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<blockquote data-quote="Delemental" data-source="post: 3319231" data-attributes="member: 5203">A shorter update this time - our last session covered a lot of ground, so I had to break it up.&nbsp; This one's mostly dialogue vignettes.--------------------&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Lanara sat on the deck with her lute in her lap, carefully inspecting the instrument for any signs of damage and replacing worn strings.&nbsp; Nearby, Osborn was throwing a stick to Rupert, a smile on his face as he watched his faithful hound running back and forth across the deck.&nbsp; It was a clear, sunny day, and although still a bit cold, after weeks of enduring cloud-filled skies, the light was a welcome relief.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; A shadow passed over Lanara.&nbsp; Looking up and squinting into the sun, she saw a dark shape silhouetted again the sky, slowly turning and then lifting away from the ship with a flapping of wings.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; “She’s getting better,” Osborn said, following Lanara’s gaze.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; “Yeah, she hasn’t hit the mast or gotten tangled in the rigging once.”&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; “Not bad considering she’s only had the wings for a week,” Osborn commented.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; “At least she’s not wearing her armor today,” Lanara chuckled.&nbsp; “No offense to the girl, but watching her flapping around with all that metal makes me want to christen her the Flying Armadillo.”&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; “There’s a reason most birds don’t spend a lot of time in field plate,” Osborn snickered.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; They both quelled their laughter when Kyle came up the stairs from below.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; “Afternoon, captain,” Lanara said.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; “Good afternoon.”&nbsp; He looked up into the sky.&nbsp; “She’s getting better.”&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; “We were just saying the same thing,” Osborn commented.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Kyle watched his wife sailing through the air.&nbsp; “Looks like fun.&nbsp; I think I’ll join her.”&nbsp; He uttered a spell, and a pair of gleaming metallic wings sprouted from his back.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; “Nice,” Lanara said, “and no feathers to make you sneeze.”&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; “Well, you know how they say married couples start to look alike after a while.&nbsp; Now, if you’ll excuse me…”&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Kyle shot up into the air, quickly catching up with Autumn.&nbsp; Lanara and Osborn watched the two of them fly about for a while.&nbsp; After a few minutes, they flew together and embraced, holding each other aloft.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; “If they start getting frisky up there, I’m getting a crossbow,” Lanara winced.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; “If they start getting frisky, I’m using my circlet of blasting,” Osborn added.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; “We’d have to go get Tolly first.&nbsp; He’d probably be willing to contribute a flame strike to the cause.”*&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; *&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; *&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; “Son of a b*tch!”&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Autumn slowly opened one eye, and bit back a nasty comment.&nbsp; It hadn’t been easy to adjust to sleeping with a pair of wings sprouting from her back, especially when she shared that bed, and thus she hadn’t slept very well lately.&nbsp; Given that she was supposed to be recuperating from her resurrection, any unexpected interruptions in sleep were not well received.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; “Damn it all!&nbsp; Of all the… f*ck!”&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; She sighed.&nbsp; “Kyle, what is the matter?” she said sleepily.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; She felt Kyle tense up next to her – no, he’d already been tense when she woke up; now he was almost taut as a bowstring.&nbsp; Through sleep-fogged eyes, she saw that Kyle had one of his light orbs sitting in his lap, glowing softly.&nbsp; “Do you remember when we spoke to Aran the night before our wedding?”&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; “Yeah, sure.”&nbsp; Kyle had better get to the point soon.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; “Do you remember that Aran told us that one of the things that Kristyan’s psions was doing was combing Affon collecting divine relics?”&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Autumn knew this, of course.&nbsp; Marrek, the Qin-Chu priest who was one of Kristyan’s vassals, had stolen a Bailite ceremonial dagger from her a couple of years ago.&nbsp; Later they’d learned that the theft was part of this plot.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; “What about it?” Autumn yawned.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; In response, Kyle dropped an object on the bed, almost on top of her stomach.&nbsp; She fumbled around and picked it up, blinking sleep out of her eyes in the dim light.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; It was an open puzzle box.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; This woke Autumn up.&nbsp; They’d found the puzzle box in the gullet of the nightcrawler they’d fought in the Dark Hills, the battle in which Kyle had died.&nbsp; The puzzle box showed no signs of magical auras, but had nonetheless managed to survive undamaged in the nightcrawler’s stomach.&nbsp; The puzzle itself had proven tremendously complex; after several unsuccessful tries, Kyle had pocketed the box, and would take it out occasionally to study it.&nbsp; Osborn had offered to jimmy it open, but Kyle said that he wanted to open it “the hard way” at least once first.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; “You got it open!” Autumn said, sitting up and putting her arm around Kyle’s shoulder.&nbsp; She was about to congratulate him, when she realized he was still tense.&nbsp; “What?&nbsp; What’s wrong with the box?”&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; “It’s not the box,” Kyle said.&nbsp; “It’s what was inside.”&nbsp; Slowly, Kyle held aloft a small object.&nbsp; It looked like a small cage made of twisted and looped wires, made from a variety of metals from common iron to adamantium.&nbsp; There was a small, irregularly shaped object inside.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; “Do you remember which relic Aran told us would be the most difficult for Kristyan to get his hands on?”&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Autumn’s memories connected to the object in Kyle’s hand.&nbsp; “Oh, no.”
*&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; *&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; *&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Minutes later, everyone was gathered in Kyle and Autumn’s cabin, which was now fully lit.&nbsp; Each of them studied the cage in Kyle’s hand; he’d refused to let go of it.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; “That does look exactly like what Aran told us Shesh’s relic looked like,” Tolly confirmed.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; “What made you think that something good would happen when you opened a puzzle box? When does anything good ever come from opening a puzzle box?” Arrie shouted.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; “What?&nbsp; Sometimes they have good things!” Kyle protested.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; “When?”&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; “We got puzzle boxes in the circus all the time,” Osborn said.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; “You never got the right kind of puzzle boxes as a kid,” Lanara commented to Arrie.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Arrie continued to look at Kyle.&nbsp; “You’re supposed to be the smart one!”&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; “What was I supposed to do?” Kyle argued.&nbsp; “Just leave the box unopened forever?”“Yes!”“Where’s the fun in that?”&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; “Well, where’s the fun in that?” Arrie said, pointing at the relic.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; “There’s no fun in this!” he shouted.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; “Quiet, both of you!” Autumn yelled.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Lanara was looking closely inside the cage.&nbsp; “What is that in there, anyway?”&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; “A tongue, I believe,” Tolly said.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; “Ugh!&nbsp; Why would Shesh stick a tongue inside the cage?”&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; “Shesh is a god of secrets as well as misers,” Osborn said.&nbsp; “Thieves who join a guild usually have to swear an oath to him to keep the guild’s secrets safe.”&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; “What does it do?” Tolly wondered.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; “As far as I know so far, nothing,” Kyle said.&nbsp; “It’s still not showing any magical aura, though knowing what we know now, it’s safe to assume that there’s some deity-level masking going on here.”&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; “Try looking at it through your staff,” Tolly suggested, “Just in case.”&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Lanara handed Kyle the Scion’s Staff, and he looked through the crystal orb at the cage.&nbsp; “No psionics either,” he said.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; “It does make sense,” Arrie said, a little less agitated now, “that a characteristic of a magical artifact for a god of hoarding and greed would be that it doesn’t look like a magical artifact.”&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Lanara nodded.&nbsp; “Yeah, I guess if you’ve got a bunch of power-hungry people out there who can make stuff wiggle with their brains looking for Shesh’s relic, they’d be looking for something magical.”&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; “You know,” Arrie said after a pause, “I think it’s safe to assume that they know.”&nbsp; No one had to ask who ‘they’ were.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; “I say we stick it in the portable hole, and not tell anyone else about it until we figure out what to do,” Autumn suggested.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; “Let’s put it back in the box first,” Arrie added.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; “Just one problem with that,” Osborn said.&nbsp; He held up the puzzle box, which had closed itself up at some point during their conversation.&nbsp; He tugged at the lid to demonstrate that it was locked.&nbsp; Kyle took the box with his free hand, but quickly realized the puzzle box had reconfigured itself, and wouldn’t open in the same way as before.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; “I’ve already did it once,” Kyle said.&nbsp; “Go for it, Osborn.”&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Osborn pulled out some tools and started poking at the box, but after a few moments frowned and set it down.&nbsp; “It’s pretty complex, and it seems to be actively resisting me somehow.&nbsp; I spot a place where I could open something up, and then I blink and that spot just… moves.&nbsp; I can work at it a little longer if you want.”&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; “Perhaps if we worked together on opening it,” Tolly suggested.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; “Notice how all the women are wisely leaving the dangerous stuff alone?” Lanara observed.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Kyle pointed at Arrie.&nbsp; “She’s the one who wanted to put the cage back in the box.”&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; “Let’s put the relic into the portable hole,” Tolly said.&nbsp; “We have to complete this mission before we can address it anyway.&nbsp; I have one idea of a place we could put the relic – we could take it to Erito’s Library.”&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; “Would Erito allow that?” Kyle asked.&nbsp; “Shesh may be subordinate to Erito, but I don’t know if she’d approve of his relic being stored at one of her holy sites, or vice versa.”&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; “I’m not an Eritan priest,” Tolly said, “it was only a suggestion.”&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; “And I’m not sure we want Kristyan to go looking for the relic there,” Arrie said.&nbsp; “That much knowledge and power in once place…”&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; “I think we’re stuck with it,” Osborn sighed.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; “Well, it’s not that bad,” Arrie said.&nbsp; “I mean, when it’s closed, the hole is pretty dark, so it’s hard to scry.&nbsp; Besides, it’s a… what’s the word… not really here.”&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; “Extradimensional?” Kyle offered.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; “That’s the word.”&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; “It’s true that psionics aren’t terribly good at transdimensional manipulations,” Kyle said.&nbsp; “And since it’s a mobile space, it’ll be hard to find.”&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; “So, we put it in the hole, like I said before,” Autumn said.&nbsp; “Then they’d have to pry it out of my dead hands.”&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; “But let’s not talk about that,” Arrie said.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; “But if that was the case, we’d probably all be dead,” Autumn pointed out.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; “Still, let’s not talk about it!”&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; With nothing left to discuss, the relic was wrapped up and placed inside the portable hole, tucked away out of sight.&nbsp; Osborn held on to the puzzle box, hoping to get it open at some point so they could place the cage back inside, figuring that the complexity of the puzzle box would be a final line of defense if Kristyan got his hands on the relic.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; The next morning, at breakfast, it was obvious that none of them had slept well, though Kyle looked particularly exhausted.&nbsp; Tolly, who had been silent for most of the meal, finally addressed the wizard.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; “I’ve been meaning to ask you.&nbsp; How exactly did you repair the hole in the ship?”&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; “What?&nbsp; Oh, that…” Kyle said, suddenly flushing.&nbsp; “It was, um, a fabricate spell that I kind of tweaked, you know.&nbsp; I’ve been keeping one on hand for just that kind of situation, see?&nbsp; Yeah, I was surprised it worked as well as it did.&nbsp; So…”&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Everyone just stared at Kyle.&nbsp; “You’re so full of it I can smell it,” Lanara said.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; “We really need to give you lessons,” Arrie added.“What?&nbsp; I didn’t do anything!”&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; “Right,” Lanara said, “you didn’t.&nbsp; What really happened?”&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; “Kyle?” Tolly said, “Do you really want to start the precedent of lying to us?”&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; “Then you should stop asking me questions!”&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Tolly laughed, briefly.&nbsp; “Try again.”&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; “Rather not, thanks.”&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; “Maybe we should go down in the hold and look around,” Lanara suggested.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; “You know, how about we leave Kyle alone,” Arrie said, coming to the poor wizard’s aid, “and we assume that he’s obfuscating the truth for a reason, and we trust that he’ll tell us if it’s important.”&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; “She knows ‘obfuscating’, but not ‘extradimensional’?” Osborn whispered to Autumn.&nbsp; The sentinel nudged him with her foot.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; “All right,” Lanara sighed, “I suppose if it was dangerous he’d tell us.”&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Tolly was less resigned.&nbsp; “We’ll talk later.”&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Their meal over, everyone got up and went about their day, except for Kyle and Autumn.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; “Thanks for not joining in the inquisition,” Kyle said.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; “Well, there may have to be a second inquiry in private later,” she said.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; “Of course,” he sighed.&nbsp; “But just so you know, it really isn’t dangerous.&nbsp; It’s more of a… surprise.”&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; “I’m sure.”&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; “If I hadn’t promised not to tell, I swear I’d let you in on it.&nbsp; I hate keeping secrets from you, because I know you’d never keep secrets from me.”&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Kyle stood up and kissed Autumn before heading up on deck.&nbsp; He didn’t notice Autumn wiping away a tear from her eye.**&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; *&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; *&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Down in the hold, Osborn walked up to Tolly’s horse.&nbsp; “Hey, did you fix the ship?”&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; The horse nodded.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; “Thought so.&nbsp; Thanks!” Osborn held aloft a slab of meat.&nbsp; “Bacon?”&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; The horse nodded again, and swallowed the slab in two bites.
*&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; *&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; *&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; “Ariadne, what is that substance?”&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Tolly pointed down at the deck at Arrie’s feet, where a trail of glistening slime pooled at her feet.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; “It’s ectoplasm,” she explained.&nbsp; “I’ve been manifesting a new power, which produces the stuff as sort of a side-effect.&nbsp; I’m still working out the kinks, but it’ll vanish on its own.”&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; “I hope so.&nbsp; I would hate to enter battle only to slide off the deck and into the ocean.”&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; “Yeah, but look at this!”&nbsp; Arrie held out her arm, which was suddenly enveloped in a layer of ectoplasm.&nbsp; She then took a dagger, and jabbed the tip at her arm.&nbsp; Tolly could see that the slime was providing some resistance against the weapon.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; “It helps take the edge off,” she explained.&nbsp; “Isn’t it cool?”&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Tolly studied her for a moment.&nbsp; “I will go ahead and agree with you that it is ‘cool’, and then turn around and walk away.&nbsp; I’m still not entirely comfortable with this.”&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Tolly didn’t see Arrie roll her eyes as he walked away.
*&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; *&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; *&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Almost eight weeks after their departure, the Armadillo arrived at the mouth of the Kruga River, which led into the Haran Desert along its northern border.&nbsp; The river was navigable, so they sailed the ship upstream.&nbsp; Talia, the Tlaxan Imperial Advisor, told them that their orcish contact would be arriving soon.&nbsp; Indeed, an hour later the Armadillo was approached by a lone orc in a rowboat, who asked permission to board.&nbsp; When he climbed on deck, they could see he was garbed as a minor warchief.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; “I am Ruok, sub-chieftain to High Warchief Keth,” the orc said.&nbsp; “We have been expecting someone to arrive.&nbsp; Do you have credentials proving you are the ones we are here to meet?”&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Osborn stepped forward and handed Ruok a scroll tube containing their papers from the Emperor.&nbsp; He also pulled out his clan token for Clan Hulg, showing that he was considered part of the tribe.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Ruok looked approvingly at the clan token, and then gave the papers a cursory glance.&nbsp; “You are the ones we are expecting,” he said.&nbsp; “But we will not meet here.&nbsp; You will turn your ship and sail south along the coast.&nbsp; I will tell you when to stop.”&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Kyle looked over at the Talia, who nodded to indicate that this was according to plan.&nbsp; “All right,” he said, “let’s put the zombies in reverse.”&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Much later that day, the Armadillo found itself sailing south once again, staying close to the coastline.&nbsp; Ruok remained aboard the ship, and spent much of his time conferring privately with Talia.&nbsp; Their proximity to the shore gave Tolly and Lanara the chance to walk on dry land again, an opportunity they took with relish.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Around midnight, Ruok told Kyle to drop anchor.&nbsp; “We will wait here.”&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; “Until?” Kyle asked.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; “Sunrise.”&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; “So, what exactly are we waiting for?” Lanara asked.&nbsp; “And what’s been happening with Keth?&nbsp; The last time we were here, he was just ‘Warchief’, not ‘High Warchief’.”&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Ruok grinned.&nbsp; “You will see.&nbsp; Great changes have come to the desert.”&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Arrie turned to Talia.&nbsp; “I assume it’s more than just a coincidence that we got here just before the Time of Burning.”&nbsp; Talia smiled.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; “It was considered an auspicious beginning.”&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Hours later, as the earliest signs of dawn began to color the sky, the lookout began ringing the alarm bell.&nbsp; “Ships to the south, Captain!&nbsp; Oh, my goddess!&nbsp; There are dozens!”&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; “How far out?”&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; “About a quarter mile!”&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; “What?” Even in the dark, that many ships should have been spotted much farther off.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; “They just came out of nowhere, captain!”&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Kyle swore.&nbsp; “Haul out the cannon and stand ready!” he barked to the first mate.&nbsp; But the mate was standing at the port railing, pointing out toward land.&nbsp; “Look at that!”&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; They all turned, and saw the desert was moving toward them.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; “I think we need another cannon,” Lanara said.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Arrie, squinting at the crawling dunes, sighed.&nbsp; “No, I think we need to get into the portable hole and get Keth’s hat out for him.”---------------* This was the character's reaction.&nbsp; The player's reaction to my comment about 'I know you'd never lie to me' was more along the lines of calling me a rat bastard.&nbsp; Just to clarify, I'm referring to Autumn's secret about her deal with Bail to not be raised from the dead again.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="Delemental, post: 3319231, member: 5203"] A shorter update this time - our last session covered a lot of ground, so I had to break it up. This one's mostly dialogue vignettes. -------------------- Lanara sat on the deck with her lute in her lap, carefully inspecting the instrument for any signs of damage and replacing worn strings. Nearby, Osborn was throwing a stick to Rupert, a smile on his face as he watched his faithful hound running back and forth across the deck. It was a clear, sunny day, and although still a bit cold, after weeks of enduring cloud-filled skies, the light was a welcome relief. A shadow passed over Lanara. Looking up and squinting into the sun, she saw a dark shape silhouetted again the sky, slowly turning and then lifting away from the ship with a flapping of wings. “She’s getting better,” Osborn said, following Lanara’s gaze. “Yeah, she hasn’t hit the mast or gotten tangled in the rigging once.” “Not bad considering she’s only had the wings for a week,” Osborn commented. “At least she’s not wearing her armor today,” Lanara chuckled. “No offense to the girl, but watching her flapping around with all that metal makes me want to christen her the Flying Armadillo.” “There’s a reason most birds don’t spend a lot of time in field plate,” Osborn snickered. They both quelled their laughter when Kyle came up the stairs from below. “Afternoon, captain,” Lanara said. “Good afternoon.” He looked up into the sky. “She’s getting better.” “We were just saying the same thing,” Osborn commented. Kyle watched his wife sailing through the air. “Looks like fun. I think I’ll join her.” He uttered a spell, and a pair of gleaming metallic wings sprouted from his back. “Nice,” Lanara said, “and no feathers to make you sneeze.” “Well, you know how they say married couples start to look alike after a while. Now, if you’ll excuse me…” Kyle shot up into the air, quickly catching up with Autumn. Lanara and Osborn watched the two of them fly about for a while. After a few minutes, they flew together and embraced, holding each other aloft. “If they start getting frisky up there, I’m getting a crossbow,” Lanara winced. “If they start getting frisky, I’m using my [I]circlet of blasting[/I],” Osborn added. “We’d have to go get Tolly first. He’d probably be willing to contribute a [I]flame strike[/I] to the cause.” [CENTER]* * *[/CENTER] “Son of a b*tch!” Autumn slowly opened one eye, and bit back a nasty comment. It hadn’t been easy to adjust to sleeping with a pair of wings sprouting from her back, especially when she shared that bed, and thus she hadn’t slept very well lately. Given that she was supposed to be recuperating from her resurrection, any unexpected interruptions in sleep were not well received. “Damn it all! Of all the… f*ck!” She sighed. “Kyle, what is the matter?” she said sleepily. She felt Kyle tense up next to her – no, he’d already been tense when she woke up; now he was almost taut as a bowstring. Through sleep-fogged eyes, she saw that Kyle had one of his light orbs sitting in his lap, glowing softly. “Do you remember when we spoke to Aran the night before our wedding?” “Yeah, sure.” [I]Kyle had better get to the point soon[/I]. “Do you remember that Aran told us that one of the things that Kristyan’s psions was doing was combing Affon collecting divine relics?” Autumn knew this, of course. Marrek, the Qin-Chu priest who was one of Kristyan’s vassals, had stolen a Bailite ceremonial dagger from her a couple of years ago. Later they’d learned that the theft was part of this plot. “What about it?” Autumn yawned. In response, Kyle dropped an object on the bed, almost on top of her stomach. She fumbled around and picked it up, blinking sleep out of her eyes in the dim light. It was an open puzzle box. This woke Autumn up. They’d found the puzzle box in the gullet of the nightcrawler they’d fought in the Dark Hills, the battle in which Kyle had died. The puzzle box showed no signs of magical auras, but had nonetheless managed to survive undamaged in the nightcrawler’s stomach. The puzzle itself had proven tremendously complex; after several unsuccessful tries, Kyle had pocketed the box, and would take it out occasionally to study it. Osborn had offered to jimmy it open, but Kyle said that he wanted to open it “the hard way” at least once first. “You got it open!” Autumn said, sitting up and putting her arm around Kyle’s shoulder. She was about to congratulate him, when she realized he was still tense. “What? What’s wrong with the box?” “It’s not the box,” Kyle said. “It’s what was inside.” Slowly, Kyle held aloft a small object. It looked like a small cage made of twisted and looped wires, made from a variety of metals from common iron to adamantium. There was a small, irregularly shaped object inside. “Do you remember which relic Aran told us would be the most difficult for Kristyan to get his hands on?” Autumn’s memories connected to the object in Kyle’s hand. “Oh, no.” [CENTER] * * *[/CENTER] Minutes later, everyone was gathered in Kyle and Autumn’s cabin, which was now fully lit. Each of them studied the cage in Kyle’s hand; he’d refused to let go of it. “That does look exactly like what Aran told us Shesh’s relic looked like,” Tolly confirmed. “What made you think that something good would happen when you opened a puzzle box? When does anything good ever come from opening a puzzle box?” Arrie shouted. “What? Sometimes they have good things!” Kyle protested. “When?” “We got puzzle boxes in the circus all the time,” Osborn said. “You never got the right kind of puzzle boxes as a kid,” Lanara commented to Arrie. Arrie continued to look at Kyle. “You’re supposed to be the smart one!” “What was I supposed to do?” Kyle argued. “Just leave the box unopened forever?” “Yes!” “Where’s the fun in that?” “Well, where’s the fun in that?” Arrie said, pointing at the relic. “There’s no fun in this!” he shouted. “Quiet, both of you!” Autumn yelled. Lanara was looking closely inside the cage. “What is that in there, anyway?” “A tongue, I believe,” Tolly said. “Ugh! Why would Shesh stick a tongue inside the cage?” “Shesh is a god of secrets as well as misers,” Osborn said. “Thieves who join a guild usually have to swear an oath to him to keep the guild’s secrets safe.” “What does it do?” Tolly wondered. “As far as I know so far, nothing,” Kyle said. “It’s still not showing any magical aura, though knowing what we know now, it’s safe to assume that there’s some deity-level masking going on here.” “Try looking at it through your staff,” Tolly suggested, “Just in case.” Lanara handed Kyle the Scion’s Staff, and he looked through the crystal orb at the cage. “No psionics either,” he said. “It does make sense,” Arrie said, a little less agitated now, “that a characteristic of a magical artifact for a god of hoarding and greed would be that it doesn’t look like a magical artifact.” Lanara nodded. “Yeah, I guess if you’ve got a bunch of power-hungry people out there who can make stuff wiggle with their brains looking for Shesh’s relic, they’d be looking for something magical.” “You know,” Arrie said after a pause, “I think it’s safe to assume that they know.” No one had to ask who ‘they’ were. “I say we stick it in the [I]portable hole[/I], and not tell anyone else about it until we figure out what to do,” Autumn suggested. “Let’s put it back in the box first,” Arrie added. “Just one problem with that,” Osborn said. He held up the puzzle box, which had closed itself up at some point during their conversation. He tugged at the lid to demonstrate that it was locked. Kyle took the box with his free hand, but quickly realized the puzzle box had reconfigured itself, and wouldn’t open in the same way as before. “I’ve already did it once,” Kyle said. “Go for it, Osborn.” Osborn pulled out some tools and started poking at the box, but after a few moments frowned and set it down. “It’s pretty complex, and it seems to be actively resisting me somehow. I spot a place where I could open something up, and then I blink and that spot just… moves. I can work at it a little longer if you want.” “Perhaps if we worked together on opening it,” Tolly suggested. “Notice how all the women are wisely leaving the dangerous stuff alone?” Lanara observed. Kyle pointed at Arrie. “She’s the one who wanted to put the cage back in the box.” “Let’s put the relic into the [I]portable hole[/I],” Tolly said. “We have to complete this mission before we can address it anyway. I have one idea of a place we could put the relic – we could take it to Erito’s Library.” “Would Erito allow that?” Kyle asked. “Shesh may be subordinate to Erito, but I don’t know if she’d approve of his relic being stored at one of her holy sites, or vice versa.” “I’m not an Eritan priest,” Tolly said, “it was only a suggestion.” “And I’m not sure we want Kristyan to go looking for the relic there,” Arrie said. “That much knowledge and power in once place…” “I think we’re stuck with it,” Osborn sighed. “Well, it’s not that bad,” Arrie said. “I mean, when it’s closed, the hole is pretty dark, so it’s hard to scry. Besides, it’s a… what’s the word… not really here.” “Extradimensional?” Kyle offered. “That’s the word.” “It’s true that psionics aren’t terribly good at transdimensional manipulations,” Kyle said. “And since it’s a mobile space, it’ll be hard to find.” “So, we put it in the hole, like I said before,” Autumn said. “Then they’d have to pry it out of my dead hands.” “But let’s not talk about that,” Arrie said. “But if that was the case, we’d probably all be dead,” Autumn pointed out. “Still, let’s not talk about it!” With nothing left to discuss, the relic was wrapped up and placed inside the [I]portable hole[/I], tucked away out of sight. Osborn held on to the puzzle box, hoping to get it open at some point so they could place the cage back inside, figuring that the complexity of the puzzle box would be a final line of defense if Kristyan got his hands on the relic. The next morning, at breakfast, it was obvious that none of them had slept well, though Kyle looked particularly exhausted. Tolly, who had been silent for most of the meal, finally addressed the wizard. “I’ve been meaning to ask you. How exactly did you repair the hole in the ship?” “What? Oh, that…” Kyle said, suddenly flushing. “It was, um, a [I]fabricate [/I]spell that I kind of tweaked, you know. I’ve been keeping one on hand for just that kind of situation, see? Yeah, I was surprised it worked as well as it did. So…” Everyone just stared at Kyle. “You’re so full of it I can smell it,” Lanara said. “We really need to give you lessons,” Arrie added. “What? I didn’t do anything!” “Right,” Lanara said, “you didn’t. What really happened?” “Kyle?” Tolly said, “Do you really want to start the precedent of lying to us?” “Then you should stop asking me questions!” Tolly laughed, briefly. “Try again.” “Rather not, thanks.” “Maybe we should go down in the hold and look around,” Lanara suggested. “You know, how about we leave Kyle alone,” Arrie said, coming to the poor wizard’s aid, “and we assume that he’s obfuscating the truth for a reason, and we trust that he’ll tell us if it’s important.” “She knows ‘obfuscating’, but not ‘extradimensional’?” Osborn whispered to Autumn. The sentinel nudged him with her foot. “All right,” Lanara sighed, “I suppose if it was dangerous he’d tell us.” Tolly was less resigned. “We’ll talk later.” Their meal over, everyone got up and went about their day, except for Kyle and Autumn. “Thanks for not joining in the inquisition,” Kyle said. “Well, there may have to be a second inquiry in private later,” she said. “Of course,” he sighed. “But just so you know, it really isn’t dangerous. It’s more of a… surprise.” “I’m sure.” “If I hadn’t promised not to tell, I swear I’d let you in on it. I hate keeping secrets from you, because I know you’d never keep secrets from me.” Kyle stood up and kissed Autumn before heading up on deck. He didn’t notice Autumn wiping away a tear from her eye.* [CENTER]* * *[/CENTER] Down in the hold, Osborn walked up to Tolly’s horse. “Hey, did you fix the ship?” The horse nodded. “Thought so. Thanks!” Osborn held aloft a slab of meat. “Bacon?” The horse nodded again, and swallowed the slab in two bites. [CENTER] * * *[/CENTER] “Ariadne, what is that substance?” Tolly pointed down at the deck at Arrie’s feet, where a trail of glistening slime pooled at her feet. “It’s ectoplasm,” she explained. “I’ve been manifesting a new power, which produces the stuff as sort of a side-effect. I’m still working out the kinks, but it’ll vanish on its own.” “I hope so. I would hate to enter battle only to slide off the deck and into the ocean.” “Yeah, but look at this!” Arrie held out her arm, which was suddenly enveloped in a layer of ectoplasm. She then took a dagger, and jabbed the tip at her arm. Tolly could see that the slime was providing some resistance against the weapon. “It helps take the edge off,” she explained. “Isn’t it cool?” Tolly studied her for a moment. “I will go ahead and agree with you that it is ‘cool’, and then turn around and walk away. I’m still not entirely comfortable with this.” Tolly didn’t see Arrie roll her eyes as he walked away. [CENTER] * * *[/CENTER] Almost eight weeks after their departure, the [I]Armadillo [/I]arrived at the mouth of the Kruga River, which led into the Haran Desert along its northern border. The river was navigable, so they sailed the ship upstream. Talia, the Tlaxan Imperial Advisor, told them that their orcish contact would be arriving soon. Indeed, an hour later the [I]Armadillo [/I]was approached by a lone orc in a rowboat, who asked permission to board. When he climbed on deck, they could see he was garbed as a minor warchief. “I am Ruok, sub-chieftain to High Warchief Keth,” the orc said. “We have been expecting someone to arrive. Do you have credentials proving you are the ones we are here to meet?” Osborn stepped forward and handed Ruok a scroll tube containing their papers from the Emperor. He also pulled out his clan token for Clan Hulg, showing that he was considered part of the tribe. Ruok looked approvingly at the clan token, and then gave the papers a cursory glance. “You are the ones we are expecting,” he said. “But we will not meet here. You will turn your ship and sail south along the coast. I will tell you when to stop.” Kyle looked over at the Talia, who nodded to indicate that this was according to plan. “All right,” he said, “let’s put the zombies in reverse.” Much later that day, the [I]Armadillo [/I]found itself sailing south once again, staying close to the coastline. Ruok remained aboard the ship, and spent much of his time conferring privately with Talia. Their proximity to the shore gave Tolly and Lanara the chance to walk on dry land again, an opportunity they took with relish. Around midnight, Ruok told Kyle to drop anchor. “We will wait here.” “Until?” Kyle asked. “Sunrise.” “So, what exactly are we waiting for?” Lanara asked. “And what’s been happening with Keth? The last time we were here, he was just ‘Warchief’, not ‘High Warchief’.” Ruok grinned. “You will see. Great changes have come to the desert.” Arrie turned to Talia. “I assume it’s more than just a coincidence that we got here just before the Time of Burning.” Talia smiled. “It was considered an auspicious beginning.” Hours later, as the earliest signs of dawn began to color the sky, the lookout began ringing the alarm bell. “Ships to the south, Captain! Oh, my goddess! There are dozens!” “How far out?” “About a quarter mile!” “What?” Even in the dark, that many ships should have been spotted much farther off. “They just came out of nowhere, captain!” Kyle swore. “Haul out the cannon and stand ready!” he barked to the first mate. But the mate was standing at the port railing, pointing out toward land. “Look at that!” They all turned, and saw the desert was moving toward them. “I think we need another cannon,” Lanara said. Arrie, squinting at the crawling dunes, sighed. “No, I think we need to get into the [I]portable hole[/I] and get Keth’s hat out for him.” --------------- * This was the character's reaction. The player's reaction to my comment about 'I know you'd never lie to me' was more along the lines of calling me a rat bastard. Just to clarify, I'm referring to Autumn's secret about her deal with Bail to not be raised from the dead again. [/QUOTE]

Verification