DT's Old School Campaign- (Chapter 4: The Guild and The Girl)

[Queenie]

"Hold on Rovan," Lola started, but was too late, he had already knocked. She had been eying him closely while he carried the package and though she suspected something was wrong and he was hiding it, she hadn't confronted him.

She kept her voice low and spoke quickly. "Haven't any of you thought about the strange things those women said? I had considered they were fooling around; angry to be denied our business. Still, the way they spoke was odd, in unison like that. Some kind of prediction or...? I'm not sure. I have pondered, they could not have been speaking of us, as far as I know we're all stuck in poverty just about as low as can be so it's certainly not in the past."

Her eyes darted warily up to the gargoyles that silently guarded the door, her distrust of this situation obvious. "This is a supposed sorcerer we're dealing with and maybe that all was a trick of his to make sure we returned this package to him. But aren't any of you curious as to what is inside it? Perhaps it's a rare treasure worth a lot more than this magician is willing to pay us for. Or, more importantly, like the women mentioned, what might our fate be once we do this? What we are getting ourselves into? This is not simply delivering a box of rats on a stick."

 

[GlassEye]

Edvan is pensively silent from the women and their odd pronouncement until they reach the house of the sorcerer. Standing in front of the door, however, he shakes his head. He is obviously uneasy and growing more so as Rovan and Lola have their say. He gapes at pair then bursts out in a rush of words. "Rats on a stick!? More like the severed head of this woman Bear says this Tretcher fellow was afraid of. You know, the one that haunted Bear and his ship across seven seas?" He shakes his head. "We likely already angrying this spirit; I'ms not too keen on playin' a sorcerer false or pokin' my nose in his business.

And those women? Bad sign, I says. Yeah, we're poor; they could sees that just by the lookin'. And it's dangerous messin' in sorcerer business. I done said that once before. 'Treasure hid in pursed lips'? Maybe she had gold teeth. Or maybe if we helps the spirit she'd reward us. Heard tell a story like that once. We're in a bad spot and I ain't too fond of rocks or hard places." He falls silent once again and shifts his gaze from Rovan to Lola to the Door to Hilmdyn and back around again.

 

[garyh]

Hilmdyn grunts. "We're already being paid four gold apiece for this work, and the sorcerer will likely reward us more on his own. I'd rather not press our luck and end up with a curse o' our own, on the wrong side of those that dabble in the arcane."

 

[Deuce Traveler]

As the group discussed their situation one of the doors swung inwards and out stepped a large, shadowy form whose features was partially illuminated by the Plaza lanterns. The form belonged to a tall, broad man wearing loose red pants and a crimson shirt that folded over his thick torso like a robe. His hairless face was strange, with slanted, expressionless eyes that looked down at the group before him. He was muscular without traces of fat, and his head was also shaven except at the top and back of his head, which was tied back as if in a braid.

He continued to stare expectantly at the stunned party until a loud voice from inside yelled, "Damn it, Lu Su! Let whoever it is inside before I catch a chill!" The voice was followed by a series of rasping coughs. The group was led in by the odd man, past a foyer, and into a meeting room that acted partially as a laboratory and also as a library. The ceiling stretched upwards into the shadows, while the actually room was itself lit by several candelebras and torches hanging from four stone pillars. A small, wrinkled man stood behind a desk cluttered with papers and several pieces of equipment made from thin metal rods and glass containers. The library shelves were in a similar state of disregard, with each being used to hold papers, books, marked glass jars of strange objects floating in liquids, and artifacts. The man wrapped himself in a dark shawl, hacked wetly, grimaced, and looked over his visitors. "Sit!" He so ordered, and his servant brought forth four chairs from the side of the room so that the party could make themselves comfortable some fifteen feet from the desk. The servant then stood behind the group with his arms crossed, his watchful stare continuing in its disturbing lack of emotion.

"Don't mind Lu Su. He's been my guardian for nigh two years now. He has sworn to obey my commands for five years, five months, and five days and so his loyalty is assured," he said with a sardonic smile. Since that gaze was pointed more at his servant than the group, the party fathomed that his message was some sort of verbal dagger meant for Lu Su and not their own behalf. For a moment they thought they saw a trace of a frown on Lu Su's face.

The small man sat back in his own chair by his desk and waved his hand at the group. "Well now, why are you here? What is so pressing that you have come to see me, the Great Tretchner, hmmm? Some curse you wish to place on a rival? Some magic charm you need to ward your domicile? From the looks of you, you can't offer much. Unless the girl is the payment," Tretchner asked and for a moment his look of boredom twinkled with an edge of perverse interest.

 

[Fenris]

Rovan walked in awe through the laboratory. He had seen pecious few that could even hope to rival this. Some of the private labs at the academy glipsed though doors closing too quickly. He stole a glance at Lola and she caught a delirious grin on his face usually only seen on young children at a sweets store. He sat almost robotically as Lu Su brought the chairs forward. His brain was making notes and caluculations and guesses as to what eavh thing was for. He had no sign of fear, but rather awe and wonder.

Tretchner's words about "the girl is payment" brought Rovan back to the business at hand. Rovan stood, but with a glance at Lu Su made no attempt to advance to the sorcerer.

"No sir, we have not come seeking any charm or curse from you. Rather we bring you both sad and glad tidings and messages. It has become known to us that you sent your man Max Gottlein off on an, errand. It is our sad duty to report to you sir that Max died during the voyage. However, Max died on the return voyage, beside by many calamaties the ship managed to pull into port. We were asked to bring that package to you which we have at a certain amount of danger to ourselves and your hard earned package." replies Rovan producing the package in his hands.

 

[garyh]

Hilmdyn sat casually in his chair, attempting to seem neither afraid nor aloof in the presence of Tretchner. He was, however, happy to the let the mage do the talking.

 

[Queenie]

Lola raised an eyebrow at the idea of her as payment, however this was just a momentary emotion that passed quickly, her being rather used to this sort of talk. Rovan seemed willing to do the speaking here so she casually leaned back in her chair, crossed one leg over the other and made sure she was in an alluring position without looking like she was spending the effort. Her gray eyes settled on the sorcerer, attempting to judge his truthfulness and motive as he spoke to Rovan.

 

[GlassEye]

Edvan sits stiffly. He's a bit overwhelmed by the entire situation so he focuses on the one thing he can truly understand: Lu Su. He only halfway listens to the sorcerer instead first assessing the potential threat and ability of the honor-bound guard and then concentrating on listening for sounds of movement or threat behind the group as they sit and deal with Tretchner.

 

[Deuce Traveler]

Tretchner walked up towards Rovan and snatched the box away with trembling hands, then brought it back to his desk and opened it. He then spoke to something inside, "Ahhh...I've been waiting for this for too long." There was a squelching noise as he pulled a dusk-skinned head of the box by its braided hair. It appeared to be that of a woman with her eyes closed tight, and was in remarkable enough condition that the party could see how she looked in life. The wizard began to bounce up and down while clapping his hands in glee, "Ha ho! It's been many a year, but I finally got one over on that devil-bitch."

A sudden change came over Tretchner as he stared into the face of the decapitated woman. "But yet, I don't like the way she stares at me, and where are the gems?" He placed her head down onto his workspace and turned her face towards the party.

Her eyes remained closed, her face grimaced and unchanged, and it was not clear how she could be 'staring'. Yet the light from the nearby flames seemed to be partially quenced for a moment as Tretchner walked backwards from the desk and bit his thumb hard. Wringing his clothes with his other hand he mumbled, "What to do? What must I do? This was a dark deed! It should not have been done!."

Tretchner pulled at his hair, then stared angrily at the party. "You! You know where the gems are, don't you? And you'll tell this story, won't you? About ol' Tretchner's betrayal and how you tricked him. Well, I can't have that! I won't have that." He nodded to the man behind the four.

Rovan felt the hands of Lu Su grab him as he was picked up and tossed twelve feet into a nearby bookcase. The young magic-user's body slammed heavily into the wooden case and he fell to the ground and lay still after several crystal globes and various books toppled onto his form. At the same time, Tretchner cast a spell, although the effects of it weren't readily apparent. Of more concern to the party was Lu Su, who now picked up the empty chair Rovan was using and looked to smash it over Hilmdyn's head.

OOC: Hilmdyn and Rovan are stunned and cannot act this round. Lola and Edvan are not surprised and may declare their actions. Rovan takes only 3 points of damage, since the books fell on him and it only seemed as if the globes did him damage. It is also quite obvious that Tretchner seems to have lost his mind.

 

[Queenie]

"Rovan!" Lola cried out and quickly moved to the sorcerer on the floor. She knelt beside him to check if he was still alive, and breathed a short sigh of relief to find he was.

Sensing some weakness, it was worth a shot... "Lu Shu, your master has obviously been crazed, whether by age and time or the curse that has come with this foul deed, this murder of a comrade, that he has masterminded! Do not let him kill us all in his madness for that might include you! Help us help your master or at least help us not die by his hand or yours and we shall help you end your term of servitude... early."

As she spoke, Lola stealthily palmed one of the crystal globes that had not broken from its fall in her hand and with a glance she calculated; she readied to attack the sorcerer and fight for their lives.

ooc: I am not certain how Lola's manipulations work. She wants to try to convince Lu Shu to not kill them or help the party right now. Do I tell you in ooc / oog what I am trying to accomplish? Or you can pretty much figure that out on your own...?