The Nature of Prophecy (IC)

[MikelaC1]

Several days after her performance, Casandra comes to see Daciana, she is accompanied by three other women who Daciana doesnt know.

First, I need to make introductions here, this is Xenobia and Glenir, two priestesses of Tishtina and Kashta, a warrior of Tishtina. I would like you to join with them and go as a delegation to the dwarven lands, the kingdom of Iron Hall. We need to reopen relations with the dwarfs.

Background: The dwarfs of Iron Hall and the amazons always had good relations, and the dwarfs sent most of their trade goods through the amazon lands. That was up until an incident occurred during the quest to unite the Goddesses in the Trinity. The prophecy spoke of a number of ruby necklaces, and in the course of the investigation, it turned out that the dwarves had mined the rubies many years before and after determining that the rubies were somehow important to the amazon way of life, had chosen to hide them from them. Even when the prophecy came to prominence, the dwarves did not reveal the rubies to the amazons and Casandra had finally authorized an operation to steal the rubies back from them. Ever since, there have been no relations between the dwarfs and the amazons...the dwarves view what the amazons did as pure theft, while the amazons view it as taking something that the deities had meant for them to have all along.

[Ridai]

Daciana smiles and bows towards all women present. "Of course. I have a few questions about this task. While we know why it had to be done, that does very little for the dwarves directly. They are still short several precious rubies, gained nothing and were slighted by an ally. What kind of worth are we talking about here and can we offer anything to mend relations? What can we point towards that has improved since or because of the formation of the trinity and is there anything this has given us that the dwarves could benefit from? They are a material people in many ways, so we need more than ephemerals."

(Are there a predominant alignment and deity among the dwarves of the Iron Hall? What did the former relations between them entail? Simply being on good terms? Trade? What kind of trade? Services?)

[MikelaC1]

The rubies themselves were of little value Casandra displays a ruby necklace to Daciana, although she is not a trained jeweler, she has seen treasure hordes in the past and knows this gem would be lucky to fetch 100 gold. There is a magical nature to them but only when worn by an amazon AND a worshipper of one of the trinity, they allow telepathic communication. For an amazon of, say, Glendira, they don't work, or for a human follower of Tishtina, again, nothing. So for the dwarves, they weren't worth anything and they weren't interested in selling them, to anyone, they had locked them away so they weren't even being bartered. We only found out about them because of a dwarf who had discovered their hiding spot and the ancient legends that had caused the dwarves to lock them away centuries before the prophecy was even written. From what he told us, they would not have even entertained the thought of selling them to us, many of their highest nobles didn't even know they existed.

(The dwarves of Iron Hall are entirely lawful, most L/G with a smattering of L/N. In the past, the dwarves shipped their gold and gems through the amazon lands to Matalla to be shipped around the world and sold, with the proceeds coming back through Amazonia on their way to the dwarf lands. The amazons took no percentage from this, only allowing passage for free.)

[Ridai]

"Do you know those legends that led to the gems being locked away?" Daciana asks, trying to estimate the cultural significance involved. Given the free passage in the past and the low worth of the gems, the amazons are in a fairly good position to get relations back on track with some overall small-ish reparations. "I feel the most important thing is to be patient and not be as thickheaded as dwarves can sometimes be. Ultimately, we did steal, we have to acknowledge that, but we also gave them access to a good and protected route for their wares, something they'd never get anywhere else for free. Address the issue, try to make amends, then one step at a time towards both sides understanding one another and returning to how things used to be." After summing up her thoughts on the matter, Daciana waits feedback from her queen and the other amazons.

[MikelaC1]

To call what we did theft is not entirely accurate, although the dwarves would not acknowledge such. To be perfectly correct to what really happened, we only liberated a sage from the dwarves, who told us the story of the jewels. This was his story.
First of all, when I said the mountains rarely give us rubies, I was being generous. In fact, only once have rubies been found in the mountain, and they were all found within 100 yards of each other. Hundreds of years ago, a group of miners were working a particularly rich vein of mithral, when they unearthed them. As more and more of them came out of the rock, the miners became very concerned with the situation, rubies were unknown in the mountain, and finding 60 gems, in such a small area was completely unnatural.
And the story only became worse. As soon as the first one was cut and polished, it began to pulse with a reddish glow. Magic was detected in it, even though no wizard had worked an enchantment on it. An order was handed down to work 3 more in completely separate locations, to see if it would happen again, and to no one's surprise, it did.
The king of day, Everon Greybeard II ordered the gems locked up until further studies could be done, two days later the vault they were in was broken into and the gems stolen. The city was turned upside down to find them, but nothing could be found....until after a week, when in the middle of the town square, there they were, sitting in a huge pile on top of a table. All of them were pulsing with magic, but none of them bore the crafter's initials as proof of their work.
Dwarves do not like mysteries, they dont like magic and they dont like theft, even if the property is recovered. The gems were triple cursed by those events, even moreso by the manner of their discovery and the dwarves did not like the portends that were associated with them. The king ordered the gems destroyed, and since there was no one to claim them, no compensation was deemed necessary.
The first hammer blows failed. Even more powerful hammer blows failed. Finally, the kings own warhammer, wielded by the king himself, and empowered by the most powerful spells to aid him, were brought to bear on the gems. He didnt even leave a scratch on them. At that point, the dwarves used their contacts among their customers, and eventually made contact with the most powerful wizards they could find. The wizards used the most powerful spells known to man in attempts to destroy them, or at least unravel the enchantments on them, but obviously since you found them, you know that didnt work either.
Through all of this, the gems had been quiescent, which is not surprising, given that gems arent usually in the habit of fighting back, but as the last of the spells hit the gems, instead of just failing, the magic was warped, twisted and finally reflected back on the mages. They in turn managed to deflect it back on the gems, although they were badly damaged by the blasts, and when the gems tried once again to rebound the magic, a huge explosion resulted. The mages were obliterated, and when the smoke cleared, to everyone's consternation, the gems were not only not destroyed, they had now somehow been remade into necklaces.
Well, you can imagine the uproar that caused. Dwarves are not ones to petition their gods about every little thing, but this seemed way out of the ordinary. The priests were brought in and divinations were made to both Moradin, the leader of the dwarven pantheon, and Dumathoin, as the god of mining and crafting. The message came back the same from both of them, lock them up, hide all the evidence of their existence, and make sure no one ever gets them out of the control of the dwarves.
But once again, fate intervened to 'save' the jewels. This had all happened at the time that a smuggling ring had been operaing through New Kroy, and while the jewels had been in royal custody, somehow the smugglers got to them and put them in the smuggling pipeline, before the royal council could put the gods edicts into effect. They searched everywhere but couldnt find them. It turned out to be the last run for the smugglers as well, no one knew why, but suddenly, it just stopped. The dwarves didnt actually destroy the records, but locked them up, it was my exploration of these ancient records that landed me in jail. And thats where the records of the dwarves ends.
After the questors heard this story, they went in search of the missing ruby necklaces as they had been mentioned in the prophecy as something we had to possess, and they were able to recover the lot of them. Of course, the dwarves still regard them as their property and so they consider what we have done to be theft. Not to mention liberating the sage, who gave up what the dwarves probably consider "state" secrets.

[Ridai]

"Ah, pride and divine edicts. That will complicate things a lot. Still, I will do my best to mend this situation."

[MikelaC1]

With all the rest of the preparations taken care of, the other amazons are ready to depart with Daciana. There are several established routes from the City of Gardens to dwarven hall, and so the group is able to make good time and not have any mishaps, especially in the mountains. Amazons move with speed and grace through flat surfaces but rock climbing is not one of their fortes.
After a few days of travel, the group manages to arrive at the gates of Iron Hall, which is guarded by several dwarves.

Advance and be recognized, amazons, and state your business

In short order, the other amazons introduce themselves, along with Xenobia (who seems to be leader), saying the group has an appointment with King Gorvan Greybeard. The dwarves finally turn to you.

(with Daciana's sense motive, she can tell that the dwarves seemed a little cool to the amazons at first, but got even stiffer when the group started claiming allegiance to Tishtina)

[Ridai]

"My name is Daciana Solaya, an aide in said appointment. Nice to meet you," she introduces herself with a little bow. The best Daciana can do is to be consistently friendly and courteous. Actively trying to charm and convince them that they are wrong about them could very well have the opposite effect given past events.

Diplomacy (1d20+39)[48]

(Insights like that due to Daciana's Sense Motive are much appreciated )

[MikelaC1]

Again, Daciana's sense motive tells her that these dwarves would rather toss all of them back over the cliff and be done with it...but they are diplomatic envoys and such things cannot be done. Besides, these are powerful priestesses, not to mention Daciana and the warrior and its not likely the guards would stand much of a chance. Grudgingly, they open the door and give the party directions to audience hall of the king.
Walking through the streets, Daciana is struck by how different a dwarven city is. The buildings are all made of stone, in many cases simply carved out of the mountain itself rather than built in a spot, and thus look incredibly solid. The streets are orderly and clean, cleaner than even the finest cities of Daystor and there does not appear to be any signs of poverty. There is no open air market filled with vendors hawking their wares, only well kept and low key stores that offer their products in a low key way. If you want or need something you'll come in to buy, theres no need for flashy and eye catching displays. Everything is just the way the dwarves like it, solid, unpretentious, and no signs of chaos. Its actually a little unsettling to the nature-attuned amazons.
At the audience hall of the King, the formalities are observed, and the group is informed that the King is not receiving any more visitors today, and that they will need to come back tomorrow. Directions are given to the Iron Horse Inn, where the group is told the lodgings are safe and comfortable and the food is excellent. And of course, some of the finest dwarven ale.

[Ridai]

Like a true ambassador, Daciana remains courteous and friendly, observing the laws and decrees. The witch heads to the Iron Horse Inn with the others, trying to secure them lodgings and food.

Diplomacy (if needed) (1d20+39)[50]

[MikelaC1]

The group arrives at the Inn, and finally see what passes as dwarven chaos, the common room of an Inn. When the party enters, they see a celebration going on that could put any human display to shame. The room is filled with rowdy dwarves, all with several huge flagons of ale on the tables in front of them, and two roaring fires with big roasts of some undetermined animal cooking over them. Dwarven waitresses weave through the crowd, taking orders and dropping off more tankards, while the crowd is either singing, arm wrestling, shouting out impossible tales in loud voices, or generally just carousing. The entrance of the group is noted by many, and since dwarven women are not noted for their charisma, there are many hoots, hollers and wolf-whistles at their appearance.
The request for lodgings, food and drink goes well, although the barkeep does ask about what sort of ale they want.

How strong of ale do you want? Little fruity girlie drinks? Something more suited for a human? Or are you willing to try Dwarven Prime Reserve?

[Ridai]

"More human-suited, but I am going down the path of terrible regrets and opt for one mug of Prime Reserve." (and if the priestesses can bless her in any way or detox her afterwards, that would be much appreciated)

And shortly after Daciana finds out that she really should have gone for the stuff that doesn't make the eyes water.

[MikelaC1]

Daciana has never been one for powerful ale and the taste of the Dwarven Prime hits her like a hammer, and the alcohol content is very potent. Fortunately, she is blessed with a strong constitution and although not drunk, she is feeling the effects. Right about now though, she is glad she didnt try to take one of the dwarves on in a drinking game.

[Ridai]

Daciana is (inwardly) amazed that things went this well. And hey, maybe it'll earn her some sort of respect among the dwarves (who no doubt expected her to keel over). No more drink other than water tonight, though. And no staying up late either, and if the others have nothing else planned, she does use being tired and having had enough for now as an excuse to retire to her room (having Kashta accompany her).

[MikelaC1]

The alcohol itself actually didnt have as much of an effect on Daciana as the actual taste of the brew itself. More accustomed to the lighter fare of the amazons, the taste initially had a potent effect on her, the first taste making her think the potable would finish her off. But blessed with a strong constitution, easily the equal of any average dwarf, she was able to handle it.
The next morning, the party is ready to go once again, and after cooling their heels for about half an hour, they are ushered into the presence of the dwarven king, Gorvan Greybeard. As they had in front of gate, the amazons introduce themselves, and state the purpose of the mission, re-establishing more normal relations between the dwarves and the amazons. The first, Xenobia, then goes on to detail all the peaceful and mutually beneficial co-operations the dwarves and amazons have had in the past, including twice repelling invasion attempts by SPELL and others, along with the amazon patrolling of the great forest which could in time have given birth to foes that would have troubled the dwarves eastern flank. The second, Glenir goes on to detail the current benefits of the relationship, including access to the lucrative trade options available in Matalla along with not having to ship their gold and jewels to the west, along the treacherous western half of the mountains.
As the two of them finish, the dwarves look to Daciana to see if she has anything to add to this negotiation.

[Ridai]

"First off, I realize what has been done has been a breach of trust. Your people did not owe us, and we took without consent what was of greatly sensitive nature to you, even decreed by your deity to be locked away. I do not seek to downplay this, as such a thing is not what you and your people deserve, for we have been trusted allies for a long, long time. We are Tishtina's people and we were standing at the precipice of a paradigm shift for our deity and for us amazons, which is why we took the gemstones. Tishtina is an integral part of our lives, we feel her in every breath we take and all the love we share. She does so much for us and to turn our backs on her at such a moment, the thought is just... Our goddess is of little importance to you, I understand that, the same goes for the newly formed trinity, but we want to make amends. We don't want this one conflict to end our friendship forever. We never asked for anything in return for our aid and letting your people travel our forest in safety, because we recognize the goodness of your people, that despite our differences, we share values important to both our people. Values we based the friendship between our people on, a friendship because of which we fought together to protect what we hold dear. So please, my lord, let us make amends and return to how things used to be, for we still value your friendship and both our people benefit from it more than if we stayed apart." Daciana bows and steps back to stand side by side with her sisters, hoping she has conveyed that them taking the gems was not done out of malice or greed, rather to aid their goddess, something the dwarves perhaps can identify with regarding aiding Moradin and being Moradin's people.

Spoiler: OOC

Show

Improvisation, greater heroism in effect

Diplomacy (1d20+50)[68]

[MikelaC1]

The dwarves are a stoic race, and its always very difficult to read them, but Daciana has always had a persuasive personality, and dwarves have a hard time resisting a charismatic woman. The king and his council ponder her words for a time and then he rises and speaks.

What you say is very true, we have been allies for a long time, and perhaps you thought you were justified in what you took. However, the jewels were hidden by the command of our gods and you took actions to find them, even if they had already been stolen by other agents. We are open to the idea of amends, what sort of amends would you propose?

[Ridai]

"We could offer you precious things, but that would miss the point of this matter, I feel. What caused this was an action, so an action should make up for it. Thus, I propose that a service in the name of Tishtina is provided to you. Dwarves and amazons have talents that complement each other, so an amazon could prove her people's worth and dedication to you not merely by word, but also by deed. What service that is, I am not arrogant enough to suggest, for you know your people's needs far better than we do, and it is something that can surely be discussed to find how we could apply our talents the best. Also, I would like to volunteer. I am neither a priestess of Tishtina, nor can I claim to have the power of her greatest champions, but I desire to close the rift that has been created for the sake of both dwarves and amazons."

Diplomacy (1d20+50)[69]

[MikelaC1]

One of the elder dwarves leans over to the King, and they have a quick conversation. When finished, the King turns back to you.

I believe there is a task that might be right up your alley. As you probably know, almost all of our trade goods are shipped off of Amazonia by the port of Matalla, as we have no wish to deal with the issues presented by New Kroy. Almost all. Due to a long standing tariff arrangement, any goods bound from Amazonia to the South Enicom city of Kroy however, must pass through New Kroy. The tariff was set when Kroy attempted to establish the colony of New Kroy, it was meant to give the colony a steady revenue. We have a shipment of gems and jewels that is targeted for Kroy, and there is only one captain we would trust with a shipment of this value. But he is reluctant to deal with dwarves. You will take this shipment to New Kroy and get him to transport it to Kroy, taking no percentage for yourself and we will consider this incident closed.

[Ridai]

"As you wish, your majesty," Daciana says with a smile and bows. As much as she is dreading returning to New Kroy and dealing with a New Kroy captain (and perhaps crew), if she can do away with the rift between the dwarves and the amazons with a bit of persuasion and enduring some hardship, that is a very small price to pay.

[MikelaC1]

The dwarves make preparations while the other amazons return to the City of Gardens to report on the success of the mission. Soon enough, several dwarves show up with 3 large, and firmly locked, iron trunks. Daciana has no idea of just how much wealth is contained in each one, but knowing how ornate a dwarven crafted piece of jewelry can be, its got to be considerable, and if this shipment is bound for Kroy, the gambling mecca of Daystor, they have to really special.
The group consists of 4 dwarves along with Daciana, and its clear the dwarves will do all the heavy lifting while Daciana will do all the talking. They move the shipment down the mountain to the beginnings of the Amazon River and set sail for New Kroy, aided by the current carrying them along. The pass through the City is uneventful, the amazons having been informed of their passage, and although the dwarves probably dont see them, Daciana is pretty sure she sees some amazons marking their passage from the trees. Once out of amazon lands, the jungle becomes a lot more menacing in its looks and oppressive in its heat.

(does Daciana do anything special?)

[Ridai]

Daciana wishes they had more protection with them, but she will have to do what she can as she leads the dwarves through the jungle as safely as possible.

(Nothing special yet)

[MikelaC1]

The trip downriver is much the same as Daciana remembered from her trip with the Zodiac companions, huge vermin dropping onto the ship at random intervals. The dwarves are very efficient at dealing with them with axe and hammer, and with the aid of some well timed hold spells from the witch, they are able to clear the enemies....and the piranha are more than willing to clean up the carcasses. It takes about 4 days to get back to the city, aided by the current, and as they pull into the river docks, the lead dwarf addresses Daciana.

The ship captain that we trust is named Dolgur, and he can be usually found in Sea Scoundrel Inn, you will have to contact him there and see if you can convince him.

The dwarf gives you directions, and then sets his men to guard the boxes until your return. As Daciana walks through the town, she notices that the hostility that is usually present towards amazons seems multiplied. Most of the people are openly hostile, some make signs of warding as she walks by and a few brave souls even spit at her...although no one is quite brave enough to get in her face physically or throw things. She makes her way to the Inn and enters, there are a few patrons there, who pointedly ignore her, however one man seems quite interested in the entrance of such a stunning young woman

[Ridai]

Daciana hates being in this place either way, but this change is alarming even for such a hellhole. Even with things getting worse, she does not lash out at people, not wanting to give them actual reasons to hate amazons. At the Sea Scoundrel, she walks to the one man who doesn't seem hostile to her (even if he is instead a lecher like New Kroy men usually are), asking him "You don't happen to be or know Dolgur, do you?"

Sense Motive (with Improvisation) (1d20+31)[41]

[MikelaC1]

You'e looking right at him. Can I buy you a drink and what can I do for you? Although given the way this town is, Im betting you're looking for transport out?

(Sense Motive, hes not lying)

[Ridai]

Daciana favors him with a dazzling smile, seating herself next to him, talking in a more quiet voice. "No drink, but I appreciate the notion. Transport out is spot-on, but not for myself. But before that, are you a local? Could you tell me what's going on here?"

[MikelaC1]

Not actually from around here, but I know New Kroy well enough. Anything here does wrong, its always the amazon's fault. Fish aren't biting, blame the amazons, it rains on your big day, blame the amazons. Right now, the tides are very low, even at high tide, many ships cant make it out of the harbour and that's all the amazons fault. Ive been stranded for 3 days now, but hoping the next rise will have enough water to float the Salt Mistress

[Ridai]

There is a slight nod Dolgur recognizes as clearly as if the amazon said that she has heard a lot like that from folks around these parts. "Why don't we go somewhere more private to discuss business? The bar doesn't strike me as the best place for that. Your ship or room, perhaps?"

[MikelaC1]

The gleam in Dolgur's eye is impossible to miss, even if it disappears almost as quickly, and he rises from the table.

It just so happens that my ship is only a block or two from here. Shall we?

He pays his outstanding bill and leads Daciana through the distance, to his ship, the Salt Mistress. Daciana isn't a great judge of ships and its clear this one isn't in the class of the Amazonian but few ships are, and this one outclasses all of the other ships in the harbour. He leads to you his stateroom, offering you a drink once again, and then settles in chair.

So, whats your business and whats your offer?

[Ridai]

"A fine ship indeed," the amazon compliments the Salt Mistress. Daciana accepts the drink at the ship as she settles into a chair as well, crossing her legs and taking a first tasting sip. "Now, the offer I have is quite lucrative, but I am also extending it on behalf of someone else. Please hear me out on this one, as the clients are the dwarves of the Iron Hall. They want to get a shipment to Kroy, but said you'd be hesitant to deal with them. I'd like to learn why that is... and perhaps find a solution everyone will be happy with."

Diplomacy (with Improvisation, Seducer's Eyes) (1d20+51)[71]
Sense Motive (with Improvisation) (1d20+31)[44]

(edit: Daciana's charms are strong against this one)