[Nexus] The Black Dragon's Den XIII

[Shadowcaller]

[Lunch Meeting]

"I was only dressed in a towel when I fought them too, did I mention that?" Dena remarks with a smile. "And I still argue that being a member is better in the longer run. I mean, I can still work with Southside despite technically being in charge of the entire Westside defenses." Dena taps the table twice with her fingers. "Anyway, as for me joining MERC, at that time there wasn't even a license option. You either joined, or you were out, and I went with the first option since I needed money after ending up here. Plus, Kirk was pretty cute." She chuckles. "Simpler times back then, before I got all this responsibility."

[Nova_Eclipse]

[Lunch Meeting]

Electra smiles gently, a hint of sadness still remaining in her eyes.

"Sounds like you've been where I am. I'll definitely have to think about it. For now, though, we still have a bunch of stuff to find out. Did you want to see Stu's AMEN interview? I brought the DVD with me."

[Shadowcaller]

[Lunch Meeting]

"We can view it here?" She eyes Electra curiously. "Don't tell me you have installed a DVD holder in yourself."

[Nova_Eclipse]

[Lunch Meeting]

Electra chuckles, shaking her head.

"No, but I did bring a portable player with me." She reaches down and grabs the backpack she brought in with her, unzips it, and pulls out a portable DVD player. She places it on the table, and grins. "The disc is in there if you want to watch it."

[Shadowcaller]

[Lunch Meeting]

A portable... Dena always figured those things needed a cord. Could it run on batteries? Weird.
"Right. Let's have a watch then." She starts up the DVD player, preferring not to talk about her ignorance of some technology.

[Nova_Eclipse]

[Lunch Meeting]

The device does indeed run on batteries, though the screen is relatively small. When Dena hits play, it takes it a moment, before launching right into the video. Electra, having seen it already, finishes her coffee and flags down one of the servers for a refill. When the video gets close to the finish, she'll watch Dena's reaction intently.

[Shadowcaller]

[Lunch Meeting]

Once smiles once she reaches the end of the video. "Well, that pretty much confirms my impression of Stu and Ilpholin, that's for sure. That's nice, but as I said, it just cements a idea of them which I already had. One hears things after all." She looks up at Electra. "So the tactic will be the same, right? Try to 'seduce' Stu while I talk to Jezebel. Then we send a bot to Tep, and deal with the mayor together. Each part will be difficult, but not impossible."

Its about now Astrana enters the den, she doesn't immediately spot Dena and Electra however, looking around the tavern cautiously.

[Nova_Eclipse]

[Lunch Meeting]

Electra nods, grinning.

"That's about the size of it. I am going to do a bit of scouting with some aerial drones as well before I try to 'seduce' Stu to see if I can figure out if and where he's keeping his records. That will let me pick the best place to move forward." She glances over as Astrana walks in. "Well, well, and here's Astrana. I hope she can help Raril." She holds up a hand and waves it, hoping to catch the tiefling's attention.

[Shadowcaller]

[Lunch Meeting]

Dena eyes the tiefling. "Mmm, hopefully." She then waves to Astrana as well. "Busy day, huh?"

"A bit, yeah." Astrana replies once she sauntered over to the two. She doesn't seem too interested in making small talk though. "But where did you see the ghost last? We might need to hold a seance."

[Nova_Eclipse]

[Lunch Meeting]

Electra gestures towards the chair that pulled itself up in front of the fire.

"Over there. That's where I've been seeing the cold spot and hearing the music from."

[Shadowcaller]

[Lunch Meeting]

Dena can only agree with a nod. "Yup, tell us if ya' need anything."

The tiefling eyes the location Electra pointed out. "We need to form a circle and call upon the spirit to see what it has to say, if it is indeed Raril, then he should come to us."

Dena eyes Astrana. "As in, joining our hands in a circle? I'm gonna pass on that. Senses, or any rituals, are not something I'm gonna get myself involved in. Just draw up a rune circle or whatever, as long as I don't get involved."

The warlock frowns. "I just need three people its not a dangerous ritual. If it is Raril we should have nothing to fear at all. Ghosts aren't nearly as dangerous as people believe."

Yet Dena just shakes her head. "Sorry, not my kind of thing. I bet you can find someone else though if you're really that eager."

[Nova_Eclipse]

[Lunch Meeting]

Electra watches Dena and Astrana for a moment, then shrugs.

"I'll lend a hand if it will help, though I don't know what to do. I'm not sure who would act as a third, though."

[Morty]

[Lunch Meeting]

As it happens, a tiefling Dena is quite familiar with walks into the Den at this very moment. He takes a look around, and sees Dena with a pair of women. He sees that she's busy, so he just offers the gorgon a wave.

[Shadowcaller]

[Lunch Meeting]

Dena looks up and waves back. "I think I might have found someone."
"Hey Fayyaad, come on over. These two ladies might need your help." She exclaims with a smile as she gestures at Astrana and Electra.

Astrana gives Fayyaad a curious look. That was one handsome fellow.

[Morty]

[Lunch Meeting]

Fayyaad looks surprised, then grins. He approaches the trio and gives a bow with a flourish.

"They're in need of a dashing hero like me? Greetings, ladies. I'm Fayyaad ibn Haashid al-Zafar. But just Fayyaad is fine."

[Nova_Eclipse]

[Lunch Meeting]

Electra eyes Fayyad, an unreadable expression on her face. Handsome, indeed. Polite, too. She nods at him.

"I'm Electra. Nice to meet you. I'm guessing you're a member of MERC as well?"

[Shadowcaller]

[Lunch Meeting]

"Nah, he's like you, just a dirty license holder." Dena muses. "But right now, Astrana here wishes to talk to a ghost, which she needs two other people for." She gestures at the other tiefling.
"Yes, I just need you to stand in a ring and hold hands while I attempt to communicate with the deceased spirit, nothing else." Astrana explains. "Its for a MERC job."

[Morty]

[Lunch Meeting]

Fayyaad blinks. Communicating with spirits? Holding hands? This went to weird places quite fast.

"I am indeed a license holder. And if you need an extra person for the... spirit summoning I believe I can lend a hand," he says, raising his eyebrows sardonically.

[Nova_Eclipse]

[Lunch Meeting]

Electra sticks out her tongue in jest at Dena, then turns back to Fayyaad and Astrana.

"Just tell me where you need me to stand and what you need me to do." She grins at both of them.

[Shadowcaller]

[Lunch Meeting]

Astrana smiles at Fayyaad. "Alright, all you need to do is hold my hands and repeat my chant. That's it. If this works, I'm going to ask the ghost a few questions and that will be it." She explains to two.

"Yup, nothing weird with that at all." She shoos Electra and Fayyaad, "So go kids, play along nicely now." She was older than the three of them combined, she could call them all kids.

[Morty]

[Lunch Meeting]

Fayyaad will take a place in the circle, according to Astrana's instructions. He raises an eyebrow at Dena, not sure how to feel about being called "kid".

[Nova_Eclipse]

[Lunch Meeting]

Electra raises an eyebrow and smirks. It's been awhile since anyone's called her "kid". She takes her place in the circle and offers her hand to Astrana, then nods at the tiefling.

[Shadowcaller]

[Lunch Meeting]

Dena could call them all kids if she wants to, just don't her the basis of that privilege. "Perfect, I'll be sitting over there then, watching you have 'fun'." She then gets up and sits down at the next table, making sure there was a distance between her and the ritual, but that it wasn't too great, in case she needed to help out if something went wrong.

"Great, then lets stand around the table and form a circle please. Just hold my hands and repeat what I say..." Once that is set up, Astrana will start to chant in some unknown language, loudly and slowly pronouncing each word to make sure the others could at least follow her with some accuracy.
This will go on for a few minutes before she suddenly switches back to native nexus (whatever that language is). "Raril, we call upon you, declare to us your presence." If this works out properly, the spirit of Raril should be within the circle and say something as he is summoned.

[Artemis97]

The motes that were floating over the chair by the fire suddenly cease to be. The air in the circle grows colder and the candle sitting on the table flickers, and then the flame shrinks to almost nothing. The motes of light return, en masse, at the center of the circle, slowly coalescing into a silvery form. Soon a transparent image of Raril appears, looking none too solid, as he's standing inside the table at the center of the circle.

He looks around and turns to face Astrana. "Hello? Um... why am I in a table?" He reaches down to touch it, his hand passing right through. "Oh dear..."

[Morty]

Fayyaad leans back, startled, when the ghost appears. He was not expecting that, although maybe he should have? He doesn't break the circle, though. And he lets Astrana talk to the spirit.

[Nova_Eclipse]

[Lunch Meeting]

Electra isn't as taken by surprise as Fayyaad is when Raril appears, having expected it to be him. She waits for Astrana to speak to him, since she's not sure if her saying something Astrana doesn't tell her to at this point will disrupt the ritual or cause other issues. She does seem rather interested in how Astrana interacts with the ghost, however.

[Shadowcaller]

[Lunch Meeting]

Not exactly the response Astrana had expected from a ghost, but she could roll with it. "Spirit, you are no longer in your physical body. But it is still alive. You are not dead, Raril. You need to return to your body while you still can. There should still be a link between you, can't must be able to feel it."

[8BitNinja]

An elf stumbles into the inn. He is wearing a blue hooded robe, carrying a brown staff in his left hand, and a very thick book in his right. On his belt, there are multiple wands in one sheath and a writing kit. Over his shoulder are two small pouches. Also on his back are two other staves. As for his appearance, he looks like he's aged, even for an elf, and on his hands are tattoos of arcane symbols. He looks around and says "This isn't right at all, stupid clairvoyance spell always leads me in the wrong direction. I guess I should've used scrying instead." He then realizes that he was talking to himself and says. "Oh, I'm sorry, is this where the magic items and spells are sold?"

[McBish]

One of the goblin servers looks the elf over and then points to a small halfling woman winning a game of darts. Elle was known to trade in magic, sometimes it was even real. Rumors of her being a wererat are true but only known in certain circles. She appears to have half a dozen pouches and a magical backpack she is wearing.

Also around this time Mick gets lead into the inn by the scruff of his neck. The large hobgoblin woman doing the leading wears a large falchion on her back. A orc follows those two carrying and looking through a large green duffle bag and smaller messenger bag. The orc is walking with a painful looking limp. Mick, a human standing just above six feet, looks like he has been in a tussle himself. Hair and clothes disheveled and with some snow still in them. He is set down at a table with a fat male hobgoblin for a serious looking chat.

[8BitNinja]

One of the goblin servers looks the elf over and then points to a small halfling woman winning a game of darts. Elle was known to trade in magic, sometimes it was even real. Rumors of her being a wererat are true but only known in certain circles. She appears to have half a dozen pouches and a magical backpack she is wearing.

Also around this time Mick gets lead into the inn by the scruff of his neck. The large hobgoblin woman doing the leading wears a large falchion on her back. A orc follows those two carrying and looking through a large green duffle bag and smaller messenger bag. The orc is walking with a painful looking limp. Mick, a human standing just above six feet, looks like he has been in a tussle himself. Hair and clothes disheveled and with some snow still in them. He is set down at a table with a fat male hobgoblin for a serious looking chat.

The elf walks over to the halflings and says "The people here tell me that you sell things pertaining to magic. Is that true? I will gladly pay in gold."