The Psionicle, Part II

[GnomeWorks]

The unnerving feeling fades slightly as you wander towards the clocktower, and lessens considerably the closer you get to it.

As you pass through the narrow street, a sign catches your eye - The Ace of Diamonds. A few rickety steps lead up to a well-built wooden door, and the muffled sounds of laughter and conversation can be heard from outside. Warm lights from inside spill from two small windows out onto the street.

---

The clocktower feels out of place somehow. The city around it appears to be bustling with activity, but the tower seems to be above and beyond all such going-ons. There is a serene turf, untouched by muddy feet or shoes, and appears to be well kept. A small stone path leads up to a flight of stairs into the tower. A few posts and a crossbar are positioned in a bare patch near the grass, and there are hoofprints in the packed dirt ground before it. A lone horse stands there now, nervously pawing the ground lightly with its hoof.

At the top of the tower, a single window shines with light from the room just inside. You can also hear the muffled sounds of raised voices, as though the Council above you is in a heated debate about something, although you can make nothing specific out.

Shardorn jumps off of her horse and leads it to the crossbar. She then looks to the clocktower. "I think that we should go in, and quickly. Leave the horses here-" She motions to the crossbar with her hand. Shardorn then heads to the path, carefully avoiding the grassy circle around the tower, and begins to walk up the path towards the stairs.

 

[Jarval]

Jansson quickly dismounts and tethers his horse to the crossbar. He follows after Shardorn to the tower, keeping his eyes and ears open for anything odd.

OOC: Listen +2, Spot +0. Hmm, I think I know where my skill points will be going next level...

 

[Zhure]

Mumbling, "eavesdropper," to himself, Osius also skirts the grass makes for the stairs.

 

[GnomeWorks]

Jansson ... keeping his eyes and ears open for anything odd.

Jansson can barely make out small sections of the conversation occuring in the upmost section of the tower.

"...we must find them ... recover it ... good warriors ... give them ... special ... hunt them down..."

There are several voices, but you cannot make distinctions between them very well or when they are talking. You only know that there is a small group up there.

---

The stairs lead into an open doorway. There is a small room at the base of the tower, and a long spiralling staircase twists its way towards the top of the building. There is no door between inside the tower and the outside, but you can feel that it is considerably warmer inside the tower than it was outside.

The room at the base of the tower is bare, with only a few furnishings. A single, wooden table is set next to the doorway, and three chairs are seated around it so as not to block the entry. The only other feature is the staircase.

As you look around, a messenger comes running down the stairs.

"They are waiting for you. Quickly, now - they do not like to be kept waiting. It's the door at the top of the stairs; the only one, you can't miss it."

He then runs past you and rushes outside to his horse. You can hear him ride away on a horse back to the gate.

 

[Hand of Vecna]

Nathan begins ascending the spiral staircase.

"Well, what're you all waiting for? C'mon!"

 

[Sollir Furryfoot]

"Things just don't seem right, if you don't mind if they act strange, i'll be doing the talking..."

(Sorry for not being able to post much now, I've been having a horrible headache all day, probably from being on the computer so long )

 

[Zhure]

Osius takes a moment to make sure his simple clothes are as clean as a quick brushing can make them and follows Jannson upstairs toward the Council's chambers.

 

[Jarval]

Jansson bounds up the stairs after Shardorn.

 

[GnomeWorks]

As you near the top of the stairs, you can make out voices speaking. They seem to be in debate about something.

"Go on, Tristam. Look for yourself. They are already here."

"Hogwash! I don't believe in such things."

"Then why are you afraid to open the door and look?"

"... ... ... argh! Alright, I'll open the door!"

The voices fade, and you can hear heavy footsteps come towards the door at the top of the stairs. It swings inward, away from you, and you can see a dwarf standing there, looking over his shoulder at several seated individuals.

He turns to look out at the stairway, and you can see that he was prepared to laugh. Instead, his eyes open widely. He quickly recovers, however, and crosses broad arms across his wide frame.

"Well, hurry it up, then! I want to leave as soon as possible."

A small voice speaks from inside the room. "You will leave in due time, Tristam. You will be present while we give them their instructions and converse with them. Perhaps you will learn something."

The dwarf snorts, but walks back into the room with heavy footsteps. Shardorn enters the room cautiously.

"Welcome, Shardorn, cleric of Rashida." One of the voices speaks from the room.

The walls of the room are draped in tapestries that constantly shift and change their colors, from blue to purple to grey, and back to blue.

Six chairs are set in a semicircle around the door, each of a different color. Seated in each one is an elderly member of the six prominent races of Idaklaa - a blue, a githyanki, a human, a halfling, an elf, and a normal goblin. They are seated on chairs of amethyst, crystal, emerald, sapphire, topaz, and ruby. The dwarf who met you in the doorway stands off to the right of the door.

The blue speaks to you, calling you each by name as you walk into the room. When all five of you and the cleric have entered, the door closes by itself.

"Greetings, warriors. We are the Council of Garanasseur. This dwarf-" The blue points to the dwarf, "-is Tristam. He is an ambassador of the Coldlands Territory, and the owner of a prominent weapons business. His presence here will be explained shortly."

The githyanki now looks the group over. "You have journeyed long. We received word from the peasants that came into the city a few hours ago, that there was a group that had resisted the Thri-Kreen menace and managed to hold them back whilst the villagers retreated."

The elf now speaks. "We have long had need for warriors willing to defend others at the cost of their own lives. Although there are many fighters in the city, few are willing to make the trek northwards, into the Floodplains, that we require of them. Although we could force them, a willing force is better than one that has been forced into combat."

The goblin speaks. "The Thri-Kreen menace is more dangerous than you have imagined thus far. I imagine that many fell at the village while you held them off, and that you believe that that was the most difficult battle you have fought."

The halfling speaks. "The Thri-Kreen leader holds an artifact of immense power, assuming it finds it mates. The artifact the leader holds is a crystal - one with but one impurity. This gem is one of the artifacts that make up The Psionicle."

The human now speaks. "We are sure taht you have heard of The Psionicle prior to this. Word from Ratheqar-" At mention of this name, Shardorn's head suddenly perks up, and a flash of anger passes her face, "-has it that you hold the Staff of Ancient Penumbra."

At this, Shardorn woefully nods her agreement with this statement, the anger suddenly gone from her face.

The Council members glance at each other, and you can sense that they are conveying thoughts to each other. The human council member continues.

"Then it is as we have feared. The Thri-Kreen leader has somehow become aware that we hold the Staff, and now seeks it to make itself more powerful. We cannot allow this threat to exist any longer. Their leader already has the crystal - once it has the Staff, there is no telling where it will stop."

The blue speaks to you again. "The Thri-Kreens live in deep underground caverns below the Floodplains. They have constructed a network of tunnels that come very close to Garanasseur, and are merely a few minutes' walk away from the walls. We want you-" He gazes intently into each of yours eyes, "-to hunt down this menace for us. In exchange, we will give you equipment to assist you on your quest to construct The Psionicle."

The goblin picks up the lecture. "Yes, we are aware of your goals - and we support you. We will allow you to retain the crystal once it is captured, but we want you to bring to us anything that the Thri-Kreen may have used to collect the information they have about The Psionicle. Such information may help us find out how, when, and where the Thri-Kreen found out about it."

The dwarf interrupts. "Now, what does this have to do with me? I must leave for Mechanicus soon."

The halfling glances at him. "We were coming to that." His gaze returns to you. "Tristam will give you equipment that you may find helpful in combating the Thri-Kreen. Tristam, you know of what I speak."

"Yes, I do." The dwarf replies, and sighs. "Well, shall I take them to my shop now and present them with it?"

The halfling is about to reply, but the githyanki cuts him off. "No. Not yet." She then turns to you. "Do you have any questions about what you must do? You are to invade the Thri-Kreen encampments, and destroy their leader. You must then take the crystal he has, and collect all information about The Psionicle as you can that you can find in his lair. If you have any questions, ask them now - for there may be no time after now. You shall set out tomorrow morning at dawn. Tristam, you will present them with the weapon before they set out tomorrow."

The blue's gaze passes over you again. "Any questions?"

 

[Jarval]

The blue's gaze passes over you again. "Any questions?"

"So you want us to walk into a 'Kreen nest, swipe an incredibly valuable and doubtless heavily guarded artifact, kill their pack leader, and walk out again? I don't suppose you happen to have a head count for the number of 'kreen down there do you?"

Jansson glowers at the blue.

"I am willing to risk my life for the good of the people of this town, but unless you know something we don't, what you are suggesting sounds like suicide to me!"