Death's End IC

[OhMyGodImOnFire]

Soryn followed suit, putting his tray away before heading for the second floor. There, he goes to his assigned room, dropping off his backpack, and shrugging off his quiver and arrows into a corner of the room. Turning, he heads for the water basin, splashing water on his face, cleaning off the dust and grime that had accumulated today.

As the fabric rubbed against the raw wound on his skin again, he reached for his belt to use the last of his charges. He stopped just as his hand was about to touch the stone, Ben's words from earlier coming to mind. Sighing, he sat down on his bed, crossing his legs and closing his eyes, and dropped into his trance. Might as well get some rest now, before we set off.

[esorscher]

Seeing the opportunity, Arran excuses himself from the table and follows Soryn up to his room. He knocks on the door to Soryn's room.

[Sen isSaqqara]

With a resigned buh, Lirian grabs Frost and makes her exit, consigning her plate to the ever-growing pile of dishes on the way out. As she passes the board, she signs her name on the archeology request. She then heads up to her room to clean up.

[OhMyGodImOnFire]

Sighing, Soryn came out of his trance and headed for the door. So much for that. He opened it to find Arran outside. "I assume you're here because Ben spoke to you," he said.

[esorscher]

"Yes," Arran says, and relays Ben's request. "What do you think?"

[OhMyGodImOnFire]

"I have spent my share of time in the wild to know how to track, but I have not had to do any hiding, so if we run into anyone, it'll likely mean a fight." He glanced at his bow and arrows. "What's the plan?"

[esorscher]

"Ben mentioned something about invisibility potions, but I wouldn't mind getting my hands dirty. Let's find out if the others want to join, then meet him in the alchemy lab. You tell Sey, I'll tell Lirian and Calia."

If Soryn has nothing else to say, Arran will head to Lirian's room, then Calia's, to inform them of the plan.

[OhMyGodImOnFire]

After Arran left, Soryn slung his bow over his shoulder along with one full quiver. He emptied his bag, leaving only the Everburning Torch and an Endure Elements potion behind - one had to travel light in order to track effectively. Besides, if there were spoils to be had, he would need something to carry it with.

Leaving his room, Soryn headed down the stairs. Now that Sey had resolved to come for the ruins expedition, she was no doubt at the command office, getting more information. When he got there, the door was closed - she was likely inside in a meeting. Not knowing how long she would take, he walked to the Training Hall. Hopefully there would be training dolls there for him to practice his shooting - what he had done earlier that day was abysmal.

[3SecondCultist]

Seychelles: The document posted under the ruin contract is listed under the name 'Tarvas', who you presume must be the citizen hiring out the contract itself. It describes very briefly how the explorer recently discovered a set of ruins northeast of Fiorne, but that he requires protectors to explore whatever he may find beneath the earth. Looking down, you see Soryn, Arran, and Lirian's name signed onto the bottom. Still looking for the full dossier, you move to enter the command office. The door is unlocked. Once inside, you get a good look at the room: the bookshelves, the desk, the closet. However, the command office is not empty. You recognize Caius sitting behind the desk, finishing what looks like a debrief report. As you enter, he pulls out an envelope, folds up the page and inserts it. The half-elf guild leader first barely acknowledges your presence with a nod, letting nearly a minute of silence accrue before actually addressing your presence with any words.
"Hello there, Miss di Serafi. I can only assume you're here to look for a contract dossier?" His smile is reserved, and he soon turns back to his work. With you still watching, the half-elf reaches over the desk to grab a ring and a vial of hot wax. The former he pours strategically over the envelope, the latter he uses to press the guild seal - a crescent moon shield - into the still cooling material.

Soryn: The training hall is mostly quiet at this time of night - most of the other guild members having since gone off to bed. The hall itself is quite large, the space an inversion of the dining hall you found yourself in earlier. To the back is the armory, which seems to has been closed up for the evening. In front of you is a row of straw dummies strung up against the wall, which has been graced with a layer of what looks like foam in order to soften the flight of the arrows that missed their mark. Also in the central section of the hall is a huge climbing wall that extends all the way to the ceiling. If your eyes follow the feature all the way up, you can see the vestiges of an obstacle course built into the rafters. Your attention is drawn to the other end of the room, however, as you hear the cutting of steel on air and the grunts of exertion. Looking over, you notice what looks to be a sizeable ring cut into the floor. The bottom is sand, and the walls are fenced in. The space itself is dominated by Aveline as she practices her sword work, slashing and parrying a foe only she can see.

[Lucretia]

"Hello, Master Caius. There are a few reasons I wished to meet with you, actually. You're correct in your prediction, however -- I request the contract concerning Tarvas and his archaeological concerns."

[OhMyGodImOnFire]

Someone else practicing at this hour? Intrigued, Soryn approached the ring, all thought of his own training forgotten. He watched Aveline, grunting as she swung her large blade over and over, and his thought of compensation from before came back to him, letting a small smirk flicker across his face. He quickly hid it. Kill her, the voice said. Annoyed, Soryn ignored it, and continued to watch her. Perhaps now that he had caught her alone, he would have a chance to garner some answers from her.

[3SecondCultist]

Seychelles: "Of course, I have the file here." Opening one of the desk drawers, Caius removes a folder and hands it to you. Opening it up, you see that there is a more detailed summary of the contract, including travel details and possible precautions. Apparently the site is only a day's walk northeast of the town itself, and any adventurers should be prepared for close quarters encounters, as well as exposure to cave-ins and flooding. Further on, the name of the ruin is given - Fort Valgas, an old imperial stronghold that was built in the Justinian days to act as a sentinel over Fiorne and the surrounding region. The contract also describes in non-negotiable terms that Tarvas will be going with you. This explains the last paragraph, which is clearly a personal documentation of the archeologist. The file describes him as 'eccentric', having only moved to Valeria six months ago and living outside Fiorne in his cottage. He has no spouse or children, and is apparently completely absorbed in his work. The last thing the file says is to beware his potentially obsessive personality, as Tarvas may compromise the safety of himself and others on his mission to explore the ruins.

Soryn: After several minutes of observation, Aveline finally whirls around to glare at you. Her face is glowing, but she has yet to actually break out in a sweat. Her armor clanks as she strides to the edge of the ring.
"Well? Are you going to keep staring, or did you want a turn in the pit?"

[Lucretia]

"Thank you, sir," she said, committing the details to memory. "May I take this with me, to show to the others who wish to pursue this task?" There was a gigantic red warning sign about this man and his desire to see the ruins. He would get them into trouble -- unless they tied him up and carried him around. Hmm...

"Also, sir, was that the mission report you just sealed? I had hoped to see it first, to see if anything had been left out. Drat."

[OhMyGodImOnFire]

Soryn took a step back and bowed slightly - it was not the time to antagonize anyone, least of all a woman wielding a large blade towering over him, who also happens to be his superior. "I have no desire to use the pit at the moment," he replied. "I would, however, like to speak to you. About earlier." Soryn felt that this would be a somewhat sensitive discussion, and that being alone in the training hall was in fact an ideal situation, but just to make sure, he looked around, confirming that no one was approaching.

Spoiler

Show

Making sure no one is around:

Listen: (1d20+10)[12]
Spot: (1d20+10)[13]

If I have to (or if I can/should) make these rolls every so often for the remainder of this discussion, I will do so in OOC.

[3SecondCultist]

Seychelles: Caius nods at your first request, leaving you to take the contract but asking you to bring it back after you have finished with it. However, at your mention of seeing the envelope the half-elf looks up sharply.
"I'm afraid I can't just let you see this - its against our policy as guild leaders. You see, Aveline and I include personalized evaluations with each final copy of the debriefing reports that we send off to Aquinal. This is all sensitive information, and it must remain private. Compared to the entire guild learning what Aveline and I think of certain members, the risk of leaving out a potential detail is negligible. I'm sorry, but no is the answer you will have to accept." His frown remains for a moment as he pockets the letter and walks past you, into the threshold of the main hall. The guild leader pauses then, before turning around to face you one last time.
"If you're going to show your friends that file, I would do so. I'm closing up the office for the evening, but you are welcome to deliver the full contract to me in person at any time before you leave. Tomorrow morning would be ideal." Caius smiles and nods goodnight before walking across the hall and into the vestibule chamber.

Soryn: While you do not notice anything in your immediate vicinity, you can hear a male voice echoing from the main guild hall - the voice of Caius, unless you are mistaken. However, it soon fades away. Meanwhile, Aveline has sheathed her sword back over her shoulder and climbed out of the pit. As you watch the warrior walking, you notice that her demeanor seems more... relaxed. She leans against the wall, head slightly bowed.
"I'm all ears, elf. Can you be a bit more specific, maybe?" Her face is angled away from you, but her voice conveys the suggestion that Aveline might be mocking you somewhat.

[OhMyGodImOnFire]

Soryn sighed - he had no desire to placate a human, but his curiosity overrode his contempt. "You are a smart woman, no doubt," he replied, "or else you would not be a guild leader - that is a position that must be met by not only brawn, but brains as well. You are also observant. As I spoke of my wound you immediately caught on to the fact that I was rubbing it, and I could see in your eyes that you had recognized it too. But you don't need me to tell you - you already know that."

Straightening his back, he took a half step forward - not challenging, but assertive. "What I wish to discuss," he continued, "is your and Caius's reactions during our debrief. With all due respect, solemn silences and exchanges of glances are high irregular responses for so mundane an escort mission. Even considering the casualty, death is not something that should faze one such as yourself, so it must have been something else. This 'something else' is what I want to know more about." Thinking for a moment, he added, "If you do not wish to disclose anything, I understand. But know that I and the rest of my party have become entangled in something - if indeed there is something - that we will most likely encounter again. At that time, it would probably be in your best interest to have at least one informed ally, rather than a team of liabilities."

[3SecondCultist]

Soryn: The moment you mention the word 'something', you hear a catch in the air as Aveline's breath catches momentarily. She says nothing at first, allowing you to finish before actually answering you.
"You have a lot to say, considering that you don't know what is going on." Getting up, Aveline comes closer until she is less than a foot away. She looks down at you, and you can see the iron in her gaze.
"You're right about a couple of things: death doesn't faze me, and I noticed your leg as soon as you walked into the room. And I can see that you know more about recent events than you let on back in the debriefing." The woman pauses, as if to consider what she will say next. Her words remain close and guarded, almost territorial. Clearly, this issue has been on Aveline's mind recently.
"Caius and I have good reason for not sharing our secrets with you. The more people you share a secret with, the less safe it is. Marius is gone, and don't try to tell me that he went after the goblins. He was seen escorting you into town, and if he had really wanted to track them he would have dragged the six of you along with him. If you shared your secrets with a fellow guild member and he then disappeared without any explanation, would you really be so eager to share them again?"

[OhMyGodImOnFire]

Though others may have flinched from Aveline's imposing figure, Soryn did not. "If you weren't at least somewhat eager to share what you knew," he calmly responded, "you would not have so readily shown that you had something to hide. Now that I know how sharp you are, it is even more apparent that what you and Caius did in that office - the silence, the glances - was a ruse. Both of you are far too intelligent, and certainly far too guarded, to slip us so clear a tell." For a moment, he considered giving Aveline another chance to let him leave without another word, to end the conversation right then and there. As his superior, she had every right to simply deny all that he had suspected, and ordered him to leave. But she did not. If she was really as keen as he made her out to be, she had forgone that option for a reason. So instead, Soryn pressed on. "Trust me, or don't. But now that you have confirmed my suspicions of this something, I intend to find out. By Phanine, I did not risk my life on that bridge so I could remain in the dark." To punctuate his point, Soryn reached up and tapped on the tip of his ear, as if to emphasize that his keen senses weren't only good for hunting rabbits.

[Lucretia]

"Ah, I hadn't known that. Thank you. We'll get this contract back to you tomorrow, then. Another something I'm unfamiliar with, and which will only take a quick moment -- what is the policy on payment for completed contracts?"

[gallagher]

Ben: The alchemy rooms are up here as well, taking up another secure chamber just beyond the second floor foyer. You step inside to a rather small and dinky lab, which is dominated by a table and filled with glass instruments. Almost completely hidden in the equipment and reagents is what looks to be a gnomish figure. He is wearing the grey and red livery of the guild in robe form, and his eyes are covered by goggles. The gnome gestures wildly for you to stand back as he pours a glowing silver liquid from a beaker into a boiling flask. He takes a deep breath as he does so, waiting for... nothing happens. Eventually he lets out his breath, obviously disappointed. Giving up on his experiment for the time being, the gnome removes his goggles and manages to make his way out of the tangle of alchemical gear to stand in front of you.
"Good day! My name is Lacitus Firehollow, at your service. Would you like something in particular?"

Good to meet you Lacitus. You may call me Ben if you like, or Ben of the Road if brevity isnt your thing. Yes, you could help me with two things really. I was looking to possibly use these facilities, test them out and get used to the equipment here, you know? Secondly, I am going out tonight to pick my own components for making alchemical items and potions, because they really are best fresh. I was wondering if I could borrow a book on local flora that could be used to make poisons as well, and this list of things that I could purchase in case I have the opportunity or need to make some while adventuring.


Ben hands Lacitus a list of the following items:
Book
some jars
a mortar and pistil
sheers and tongs
some gloves
good soap
something heat-resistant so I can prepare them over or in a fire
some vials with stoppers

[3SecondCultist]

Ben: After you finish speaking, the gnome pores over the list you've given him. He has yet to say anything, but he does not seem entirely present. Humming to himself, Lacitus makes his way over to the equipment cupboard. From the recesses of the mess, he fetches you two medium size jars, a bar of soap, a mortar and pestle, three of his vials, and a small pair of tongs.
"That's all I have to give you right now. If you really want some herbalism advice, I would talk to Kamose. He's the master alchemist of Fiorne, and he owns a shop near the temple of the Twelve." Before you get a chance to leave, Lacitus turns back to you once more.
"This stuff isn't cheap, so try to bring it all back if you can. Oh, and I would be careful who you tell about your poison interest. Some people here don't take too kindly to that sort of thing."

Seychelles: "Don't worry, all six of you will receive pay for the surveying job, and we will see to it that you all receive a bonus based on your encounter with the goblinoids." The door shuts behind him as Caius goes down the stairs. However, just as one guild leader leaves the other appears. Clearly, something is bothering Aveline as she nearly walks right into you, full plate and all.
"Oh, I'm sorry about that. What are you up to at this hour?"

Soryn: Upon listening to your words and your challenge, Aveline's demeanor shifts yet again. You can't see anything in her eyes now, there's nothing for you to latch on to. Without another word, the guild leader strides off towards the main hall, leaving you alone to train.

[OhMyGodImOnFire]

Soryn turned, following her at a distance. As he walked, he slowly let out a breath he didn't realize he had been holding. Whatever he had said, it had either worked, or it had spelled his death. The forest is only a few steps from here, he thought to himself, amused. I can always go back. She has her back turned, the voice said, coming back, shoot her! Annoyed, Soryn pushed the voice from his head for the umpteenth time. I need to find Sey, he reminded himself. Aveline certainly won't be doing much more talking tonight.

[Ajadea]

Calia finishes eating quickly and heads back up to her room. She drops her shield on the floor, shucks her warm coat. Chain mail clatters to the floor and she can't bring herself to care about the mistreatment of her equipment. Her boots and scabbard follow. With a few sharp tugs, she unties her braid and shakes out her hair. A glyph signed with fingers and slight elbow movements, she turns into sweeping gestures. Adapt or die, and magic is no exception to this. The small errors are forgotten by the universe. A tiny force flies from her fingers, invisible and intangible. Calia flops down onto the bed and lets the prestidigitation clean away the dust and the sweat and the blood from her skin. It tickles slightly.

The spell moves on to her armor and shield. She closes her eyes. Breathes in the scent of cleaned sheets.

There is a knock on the door. She groans, quite audibly, and forces herself up to open the door. Her hair is loose and still mussed by the spell. Without her coat and armor and sword, she looks smaller. "Is this important, Arran? Because I don't know about you, but I'd really like to get some sleep in an actual bed."

[esorscher]

"If you're interested, some of us are going to track down the goblins." Arran says, stepping inside the room and closing the door behind him. He doesn't wait for her response. "If you are, meet us outside the alchemy lab at midnight."

[Sen isSaqqara]

Having cleaned up a bit, and made sure Frost was happy, Lirian curls up in bed for the night. As she reached over to put out the lamp, her eyes are drawn to her rather meager monetary funding. Bah! She really wants some new clothes, and having had a large hole gashed into her old cloak would make this a perfect opportunity. Best get her old things patched up first, though. She really likes her cloak, so it gets priority. She'll remember to visit a tailor in the morning.

[esorscher]

Arran knocks on Lirian's door. If she answers, he tells her about the secret mission.

[Ajadea]

Calia is about to step aside and let Arran in, when he promptly leaves. She takes a minute to jam her boots back on and check to make sure everything's finished cleaning, then she runs after him. She loses him, then finds him again at Lirian's door. "Arran, you're - were you even listening back there?" Her tone is urgent, but despite all the running she's been doing, she doesn't sound even remotely out of breath. "I - there's nothing any of us can do. I just want to put this whole mess behind us and move on." He has to understand. Marius wouldn't do something like this without a reason. He was so torn back there. Calia knows he had his reasons, even if he wouldn't speak of them, and now they were going against his orders. No. He had a reason.

Spoiler

Show

Take 10 on Bluff - 21 (including Presence Aura) to transmit a hidden message: Were you even listening to Marius? He said to not follow him, to go take other missions.

Shouldn't be too complex.

[Sen isSaqqara]

Lirian swings the door open in a grand arc, her face the very image of someone so annoyed that they may well spontaneously combust.
"Lemme alone im sleepin!"
With this, she slams the door again.
A second later, the door opens.
"O Hai Calia. Niceta see ya. I'ma sleep more nau."
Then it shuts once more.

[esorscher]

Arran opens his mouth to apologize but decides against doing so to a door. "Maybe he does. I'm not sure I do." Although the literal utterance is vague, with Calia's specific understanding of the situation he expects it to be easy for her to deduce what he means. He opens the door to his empty room and leaves it open for her to follow. If she does so, he will close the door and say, "Even if I was, I'd still want to be there to make sure my friends survive."

[Lucretia]

"I had intended to ask Master Caius about any arcanists in the guild, but he seemed to be off in a hurry. It's my hope that I might learn more of the arcane arts while I am here, and perhaps have the privilege to investigate human and nonhuman anatomy via the dissection of cadavers. And yourself, Mistress Aveline? Is there anything I can help you with before I head upstairs to bathe and finally sleep in a real bed again?"