Tuck nods at Akos' words, then seems to think about it some more. Then, he pats Mutt on the back and gets up. He was considering having the dog move past each person in the room to be sure, but seeing Sylemis so comfortable lying against the canine, he decides to hold off on that course of action for now.
"Let's go," he says to Breva and Custodio, ready to inspect the house. Apparently the kobold missed most of the conversation with Lowenan and Florrie, or he ignores it altogether.
Tuck and Mutt help Breva search the house for any signs of invaders or anything that might be out of place. They don't find anything that appears to be troubling. Once back in the main hall, Mutt settles back down next to the dragori druid and puts his head in the reptilian man's lap. Tuck lets the others know he didn't find anything out of place in the manor hours.
"Of course, my skills are more at home on the streets."
"All curses are curable. It is only a matter of finding the release clause. If you can hold on a bit more, I'd be happy to help."
"This may not be a matter of the Emperor at all. Maybe the sorcerer has a tie with the noble you don't know about. Maybe your bloodline is somehow in the line for the throne. Maybe you know something even if you are not aware of it that could be damning. But you still assume it is because of your ties to The Dragori Empire and not because you're the most powerful druid in here...that is something you DO NOT know."
"I will hold on as long as needed," the dragori druid replies.
"While my own magic hasn't been able to lift this curse, you skillss as a healer has given me hope."
Sylemis chuckles at Akos thought of him being in line for the throne.
"That is not possible. I come from a clan that has no great lineage in the Dragori Empire. My clutch's hatching did not take place in Endikarr's Hatching Groundss, and I barely survived the onslaught of my brotherss and sisterss as we all vied for dominance and survival." He shakes his head.
"And, you assume that my druid skillss are greater than your own fey abilities or I am the strongest druid in Bluffside. The High Sister of the Great Mother's Grove of Peace and Harmony is considerably more powerful than I and even she couldn't break this curse." Sylemis ponders for a moment.
"There is the sel'varahn druidess Falina Edgewater who holds ssway over the Grove of the Sea Druid out on Sordadon. I had yet to beseech her for aid, as the High Sister felt certain she would not be able to break the curse either."
He sighs and leans towards the fire.
"While my people don't have an aversion for water, the cold of the sea isn't the same as the warm waterss of the Serpent River." He turns to look at Akos.
"You could be right that there could be something buried in the sandss of my homeland. Power and secretss are often the way of my people."
Neurotic said:
"I know there are innocents and we wouldn't be here if we had other options. These are the people pulled from the Magic Scar at the Gate of Scales. We are unsure of their loyalties and whether they were there by enchantment magic or by their own choice. At this moment, I would treat them as guards and nobles suspected of the crimes against the city, but without proof. By their location alone, they are linked to the Renegade and as such are potential threat if he can scry or send the beasts after them. We also encountered suspicious activity on our way here, potentially Dusk agents as you already heard. People there in the corner should be kept safe, separate if possible and out of hearing and sight of critical assets and discussions until they can be properly debriefed. They may know much...or nothing...about the plans of the sorcerer. Anything they might say needs to be treated as potential red herring and evaluated in that light. We witnessed the betrayal, these here were thrown to the wolves as the saying goes without a moments thought...so there is a case for them to be just dupes. Or willing pawns at the hand of uncaring master. So...undecided."
Florrie listens. She is surprised at Akos' candor. She looks towards the prisoners with a mix of disproval and what might be pity.
"We will help you keep them safe while you are here. I don't think the Renegade can scry on us here. Terger's family had this manor specially built for stealth -- even against magic. I don't know how strong the wards are but I'm certain the magic has been kept up."
"The magic is still in place," a deep voice resounds. Gerey walks into the room and bows to each of you.
"It isn't completely infallible but the sorcerer would have to expend a great deal of effort to see into this house."
"It's good to see you, Mr. Aumberden," Custodio says.
"And all of you, as well," the warden replies melodically.
"It is good that you have come. I have news for you all."
"First, we escort our guests upstairs and let them rest, securely," Custodio insists. He looks at Vinny.
"There are two rooms at the end of the hall that should be fine."
"Secure them as you see best," Florrie says.
"We Lanterns are here to help, so if you need us to help guard them, I will put half-a-dozen guards in the hall outside the rooms you've selected." She looks at Akos as if she wants to say something else but then glances towards the prisoners.
Breva nods politely at Lowenan, "not trying to build a case one way or another. I just don't like surprises. With all that has happened can you blame me?"
"I guess not."
Neurotic said:
"Quiet, both of you. Doppelganger would say he isn't one. You will be treated fairly as we were treated."
Rhilaseth looks like he's going to say something but Lowenan puts up his hand and other ex-guard stays silent.
Custodio, Vinny, and Florrie escort the prisoners upstairs and she gathers up several Lanterns and orders them to stand guard in the hall.
"Stay alert and be ready for anything."
"Yes, Miss Whiteshadow," one of the Lanterns replies. "We keep out eyes open for any thing unusual."
"Watch for scrying sensors," Vinny notes. He and Custodio go through both rooms and doublecheck all the furniture.
They put Lady Arnona in one of the rooms by herself. Custodio and Vinny debate putting Silagord in a different room from Lowenan and Rhilaseth, but decide against it. The three men are shut into a small room with two beds, a sinlge sidetable, and no window. The other room is a big larger with a single bed and a small circular window the size of Mutt's head. Custodio makes sure it is shuttered and locked.
"I suggest you sleep and don't try to do anything else," Custodio insists as he, Vinny, and the Lanterns deprive the ex-guards of their armor and anything else that isn't just normal clothing.
Lady Arnona quickly falls into the small bed and is soon fast asleep again. Lowenan instructs Silagord to take one bed. He takes the other while Rhilaseth sits on the floor with his back against the wall. Silagord falls asleep with his cat curled up on his chest. The other two ex-guards keep their eyes on the door until it is closed and locked from the outside.
"Check on them regularly," Custodio insists to the guards.
"But, let the woman rest more soundly. She was badly wounded and nearly died."
The guards look to Florrie and she nods.
Custodio and Vinny return to the main hall just in time to here Akos describe the well to Sylemis. Florrie follows them down a few moments later once she's inspected the entire hallway and makes sure all the other rooms windows are secure and their doors are locked.
Returning to the old druid, Akos tells the story about The Pool of Whispered Dreams.
"There is rumored to be a magical well hidden somewhere deep in the Jade Thicket at the intersection of the Cardinal Wall and the Green Wall. The tales tell of an old pixie who blessed the waters in the well with its dying breath. The young nobles of Old City are constantly trying to find the well, but it is said that the well will only appear when the need it great and Bluffside is in peril. If the well does exist, it would cure the curse. It would be good for you, but the story indicates great peril for Bluffside."
"Hmm, while I've heard of that old thicket, I've never heard anything about thiss well. If it is a local legend, it might be one the people of Old City guard more closely from those not born here. Of course, researching sstrange wellss isn't my hobby." He stands and walks over to Akos.
"Since your fey magic has helped me, thiss well could remove the curse, if it is truly as powerful as you believe."
"If the current crisis is not enough of 'a time of great peril', then I don't know what else would have to happen for the well to appear," Gerey adds. He turns to Breva.
"I do have some other news for you. I looked into the missing guards for you, as I said I would when you were here before. I was able to find out to where young Mr. Nathaniel Aceron disappeared. He is currently hiding out at the Black Cat Tavern near the South Gate. He has spent the last few nights there drinking and gambling. The owner is an old friend of mine. Maiya is keeping her eye on him and making sure he doesn't get knifed. She tells me that he seems very nervous and keeps talking about needing to head out to the countryside. His family has a second home out in the valley."
"Gerey, I could kiss you," Custodio says with a laugh.
"Yes, well, I was unable to completely track down Mr. Geoffrey Suggitt, I'm afraid to say," the warden replies.
"One of my contacts did mention seeing him near the Golden Lantern by the Gardens several days ago. That was before you all disappeared under the Gate of Scales." Gerey notes the surprised looks on all of your faces.
"News travels fast among the Lanterns, and I was once a member in my youth."
"You really shouldn't have told them that," Florrie says.
"Nonsense, these are good people who have become heroes in this city faster than I've ever seen before, and for all the right reasons," he chastises.
"It is worth noting that the old Suggitt Manor sits on the same street as the Black Cat Tavern, but Maiya has not seen Mr. Suggitt near the manor or in the tavern."
"We should rest up and go get Aceron."
"We should worry more about
Waldo," Vinny replies.
"And the Dusk," Falen adds. He wonders why these missing guards are important.
"There's more," Gerey adds.
"I was able to also find out what happened to the other missing guard. Mr. Titan Razeart, it seems, deserted his post for the sake of love. He has been smitten with elf woman from the Coldwind Forest for many years. He has a friend in Bluffside Mountain Rangers who came to him last week and told him his love was in great peril. The ranger is a half-elf named Petrian and one of my contacts in the rangers was able to find out that Mr. Razeart left the city to got to try to save her. He hasn't been heard from since, but it is doubtful he is still alive."
"That's just sad," Florrie says. She looks down at the floor and shakes her head.
"I will never judge a man who is willing to die for love," Gerey says.
Scotley said:
He listens to Akos' tale of the well with interest. "I don't know how things are here most of the time, but since I've been here it surely feels like there is much need and peril in Bluffside. How much veracity do you ascribe to the tale? Sounds a bit like a fairy tale or at least a pixie tale. I have never put must faith in such solutions. A good sword arm and a brave heart have always seemed a more reliable fix for most troubles, but could this well really help?" He taps his chest. "If there is merit in it, I would seek it."
"Good sword arm is all well and good, but when magic is involved it is hard to know when and how to apply it. The greatest generals know the real power in any conflict is information. The stories usually have some kernel of truth in them. They may be twisted, wrongly told or dramatized...we know there are things older than Bluffside here so it may be something, maybe part of the same mechanism powering the Iron gate, or some old natural phenomenon, but I'm fairly sure there is something." Akos responds. "Whether it is up to us or others to find is another story."
"Seeking the well is a good idea, for Sylemis' sake," Custodio agrees.
"But if we get to distracted by other things, Waldo will have more time in his planar enclave to prepare for us or send his Loyalists to ambush us. And Falen is right, we really need to worry about these new assassins on the streets."
"I have not been able to find out anything about them," Gerey notes.
"All I know is they appeared suddenly on the streets and are a deadly danger at night."
"You didn't find out anything about the creature in the Gardens did you?" Vinny asks the warden.
"Only rumors," Gerey shrugs.
"If there is truly something in there, it hasn't come out into the open since it was encountered by the guards and the Loyalists who ambushed them. With the Gardens now closed, the Lanterns are having trouble getting in there."
"The Elitess are allowing some of the Tenderss to keep looking after the more delicate plantss," Sylemis adds.
"They are keeping all otherss out, even the Regularss."
"They don't trust them," Tuck says.
"The Lord Commander said as much in this message," the kobold urban ranger produces the note again and hands it to anyone who wishes to read it again.
