Burnt Offerings, RotRL, PF, IC.

[Fibinachi]

Chapter I
For a few goblins more...

For five years, the people of Sandpoint have attended church in a temporary structure erected after fire destroyed the previous temple. But today most of the town has gathered in the local square to celebrate. The Swallowtail Festival is in high swing and mayor Deverin, one of the people who manage to hold the town together during the last few years spate of events, is currently engaged in delivering a fairly decent speech.

It's a good day and people are happy. Content. The new Cathedral will be open soon and the thought of having an actual place of worship again is enough to lighten most spirits. Those who don't go in for the religious side of things find their amusement elsewhere, in the various games organized around the square. Rope pulling, tricks of thought and card, arm wrestling - there's even a fairly comprehensive wrestling tournament going on. The winner of any of those games are given only the acknowledgement and right of boasting, but it's enough to hustle a few beers and perhaps, if one trades the momentary recognition well, enough to catch the eye of some lucky lad or lass.

The various citizens of Sandpoint are engaged in joviality all around you.

Kaleb


It's been a rough time, on the run, but the town you find yourself in seems easy going enough and Scarnzi presence low. And although perhaps taking from them on their day of joy will tug at your heartstrings later, you must admit that pickings today are certainly plenty. So is the beer and drunken jokes at your height. Ah, the joys of being you.

But this crowd is a little strange. People stick out. Perhaps they are worth a closer look.

Vivian


Acemi gave you something you didn't know you lacked - a purpose. Fueled perhaps mainly by your own guilt, the years have worn that emotion down and replaced it with something else. Devotion. Iomedae is exalted by your worship and you strive to make yourself worthy of The Inheritor, every day. One part of Sandpoint's new cathedral will be dedicated to your goddess, so your order has sent a few acolytes and a cleric to give their blessings, tasking you with their safekeeping. Your journey has so far been uneventful, and the acolytes were each awed in their own way by your morning training routine. They even kept up for a while and you believe you might have inspired some of them to continue on to pledging their vows to a more martial path once they return to the city.

For now, you find yourself in a festival sqaure, free of duties at the moment. Happiness and joy is all around you, and a memory tugs at your mind. In the Old Days, this would have been a good hunting ground. Others probably have the same idea.

Akiyo


The open road is almost everything you could want. You hobble your way where you want, when you want, and no one tells you who to marry or what to think or where to go and finally, finally!, you are free. Damien's ghost has been left behind and the servant who took the fall would be to confused and terrified to countermand your accusations. You hope you've gotten away completely, broken with your past, even if the sacrifice you had to make and the deeds that made it possible were dark indeed. The stains will be with you for a long, long time.

And so it is, on this particular bright day, you find yourself in Sandpoint after another round of travel. You are dusty from the road, and somewhat worn, but that too is a sign of your own decision and thus to be admired. And although you can't quite say for sure, you think perhaps, just maybe, it is more than merely random ambulation which leads you here. Perhaps the Grandmother has a plan for you. Something in this town calls to you, at least.

Ah, so many people. Knights and peasants and haflings all. Curious folk.

Lucius


Ah, the irony. An angelborn in an empire of devils. It had to end in pain. But from that comes a certain knowledge, which is at least, a kind of gain. Sandpoint was the name of the town mentioned to you, and you have traveled here, braving dangers and outsmarting those who would follow you (If indeed, he still does... but he doesn't seem the type to quit. Never did, damn him)

If your contact is to be found, then surely today is the day to find her. For what fortune teller would miss a chance to peddle her trade at a festival so well attended? The mayor's speech is charmingly rustic and the people seem friendly, although a few cast a glance at your pale skin and hair. You stand out. You're used to it.

And what an amount of strangers drawn here today, clerical delegations and opportunists both.

Sylthania


Nate taught you well, and in recent years you've increasing reason to recall him fondly. Such as today, for instance, when you find yourself in a crowd at a festival in a quaint, seaside town. The money! The cheers! The free flowing local beer! The smiles that group of young guardsmen are sending you...

Ah, today is a good day.

And you know this kind of town, you've been through them before and you will wander through them again on your journey. With a few clever phrases and some good workmanship you can earn yourself a healthy living and the appreciation of the locals for how often do they get a chance to truly enjoy a bardic performance? Yet another reason to be thankful for the talents you've acquired.

And it is those exact talents that also allow you to pinpoint a few oddities about today. For instance, the knight a little apart from the crowd is clearly not a local nor is the hafling skulking about with a look as if he just spotted a mother lode. And there, half lost in the crowd, a woman in a rather fetching combination of black clothes and fitting armor.
Definitively not a local either.

There are stories in the air and adventure afoot, certainly.

Avaula


Well, what a long, strange trip it's been. But you are thankful for every minute because ultimately it's led here, now, and the world is your oyster. Or shellfish equivalent.
Mixed metaphors is the bane of clear thinking. Thinking you pride yourself in certainly possessing. That same notion is, perhaps, what has caused some friction between you and organizers of the local riddle contest.
Lax loopholes and mixed metaphors.
Sometimes, it's really their own fault.

You are free from obligations to Titus today, and in fact for the foreseeable future after your latest job. Ultimately no one got hurt and you can see the necessitous thinking behind it, since competition ruins good profit. That same job has furnished you with a bit of coin and the festival seems a reasonable place to invest them. Perhaps an interesting stranger is present or something worth noting will occur, as things often do around you.
You've got your frying pan, you've got your box, you've got the comfortable presence of your... friend in the back of your mind and things are good.

Cassandra


The city beckons you. You feel it, know it was meant to be - will be - but for now you are taking a short stop in Sandpoint, a small seaside town on the way to Magimar. They are engaged in a festival, you've sussed out the name Swallowtail and everyone is remarkably jubilant. Perhaps a reading or two would earn a good coin, or perhaps simply blending into the crowd is what you want today. You've seen so many festivals in so many small towns in your life that you've already figured out the pattern to this one.

The guy doing card tricks near the well, for instance, is clearly cheating and palming every third card to even up his odds.
He's good, but not that good.

But everyone is happy, and perhaps that is what counts. It seems fit the gentle puzzle of things. What doesn't, what sticks out just slightly, is the others - the ones in the crowd that aren't quite off the crowd. A lady in black and silver, a knight in armor but a friendly air, a hafling with what could be idle hands. The pale one.
Outliers.

[QuidEst]

The first thing Avaula had done after completing her term of service for Scarnetti was to talk a long bath to wash the feeling of working for him off. Well. The first ten minutes were to get the smell off after the job itself, and the next twenty were for the feeling, leaving the five minutes where she mustered up the willpower to get out of the tub. When all was said and done, though, she had her books and box, and she would do it again if it came to that.

The second thing she'd done was head out for the Swallowtail Festival. She'd been buying up supplies over the past, preparing for her departure. With her debt paid, the only thing keeping her here was her personal inclinations. It seemed like a shame to leave before the festival- the only time of year Sandpoint was worth being in. Having arrived and already sampled a few pastries, Avaula surveys the crowd, content to people-watch. It still surprised her that Sandpoint managed to draw outsiders at all, but this time of year there were a few around, allowing her a glimpse of the larger world between her uncle's visits. The festival itself had lost much of its appeal when they'd finally disallowed her from participating in the riddle contest. (Really, it was their fault for writing the rules in such lax terms.)

One figure in the crowd stands out in particular, dressed all in black. Not entirely unusual, of course, but the cut is both unusual and familiar. The lithographs Uncle Rupert gave her! Surely not- ? Tian-Xia was practically on the other side of the world! The journey was dangerous on foot, and only the wealthiest could afford more reliable transportation over that distance. "Pardon me… I couldn't help but admire your jacket. I could be mistaken, but it looks like a Tian-Xia style. I have yet to find any merchants selling more than small baubles from there- but Sandpoint is small, and we are far to the west." She had always admired the unusual styles shown in the lithographs- narrow dresses with wide sleeves, dramatic armor made of may sections, and odd hair arrangements. She hadn't expected to see one in person, in Sandpoint of all places!

[HearTheRequiem]

Cassandra chuckled. Palming cards required some skill, it was true, but needing to do so was the hallmark of an amateur - a real dealer could bend the cards to her whim, and have them do whatever she wanted.

For instance...

With a wry smile, Cassandra stepped out of the crowd, the spark of magic in her setting her beloved cards to whirl around her, giving her the appearance of a bizarre, human roulette wheel. She knelt down, and two cards flew into her outstretched hand, and she whispered to the Halfling in front of her.

Kaleb, Fibinachi:
"The Wanderer - A collector of junk, seeing treasure and value in things others might overlook.

The Crows - Dishonest appropriation of the possessions of others.

In other words?
A street thief.

What say you and I work this joint together? I could put on a show, far better than that rube over there. Much easier for you to go about your business that way, after all."

[Dancing Owlbear]

Kaleb Rosebriar

I'm only going to steal what I need. I'm only going to steal what I need. I'm only going to steal what I need. Just enough to get out of Varisia, that's all. I hear Vudra's nice and the women are.. exotic. Yeah, Vudra. Or maybe Tien. I'll bet they don't even have halflings there. I'd be like a local celebrity.. or a minor attraction. Maybe not Tien.

Kaleb pushed aside his thoughts as best he could, smiling to the random folks as he wandered through the crowds, natural instincts taking over as he eyed potential marks. Years of experience, mind and body honed to something approaching perfection in a skill that.. admittedly didn't have the noblest of applications. It was almost like an addiction, the jingle jangle of coins inside fat purses just waiting to be taken, ripe for the plucking. Trying to get out of the crowd, he found himself nearly bumping into a woman surrounded by floating crowds.

He glanced around, making sure no one was within ear shot before speaking softly.

Cassandra, Fibinachi
"Thief is such a crass term, don't you think? I prefer 'loveable rogue'."

"Lets say I do help you. It'd be a sixty-forty split, seeing how I'd be the one at the most risk."

[HearTheRequiem]

Kaleb, Fibinachi
"Hey, at least your craft has an honourable name. You want crass, try being called "charlatan" or "harlot".

Sixty-forty's fine by me. Once you're done, come and let me know."

Spinning en pointe, Cassandra calls to the crowd.

"Citizens of Sandpoint, today is a day that holds much joy and excitement! But what does tomorrow bring, or the next day? Would that there were someone capable of foretelling such a thing!"

She smirks, the cards spinning around her flowing into her hand.

With a flick of her wrist, the cards begin to spring from one hand to another, stretching out and playing a jaunty tune like an accordion.

"So come forth, and let me tell you what the future holds! I can assure you, it will be a truly...harrowing experience!"

Making a Perform check to catch the crowd's attention, and supplementing the card-accordion trick with Ghost Sound.
Perform: [roll0]

[iTookUrNick]

Sandpoint. Arriving, after such a tiresome and perilous journey, felt like a real accomplishment only a few hours ago. He expected the locals, a fistful of souls living in an unremarkable part of the world, to point him in the direction of a lone building on the outskirts of town, or maybe to a hermit living in a cave. There he would meet the local fortune teller, have his card read, and his question answered.

Instead, some sort of (relatively) huge celebration was going on, and there were plenty of people about. Crowds were not good for him: any and all of them would remember seeing him, and there was no way for him to mix among them, even after exchanging his refined clothes from the academy with a local outfit. Those might in fact make him stand out even more at close inspection (the locals seemed to have darker skins and coal black hairs) but at least it would make it harder to be spotted with a casual look or at a distance.

Some of the local folks glance curiously at him, children outright stare, but at least none of them seem to be threatening. He avoids clerics entirely. The blood of the fallen angels, he assumes, is unlikely to earn him any points in the temples. At least his stomach remains silent.

Around him, countless stalls and tents and practitioners in the open air compete for his attention with shows of cards and cristal balls and all kinds divining devices known to man. He has not the time, not the money, nor the inclination to visit them all. All this people are all trained to recognize someone in need of answers and to provide them with what they want to hear the most, be it truth or outright lie. He does not doubt many of them have no magical ability whatsoever. He is not sure that is even something his contact is supposed to have, or if it is just a personal bias on his part, being a wizard and all.

Despite his intelligence, he is drawing a blank on what to do next. He wanders around, always mindful of his surroundings, watching the various fortune tellers and pondering his future course of action.

Addendum: He has not reached any conclusion yet when a rather flashy practitioner steps up her game and start calling out to the crowd. He would not be bothered with such trivialities (flashy is probably not what he is looking for) but he recognize the hint of real magic in her act. He decides, out of curiosity, to stop by.

[KhaineGB]

So much going on. So many people!

The young bard was used to dealing with crowds, but walking into a city and finding it in the middle of a celebration was a new experience. It was somewhat of a good thing, as people wanting to enjoy themselves were typically a lot more receptive to music. The half elf glanced around, carefully looking at everyone with her deep, green eyes. Sizing up a situation before diving right in was generally a good idea. This new town was no exception. Immediately she noticed the other people that didn't quite seem to fit in, and promptly made a mental note of them. Hopefully they wouldn't cause her any problems, but being aware of them certainly wasn't a bad thing.

Those young guardsmen hadn't gone un-noticed either.

Syl gave them a slightly flirty wink and then moved to find an open area, somewhere she could set down her backpack, take up her lute and start providing the assembled crowd with music. Within moments, she noticed somewhere off to the side, and did just that. The backpack was slipped off and she hooked a foot through one of the straps. If someone tried to steal it, they'd end up knocking her off her feet. Not exactly a good thing, but she didn't want all of her worldly possessions suddenly whisked away!

The lute found it's way into her hands, and she started to play. Something merry and jolly... a ditty the crowd could start dancing to if they so wished. She'd start with a routine performance, and try for something a little more unique later.

Fibinachi
OOC: Taking 10 for a routine performance, with Perform (String) for a total of 16

[Fibinachi]

Mayor Deverin's speech was as charming as usual. The same good, personable air which has guided her through election after election makes it easy for her to converse with the crowd, even if that same crowd seems a little preoccupied. She exits the podium gracefully to make room for the next speaker, a dour sheriff with a few words about bonfire safety. And following him? Why, a man with a cape and a grin.

Staged after the the Sheriff's plead about public safety in an attempt to provide everyone with a free laugh is, Cyrdak Drokkus, the local theater enthusiast and self-professed lovable ruffian.

Sandpoint's premier performer.
Used to causing an easy laugh with his smile, wit and flashing eyes he is finding somewhat difficult to quite get people's attention. Something he hasn't experienced in quite a while, since everyone knows, knows, that he is the thespian of the town.

And yet, everyone else is rather occupied by a combination of music (Decently played, but surely HE is more entertaining) and whirling cards (Decently decked, but surely HE has more dexterousness! Why the young ladies would all... well)

The local bard is mildly impressed with your performances!

Not one to take such interference lightly, Cyrdak easily quips something about short ladies and shorter attention spans before launching into his prepared speech.
The crowd is absolutely overjoyed, entertainment coming in from every corner. Deverin knows how to arrange a festival for sure!
The crowd is ecstatic. Sleight of hand tricks gain a +2 because of the distraction caused by readily available entertainment and good mood. Stragglers from the edge congregate near the center of the square.


Sylthiana

A gaggle of citizens are enjoying your music, albeit they haven't offered any coins yet - only smiles, a few tentative steps and the occasional half in tune attempt at whistling along. As your work yourself up to warm fingers and a steady tune, it's almost as if something else (an accordion? Well, that's just queer) is providing a jaunty little secondary rythm to your lute.

Cassandra

You play your cards like an accordion and at the edge of your hearing, a ditty at a gently plucked lute weaves itself between your own magical backup. A surprised looking couple (Cracked lines and red cheeks hint, maybe fishermen or a visiting farmhand and wife?) have stopped dead in their tracks to look at the cards weaving between your hands.
So have a good amount of others, although some do shake their head and step towards the podium where a tall, rakish man is currently engaged in miming.

[HearTheRequiem]

"Good day to you, sir and madam! Let me see, let me see..."

The cards abandon their accordion-like formation, and instead hag in midair in lines according to suits, as though strung on an invisible harp.

True to form, Cassandra plucks at them gently, a lilting harp-strum sounding.

The cards ripple, and one begins to glow, and Cassandra calls the others back to her hand with a snap of her fingers.

The card turns around in midair, revealing itself to the couple.

"The Marriage. A productive and fruitful union, and it speaks of love. Am I not right?"

Supplementing Card Harp with Ghost Sound, and taking 10 on a Perform check for a total of 20.

[KhaineGB]

A few people had taken an interest in her music, and that pleased Syl to a certain extent.

The second sound made her smile a little, and she tweaked her music very slightly so the accordion would accompany the lute, rather than clashing with it. A few words accompanied the music she played. “Please... enjoy the music. Enjoy your festivities. My name is Syl and I am new here... this is my way of introducing myself... by giving the gift of music.” There was no mention of money by the young bard, though she certainly wouldn't complain if anyone threw some in her direction. No, she simply wanted to provide a little music for the people to enjoy, and hopefully start her off on the right foot.

However, all the people and the extra noise was starting to take it's toll on her. A routine performance would no longer be good enough. She'd need to actually concentrate and hope for the best.

Performance check: [roll0]

[Mari01]

That's quite a nice song you're playing.Have you practiced here before?

Deciding to break her own silence, Vi decided that approaching one of the musicians would be a better source of entertainment than watching the card antics. At the very least, she wouldn't have to risk any money on gambling. She remembered how easy it was for some to slip cards in places you wouldn't believe.

You wouldn't happen to be in a performing group with the card performer would you miss? Seems like you'd make a good deal if you worked together.

She drops a gold coin at the performer's feet. A good tune shouldn't go unrewarded.

[Giegue]

The cheery mood of this town was like an infectious disease. Spreading fast and something Akiyo would rather not catch herself. She was used to parties and revelry, but her environment was one of high class posh gatherings, not the unsophisticated, drunken beerfest she now found herself standing in. Morons and idiots. That's all Akiyo saw as she walked into the town. Drunken stooges dancing around like court jesters, with flask in hand as they sung songs in their awful, torturous singing voices. Dirty, smelly lower-class men slugging it out like barroom brawlers in the wrestling ring fight for the entertainment of busty peasant girls and coy female acolytes whom they hoped to court with their show of "rugged manliness."

Our of everything here though, the worst of it all was that church. A giant, shining beacon of everything Akiyo's dear grandmother stood against. It's elegant, clean lines. It's polished, blemish-free stone. All of it stood for order, rules, law and the idea of beauty that those who walk in the light all hold. To Akiyo it was just like the manors in which she spent her old life but worse. At least in those manors the primary virtues where cunning and ruthlessness. In that so-called "house of worship" things such as selflessness, charity and self-sacrifice where chided as things to strive for and hold in high esteem. To Aikyo, those things where pointless. Fools....fools all of them. kneeling before the altar of pious slavery. They don't know the life they give up by honoring such foolish virtues, such demanding, harsh deities and such flawed ideas of beauty... Akiyo thought to herself as she stared up at the newly finished church.

However, despite all the drunken foolishness in which she now found herself, she was surprisingly content. It may not have been her first choice of destination, but she was away from her old life. Away from all the troubles of the past and that was enjoyable. While the town may celebrate faiths of slavery she revels in her own freedom and as long as she lived no deities of law and light or their servants would DARE take that away from her.

However, as she took a closer look at the crowd she noticed some of the people where.....different. There was a half-elven bard who was attracting quite a crowd with her performance. She was actually good too; the quality of her act being far above the songs of wayward drunkards which greeted her. There was also what appeared to be some kind of traveling magician amusing the crowds with card tricks. However, unlike the other street performers her particular brand of "magic" seems far more legitimate and skillful then the rest of the entertainers, perhaps even backed by some actual magical ability, Akiyo mused as she watched her before returning to examine the rest of the more curious members of the crowd.

There was a sour knight in sour armor who had on the emblem of one of the deities honored by the new church, something that made Aikyo a bit uneasy. Knights that so brazenly displayed holy symbols often times have divine power of their own, and if that woman was some kind of cleric or Lamashtu forbid a Paladin Aikyo's connection to grandmother nightmare could result in her head impaled on that knight's sword if she was not careful. Steer clear of that one, Akiyo thought to herself as she walked on. There was a curious halfling who looked almost lost among the crowd. Like her he was not engaging any of the revelry but rather taking it all in, perhaps he to was trying to get a feel for the more curious members of the crowd like her? Then, to her surprise, another one of the curious figures came up to her...

""Pardon me… I couldn't help but admire your jacket. I could be mistaken, but it looks like a Tian-Xia style. I have yet to find any merchants selling more than small baubles from there- but Sandpoint is small, and we are far to the west."

"Why thank you. Your the first person in this entire crowd to actually notice that. If your wondering, my family is of Tian-Xia decent, but hasn't lived in the Dragon Empires since the fall of Lung-Wa. They have established themselves as a merchant family here in the Inner Sea region, actually, and have done quite well for themselves. My name is Akiyo, by the way, and if you don't mind I'd like to know yours. You seem like one of the smartest people in this entire place and that makes you a person of interest....at least to me.

Akiyo said to Avaula. Finally, somebody she could hold a conversation with! This girl seemed far more her type. At least she was smart enough to recognize the fact she had ties to the dragon empires, far more then could be said for the rest of the bumbling revelers.

[QuidEst]

Well, it had been too much for that Akiyo would have actually been to Tian-Xia. Even her uncle hadn't been there, and he'd traveled more than anyone she knew. (Admittedly, Sandpoint provided a very poor sampling.) Still, she couldn't help but feel a little disappointed.

"A pleasure to meet you, Akiyo," she says, years of studying incantations allowing her to pronounce the name as it had been said. There were a lot of incantations that you didn't want to stumble on, even if you were cheating on the summoning spells, the most dangerous after perhaps planar travel. She proffers a hand to shake. Something about the space near the stranger felt… odd. Like it was already occupied somehow. Coupled with the black attire and pronounced limp, Akiyo was certainly seemed a lot more… interesting than most of Sandpoint's residents. There was a certain amount of history she carried with her, even though they couldn't be more than a few years apart. "My name is Avaula Memeni. You flatter me, though. Most of my family has lived in Sandpoint for a few generations, but my uncle has traveled a great deal. A few of his travels brought him in contact with eastern traders, so I've seen a little more from Tian-Xia than most people this far west. I've always been fascinated with it. Or, to be more precise, anywhere more interesting than here." Not that she intended to be here much longer, of course. She hadn't entirely settled on where she was headed, but it didn't matter much at this point. So long as it was somewhere else.

"Well, it would be a pleasure to talk to somebody who hasn't spent their life never considering the existence of anything further away than three day's journey on foot. That, and somebody who isn't drunk off their feet because of the festival," she adds dryly. One of the perks of working for somebody with a somewhat shady reputation was that she didn't have any of them trying to hit on her right now.

[Giegue]

Akiyo smiled at Avaula's comments. Finally, somebody who was as displeased with the drunkards as her, and somebody who cared to see more of what was out there then the cloistered town of Sandpoint. She shook Avaula's hand and continued to speak."Ah, so your a local. Fooled me, that's for sure. Of course, it's nice to see at least you care wider world and not just the cheap ale and that awful, gaudy excuse of a church." Akiyo said, a slight tinge of disgust in her tone when she mentioned the church.

Perhaps we can take this conversation somewhere else....away from all the drunks. Any ideas of a more...peaceful location where we can head to? Gold is no object for me. Aikyo continued. However, against her back she could feel a cold hand along her back. A chill shot up her spine and an all to familiar voice spoke to the Kitsune in her mind.

"The Grandmother thinks that we should keep this girl...." A ghostly voice hissed in the back of Aikyo's mind.

"Yes, yes....we can sense it...great power.....and sins! Oh what sins! A fine addition to our little brood she would make! Too bad we can't kill her, I'd certainly LOVE her company! Would make being stuck as your babysitter more enjoyable!" A different ghostly voice said to Aikyo within her mind.

"Both of you, shut up! I don't need either of you interfering in this. Or any other members of the brood for that matter! Akiyo thought, directing the mental statement towards the two ghostly voices in her head.

"Don't worry, we won't interfere! Grandmother would be angry with us if we did, and you don't want to make Grandmother angry! She sees potential in this one! Much potential indeed! the first voice said. The second voice simply let out a hieana-like chuckle at the whole affair and with that the cold chill disappeared. With the spirits at bay for now Aikyo awaited Avaula's response.

[QuidEst]

Avaula grinned at that. "Actually, it's quite an honor not to be mistaken for a local. I have my own reasons to celebrate today- I have fulfilled the last of my obligations keeping me in Sandpoint, and am free to leave at my leisure- preparations are as complete as they are likely to get. As for the church, I have not paid it much heed. As a… practitioner of the arcane, the ministrations of most clerics has little to do with me. Should I ever need such ministrations, I suspect I would be able to find welcome with the clergy of Nethys." It was not something she wished to resort to unless necessary, though. She would certainly be able to find welcome, even preferential treatment. But if anyone would be able to see through her ruse, it would be them. The careful observance of their meticulous clerics coupled with the distracted intellect of their wizards, brought together. There was a risk that they would discover the box and desire to take it for their own. Still, if lies and riddles weren't enough to keep it out of their hands, she didn't deserve it.

She considered the request. "Well, we could return to my place, but it was rented with the rather specific intent of making sure I never got comfortable here. The Scarnetti library is not far, and I have permission to make use of it for such a time as I am still here. There won't be anybody using it today, certainly, not when there are ceremonies to attend and the like." Scarnetti would certainly be busy, and there weren't many others who had much use for the books.

[KhaineGB]

There was still a bit of a crowd, so clearly the slightly worse performance hadn't scared anyone away, certainly a good thing in the mind of the young half elf. However, Syl did find herself rather surprised that a woman in armour had approached to compliment her music. “No. I've never played here before, but I do practice a lot.” She gave a very slight smile, trying to keep her mind focused on the music currently being plucked from her lute. The same woman made a comment about the person doing the card tricks, and the bard allowed a quick glance in Cassandra's direction.

“I've never seen her before, but she doesn't look local. Seems like Sandport has attracted quite a few travellers this day.” The coin was somewhat unexpected. It might only be a gold piece, but that'd pay for a room, something to eat and something to drink. “Thank you, m'lady. You are too kind.” Syl gave a very slight inclination of the head to Vi, since anything more would prove difficult while plucking away at the lute. She only hoped the locals appreciated her music as much as this traveller did.

[Giegue]

"So..this is your first day of freedom? Thats good to here. It's something you will come to cherish in time, you can trust me on that." Aikyo said in response to Avaula's statement. A library. That was something Aikyo had not seen in a long time. Due to the nature of the Kitsune's magics she never had much need to study books of spells and the arcane. Her magic came to her naturally, channeled through the dark gifts granted to her by Grandmother Nightmare. She knew that many arcane spellcasters and clerics envied beings such as herself. Born blessed by the gods...able to command divine magic with an ease no other spellcasters can. Such is the gift of a being like her, but with every gift there is a burden, and Aikyo's burden was twofold. The first was her leg. While her cloths hid the deformities well, her step made it clearly noticable something was wrong with it. Most assumed it was an adventuring wound, but in reality it was much more gruesome a gift.

Her leg was a literal dead lump of twisted, mangled flesh with sharp, claw-like toes. It almost looked like something belonging to an undead, and acted just like as if it where the leg of a corpse. This is what caused Aikyo's limp, and what made travel and life a pain for the Kitsune. The leg while able to bleed and suffer damage like any other body part felt as if it wasen't even there to the Kitsune. She was forced to live with the constant sensation of having only one leg despite the fact she had two. Of course, this leg was hardly the pain that her other curse was.

The spirits, a gaggle of ghostly monsters, dead Gnolls, former clerics of Lamashtu and all sorts of dead beasts had been sent to her by the grandmother to seemingly do nothing but nag and annoy her. Aikyo was never alone and she hated it. Right now the spirits where calm. Too calm, perhaps. Usually such calmness came before a great tragedy. However, despite this Aikyo made nothing of it as the spirits where also known to become calm just to play with her mind.

The spirits where chaotic evil creatures. They loved toying with Aikyo like she was their playthings. They where known to go silent for days, even weeks on end only to come out and do something horrible, resulting in Aikyo having to high-tail it out of wherever she was when the event happened. this is the reason she was traveling now in fact. In the last small town she was in the true nature of her powers became known due to the actions of those annoying ghosts and she was forced to leave in the night before the people decided to string her up for her ties to Lamashtu.

However, her burdens where the furthest thing from her mind right now. Aikyo was content that she would soon be away from the rabble of the crowd and in a calm place with somebody who seemingly was more her type then the drunken brawlers. A library.....it would be nice to see one again. The last time I ever was in one was during my days back in Korvosa...and with such an interesting person... Aikyo thought to herself.

"As for the library, sounds good to me. I haven't been to a good library in a long time. Life on the road has a way of keeping your attention on more pressing matters then higher learning. It will be nice to get some time in such a place again..." Aikyo said to Avaula.

[iTookUrNick]

Lucius has been watching the card show for a short while now. He is uncertain about approaching the woman and asking her directly about his family. At a certain point, though, the crowd starts thinning, attracted to the centre of the square. In a moment of quiet between songs, he decides to take a leap of faith and adress the woman with these words, his face exposed:

"Please pardon me for the interruption. I have come from afar to this place looking for a fortune teller. I was told such a person could help me find answers regarding my family. Do you think you might be the this person?"

[QuidEst]

Avaula scoffed at Akiyo's statement. " 'Come to cherish it someday' nothing- I am cherishing it right now. I see no need to put off my appreciation of something until it's gone. By then, I intend to be doing things at least as memorable." Honestly, this day was not a marker. The marker was when she'd received the box. This day followed in logical progression from that one, and that was where her freedom had actually begun. Without that day, there would have been no freedom to work towards.

The woman nodded, leading the way. "I will be bringing higher learning on the road with me. That is why I have delayed my departure this long. I had to earn my books. First rule of magic- 'never accept anything before you have paid for it.' There are debts you cannot hope to pay off in this life, as most who shake hands with a devil learn." Her own arrangement to obtain the books had been very carefully examined, and her rate intentionally set low to improve her bargaining position. If she refused to do something early on, Scarnetti would be unlikely to call the bargain off, since hiring another caster would cost him much more in the long run. An emergency fund had ensured that if her employer tried to finish the last few weeks with something particularly unpleasant, she could simply buy out the remainder of the contract. Scarnetti, perhaps even seeing all this, wisely decided to not push his luck.

Once they were inside, Avaula sank down into one of the armchairs comfortably. "Well then, if not Tian-Xia, where are you from?"

[HearTheRequiem]

Cassandra smirks at the newcomer, sending her cards whirling around once more.

"Well, I certainly could be called a fortune teller, and finding answers is what I do. I suppose the question you should be asking is, am I the woman you want to help you find these answers?

You could, of course, ask any of the cheap, fake charlatans around here.

What would you like to know?"

[iTookUrNick]

The woman sees quite sure of herself and acts friendly, but then it's part of her job, isn't it? Still, she said she can generally provide answers, which is encouraging. Perhaps this is what Lucius' parents were referring to.

The wizard takes a moment to concentrate. She asked two very important questions, the answers of which, alas, he does not know either:
1. is she the one he wants to ask his questions to?
2. what is the question he wants to ask?

He considers asking her back the first question, but he swiftly dismisses the idea: an affirmative answer yields no useful information, while a negative one is paradoxical. Logically, he can assume the answer to be yes, regardless of the truth.

As for the second question, he does not know the answer himself. It can be argued that this makes it a good question to ask, but it is also a good answer to itself, and Lucius is wary of loopholes and tautologies that could obfuscate the already veiled response he expects. Beside, he has ulterior reasons to be skeptic about such an inquiry. Even with the Celiax magistrate hot on his trail, he risked a visit to his foster parents, asking for clarification on the matter, but in vain. The question, he was told, had to be his own. What compelled them to be so cryptic he did not know, but it stood to reason that he had to come up with a question himself, no shortcuts.

Following close on this last idea, a better question comes to Lucius' mind: "How can I find out what questions I want answered?". A little on the vague side, most likely, but it certainly feels like his own question. And all this, of course, provided that the fortune teller is able to answer open questions at all. Perhaps it would be best to adress this point immediately:

"You certainly ask some most appropriate questions. I wondered the same ones myself. What I can tell you is that I respect and appreciate power, and you seem to possess some of your own. As for the cheap, fake charlatans around here, I'm sure that children and peons that gathered here today will be delighted by their presence...
Regarding the content of my inquiry, well, it certainly depends on what kind of answers you are able, and willing, to provide. Reveal to me by witch constraints you operate, and I will tailor my questions accordingly."

[HearTheRequiem]

"Think of it as a jigsaw puzzle, if you would. You have certain pieces of information, and they fit together to create a bigger picture.

What I can do is fit pieces together for you, help things fall into place, and lead you to discover more.

As such, I am constrained not by what I can do, but what you know."

[iTookUrNick]

Not the answer he was hoping for: his "pieces" are few and far between. Even so, it might be worth a shot.

"I see. I do not wish to disturb you any further during this show of yours. I will seek you after the end of the celebration, when thing are quieter and people have retired off the streets".

With a bow, Lucius slowly moves back into the crowd.