Seravin's Tales of the Night Below (Two Updates this Week - 07/24/07)

[Seravin]

The Concerns of Wizards

The room was warm despite the outside temperatures, but the cold knot in Master Wymeah’s belly still kept twisting about. The situation was bad. Not grave, not serious, not a cause for some concern; but bad. The little girl that she had been too many decades ago wanted her to run and hide. That girl was sixty years and more gone though; she was now a Master of the Library and it was time to shoulder her responsibilities.

Master Wymeah was still at Healing House, overseeing the healer’s efforts. Once Abron had fallen his healers had isolated the rest of the wizards, fearing some sort of infection. Besides Master Asuras, some eighteen other students were laying catatonic in a room that should have held only fifteen beds. Master Asuras was the worst off, sweating and quietly moaning as if experiencing some nightmare; but even the students were having problems. Some of them were now conscious, but their eyes held less intelligence than a dog. They were all frightened and incapable of reasoning beyond the fright.


Eighteen…
Master Wymeah began to count, matching faces to names. Maius, Presin, Lissa, Boren… Only eighteen apprentices and journey-mages. Five of the students were missing. Akin, Kel, Nayen, Sorrus and Tanin were not here. The cold knot in Wymeah’s belly tightened and she fled the room, seeking a healer.

---

“I watched them load the carriages!” Master Wymeah’s voice was not shrill; not quite. “They were all sent over!”

Master Abron’s face was grave. “I understand that Master Wymeah; but all the wizards we received were placed in that room once my staff thought a disease was at work. If you would accompany me though, we will check the rest of the ward and make sure they weren’t misplaced.”

Master Wymeah nodded, tight-lipped. She would look, but she already knew they wouldn’t find the students. She wondered if she could dare use a divination of her own. Who knew what poisoned buildings lay about.

---

It was all wrong; terribly wrong. Master Wymeah couldn’t tell what was happening, but she could see an edge. The Corlean Library was being attaked by someone very clever. Master Asuras, the most powerful of the wizards in Corlean, was poisoned; his own permanently applied magics being used against him. Then their own building was poisoned, felling her students. It was dumb luck that Wymeah herself wasn’t felled earlier by the poisoned building, but the City Watch request to capture Jallarzi had interrupted her divination attempts.

Someone wanted the Library out of the way. Master Wymeah grimaced, a part of her wanting to fight, but she had other duties right now. Master Shallon wasn’t due back for weeks so it was her decision alone. She needed to get the remaining students and Master Asuras to safety first before anyone else disappeared. Afterwards she would find her missing charges.

Jallarzi and the priests Jared and Kellron were visiting another nearby church, a shrine to Tasa, the earth mother to see if everything was okay there. She would warn Jallarzi of the missing students, as she was an obvious next target, and then take her students home. So deciding, Master Wymeah went to find a private room to perform a sending.

 

[Seravin]

Information is Power

Still disguised as Semina, Kestral drifted through the streets of Corlean, making her way from one tavern to another, ducking into inns and gaming halls. Something big was happening, she could feel it; and Grandal Deverex was only a part of it. Grandal was the only puzzle piece she had though.

It was just past midnight when Kestral finally made her weary way to the Library by way of Healing House. Jallarzi had left a note on where they were staying that evening and their new status as tax evaders. The young woman didn’t let herself dwell on the last bit. She just wanted to find a bed now.

In the morning the four friends met in the non-formal dining room where the apprentices and journey-mages would normally take their morning meals. Bread, cheese, and fruit made up their meal as Kellron was unwilling to experiment with the magical devices in the kitchen. Over this meal Kestral revealed what she had discovered.

“I first tried to find out what I could on what happened at The Gaming Den and with Grandal in particular.” Started Kestral. “The general consensus is that somebody is mad at Quereth Holtson. It seems he owns The Gaming Den and has some sort of percentage of The Blue Gorgon. The theory is that whoever hit the two places wanted to hurt Quereth. Unfortunately the eye witnesses all agree that it was you three.”

Kestral looked at Jallarzi. “Whoever it really was has your tactics pegged down. The rumors are pretty explicit that the sorceress used fireballs, lightning bolts, and magic missiles.”

“How many missiles at a time?” Queried the wizard.

“Three, two less then I’ve seen you cast.” Answered Kestral, proud that she had thought to ask the same thing. “The interesting thing is that the woman apparently killed two people just by glaring at them. I don’t think I’ve ever seen you do that.”

Jallarzi pursed her lips. “No.”

Kestral shrugged and continued. “Grandal Deverex is Quereth’s right-hand man...er half-elf; he apparently grew up with Quereth. Grandal has a reputation for being a ruthless business-man and he seems to know everything – or can find it out.” Kestral’s mouth quirked. “Some says his connections seem almost supernatural. They probably are, Grandal was seen using magic for the first time at The Gaming Den. No one knew that he was wizard before this.

Which brings us to Father Dark. I didn’t find out anything new on the man. He’s still more myth than man; only seen with a black, silk hood, and likes to employ children for small tasks.” She grinned. “The rumor on the street is that he’s angry at two Sarathians and has a small bounty on their heads.” Her smile faded. “He’s also looking for a woman named Kestral, who’s also seen with the Sarathians.” She shrugged. “That’s all I could find out about him.”

Unsaid was that they all suspected Grandal as being Father Dark. What Kestral had heard had only confirmed their suspicion. Still, there was no proof and Grandal was now apparently gone.

Kestral let the news sink in before continuing. “I did here some other rumors that are just as interesting, but I’m not sure if they’re relevant.”

“Let’s hear them.” Said Kellron.

Kestral mentally reviewed what she had learned and then took a deep breath. “The biggest news in town is that the Duke’s daughter is getting married. Soon. Apparently a Baron Toruk Roth came south through the pass to request some help in dealing with raids. He and Lady Gabrella apparently fell madly in love with each other.”

Kestral looked puzzled. “There are two odd things about all of this. The first is that Duke sent his soldiers north, along with reinforcements from the church of Sarath; but the Baron stayed behind with his advisor.

The second is that the wedding is happening very quickly, in the next two weeks in fact. The short timing is making security difficult, especially with most of the soldiers up north now. The Heralds and the City Watch are apparently stretching themselves thin to provide security. That should keep them off our backs for the next few days.”

The other thing strange thing that I heard was that there’s some sort of new group in town. They’re up in the North Quarter and the few people I found who talked about them said they were strange folk and best avoided. Rumor has it that one of their number is a person of power; meaning a wizard of some sort I suppose.”

Kestral took a drink for her cup before continuing. “Some of the guards are talking about how Master Asuras fell ‘sick’. The Duke had asked Asuras to divine an object for him. The wizard cast his spell and fell sick.

That’s about all I could find out of interest. What about you guys?”

Jallarzi, Jared, and Kellron all scowled. It was Kellron who answered. “You heard about our new criminal status?”

“That we’re tax evaders? I did.”

Kellron scowled. “We were fortunate that Sword House was more than a little outraged at Colonel Megara’s arrest. They healed the damage the poison did to me and let us go. Jallarzi then teleported us to Healing House*. Seeing how someone managed to take out both the Library and senior healer at Healing House, we thought we’d pay a visit to the shrine of Tasa, just in case someone was deliberately attacking more than the wizards. The acolyte there was fine and said the priest had left earlier to help with someone injured by an overturned carriage. After that we came here.

The only good news is that Master Wymeah promised to intercede with the Duke for us. As a member of the Library she falls outside the normal tax setup. Hopefully she’ll be able to convince the Duke that we were just ignorant and didn’t mean to evade taxes.” Kellron didn’t add that he thought it was unlikely, but the help was appreciated.

“So what do we do today?’ Asked Jallarzi.

“I think we should stay put.” Suggested Jared. “We’re still wanted by the City Watch after all. We can talk with Master Wymeah and see what she can shed some light on what we do know.”

“Especially Shalzerith.” Murmured Jallarzi.

“Especially him.” Agreed Jared.

Kestral swiped the last bit of apple from the serving tray. “I can go out again. I can speak with Watch Herald Ladea and see what she has to say about the tax thing as well as the attacks.”

Kellron frowned, but it was a good suggestion. They couldn’t just hide. They needed more information.

---

*Well most of the way. She boofed her first roll teleport roll (seen once) and ended up about 400yds short. They hoofed it from there.

 

[Seravin]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Joshua Randall
Am I sensing some frustration among the players/PCs? I know that when I play, I hate feeling like events are spiraling out of control and I am helpless to intervene. (Heck, avoiding that helpless feeling is one of the reasons I play D&D!)

Yes and no. I was actually thinking about this last night for a dm-problem post for later; but now is okay.

I've talked to Kestral's player and she said there was some initial frustration - but that was due to a lack of information. Once the info started coming in, she felt much better. I think the other players feel the same.

That was probably the biggest problem with this particular arc - the information gathering took about 2 or 3 game sessions; which was way too long. Part of it was just unfortunate pacing. I wanted all the players to hear what was going on which took forever and left some players out at any given time as they split their efforts.

Part of it was the players wanted to sit tight until they got as much info as they could - which was smart playing, but the timing didn't work out. We'd finish the session and at the next session they had more questions. You would think that someone would invent a way for a group of widely separated people to communicate, like the postal service, but faster. Using a computer maybe. Oh. Wait. E-mail.

What I should have done was do all or most of the information gathering in email. Which is what I used for later games to pretty good effect. Unfortunately, this arc had a really slow start.

From my perspective, despite the slow start, it was a pretty good game. There was a fairly strong plot, it closed some older plot threads, and the party got to stretch themselves. And they stretched my skills too. They were all 12th-plus level Jared wasn't shy with the planar ally spell.

 

[Seravin]

The Council of Wizards

A weary-looking Wymeah made her way to the dining hall as Kellron, Jared, and Jallarzi were clearing their dishes. It looked as if the woman had been up all night. In point of fact, she had. Making her way to the chair at the head of the table she sat down and invoked an unseen servant. “Breakfast.” She ordered it.

The others got out of the way as platters and a table setting jumped off the shelves and set themselves in front of the tired looking wizard.

Master Wymeah looked at them. “Good morning, I hope you slept well.” Food started floating in from the kitchen.

They mutely nodded their assent, with Jared being the first to speak. “You look tired, is everything all right?”

Master Wymeah waved a dismissive hand. “Well enough. I was up all night making sure the students and Master Asuras were made comfortable in the Valley*. It took all evening. Still, Kerress Ryliegha says they should heal in time.” She paused. “I’ll be locking up the buildings here in Corlean this morning. As of today only wizards and their escorted guests will be permitted inside until these events are resolved.”

Jallarzi set her plates down and moved close to Wymeah. “Master? Do you mind if we ask you some questions before you go to bed?”

The wizard reached for an apple. “As long as you don’t mind if I eat between sentences.”

“Not at all.”

Jared was the first to ask a question though, interjecting while Jallarzi gathered her thoughts. “Do you know anything about devils?” He asked.

Wymeah eyed him thoughtfully but answered truthfully. “A bit of the theory; but I’ve never seen one.”

“Do you know how a devil would come to be here in the city?”

That startled her. “Have you seen one?”

“Two nights ago.” Confirmed the priest.

“I see.” She thought for a moment and then started speaking as if she was instructing a class. “The easiest way is through the use of the basic summoning. It takes an accomplished journey-mage to summon any of the more dangerous creatures though and the duration is extremely short; even for a master.

After that there’s a spell of planar binding. The duration of a binding is significantly longer, lasting the duration of the negotiated task; but it’s extremely dangerous for the caster as she has to force the creature to do her bidding. Similarly, some dark priests are able to summon the creatures too. That method is much safer as the creatures are effectively allies to their master.”

Jared absorbed it but was disappointed that there wasn’t some obvious solution to their problem. It did suggest that the devil was probably summoned somehow, and that meant they might be facing a powerful spellcaster. “Thank you.’

Jallarzi caught Wymeah’s eye. “Do you know anything about Master Shalzerith?

The segue was a little jarring, but Master Wymeah shifted gears smoothly enough. “Why? Have you met him?”

“Yes.” Answered the younger wizard. “He was here two days ago asking me to take lunch with him.”

“Interesting. I wasn’t aware he was here, but I was a little busy.” She collected her thoughts and then continued. “He’s been a master now for about ten years or so. I think he took apprenticeship just as I became the senior journey-wizard at the Valley if I recall correctly. He’s unconventional, eccentric really, but harmless. He keeps mostly to himself, somewhere in the mountains near Rennon. I think his specialty is conjuration, and he’s supposed to be quite good at it.”

“A summoner?” Asked Kellron, drawing a connection between the devil and the wizard.

Wymeah saw where he was going and shook her head. “I doubt he was behind your devil. It’s not like him; he prefers esoteric planar theory.” She snorted. “He thinks he can achieve god-hood if he becomes a powerful enough wizard.” She waved a dismissive hand. “Obviously eccentric, but he’s not going to waste time dealing with fiends. He certainly understands that it’s only a matter of time before they would betray him.”

Kellron wasn’t entirely convinced, but accepted it in silence.

Wymeah eyed Jallarzi thoughtfully. "In some ways he's like yourself. He's quite bright and driven. He's not quite fifty, and he's already a respected master."

---

The three let Master Wymeah finish her breakfast and finished clearing their own plates. By the time they were finish, Wymeah had completed her own meal.

“I’m off to bed.” She announced. “After I wake I’ll see if I can gain an audience with his Grace and see about this tax problem of yours.”

“Thank you.” Said Kellron. “Do you happen to know anything about the city taxes?”

Wymeah considered. “I am not completely certain, as the Library itself is tax free; though we provide a certain amount of services to the city in return. I believe however that taxes can run up to 10% on luxury items.”

All three of the companions winced.

Master Wymeah nodded sympathetically. “I’ll see what I can do. It does seem an honest mistake. You haven’t actually been living in the city, and only occasionally visiting. His Grace can be a reasonable man so I suspect we can clear it up shortly.”


---

*The Valley is another term used for the Library. The main structure is in a valley far to the south.

 

[Seravin]

Quote:

Originally Posted by AsEver
For me as a player (of Kestrel) it was somewhat frustrating as all these events were conspiring against us. It was probably worse for all the others. At least I could wander about town in a different face without worrying about being arrested.

I clearly remember a point at which the lightbulb went on in my head: this is exactly what happened in Blasingdale in "Speaker in Dreams"! I confonted Seravin with that and he just gave me the Evil DM Grin (tm). Different campaign, different PC's, but the same plot.

I was more relaxed after that. It was hard to keep the player knowledge apart from the PC knowledge, but at least I knew there would be a way out, eventually.

AsEver made the connection almost immediately - by this last session of questioning, as the next update will reveal.

 

[Seravin]

Talking to the Man...er Lady

Watch-Herald Ladea let loose a great sigh and closed her eyes. Rubbing the bridge of her nose between thumb and forefinger, she leaned back in her chair and wondered if she would have to see an apothecary for the coming headache. Sudden weddings, strange cultists, sick wizards, and now…this. So far she and the Watch were managing to keep things under control, but this latest warrant, direct from the Duke, promised to drop the wheels off the cart as it were. At three-plus decades it was a wonder her black hair wasn’t gray.

She opened her ebony black eyes and looked about her small office. Lighting was provided by a small magical globe in which an enchanted, cold flame danced. She had expended part of her first year’s budget on it, figuring in the long run that she would end up saving money on candles and eye-strain. The cheery, yellow light illuminated what otherwise should have been a dark, windowless room. Against one wall was an armoire where she kept her spare uniform and some more discreet clothes and props. The other walls were covered with bright hangings. Her heavy battered desk dominated the room, and was made of some light-colored, local wood; amazingly her chairs matched the desk. Behind her were three, large iron-bound chests; all of them locked and holding various bits of evidence or private correspondence.

All in all she had a pretty good office. Watch-Commander’s Jessup’s was larger, but he had larger problems. This one fit her comfortably enough. It looked like today she would have to earn it.

Approaching steps caught her attention and Ladea wondered who it was. Her office was down a little-used corridor, sharing the hall with the armory, a couple storage closets, and an evidence room. Ladea had personally chosen it when offered space in the Watch House, because only those with a reason came down the hall; allowing her a bit of peace as well as privacy.

The steps stopped at her door and there was a brief pause. Then there was a firm double-knock. Ladea’s left eyebrow raised slightly. It sounded like a woman's knock. She wondered for a moment if it was…no that was wishful thinking.

“Enter.” Invited the Watch-Herald.

The door opened and Ladea almost sputtered. A woman of medium height with long brown hair and hazel eyes stood there. She was dressed in neat, comfortable traveling clothes and was looking at the Watch-Herald with some askance. Apparently it wasn’t wishful thinking after all. Her day was about to get even more complicated.

Recovering, she greeted her guest. “I didn’t expect to see you here.” She waved towards the two chairs in front of her desk. “Have a seat, Kestral. We have a lot to talk about.”

Kestral Thendry grimaced and walked into the room, closing the door silently behind her. She had been afraid of Ladea getting involved on the official side of things, and it looks like she had been right. She sat down and gave her friendliest, most sincere smile. “Good morning, Ladea. I hope things are going well.”

“Well enough. What brings you here? Just arrive in town?”

Kestral caught the probing behind the question. “No. I’ve been in Corlean for awhile. I’ve come to you about a problem.” Ladea raised her eyebrow, letting Kestral continue. “It seems there’s a mis-understanding between us and the Duke.” Admitted the young woman.

Ladea snorted. “That is an understatement. In point of fact your friends are listed on two separate warrants. One is for assault, murder, vandalism, and kidnapping. The other is for tax evasion. A woman who may be known as Kestral or Semina is also listed on the second warrant as a possible accessory.” Ladea favored her probationary-Herald with a long look. “Is there a reason why I shouldn’t just arrest you now?”

“Because it doesn’t conclusively name me? Because it’s all a mis-understanding?” Offered the young woman.

Ladea chewed her lower lip for a second. “What kind of mis-understanding?” She asked finally.

Kestral’s hazel eyes looked levelly into Ladea’s. “We’ve only ever been asked about taxes once when entering the city. We truthfully answered the guard’s question.” She shrugged. “We didn’t know that we owed taxes. We got the bulk of our gear from the last few trips and every time we came back into town Jallarzi teleported us.

“Really?” It sounded plausible, and more it was consistent with Kestral’s earlier reporting. Of course tax evasion, while serious, was the least of her worries. “And the first warrant? As a known friend of the assailants you make one hell of a material witness.”

“Did you hear about yesterday morning?” Asked Kestral.

“The assault on the Blue Gorgon. Yes.”

Kestral shook her head. “I was referring to my friends giving themselves up and then being released because of an obvious frame-up.”

“No. I can’t say I heard that story.”

Kestral nodded, suspecting as much. Briefly she described her adventure with Captain Zed and his folks, admitting to her Semina identity but leaving out her own magical disguises. She also spoke of her friend’s conversation with the captain. Ladea’s interest peaked at the shape-changing guard who took on Jallarzi’s appearance.

Ladea picked up and played with the quill on her desk, thinking. “So Captain Zed relased your friends?” Kestral nodded and Ladea smiled grimly. “His paperwork on the capture, much less the release, seems to be a little tardy. I suspect it will be several days before the paperwork routes properly given how short-staffed everyone is.” Ladea tapped the quill on her desk a few times and came to a decision. “Who am I to argue with the captain? I think I agree with his reasoning too.”

“Thank you.” Said Kestral. “We’ll do anything we can to help you, but I came here to get some information too and was hoping you could help.”

“Information is what I’m supposed to be good at.” Said Ladea, somewhat sardonically. “Though lately it feels like none of it makes sense.” She shook her head. “Ask away.” She invited.

Kestral gathered her thoughts. She had a lot of things to ask that she felt were connected, but not logically apparent. “On the matter of tax evasion. We didn’t know. How did the Duke find out?”

“That came out of the investigation. All the witnesses agreed that your friends had dropped over seventy-five thousand lions at the table. Apparently the Duke, or more likely his new advisor, was keeping tabs on the investigation. It was mentioned to his Grace that that was an awful lot of gold for mercenaries to be spending. It didn’t take long to verify that none of that gold was reported to anyone. Further there was mention that you and your friends have been selling quite of bit of merchandise. We’ve been directed to meet with various merchants to see if we can verify that.”

She frowned. “I heard this came up while Colonel Megara was meeting with his Grace. She apparently said something wrong and was arrested as part of a conspiracy to defraud the duchy of its rightful income.”

Kestral nodded unhappily. “We’re pretty certain that we’re being setup by Father Dark.” She went on to explain the letter they had received about Ashimar’s soul.

“I agree.” Said Ladea. “He certainly sounds like he has the means and motive. The only problem I see is that if your suspicions are correct and if he is Grandal Deverex...” She trailed off.

“Unless that was also staged.”

“Granted.”

“Whoever it is has been able to get a lot of information on us. Who has that kind of ability?”

“Besides the Heralds?” Laedea pasued to think, then continued. “There would be Master Asuras of the Library, Grandal Deverex, any of the bigger merchant houses, and of course Father Dark.

Kestral couldn’t think of any more questions on that topic so shifted. “What happened to Erica? I thought she was left in the Herald’s care.”

Ladea’s voice went flat. “She was. Herald Kaytryn was killed a few weeks ago in an accident.” It was obvious what Ladea thought about the Herald’s death. Erica was adopted by Kaytryn’s newest neighbors. We’re stretched so thin we decided to let it be and keep an eye on her. The last report was that Erica is healthy and doing well.”

Kestral disagreed but let it pass for now. “Do you think Father Dark has any informants in the government; capable of influencing the Duke?”

“Maybe. I’m certain he has some influence. We’ve had a few investigations, not many, that were derailed. It was always for the best of reasons, but it was always just a bit too convenient for the suspect. I doubt he has anyone with the Duke’s ear though. His Grace is an honorable man and faithful to Latina.”

Kestral ignored that. “You said you're stretched thin. What’s going on?”

Ladea snorted. “Lady Gabrella is marrying Baron Toruk Roth. While it’s wonderful that her Ladyship has found her true love, it’s damned inconvenient that her father allowed them to get married so quickly.” She shook her head. “I thought spring wedding were the in-thing, but Lady Gabrella couldn’t wait. Rumor says she must be pregnant for such a fast wedding, but as far as I can tell, that’s not the case.”

“How does that affect you.”

“Heralds traditionally peform herald duties at these sorts of things. We also help organize security; you can bet everyone in the city is going to want to attend. We and the Watch are being tapped in setting up the Square and Latina’s Cathedral as well as figuring out the security issues."

Kestral thought it all over. In the back of her head it all fit together; somehow. It was just so…familiar. “You know about Master Asuras falling sick as well as the rest of the Library; and now Colonel Megara has been arrested on the flimsiest of excuses. Grandal has disappeared and it seems like someone is trying to neutralize Kellron, Jared, and Jallarzi. Do you know of anything that’s happened recently where a city's important people were systematically taken out?”

Ladea looked curiously at Kestral and then paled slightly. If this was a similar case... “I think I may have mentioned Blasingdale to you earlier.” Kestral nodded, not really sure if Ladea had or not, but letting her continue. “Some sort of sorcerous creature appeared there this summer and came within a hairs-breadth of actually taking over the town. He…It methodically destroyed every possible bastion of restistance before it made itself known. By Hyla’s luck, a group of mercenaries happened to be in town and took it upon themselves to deal with the problem. Apparently it managed to drive off the Library there, killed the Watch Commander, organized riots in the streets, and arranged for the Temple of Latina to be outlawed and desecrated.”

The Watch Herald tried to remember more details, but she was going to have to look over the report again. “His Grace decided to keep it as quiet as possible, so it was blamed on a rogue wizard; but I do know the creature was described as human-like but not human.”

“So just how is the temple of Latina?” Asked Kestral conversationally.

“So far, just fine. You’re not making me feel better about this.”

“Sorry.”

“Don't be. I'm suppose to be paranoid. I'll add that to the list of things to look into. So what now?

Kestral shrugged. “I thought I would poke about town some more. I’d like to meet with those same merchants and see if anyone has been…pressured into making false statements.” She thought of something. “I don’t suppose you’d give me a couple days to investigate this myself before you start?”

Ladea stared at her nominal charge for a moment. “You want me to give you, a material witness and possibly a defendant in a serious case, two days to meet with witnesses before I or the Watch interviews them.”

“Uh-huh.” Kestral's radiated an almost beatific sincerity.

Ladea closed her eyes momentarily. The girl had to be a witch. She sounded so reasonable and trustworthy. Ladea wanted to help her. Instead she heaved a great sigh. “I think there might be a slight conflict of interest there.” She pointed out. “However, like I said, we’re stretched thin. It’s entirely possible I won’t be able to start this until later today.”

Kestral smiled her thanks.

“Anything else?” Sighed Ladea.

“I don’t…Oh wait. There is one thing. I heard rumors about a strange group of people in the North Quarter. Have you heard of them?”

“North Quarter? Oh. Them.” Ladea waved a dismissive hand. “We heard about them a couple weeks ago. I had an agent checking on them for about three days. They’re a small cult of Braenites, worshippers of the Great Wind. My agent says their harmless, if somewhat annoying.”

Kestral stood. “Well, thank you. I think I might check back later today.”

Ladea nodded. “Please keep in regular contact. Obviously something strange is happening. Hopefully working together we can stop it before it disrupts the wedding.”

 

[Seravin]

Wizard Talk

Jallarzi, Jared, and Kellron were quietly occupying themselves in the formal waiting room of the Corlean Library. Today the walls were paneled in a white wood with elven silk tapestries adding a bit of color. The furniture was done in the halfling style, sturdy and overstuffed. One wall was hidden completely by bookshelves filled with books on history, language, plant-life, and spellcraft. A table against another wall held a selection of refreshments and glasses to drink from.

Jared and Kellron had each pulled down a book from the shelf and had seated themselves in comfortable chairs to peruse. Jallarzi, having claimed the sole couch, was studying her spellbook; while Sarah, her cat, was quietly napping against her mistress. The young wizard was worrying at two particularly thorny problems for her. Earlier yesterday she had missed her teleport point and she was trying to figure out how avoid that next time. The problem was that a guaranteed teleport seemed to be more complex then she could handle right now. Her other problem was more of a fun project, trying to deconstruct how a prismatic spray spell actually work. The white-haired wizard knew she was close to solving both problems, but she wasn’t quite there yet.

That’s when the door swung open without warning. The three companions were still wary, given their status as criminals, and all turned to look to the doorway. Standing there was an older man with neatly kept, short silver hair and piercing gray eyes. Jallarzi recognized Shalzerith immediately, but did not lose her wariness. She did stand in respect though, as did Kellron and Jared.

The mustachioed wizard gave a small smile in greeting to all three, but seemingly dismissed the two armored men and focused on Jallarzi. “Journey-wizard Jallarzi, it is quite good to see you again.” Greeted the man. His voice was deep and strong, despite his relative thinness. His smile all but disappeared. “I’ve heard of the spell-poisoning here and hoped you were unharmed?”

Jallarzi genuflected courteously enough and waved a hand to her friends, introducing them. “Mostly.” She answered. “This is Kellron and Jared. They’re friends of mine. Jared healed me.”

Shalzerith met the gaze of both men with a steady look of his own. “Good morning, gentlemen, and thank you…Jared, was it?”

Jared nodded. “Yes. Jallarzi is a friend of ours.” Jared’s voice was cool but polite.

Turning his attention back to Jallarzi, Shalzerith continued. “Are you still up for lunch?”

“About that…” Jallarzi trailed off. “Can I speak with you privately?” She asked.

“Certainly.” Shalzerith was pleased at the implied trust. “There’s a room just down the hall.”

Nodding acceptance, Jallarzi looked at Jared and Kellron. “I’ll come back.” She told them.

Sarah didn’t move from the couch, though she watched her mistress leave the room. She was to be Jallarzi’s voice in case something untoward happened.

Shalzerith led Jallarzi to the Blue Room, just two doors down the hallway. Inviting her to sit, he picked out a chair of his own. “I assume,” he started, “that something has happened?”

“I’m afraid so.” She confirmed. “Yesterday we were framed for attacking a man then we found out we were wanted for tax evasion.”

Shalzerith pondered that for a moment. “Assault and tax evasion? Did you?”

Jallarzi started to shake her head and then shrugged. “We didn’t attack the man. We were nowhere near him. The tax evasion thing is a mis-understanding.”

“I see. Can you tell me anymore?”

Jallarzi hesitated briefly. It was obvious to her that the older wizard seemed interested in her and she wasn’t sure she wanted to invite that kind of attention. Master Shalzerith was a powerful wizard though and could certainly provide help of some sort. Making her decision, Jallarzi proceeded to describe briefly the events at the Blue Gorgon and the attack on Grandal Deverex. She left out the details of Ashimar’s soul and any reference to Kestral. She then mentioned how she found out about the tax evasion charges.

Shalzerith seemed impressed. “It seems,” he said “that you have made some enemies.”

Jallarzi frowned. It wasn’t a very helpful observation, but Shalzerith continued before she could offer a rejoinder.

“It might be that I could be of help.” He offered.

“How so?”

“I’m not without resources." He pointed out. "It seems the simplest thing to do would be to take revenge on the people persecuting you; perhaps even find something to deal with the devil you mentioned.” His smile had a touch of arrogance. “I know how to bind things myself and I suspect I could find something suitable. We’ll need to answer a few questions though.”

Shalzerith quizzed Jallarzi for another ten minutes, trying to find out the details of the devil they had met and what Jallarzi knew of her foe. Unfortunately it became quickly apparent that Jallarzi didn’t have enough information.

“Perhaps revenge is premature.” Conceeded Shalzerith, leaning back into his chair. “It sounds like you…we need more information. Fortunately for us, my resources still apply. I can seek an audience with things not of this world and see what they know. It’s not without risk, but I could do this.”*

Jallarzi was cautious. “What kind of things?”

Smiling, the Master answered. “Powerful, knowledgeable things. Not fiends, if that’s what you are worried about. My researches have been particularly fruitful though and I have found planar-locations never before kenned. I dare say I am one of only a handful of wizards who even knows of the existence of these planes.”

Jallarzi looked confused, but let it pass to focus on the offer of help. “If you think these things can help then we accept.” She said. “We need all the information we can get.”

Shalzerith stood. “Well then, I’ll see what I can find out. We’ll have to dine together some other time. I know of a place in Karos that I think you would like.”

Jallarzi smiled wanly, still not sure she appreciated Shalzerith’s attentions; but willing to accept his help.

Shalzerith saw this and let it go. “I’ll contact you as soon as I find something out.” He promised.

---

*Contact Other Plane.

 

[Seravin]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Imruphel
Yes and I've also read your latest. All I can say is... POST MORE!!! I'm really enjoying the intrigue!

Well, as AsEver pointed out, the intrigue isn't quite mine. This was a high-level take-off on the Speaker in Dreams module. The structure of the module is pretty good and it happened to fit with what I wanted to do.

When I settled on using the base structure of the moduel I at first wanted to use demons and such; but I couldn't make it work. I spent 2-3 weeks (off and on) worrying away at how to make it work. Then I started to make changes to my initial idea and suddenly ended up with LE monsters.

The thing is that LE monsters work together pretty well and have the charm-type powers. I already knew I was working with illithid, so I knew I had to use them, and the illithid really wouldn't work with anything too chaotic (use, yes. ally with, no).

I still can't believe how fast AsEver pegged to the origin though. That was like magic; but she correctly sussed out that the power-players were being steadily taken out, just like the time in Blasingdale. With her 18 Intelligence, I didn't really have any problem with Kestral running with a similar hunch who had at least heard of the events in Blasingdale.

Still, I wish I could have altered the timing somewhat. This session represents the last session before the action started (one small post to go). I had already started to sense the boredom and had resolved to speed things up by this point. Later after the game, Jared's player and I talked and he confirmed that he was bored. So in about two posts we'll shift gears with a fireball.

One of the odd things about our gaming group, which most people who post here don't seem to experience, is that about one session in six turns out to be an admin session. Partly this is due to dealing with the technical problems of a web-based game. Mostly it's that we don't spend any time out of session doing anything like levelling or what not.

So when folks left the underdark there was a session for levelling, deciding what loot to sell, figuring out what to do with downtime, etc. The next session was the scenes at the Blue Gorgon and some miscellaneous information gathering. Then the third session was more info-gathering.

So there was a fair amount of die rolls for the social stuff, but the only fight in three games was with some throw-away watch-folk.
At least I learned a bit from all of this. The biggest thing was using email to deal with events between sessions (splitting loot, decisions on what to sell, basic info rolls, etc). We still have that one session in six (or so) that's still mostly admin, but it doesn't happen much more often than that now.

 

[Seravin]

Reporting Back

The day was long, and by the time Kestral made her way back to the comfort of the Library she was ready for a warm bed and blessed sleep. It didn’t take her long to find Jallarzi and the others, in truth because of the door-knocker gave her directions to the kitchen.

Over hot-tea the four friends exchanged their tales of the day. Jallarzi related Master Sharlzerith’s visit and his offer. After talking about it not they decided that not one of them trusted the older mage. He seemed too convenient, but if his intentions were honest they had no doubt that he could be useful. At least he denied dealing with fiends.

Kestral in turn related her conversation with Watch Herald Ladea.

“…after that I went to visit every shop I could remember that we sold gear to.” Kestral wrapped her cold hands around her mug. “I know it’s a warmer day, but it’s too cold to be just walking around out there.” She complained as she took another drink. “They all said that I was the first one to be asking questions. Some of them looked a little nervous, but I think they were telling the truth.” She shrugged. “It might be worth paying the nervous ones a visit though.”

“Should we?” Asked Kellron quietly.

Everyone looked at him and thought over the question.

“Grandal isn’t really our concern.” Pointed out the soldier, who suddenly looked weary. “Our job is to get the kidnapped Imperial citizens back. We can’t do it from jail or running from thieves. Colonel Megara is already in jail for helping us and the wizards are effectively gone.”

Jared nodded slowly. “Jallarzi could always teleport us to another city; we don’t need to come back here.”

“Is that what you’re suggesting?” Asked Kestral. She wasn’t arguing the choice, just curious.

Kellron sighed and wave a dismissive hand. “No. Not really. I’m just bringing it up as a suggestion. The only fight we really have here is with Grandal, and he’s apparently gone. If this is really like what happened in Blasingdale though, then we can expect something to happen to the Duke.” He snorted somewhat disgustedly. “I can’t wait to get back to the tunnels where we didn’t have to worry about stuff like this.”

Everyone made sympathetic noises.

Taking another drink, Kestral looked up. “Well, Ladea has also offered to intercede for us with the Duke.” She then smiled at a sudden thought. “She also promised to help with Erica, presuming you don’t mind.” She added looking at Kellron.

“How so?” He asked, somewhat suspiciously.

“I wanted her to place Erica with a new family, someone who wasn’t obviously under Grandal’s control.” She shook her head with irritation. “She wouldn’t do it at first, saying she didn’t have the manpower. So I asked her to send Erica to Broken Spire. She can be a lady-in-waiting for Tore.”

Kellron nodded thoughtfully. “That’s a good idea. It means she can’t be used against us and should be safe enough with Tore. I’ll write a letter to Tore for you.”

“Thank you.” Said the young woman gratefully. Erica wasn’t really her sister but she felt responsible for the young child.

“Anything else?” Asked Jallarzi.

“Only one last thing. On my second visit to Ladea I started questioning her about Master Asuras’ illness. It seems the object the Duke gave Master Asuras was some sort of amulet taken from a slain barbarian. Baron Roth brought it south with him and said he knew it was magical and asked the Duke to get the wizard to identify it for him. Ladea said that the baron was quite sorry about what happened. She seemed to think he was being truthful; but who knows?”

The conversation faded shortly afterwards and when they were done with their drinks the four friends went to find their beds.

 

[Seravin]

The Wizard in the Bedroom with a Fireball

BWUH-WUH-UHMPH!

Fireball! Identified Jallarzi’s sub-conscious as her eyes snapped opened at the muffled sound. She had just drifted off to sleep but the familiar sound had wakened the half-elven wizardess for all that the door and walls of the Library had muted the sound.

Still not quite thinking, the white-haired woman rolled out of bed and gained her feet. In her mind’s eye she could see the churining, red-orange flames roiling out from a central point in space; evoked from a state of dormant potential. By then she was on her feet and reaching for her backpack with its all important stash of wands. Only once her hands were on the pack did she fumble for the wicker shield covering the everburning candle.

Her hand then grabbed for her precious white-crystal Staff of Frost as she ticked off the magical words that described all that a fireball was. Evocation [Fire], requiring a material component. Standard casting, range out to six-hundred feet or greater. A sphere of roiling flames that only the most dextrous or lucky could avoid.

Jallarzi closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She was in the Library in Corlean, in the sleeping quarter wing. Right now only Master Wymeah and herself should be the only two people in the building capable of casting a fireball. There was a small study at the front of the hall next to the stairwell (Jallarzi had claimed the room the previous night as the senior journey-wizard) and it was almost certainly the source of the spell.

Jallarzi lifted her free hand and invoked a spell of improved invisibility. Once the illusion was settled the woman looked at Sarah. “See if you can get Jared’s or Kellron’s attention.” She ordered while reaching for the door knob.

Sarah nodded, resisting any impulse to yawn. The cat understood that Master Wymeah wouldn’t be letting off spells in the middle of the night just for the fun of it.

The door opened and Jallarzi stepped into the wide, windowless hallway. The everburning torches that normally dotted this end of the hallway were gone, but there was a muted, flickering light from the open study door. It wasn’t good light but Jallarzi’s elven-gifted sight showed two, strange-looking, hunched figures just exiting the room.

Quick-stepping, Jallarzi hustled down the hallway as fast as she dared, trying to be silent at the same time. She wasn’t Kestral, but her bare feet didn’t slap terribly loud on the cold stone either. Once she had closed about half the distance, perhaps fifteen feet away from the figures, Jallarzi caught sight of the tentacles; mind flayers - and they were carrying some sort of human-shaped bundle between them. It didn’t take a genius to realize that Wymeah was being kidnapped.

“Jared! Kellron! Mind flayers!” Yelled Jallarzi at the top of her lungs.

The two mind flayers swiveled their heads to the empty hallway, only now noticing the dim, flickering light from Jallarzi’s open doorway. They couldn’t see the person yelling but they could hear her. Silent thoughts flickered between the two illithid, almost certainly noting that an invisible yeller was a wizard and therefore valuable. The force wave generated by the twin mind blasts was almost palpable and Jallarzi staggered under the assault but she had survived such blasts before and pushed through the mental noise.

Gritting her teeth, the half-elf rushed both mind flayers, her memory replaying their last encounter in which they had shrugged off her strongest spells. This time it might be different but an unconscious Master Wymeah would have trouble surving an ice storm. Instead, Jallarzi grabbed her master with her free hand, dodged the writhing tentacles of the mind flayers carrying her, and invoked a teleport spell. The wizard and her master disappeared from the hallway.

At that instant Kellron and Jared came bursting out the door, their breastplates only half secured. Kestral exited from the next door down, her leather jerkin also loosely buckled. No one had wanted to be caught in the middle of a sudden fire-fight without some sort of protection, but Jallarzi’s cry for help forced them into the fray.

The two mind flayers straightened; their black robes looked strange in the flickering of the fire just starting in the study. Their prizes were gone to someplace else and the three before them looked more like food then reward; dangerous food at that. The space about the mind flayers rippled as planar walls were breached, and then they were gone.

---

Her heart was beating like a carpenter’s hammer. Master Wymeah was scared and it was not a feeling she was used to. If Jallarzi’s quick thinking hadn’t saved her… Wymeah pushed that thought away and wished that Chantion, her familiar, was here and not in the Valley.

It had taken almost a minute to recover from the stunning wave of mental force, giving Wymeah a new found understanding of why people feared witches. She had recovered on the steps of the Temple of Sarath, the only other place that Jallarzi was familiar enough to teleport to. Wymeah had teleported the pair back where they had exchanged stories with the others.

Jared and Kellron were now searching each room to make sure there were no more surprises. The young woman Kestral had doused the fire in the Library; though Wymeah was unclear how she had accomplished that task.

Wymeah pushed the thought away for later. Right now she had to decide what she was going to do next.

---

They all met in the dining room off of the kitchen. Master Wymeah had insisted on some tea while she thought and while the men searched the rooms. The pot was almost empty by the time Jared, Kellron, and Sarah arrived.

“It’s all quiet.” Announced Jared. “We can’t tell how they got in though; all the windows and doors are closed.”

Wymeah nodded silently. She didn’t like what she thinking. “The door would have announced anyone who came through the front door.” Her hand gripped her cup tightly, and she forced herself to relax before she broke the halfling-made china.

She was a coward; but she would be a live one.

“I’m leaving for the Library. Tonight.” She told her guests.

Kellron’s lips tightened. Kestral nodded slightly as if expecting it.

“Why?” Asked Jallarzi softly.

Wymeah’s shoulders slumped slightly. “Because it’s not defensible; not against this sort of attack. In the end this is just an extension of the Mother Library, an embassy for representation to the Duchy of Larence.” She snorted bitterly. “There’s no one left to represent anymore.”

There were arguments that could have been made; inspiration, hope, courage, or just plain stubbornness. No one tried though, they were tired too. Another ally was gone, but at least they had saved her and she now owed them a debt.

Wymeah watched the resignation flow across their faces. “You can stay here in the meantime.” She told them. “We’ll be back…I’ll be back when we’ve gathered our strength; but not until we know what we’re up against. I’ll arcane lock the door with a pass phrase for your use. You’ll be safe against any city-based forces here at least.”

“Can I go with you?” Jallarzi’s question stunned everyone and they all turned to her.

“I won’t be able to use the gate, but I’d like to be able to go to the Main Library when I need to. I can always teleport to and back after this trip.”

Wymeah smiled. Jallarzi was no longer a student. Her skills were growing at a frightening rate, but no one would argue that she hadn’t earned them. It seemed her wisdom was growing too. That was good. “You may. I’ll show you around and send you back.”

“You can send me back in the morning. I’ll want a full tour and I’ll need to memorize a new set of spells.”

So it was decided.