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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Seravin" data-source="post: 1282990" data-attributes="member: 6783">The Country Cottage – Early FallA much subdued group arrived in Thurmaster two days later.  The trip to Corlean had certainly been of mixed results.  On the sword hand Kellron and Ashimar had gained a measure of fame and recognition from within their chosen order.  On the shield hand Kestral had gained them a certain amount of notoriety within their chosen order.  The young woman’s plea that she hadn’t meant anything wrong and that she was just bored did not put ‘the incident’ in a better light.  Kestral knew with a grim certainty that she would not be allowed to forget this minor lapse of judgment, despite no one getting hurt by it.  Sometimes life just wasn’t fair.Tauster changed the mood of the group almost instantly when he answered the door and saw that it was them.  The old mage was excited, positively jumping from foot to foot with an excitement that more befitting a ten year old boy.  The smile that he gave the five friends matched the sparkle in his gray eyes. “Ah, my friends!  It’s good to see you at last!  How was Corlean?”The last question was obviously rhetorical and Tauster breezed on by before anyone could properly answer.  “That’s nice.  Glad you liked it.”  Finally he noted his own manner and the mage straightened up a bit. “Ahem.  Concerning the items you left with me…”  The mage trailed off.  “That is to say…”  He trailed off again and then smiled broadly.  “The Planes with it.  Hold on, we’re going out.”  The mage disappeared inside his cottage for a moment and came out again carrying an old, brown sack.“Here it is.”  He said holding up the sack as he closed the door behind him.  “We best leave the village for this.  It wouldn’t do to scare the natives as it were.”The five friends looked at each other in askance and shrugged, unsure what to make of the elderly mage’s manner.  It was Jallarzi who spoke up first.  “So, what did you find out?”Tauster smiled with mischief.  “This and that.  The usual you know.  The boots were as you described and I have the command words written down.  One pair will levitate the wearer and the other pair will hasten a person in battle.”  He waved his hand with a dismissing gesture.  “Toys really, though the manufacture of such things is always interesting.  The weapons and armor you recovered were also interesting, if only for the strength of their enchantments.  You don’t see that many enchanted armor or weapons these days.  Certainly not of this strength.”  The old man smiled and hummed a little bit as he led them to the gate in the palisade that surrounded Thurmaster.Jallarzi looked at the others.  “I take it we’re not heading out because of that?”  Tauster smiled to himself, pleased.  “Not at all.  Those items are ready for you at any time.”  Jallarzi pursed her lips and looked at her companions.  They just shrugged and they came to an unspoken agreement to see where this was going.Tauster nodded pleasantly to the gate guards as his little expedition passed them and he led the party down the road that led to Corlean.  “We’re not going far, just out of sight.”  He told his entourage.  “It wouldn’t do to get anyone too excited.”Eventually the village palisade drifted out of site as the group followed the road around a bend and past a small copse of trees.  Tauster looked about and harrumphed with satisfaction.  “This will do.”  He said and led the group off the road and into a little open meadow.  Opening the sack, Tauster reached in and pulled out a hand sized object and proudly held it up for inspection.  The little hut was about six inches square and on first inspection looked to be a six year old’s first attempt at making a little house out of clay; an attempt which someone had immortalized by firing the clay into ceramic.  The walls were mostly straight, though mottled.  A little wooden slab formed the door and the two windows had smaller bits of wood acting as shutters.  On one side of the little house was a chimney that ran more or less straight up.  The roof was peaked and someone had made the attempt to form shingles, though some were missing.  If the model had been built full size it undoubtedly would have collapsed in on itself.Kestral sniffed at the artistic merit of the cottage, but she was also sure that the seventy-something mage would not have taken them on the small hike to show off bad sculpture.“So what does it do?”  Asked the courier.Tauster smiled appreciatively at the young woman.  It was the lead in that he wanted.  “This is quite simply one of the most amazing things I have ever seen.”  He paused in thought.  “Well, not the most amazing, but certainly it ranks up there.  More importantly, it’s what is in this little cottage that had me pleased.“What’s that?”  Asked Kellron.“I’ll show you.  Stand behind me.”  Ordered the mage. “Watch carefully.”  He admonished the others as soon as they stepped behind him.  “This is simply marvelous.”The old man inhaled a little bit, as if he were beginning the intonations of a summoning spell.  “Krizek!”  He called out in a strong, clear voice.For an instant the world immediately around Tauster seem to warp and shimmer.  Everyone had to blink as the malformed ceramic hut in the mage’s hand ‘shifted’ and grew.  The hut fairly leapt off of Tauster’s hand and within the space of three heartbeats he stood on the front step of a rather respectable looking stone cottage.Ashimar whistled and they all took a slow walk around the newly formed building.  The cottage was about twenty feet long and had the same width.  The roof started up at eight feet and peaked at ten.  Like the model, this particular cottage had a window on each side that adjoined the front.  Also like the model, there was a chimney on the left hand side, near the window.  Unlike the model, this cottage had a sturdy feel to it and looked quite cozy.Tauster looked at the little group smugly.  “I told you.  Now come inside.  So saying, Tauster opened the door and stepped inside the single room dwelling.  It was obviously set up for a barracks style living.  Four bunk beds were lined up against the back wall, running into the room.  At the foot of each bed was a sturdy chest.  In the free area off to the right was a large, wooden table, scarred from use and surrounded by six wooden chairs.  A little kitchen area had been setup in the free area to the left, next to the fireplace.Kellron nodded to himself.  “This is nice.”  He said, looking around.Tauster nodded in agreement.  “It certainly is.”  He agreed as he walked over to one of the chests.  With a creak and some cracking, the old mage knelt down.  “This is better though.”  He declared as he opened the chest.  Stunned silence was his only answer.  Thousands of coins filled the chest.  Kestral could make out coins of silver, gold, and platinum.  She did a quick summation in her head, estimating the volume of the chest and the size of the coins.  The number was large.Tauster pulled a small leather pouch off the top of the coin pile, and spilled the contents into his hand.  A dozen small gems filled his palm.  “I had a late night and couldn’t sleep.  As near as I can tell you have about fifteen thousand in coins.”  He looked briefly at the gems and put them back in the sack.  “I don’t know what the gems are worth, but I’m certain they’ll add to it.”  With a grunt the old mage stood up and walked to the back corner of the room.  There was a scrape of something against stone and Tauster came walking back to the front area with a staff made of a milky white crystal.  The head was topped with an unusual looking crystal that for all the world reminded Ashimar of a snowflake.“This is the masterpiece of this little ensemble though.”  Proclaimed the mage.  “A staff of frost, Library made.  It doesn’t have a lot power left, but I can swear that it’s an authentic Library commission.  I have the list of command words written down already.  There was also a scroll and some of those noxious brews stored in here.”  Tauster looked about.  “I take it you’re pleased?”Pleased was too slight a word to describe the party’s joy at the amount of treasure recovered and the hut and the staff.  The haul was astounding.  Kestral appraised the gems at around 2,400gp – a value she was pleased to later find out was only a little low.As for the hut, the only downside from the party’s perspective was that it was usable but three times per seven-day period.  They all agreed it would make their adventuring a lot more comfortable though.  Sadly this demonstration had used the cottage up for its allotted period.  The party took the news good naturedly though and gladly paid Tauster for the additional identifications he did on the staff.Ashimar claimed the boots of speed and Kestral took the boots of levitation.  For her part Jallarzi claimed the staff of frost and carried it proudly.  For the time being, as the unofficial treasurer, Kestral kept custody of the cottage.The next morning, with an admonition from Tauster not to be caught in the hut when it was reduced the party set out for Broken Spire Keep, and from there to go see the great doors under the earth.</blockquote>

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