Neurotic said:
OOC: What does Stoneciphers Mark look like? Is it same as mine?
OOC: The mark appears to be the same, and roughly the same size...
If anyone at the tables have thoughts about the group, they keep those thoughts to themselves. The meal lasts a long time, long enough to be excruciating to the barbarian, but eventually, mercifully, it ends with two kinds of desserts. At the second, Ashchenon taps his glass, stands, and gives a speech; if nothing else, the young Lord knows how to talk. If the party doesn't tune him out, they hear a long dissertation on the state of Scardale and the Town itself; the importance of working together; and thanks for the adventurers who through their courage and selflessness, etc. It goes on and on.
Eventually, though, the speech ends, the dinner officially ends, and the hall breaks up into smaller knots of conversation. Those who pay attention can see that the crowd splits into groups that mirror their political factions. Ashchenon nods to the party, and with his Tempus guard as escort (you find out that his name is Polonus), leads you down long corridors to another chamber.
Here is a robed, white-bearded human, standing behind a stone table. The table is covered with runes, and in the center of the table is an open wooden box, lined with purple velvet. A longsword rests in the case, drawn partway out of an expensive looking leather scabbard; on the forte of the blade is an incribed rune, a mark the PC's know well. It matches the birthmark on their own bodies.
"This is why I wanted to speak to you," Ashchenon says. "I came into possession of the blade very recently. I do not know the meaning of this mark... imagine my suprise when I saw it again on my rescuers."