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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Hairy Minotaur" data-source="post: 3236493" data-attributes="member: 11574">Planning your own deathA worried mind plays havoc with Haimish’s sleep as the bard thinks about what he must attempt to do in a few days. Believing that his life was better not knowing who was pulling your strings, Haimish understands why they can ignorance bliss as it must grant an easier sleep than the truth. Morning arrives far too soon for the trueborn as its brilliant light shines through the flimsy linen sheet that doubled as a curtain in his room. Haimish looked about the room and noted that the two ogres had made it back sometime during the evening, he also notes that Menthos is missing, either he left in the middle of the night or woke up before the sunrise. Shrugging his shoulders, Haimish pulls himself out of bed and quietly escapes out the door to his room. Ascending the stairs to the main room, Haimish spots Menthos alone at a table enjoying a breakfast of eggs and some kind of meat. Haimish signals for the serving wench to bring him some water at Menthos’ table and proceeds to sit himself at the table.“What’s that?” Haimish curls his nose up at the sight of the slimy piece of meat-like substance on Menthos’ plate.“Eel, a ship from Modron docked last night with a load of these, luckily for the Inn, I happen to be a fan of them. This was about the only thing my brother and I would eat o a regular basis.” Menthos explains“Looks like the inside of a hill giant’s runny nose.” Haimish comments“Taste’s like it too.” Menthos repliesThe serving wench delivers Haimish’s water and the bard requests eggs and potatoes for breakfast. Thanking the bard for his order, the wench excuses herself and returns to the kitchen.“How do you get up so early?” Haimish inquires“I don’t know, for the last week I’ve been getting up just before sunrise everyday. It’s really pissing me off to not be able to sleep in.” Menthos responds“Maybe it has something to do with all that time you spend at the Kador temple?” Haimish offers“Maybe it has something to do with all the gassing and belching you do in your sleep?” Menthos counters“No need to turn this personal, I was merely making an observation. Do you not see how their influence could have rubbed off on you?” Haimish asks“No, I’m not converting and they never talk about that sort of stuff when I’m there anyway.” Menthos counters“I didn’t know you had a religion to convert from, whom do you follow now?” Haimish inquires“None of your business. What I am doing at the Kador temple is self-sufficiency training, I notice you’ve not really done anything to prep yourself for the party tomorrow night. Do you think Kalen will just watch you pour sunlight into his drink?” Menthos asks“I was thinking I would sing a song about lighted drinks and then go around the room casting light spells into people’s drinks, eventually I would reach Kalen, I’d ask for his drink turn around to make his glow like the rest of them, but I would pour the vial into his drink instead.” Haimish advises“That’s your plan? I’ve seen more planning from an orcish pillaging raid. Besides how are you going to pour the vial and not scream out in pain from the burning?” Menthos asks“I don’t know, but that’s the best I can think of at the moment, you should have heard the ones I shot down.” Haimish states“No thanks, I’m eating. Why don’t you give me the vial to hold for you? It doesn’t burn me and that way you can still cast your little spell and I can work on bluffing the ancient undead noble.” Menthos offers“You really think that will work?” Haimish replied hoping deep down that Menthos would take the dangerous portion of the plan and leave Haimish far out of the way.“No, were all going to die.” Menthos responded and watched the color drain from the bard’s face, “Well, here’s what I was thinking. You know that long tunnel we found the last day we were down there? I was thinking I would take Doopa and we could enter the party that way and work from the cellar up, while the rest of you worked from the entrance down.” Menthos continued“Why would you want to come in the back way?” Haimish wondered, “Especially if you’re the one with the vial?” “You don’t have to give me the vial, but we’re going to need as much time as possible, and the sooner we find Kalen, the quicker we can adjust the plan if need be.” Menthos repliedHaimish pondered Menthos’ plan for a moment and agreed that it would be better to find Kalen early, although he still wasn’t sold on why Menthos wanted to use the back entrance, Haimish thought if anyone could go it alone, Kessen would be the obvious choice.“Why wouldn’t you want Kessen to come in from the cellar? Wouldn’t he be a better choice than you? I mean no offence, but I don’t see what talents you have for sneaking around and getting into places. At least Kessen has shown the ability to avoid people when needed.” Haimish inquires“Because Kalen knows what you look like, he may not know about the rest of us. You need someone to watch your back if Kalen spots you first.” Menthos advises“I can ask Xanthos to do that.” Haimish responds“Have you even seen or heard of a druid besting a vampire? It’s always a cleric or a paladin, you’d think if it had happened it would make for a great story and you’d be singing it.” Menthos argues“Okay, you have a point there.” Haimish concedes“Besides Kessen can shoot from range, Xanthos’ only ranged attack is whimpering.” Menthos states“I can tell you don’t like the centaur, at least he knows how to defend himself.” Haimish comments“I don’t like Turd-guard either, but that won’t stop me from finding him something to do at the party, other than making fun of Doopa.” Menthos respondsThe serving wench returns with Haimish’s food, as Menthos gets up from the table.“Well, I’ve got a full day today. I’ll see you again tonight.” Menthos states as he strolls out of the Inn Haimish suddenly feels not so hungry anymore. A small human boy watches the exchange between Haimish and Menthos from the safety of the staircase, as the teifling leaves the boy rises and strides towards Haimish.“Hello good sir, is this sit taken?” A well dressed noble looking elf asks HaimishThe bard looks up at the elf and then around at the multitude of empty tables in the main room, “Why do you wish to sit here? There are plenty of empty tables available, plus I’m would not be good company this morning.” Haimish replies shaking his head“Nonsense human, you are just the man I was looking for.” The elf speaksThe hairs along Haimish’s arm stand up as the internal warning system inside the bard’s brain goes off that this is probably Kalen come to inquire about the Soul Gem. Haimish’s eyes quickly dart about the room looking for the nearest escape or barring that the nearest elderly or crippled person he could run by to slow Kalen down. Looking back at the elf, Haimish instead sees the form of a young street urchin.“Xanthos! You had me planning my escape and flight from the city!” Haimish yells as he flings some potatoes at the shifter.“Ha! What did you think of my disguise? I’ve spent some time researching past graduates from the School of Ancient Knowledge and I found Eryuntheal Fellitherian an elven graduate from nearly a century ago.” The excited boy tells Haimish“Very good, I thought you were the vampire.” Haimish concedes“Well after tomorrow night I’ll be able to look like one at least.” The boy smiles back at Haimish, “What did Menthos want?” “Oh, he had a plan for getting the liquid sun into the drink of Kalen. I’m just no so sure about his plan.” Haimish relates Menthos’ plan to Xanthos“Sounds like he wants all the glory himself, you didn’t give him the vial did you?” Xanthos asks“No, although I did like that part of the equation.” Haimish answers“Well, here’s what I was thinking. We all get in and stake out a room, I can mingle as the elven graduate returned to see the old school. Once I get a location on Kalen, I can signal you guys and we can plan from there.” Xanthos explains“I guess that’s safer than moving as a group, but what if Kalen spots me first?” Haimish inquires“Did you tell him you would be at the party?” Xanthos asks“I don’t think so, I can’t remember.” Haimish answers“Then that would be a problem, maybe we should search in two person teams?” Xanthos suggests“That would be safer.” Haimish agrees“We’ll run it by everyone tonight, right now I’m off to perfect the elf and work on some more of his background.” Xanthos says and the little boy scurries out of the Inn.Suddenly feeling isolated and alone, Haimish decides to take a walk around Highcastle instead of finishing his breakfast. The bard exits the Scholar’s Inn and turns east, he walks for a few blocks before spotting the form of the city’s amphitheater. Haimish stares quietly at the structure.Sighing, Haimish continues on and finds himself in front of the Bard’s College door. For three days he’s walked past this door stopping each time but not having the courage to knock, and while today was no different the door opened without a knock.“Oh sorry sir, I didn’t know you where standing out here.” A middle-aged man says as he steps through from the College and shakes out a dirty welcome matHaimish stands there unmoving and unable to speak. A feeling of knowing his life would end in a mere forty-two hours pressed hard upon his vocal cords.“Is this something I can help you with? Usually we don’t do tours until afternoon, but I’ve got some time to kill this morning would you like one?” The man asksHaimish didn’t remember agreeing to one, but found himself stepping through the threshold anyway. On the other side of the city, Menthos again entered the Temple of Kador. Today, Helle had promised the teifling a lesson on how the Pyromancers of Kador used solid and liquid fire for weapons and defense of their citadel on the elemental plane of fire and the quasi-plane of magma.</blockquote>

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