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Message: <blockquote data-quote="InVinoVeritas" data-source="post: 3230729" data-attributes="member: 41485">The carriage doors open, and father and daughter are ushered inside. "I can hold position or take us back the other way, toward the festival and from there away from the gnomes, just say the word," the driver remarks. Ru looks back toward the square, straining to see any sign of the other half of his team. Curse the mists! They obscure a clear view of the festival, leaving behind only shadows, laughter, and multicolored glows of fireworks. The mists are getting thicker, Ru observes. His companions could be anywhere...*     *     *As Darian pulls the whip from his belt, he feels a cooling breeze. The mists appear to tighten behind him, shielding any view of the alleyway from outsiders. Excellent. It will just be he and the jester. The small, pathetic jester, fumbling with his key, trying to find the hole in a cellar door at the end of the alley. The jester turns, and trembling at the imposing figure blocking the mouth of the alley, asks, "M-m-may I help you, s-sir?"*     *     *Having traversed through a few tightly packed winding streets, Torhan stands at Edditomas' shop. "Edditomas - Alchemist" the sign reads in small Common script beneath large gnomish runes. The alchemist's mother pulls out a stout iron key and unlocks the shop. The three gnomes and Torhan enter the shop, Sasha still clinging to Torhan's hand. "There you go. Edditomas' studio is up the stairs, behind the counter," his mother indicates. Inside, a long, wide counter extends the length of the shop. Dried flowers, small pickled animals, powders, and all manner of preparations line the shelves along the back wall. Behind the counter are a number of measuring tools, scoops, tongs, and combining paraphernalia. A staircase leading up and down stands in back right-hand corner of the shop. Torhan notices a faint odor in the air, like sugar and roses...*     *     *Roses. Hieran stops a moment as he follows Darian. He smells roses. As he rounds the corner, he notices the gnome couple, oblivious to the world, oblivious to everything except each other. Even as he stands there, over them, they do not stop. Hieran reaches down to pick up one of the discarded masks. There is a pile of a pink crystal in the mask... this is where the scent is coming from. He looks down the labyrinth of alleys where Darian just went, and--there's someone behind him.Hieran turns to see two of the gnome in white's women from before. Still masked, tightly wrapped with their colorful cloaks. They stand and wait, just looking...</blockquote>

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