imperious smile and eyes that stare out in perfect focus.  Unfortunately, his eyes stare out between Melania and Dov, and his expression looks like it's on a statue, hurting the effect."The job isn't for right now.  I have a big performance coming up on the Spring Festival and I thought you would be perfect to perform with me."Bildorintingallindorf still seems confused, but it's quickly becoming clear that these strangers are not going to go away quickly, so he'd best get them into the house, where he can get back to his herbs and elven wine.As they enter his home, they weave between the piles of rubbish.  Their host pours some bright blue elven wine into a glass for his guests, accidentally overflowing the glass.  A wave of his hand causes the excess wine to disappear, but a persistent dripping noise shows that it was simply concealed, not actually cleaned, by the cantrip."What was it you wanted again?""My friend here is looking for entertainers for her family's spring festival celebration," Melania explains.  "She's already hired me to provide music and storytelling, but thought that your wondrous magics might make the celebration even more special.""I don't normally perform with others, but I suppose I might if your talents are adequate and there's enough money involved..."Melania quickly demonstrates her substantial performance skills.  As she concludes her demonstration, she asks, "What sort of fee would you be looking for?""I normally charge 150 gold to perform.  Of course, on an important holiday like the spring festival, we all charge a little more...  Perhaps 250?"Melania and Dov easily conceal their surprise at these prices.  Still, there must be something going on here.  There's no way Melor cath Nortis could afford prices like that."Do you ever perform for lower fees?  I heard that you had performed for Melor cath Nortis.  I've been hired to work there myself, and I know he doesn't have that kind of money."Bildorintingallindorf looks uncomfortable and shifts a little bit.  "Oh.  Tendros handles the hiring for the cath Nortises, and I owed him a favor.  So I agreed to do the performance at a lower rate to repay him.""What favor had Tendros done for you?"The gnome looks a little confused for a few seconds.  "He helped one of my cousins out.  He got him a job as a servant in a different household; Tendros knows lots of people.  My cousin, Lurginasteron, isn't bright enough to be able to perform any of the Art.""That must be a little embarrassing," Melania says, not buying this story for a second."Oh yes, it's a disgrace for the whole family.  But anyway, since he can't learn any proper skills, he needed some way to get some money.  So Tendros helped him find a job, in a household whose cook had just left."Melania decides that they've heard enough.  Bildorintingallindorf must be covering up for his role in the theft, and Tendros must be involved somehow."Do you think you have enough information to tell your parents about him?" Melania says to Dov."I think so." The two of them stand to leave.As they head towards the door, the gnome says, "Did I ask what your names are?"Melania quickly says, "No, you didn't."Dov helpfully adds, "Would you like to know?" before immediately thinking better of it.The idea fully dawns on the addled Bildorintingallindorf. "Yeah!"Dov and Melania quickly give their names and take their leave.  They head out past their erstwhile watchdogs, heading directly to Dov's house to meet up.After Dov and Melania have passed, the bedraggled trio of Aurora, Lhovrik, and Ginara also head back.  Much to Aurora's disapproval, Ginara is fairly giggly from the mushrooms still and mocking Lhovrik.  But as they return to the meeting, the intoxication gives way to a dull headache.</blockquote>

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