Heroes' Hearth

[Recaiden]

Chevin shakes hir head, not saying no to the elf warrior, just 'not now; I'm busy'.
"Well, what are you good at? What's possible, what's just reliable? I'll take the money now, and we can talk about possible jobs in a minute..."
The bag is taken and placed on a scale, eliciting a small nod from the smith. It will in fact be sufficient.

The armor is as described. Layer on layer of glittering scales, a little bulky, but it won't slow Fade down at all.

Now, as for the man who barged in here.
"Yes, this is a place of mighty warriors. No one matching that description has come to this marketplace. Nor to the rest of this island. Why do you want her? She isn't really your sister, is she? Or at least, not one you've ever met? Don't you think you sound like a bounty hunter hot on someone's trail, and not a concerned sibling?"
The smith take a little spyglass from a rack of tools and peers at the visitor through it, trying to see if he's disguised by any magical illusions.

[Westhart]

Now, as for the man who barged in here.
"Yes, this is a place of mighty warriors. No one matching that description has come to this marketplace. Nor to the rest of this island. Why do you want her? She isn't really your sister, is she? Or at least, not one you've ever met? Don't you think you sound like a bounty hunter hot on someone's trail, and not a concerned sibling?"
The smith take a little spyglass from a rack of tools and peers at the visitor through it, trying to see if he's disguised by any magical illusions.

The man is as it seems, although there ar equite a few hidden weapon son him. That's very funny, the bounty hunter thing. His face shows distaste at the mention of bounty hunters. "Seriousky though, last I saw her she was going hunting! This guy could seriously learn to lie, because... well, he is rather obvious when he lies. He takes a step forward, Where would you suggest I look then?

[Recaiden]

Chevin folds the spyglass up and returns it to the rack.
"If she doesn't like the light, she's probably in Riverside. You'll see why when you get there." Westside is pretty distinctive. "Or ask other musicians. If she's so widely skilled a player, surely she'll stand out."
There's another obvious place to look for someone handy with gun and blade: MERC. But the smith doesn't care to be fully forthcoming with someone who's obviously hiding things.

[Westhart]

The man shakes his head she won't go anywhere... too obvious. Something about that statement cracks a hint into his earlier lying, making it look almost as if he had made it appear obvious on purpose. "Well, she used to do side jobs every once in a while..." He looks thoughtful. Do you have oracles?

[Recaiden]

"If you know that she won't go anywhere, don't you already know well-enough where she is?"
Chevin gives a shake of the head no.
"Oracles? I don't know of any. Definitely not here on the island."

[Westhart]

No oracles? Hmm... He shakes his head then smiles slowly. While I'm here, do you know any slavers? Hate the fellows myself. His face is getting harder to read, although the shift of subject is obviously related... somehow.

[Recaiden]

"The only real markets for that sort of thing are in Skyside. Just head into Thunderhead." The smith explains.
"But if you hate them so, what do you need them for?" Shi inquires, suspecting increasingly much that this visitor is planning to do something stupid.

[Westhart]

"Oh, I don't need them so much. He smiles slightly. Before I go,
would you know of any... assassin's guilds, thieves guilds, or mercenary companies? Preferably those of overall god tendencies?

[Recaiden]

((I'm presuming he means 'good tendencies'))

The smith scoffs at first, goggles shifting as shi raises hir eyebrows.
"Assassins tend not to tend towards good. Especially once they organize."
"The Mercenary Espionage Recon Co. aren't bad, and they've got offices in each big city. VIGIL are the 'good guys' although I don't think they make much money off of it."

[Westhart]

(( yep, totally meant that ))

I'd disagree with you, however I have wasted to much time as is. He cast down a stone, a glowing orange portal appearing. He begins striding forward then stops. If you see her, try to tell me,
also... I wasn't her, okay?

[Recaiden]

The smith watches him leave, amused. He may disagree if he wants, but Chevin knows that murder is murder, necessary evil is evil still.

Finally shi turns back to hir customer, Fade.
"Ay. I may have been here for years now, but welcoming new people is not my calling."
"You were interested in a trade of services, right? Tell me what you can do. There's nothing I'm particularly desperate for, but you must have some advantage. And I'm pretty comfortably off, you know? Well, come to think of it, nothing I'm particularly desperate for except a certain piece of gear, but with you coming to me for armor, I doubt you'd find it easy to lay hands on a power core like I need."

[Zefir]

In the mean time, Fade has taken on the armor.

"Hmm. He could have hired me, but it seemes I missed to tell him." with his soundless voice it appears drie like he didn't mean it.
He then turns to the blacksmith.
"I'm a good fighter and I can beat enemies you won't belive I can.There is allways one way for me to get something. Tell me where to find it and i see what I can do."

[Ashen Lilies]

[Arriving]

The undead and its entourage leads the pair towards the mountain, following a path that leads to a gate which closes off the way up the mountain. Unlike the gate that Wenomir might remember from the last time he went up a mountain to reach a dragon, this one is much simpler - a slender wooden arch framing a set of carved doors. It's not through this gate that the spectre leads them to, however - instead it cuts off to the side, towards a cave opening in the side of the mountain itself, this one held fast by another gate of engraved bronze.

- - - Updated - - -

[Arriving]

The undead and its entourage leads the pair towards the mountain, following a path that leads to a gate which closes off the way up the mountain. Unlike the gate that Wenomir might remember from the last time he went up a mountain to reach a dragon, this one is much simpler - a slender wooden arch framing a set of carved doors. It's not through this gate that the spectre leads them to, however - instead it cuts off to the side, towards a cave opening in the side of the mountain itself, this one held fast by another gate of engraved bronze.

[The Village of Avalon]

"I deserve merely what I am owed, that is all," says the dwarf, hefting his hammer. "And I will take it, when the chance arrives."

[Recaiden]

Chevin laughs and slaps a hand on the anvil, setting it ringing.
"If I knew where to find it, I would have gotten one already. Somewhere in Skyside - but that's a lot of city to cover."

[Morty]

[Arriving]

Wenomir considered asking the spectre more questions, but she clearly has trouble speaking.

"It really reminds me of the home of the dragon who helped us rebuild Vigil," he instead tells Ilpholin. "Maybe they're the same type. Not that I know much about dragons."

[Reinholdt]

[Arriving]

"There's a dragon at Vigil?" They could have just gone there. Then again, Ilpholin did want to keep the demon hunting seperate from Wenomir's Vigil life. Suppose meeting new dragons is part of the cost of that.

She approaches the cave opening and will go to open the gate if the spectre doesn't do so of her own accord.

[Zefir]

Chevin laughs and slaps a hand on the anvil, setting it ringing.
"If I knew where to find it, I would have gotten one already. Somewhere in Skyside - but that's a lot of city to cover."

[Forge]

"Tell me what exactly you are looking for and I will see what I can do." he says. "Unless you got something else I could helt you with."

[Recaiden]

"It's an engine, of sorts. Very powerful for its size, has these characteristics-" Chevin waves and a set of tongs go fetch hir a page of diagrams and schematics. "Custom-made in Skyside years ago, but the machine will take no substitutes. Which makes me wonder, perhaps its found its way to a museum..."

[Ashen Lilies]

[Arriving -> The Crypt]

The gate opens up into a long cavern with a fairly obvious purpose, given away by rows of irregular cubbyholes carved into the cave walls, bearing a collection of various urns and coffins and ossuary boxes, each as disparate in style and size as the arms and armors of the fellows outside, each a former dragon acolyte buried or interred according to his or her custom. Each grave, if the pair choose to look, is marked with other objects - jewelry, weapons, or armor, but rarely with names, only one in several bearing a simple plaque or carved stone identifying the remains, most instead seeming to have preferred anonymity or to be identified solely by their personal effects and possessions.

The path through is dimly lit by hanging lanterns, running down the length of a gently downward sloping tunnel that splits off into several more side caverns, each clearly another chamber serving as a tomb for past dragon acolytes, but the spectre leads them straight on, until they find themselves at another bronze gate, this one set inside a square archway much more ornate and deliberately carved than the first.

[Morty]

[The Crypt]

"Well, no. That dragon lives very far away from here. One of our members did become a dragon, so... we've got options if we can't make a deal with Nyneve. Or just need more dragon scales," Wenomir says. He wonders if he shouldn't have gone to Spako straight away, but it's too late to change it now. He stops. "Is Nyneve past this door?"

[Reinholdt]

[The Crypt]

Ilpholin does look around as they head down. Dying anonymously. She couldn't imagine a worse fate. She'll never understand some cultures.

"It probably doesn't work if you become a dragon. We need the help of a true dragon." Just as how Ilpholin tells herself she wasn't a true demon. They could make scales and bones for days if all they needed was a wizard with a polymorph spell. Admittedly, she doesn't think she knows one. Cessie never mentioned being able to do that at any rate.

Sincerely doubting Nyneve is behind this gate, she waits anyways to see how they'll react.

[Zefir]

"It's an engine, of sorts. Very powerful for its size, has these characteristics-" Chevin waves and a set of tongs go fetch hir a page of diagrams and schematics. "Custom-made in Skyside years ago, but the machine will take no substitutes. Which makes me wonder, perhaps its found its way to a museum..."

"Wouldn't that be stealing?" Fade asks in his typical voice.
"If your work is at least half prommising I would assume your swimming in money. Everything can be bougth. At least so I saw the world."

[Recaiden]

"Stealing? I would think of it as ... a more efficient distribution of resources'. Doesn't that sound nicer?"
"No, money is terrible to swim through; you'd have to use very small coins- ... ... ... that's a local saying, isn't it? Means I have a lot of money? I guess I do."
Chevin sits down and thinks about that. Even if there's no other copy of the greater hellcore ark-thruster engine, there's probably someone who can make another one at the right, and shi could just. The original designer probably didn't even die in the aftermath of the temple raid. In fact, shi knows exactly how to find them, doesn't shi? It's like having this one avenue to pursue blinded hir to the others.
If the smith still had proper skin, shi would be flushed with embarrassment. How foolish this had been!
"That's a great idea. I think it's worth half the price of a suit of armor. And I'll take the other half in coin, after all. Though there is one other thing - that man who came through here... don't you think we ought to warn his target?"
If that's exactly what he wants them to want, Chevin didn't pick up on the fact.

[Zefir]

[Forge]

Well, that's new. fade never got anything by talking alone. Well at least talking and not having his blade on the others neck. You know what I mean?
Maybe he could do that more often, but the chances are high they get annoyed. he just nods at the half half plan. After the armor is on he takes over his rags.

"Should we?" he asks in his typical voice. "If that person doesn't want to get found, we won't just see her around the corner. Another thing about this makes me leave that alone. Who hunts who? Is he a killer to hunt her down or does he seek revenge on hsi target? I won't go affter them without a reward for myself."

[Recaiden]

I know what you mean.

"You have a point. Several points. That's a job for a hero."
"We're just people of business."
"Let the armor serve you well, sir."
Shi waves, a goodbye to Fade, an instruction to the magical tools to put everything away. He has the armor, the smith has the money, that crazy guy is gone. Mission accomplished.

[Zefir]

Fade just nods as he leaves.

When he is outside, he takes a look left and right. He doesn#t want to run into Ilpholin, but on the other hand he would like to run into Wenomir.

[Recaiden]

Chevin waits a while for him to go, and then closes up shop early. Shi has a project to commission, some blackmail material to call in, and, if there's some heroing to be done, even if shi isn't going to be caught doing it, it has to get done.

[Ashen Lilies]

[The Crypt]

"Well, no. That dragon lives very far away from here. One of our members did become a dragon, so... we've got options if we can't make a deal with Nyneve. Or just need more dragon scales," Wenomir says. He wonders if he shouldn't have gone to Spako straight away, but it's too late to change it now. He stops. "Is Nyneve past this door?"

[The Crypt]

Ilpholin does look around as they head down. Dying anonymously. She couldn't imagine a worse fate. She'll never understand some cultures.

"It probably doesn't work if you become a dragon. We need the help of a true dragon." Just as how Ilpholin tells herself she wasn't a true demon. They could make scales and bones for days if all they needed was a wizard with a polymorph spell. Admittedly, she doesn't think she knows one. Cessie never mentioned being able to do that at any rate.

Sincerely doubting Nyneve is behind this gate, she waits anyways to see how they'll react.

[The Crypt]

The revenant gestures again to the door, nodding, and assuming they follow, they'll proceed to another level of the crypt.

Unlike the chaotic hodgepodge of the previous crypt, this section seems to have been constructed with a lot more effort and ceremony. Instead of an organically spreading arrangement of disparate graves, Wenomir and Ilpholin are led through a gridlike arrangement of catacombs, regularly interspersed with statues of forbidding looking warriors overseeing large rectangular sarcophagi. Each sarcophagus is equal in size and adornment, though clearly individually marked - a plaque at the foot of each, bearing the name of the one entombed within, and the lid carved with a relief of a soldier at rest, garbed in ceremonial armor, carved hands clasped over a carved weapon and each face intricately detailed, though all carved with identical expressions of peaceful repose. Despite the seeming age of the mausoleum, the entire affair seems to have been kept meticulously cleaned and tended - hardly a speck of dust lies upon each tomb, and the hanging lanterns are all lit and well supplied with oil. Only as the revenant reaches a final chamber does the first sign of disturbance appear, as one sarcophagus lying close to ornate door at the end of the hall seems to have been opened, the lid sitting askew. The revenant bows formally towards the pair as it gestures to the door, then walks over to the opened sarcophagus, climbing inside carefully and pulling the coffin shut over itself.

The door opens, bronze doors swinging outwards with barely a squeak to reveal a gently sloping marble staircase that leads ever deeper into the mountain.

[Morty]

[The Crypt]

"She really doesn't want just about anybody to visit her, does she," Wenomir remarks. "But if our guide has returned to her resting place, it can't be far now."

[Reinholdt]

[The Crypt]

The strength of one whose muscles have rotted away never ceases to amaze Ilpholin. "Maybe she couldn't go any further. Like her purpose doesn't permit any of them into the inner sanctum. Some sort of undead honor or programming." The nymph gives a short bow of thanks to the re-entombed guide before taking to the stairs.

"Careful. She might even ask you to stay in one of those and guard her postmortem in exchange for her assistance."