Of Jungle Deeps and Ocean Depths

[Isida Kep'Tukari]

*Before the group can begin their descent down the dark hole, there is a bit of commotion behind them. Jalaro comes up at a jog, followed by a stranger. He's a thin, elegant sun elf, dressed as a scholar, but wearing fine mithril bracers. He has a longsword at his left side, and a lovely iron and silver mace with a head made from an enormous sapphire on his right side.*

"He just teleported in, Obar said it was an emergency Tholon!" she calls. The new elf solomnly walks up and places a scroll in the priest's hand.

"I was sworn on pain of death to get this to you," he says, looking rather serious. Tholon rapidly scans the scroll, looking more and more alarmed. Then the elf hands him some small silver object, and Tholon goes dead white. He turns to the group.

"My friends, I'm terribly sorry, but I must depart at once! There's a been a great threat to a place I hold dear, and I've been called back," he says.

"This in Invelion, he's a wizard, and he will be taking your place so we're not a man short," Jalaro explains rapidly. "He can take you back to Mezro so you can get going."

*Nodding rapidly, Tholon says his good-byes, and then Invelion pulls out a scroll. Reading from it, they both rapidly disappear from view. A few seconds later, Invelion was back, and tucking two now-blank scrolls into his pack.*

~~~~

*A week earlier Invelion had been simply enjoying the splendors of Mezro, the fine markets, the lush foliage, and the great amount of all sorts of interesting people. But a few days after he began his stay, he was contacted by the Harpers. Apparently there was a terrible disturbance near Silverymoon, and they needed to get Tholon Hazevo back there as soon as possible. However, by all accounts he was now somewhere deep in the jungles of Chult. Invelion was their best bet for getting Tholon where he needed to go.*

*With a bit of searching, Invelion found the man Tholon had been contracted to, a merchant by the name of Obar. Explaining the situation, Invelion found himself being contracted to take Tholon's place, while Obar found a priest to scry out their exact location. Fortified with three extra scrolls of teleportation, he set out on his journey.*

[OOC - Keia, whenever you're ready, leap in. You can go ahead and roleplay Jarrijan too if you want.]

 

[silentspace]

As Invelion reappears, he turns towards the Water Genasi and bows with a graceful flourish. “Greetings Prince Undinar Deptholas! I apologize for the rather abrupt entrance. Obar has hired me to take up your mission, in Tholon’s place. And the good Jalaro here has filled me in on what has happened so far. Thank you, Jalaro,” he says, nodding to Jalaro in gratitude.

Not sure if the Prince knew about Tholon being a Harper Priest, Invelion does not mention it. Invelion doesn't take great pains to hide his allegiance with the Harpers, but he knows some Harpers do, and wishes to respect their secrecy. Declaring himself a Harper would let them know that Tholon was one too. He will have to keep his allegiance secret with this group. This would be easy, since Invelion was not in the habit of wearing a Harper pin, which helps in situations like this.

“And you must be Tiana DeWine, it is a great pleasure to make your aquaintance.” With a practiced grace and charm, Invelion takes her hand and kisses it.

Then, getting a good look at the elf standing back behind the others, “Mourn! Mourn Calaudra! Obar mentioned there was another Sun Elf wizard here, but failed to mention your name! How long has it been? Decades, it seems!” Invelion smiles broadly as he moves forward to embrace his old classmate and friend.

 

[Zerth]

“And you must be Tiana DeWine, it is a great pleasure to make your aquaintance.” With a practiced grace and charm, Invelion takes her hand and kisses it.

*Tiana smiles as the newcomer makes his charmant gesture.*

"I was about to say, how sorry I am to see Tholon gone, but I'm not so sure anymore. A pleasure to meet you."

 

[Keia]

Rappai, Grippli Cleric/Divine Oracle (Jarrijan, Grippli Monk)

“Meetings, I said, meetings there would be . . . and changes, changes for us, changes for them . . . but not the same, not the same,” Rappai told Jarrijan. Both looked on at the big scales and the pale skins near the sacred spring . . . her sacred spring. Rappai and her protector, Jarrijan, had spent the last several days watching the spring – looking for any clue as to what had happened or what could be in the hole. But saw nothing.

Rappai was a seeress for her grippli tribe, the Tealback tribe, and this spring was a focus for her power . . . luckily not the only focus, but an important one. Without it, she had advised that three warriors go into depths and correct the wrong. The warriors never returned . . . she had read the runes wrongly – that was the only possibility. The runes had said that three warriors would enter the hole, and the spring would return. Rappai must have read them wrong.

Jarrijan spoke, which he seldom did, he voice a much deeper croak than most of the tribe, “We go now, make certain of outsiders, fix the spring, go home?” he asked. It was the most Jarrijan had spoken since they arrived. Rappai didn’t need to be a diviner to know this was important to him.

“Go, go if you must go, Jarrijan. Tell, yes tell those of my coming,” Rappai told her guardian. Then added, “Do not, do not you start fight. No fight.”

Jarrijan nodded to Rappai, scanned the immediate area for any danger that would snap up his ward while he moved the few hops to the newcomers. The grey and green skinned grippli moved stealthily until he was close, then walked out into the clearing waiting to be recognized. The grippli stood just over two feet tall, with dark green and grey skin. A kukri hung on his belt, no weapons were in hand.

 

[Jarval]

Mourn watches with suspicion as the elf teleports out of and back into the clearing. He retrieves a small pellet of bat guano and sulphur from his component pouch. However, it's not until Invelion reminds Mourn of the pair's acquaintance that total paranoia kicks in...

"Gaaaah! I knew it! They're following me!" Mourn yells, diving behind Undinar and Tiana in panic. "Keep him away, keep him away!" With a snap of his fingers and a word, Mourn is suddenly clad in a gleaming coat of mithral chain, and a spiked shield is gripped firmly in his right hand.

"Alright, who sent you? Someone from the university? Or does this come from the queen? I'll warn you, I'm not being taken alive!"

 

[Isida Kep'Tukari]

*Doran, seeing his charge suddenly become so alarmed, rapidly draws his swords and places himself between the two elves.*

"State your reasons now Invelion, and truthfully, as you're not getting to him unless it it through me," Doran warns.

*A moment before, Razor Sentinal had warned Erik that there was someone new in the clearing. Erik turned to meet the grippli warrior and was beginning to speak when Mourn suddenly started a commotion.*

 

[Zerth]

*Tiana watches the developing scene with mixed feelings of confusion and amusement.*

"Mourn, darling, aren't you just a little too jumpy here? Obviously this new elf is Tholon's friend and I know he is a decent man. Maybe we'll all just calm down and give Invelion a chance to explain himself."

"Right?" she adds looking around, with her hand reaching her whip's handle in case someone tries to do something foolish.

 

[silentspace]

Invelion nods his head graciously at Tiana and thanks her, thinking quickly

What is happening? Is Mourn a criminal now, wanted by both the University of Magic and the Queen? What has he done?

Invelion takes a step backward from the human with drawn weapons, though he does not draw his own. Speaking quickly to smooth things out and also give him time to work things through in his own mind, Invelion says. "You must be Doran Kalduras, the bodyguard. Your reputation precedes you. Please, put your swords away. There is no need for ugliness. I am neither following Mourn, nor trying to take him away."

Invelion quickly scans through his accumulated Knowledge, from personal experiences on Evermeet and at the University, from his studies (Knowledge skills), and from his Harper training, and can’t remember hearing anything about Mourn being wanted, by anyone. Certainly not the University or the Queen…

“I have a good deal of knowledge of affairs of this sort, and I know nothing of Mourn being… sought out… by anyone. We were friends when we were younger, as junior students at the University. Mourn fell ill, and had to discontinue his studies. We lost touch after that.”

“I am still your friend, Mourn. It is good to see you again, after all these years.”

Invelion spreads out his hands in a gesture of openness, and to show that he has no weapons. While focusing on Mourn and Doran, he glances at Erik, who he had not had a chance to greet yet, and the new arrival, the Grippli warrior.

OOC: What is the result of Invelion’s casting of Endurance this morning?

 

[Keia]

Rappai, Grippli Cleric/Divine Oracle (Jarrijan, Grippli Monk)

'Silly, silly, Jarrijan, he enters the clearing he does and look what he started. Look!' Rappai thought. Still, she tried to remain hidden from her vantage point and yet watch what was happening. She wasn't too far away and could make out most of the words that were shouted.

For Jarrijan, he remained stoic and regarding the strange tall ones, with one eye opened slightly larger and raised over the other. He knew he couldn't introduce Rappai until the tall ones were finished fighting among themselves.

 

[Isida Kep'Tukari]

*Doran looks oddly at Mourn, then back at Invelion. He sheaths one sword, and holds the other one down at his side.*

"Mourn, who is after you? And for what? And are you sure he's one of them?" he asks, a hard edge in his voice.

*Erik looks at this little developing scene with a tinge of amusement, figuring it will get sorted out in a moment, and turns his attention to the grippli.*

"I am Erik Von Horne, and this is Razor Sentinal," he says by way of introduction, patting his long sword. Erik is a fairly tall man, his black hair in a neat ponytail. He wears full plate, but it is slightly greenish and engraved all over with creatures of the sea.