Chapter 12: Shadows in the Dark

[Ken]

"All of you," says Belarin after just a few moments, "look away from the portrait. Now." He turns away from the portrait himself and he makes sure that Kal and Histra in particular are paying attention to him.

"It's not harming us -- at least I don't believe so," he continues, "but it IS examining us in turn and drawing magical energies from us in the process. Condign was right: Let's not feed it anymore. And remember, no more deceptions." He looks at Shorak pointedly.

"I understand the value and, yes, even the need to hide elements of the past, Shorak," he says calmly and firmly. "Truly. And I trust you completely. But you may be asked to reveal things in this place, and holding on to the 'my Drow ancestry' line could put all of us in danger. Don't feel the need to say anything right now, to me or to anyone, but do not lie when our host drops in."

He looks at the rest of his companions. "This isn't the time for interrogations," he says. "Let's protect each other and sort out the truths that are being revealed once we're home."

_____________________

Jeff, does Belarin feel that the siphoning effect will continue even after we look away from the portrait?

[Jeff]

When Belarin relinquishes his arcane sight and looks away, he feels the siphoning effect drop off suddenly. He thinks the assessment was mutual only when he actually inspected it with magic. It felt like looking through a window into the dark outdoors while there is light on the inside: anyone on the outside looking in has the advantage.

Outside the room, you all hear some distant murmurings. Hushed voices, one of them female. Then there is a sound of closed doors—from the proximity, you think it's the front door.

"He will wait," says the voice of the seneschal, sounding as though he is echoing someone else's command.

[Dave W.]

"Thank you Belarin, I will refrain from further examination of the mirror as well. I think we've learned more than is necessary in this room already. And I will urge that we all remember the rules of the master of this realm... no lies and no violence or threats of violence. I fear the upcoming meeting more than I would a pending battle."

"You are all my friends, do not fear to speak a Truth and we will come through this."

Adamant stands tall and inhumanly still.

[Darren]

"Don't make trouble," Kal commands, looking at Condign and Belarin. "Be patient. We will not be ignored and we might be being observed. Just wait. All will reveal itself in time."

[Dave B.]

Shorak steps away from the portrait and nods in agreement to Belarin. "I will abide by the rules laid down for us. I won't do anything to put anyone or myself in undue danger." Shorak moves over to stand next to Condign, feeling that the two of them have both shared some of the worst that Dolurrh has to offer and can offer each other moral support and strength.

[Jeff]

Histra listens to the exchange between Belarin and Shorak, then steps over to Shorak and speaks very quietly. Only the two men can hear her. "If we are given any unacceptable terms, and we do not wish to bargain, then we must rush to the portal. It is upstairs, yes? Bring me to it, Shorak, and I am confident I can make it work." Then she looks to Belarin. "Just consider this. We do not wish to fight with Rashade, but if there is no other choice, we can at least effect our escape."

And then the seneschal returns, standing in the doorway. "Please, come this way. The master hopes you will dine with him."

The well-dressed mummy steps away again and stands apart, gesturing for your party to enter the great hall again. He indicates an open door across the way that appears to lead into a dining room.

[Brian]

Condign's expression remains neutral. He doesn't know who might be watching. "After you, my lords and lady," he says, gesturing to the door. "It is time we met our host." In a low voice, he adds, "I am not particularly hungry, and our friends are waiting. Perhaps we could eat later? Larest puts on a fine spread. Remember how his wine tasted? I was spellbound by the flavor."

[Darren]

Kal nods at Condign, catching everyone else's eye to make sure they also got the message. A smile remains on his face the whole time. "Our hosts are too kind," Kal says to the seneschal. "Although we are eager to get home, we are glad for your hospitality." Kal moves past the mummy in the indicated direction, making note of the quickest route to the staircase leading up.

[Joe]

Streko says nothing, attempting to keep his rage in check, as well as his wits. He simply nods at Kal's response to the mummy and follows his friends.

[Dave B.]

Shorak nods and moves out of the room. He steps to the side and allows everyone to pass, joining Condign as he brings up the rear. He takes the opportunity to look around a little more carefully, especially looking up the stairs.

[Jeff]

While passing through the great hall, Kal and Shorak both look up, noting the way up to the second floor. In doing so, they catches a glimpse of a figure standing up on the balcony on the western side of the room. Standing at the railing and looking back down at them, the figure appears to be female. She is wearing a colorless gown, and gloved hands hand without expression at her sides. Both men see she bears the pointed ears of an elf. But what little hair she has is thin and gray, and through it Kal and Shorak can easily see papery skin and the white crown where it peels away. Her face is concealed behind a white, featureless mask. In any other setting, she would present a terrifying apparition...but strangely she seems to belong in this house, in this world, even though her appearance is still unsettling.

And then they lose sight of her, passing into the room indicated by the seneschal.

The dining room, while as muted in color as much of this plane, is somewhat lavish. The table and chairs are of fine quality darkwood, carved with style with elvish curves and spirals. A bank of windows looks out upon the broken lands of Dolurrh's Stormreach.

Standing at the far end of the table, behind the chair as if waiting for permission to sit, is the hunched figure of a woman. Perhaps an old woman, by her posture. Her hair is thick, long, and silver, but her face...might be a mask. It's difficult to tell, as it's pale enough to be undead elvish skin, but stiff enough to suggest it's just a covering. If it's a mask, a separate jaw-piece allows for some articulation. The woman's eyes are lusterless black, like a gnome's, but with no pupil, no iris, no spark of real life. She stands there looking back at the party.

"Please, be seated," the seneschal says as the rest of the party files into the dining room, himself hanging back. Looking at Adamant, the mummy says, "The warforged is not expected to dine, nor to sit; the customs of the living or the breathing, we observe, are not necessarily the customs of the artificially animate. The master will be with you momentarily." He indicates the chair at the end of the table opposite the disturbing woman, seeming to suggest that said chair be left for your host. 

Not counting Adamant, then, nor Tangat, the remaining six chairs are left for you to choose.

On the west wall are several mirrors, and it's becoming quickly evident that all such surfaces in this house reflect the same images as before. Where the many layers in the foyer presented various incarnations of death and undeath, ever since, only one dominant version of each of you can be see now. The same one shown in the parlor.

[Darren]

Kal nods in acknowledgement of the woman...creature...at the far end of the room. Assuming her to be a servant, he gives her no more attention. He also nods respectfully at the seneschal. "You have our thanks," he says, as he seats himself to the right of the chair at the head of the table. He indicates the space behind his chair and says, "Adamant? If you wouldn't mind?"

[Jeff]

Darren, north end or south end of the table?

[Brian]

Condign moves to stand in front of the chair to the right of the woman. He offers a slight bow. "My apologizes," he says. "I have been taught to stand until the lady of the house has taken her seat. If you will..." He gestures for her to sit.

_____________________________________

Condign is standing in front of the northern-most chair on the western side of the room. He is also looking closely at the woman's face in an attempt to see if she is wearing a mask or not. If that happens to be where Kal is, then he will move to the eastern side of the room and stand in front of the chair opposite Kal.

[Ken]

On the way to the dining room, Belarin nods at Condign’s observation and then adds, “Larest did put out a fine spread, didn’t he? But he also had an request, one that he really didn’t want us to turn down. Somewhat different here, I expect.”

As they enter the dining room, he again summons his eldritch sight to observe any auras on the strange woman and on the table and chairs. He moves all the way around the table to take the seat on the woman’s left. His skin crawls at being so close to her, and he tries very hard to avoid breathing through his nose. Yet his face is all pleasantry. “Good day,” he says with a slight bow. He holds out the adjacent seat for Histra, inviting her to sit, before he moves to take his own seat.

_________

Resuming Eldritch Sight.

[Darren]

Apr 6, 2016 10:41:10 GMT -4 Jeff said:

Darren, north end or south end of the table?

South, I guess? Kal should end up on the right hand of the chair the mummy indicated as being reserved.

[Dave W.]

Adamant makes a short nod to acknowledge the seneschal comments about not following warforged customs, but remains mute.

Apr 6, 2016 10:34:25 GMT -4 Darren said:

Kal nods in acknowledgement of the woman...creature...at the far end of the room. Assuming her to be a servant, he gives her no more attention. He also nods respectfully at the seneschal. "You have our thanks," he says, as he seats himself to the right of the chair at the head of the table. He indicates the space behind his chair and says, "Adamant? If you wouldn't mind?"

"Certainly Kal," Adamant replies. He move to stand behind Kal on Kal's right side.

[Joe]

Streko quietly, but numbly, takes the seat to Kal's right.

[Dave B.]

Shorak, not wanting to face the mirrors, takes his place in the center chair on the west side of the table. Settling into the seat, Sorak's stomach grumbles loudly. He touches his belly as if to silence it's demand for something other than rations.

[Jeff]

Histra is distracted, looking into the mirrors and at the freakish woman, to notice Belarin's offer to sit her. Streko, oblivious to both of them, sits down in the seat Belarin intended for her. When at last she notices everyone has taken a seat, she sits without comment to Shorak's right. Looking to Belarin at the opposite side, she simply nods that it's all right.

Tangat at first sits to Kal's left, then looks up to the remaining empty seat where the "master" is supposed to sit, whines, and slinks over between Kal and Streko instead. Adamant takes his position just behind them, near a window where he can also command a view outside. There are plenty enough candles lit in the chamber to provide light, including a candle-filled chandelier—a smaller, more elegant one than the great wrought-iron chandelier in the lighthouse. Which in turn reminds you of the sphinx Llash-Tava and the ghostly medusa Greshnaza.

Condign, looking upon the disquieting appearance of the woman beside him, decides that her face is, or was, a real face. The skin, though looking stiffened and flaking, sure looks real. But it's difficult to say whether it was always her face. She looks back at him, and he does not at all like the feeling of her eyes upon him, but says nothing. She didn't even return Kal's or Belarin's first acknowledgement of her. She just sits down, continually staring back at Condign, and no one else.

In Belarin's sight, the candles arrayed across the table all glow with a minor aura of evocation. The strange woman herself doesn't exhibit an particular auras except for her fairly nondescript garments, which radiate abjuration magic.

After almost a solid, awkward minute of everyone sitting and waiting, she makes a sound like she's softly clearing her voice.

"Yes, yes," she now says quietly. She reaches out with a pale hand and pats Condign's own arm. Her fingers are ice cold. "You'll do, yes."

Before he can respond, a new figure strides into the room.

Another post coming soon.

[Jeff]

The newcomer is an exceptionally tall elf with dark hair dressed in light gray and black garments suggestive of priestly vestments. A fang-shaped dragonshard also hangs from his neck. Like the seneschal's symbol, it's large enough to serve as a real weapon. The elf is handsome, but even without the use of magic, you sense the man's form is cloaked in illusion. The way he moves is graceful, but it's a bit too fluid. You're not sure it's meant to fool anyone, just conceal. His eyes, however, like the woman's, are entirely black. In fact, you don't think there are any eyes, just an emptiness behind the lids.

"Welcome, travelers, to my home," he says with a courtly bow. His voice is as smooth, and perhaps magically effected as well. "I am Rashade, and you are safe here. Please, remain seated." He takes his own seat in the vacant chair between Kal and Histra. "It is not often I receive guests at this house...on this plane."

The seneschal then glides into the room with an enormous tray. The otherwise lifelessness of this place is suddenly dispelled as the fragrance of real food fills the air. Cheeses, breads, salted sausages, and even an assortment of fruit is laid before you. While it's not a grand feast or multiple-course meal, it is an impressive spread of appetizers and snacks. Seeing hesitation among some of you, the seneschal gestures at the food. "Have no fear," the mummy says in his monotone voice. "The master had this food brought over from Eberron only moments ago. It is not native to this world—for no living nourishment can be."

Making no move to take any of the food himself, Rashade leans forward. "I would hear your story, and also how I may be of assistance to you. Do you seek refuge? It is an impressive trial to walk these lands. By the mercy of Olladra and Dol Arrah"—he turns his head pointedly at Streko then Adamant—"you appear to have weathered some difficulties."

[Brian]

Apr 7, 2016 6:26:40 GMT -4 Jeff said:

Condign, looking upon the disquieting appearance of the woman beside him, decides that her face is, or was, a real face. The skin, though looking stiffened and flaking, sure looks real. But it's difficult to say whether it was always her face. She looks back at him, and he does not at all like the feeling of her eyes upon him, but says nothing. She just sits down, continually staring back at Condign, and no one else.

After almost a solid, awkward minute of everyone sitting and waiting, she makes a sound like she's softly clearing her voice.

"Yes, yes," she now says quietly. She reaches out with a pale hand and pats Condign's own arm. Her fingers are ice cold. "You'll do, yes."

Condign tries not to flinch from the woman's touch. Her cold fingers seem to penetrate his skin. Ignoring Rashade and his comments for the moment, he says to the woman, "I will do...for what, my lady?"

[Ken]

Belarin quickly examines the food with his arcane sight and, satisfied that there’s nothing necromantic about it, offers a quick nod to Kal, and then he helps himself to some bread and cheese. While he fills his plate, he says, “First, thank you, my lord – if that’s an appropriate title – for welcoming us into your home. I admit, we haven’t encountered a lot of hospitality during our journey.” He takes a bite of the cheese and closes his eyes for a moment. “Ohhh, that’s such a relief. Excuse me, please. My compliments to you and your seneschal for the selection.

“First of all, while we wouldn't refuse refuge, we really seek to return to Eberron. We entered this world to help an ally in need, and – as often happens during these sorts of endeavors – things did not go as planned.” He takes a long pause. “We lost someone along the way. A good friend. He vanished in the maze outside of the city. The rest of us have survived many grueling challenges, often just barely, as you’ve observed. The nycaloth outside has been particularly rude. I hope he hasn’t insulted you, too.”

He picks up a collection of cherries and begins popping them into his mouth. “Would you know the location of the closest portal leading back to Eberron, sir?”

____________________

I’m going under the assumption that Belarin does indeed see nothing magically unusual about the food. If he does see something in the food that worries him, then ignore this post and I’ll revise.

[Jeff]

The strange woman ignored Condign's question and seems to be watching each person as the speak.

"I am the master of this household, nothing more," Rashade says in response to Belarin's own question. "My name will suffice."

As Belarin explains the situation, the elf turns and regards the mirror, seeming to be studying the refletions of the party therein. Finally:

Apr 7, 2016 11:49:48 GMT -4 Ken said:

“Would you know the location of the closest portal leading back to Eberron, sir?”

Rashade now levels his eyeless gaze directly at Belarin. "Do you really not know?" he says, an edge of warning in his voice. "What is it that brought you to this house?"

---

The food indeed possesses no magical qualities.

[Ken]

"We believe there is a portal in your home, yes," says Belarin. "I've not seen it, however. That's why I asked. I've learned in dealing with magic that appearances are often deceiving, sir."

[Brian]

Frowning, Condign turns away from the woman and fixes his attention on Rashade. "You are correct, my lord. We have weathered difficulties, and we have also lost a dear friend. Our journey has been difficult and our hearts are weary. Eberron calls to us, and we are eager to return. We did come seeking a portal--a way back to our homes." He pours a glass of wine and raises the goblet to Rashade. "You have met us with courtesy, and with courtesy, we return your honor." He ignores the tightness he feels in his stomach and drinks from the goblet. He figures if Belarin is eating, the food must be safe. "Do we have leave to use your portal, my lord?"

[Jeff]

Rashade raises an eyebrow at Condign. "What manner of land do you come from—Condign, was it?—that all men are lords and and women ladies?"

[Brian]

Apr 7, 2016 14:30:40 GMT -4 Jeff said:

Rashade raises an eyebrow at Condign. "What manner of land do you come from—Condign, was it?—that all men are lords and and women ladies?"

"'In a land where all men are lords, a pauper is as worthy as a king,'" Condign says, and sets down his goblet. "My mentor taught me that, and by addressing everyone as 'lord' or 'lady,' I am forced to remember the lesson. By speaking up the someone, I cannot speak down to him. I hope you understand."

[Jeff]

Rashade shrugs at Condign's explanation. But his expression is neutral as he goes on: "There is no toll for the use of the door between the planes that I keep. Except, perhaps, for some conversation." Then his tone becomes more convivial. "But I would hear more about my guests first. What brings the living to such an inhospitable land, and why would some adopt aliases even here?" He indicates Belarin and Histra.

"If it hasn't been relayed to you already, Rashade," Histra says, "This is Belarin Malizia. And I am Histra ir'Serrell. I do not wish to publicize my family's name, but lies and aliases do not become me. The Shrouds are known to my family, but to my knowledge we have never sought your services."

Rashade nods. "Ah, Stormreach's legendary clan of recluse wizards. Of your family, lady, I have until now only had the pleasure of speaking with the Lords Vessar and Arthegon."

Histra only nods.

"Indeed, it does not surprise me," the elf continues. "I cannot imagine why the ir'Serells would ever require the services we provide."

Histra says, "Except perhaps now, to leave this plane. My family's own portals are unavailable at this time."

Rashade surveys the group. "I only ask for tales of your exploits, and your reason for coming to this plane. Has your business here concluded?" This question he asks to the table at large, for any who would answer it.

[Darren]

Kal pushes up his sleeves, exposing the dragonmark on his right arm. It is a familiar gesture that he has not done in quite some time. So much time spent on this plane had almost made him forget it was there. The sight of the swirling blue mark, stark against his skin, is comforting and fills him with confidence. I am Kalarian Jaeren, scion of House Deneith!

Kalarian smiles at the elf next to him. "I apologize for our earlier deception, Rashade." Kal's tone is warm and friendly. "You clearly know of the ir'Serrells, and so you know their reputation. There are some, both on this plane and on our own, who take less kindly to that name than others, and not knowing you or your intentions, I hope you can understand and forgive our need for caution. This man," Kal indicates Belarin, "Belarin Maliza, has, for better or worse, tangled his fortunes in with those of Histra and her kin." Kal grins at Belarin and Histra. "Oddly, they do make a good couple." Kal leans his elbows on the table, returning his focus to Rashade. "I cannot believe how good it feels to be in a place that feels real and solid! It lifts my spirits tremendously. Again, our thanks for your hospitality."

Now Kal leans back, appearing to settle in. "As for tales, we have many and I would be glad to share. As Histra and Belarin have said, though, our path did lead to your door in search of our way back home, and time is not, I fear, on our side. I assume that you do not spend all of your time here on Dollurh, and given the location of this house, I assume you also dwell in Stormreach? So it will not be new information for you to have heard of the Coin Lords' recent party, and being a man who is likely well informed, you have perhaps also heard of his captive. That captive, as all captives do, seeks release, and it was my aid he enlisted to do so. The means of securing his release could only be found here, in Dollurh, and being the adventurous, and perhaps foolhardy, bunch that we are, we made our way here. Having found the information we needed, it is now important that we return to Eberron with all haste to see the captive released."

Here, Kal pauses to gauge Rashade's reaction and see how much of the information appears to be a surprise and how much is clearly, as he assumes, already known.