Scatter the Pieces [IC]

[Starwulf]

Sam ponders for a moment, wondering what exactly Magdi would want to say to the elders, before realizing that if it was important enough for her to speak up to him and ask if she could, it was obviously important enough to be heard. Wise elders, it appears that my goblin companion, Magdi here Samuel motions towards Magdi, "Has something that she would like to say to you all. I would ask that you give her words every bit as much weight as you would my own, she is a very wise woman." With that said, Samuel stepped aside and motioned Magdi forward so that she could command all of the attention in the room.

[Eleanor_Rigby]

Magdi shuffled forward a little after having thanked Sam. His introduction was embarassing: this room had not one but seven genuine elders and they really did seem like they were reasonably wise. She tried to remind herself to keep things brief and to the point. If she did not achieve these aims, they might have to dismiss her as addled for her own good, and that wouldn't do.
"If you please, good sirs and madams, I'm not quite as wise as dear Sam here suggests I am - he is a very kind young man, you see so he does have to flatter the likes of me..." she pawed at her river-rockless-pocket, wondering what had become of her mittens and if she had left them in there or somewhere along the trail. She found one and teased it out anxiously, before realising that playing with her mittens wasn't what she ought to be doing at a time like this and letting the hand which held it drop limply to her side. "But I'd like to request that you consider letting me join the recovery mission to Sunpeak Spire, please, if it would not inconvenience you." she tucked a bit of hair behind an ear, "I lived in Sunpeak for close to thirty years - I came there as a child - and I knew its streets and its people reasonably well. For many of those years I worked as an employee of the Gilded Steeple Inn - I ferried people to and from the gates... I took some little other jobs when... well, at times that required it, for whatever reasons." She mirrored the gesture with the other ear, seeking to avoid mentioning the little matter of Hywellen's concept of fair wages and how it had conflicted with other people's concepts of the same idea, particularly in front of Kerath and Soveros. "And I considered the Late Mr Nohar Casli, Our Librarian who valued that section of books more than he valued his life in the final hours of Sunpeak's Era to be a personal friend. I cannot fight Giants - alone, I cannot even convince people of the mere existence of Giants - but I can read and I can write and I can see and hear and smell things. If there is anything I can do to help what remains of my old city - or to protect others from similar fates - then I would dearly like to do it."
All the while she spoke she tried to remain detached. This had to be approached like a business venture, not a personal plea. She had to prove to the elders, and to Sam, Soveros and Kerath, that she would not repeat her shameful behaviour at Mrs Dumhid's. She was Topra Adok's daughter: she would not let adversity, however adverse it might be, get the better of her. She could not. Her job was to stop this sort of thing, whenever possible, with whatever small gestures she could afford to make.
"In terms of experience," she added solemly, "I have recovered bodies from the battle field before - some living, but mostly dead - I helped my Mother and Brother carry my Brothers' remains, and themselves, back from the territory of the people who killed them when I was a child. I watched campers kill my elderly uncle, and saw my infant cousin perish after a violently premature birth. And I found the bodies of people I should have recognised, but could not, in the Gilded Steeple in Sunpeak: my safe haven for the best three decades of my life, after the last of those decades closed on this attack. Age, time and distance have softened me from that hard child I used to be into the woman who stands before you, but I have given this very serious thought. I understand that going back to Sunpeak will not be easy, and I will see many more horrors than I see small miracles, but I want nothing more than to help. And I think with people like Sam at my side, I am ready to do that."
After a few moments pause to guage the reaction of the committee - the elders, the room and her peers - and to recover herself slightly from having been so forthright, Magdi stood back again, shrinking behind Sam somewhat once more. She'd given her credentials - although she was keeping her knowledge of the giant language as a trump card if needed - now she could only wait and see what they said. It saddened her to think of Benedek, Andris or Uncle Terpik as credentials; none of them deserved to die in the ways that they had, after all... but something had to be made of their deaths, and of their lives, which had meant considerably more to her. It was like Sam had said: she couldn't forsake the bonds she'd made with those she had befriended, just because they were dead and she was not. They had to remain important, even if little Magdi, now Auld Adok, really was the last relic of their existence. She saw Sam was looking for something and sought to aid him in his search. She felt a little thirsty, after all that anxiety and all that blethering.

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I suppose a diplomacy check for the elders might be in order?
diplomacy - (1d20+8)[25]
Also, aid another for Sam in his search for a water pitcher (it is a desperate quest for which he needs eagle-like eyes...)
spot - (1d20+2)[11]
If I've misinterpreted things and our lady seer is the only lady in the room apart from Magdi, then Magdi will have said 'Madam' instead of 'Madams'

[Reb46]

Soveros stood quite nervously, listening to Samuel's and Magdi's speeches, hardly managing to stay silent while they spoke, fighting the urge to show his support and to encourage them, but what the mage had said before entering the room kept him from speaking his mind.
When Samuel talked about vengeance, the elf stopped his motions and began concentrating on the words he heard. "Revenge is always a bad thing to pursue, no good can come from it." While he was pondering about this, Magdi reminded Samuel about some items they had recovered in the ruins and quickly went through what he knew about religious practices linked to such objects, in an attempt to remember anything he had learned in elven lands.

Soveros was surprised when he heard Magdi's speech, he hadn't figured the old goblin for such a sensible person. His first impression of her hadn't been so good, but he was glad to be wrong about that.

Roll:

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(1d20+4)[20] for knowledge: religion

[Ajadea]

Soveros

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You recall an old fable about a fool who tried to play god, who made life from wood and metal. Their souls were kept trapped in boxes. He paid for his arrogance and blasphemous creations with his life. All the creatures were destroyed.

The idea of a lantern with bits and pieces of an orc attached seems bizarre. You think you can remember something about it, perhaps related to barbaric sacrifice rituals, but you do not know much else about these practices besides that it is not the sort of thing a civilized person should be doing.

A red clay pitcher of water and ten incredibly mismatched mugs sit on a side-table.

There is a silence. A short one, but it seems to stretch on for ages. "Boxed souls?" Aronda asks at last, frowning. "I've heard tales of people being trapped in mirrors and gems and the like, but never a simple box..."

"A goblin getting attached to something? That's new," the 'young' elder says derisively.

"This woman has lost as much as any of us. If all you can think to speak are insults, then you should still your tongue entirely." Aronda snaps at him.

"It would be absolutely no trouble. No trouble at all, Miss Magdi. The four of you came from Sunpeak, correct? I think - yes, it would only be fitting that you lead the rescue mission," the unsure elder replies.

One of the quieter elders speaks up. His voice is thin and hoarse, muffled further by the thick green scarf he wears. "We shall assemble the rescue party as soon as this meeting is adjourned," he declares. At least as well as anyone can declare something with a voice that wispy. "Mounts, food, and water will be provided for all of you. You will leave at daybreak tomorrow. Unless someone disagrees?"

No one speaks.

"You're dismissed, then," the unsure elder says. "We have much to discuss, and I'm sure you're wanting a rest after all that walking."

[Eleanor_Rigby]

Magdi looked at the pitcher and thought about taking a drink but elected not to. The meeting was not quite over yet and she wanted everything to be done just 'so'. Besides which, those mismatched cups reminded her of a test and she didn't want to be caught drinking from the 'wrong' one by some clumsy mistake. Chances were it was just a coincidence - lots of people had different types of cups that didn't match - but taking a drink would also mean she ran the risk of taking somebody's Personal Cup and drinking from it, which might offend them. Particularly if they weren't fond of mad goblin women in the first place.

She watched Sam nervously when the boxes were brought up again. Were they souls? Perhaps they were something else. Whatever they were she didn't understand them and she had let Sam remain responsible for the sample. She did not like those boxes.

She was beginning to wonder whether she liked the younger elder either. It hadn't been a very nice thing to say, and she eyed Kerath nervously when he said it and rubbed her chin. This sort of meanness from somebody with such authority only served to prove Kerath's earlier point, though Magdi liked to think of this younger elder as the exception rather than the rule. After all, Ms Aronda told him off almost straight away.

Magdi had come to the conclusion that she rather liked Ms Aronda. She could see things from very far away and she did not advocate cruelty. A proper, kind, wise, elder was what Ms Aronda seemed to be.

The problem, to Magdi's mind, was that what the green scarved elder had said wasn't quite accurate: the four of them weren't from Sunpeak - just her and Sam - but how to clear this ambiguity up, she wasn't sure. It was hardly her place to say where Kerath and Soveros were from, and it might make her look a little foolish to say anything firmly one way or the other about them - they had been keen to help, but she didn't know anything about them. She should let them speak for themselves. Or wait until Sam spoke for them, perhaps. Sam had said he would be doing the talking, after all.

She looked from one new comrade to the other, waiting for them to ope their mouths and explain. Perhaps it didn't matter where they came from. They had heard the story, and they wanted to help. Did much else matter? Sorra and Jory and Mrs Dumhid matter she reminded herself You'll have to go and apologise to them all once you're out of this hall. Assuming they'll listen to you, that is. Besides which, she needed to know a little more about Jory's brother and parents. Anyone who was still alive and could be rescued should be rescued, and anyone who was not still alive but could still be put to rest should be put to rest, but these were victims or survivors whose survivors she knew and for whom she felt responsible. This was silly, in a way, because she hadn't met them before they'd possibly died, but she wanted Jory and Mrs Dumhid to have answers. Sorra, it seemed from all that she had said and hadn't said in the Spire, already knew what had become of her loved ones... it just wasn't pleasant.

[BluesEclipse]

Growling, Kerath says, "I'll have you know that I'm not from the Spire... I've not seen what happened there. I came because I felt I should hear this story - and to offer my blade to whatever response was decided on. While I'll accompany them, since not one of them looks to be a capable fighter, I don't work for free - and I'm certain that they would also be interested in knowing how they'll be compensated for walking back into a place where they've already come close to death."

[Eleanor_Rigby]

"Kerath," Magdi hissed, "they are compensating us: did you not hear the gentleman? He said we would be provided with food, water and mounts for the trip. Those things don't come out of thin air: they are valuable resources and this is midwinter. They are being generous to us. My place of work and my home have both been destroyed... I have nothing but Sam here left to lose." She glanced at Sam apologetically before continuing. "I don't want any more compensation than what I need to get to any survivors and help them. The elders aren't asking for compensation. Why should I?"

Where the boy had got this sense of entitlement from she couldn't tell but it felt unpleasantly familiar.
She hadn't been sure whether to give him this dressing down in Gulgai or in Erlisan - the former might have saved his pride somewhat but it might have compromised the council's and Soveros's trust if she'd spoken to him in a language they did not know. Pride was a dangerous thing in the first place. All the same perhaps she'd been a little sharp with him. She added an ajoinder to her scolding.

"I understand that this is not your fight," she told him gently, "and I suppose that they were not your people either. It was noble of you to offer to assist us. I'm sorry you were expecting compensation... but I think given the circumstances, it's a rather odd thing to ask for. What price do you want to put on the potential survivors' lives, Kerath?" she fished in her jacket and found and unstrapped the little purse the man from the Academy had sold her - the one that might help her do magic if she learned enough about it. It had never assisted her in casting a single spell, and in the end she'd used it to keep coins in. She hadn't earned most of them. She didn't want any of them. "This is what I've got" she said, tossing him the densely embroidered bag "your life alone's worth more than those, so I'm sure it's not enough to pay for the survivors, if there are any, but if it makes you happy to have the coins, you can have them. I don't want them: they were completely worthless out there."
She put her hands in her pockets and stared at her bootlaces, her jaw jutting out a bit as she brooded. One day she was going to learn to be quiet. Today wasn't that day, evidently.
<-The emptied pouch, however, I wouldn't mind having back...-> She whispered to her kinsman quite quickly.

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The money in the spell component pouch is Magdi's starting gold. Unless I forgot something significant that she had in her starting gear, that leaves about 72 gold in the pouch.

[BluesEclipse]

Kerath catches the pouch, looking at it for a moment, before looking back at the other goblin. Scowling fiercely, he says in Gulgai, <"I can understand how you feel... but bear in mind, the only reason they're even considering this is because it was a human settlement that was attacked. If it were one of our people's villages that was destroyed, they'd stand by and do nothing. Even now, they aren't even sending any of their own guards or militia - people who are trained, equipped, and paid to do things like this - into that wreckage, but are asking a group that they only know because one of them is that mage's student."> Kerath's scowl deepens as he continues, <"Besides, you can speak of the value of people's lives all you want, but I've already seen that their kind tend to be rather selective when they decide whose lives are worth saving.">

Kerath looks back at the bag, silent, for a longer moment, before thrusting it back out towards its owner, frustration - and something else - clear in his voice, even to those who aren't familiar with the goblin tongue. <"Keep your gold, Magdi Adok. I know what it's like to lose your home, and all that you know... and I've seen people just like them spit on the pleas for help from survivors before. So while you may be willing to act for nothing, I think it only right that they make it worthwhile for me to aid them."> His voice falls to little more than a whisper, his face falling into a solemn, almost sorrowful expression as he concludes, <"In the end, I'm still doing more for them than any of these people have ever done for Riahast...">

[Ajadea]

"We're talkin' lives here!" the young elder snaps.

"Yes. Elven and Erlisan lives. He is a goblin from elsewhere - he has no stake in these proceedings," Sirlaith points out.

"A reward will be arranged," the green-scarved elder says. "We are aware that you will be risking death." This does not seem to perturbe him in the slightest, if the absolute lack of change in his tone of voice is any indicator.

There is a clacking sound - the human female elder is using an abacus. Her papery pale skin is as wrinkled as a dried fruit. Her frizzy white hair sticks out from under her blood-red wimple. But her hands are steady and her expression is as hard as steel. "Four hundred, and necessary equipment. Is that sum acceptable to you?"

[BluesEclipse]

At the words of the elders, Kerath nods gruffly, saying, "That's... acceptable. In addition to mounts, food, and water, we'll want bandages and other basic healing supplies. Enough for field medicine, at least..." Turning to the others in the group, Kerath continues, "I'm assuming one of you has at least enough healing knowledge to get any wounded we may find on their feet. I'll leave it to you to think of other tools that might be needed - you're the ones who were there, after all."

[Reb46]

Soveros continued striving to stay silent in order not to interfere with Samuel and Magdi's task - he understood he would only create confusion by speaking his mind about what he recalled from religious studies and his contempt for revenge. It was a habit for elves to listen to everything the others had to say before expressing their opinion or suggestions so he managed to stay silent for some more time. Following the conversation, he paid special attention to the goblin woman's words: she was proving to be wise in addition to being sensible, he promised himself to compliment her later for this.

The elf then expressed his thoughts on the matter at hand: "I am willing to accompany them, despite this young goblin's destructive attitude. My healing skills aren't so good but I should be able to stabilize any wounded with proper equipment and, - raising his holy symbol - with my deity's help I shall. Also, I will accept any resource you can provide us to help with our quest."
At this point, he took a step back, waiting for Samuel to leave.

[Eleanor_Rigby]

Magdi listened quietly to what Kerath had to say. She took back the pouch, stroking an embroidered symbol that might have represented some sort of bird before tucking it back into its safe place. She didn't check the contents although had she been concerned about it, there'd hardly have been any need as Kerath hadn't opened it either. The bag could have been empty for all the rest of the room knew, she supposed.

So she was Magdi Adok now? Did this mean he no longer believed her tribe would have turned her away for the mad old bat she was? She didn't ask him. Now wasn't the time and here wasn't the place. Maybe nobody had heard of Riahast now. It was hard to tell how long his little village had been gone for - it could have happened a month ago or years ago. It wasn't fair how these homes all ended up getting crushed. Resenting other victims didn't help matters any, however.
<-I am sorry about Riahast, Kerath-> was about all she could say to him. She meant it, although she had no idea under what circumstances it had fallen.

The goblin watched the human elder calculate the price of the lives of Sunpeak Spire's survivors. It was an unnerving sight. Of course, saying that she was calculating the price of their lives was not particularly fair... or rather, perhaps it was just innacurate. It probably wasn't the lives of the people they were leaving to rescue she was totting up the total for. A sum of four hundred gold pieces left the strong suggestion that Magdi's, Sam's, Kerath's and Soveros's lives came out to one hundred gold pieces each. Assuming they were all of equal worth, obviously. She wasn't entirely sure how she ought to feel about this but did not find it too disconcerting for her own sake: she'd been happy to risk death with no monetary reward.

It was a relief to hear that Soveros was going to join them though. They would be needing his expertise, she suspected, unless Sam had been trained to care for wounds - and judging by his initial response to the exploding boxes, he probably hadn't been. She nodded her thanks to both the elf and the other goblin for joining them on the venture then she tugged Sam's sleeve.
"I think I ought to apologise to Mrs Dumhid - and we should make sure Sorra is alright too. Perhaps she'll want to come with us. Do you... um, do you still have the shouting boxes you were going to show to the others?" It felt a bit rude to remind him as he probably had a reason for not producing them now but it did look rather a lot like he'd forgotten.

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Sam kept two boxes for showing to people they met afterwards. It was mentioned around page 13 or 14, I think...

[Starwulf]

Sam stares at Magdi in shock, having completely forgotten that he had snagged a couple of the boxes just for the purpose of showing someone in charge. Ahh, you're right, thank you Magdi. Turning, he again addresses the elders: Honorable elders, my companion here has reminded me of an important fact. The boxes that I mentioned earlier, we brought two of them with us to show you. I must warn you though, don't open them without some kind of protection, as the sound that it emits will literally cause bodily harm. It nearly killed me actually. Samuel steps forward and hands the boxes to his mentor Sirlaith, taking the moment to whisper a quick question to the man. Sirlaith, giving the nature of our mission and the perils we may face going back, would you happen to have any scrolls or anything magical in nature that might be able to make use of?