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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Iron Chef BBQ" data-source="post: 1147161" data-attributes="member: 1844">Meeting for the first time, again (run of 09-16-03, pt 1)Back in Hooffall, Deke quickly loots every body and amasses the findings in small, organized piles.  They decide to lay claim to any wealth found on the bodies of travelers, all other wealth will remain with the shrine to aid in the rebuilding.  Brother Niall presents Kel with a cygnet ring that allows him to cast bless three times each day and a long sword named Mercy that allows the wielder to lay on hands once a day.   They leave Kelly and Brother Niall to a night of prayer and manage to be safely ensconced in the tavern in Treadle by nightfall.  Deke and Kenyan are relentless in their probing questions, but the others find it hard to concentrate.  Slowly, after a hearty meal and several pitchers of ale, the story of their collective vision is retold.  Who sent the vision is a mystery, but the lesson is clear:  They made a big mistake when they let Lady Cosette Slaint slip through their grasp.  That serpent-woman was collecting pieces of the body of Mormo with the intent of performing some sort of restoration ritual.  If their vision proved true, she would succeed.Before leaving Treadle the next morning they stop in to visit the aunt of the Brightwing sisters.  Without much detail, they let her know that Hooffall had been taken over by a vampire, and her nieces’ deaths had been at his hands, but he was now destroyed and Hooffall restored.Kel meets up with the others before noon, and they travel back to Vesh silently, but without incident.Back in Vesh, Borin stops off at the Temple of Enkili to check in.  The others head for home.  They return to find an unobtrusive woman hiding in the back yard.  They probably wouldn’t have even noticed her if not for the chittering filcher holding her hand.Deke runs right up to them, “That another poisoned one?” he askes.  The boyish woman in drab clothing hands Deke the paper with drawings of a filcher wearing a hat and the warehouse.  “Hey, my business card.”“Since when do you have business cards?” Marja wants to know.  She frowns at the paper.  “Have you been spreading these all over town?”Kalina is staring intently at the woman, eyeing her brown cropped hair, brown eyes and olive skin.  “Do I know you?” She asks tentatively.  The question catches Marja’s attention who also looks the woman up and down.  “You’re Terri,” she says.  “Yup,” the woman replies, “Who are you?”  “I’m Marja.”  “You’ve changed.”  “You mean I haven’t changed yet.”  At this point Theo comes scurrying out of the house.“I wasn’t expecting you today!  Nothing’s prepared!  I don’t even have groceries.”“Don’t worry about it,” Marja soothes.  “Just bring us out some ale.  Can you whip up something simple for dinner?  We’re hungry, but we’ll be satisfied with anything.”  The tiny hafling darts back into the kitchen and reappears with mugs and pitchers of ale.  Then they pull benches and chairs out into the yard and sit down to talk in the cool evening air.  Lucre steals quietly up stairs to his room.As the sun begins to set, and the air turns chill, Borin returns from the temple, and the group moves inside to warmth and dinner.  Kenyan eats quickly and leaves for the pubs.  He’s sure that with his new material he should be able to pick up a few permanent gigs.  Deke and the little filcher, whom he says is called Kre Kre head out back to screech in filcher-tongue.Marja realizes that Lucre hasn’t been with them all evening.  She goes upstairs, but his door is closed.  She knocks tentatively.  Lucre hollers that he’ll be down in a minute, and Marja gives him his privacy.When he finally wanders down stairs, he is wearing long sleeves, and he’s shivering.  Although he denies that anything is wrong, Marja pushes until he finally shows the group his neck where he was gripped by the vampirette.  He has large pulsating blue bruises.  “I feel like I have a blockade between my mind and body,” he explains.  “I think I’m dying.”“You’re not dying,” buts in Terri.  She’s pretty sure that a restoration will cure him, and she and Borin recommend that he come to the Temple of Enkili in the morning.  Marja suggests that Lucre might prefer the Temple of Goran, and Lucre agrees to this.Late in the evening Borin spots a head peeking in the window.  “Hey you!”  A bewildered, but pretty young woman steps inside.  “I almost walked right by,” she says.  “Too much monkey noise.”“You’re Kira,” Borin remarks.  “Terri’s here too.  Sit down.”  He closes the door and the shutters.  Kira is skeptical until she steps into the light and recognizes Kalina and Lucre.  “But you weren’t in the vision,” she points to Borin.  “Yah, I was.  I’m the other dwarf.”Explanations on Borin’s elvish appearance always take longer than one might think.  Questions from everyone pepper Marja, but she stays pretty tight-lipped about what might cause such a dramatic change in her appearance.  As quickly as possible the group fills Terri and Kira in on their adventures with Lady Cossette Slaint and her plot to resurrect Mormo.  All this conversation happens over a lovely egg dish whipped up quickly by Theo and finishes with Theo’s presentation of what he calls “cloud,” a snowy pudding with raspberry sauce.Kira shows the group the little scrap of paper she found in her dead husband’s hands.  Several patrols have been killed at Stonefell Duchy at the base of the Keldar Mountains.  She hasn’t been able to get any satisfaction from anyone in Vesh.  “The bartender at the Stuttering Monkey told me about you.  He said you might help me.  I didn’t realize that I already knew you.”They decide they need to see Beltray tonight even though it is already ten o’clock.  Borin, Marja, Kalina and Kel wander out in the lovely evening air and head toward his home.  There is a long wait at the door, and the butler arrives in his dressing gown.  “Has his lordship retired for the evening?” asks Marja.  “No, madam, he is in the library as usual,” he answers in his typically disdainful attitude.  Marja has to specifically ask to see Beltray before the butler steps aside and lets them in.They quickly, but carefully tell him all the events of the last several weeks.  He is astounded and occasionally leaps up to check through reference books commenting, “Oh my!” and “I’ve never seen…” and “How fascinating.”They present him with the book of secret societies that they collected from the Hooffall library.  He is enthralled, and they realize that they should have saved this book for the end because they have a great deal of trouble regaining his attention.  He finally puts the book on his desk and sits across the room, but his eyes and attentions wander over to it frequently. Finally, they get around to the point.  Does he have another mission for them?  When he tells them he has nothing at present, they explain Kira’s story and Cossette’s.  They want to investigate Stonefell and then spend their time finding Cossette and putting an end to her plan once and for all.Lord Beltray agrees, but then falters with his next words.  Clearly he has some sort of bad news.  “You see,” he stammers.  “The Vigil Council, in their infinite wisdom, and infinite distrust, would like to put another Vigil among you.”  He looks embarrassed.  “I have every faith in you all, of course,” he almost blurts the words.“Would the new recruit happen to be Caerwyn Ap Bunholm?” asks Marja.  Beltray looks shocked.  She reminds him again about their communal vision.  “He was in it, too,” she explains.“And two others,” Boran adds.  “We’d like them to join the group if it’s ok with you.”  They then tell Beltray that Deke and Kenyan would like to go their own paths.  The vigil life just doesn’t suit a filcher and a bard.  Beltray goes to his cabinet and picks up a silver globe.  He runs his fingers over its surface.  Borin feels a tingle on his arm where his invisible tattoo is.  “No,” murmurs Beltray.  His fingers move along the sphere.  “Ah, there’s something monkeyish.”  He finds Kenyan’s spot as well.  “Their tattoos have been removed.  Bring the others here in the morning, and we’ll talk more about this.”Back at the warehouse they ask Terri and Kira to join them in the morning.  Terri shrugs, “Sure.  I’ll meet your hermetic boss.”  Kira is less convinced that they aren’t wasting time.  “I thought I was leading this group to Stonefell!”  “Leading?”  Marja arches one eyebrow.  “Meow,” whispers Kalina in her ear.  “Whatever,” Marja says as she turns to go up stairs.  “If you’re in, you’re in at Beltray’s in the morning.”They get up early and take Lucre to the Temple of Goran.  A dwarven cleric taps Lucre’s neck with tiny silver hammers while he chants.  With each tap the vibrations travel through Lucre’s body, and his energy returns.  Suddenly, he feels sick and throws up negative energy bile.  Fully restored, he sends a prayer of thanks to Goran.Borin insists on paying the cleric for his cousin.  Lucre is grateful and tells the cleric, “He is a proper dwarf, a block of adamantite with a mithral center.”  “She looks a little elfy to me,” the cleric grumbles and leaves them at the door.Everyone shows up right on time at Lord Beltray’s home in the morning.  They are again led into the library by a more appropriately dressed butler.  A tall, wiry man who is seated in a straight-backed chair immediately rises to attention.  He is wearing a velvet doublet and silk shirt.  He wears no jewelry, but his boots, bracers and other equipment is expensive, polished and highly adorned.  Borin introduces Kira and Terri to Lord Beltray, and before Beltray can turn to introduce the young man, Borin nods curtly.  “Caerwyn, hello.”  Beltray is flustered that the group seems to know the paladin.  Caerwyn raises one eyebrow, studying Borin. “Do I know you, madam?”“It’s Borin, Caerwyn,” answers Lucre striding forward to shake his hand.  Caerwyn is confused.  He of course remembers Borin as a dward, not an elf, but he is more concerned about being touched by the one with the blood-taint.  He openly detects evil.  Lucre is taken aback by the rudeness.  Marja develops an instant dislike for this pompous twit who’s been sent to spy on them.  She knows that in the vision he was a trustworthy companion and even a friend, but in her typical way, she disregards all that.  Now she knows how Xenia must have felt when she first met Naxos.  They all sit down, Caerwyn last of all.  Periodically, Marja rises to straighten her trousers or pout tea each time seeing if Caerwyn will rise also, as his breeding would require.  He doesn’t and each time asks if she requires assistance.  Drat!  He knows she’s trying to make fun of him.They talk briefly of the vision informing Caerwyn of their encounter with Cossette.  “Surely the vision was a warning not a prophecy,” Caerwyn concludes, “for the Champion will not fail.”  A memory flashes through Marja’s mind, “Let us show them how Heroes fight.”  She remembered being inspired by his faith and bravery then.  She pouts silently.  “I’m still not going to like you,” she thinks.Kira tells Beltray and Caerwyn of her troubles.  Her husband died in the service of the Duke of Stonefell.  Someone seems to be hiding something.  She’s spoken to a few bookies who acknowledge that money has been passing to the commanders of the guards who, it seems, in return do not question the many deaths of their men.Beltray agrees to their taking up Kira’s quest.  He pulls out a map of Stonefell.  The Duke there is middle-aged, in his 40s.  His father died not many years before at the age of 87.  The current Duke is spoiled and prone to expensive habits.  His mother died when he was very young.  His father’s second wife was indulgent and soft on him.  Otherwise, Beltray doesn’t know much.  He’s quite scandalized that a royal might be hiding something sinister, or would be so unaware of his own duchy that misdeeds could happen under his own nose.  He feels strongly that they should uncover what is going on and follow it to its highest source.That afternoon Marja and Kalina take Terri and Kira to the salon.  It takes a lot of convincing to get Terri to go in.  Finally, they allow her to sneak around back and climb in through a window.  While Terri and Kira are getting their Vigil tattoos, Marja and Kalina indulge in more mundane pampering.  Afterwards Terri and Kira go each to their own place to pack and prepare.  Kalina takes Fang out of town to a nearby wood to make a shrine to Denev and pray.  Marja travels through the bazaars to a small, but upscale clothing merchant and purchases a fine dress and jewelry.  “You never know if someone will need to make an appearance at court, and I’m sure as hell not letting Caerwyn go alone.”Meanwhile, the men practice sparring at the warehouse.  Lucre challenges Caerwyn to a race “to the best of our abilities.”  Caerwyn agrees, and since Lucre didn’t specifically mention a foot race, quickly summons his steed.  “You did say to the best of our abilities, didn’t you?”  They decide on the end mark and set Deke and Theo up to watch.  The two line up, and Borin stands between them calling out, “On your mark.  Get ready.  Go!”  In a flash Lucre is gone.  Caerwyn spurs his horse.  In an equally deft and quick move, Borin spins and grabs Caerwyn’s horse by the tail as it flashes past.  His dwarven strength pulls the horse almost to a stop before Caerwyn swings around and pushes him away.  Still Caerwyn wins by a nose, but he is outraged.  “You cheated!” he shouts at Borin.  “I dunno,” answers Borin.  “You said to the best of your abilities, and one of a dwarf’s strengths is the ability to call on his clan in times of need.”“Don’t be a sore winner,” chastises Deke, and that ends the conversation.The next morning they set off on horseback on the well-traveled road to Stonefell’s main town, Riva.  As they near the Keldar Mountains, Caerwyn, Borin and Kel hear a struggle 100 yards ahead.  “To arms!” shouts Caerwyn and charges forward.“Is he going to say crap like that all the time?” Marja asks Kel, “because it’s pretty annoying.”  “It won’t be so annoying when his quick calls to action save your life,” Kel answers wisely as he also spurs his horse forward.  Marja sighs.  “I still don’t have to like him,” she mutters under her breath.</blockquote>

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