The Necromancer's Pact VIII: The Rising Tide

[Aveda]

Gala

Gala looks more than a little ashamed at herself when the Rashemi woman stops speaking. Standing up a bit straighter and now speaking more formally, she says, "I meant no offense, Ethran Tryntha, to you or to the sanctity of the Iron Lord. I'm lucky enough to have traveled to Immilmar with a Rashemi patrol, at least part of the way, and I am honored to call them my comrades. I'm extremely grateful for the welcome I have been given during my stay here. Especially considering I have no place else to go..." She smiles sadly until the impact of Tryntha's second statement sinks in. Frowning, and thinking back on what she said, it takes her a second to realize how she must have sounded. Surprised, she almost laughs at her own mistake before realizing that it probably wouldn't be as funny to the rest of them. "Why would I want to fight you? From what people are saying you told the Iron Lord and his Captains, we're all on the same side here." She shakes her head, and a steely glint is in her eyes as she says, "No, the only grudge I bear is against the Army of Darkness, and those that lead it. They destroyed my home, my life, and from what I've seen in my travels they weren't content at simply ravaging Impiltur." Her fists clench, and she adds, "I intend to make them pay for what they've done a thousandfold."

[Darius]

Tanner Gondsman

Tanner watches the events unfold around him. He is glad that his showing of 'proper respect' to a dragon (read: flattery) seems to have worked and only tables have suffered the wrath (and girth) of the beast. When the retainer asks the see Faluil, Desmona, Lissa, and Achkby, Tanner cannot help but wonder out loud, "It looks like the Iron Lord is asking to see representatives to discuss this matter in private - each are of the four races. This is not a coincidence in my mind, as each of these have shown to be allied with the forces of good; having emmesaries of the four would be wise should need arise."

Tanner then sees Gala standing there. He has always been intrigued by warrior-women, and this one has hair "kissed by fire" as the Rashemi say. He walks over to her and introduces himself. "Greetings, Gala. I am called Tanner Gondsman. I am not the one to ask about this information;" Tanner indicates the others around the dragon, "they are. Though I cannot speak for the entire group, your timing seems perfect. We have lost many of our number to get here. The group may be looking to fill the gaps with a warrior who works well as a team." Hearing Tryntha's rebuke on his way to meet Gala, Tanner adds, "That is unless you came here to fight us. Then, you will want to start with him," Tanner thumbs over to Grynde. "He'd be happy to oblidge," he says with a smirk.

[barawn]

Damian

(ooc: whoops, just kinda assumed Lissa wasn't there. Oh well. We'll figure that Damian just didn't see her because she was short. Fizahn can make a wise crack at it later. )

When the retainer arrives to request Lissa, Achkby, Desmona, and Faluil, Damian's eyes grow wide, and a soft "No..." escapes him. He quickly looks over to Callos, ignoring the introductions going on around him, his eyes wide. "Callos, quickly. Let me try the ring Tiriel gave you. I have a very, very bad feeling. I'll give it back, you have my word. Trust me, if my guess is right, I don't want the ring."

[Naleh]

Retay

The barbarian seems largely unaware of the comings and goings. Still holding his axe at the ready, he alternately watches the dragon warily and glares at the middle-aged man with the skeletal hand.

[Aveda]

Gala

Gala watches the four leave the room, her brows furrowed. Shrugging, she turns to Tanner. "Hello, Tanner Gondsman. Truth be told, I hadn't given much thought to what I'd be doing after I reached Immilmar. It's been hard enough getting here in the first place." She thinks for a moment before adding with a slow grin, "But I can't think of anything I'd like better than to join your group, if you'd have me. You seem to know what you're doing, or at the very least you're better informed than your average soldier. If you guys are going after that army, like they say, I'll gladly lend my sword. It's a lot better than waiting for them to come here, and I don't work too well on my own anyhow." She looks around the room at the people who had greeted her so far: Tryntha, Tanner, Fizahn, and the man with the...feathers?...in the chair. There were quite a few more, but they were all occupied with the dragon at the moment. "But I know there's a lot of you here. I'll let you all talk it over before anything gets nailed down." She nods to Tanner, and sits down in the nearest chair, near the feathered man, to stare at the dragon. "So...how did you guys ever get a dragon? It couldn't have been easy to sneak it in with you without word getting out."

[Diarmuid]

Tryntha

Glad to have a distraction from coming to grips with the self-mutilation evident on Callos, Tryntha continues her discussion with Gala.

"The Wonderbringer's emissary is correct in that there have been many losses leading to the gathering you see before you. But..."

With a slightly reproachful look towards Tanner, she continues speaking to the woman,

"..he may have been a bit hasty in speaking for those endeavoring to charm a dragon, or whatever it is they are up to."

Letting her eyes roam the room until they settled on the sword-bearing half-elf who had caused so much tension so far, she smirked and then spoke on,

"Tanner, however...spoke complete truth when he said that one would be happy if you were looking for trouble. His blades are always his first answer. Thought I wish it were untrue...it seems this stance is becoming more and more appropriate in these dark times of ours."

Smirk gone, Tryntha turns an inquisitive stare to this newcome self-proclaimed victim of these wars, and resumes with a very serious tone,

"Thus it is that I hope you will not be too offended if I ask how it is that one recently displaced from a ravaged Implitur ended up connected with a Rashemi troupe that just happened to be headed for Immilmar where other events of no small consequence just happened to be going on."

Finished sorting through her healing bag, Tryntha rests her elbows on the table and lies her chin in her folded hands. A wisdom beyond her years shines from behind her eyes and she apparently can see nothing but the warrior-woman standing before her.

Spoiler

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DrB, not exactly sure how to play this part out. I know a lot of my DM's dont really allow for things like SenseMotive and Bluff when dealing with other PC's, requiring these scenarios to be role-played out (which I do enjoy), but the limitations of PbP would seem less inclined for this to work properly. I'm really just trying to determine the sincerity of Gala's tale and her stated intentions. I, of course, realise she is a new PC you are bringing into the game...but in the face of an entire evening spent determining who should wear a set of 9 rings needed to keep the body-snatching BBEG out of peoples' heads...Tryntha's suspicions seem well warranted.

Sense Motive - (1d20+4)[13]

[kuja.girl]

Tiriel

Tiriel looks at the dragon both astonishment and amusement. She absentmindedly strokes it's head as she comtemplates the dragon's behavior. "It's almost like a dog; a huge dog... with big teeth and claws," she thinks to herself.
She's snapped out of her ruminations by Damain's suggestion to "put the dragon away."
"Right, that's a good idea. Darastrix?" Tiriel asks the dragon, hoping that the word for summoning also works for dismissing the dragon.

[ooc: I was going to post more but I better wait to make sure the dragon is dealt with first.]

[blackfox]

Anika

When Tiriel dismisses the dragon, Anika turns her full attention to the conversation between Gala and the others. She quietly approaches so she can listen, to get an idea of what is going on and what is being talked about before she chooses to enter the conversation herself.

[Dr._Bob]

The dragon vanishes, returning to its ring form, which clatters onto the floor once again. As before, only Tiriel is able to pick the ring back up, as if the ring has decided that Tiriel is its "owner" for now.

Damian looks concerned and asks for the cloisonne ring. Callos hands it to the spellthief and waits to see what he has in mind.

...

Meanwhile, Anika observes Tryntha confronting the newcomer from Impiltur. The Rashemi healer seems surprisingly haughty as she does so, perhaps emboldened now that she is once again among her people.

The ethran eyes Gala intensely, but can detect no guile or deception in this simple warrior.

[barawn]

Damian

Damian looks down at the ring, and takes a bit of a breath. "Don't ask me what I'm thinking. I'm not entirely sure myself. All I see is that the only person who's had a ring reject them was Lissa - and now suddenly Lissa is requested by the Iron Lord. It'd be nice to know if there was a connection." He then slips the ring on, looking to see if it rejects him at all, but not speaking the command word.

[Koji]

Khazrael

The threat of the dragon passed, Khazrael seems to lose the vaguely distant look that had masked his earlier alarm. He straightens up in his seat and adjusts his new jacket, suddenly donning a more amicable persona.

"I forgot to introduce myself. Gala, was it...? I'm Khazrael. Don't mind us if we seem a little, uh, unfocused at the moment." His eyes jump to Tryntha for a moment before he continues, "We had a tough time getting up here. We only arrived last night."

He gives an oddly charming grin, full lips parting slightly to reveal his pointed white teeth.

"So, uh...I'd love to stay and chat, but I've got some stuff to do today. Does anyone know when they're going to want us back here?"

((OOC: If nobody needs Khaz for anything, he's gonna run off and go try and get his familiar.))

[Callos_DeTerran]

Callos

And people call me paranoid...just look at this poor guy.

Callos shook his head with a bit of a disgruntled look on his face as he watched Damian. This had to be the most troublesome magic rings that he ever had the unhappiness to possess, but at least there was a new person so that not quite as many were crowding around the dragon ring and Tiriel. With a sigh he massaged his temples and went to sit at the same table that Tryntha had and sat across from her.

"Here, might as well take a look at it now. This is probably the slowest point of the day for me right now." Directing a wary eye to the newcomer to the hall, the necromancer dragged his eyes up and down her uncomfortably before shaking his head. "Well at least idealism hasn't died yet. And your about as welcome as anyone to trail along, gods above know we pick up enough of them anyway. You said your name was Gala right?"

[Darius]

Edit: Moved to OOC thread.

[Darius]

Callos

Well at least idealism hasn't died yet. And your about as welcome as anyone to trail along, gods above know we pick up enough of them anyway. You said your name was Gala right?"

Tanner Gondsman

Tanner hears Callos' statement and approaches the necromancer, "Callos, if you do not wish me to remain with you, just say the word, and I shall make my leave to go to a place where I am more appreciated." The cleric's stance and jaw is set firm. He cannot hide his eyes narrowing at Callos and the incantations to certain spells come readily to Tanner's mind.

[Aveda]

[OOC]Jeez, you guys are making me work![/OOC]

Gala

Gala's attention shifts from the dragon as Tryntha once again addresses her. The war's certainly got everyone on edge, she thinks, but what has she seen to make her so suspicious? She toys with the thought of giving some snappy retort about interrogations, but thinks better of it as the others introduce themselves. She may have to work with these people someday--they may as well know where she comes from. She meets Tryntha's piercing gaze and takes a deep breath.
"Well Tryntha, mine's a bit of a long story, and I've never claimed to be all that good with words. I hail from the city of Laviguer in Impiltur, which, you may have heard, was about as effective as a doormat in stopping the Army of Darkness. We had no warning; it seemed as if the drow and demons came up all around us in a matter of moments." Gala looks down and pauses. The details from the battle, if you could even call it that, were still fresh in her mind, rife with images she'd rather not describe out loud.

"I survived, as did a few others. Most of them decided to stay, to try and rebuild the city, but how would I know how to go about doing that? I've been fighting all my life. Besides, most everyone I knew had died. I had little enough to stay for. So I decided to do what I knew how to do, and go after the bastards that flattened my city. I headed East for a long time, sometimes with others, sometimes alone." Gala takes a breath and tries to summarize many events in a few short sentences.

"Usually, we came upon the next town or village too late to warn its people. Sometimes, we helped fight off bands of drow that were raiding some village or other. It gave me some hope, and I pressed on East, even when all traces of the Army seemed to disappear from the land. I got lost...many times. Lost track of time, too, till I came upon some commotion up in some mountains I was traveling through. I stumbled right in the middle of a vicious fight, a horde of ghouls attacking a patrol of Rashemi warriors. Call it the will of the gods, or fate if you must, but that's how we met. At that point I didn't even know I had entered Rashemi lands. I joined the fray and took a few of the ghouls by surprise. Together with the Rashemi warriors, the ghouls were defeated. The Rashemi, hearing my story after the fight, allowed me to join them and seek shelter at Immilmar once we reached it. And so...here I am." Gala finishes quietly with a shrug.

After a moment, she looks up and meets Tryntha's gaze. "So, do I pass? If you still question my motives and story, I'm sure my former companions will be happy to confirm..." Looking around, Gala finally realizes her escort had left the room some time ago. "Oh. Well, if you desire, you can ask about me among the Snow Tiger lodge. They'd vouch for me." Sitting back in her chair and crossing her arms, Gala waits to see the reaction her speech gets. She certainly didn't come in here prepared to tell her tale, and while usually friendly she doesn't quite feel comfortable sharing so much with so many people she barely knows. Looking at the others' faces, she sits awkwardly and waits.

[Callos_DeTerran]

Callos

"Your a little bit sensitive, aren't you? Now when did you hear the words 'I want you to leave' come out of my mouth cause I'm fairly certain I never said that or even implied it. I merely pointed out an un-opinionated observation that wherever this group seems to go, we pick up people of like mind or goals, which you seemed to take as an insult." Callos pointed out a bit wearily to the Gondsman. He had already been in too many other fights this morning and the day before to truly put forth effort in insulting the cleric, not that he truly wanted to either considering that for all he knew the man was defenseless. Of course the necromancer doubted that, but one could never be sure in this day and age.

"Now you may not know me...Tanner, thats it right? But I don't hide my intentions about things like this. If I ever wanted you to leave I'd flat out tell you, but you should also keep in mind that I don't control this group anymore then Tiriel does, or Gala for a more extreme example, and you shouldn't take my word as such. There's plenty of people I don't like but the situation demands that I work with them. I'd think the servant of Gond would be able to lay aside his pride and understand that a good plan involves utilizing every resource available to resolve the outcome. Which in this case is the spirit of an ancient necromancer allying with the Baneson. Now, as I'm to understand it, you are in fact a being with divine magical capabilities which would make you a more then useful addition. Don't let it get to your head though."

OOC: Hehe, just think of it as us getting you used to PbP with the advanced crash course.

[Naleh]

Retay

The axe-bearer suddenly looks around at Gala. As she finishes her story, he strides over to her, and it becomes clear just how large he is.

"Ghouls, you say? You encountered ghouls near here?" With an oath, he spins on the spot and buries his axe in another table. "I thought it was just one group! Rashemen won't be ready for days yet!"

[kuja.girl]

Tiriel

Tiriel retrieves the brass ring and slips it back onto her finger. Damian's advice about having it identified was a good one, but there may not be time. At least the dragon was friendly, if not verbose.

She manages to catch enough of the newcomer's, Gala's, story to put her at ease. Her story is more believable than what some of us went through to get here. And, we could use some more people that can take the front line...
"Don't mind Callos. He's always grumpy. He does have a point though, we've never had a real leader - we recently lost the closest person to that (Lumpy). So, for now, we're just a group of like-minded people that share the same goals. You're welcome to come with us Tanner, Gala, we can use all the help we can get in trying to push our way back West."

[Matticus]

Grynde

He eyes the axe-damaged table, but speaks of nothing to the barbarian. With blatant disregard for the newcomer, and the dragon, he leaves the room, to simply go for a walk.

[Darius]

Tanner Gondsman

Tanner's eyes sharpen even more as Callos speaks. He is about to reply when Tiriel speaks up. He speaks to her, "No, I won't mind Callos. I have learned that those who speak sarcastically and in a condescending manner do so in order to feel better about their own inadequacies. I will pay him no mind other than a warning that speaking with a split tongue may prove his own undoing one day."

Tanner then turns to answer Callos when he says, "I realize that you do not control this group, nor are you its leader. However, you do control what you do and say - more importantly how you say it. If you consider me 'sensitive' as you put it, then perhaps you could treat me with more respect lest your intent was to raise my ire. Then, you would be doing as you say - speaking your mind so your intentions are clear. As a worshipper of Gond, I have learned the merits of optimizing ones resources; this is not a matter of pride - this is a matter of common courtesy and respect. On one thing we do agree, there are plenty of people I don't like but at times the situation demands that I work with them."

[Erikkin]

Fizahn:

Fizahn pays brief attention to Gala's story before wandering over to Callos and Tanner. Yay. Callos offended someone else today. Wonderful. "He didn't mean it in a condescending or sarcastic way Tanner. He was just making an observation. There have been many people who travel with us when the need dictates, and then they leave when they feel it necessary. He might not have even been referring to you, Brother Gondsman. A particular memory of an irate priest of some crazy diety or another may have fueled any condescension or bitterness you may have detected in his voice. Not all the people who travel with us are likeable." Fizahn can't help but glance at Grynde's receding back as he says the last sentence.

[Diarmuid]

Tryntha

Tryntha nods along with Gala's story. [artistic license] She had heard tell of another band of warriors that had encountered undead beasts while discussing current matter with the women's circle and recalled it had indeed been the same tribe as the woman mention. [/artistic license]

As if reading the other woman's mind, she offered,

"There are enough strange things afoot that even the most obvious things cannot be taken at face value. I meant no offense, but only had the safety of my land and my people at heart. I do not wish to see a similar fate befall this place as has already too many others."

It's clear the Rashemi woman was not expecting Callos to be so cooperative with her inspection of his wound. So much so, that she completely disengaged from her discussion with Gala to concentrate on the strange man and his stranger affliction.

Unfurling her rolled up bundle, she beckons him to lay his strange appendage down upon a soft piece of leather to better examine it. Glad she is for the distraction as the bickering breaks out again amongst those gathered. After Tanner's most recent comments, she does not wait to see if Callos will offer a retort, but instead applies a fairly vicious pinch to the flesh at the juncture where it meets the exposed bone of his forearm. When he looks to her, her eyes are full of mock apology and she murmurs a soft,

"Will you please hold still so I may finish?"

Over the course of about 20 minutes, she casts various spells detecting for magic, evil, disease, curse, poison, and the general level of the man's health. She tests a smattering of healing spells to see what reaction, if any they will have. She asks many questions about the wound (does it itch, have there been any odd colors/odors, felt any dizziness, etc etc etc), but tries her best to respect his privacy and skirts the issue of how and/or why this was done. Her touch is firm, but gentle, and her demeanor remains strong and professional as it had while she dealt with Gala.

Spoiler

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Not really sure what is exactly appropriate in this scenario. I'm assuming Callos is a pale master or something, but am unsure what level of knowledge (if any) Tryntha would have of such cases.

Here's a bunch of rolls, apply any as you deem appropriate.

Healing - (1d20+13)[33]
K:Arcana - (1d20+3)[17]
K:Religion - (1d20+5)[9]
K:History - (1d20+4)[22]
K:Planes - (1d20+2)[16]
Search - (1d20+1)[6]

In the end, she reports that while appearances would hold contrary, the arm appears healthy. Tryntha is unable to mask all of the concern and surprise from her voice while discussing it with Callos.

She also mixes a small amount of paste into a small vial and hands them, along with some prepared leaves and wrappings to Callos. She instructs him to apply some of the paste to be covered with the leaves, and then wrapped if the area where bone leaves flesh should begin to have a short list of symptoms. She also cautions against allowing the bone to be in too much direct sunlight, as the rays can bleach the bone, causing it to lose strength and become more brittle.

While putting away her healing supplies, she mentions aloud to no one in particular,

"If this enemy is indead such a powerful necromancer...then it would be helpful indeed to have one who is familiar with these magics to combat these evils."

There is only slightest bit of inflection on the last word.

[barawn]

Damian

Though he appears engrossed in studying the ring, Tiriel's comment excusing Callos catches his attention. "Tiriel, it should be noted that Callos's disgruntlement with the growing number of people may not be that misplaced. If I remember correctly from Anika's speech, you've already had a case where you left something important with someone you thought you could trust, but in the end, could not, though it was clearly not by her choice. Certainly with a larger group, it's harder to trust everyone's motives. Your smaller group alone already has members whose motives you do not fully trust."

He turns to look at Gala, not moving from his location a fair distance from the others, where Tiriel had summoned that dragon, his eyes cold and his features emotionless. "Don't take that personally, Gala. Or Tanner, for that matter. If the necromancer really were to send someone to infiltrate and kill you, he wouldn't send someone with a sign that said 'I Am Evil.' He would send someone who would look, and act, exactly as you're acting. And do it well."

He then glares over to Retay, his voiced raised slightly, almost wincing. "And would you please put that axe away, or at least stop chopping furniture?!"

[blackfox]

Anika

Anika scowls at the mention of the incident in Telflamm, which had cost everyone so much. What Damian said was true, and, just to make things worse, there was all sorts of hatred between different members of the party as well as distrust.

Well, I guess there's no way of telling whether she's posessed or not short of magic... which I don't have. And if the rings work as they're supposed to... Anika shakes her head and comes forward to Gala. "I don't believe I've been introduced yet... Your name is Gala, right? I'm Anika." She extends her right hand towards Gala.

[Aveda]

Gala

Relieved that Tryntha seems at last satisfied, Gala nods and sits back in her chair, only to jump as the large man with the axe almost splits another table. "Well, it wasn't all that close to Immilmar. But nowadays, sit in any tavern you like for an evening or two and you'll find that these attacks aren't unheard of. I share your concern, though. That's why it's a good thing you guys got here when you did. The sooner the Rashemen mobilize, the better." Gala hopes that her words prevent any further damage to the already partially demolished room. She watches various members of the party needle and argue with each other, wondering how a group that's accomplished so much could seem so...disorganized. Gala nods when the conversation requires her to. She pays careful attention to any clues the party drops about some necromancer's spirit, sending spies, and the baneson, and though it's impossible for her to understand how it all fits together it certainly seems to her as though this is just the information she was looking for.
Looking up at the woman approaching the table, Gala stands and takes her hand in greeting. "Hello, Anika. Good to meet you." She smiles and nods her head towards the others absorbed in their argument. "Are they always like this?"

[Naleh]

Retay

The table-mauler glances at Damian, then fixes his eyes back on Callos. "I'll put it away when there's no evil about," he says blatantly. "If you prefer, there's better things I could chop than furniture."



((OOC: short posts for teh win! ))

[Dr._Bob]

The dining hall is a disaster area. Several tables have been smashed, and Retay's axe is embedded in another tabletop.

...

Callos tolerates Tryntha's ministrations with bemusement. The ethran has not encountered this type of self-mutilation before. There is obvious necromancy afoot, though exactly what Callos has done and why is unclear to her.

...

While some of you puzzle over the rings, others split off to explore the city.

Currently the rings are held by the following party members:

Aeroz - iron octagon (?)
Fizahn - gold ring with three rubies (?)
Tiriel - brass snake (summons brass dragon?)
Callos - ornate ring (?)
Damian - cloisonne ring (?)
Elthan - simple ring (cloaks in shadows?)
Adalmar - leather loop (accelerates speed?)
Anika - white gold with black pearl (increases agility?)
Khazrael - silver filigree dragonfly (creates vibration/blur effect?)

It seems that the rings can change owners, though some of their intrinsic powers may only be compatible with specific party members.

...

The city of Immilmar is picturesque in a rustic way. Most of the buildings are of solid timber construction with steeply pitched roofs to keep the snow off. The capital is nestled against Lake Ashane, with the Iron Lord's keep situated at the city's highest point. The castle is made of iron and stone, quite different in architectural style from the rest of Immilmar.

You are able to walk the streets freely under the aegis of the Iron Lord. Unlike most foreigners who are quarantined on the west side of the city, you are free to roam about as you wish.

...

Adalmar goes out looking for dire bats, but returns with Kir, who has reunited with his master after an epic journey across the Lake.

...

Khazrael hopes to scour the underbelly of the city for a familiar, but is sorely disappointed to find the city uniformly clean, quiet, and wholesome.

The citizens of Rashemen primarily worship bhalla, who is known as Chauntea elsewhere in the Realms. If there were once worshippers of other gods or devotees of the lighter and darker arcane arts, they seem to have left or been driven out perhaps.

Khazrael returns to the keep empty-handed, though snappily dressed.

...

As the sun begins to dip toward the horizon, you reassemble back in the large dining hall. The broken tables have been cleared and replaced with new ones. Once again, a meal has been set out for you.




OOC: Take care of whatever business you feel you need to. Please shout out OOC when your character is complete/updated/equipped/etc.

If you want to keep switching rings or testing out their powers, now would be a good time to complete this.

[blackfox]

Anika

Anika smirks. "Nice to meet you too, Gala. They aren't usually like this... usually they're worse." She looks thoughtful suddenly. "I don't suppose anyone's told you exactly what the situation with the Army is... how much do you know about what's going on?"

[Erikkin]

Fizahn:

Fizahn wanders away from the conversation in the mess hall. He spends a little time randomly wandering before he heads to the weapon stores. Once there, he spends some time looking at the equipment. He stops after picking up a quarrel of bolts and noticing the ring on his finger. I'd completely forgotten about that. The dragon ring was quite distracting. He looks around for anyone before pulling it off and inspecting the band for any writing. He leaves the storage room with a quarrel of masterwork bolts and looks for Damian. Upon finding the spellthief, he tosses over the bolts. "Here you are. Never shoot me again." He then abandons everyone for the comfort and quiet of his room.

[Koji]

Khazrael

Khazrael returns looking sharp and content, but a little worn out from walking the streets all day. He is surprised to see Gala has returned, and takes a seat near her.

"Never thought I'd see the day when someone chose to get caught up with us."

He gives a smile and pours her a small amount of wine before doing the same for himself.

"Careful with this stuff."