Seaside 4: Where Every Week Is Shark Week

[Rebonack]

[Marlick Bay]

The Smooth Sailing Inn is a bit of an oddity. Quite a bit larger than the rest of the nearby buildings, its style is a tad eclectic. Almost as if two or three neighboring buildings had been joined together. If one where willing to squint through the rain rather than fleeing from it, they would be able to clearly see where three separate rooflines have been patched together. Smoke rises from its chimneys, only to vanish into the driving rain. The building looks inviting, bright and warm, with many voices from within. Above the threshold on a polished brass bar is a sign of a ship sailing on waveless seas. A bit ironic, considering how violently it's flapping against the building right now.

Once inside, it becomes all too clear that the inn was once several buildings. The flooring style differs noticeably, in addition to being at three slightly different heights. This proves no difficulty for tavern staff, who navigate the tripping hazards with practiced ease, carrying tankards of ale and smoked fish. A bar dominates one wall, a staircase another, and on the last two a pair of hearths crackle and pop, radiating comfort and warmth to weary (and wet) travelers.

Behind the bar looms a gruff, sour looking fellow with salt-and-pepper mutton chops that could probably double as a crash helmet. He's human, like al the staff in the store, leaning toward the high end of middle-aged years. He seems content to take the money from travelers, but he doesn't appear terribly interested in conversation. Likely the owner of the inn.

The three servers appear FAR more personable than the proprietor. The first is a handsome, dashing looking fellow who could have stepped right out of a swashbuckler story. He moves with grace and ease and more than a little panache.

The second is very possibly the purest stereotype of the well-endowed barmaid. Blond haired, bubbly, and friendly.

The third is another woman, a bit older, the sort who has likely seen everything that could wash into a tavern at the edge of the Nexus.

Then there are the guests. The inn is packed to the proverbial gills due to the combined efforts of the craft fair and the storm.

There's a half-elf woman, attractive save perhaps for the ugly scar across her face that ruined her left eye. She's dressed well enough to suggest status, dark colored leathers with gold filigree. Her outfit prominently displays a tattoo of a gold leaf on her shoulder. Near her are two other individuals clad in light armor with sidearms sheathed, all with similar tattoos. Anyone in the know might recognize them as members of the Gold Leaf Trade Consortium. The Consortium is know for tactics and business practices that are, perhaps, less than ethical at times.

Across the tavern (and regarding them coldly) is a human in rich merchant's attire. Pale skinned, balding, and with a prominent beard, he's doing his best to ignore the Consortium goons while reviewing a number of potential contracts with one of his aids, a younger human man with red hair and sharp, green eyes. Near them are three hired guards who look just as serious, if a bit less professional, than the aforementioned goons.

There's a woman seated near the fire, looking a bit uncomfortable with all the hired muscle lurking about. She's currently examining a rather exquisite gold jeweled conch shell with a jeweler's hand-lens.

Finally, one table is packed to the gills with a family of kobolds wearing loud Hawaiian shirts. They're yapping animatedly while taking pictures of everything.

[bc56]

Beach
What, you wanted a creative title? Too bad!

Not far from Inside, there is a beach. A Tiefling walks down it, going nowhere in particular. She's wearing jean shorts and a white T-shirt, but she's left her shoes behind to walk across the sand barefoot. Her black hair is pulled back into a ponytail.

Sekhmet has come here on a whim, really. Someone she met recommended it to her, and she thought it was a good idea. Now that she's here though, she's not sure what to do.

[Earl of Purple]

Marlick Bay

Benedict and his accompanying giant servant head straight to the bar. "I need a room for the night. One with an adjoining chamber for my... manservant." He reaches into a pocket and pulls out a small black velvet pouch and puts it on the bar in front of him. It's quite a heavy bag, filled with rounded gold squares marked with a symbol of a snake on one side and a bearded man's profile on the other, presumably some kind of king or other ruler, as they wear a crown.

[bc56]

Beach -> Marlick Bay
By Rebonack's invitation

It isn't long before the wind picks up and rain begins to fall. Caught unprepared, Sekhmet desperately seeks shelter. It's a good thing there's a town just over that way! She rushes in the direction of Marlick Bay, eager to get out of the storm. It's not hard to find a public place she can go to dry off, and she enters the Smooth Sailing Inn drenched to the bone and barefoot, her clothes clinging wetly to her skin.

[5a Violista]

[Marlick Bay]
Smooth Sailing Inn

Judging solely on how bad the weather looks, Zophiel imagines it's unlikely they'll be able to leave for the rest of the day. So, he heads straight towards the likely-inn-owner in order to negotiate for rooms for the night. He'll let Anchor interject if she wishes one way or the other, asking for either two nearby rooms or one room with two beds. And then, of course, pay for it.

The paladin then looks around the room, trying to determine who would be the best to ask about this place, the weather, etc. He mentions to his daughter what he's going to do, and looks around.

First, the workers here. The probably-owner looks like he probably won't be of help. The servers, on the other hand, seem like they would be a great help (but they're also busy so he'd probably have to pay for a drink as well in order to keep them around long enough for a conversation). And after paying for the information earlier, and now the rooms, and likely food in the future, he's getting a little low on disposable income. He'll consider them later.

The half-elf with the guards? They probably don't want some random person getting to close. The merchant, his aide, and his guards? Same. How about the woman near the fire? If he were still wet, she would be the person easiest to talk with due to the proximity to the fire...but, without an excuse now, she'd probably be just as intimidated by Zophiel's stature as she is by all the other guards. The kobolds look like tourists; they won't be able to answer his questions. And a rich man with his servant, or a demon(?) girl? They both look like the first things they want to do will be to get a room and maybe dry off or put their things away.

That leaves him with the servers. The first two - the man and the blonde one - seem the type to be slightly more busy than the third, so there'll be less time to talk. Not to mention, the third one seems more likely to open up and likely knows more of what he wants to know, he figures.

The big paladin catches the attention of the third server. He asks for a drink and when she comes over, he says with a laugh (after ordering the drink, of course), "Pretty crazy weather today, right? Is that normal around here?" and tries to get her in a conversation about this town.

[Rebonack]

[Marlick Bay]

Poor Sekhmet. The weather today was not kind to her.

She'll likely be relieved to discover two things.

First? The inn is quite warm.

Second?

They don't have a 'no shirt, no shoes, no service' sign. Otherwise she would be in trouble.

"Girl, you look like something the tide left gasping on the rocks," the handsome server says, half concerned and half amused. "Why don't you go sit yourself by the fire and I'll fetch you a blanket."

Probably a good plan. It got extremely cold outside all of a sudden.

Meanwhile!

The wealthy gentlemen (or more specifically, his servant) is regarded with suspicion by the in keeper. He snatches up the pouch, withdraws a coin, and bites it. A few more moments pass as he considers the metal, then gives a low grunt. He turns to a rack of keys and fetches the fanciest looking one. "Here. Your room. Keep that plod of yours under control. I don't want any of my guests getting gnawed on, y'hear?"

Seems he's assuming the servant is undead of some kind? Considering the horses and the glowing red eyes behind that mask the man's assumption probably isn't unfounded.

((I'll let Rec post before before replying for Zoph))

[Deathkeeper]

Necromancer's Plague Dig

"Necromancy's no more evil than any of the other magical arts. Stating otherwise shows an old-fashioned, bigoted and narrow-minded viewpoint that belongs in the far past. The bodies I have reanimated consist of criminals and volunteers, not individuals from this particular burial ground. Look at them, the bones I'm digging up are old and brown, the skeletons I've got already are clean and white, polished smooth." Valid points, but he's still lying about it. "As for the weaponry, I am here alone and did not think there was another person for many miles. I wasn't expecting people, was expecting wild animals and maybe monsters."

Marlick Bay

An ornate black carriage pulled by four dead horses is rattling along the road, headed to the town before the storm breaks. The horses are polished bone, decorated with shiny brass filigree. The coachman is an unnaturally tall figure wearing a smart tailored black suit and top hat, with leather riding gloves and a polished brass mask, featureless save for two glowing red eye-holes. The coach is a big, bulky vehicle, built more to be impressive than to be quick. Emblazoned on the side is a coat of arms, a silver shield with a black skull on a red bar, supported by two skeleton lions rampant.

Necromancer’s Plague Dig

Krayger stares at the mage.
He could go into a treatise with the number of things even a layman such as himself could pick out. But he doesn’t really see the use in doing that, so he gets straight to the point.
”No.”
And then pulls the trigger thrice.

[bc56]

Marlick Bay

Sekhmet just revels in the warmth of the inn when the server approaches "Oh, uh, that would be lovely." She goes to the fireplace and sits by it, watching him go to fetch the blanket. "Wow. He's good-looking," Sekhmet thinks. She pulls at the band holding her ponytail together and lets her hair down so it can dry better.

[Recaiden]

"Better make that two rooms. I mean, if that's alright? Here."
Anchor fishes several gold coins from a pocket of her satchel and passes them to Zophiel, to help pay for lodging.

She agrees that her parent's plan to ask around and get their bearings is a good one. How about she talk to some people too?

Sinister Consortium merchant? No. Too unfriendly.
Independent merchant? No, too busy-looking. Clearly doesn't want company.
Scared woman at the, oh hey, it's that new tiefling from GLoG! Wow, she's cute. But she can catch up with her later.
Flashy rich guy? Probably out of touch with the seaside village.
So it's over to the crowd of kobolds.

"Hey. You need someone to take a picture of all of you together?" She offers.
"What brings you down to this place?"

[Rebonack]

[Marlick Bay]

Zoph
Negotiating for the rooms proves rather simple. The inn is sadly out of private rooms. The rich merchants who have been visiting town bought those out in a hurry. All that's left are cots in the common room.

One of the downsides to ye olde inns.

They have ye olde accommodations.

After that disappointment, ordering ale and getting the older barmaid's attention doesn't prove terribly difficult.

"Nah, this storm is terribly unseasonable. Don't usually get northern storms like this until after the winter solstice," she says as she hands over the ordered ale. "But you don't worry, hun. This old inn is stout enough, she's weathered plenty of storms over the years. I'm Menelda, by the by. You let me know if there's anything else you need, hun."

Then questions about the town?

"Ain't much to tell. We're a little fishing community. Have some folks who cut lumber, too. I guess we're best known for the trinkets that wash up on the reef when the tide gets low. The reef is pretty treacherous. Who knows how many ships got wrecked there before the lighthouse was put in."


Sekh
True to his word, the server soon returns with a thick wool blanket. It'll be a bit itchy, but it'll hold the warmth in.

"There you go, my lady," he says with a wane smile as he hands the blanket over, the gesture carefully calculated to show off the deep neckline of his shirt. "I'm Sannuel. Let me know if there's absolute anything else I can do for you."

He'll wait a moment for a reply here. Unless Sekhmet needs something else, he'll have to hurry off to attend to other guests.


Anchor
It takes a few moments for the kobolds to figure out what Anchor is saying, requiring a quick huddle and some yipping back and forth in draconic. Eventually one of the younger looking (though still adult) kobolds holds a smart phone out to Anchor.

"Thank you, a pictures would be good," she says, her voice heavily accented. More yipping follows, and then the family huddles together and smiles for a photo. The second youngest provides bunny ears for one of his older siblings. Once the picture is taken, the kobold apparently best versed in common will take the phone back. "Family is seeing wonders. What is word... tour? Tourist! We seeing tourist."

Okay, that isn't exactly right. But her meaning is relatively clear.

[bc56]

Marlick Bay

Sekhmet suppresses a giggle. No one ever calls her "My lady." "No, uh, I think that's all." She wraps the blanket tightly around herself and inches towards the fire to get warm.

[5a Violista]

[Marlick Bay]
Smooth Sailing Inn

Sleeping in the common room? That's too bad.
Honestly, it's kind-of what he's used to, but he's also used to it happening with people he knew (or, at the very least, he thought he knew). On the plus side, it's a lot cheaper than he expected, because he was expecting to get rooms. He'll make sure to return the change to Anchor later.

"Thanks, Menelda," Zophiel says, trying to commit her name to memory. She sounds like she'd be useful for future questions, if he gets any. Okay, so reviewing: the storm is very out-of-season...and it's worse outside of the town. That's strange. Just out of town, it was incredibly strange, but here in town it feels just like a bad storm. Pretty normal town, though. If there is something off about this place, the average person probably wouldn't know it.

She mentioned a lighthouse, though. Lighthouse workers tend to know a lot about the sea and the weather. Plus, if he can get into the lighthouse, he could probably confirm his suspicions. They're pretty tall, he'd be able to look outside of the village bounds and see if he can tell what's going on.

But, before he goes...maybe it'd be a good idea to talk to one or two more people. That recent arrival by the fire looks like she's ready to be bothered.
So, he walks towards the fire, by Sekhmet and the other guest there. "Wow, it's cold out there," the large paladin says. To Sekhmet, he adds, "It looks like you were also caught out in it. You ever seen anything like it?"


Shortly after talking with Sekhmet

After he's finished talking over by the fire, he looks for Anchor, wherever she is at this point, and goes towards her to say something. "I have a strange feeling about how the weather's acting, I'm going back out there to see if I'm right."

He then heads outside, looking to see where the lighthouse is. It should be easy, right? Tall, with a bright light on top. Probably on a higher location, like maybe on top of the cliffs or something.

[Earl of Purple]

Marlick Bay

"Your concern is noted, but unwarranted. Even if my manservant were capable of feeling hunger, the mask it wears is bolted to its face. It couldn't bite you even if it I told it to." And he'd have to tell it to, since its sole desire is to serve Benedict. He'll hand the key to the manservant, who will move upstairs with the heavy chest to occupy the room and guard the chest. Benedict will order a red wine and head over to the Golden Leaf merchant. He's had some dealings with their cartel in the past, obtaining particularly unusual magical reagents and ritualistic items that he can't source elsewhere.

"Greetings, madam. My name is Benedict Beaulieu, and I have bought from your organisation in the past. I was wondering two things. Firstly, I have a wish list to buy and a few items I have to sell. Secondly, I was wondering if you had a ship in the area. I find myself with a pressing desire to make a sea voyage or otherwise escape this general vicinity with a maximum of speed and a minimum of questions." He's recently visited something he really shouldn't have and might have attracted unwanted attention. He'll get out a brass pen and a notebook, writing a few things on it before ripping a page out and sliding it across the table.

Necromancer's Plague Dig

The first shot is destroyed, red sparks flickering from his magnetite ring, as is the second shot. The third shot in such short a period of time pushes the defensive magic to the limit, and isn't entirely destroyed, instead being partially disintegrated and penetrating into the necromancer's body as he screams in pain, pulls the wand out of the back of his trousers and fire a thin ruby-red beam at his minotaur assailant. If it hits, the beam has two effects; the first is to trigger every pain-nerve in Krayger's body and the second is to make his bones more fragile. He'll try to keep the wand pointed at Krayger for as long as possible. The pain will wear off immediately when the beam leaves, but the bone fragility will last for a minute or so afterwards.

[Recaiden]

Anchor knows a bit of draconic, if only the little guys weren't talking so fast, she thinks. But the idea seems to have been gotten across.

Click! Click! Pictures of the happy vacationers.

"You're tourists, right. I mean, what wonders are here? I don't know what there is to see around here?"

Later on
"Alright. Be careful, okay? I mean, it wouldn't do to have to go find you in all this."
And it leaves her wondering, what was up with the storm? Everyone feels like the weather is unpredictable where they are, and all of them are right. But if there's something else at work....

[bc56]

Marlick Bay

Sekhmet looks up at the paladin. He looks scary, but at least he's being friendly. It takes her a moment to respond, "Uh, no. It just, uh, came out of nowhere."

[5a Violista]

[Marlick Bay]
Smooth Sailing Inn - before he left

"Yeah, I was caught out in it, too," he says. "It was really strange, how quickly it became cold and dark."

Then, with a laugh, he says, "I'm lucky my daughter had a drying magic available, because otherwise I would be curled up by this fire, too."

Anyway, he has to get to the purpose of his bothering: "So why were you around, anyway? Were you coming to this town for any particular reason, or were you also just nearby and had to find shelter here?" Sure, it's possible that a lot of people were all coincidentally forced here, but...combined with how the weather is qualitatively worse outside the town? If Sekhmet was also just randomly here by chance, that just adds to the mystery. How far out does the storm go? Does it get progressively worse the farther you get from town? If so, it seems like some sort of strange weather pattern that draws people in one direction. But if you're far enough, the weather will probably push you away from the town, so there's the question of statistics, and how likely it will push you towards or away from the town will depend on how large the storm is, and the rate it worsens or gets better. If there's a lot of people here who just happened to be nearby, that implies the storm is incredibly large. All these are questions that he's hoping to get answers from, but...based on people's reactions, nobody knows or seems to care much more than 'it's out-of-season, so that's weird'.

...
Anyway.
That's a lot of thought put into simple small talk.

[bc56]

Marlick Bay

Sekhmet is jealous. "Drying magic?" She would love some dry clothes. And a pair of shoes, incidentally. "I was walking on the beach, and I got caught in it. I, uh, saw the town and came here."

[Shadowcaller]

Operation Sea Slug - Actually Seems To Be A Real Operation Now

Several pieces of her logic core and decision making process voiced dissent, but they were overridden by the simple fact that as she was now, TTN couldn't protect a flea. To do anything, she had to be whole and was relying on her coding to be Absolute in order to see her through.

"I need to be fairly large and stable. Strong, of sound structure, and preferably armored. Weaponry I can worry about picking up later and learning how to use. I want two arms with fingers, at least one pair of powerful legs, and I need some sort of protection over my sensory organs. If possible, I want to keep as much of my own circuitry that's left inside of me whole and inside the body as well." She thinks a bit before trying to relay images of modern armor in her world with their angled design to keep things from puncturing as easily. "Some sort of body armor like that. I want to deflect as much away from myself as possible."

Operation Sea Slug - Actually Seems To Be A Real Operation Now

"Affirmative." Is the only response from Azaries that TTN can "hear" as the rest of it is garbled information about how its initiating it's conversion process. Its telling her systems to prepare and how they should act in response once the process has begun.
The rest is lost in a fog as TTN's systems has to focus on helping Azaries with the process and shut down the majority of her sensory systems.

The whole process only takes a half hour at the most but to TTN it feels like en eternity as her systems turn off and on, adjusting themselves every time to the changes that has occurred. It's impossible for her to tell how long time that has passed between every black out but they do make it feel like an awfully long time.

But as the build up progresses she can feel new systems being implemented into her body. Systems which at some point would be hard to tell apart from biological organs as her new body seem to have biological traits. It's likely a strange feeling at first, suddenly being in contact with parts of your body which has never existed previously. Like a child in the womb developing its appendages. Though unlike the embryo she is at least partly aware of what is going on even if her mind seems divided during the process. Like a dream she forgets and remembers parts from time to time as her memory bank isn't fully there during the process.

But finally the most crucial work has been done and her mind is once again capable of process what is happening to her body to some degree. At that point she gets a log from Azaries which summarizes what has been done including a visual image of her new self which seemed much more humanoid in nature.
All parts of her body except her personality core and visual lenses had been melted down and then rebuilt into a new chassis which is some mix of biological matter and metal that appear like a black exoskeleton that is chitin in nature though still gleams like metal. She is informed that this mix will be even tougher but will have a weakness to silver, mithril and dragonscale. However, the metal of her old body has been used to lessen this weakness somewhat.

Covering parts of this exoskeleton was a layer of dense olive and metal white colored hair which formed patterns across her body. This "fur" was normally soft to touch but could be turned into vicious spikes at a moments notice. Both this hair shared the exoskeletons weakness to the same materials but also had the ability to regenerate and repair any damage it had sustained. Just like the exoskeleton would be able to do. In addition to this she could excrete a sticky substance from her hair that could allow her to trap weapons that struck it or use it to stick to walls and other difficult to scale surfaces, allowing her to effortlessly climb them.

Her head still had a similar shape though now appeared slightly more rounded and humanoid than before. Her lenses had been integrated into what would be her four eyes. An additional pair of larger more expressive eyes underneath them. Her third lens being positioned between and above the two pairs. On either side of the third lens was a pair of antennas covered in black fur. These antennas would enchant her ability to receive electronic signals and enhance her sensory detector and give her a form of limited "radar" sense that could detect things above her and if put against the ground could feel tremors from below.

Below her new eyes was a small mouth-like appendage that could be used to taste the same way biological beings could. She still couldn't use it to swallow anything with however. On either side of this mouth are large vicious looking mandibles partly covered in white fur which had the strength powerful hydraulic press.

Her neck is covered by layers and layers of exoskeleton and fur as her personality core was located near the base of it, just above her chest. On either side of her neck two slender arms sprouted out, giving her four arm-appendages in total. Unlike the other parts of her body they weren't covered in fur except at the elbows and at the other joints. These four arms all ended in hands with five powerfully built claw-like fingers which could be used to both grab and slash with ease. Her palms had openings however from which a powerful explosive spray of chemicals could be fired between 10 to 300 feet away depending on her needs. This substance would at first simply seemed foul-smelling and cause a aggravated burning sensation in contact with the skin, even through most clothing and armor (depending on how drenched they were). Yet it also had a secondary effect in how easily it could be ignited and cause massive explosions that could cut through things like burning plasma.

Like her arms her mid-section was very slender, giving her a agile appearance. Though in contrast her chest and her hips budged outwards as to give her a vaguely feminine figure. Though in addition to this two exoskeleton bulges emerged from the olive fur of her chest, apparently to form a pair of smooth "breasts". However, her back is similarly shaped but with the bulges being less distinctively shaped and covered in fur. Apparently Azaries was attempting to combine her ideas of a feminine design with a way to redirect strikes towards the section of her chest where her fur would be the most dense and her exoskeleton the strongest to easier trap slashing weapons and absorb their strikes.

Just below her waist, coming out from what would be the tail-bone of a human, is a large insect-like abdomen covered in fur. This functioned as a container for the mix explosive mix of chemicals that she could now produce from her hands but could also produce a vicious stinger from the end of it. This stinger could be used as a weapon, injecting opponents with an dangerous explosives substance, but was also able to function more akin to a tail and wrap around objects and let the substance drop onto the ground.

This abdomen could easily be seen between her two legs which were less agile-looking than her arms but far more powerful. Capable of jumping great distances and running extremely fast.
Azaries was now finishing the process and would soon allow her to "wake up" and once again be able to move her body and use her senses to perceive the external world.

[Rebonack]

[Marlick Bay]

Benny
The inn-keeper does little more than give a grunt of a reply. Apparently not a talkative fellow.

The half-elf, on the other hand...

"Ah, Mister Beaulieu, I've heard about you from some of my associates. Terza Than. A pleasure to finally meet you in person." the half-elf replies. She has a pleasant enough voice, though there's a vaguely dangerous edge to it. When the slip is produced one of the guards nearby picks it up and passes it to the Terza, who purses the contents. After a moment she nods.

"To answer the second question first, the Gold Wake is moored here at the harbor. This little mudhole doesn't have much we would normally be interested in, but the Consortium is currently in negotiations for exclusive rights to purchase the unusual objects that regularly wash up along the coast. We're headed south once the negotiations are concluded, to the Seafoam Archipelago. I trust that would be 'away' enough for your purposes?"

The chain of islands IS pretty remote. Hardly a backwater, either. It sports a number of reasonably sized towns and one large city that serves as a trading hub.

"The first request... several of these items are quite unusual. Steps would have to be taken to acquire them for you. Our usual rare object acquisition fees would apply."

Benedict should be aware that this is a euphemism for 'theft, murder, and grave robbing'. But that sort of thing isn't terribly unusual when it comes to dealing with the more esoteric items the Consortium can sell.

"However, I believe many of the more common items are stocked in the Gold Wake's hold."


Anchor
"Yes, yes, tourists! That is what we are," the kobold girl replies with an enthusiastic nod. "Place has singing cave. And devil's churn. And devil's punchbowl. And seal rock. And pretty lighthouse. And historic church. And shinies that appear on beach when water goes down. All nice things but storms are making looking hard, yes?"

They DO talk really fast.

Really really fast.

Dragons tend to be quite slow and deliberate with their pronunciation. But with kobolds all the words just kind of yip together.

The rest of the family is either eating or admiring the photos they've taken. Save for the youngest of the group. He seems to have gotten bored and is entertaining himself with a hand-held video game device of some kind. Looks like a Nextendo Snap.


Paladin Snooping
Back out into the storm.

It's just as miserable as it was earlier. Only now it's a bit darker, since the day has worn on. The wind is still howling and the rain is still driving. It's cold, but not dangerously so.

Sporadic pedestrians trudge through the streets, shoulders hunched against the rain. Likely local residents with their own errands that need to get done regardless of how ugly and nonseasonal the weather feels like being. The salt of the sea, combined with the scent of generations of fishing, leaves an aroma clinging to the town that even the driving rain can't wash away.

Directly across the street, nestled between a pair of unmarked buildings, stands a studiously white washed general store with a little carved-and-painted placard above the door naming it The Bountiful Tide. The lights are on inside and a few figures can be seen moving around. Would the local merchant know anything about the weather? Maybe.

To the north of the inn, just down the street, stands a large grove of ash trees swaying in the heavy winds. Rain slicks off their leaves, though they bowed as they are they seem to be weathering the storm nicely. Maybe it's a park of some kind? It's difficult to tell from this distance.

Further north a tall sea-mount rises above the rest of the town with a prominent church seated atop its crown. The church would be nearly invisible in the rain, if not for the occasional lightning bolt lighting the darkened sky and causing the glitter of a gilded dome to be seen.

And speaking of lights, to the south of the town, atop a second prominent hill, a strong, steady light can be seen burning in the gloom. No doubt that's the light house. Though it's a bit of a distance from the town proper and it will likely be an absolutely miserable hike to get there.

[5a Violista]

Marlick Bay
In the Inn - bothering Sekhmet

"Oh. That's...pretty much exactly what happened to me," Zophiel says. He doesn't mention the giant scorpion, though. Actually, now that he thinks about it, its corpse is still out there. Should probably later find a way to take care of it before it starts rotting or turns undead or whatever...

"Well. Stay warm," he says. The paladin gives a wave and, unless Sekhmet has anything else to say, he leaves to go confirm his suspicions outside.


Paladin Snooping

On the one hand, the weather is miserable.
On the other hand, it somewhat reminds him of his home from outside the Nexus. Familiar...but still miserable. If only he had thought to dress for this weather today.

With his arms wrapped around himself to keep in his body heat, he also trudges down the street, keeping an eye out for the tell-tale light of the lighthouse. Sure, he could find other townsfolk to ask about it, but chances are they wouldn't know more about it than Menelda. Perhaps on his way back, he could stop for whatever supplies he thinks he'll need, and he could ask then. So he continues traveling. A park, or maybe some ritual grove?...no, he needs somewhere high up that he can see all around, to confirm his suspicions about the nature of the storm. But it's a good landmark to help him find the inn again.

Drat, this weather is making it really hard to see things that are far away.

He looks up for the hilltops. Oh! There's one, it's...it doesn't have any lights. Luckily, a bolt of lightning helps him realize it's a church.

Zophiel looks around for another hill. Soon, he spots it, in the opposite direction. There! It's...sadly, farther out of town than he was hoping. If the weather continues to get worse farther outside the town...not to mention, what happens if he slips? He'd have to resort to undoing the seal he put on himself, and that's not something he wants to do. If only he had weather-resisting magic - he should have asked Anchor to come along - or if he had stopped by that general market - he could have bought a rain jacket and something to keep warm - then he would feel confident in going towards the light-house. And he's already come this far, going back would be a waste.

While the light-house would probaby be easier to talk his way in, the church is definitely high enough. If he could get permission to go up the church, that would be even better, but at least the top of its hill will allow him to get a better view of the city and the storm.

He pushes onward towards the church, intending to look around and let himself in once he reaches it.

[Deathkeeper]

Necromancer’s Plague Dig

Things that are not smart: pulling a gun or gun-like instrument on a trained Mercenary who specializes in close quarters combat while at point-blank range.

Krayger responds to the expected attack with practiced ease, throwing out his free left hand to block the motion of the mage’s wrist before he can actually point the wand at Krayger. Then it’s a matter of trying to hammer the man’s head with the butt of the revolver until he desists or falls unconscious.

[bc56]

Marlick Bay

"Uh, goodbye?" Just like that, Sekhmet is alone again, sitting by the warm fire and wishing for dry clothes and a pair of shoes.

[Recaiden]

Smooth Sailing Inn

Anchor nods along until a moment after the kobold stops talking, when she can catch up with the words.

"Oh, wow. A singing cave sounds pretty impressive. And shinies are, well, shiny. With the storm we're all cooped up here." She gives a shrug. There's only so much one can do about the weather, especially if it's unnatural. "We were just passing through here, but maybe we'll look at some of the local wonders on the way. Thank you foir telling me about them."
What a nice kobold.

---

When she's done talking to the kobolds, whenever that is, Anchor walks over to the fire.
"Did I hear someone needed a drying spell?"
That was rhetorical; she just goes ahead and casts it over Sekhmet. It's trivial to resist if you want to stay soaked for some reason, but otherwise the water will just whisk away over the course of a second.

She takes a seat and adjusts her red cloak around her to be comfortable.
"I've seen you around GLoG, right?"

[bc56]

Marlick Bay

Sekhmet is dried off! She takes off the blanket and feels her clothes in a moment of surprise, then turns to Anchor. "Thanks! You, uh, might have. I live there."

[Recaiden]

"It's a really basic spell: air, water, earth, and fire, but so low powered that you can just memorize it. That is, I mean- you're welcome." Anchor starts to explain, because Sekhmet sounded curious earlier, but then decides it isn't important.

"Technically I live there too. I work in the medical lab, but I'm traveling a lot, so I'm away more nights than I'm in my cabin. I mean, it makes it hard to meet everyone when they arrive, right? I'm Anchor."
She offers Sekhmet a handshake.

[bc56]

Marlick Bay

"I'm Sekhmet." Sekhmet responds, taking the handshake. "Could you teach me? The, uh, drying spell. It would be so useful!" It would be. Sekhmet still washes and dries her clothes by hand; she hasn't gotten the hang of modern contrivances yet.

[Earl of Purple]

Marlick Bay

"Believe me, my dear, the pleasure is all mine." He smiles, and it seems quite charming though it doesn't reach his eyes. "That is most certainly 'away' enough. I could do with a holiday." Indeed, he's twenty years older than he was the last time he dealt with the Consortium, or appears that way.

"They are hard to find, and yet the Golden Leaf finds them and gets them to me reliably. Unusual items washing up on the coast? I had not heard of those before I arrived, though I did not plan my visit to this... Quaint community. I may be interested in such things." Occultism leaves him versatile, but with little raw power. He relies on rituals and relics to power his more potent abilities and spells. He's always looking for new sources of power, artefacts and rituals; perhaps the unusual sea-leavings of Marlick Bay will prove a useful addition to his repertoire. Or perhaps they'll be nothing more than interesting curios to display in his library.

Necromancer's Plague Dig

The necromancer is efficiently dealt with! He's not used to being directly threatened by violence, and Krayger finds he's unconscious after only two blows from the butt of his pistol. The wand has been dropped and fallen to the floor, and he's unable to resist whatever Krayger chooses to do next.

His minions, such as they are, continue to dig. He's not experienced enough to give them mental commands, or possibly sacrificed that level of control to make them smarter and better able to fulfil trickier tasks, like digging a hole without damaging the bones they're digging for.

[Rebonack]

[Marlick Bay]

Paladin Snooping
Why would he have thought to dress for this kind of weather?

It came out of nowhere and is rather miserable. He would have been miserable if it had stayed sunny if he had dressed for freak winter storm weather.

Regardless!

Up the main road the paladin goes, trudging through the mud. This route takes him around the park and past the town hall, a large stone building that's larger than any other in Marlick Bay. Most of the windows are dark, but a few lights can be seen moving around within, implying that official business is still going on in spite of the awful weather. Bureaucracy has no time to shrink from the rain! A smaller path eventually splits off from the main road, winding its way up the hillside toward the church in a well-traveled trail of switchbacks. The muddy path is slick, but nothing that should prove too difficult of an obstacle to overcome.

The church itself sits high atop the hill overlooking the town, the stout wooden building boasting peeling white paint that probably should have been replaced fifteen years. There are a few lights inside, but otherwise the building only receives the occasion ominous illumination of the storm's lighting, causing the gold dome to flash in the momentary brilliance. The heavy double doors are flapping slightly in the wind, a sure sign that they're unlocked.

Within the paladin finds himself in a long chamber, lined with rickety old pews worn smooth by years of use. The vaulted ceiling makes the room seem much larger than it actually is, shadows clinging on high and obscuring view. A cloth draped alter decorates the front of the church, sporting a number of holy implements of various kinds. Large stained glass windows decorate the high walls, sending colors writhing across the floor with every flash of lightning. Near the back of the room is a gaunt woman in a robe tending to candles. She seems surprised to see someone else here.

"Can I help you?" she asks, her tone that of a stern headmistress.


Smooth Sailing Inn
The kobold waves as Anchor departs to talk to someone else!

"We've found that providing our customers with what they need with, as you put it, a maximum of speed and a minimum of questions asked has served us well," Terza replies. "Our ship won't be leaving until our business here is concluded. That would afford plenty of time to enjoy the local sights, such as they are. There are a few local businesses that sell trinkets that the sea spits up, but they're mostly unusual, though valuable, baubles. Nothing particularly comparable to the items on your list."

Simply shiny trinkets, then.

But shiny trinkets can still be very expensive.

[Earl of Purple]

Marlick Bay -Smooth Sailing Inn

"Ah, I see." Less interesting, then. "I am staying in [room number] for now, if you manage to find anything on the list, but for now I have a pressing need to be elsewhere. Good day, Miss Terza Than." He inclines his head to show respect, and stands up. He's going to walk to the door, leaning on his rattling cane as he goes. He'll sketch a shape in the air, green lines trailing past his fingers, before leaving the tavern. The spell he's just cast is a pretty simple ward against the weather, to keep him hopefully warm and dry. Once he's outside, he'll start to look for a shop that might sell some of these unusual items. It might be a good souvenir, since he doesn't have one from this trip yet.

[Recaiden]

"I'm Sekhmet." Sekhmet responds, taking the handshake. "Could you teach me? The, uh, drying spell. It would be so useful!" It would be. Sekhmet still washes and dries her clothes by hand; she hasn't gotten the hang of modern contrivances yet.

"A pleasure to meet you."
Anchor thinks about that. Usually when she's tried to teach people about magic it's been a disaster.
"Sure! It'll have to wait till we're back at GLoG, and I have all my spellbooks. Do you know anything about wizardry already?"