Chapter 10: Eye of the Storm

[Joe]

Team K

Cael looks at Kal squarely. "I feel as though your questions are more than mere curiosity. Is there something we can help you with directly, my lord?"

He glances at Streko for some guidance, too.

Streko grins. "This is not my personal quest, good Elf. I am merely a companion assisting my Lord Kalarian in his search. If I can be of assistance, I am honor bound to do so...and, in fact, I do so willingly and with pleasure. It is Olladra's will."

[Brian]

Condign

Condign turns to face Adjalaar squarely. "No, you did not ask me to join anything, but you did imply it--strongly. 'We need all the minds and swords we could use' were your words, or something close to those. As I said, I have already made commitments, and I do not break my word."

He climbs onto the rope ladder. "I wish you luck, my lady Adjalaar."

Then he starts to descend.

[Jeff]

Condign

The tiefling woman says nothing more. She merely stands at the top of the rope ladder and lets him climb down. Jumping down from the ladder, which continues to sway in the wind, is still a little unnerving, but decidedly easier than jumping onto it.

His shield is where he left it.

Where will he go next?

[Jeff]

Team B

Shorak, Belarin, and Adamant, with their dirty, bloody appearances, draw only a few curious or head-shaking looks from passers-by as the half-drow leads them to somewhere safer. At the eastern side of Silverwall is a tavern—not strictly an inn, but it's large and the owner does maintain a large boarding room for travelers who can't afford a room in a more affluent part of the city.

It's called the Black Wrack, and its situated up against the silver wall that defines the district and across from the Red Ring. The Red Ring, to Adamant and Belarin—who are only barely paying attention to their surroundings right now—appears to be a large colosseum of red stone. Shorak knows more about it, and knows that the bloodsports held there are a popular crowd-pleaser around here, and one of the few places where the Stormreach's slave trade is not only tolerated, but applauded.

As you approach the entrance to the Black Wrack tavern, you see a tall, heavily-muscled man in a sleeveless hide-armor jacket standing in the open doorway. He's just shoved a seedy-looking fellow down onto the street, and now he's punching another man directly in the face. Both men roll miserably on the ground and just lay there, groaning.

"I told you both to take it outside," the big man says to them with the tone of a scolding father.

Shorak knows of this man, though not personally. He's "Brick" Handlon, a man with some sort of barbaric upbringing from overseas somewhere. A good-natured fellow and successful barkeep, most people just call him Brick. He's sure built like one.

Handlon sees you coming, and as he takes in your blasted appearance, frowns only for a moment. "Aye, come on in. You look like you could use a drink." He gives Adamant a look and a friendly smile. "Especially you."

He steps aside to let you come in. Inside is one of the largest common rooms you've ever seen in a tavern. A well-light, friendly looking place. There's a gigantic hound with dark blue fur sprawled out at the center of the room, snoozing deeply. The thing is easily twice the size of a normal mastiff.

There's also plenty of open tables.

______________________

Adaman uses lay on hands, spends two healing surges. Only now is Belarin able to finally settle down. He spends two healing surges. Although no longer in danger, both Belarin and Shorak still feel battered and bruised.

Belarin heals 37 hit points total.
Shorak heals 16 hit points total.

[Jeff]

Team K

"If you will excuse me one moment..." Cael walks off, seeming in thought, leaving Kal and Streko standing alone in front of the altar to Arawai.

[Darren]

Team K

"Should we wait here?" Kal calls to the elf's retreating back, his voice growing less certain with each word. "Are we supposed to wait here?" he asks Streko quietly.

Seeming to make up his mind, Kal takes a seat on the nearest bench. He closes his eyes and reaches out his emotions to Tangat, making sure all is well outside.

[Jeff]

Team K

Only a few minutes later Kal and Streko see Cael reappear at a door at the other end of the central chamber. He is speaking with another priest, an older human whose robes are trimmed in gold. The man looks sterner than the elf, and both men look your way as they talk. Then the human steps back out of sight, and Cael returns.

"Lord d'Deneith," he says quietly, "I would like to make you an offer, on behalf of the Wyrm Ascendant. This opportunity is reserved for very few."

He looks around to be sure no one else is listening. He then addresses both Streko and Kal. "Dragonmarks present many mysteries, and they have been writ upon the flesh of each of our races"—clearly he means human, elf, and halfling at the moment—"and our people have used that to create great commercial success. But...too few ask if there is more than that."

He pauses, waiting to see if you respond with anything.

[Darren]

Team K

Kal's eyes light up and he has difficulty containing his excitement. Finally! A real lead!

"Indeed," Kal says as calmly as possible. "I have often thought that there must be more to this," he nods towards his dragonmark, "than ever I had been told. Please, go on...."

[Ken]

Team B

Belarin leads the way to an open table, well away from the entrance. In an hoarse voice that he tries to make as pleasant sounding as possible, he orders drinks for the table. It's now an effort to maintain Nerrin's voice -- although it's no effort to maintain the limp, which feels quite real at the moment. He holds up three fingers as he orders, either not acknowledging or not caring that Adamant doesn't drink.

Once seated, he's silent for a while. Then, after ensuring to the best of his abilities that no one is eavesdropping, he solemnly says, "Shorak, I'm sure that I already know the answer to this. But I need to ask. Do you have any idea what that was all about? They weren't out to assassinate you -- they were there to sacrifice you. With a Khyber-cursed imp as support, no less!"

_________________________________
I made a Religion check to see whether Belarin might deduce anything significant from the cultists' behavior, but no luck: Religion check (1d20+10=13).

[Dave W.]

Team B

Apr 6, 2012 9:56:05 GMT -4 Jeff said:

[Handlon says]"Aye, come on in. You look like you could use a drink." He gives Adamant a look and a friendly smile. "Especially you."

Adamant replies in his warm bass voice, "Ha! You've made me feel better already.  They say, 'An honest welcome is like warm sunshine in spring'."

"I am called Redoubt; and am often called that sternly by Master Nerrin here." Adamant says with bright eyes, "And this is our companion Shorak."

As introductions pass and they move into the common room, adamant is taken by the huge blue dog. "Shorak, what sort of creature is that? The variety of creatures here is awe-inspiring. You could spend a lifetime just cataloging them."
______________________
when we're seated and things settle down, Adamant will also spend a surge on himself.

[Dave B.]

Team B

"I wish I knew what that was all about. I am sorry, but also glad you both were with me. All that use of fire was too reminiscent of my tribes demise. If there were Sulatar Drow or fire giants involved, I would say there might be a connection. But, I don't see it. I wish I knew what happened to Eberk and the rest of the tenants. Losing one's abode is not as painful as the unknown state of a friend."

When the drinks arrive, Shorak motions for another round and immediately downs his first drink in a single swallow.

Shorak looks over at the large ball of fur and considers Adamant's question.

Does Shorak know what kind of creature that is?

[Dave W.]

Team B

Apr 6, 2012 21:33:25 GMT -4 Dave B. said:

When the drinks arrive, Shorak motions for another round and immediately downs his first drink in a single swallow.

When the Shorak's round arrives, Adamant "buys" a round by simply passing the two drinks that were delivered to him back to Shorak and Belarin.

[Joe]

Apr 6, 2012 14:56:44 GMT -4 Darren said:

Team K

Kal's eyes light up and he has difficulty containing his excitement. Finally! A real lead!

"Indeed," Kal says as calmly as possible. "I have often thought that there must be more to this," he nods towards his dragonmark, "than ever I had been told. Please, go on...."

Streko nods, but much more reservedly. He dislikes whispers amongst strangers while they look at him. He feels suddenly wary and is about to say something to Kal when he realizes his friend is genuinely excited...and curious.

Streko smiles. "I, too, believe that there is more, although I must admit that I have always simply attributed it to Olladra's will. I have no doubts that this is still so, and yet, Olladra's true motives are often shrouded in mystery. Such is fate...if I may jest for a brief moment."

Streko listens to what Cael will say next...and look out for others perhaps listening in as well...and also make sure Kalarian's curiosity doesn't get the better of him.

[Brian]

Condign

With his feet on solid ground, Condign makes his way back the way he came. Despite her protestations, Adjalaar was indeed trying to recruit him--and was very upset at this refusal to even meet with this seer. She might even be tempted to report her encounter to Orvak.

Mindful of the lady's spyglass, he works his way through the crowd, shifting this way and that, all the while keeping Crow Rock within sight. When he feels he has put enough distance between him and the floating pebble, he slips behind a building, turns, begins watching to see if Ajdalaar leaves Crow Rock.

[Ken]

Team B

Apr 6, 2012 21:33:25 GMT -4 Dave B. said:

"I wish I knew what that was all about. I am sorry, but also glad you both were with me. All that use of fire was too reminiscent of my tribe's demise. If there were Sulatar Drow or fire giants involved, I would say there might be a connection. But, I don't see it. I wish I knew what happened to Eberk and the rest of the tenants. Losing one's abode is not as painful as the unknown state of a friend."

Belarin considers this ... and considers the need for another drink, so he smiles when Adamant passes his own drinks over to him and Shorak. He even chuckles at the sight of Adamant's massive fingers sliding the small glasses across the table without spiling the contents.

"Well," he says after a long drink, again speaking in Nerrin's voice, "whatever they did to that building's residents, they did so quietly, and obviously with help -- likely paid for -- from local ne'er-do-wells. Later, we should talk to the merchants in the square. Some or perhaps most of them must practically live there, so they may have seen something. We could even put some of Professor Scalawag's coin to good use if we need to loosen tongues. Speaking of which...."

He examines his new and now blood-stained and partially burned clothing. "This is dreadful," he continues. "However... perhaps it's a good thing. The appearance might boost Nerrin's credibility if people think that whatever I possess is so valuable that others have already tried to kill me for it." He winces as he gingerly touches his right side. Although Adamant's healing touch helped greatly, his torso and shoulders still feel like he's been dragged across a bed of molten rock and obsidian shards.

"Certainly, those people who attacked weren't expecting a big fight, yet... damn, Shorak, they had a healthy respect for you! Two cultists and a damn imp inside, an archer outside, and a bruiser, a mage, and two more archers as reinforcements. All to get you! Maybe they've marked you for death, but they've also paid you a twisted compliment. I'm proud to have you on my payroll." He winks.

He takes another drink and looks around. "Nice place. I'll have to come back here after Nerrin has retired. Or... perhaps we could conduct some business now...!"

[Jeff]

Team B

To Shorak, the massive blue-furred dog just looks like some sort of magebred mastiff. Which makes it exotic but not so crazy. Likely it came from House Vadalis's doing; no house breeds animals quite like them.

You're enjoying some relative privacy in the Black Wrack as you speak, but there are a few other adventuring-looking types in here. A good mix of locals and travelers. This might even be a good place to spread rumors. You're getting the occasional glance, based on your battered appearance.

___________________

I do believe Belarin already has the map-making supplies now... Now he just needs a few hours to actually create the map.

[Jeff]

Condign

If Ajdalarr is watching Condign try to melt into the crowd, and turn a corner, he can't tell. But he doesn't see her emerge again. All seems quiet. From this distance, and under the bright daylight, Crow Rock looks....forlorn.

[Jeff]

Team K

Kal:

"Indeed," Kal says as calmly as possible. "I have often thought that there must be more to this," he nods towards his dragonmark, "than ever I had been told. Please, go on...."

Once again Cael looks carefully at Kal, and over to Streko, being sure to include the halfling since it's apparent he is invested in Kal's personal quest. "Consider a hypothetical question...."

He quiets his voice, but he sounds quite serious. It strikes you, not for the first time, how generally uncommon (but not necessarily rare) it is for a full-blooded elf like Cael to leave behind the Undying Court—the spiritual path of the elven homeland of Aerenal—to embrace the worship of the Sovereign Host.

"If you were to glimpse all the wisdom and power of the gods, but were told not to touch or take from it, were told you would have to wait and find your own wisdom and power...would you obey unconditionally?"

[Darren]

Team K

Kal listens quietly, then remains quiet for a time. "Hasn't this story been told many times through the ages?" he asks. "Isn't it always the way in these stories that someone is given a glimpse of the power of the gods but is unable to control his greed and ambition, and as soon as he grasps for more than he is given, he is struck down by that same power?" Kalarian smiles, perhaps a bit sadly. "I have learned that lesson from the stories of my youth, Cael. I would not willingly seek to grasp that power, no. But I have also heard enough of these stories to know that the men who are offered such power are not always evil of heart. It is temptation that lures them, temptation which is greater than they can bear. How would I react in that situation? I cannot say. I have faced hardship before. I have been forced, throughout life, to find my own way to things despite what I would have preferred. Could I do it again? I believe that I could. But the beliefs that men have in themselves is not far different than the faith we must have in our gods, isn't it? We can never know the truth of it until it is tested."

[Dave W.]

Team B
"Are you certain Shorak that you are not the last descendant of some line of kings? Or perhaps the secret leader of a cabal of thieves? Or maybe you have a strange tattoo that's secretly a treasure map?"

"Or maybe I spent too much time on the ship reading back issues of the Chronicle?"

"It is strange that all the occupants of the building were dealt with quietly, creating a mystery with subtlety. Then after such delicacy, they treat the last tenant with unrelenting brutality. It's almost as though two different groups were responsible."

"Oh, and, yes, Nerrin, I'm afraid I've also ruined the surcoat you purchased. My apologies."

[Dave B.]

Team B

Regarding the big blue ball of fur, "It looks like a magebred mastiff. But, I couldn't say for sure."

He downs his second drink in two swallows, then only takes a sip of the drink Adamant passes to him. He has calmed considerably. Finding his equilibrium, he decides it would be best to nurse the third drink.

Turning to Nerrin/Belarin, "I appreciate your willingness to pursue this, but I think when time allows, perhaps after our work with the professor is finished, I'll do a little investigating on my own. Let's get back to our current mission. I just lost a whole lot of disguises. It will take me some time to replace all those costumes." Shorak smiles slightly, realizing he's starting to ramble a bit. His smile widens at Adamant's questions.

"Ah, Redoubt. Would that the answers were that simple. I'm starting to think that my return was unexpected and they had to speed up whatever ritual they were performing, which could have included making a sacrifice of me in the process. That's just a guess, but I have a feeling it probably isn't much more complicated than that. Again, it is just a hunch." He takes another small sip of his drink. "Life never fails to send challenges our way, does it?"

He looks at his relatively new companions and then down at himself. Chuckling, he says, "It looks like we all need to get some new clothes. Fortunately, I still have a few undamaged garments in my pack."

[Joe]

Team K

Once again Cael looks carefully at Kal, and over to Streko, being sure to include the halfling since it's apparent he is invested in Kal's personal quest. "Consider a hypothetical question...."

He quiets his voice, but he sounds quite serious. It strikes you, not for the first time, how generally uncommon (but not necessarily rare) it is for a full-blooded elf like Cael to leave behind the Undying Court—the spiritual path of the elven homeland of Aerenal—to embrace the worship of the Sovereign Host.

"If you were to glimpse all the wisdom and power of the gods, but were told not to touch or take from it, were told you would have to wait and find your own wisdom and power...would you obey unconditionally?"

"I would distrust the teller. Any wisdom or power that we might have to wait for would, indeed actually does, come from the Gods. Olladra grants me here gifts. In return, I have pledged my love, devotion and loyalty to Her. If I had a glimpse of Her wisdom and power, and I believe I have on many occassions, then I would have found my own wisdom and power. Whoever tells me otherwise has an agenda that is probably opposed to that of the Sovereign Host. So, I would disobey such a command...unconditionally.

"If Olladra herself allowed me to glimpse Her wisdom and power directly and told me to disregard it, then it would depend on the strength of my belief, wouldn't it?

"Belief in one's chosen deity is not always a simple task...unless one is truly devoted, in which case there IS no simpler task than to believe. Wouldn't you agree, Cael?"

Streko opens his arms wide as he speaks. He is truly enjoying this discussion. For the first time in what seems like months, since he and Belarin conversed on such things, in fact, Streko feels his love for Olladra blossom in a setting not set against the backdrop of death and survival, but rather, plain discussion.

Then he stops, stares at Cael and wonders to himself, is this a setting in which survival is to be decided? His smile wavers and he tries to cover his dark thoughts with a shrug.

[Brian]

Condign

Condign patiently watches the forlorn-looking rock. When there is no movement for nearly an hour, he finally decides he is wasting his time. Turning away from the harbor, he starts walking west and north, toward the Temple of the Sovereign Host and his friends.

[Jeff]

Team K

Cael seems gladdened by Kal's words...

"...I would not willingly seek to grasp that power, no... But the beliefs that men have in themselves is not far different than the faith we must have in our gods, isn't it? We can never know the truth of it until it is tested."

And then Streko speaks his opinion.

"...Whoever tells me otherwise has an agenda that is probably opposed to that of the Sovereign Host. So, I would disobey such a command...unconditionally."

And here he frowns, disappointment plain in his eyes.

"Belief in one's chosen deity is not always a simple task...unless one is truly devoted, in which case there IS no simpler task than to believe. Wouldn't you agree, Cael?"

Cael sighs. "I do believe in mine, my lord. And as hypothetical as my question was, there is a very real place I believed I could take you, given the right circumstances and level of trust. I fear I cannot risk anything further than this."

Cael is clearly on the edge of denying whatever offer he was making.

____________________________

For him to continue, some convincing words and a successful Diplomacy check are needed.

[Darren]

Team K

Kal places a hand on Streko's shoulder, and though a smile stays on his face he squeezes perhaps a bit harder than he intended. "I think what my Halfling friend means to say is that it is common to question one's faith, regardless of the source." Kal releases Streko and relaxes slightly, seeming to have decided on a course of action.

"Yes, the questioning of faith is common, is it not? Sometimes, even when shown evidence, it is hard for some men to comprehend the nature of what they are seeing, and so they continue to deny its existence, even when the answers are right in front of them." Kal throws a look at Streko that clearly says, 'Keep quiet!'

"I, for one, am apt to believe my own eyes and my own experiences. If I see a dragon before me, I believe it is a dragon. If the dragon tells me it is a god, I would ask for some proof. Still, my experience tells me that a dragon is bigger than I am, so if it wants to believe it is a god, who am I to argue?" Kal smiles. "My point, Cael, is that each man must decide for himself what is true and what is not."

Kal sighs, his face growing serious. He holds Cael's gaze for a long moment. "I don't know why, but I think you are trustworthy, so I will let you in on a secret. The story I relayed to you, the one my mother told me, it bears more truth to it than I first conveyed. I have had a similar experience. A vision, or a dream, perhaps. I was consumed by that bronze dragon's breath, and told to seek out the coin I spoke of. I was told I would, like the man in my story, be reborn." Kal reaches out a hand to Cael. "So, yes, if you lead, I will follow to see whatever it is you have to show me. I will go with an open mind and will test my will against whatever may come."

______________________
Okay....I think that's all I've got in me. Hopefully that's enough......

[Ken]

Team B

Apr 9, 2012 22:18:14 GMT -4 Dave B. said:

He looks at his relatively new companions and then down at himself. Chuckling, he says, "It looks like we all need to get some new clothes. Fortunately, I still have a few undamaged garments in my pack."

"Hmmm. Not. Quite. Yet," says Belarin/Nerrin, furtively glancing at the other patrons with a look of anxiety, yet his softly spoken words are full of mirth. "Let's not look a gift medusa in the eye, my friends. As you say, Shorak, we should complete our original task...."

He reaches into his pack and pulls out the newly acquired scroll case with the partially completed maps. He unrolls one of the maps and beckons Shorak and Adamant closer as he points to a particular trail. It's as though he wants his companions to block the view -- however ineffectively -- of anyone curious as to what's on the table. Even though it's unfinished, the map -- and its depiction of part of the continent -- is obvious as such to anyone who makes the effort to peek over.

"Remember," he whispers as Nerrin, "this path seems the most direct way to get to the Eye, but the threat of disease reportedly persists to this day. We must secure the proper potions before traveling." After a few more seconds of such discussions with his two "employees," Nerrin puts the map back in the case before any other patron decides to get closer.

[Dave W.]

Team B

Apr 10, 2012 17:43:50 GMT -4 Ken said:

[Belarin] reaches into his pack and pulls out the newly acquired scroll case with the partially completed maps. He unrolls one of the maps and beckons Shorak and Adamant closer as he points to a particular trail. It's as though he wants his companions to block the view -- however ineffectively -- of anyone curious as to what's on the table. Even though it's unfinished, the map -- and its depiction of part of the continent -- is obvious as such to anyone who makes the effort to peek over.

"Remember," he whispers as Nerrin, "this path seems the most direct way to get to the Eye, but the threat of disease reportedly persists to this day. We must secure the proper potions before traveling." After a few more seconds of such discussions with his two "employees," Nerrin puts the map back in the case before any other patron decides to get closer.

Adamant leans over the map and secures one end with his thick hand, but leaving enough of a yellowed corner stick out to make it clear they're pouring over a parchment.

He sets his volume slightly higher than Nerrin's, "These potions had better be worth the coin, you know, Master Nerrin, that I have a strong resistance to disease, much stronger than yours or the drow's. And though you pay me to protect your body on this journey, but disease is not a thing I can defend you against."

-----------------
Mostly that's to put the name "Nerrin" in the air. And to give Nerrin another chance to reprimand his beleaguered bodyguard.

[Joe]

Team K

Streko listens to Cael's response and then to Kal's words, ignoring the pain of his now-throbbing shoulder and the withering look from Kal. Apparently, there was more going on in this conversation than he realized.

"Subtelty is not my strongest suit. As with Olladra, I am both blessed and cursed with an overriding desire to talk and to play, what's the phrase, Khyber's Counsel?

"I am truly open to whatever you have to show us. It is not my duty to judge, pronounce my beliefs as the only true beliefs, for they are obviously not, nor ignore things that are beyond my limited abilities to understand.

"Kalarian is my Lord and I associate with him at his pleasure. Should you and he choose to continue without me, I would understand and be a bit saddened at the loss of opportunity to experience something new and, perhaps, glorious. But, I would ask you not forsake one man's dreams due to another's man's ignorance.

"You have my apologies if I have offended or caused you to distrust us. It was certainly not my intention. I do so enjoy hypothetically philosophical discussions, though."

[Dave B.]

Team B

Shorak rises from his chair to look over the map. Listening to Belarin/Nerrin and Adamant/Belarin he points to an area of the map, surreptitiously. "Don't forget about the Drow tribe here and the Fire Giants reported in the area over there." He considers the map for a few seconds then sits back down when Nerrin puts away the map.

[Ken]

Team B

Apr 10, 2012 19:34:12 GMT -4 Dave W. said:

He sets his volume slightly higher than Nerrin's, "These potions had better be worth the coin, you know, Master Nerrin, that I have a strong resistance to disease, much stronger than yours or the drow's. And though you pay me to protect your body on this journey, but disease is not a thing I can defend you against."

"Oh?!" says Nerrin derisively, his voice rising slightly. "But this IS something you can protect me against, Redoubt?" He indicates the blood stains, burns, and rips on his clothing. He shakes his head in exasperation.

Inwardly, Belarin wonders, Is there such a thing as a warforged acting troupe? If not, Adamant needs to found one.

Shorak rises from his chair to look over the map. Listening to Belarin/Nerrin and Adamant/Belarin he points to an area of the map, surreptitiously. "Don't forget about the Drow tribe here and the Fire Giants reported in the area over there." He considers the map for a few seconds then sits back down when Nerrin puts away the map.

Nerrin nods, "Yes, you're right... the damn Fire Giants...." He seems shaken.

After putting the map away, he rubs his hands across his face. Then he holds them in front of him, seemingly depressed by the sight of the dried blood and soot on his fingers. He takes a long drink.

Finallly, he says morosely, "Not even out of Stormreach and I'm nearly killed. Perhaps you're right, Redoubt. Maybe I should sell the map to someone else and live to make a profit."