Adventures in Fallcrest - IC - Part III [4E]

[dariathalon]

Pavick - Gnome Wizard

Pavick gives Azula a disappointed stare when she mentions the "little toad."

"My acquaintance is Yojend, who was indeed at the auction as well. We really do not have a lot of information on the situation. He managed to get a message to me while we were on the prime, but it was very brief. All we really know is his resistance fighters were ambushed then trapped in the feydark by the winter court. If you'll excuse me, I have something I need to check on. Have a pleasant evening." He turns and walks off.

After several feet, he mutters to himself, "Little toad indeed. That woman needs to learn a little respect for what really matters."

He glances over his shoulder, trying to locate others within the party. Seeing Shep was the only one not immediately in a conversation, Pavick sends a message to him through the use of a ghost sound spell. Pavick's voice whispers just behind Shep's left ear, "Shep, I'm going to go see if I can find out why Aramil's father isn't at the festivities. If I'm not back soon, come find me."

He then moves off toward the largest of the sleeping buildings on the estate, where Pavick assumes Lord Printempest would be resting. As he moves in that direction, he does his best not to draw attention to his approach.

Spoiler

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Stealth - (1d20+12)[29]

[Mando Knight]

Aramil looks around the gathering for his father. Not seeing him, he drops in on Azula, and he speaks to his cousin and Eltain in a low voice. "My father isn't going to make it to the event this evening, is he?"

[Hzurr]

DM Post

Azula stares at the gnome as Pavick slinks off into the shadows. "I believe I may have insulted our half-sized friend... She turns as Aramil comes up, and greets him.

"No, I don't think he'll be coming down. Apparently there was some commotion over near his quarters not long ago, but after a while it settled down, and one of his servants told Selene that he wouldn't be coming."

-----------

The two Eladrin acolytes stare at Zyrr for a long moment, before turning to each other. Eventually, Shalala leans over and whispers to Allika"I think it must be some sort of Drow humor...". They both turn back to Zyrr, and immediately start laughing, as if Zyrr just said something highly amusing. Allika puts a hand on Zyrr's arm "If you have a chance, you should come by the temple while you're here. I'm sure the other acolytes would LOVE to hear about your escape from your horrible, horrible life." Shalala immediately jumps in "Oh yes, that would be wonderful! Oh please say you'll do it!" "Please!" Please! The pair wait for Zyrr's eagerly response

-----------

As Pavick moves through the complex, he is easily able to stay out of sight of the occasional servant or guard he runs into. The Printempest houses were clearly designed more for comfort and beauty rather than defense, so maneuvering around the occasional patrol is easy enough. Lord Printempest's chambers are built into the only tree in the field: a wide, thick oak tree. As you move up to the base of the tree, you can faintly hear shouts coming from above.

Perception DC 18

Spoiler

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From up above, you hear the voice of pleading servants, but rising above them you can make out the voice of Lord Printempest. "No! I must leave at once! Rylannis neads me, else the Anthix tower will be lost!"

History DC 16

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Rylannis was a great Eladrin military commander who died almost 120 years prior defending Anthix tower against the Wildens. Lord Printempest served as Rylannis' second in command at that battle, and was one of only 5 survivors.

[DSCrankshaw]

Lucan - Half-elf bard

Having lost track of Pavick, Lucan drifts over to Zyrr, and his conversation with the two eladrin women. He's fascinated by the spider-kissing requirements of drowdom. "I never knew dwarves and drow were related," he says. "Is that why you live underground?"

[Mando Knight]

"Is that so? Then I should see him immediately. If anyone inquires about my location, just tell them that I had to check up on him."

Aramil gives a polite nod to Azula and Eltain, then turns and walks briskly to his father's master suite.

[Haberdashery]

For someone of such an ungainly size, the Shepherd is remarkably steady on his feet. Despite his tottering steps he keeps his footing, and the preemptive positioning of the eladrin attendants are for naught as he quickly regains his balance. The Shepherd averts his eyes from the beast of absolute madness calling to his ear with its beguiling voice of mimicry. The Shepherd was no fool. Under that coat was a beast of many snaking arms and talons waiting to latch onto him and drink from the base of his neck. Only the young shepherds fall for a Wolf-in-Sheep's clothing--and not just the obvious bunny-topped ones.

The Shepherd's steely glare clearly conveys "I'm watching you..." to the creature, and he points his two forefingers to his eyes. His doom-ridden glare is disrupted suddenly by the faint whisper of his auspicious shorter companion. It takes him a moment to register exactly what is happening within his ear canal, but after a moment's thought, and the realization that stranger things have happened in the past few months, the Shepherd nodded his head in comprehension at Pavick. The little gnome did have a pair of sheep in his pocket, after all.

[Toric]

Zyrr nods politely to the girls, showing a hint of a frown. "Oh yes, I think I could bring myself to recall my tale." I'll just need to make it up first. "Oh, Lucan. Meet um... yes, Allika and Shalala." He reaches an arm around Lucan's back and pushes him more fully into the conversation, and gestures to first the shorter sister, then the taller. "I was just telling them about the curse of the Drow race. Now, from what I've heard, most surface folk think the curse was our exotic dark skin and white hair. No, that was just our patroness Lolth making sure we knew who to hate. The real curse happened long after the schism, when drow and elves as you know them had stumbled upon the material plane through different ways."

Zyrr crouches down and sets his hands on his knees to begin a squatting march in place. "Now drow had seen native dwarves, and naturally thought they were the funniest thing ever created. They were as wide as they were tall, lazy enough to grow most of their hair down, and the best part, they didn't lie. Can you imagine people going around being perfectly honest to each other all day?" He stands and gestures around grinning at the other attendees as if to prove a point. "Now, one day an elven war party snuck into a drow stronghold and saw all the funny murals depicting dwarves with upside-down heads and boulder bodies and agreed it was the most hilarious thing, so they brought news back up to their priests so Corellon used his remaining power over dark elves to make them slowly lose their ability to lie and keep their chins smooth. He thought it was so funny he told Moradin all about this great prank he played on his wayward children. Moradin didn't see the humor. And that's why dwarves don't like elves."

[DSCrankshaw]

Lucan - Half-elf bard


It occurs to Lucan that Zyrr may not be telling the complete truth.

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Insight - (1d20+13)[25]

If you roll a bluff check for Zyrr, we'll see whether Lucan believes him or not.

[Toric]

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Not taking 1 on this one, eh? I'll play your game.

Bluff - (1d20+12)[25]

[Nai_Calus]

Eltain, overhearing the conversation between Zyrr, Lucan and the priestesses, grimaces in disgust and gives Azula an apologetic look.

"I'm sorry. Zyrr's, well, he is what he is. And Lucan is, alas, a passable minstrel and a decent warrior, but also a complete and utter idiot... It's the elven blood, likely. I've found elves to generally show a complete lack of intelligence, alas. Too far separated from their origins, I suppose." His left ear twitches and the air around him grows so cold from his annoyance that his breath fogs despite the warm spring day. He bows formally. "Forgive me, I am being far too unkind to my companions. Despite our respective deficiencies, we still work well together. It is unseemly for someone like me to spread such pettiness."

(OOC: Eltain does not know that Essentials gave elves INT as a possible stat mod, and if he did, he'd probably argue against it at the moment.)

[dariathalon]

Pavick - Gnome Wizard

Pavick glances up toward the window he believes the shouting is coming from. "Damn it. Someone could be in trouble up there. I can't just leave trouble a brewing when I'm not involved," he mutters to himself. He checks the door handle and if it is open, he continues to creep into the building, and looks for a way upstairs to the source of the shouting.

[DSCrankshaw]

Lucan - Half-elf bard

Lucan nods sagely, pretending that he believes the drow. Although Zyrr is a masterful storyteller, he recognizes make-believe when he hears it. Sometimes. Unless he really wants to believe it.

[Hzurr]

DM Post

The two girls look at Zyrr, before putting their heads together and whispering furiously. After a moment, they straighten. "That's a wonderful story.""Just wonderful." "But I'm not sure if some of the sisters would be as open and excepting as we are.""Some are very set in their ways.""So it might be best if we didn't have you speak yet.""I'm sure you understand." "But it was very nice to speak to you." Shalala starts to walk away, but Allika has fixed her eyes on Lucan, who she has just seemed to notice for the first time. The shorter sister leans over to the taller, and under her breath mutters a quick elven word that translates approximately to "Dibs."

A huge smile appears on her face as she turns back to the half-elf. "Hello Lucan, It's such a pleasure to meet you." she gushes, giving the bard a low curtsy. "What brings you here." she moves forward, and slips an arm under Lucan's, and starts leading him away towards a more secluded part of the room.

Shalala crosses her arms, lets out a brief grunt of frustration, before storming off towards the other end of the hall.

--------------

Azula smirks. You don't need to apologize for the Drow, he's actually behaving much better than I would have expected. As for the half-elf, I'd be more inclined to suspect that it's the human influence... Azula looks Eltain up and down pointedly, before turning back to examine the crowd. "I'll see what I can find out about the feydark." She walks away, greeting others as she goes, leaving the Paladin alone in the corner.

--------------

As the Shepard eyes the sheep, a platinum haired Eladrin steps up beside him. "Strange things, aren't they? I had never been to the spring lands until a week ago, and they caught me by surprise as well." He extends a hand to the Goliath. "I'm Toveliss."

--------------

Pavick darts into a nearby stairwell, and arrives at the landing above just as Aramil enters the room. A pair of servants step forward. "Please, Lord Aramil, this is a very bad time..." the servant on the left begins to speak, but suddenly the door opens behind him, and Lord Printempest is silhouetted in the light. Aramil, my son! Are you ready to begin your training? You'll be learning from one of the finest masters in the Spring Courts. There are few who can master the magic of the sword, and I cannot tell you how pleased we are that you've been selected as his apprentice!"

@Aramil

Spoiler

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You remember your father using almost these exact same words 20 years ago.

The aging Lord Printempest smiles, and steps down into the chamber to clasp his son's hand. As he steps down into clearer light, Aramil and Pavick can see that his hair is a bit disheveled, and he seems to be wearing half of a suit of armor, with the family sword hanging at his side, but he also still appears to be wearing his bedrobe underneath it

[Mando Knight]

Aramil smiles sadly as he realizes why his father wasn't making many public appearances. "Yes, Father, I know. This already happened, remember?"

[DSCrankshaw]

Lucan - Half-elf bard

Lucan smiles. "I came here with Aramil and the others on a mission, which I probably shouldn't talk about. But since we've been invited by Aramil's family to attend his sister's engagement party, we'll probably be here for a few days before heading out."

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Let's see if I can turn on the charm:
Diplomacy - (1d20+16)[18]

Ugh. Poor roll, great modifier. That's really annoying.

[Nai_Calus]

Eltain sighs at the insult, but shrugs it off and straightens his shoulders, holding his head up high and proudly. To the Abyss with what people thought of him for his human blood. He was a Paladin of Corellon, a protector of beauty and art and magic, and there was beauty within him as well, despite his heritage. He smiles and walks out into the crowd, cheerfully mingling and making small talk with the various partygoers, not giving a damn who sees him or what they think. The air around him is still chilly, but it's the brisk, invigorating chill of the morning of the last day of winter, rather than the oppressive cold of a winter night. Gone at the moment is the uncertain, awkward child hiding in the corner, and present a cheerful young man in the prime of his life.

Eltain decides to join Shep to offer moral support on the subject of Feywild sheep, only to step up on the other side of Shep just as Toveliss does, opposing the platinum-haired Eladrin with a platinum-haired half-Eladrin, and speaks at the same time before noticing the other man and doing a double-take.

"You'll get used to things like this, Shep, the Feywild is an odd place, but one full of beauty and glory and the blessings of our father, Corellon."

[dariathalon]

Pavick - Gnome Wizard

Pavick stands as still and quiet as he can, watching what transpires between Aramil and his father.

[Hzurr]

DM Post

Aramil's father pauses. "Yes...of course. I ..." he closes his eyes for a moment. "Aramil, something has happened to me. King Oberon said..." his voice trails off, and his head drops.

There is a long silence before he speaks again. "Um...Why am I wearing my armor?" One of his servants, an older fey named Iain, steps up and leads him back into the bedroom, helping him out of the armor. A few minutes later, he emerges again from the room, shutting the door behind him.

"Master Aramil, it is good to have you home. I'm sorry you had to see him like this. Some days aren't as bad as others." He motions to a set of chairs by the window "Come, sit."

The old man takes a seat, waits for Aramil to join him. "Your father was struck with this malady nearly 5 months ago. It's gotten progressively worse, and all our attempts at curing him have gone unanswered. Your sister has invited a number of the followers of Sehanine to her party tonight as an attempt at making reconciliation after some rather blasphemous things she said when their high priestess was unable to heal him. He gives a sigh. Your sister. She is brilliant, but I don't think she was ready for this yet. She wasn't planning on becoming head of the family for at least another 80 years, but given the current circumstances, she's going to ask the Spring Court to pass the title onto her when at festival of blossoms next month; but she's already running the estate in everything but name." Iain shrugs. "She's doing well enough, I suppose, and is making the alliances she feels are necessary to maintain control." he gives a nod towards the building where the engagement party is occurring below.

------------------

The priestess is taken slightly aback, as Lucan refuses to answer her question, but quickly laughs "Oh, something secret then, I understand. It sounds very important." She studies you quickly. "Oh, are you a musician? I'll bet you're very good. Will you write a song for me?"

Insight DC 6

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You suspect she may be trying to get into your pants.

------------------

Toveliss mirrors Eltain's double take. "I don't believe I've had the pleasure of meeting you, either." He gives a slight bow. "I'm Toveliss d'Sharma, the groom-to-be. Do you two know each other?" He looks at the Goliath towering over them, but after a moment his eyes drift back down to Eltain "You have the look of the winter fey, although I don't think I've ever known a half-human before. You seem familiar, though. Have we ever met?"

------------------

As Shalala leaves, Zyrr suddenly finds himself flanked on either side by an Eladrin, and oddly enough, an elf. The Eladrin speaks first. "You've got a lot of nerve, dark elf, to show your face." The elf sneers "Give me one good reason not to run you through right now and cleanse this house of your filth." He practically spits this last word.

[Haberdashery]

Reality retakes the Shepherd as he is suddenly flanked on both sides by very shiny-haired, pointy-eared, strange-looking fellows. He looks to his right, and then to his left, and very thankfully, they seem to have noticed each other in their attempts to talk to him.

Oh how the Shepherd hated these moments. What does one say in these polite circles, when the slightest slip of the tongue meant a snooty up-turned nose and being barred from the hor d'œuvre table? It was not his fault that the morsels were so small; his mouth was much bigger, and naturally more fit inside his than in the smaller, dainty creatures' mouths. How was he supposed to know that was rude, he was merely following common sense. The Shepherd didn't see any hor d'œuvres at this particular moment, but he knew they could not be far behind--sneaking about in the back on those little tables, just waiting to jump out dramatically. Tricky little devils.

The Shepherd looked down at the two funny people helplessly, until he suddenly pricked up his ear; he stood motionlessly, listening to the whistle of the wind. He spoke suddenly.

"Do you hear that? A goat is in danger."

Before Toveliss or Eltain can turn to look, the Shepherd is gone from their side, and the sound of pipe music fills the air dramatically; in his place remains a sudden tumbling of autumn leaves.

Spoiler

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Teleporting with Arc of the Flashing Storm, and then using a Stealth check
Stealth: (1d20+14)[16]

Across the terrace, the Shepherd stares around him with wide eyes, his foot in a flower pot--normally that trick works.

[Nai_Calus]

Eltain takes the man's appearance and Shep's disappearance in stride, returning the bow.

"And I am Eltain, of no known lineage, a Paladin of Corellon. And that was Shep, as we call him. He's a companion of mine, and rather a good warrior, if occasionally... Rather off-kilter." He smiles and shrugs his shoulders as if to say 'what can you do?'. "And it may well be that I'm of winter fey heritage, I certainly have the appearance of it, and occasionally the air around me turns colder, though it seems mostly to only happen here in the Feywild, but given that I don't know who my parents were, I can't say for certain. I don't believe I've met you before, though I suppose I might have seen you at some point when I lived in your mother's lands. It may be possible that you saw me there as well and forgot until now." He grins. "And no, half-eladrin aren't common. Indeed, I'm the only one I know of." Inwardly he frowns, though he maintains smile, and the air around him chills slightly, becoming a bit less brisk. There was something, indeed, as uncomfortably familiar about the man as there was about Certhiel herself.

[Mando Knight]

Aramil's expression has been honed into a calculating stare. If there was one thing being a wandering sellsword taught him, it was how to investigate and solve problems. "I believe I heard a word here or there about the Green Court having been ravaged by an illness similar to this. Is it true?"

[DSCrankshaw]

Lucan - Half-elf bard

Despite his best efforts, Lucan cannot escape the sneaking suspicion that the priestess is interested in him. Only the sheer ridiculousness of that concept (they'd just met, for goodness sake) allows him to pretend he doesn't notice.

"Why certainly," he says. "I've been appreciating the music of the Feywild on my visits here, and I would be happy to contribute to it. Is there a subject you have in mind?"

[Toric]

"Just one? Easy. Because there are other people here offended at me for being me. Get in line." Zyrr sighs as he resists the urge to roll his eyes. He points to Eltain. "He's already made the same threat you have, with far better delivery. And reason. Paladin, after all." Then to Certhiel. "She'll probably hire somebody to kill me soon, if she hasn't already. ....And depending on how much trouble showing my face causes, Aramil might get the next stab at me wherever he is. They'd all be very cross if you stole their honor-kill." He shrugs casually. They asked.

Spoiler

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Making a roundabout Intimidate check via threat of political backlash.
Intimidate - (1d20+14)[34]

The drow extends a hand toward the two aggressors. He tilts his head, the movement causing his expression of boredom to slide into one of curiosity. If anything, these two will be more interesting to talk to than the love-addled lunatics. "I'm Zyrr, present on behalf of the Knight-Errant himself. You are?"

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And a Diplomacy check to make them think Zyrr's worth talking to.
Diplomacy - (1d20+7)[25]

[Hzurr]

DM Post

As Shep disappears, Toveliss arches an eybrow in bewilderment. Spying the Goliath with his foot in a flowerpot on the other side of the room, however, soon turns his look into one of bemusement. He turns back to Eltain. "Off-Kilter friends are often the most entertaining, as well as the most loyal. Well, if you ever find yourself with the urging, I encourage you to visit the winter fey again. I assume that Limara and I will visit there often, so it wouldn't surprise me if there will be many more opportunities for the summer fey to more easily visit their winter kin." He gives a frown "Hmm....I'm sure I've seen you before. Naturally, it won't occur to me until several hours from now just as I prepare to reverie." He gives a laugh, and extends his hand. "It was a pleasure to meet you, but I should go find my bride. Enjoy the party."

---------------

Iain nods. "Yes, nearly all the high lords of the Green Court were also stricken with this disease the year before last. My understanding that the Bramble Queen is practically running the court since so much of her opposition has been wiped out." The old eladrin leans forward. "I've also heard that the Sun Court has become more reclusive lately, and no one has seen many of it's high lords in the last year. But there's no way of knowing. Why do you ask?"

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Allika gives a sigh of frustration. "Yes, there was a subject, but apparently it wasn't one you had in mind." The priestess turns, and marches away in a huff.

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Unfortunately, Zyrr's implication of political backlash proves much more compelling than his attempt to get information from the two. The Eladrin leans over, and whispers something to his companion, and the elf's eyes dart over to Certhiel and widen with fear. "Well...as long as someone's going to take care of you, I guess it's ok." the elf mutters, even as he quickly backs away. "We'll be watching you, spider-kisser." the Eladrin spits, but his threat seems fairly ineffective since he's walking away quickly and looking over his shoulder as he says it.


OOC: Is there anything else that people want to do before the end of the party?

[Nai_Calus]

Eltain bows.

"And you as well." He ponders the man's familiarity for a moment and shrugs as he spies the huff-ified Sehanite priestess and smiles charmingly at her before walking over.

"I apologize for my companion. Sometimes he has no appreciation for beauty."

[DSCrankshaw]

Lucan - Half-elf bard

Lucan watches the woman wander off somewhat sadly, but less confused. That was how women usually reacted to him, so everything appears to have returned to normal.

[Toric]

Zyrr shrugs as the two men back off. It's a pity, he muses. I like the ones that assume I'm evil scum. It shows they're decent judges of character. He smirks when he sees Eltain zero in on one of the priestesses whose names he'd already forgotten. He sees them as a good match, and Lolth knows the boy could use some unwinding.

Perception - (1d20+3)[13]

Surrounded by strange eladrin that may be even more hostile than the two he spoke to, the assassin leans against a nearby potted plant and bides his time.

[Haberdashery]

There is certainly a funny plant in the pot Zyrr finds himself leaning against. From only a cursory glance, it appears that the plant looks like it were made of stone. Granted the Feywild is a strange place, and rock trees must exist somewhere, but that's only the tip of the proverbial iceberg of strangeness of this particular plant. While one trunk does come from the pot, it seems to have two trunks, and one of them stands very firmly on the ground next to the pot. Furthermore, while most trees have multiple branches, this one manages to have only two that droop limply at its sides, which seem to connect to a lumpy knot at the very top.

When things could seemingly get no stranger about the alien plant, the lumpy knot suddenly twisted atop its double-trunk and regarded the drow beside it. And then the strange rock-tree spoke.

"When night falls, it is the black sheep that is safest upon the mountain path."

[Toric]

The drow ponders the words coming from the mystical granite-tree, and idly looks about to see whether the Feywild even has any mountains to speak of.

[Mando Knight]

"I was going to ask if there was any news of a cure or recovery from the other courts, but apparently not." Aramil continues to ponder the predicament for a moment. "Am I correct in assuming the illness is not primarily magical in nature?"