(IC) Old Anteirobrahd-by-the-Spiral

[Luccan]

Quelle knocks on the door and listens for any sounds of someone coming.

[Quagmire]

Ahh, the undercity... Aldren says as he drinks in the green light and the black obsidian buildings. He walks with a boldness down here, as if he knows he is in danger but plunges onwards anyway. It seems the wildlife is particularly active today.

As the party approaches the door to the Ravishment Aldren ties the handkerchief around his head, pushing his messy hair out of his face and displaying his holy symbol proudly. He hums softly to the music on the street.

[batsharkgrapple]

Quelle raps her knuckles on the stone door. A quiet shuffling from the residence is heard, someone is coming to the door, and taking their time doing it. The man who answers the door wears a woven cloak of maroon, hemmed with dusty teal tassels. His head is hooded. His fingers wrap around the frame as the door creaks open. His skin is a dull grey, like a drowned man. His fingernails and long and lacquered violet.

From inside the house, Aldren and Quelle recognize the stink of the arcane. Cunning Django also recognizes a man rich in material wealth when he sees one.

He speaks in an off-pitched monotone. If you come seeking the Ravishment of Many Shades, then you have found him. He eyes Aldren's holy symbol and nods respectfully. What business do you have with me?

[Luccan]

Quelle raps her knuckles on the stone door. A quiet shuffling from the residence is heard, someone is coming to the door, and taking their time doing it. The man who answers the door wears a woven cloak of maroon, hemmed with dusty teal tassels. His head is hooded. His fingers wrap around the frame as the door creaks open. His skin is a dull grey, like a drowned man. His fingernails and long and lacquered violet.

From inside the house, Aldren and Quelle recognize the stink of the arcane. Cunning Django also recognizes a man rich in material wealth when he sees one.

He speaks in an off-pitched monotone. If you come seeking the Ravishment of Many Shades, then you have found him. He eyes Aldren's holy symbol and nods respectfully. What business do you have with me?

Quelle gives a smile to the odd man. The arcane smell intrigued her, but that could wait for a later time. Greetings. I hope we aren't disrupting your evening, Ravishment of Many Shades. We are here on behalf of Brother Mickelin of the Alchemist's Guild. He was expecting a delivery from you two days ago, but apparently your man never arrived. We're here to pick it up ourselves.

[batsharkgrapple]

The Ravishment of Many Shades pauses for a moment, chewing on Quelle's introduction. His eyes often linger in the direction of Aldren's holy symbol.

That.. is unexpected. You are welcome inside to discuss this further.

For anyone who goes inside, they see the odd wonder that is The Ravishment's living room. All manner of strange instruments occupy shelves and tables. Astrolabes, bookcases, fossils, and assorted artifact bric-a-brac.
A large glass terrarium sits up against the far wall. Inside is a collection of fungus colonies. Muddy blues, mustard yellows, neon greens.
On another wall is something that might be a painting or a mirror. It is covered with a dusty drop cloth. Occasionally you hear muted sounds from its direction, odd sounds like little explosions, electronic beeping, and faraway screams.
Also present is a medium sized buffalo. It moos at the arrival of new people, and chews lethargically on a bale of grass.

It troubles me that Mickelin's lockbox has not arrived. I sent it with my servant Sedent two evenings prior. Sedent knows the city well, he raised himself on the streets as a boy, peeling gold from statues in ruins to sell at the markets. He taught himself the old tongues before he was grown.

[OdeMx]

Alchemy doesn't make much sense to Django, but missing stuff and lousy messengers are his speciality, so he decides to join the conversation.... "And where is good ol'Sedent now? He was supposed to deliver Maese Mickelin goods two days ago... what did he told you about that delivery?"

[batsharkgrapple]

The Ravishment idly runs a hand over a coelacanth fossil.
I haven't heard from Sedent since his departure. I suppose he may be at his apartment in The Street of The Glutton.

Ordinarily the details of my mercantile business are confidential, but this one is with you. He points a couple of fingers at Aldren. This one knows the old way of the Undercity. The Sphinx. The crypt of Ebalshar, the crawling chaos and all that rot. Creatures of the old way are bonded.

The delivery was a potent mycological colony; a fungus. The Tarzetta Morel. One of my explorers discovered it in a dungeon beneath the the fortress of The Knife Lord, deeper in the Undercity. Supposedly the fungus has curative properties, in expert hands. That is all I know, I care not for its function, only for my gold, which I have already received.

[OdeMx]

Mr. Ravishment, aren't you worried about your messenger whereabouts and your payed goods delivery? Doesn't that kind of things hurt your reputation and business?

[batsharkgrapple]

You raise a salient point, halfling. If you will go now, to The Street of the Glutton, I will walk with you. He raises a palm to his buffalo. Eieethwen, you will watch the house.

The buffalo, in a soundless instant, morphs into a type of sentient bloodstain, which pools on the floor. After a minute or two, the bloodstain appears in a few different places at once, weeping down walls and ceilings like a scarlet mold.
Then the Ravishment waits until the party is ready to investigate his servant Sedent, or if they have any further questions. The ravishment retrieves a peculiar dagger from a secret compartment in a bookcase. It has a handle of exquisite coral, and a blade sharp enough to almost be two dimensional.

[Quagmire]

Aldren holds open the door for the party to leave. Before e speaks, he nods at Ravishments acknowledgement of his patron. This will be a boon to both of us. We will complete our job and you will retain both your reputation and your servant.

Before the party leaves, Aldren nudges Django with his foot and discreetly looks towards the terrarium of fungus. Hopefully they will be able to complete their job with the help of this wizard, but he could be lying to them.

[Luccan]

Quelle examines the room during the conversation, interested in the various oddities about. When the buffalos melts, she watches intently as it appears through out the room. The elf follows last, giving the arcane study one last look as they exit.

[batsharkgrapple]

The walk through the hive that is the Undercity is not a pleasant one. With every sight, there is a muted sensation of a great something about to occur. Violence, perversion, occult and heretic worships. On Only Cats See the Truth, you witness a strange type of maypole dance, where the naked performers silently twirl and bow their heads. What they are bowing to is unknown.

You pass discrete merchants hauling iron crates, moon priestesses moving in great congregation with their eunuch censer-swingers. On the Inverted Path, there is a large Dragon Dance going on, a small crowd has assembled to watch the moving and dancing of a great centipede puppet.

On the Street Of The Glutton, a disused street with only few buildings, and these ones are mostly abandoned. The Ravishment guides you towards to location of Sedent's apartment, but then you hear an astonished gasp from him, and he stops walking.

The entire building is covered in a great uneven dome. The dome is a colour like rancid mayonnaise, flecked with holes large and small. The entire living structure breathes, and sways with a nonexistent wind. There are several man-sized holes near the base of the great fungus.

This.. is the Tarzetta Morel. It is.. considerably more than your man Mickelin's delivery.

[Luccan]

Gods above... Quelle curses, observing the mass of fungus. She turns to ravishment Does it spread this fast?

[batsharkgrapple]

Speaking truthfully, I have not an idea. The Ravishment puts a hand into his maroon cloak and retrieves a glass capsule about the size of a grapefruit. When my explorer discovered the initial specimen, a walnut sized hard lump at the core of the Tarzetta Morel, he sealed it into a capsule like this. It's a precaution I take with all discoveries from the deep past, you never know what dangers they come with.

A christmas beetle the size of a house cat crawls out of one of the fluted holes near the top of the mass, then darts back inside another.

The fungus must have gotten out somehow.

[OdeMx]

The fungus must have gotten out somehow.

Django ask everyone to gather close and speaks his mind "hey, I dunno the rules down here, but I'm worried that if we show too much interest we could get easily blamed for this... what you think if we get a sample like the one our employee wanted and forget about this whole mess? Goods delivered, face saved, problem solved! We get paid and go home"

[Quagmire]

Aldren marvels at the humongous fungus. It consumed an entire building! What a marvel of life! he stares upwards in wonder. Then, his senses coming back to him, he ties his kerchief around his face to block any spores and mutters a prayer of protection under his breath.

That’s a fine plan Django, but there is one obstacle we must overcome if we wish to succeed: containment. We see here that a simple lockbox is not enough to hold this being. We must find a safe container for them.

[Luccan]

Quelle glances between her two companions and back to Ravishment It has taken, at most, two days for the fungus to spread this far. Can we truly do nothing to stop it while it consumes other buildings and perhaps even lives? I've my doubts that The Ravishment of Many Shade's man is still alive in there. She looks up, towards the city above At the least, I think we should ask Brother Mickelin's counsel on this. He planned to use the fungus himself, perhaps he knows something of its growth and how to stop it?

[OdeMx]

Once again Django is happy about his choice of friends,
while his instinct made him think about a quick and fast solution to collect gold, their friends provided ideas that might still get them the gold and the opportunity to get even more "You both are right! We can't contain or transport that fungus and our job was to find about the cache and Mr. Ravishment and unless he has a better idea, we should get back to master Mickelin and be done with this.

So, Mr Ravishment, do you have anything that you want us to tell or deliver for our master?"

[batsharkgrapple]

The Ravishment Of Many Shades breaks from his reverie. Sedent seems to be occupying his mind, for there is a morose aspect about him. You are journeying back to the surface? Very well then. It is understandable that you do not wish to take responsibility for this. You must tell Mickelin that he will not receive his delivery. The core of the fungus he reqested, that hard lump I mentioned, is probably somewhere inside. Perhaps if your alchemist was desperate for the core of the Tarzetta Morel, he could send me a premium, and I could see if any swordboys were glad to go into these apertures in search of it. The Ravishment gestures to the man-sized holes at the base of the fungus.

The Ravishment steps back, and observes his glass capsule. He speaks softly now. Perhaps an accident? I don't know how it could have gotten out, these capsules are designed to contain fungal matter. And what now of the street? Old gods, black sphinxes and cracked stones, give me wisdom.

[OdeMx]

Perhaps an accident? I don't know how it could have gotten out, these capsules are designed to contain fungal matter. And what now of the street? Old gods, black sphinxes and cracked stones, give me wisdom.

Django carefully tries to read The Ravishment Of Many Shades expresions... is he really worried or just trying to make us think that? A merchant that worries about people instead of gold or saving reputation is something new for Django! Is it possible to profit from this situation or is Django feeling empathy? he honestly cant tell...

Spoiler: OOC Check

Show

Does the Ravishment shows genuine worry? Do We need to make a check to know or can we just RPG out to know?

[Luccan]

Quelle looks at the massive fungus again with unease, before addressing Ravishment with a sympathetic look I do not suppose we might borrow that container to help establish what may have gone wrong? If it can't be used to safely contain the fungus, I'll gladly return it to you myself. And if something can be done, well... I won't volunteer my friends here, but I'll do what I can. But I simply don't feel qualified to deal with this growth without more information.

[batsharkgrapple]

The Ravishment nods once. You bear the tempered wisdom of your kind, elf. You may have the container. I also have two more on me, which you may also have just in case. Keep them, they may come in handy.

Django is a shrewd judge of character, from merchant to mark, from charlatan to cleric. What Django reads from The Ravishment seems to be feeling genuine guilt, possibly over the uncertain fate which may have befallen his servant Sedent. In any case, The Ravishment goes to return to his dwelling on Your Senses Are False.

I will study the mycological tomes in my shelf, see if I cannot find some conclusion. I have a basement you are welcome to stay in for the time being, if you wish. He pauses. I do not know what disease on the surface Mickelin hoped to cure, but I hope unearthing this growth from beneath the Knife Lord's keep is worth it.

[OdeMx]

I have a basement you are welcome to stay in for the time being, if you wish. .[/FONT][/COLOR]

Since Quelle already said she wanted to help, Django quickly accepts The Ravishments offer, its a great oportunity to inspect around for his personal quest, probably getting information from the host, free lodging and why not? maybe some proffit or treasures! ohh the Wonders The Ravishments can show him, its a great offer!

[Quagmire]

Many thanks for the lodging, and wisdom be with you, my friend. Aldren says as he re-enters the strange house. He walks down to the basement with his compatriots, musing aloud.

I think it would be quite bad form to return to our employer without completing our mission, especially when we were paid in advance. I think the best course of action would be to maybe hire some of the warriors up above and descend into the fungal mound to find the core. If we are able to retrieve what Mickelin asks of us despite this, I’m sure we’ll develop quite a reputation with the Alchemists.

As he talks, Aldren turns a strange rose over and over in his hands, always making sure he is touching part of it.

[OdeMx]

I think it would be quite bad form to return to our employer without completing our mission, especially when we were paid in advance.

I believe our mission was just to find the whereabouts and status of the box and the Ravishment, and we already have that info, everything we are doing now is extra. Ravishment and Mickelin should sponsor us

[Luccan]

Brother Mickelin is a friend of my teacher. I'm sure he'll accept our explanation, particularly if this can still work out for him. I said I would help how I can; if that means retrieve the core, it means retrieve the core. But getting killed going in without preparation when we know someone who should have knowledge of our obstacle won't benefit anyone.

[batsharkgrapple]

In The Ravishment's basement, the group continues their discussions about what to do regarding the steadily growing Tarzetta Morel, that ancient fungus which hides away Brother Mickelin's much desired component.

The basement is covered in an eternal dust. There are three serviceable bunk beds here. The Ravishment explains that when he took apprentices, they would stay here in exchange for chores. There is an empty desk and bookshelf here.

Even if you decide not to stay, The Ravishment allows you to stay here and make your minds up about what you'll do. The old merchant, in the meantime, will busy himself pouring over his biological tomes. The answers he seeks, if he finds them at all, will probably take many hours, maybe a few days. He says the party is welcome to wander the Undercity streets, explore his oddities (Perhaps you may have the gold for something which strikes your fancy) or assist in his research, if you wish.

The purple rose feels cold in Aldren's hand. In the folds of the purple petals, there is a mystery. An enigma. A riddle wearing the face of a paradox. Aldren has heard rumors of the rose's capabilities, it's supposed powers to prevent the death of its bearer. While the cleric is unsure of the truth of this matter, Aldren does feel a type of divine spark from it.

[OdeMx]

He says the party is welcome to wander the Undercity streets, explore his oddities (Perhaps you may have the gold for something which strikes your fancy) or assist in his research, if you wish.

"Mr. The Ravishment, actually we are kind of short on gold, I was wondering if you might be interested in buying this nice bracer I'm wearing"

[batsharkgrapple]

The Ravishment places a sash of silk into his tome, to mark his place. His buffalo familiar lazily reclines with a thud. The wizened merchant looks down over his desk at Django.
A fine jewel, crafted by an astronomer I'd wager. Amulets of these sorts are popular fashion in the city above, but these are far more appreciated here.

He cranes his head around the room, presuming Django is following along.

Over at the tank, you see some fungus.
The muddy blue one is called Frigid Polecaps. Grown on the old shells of Rimebeetles. Chew on it for a few seconds, and your breath will become wrought with a cold intensity, allowing you to unleash a devastating breath weapon. I would trade you two doses for that jewelry.

The yellow ones are Raptoriats. Strong stuff. When ingested, they induce a euphoria so potent it almost crosses the line into torture. I would give you four for the bracelet, but I would caution you against casual use.

The neon green fungus is called Anterbroc-Wille. It hosts a symbiotic bacteria, which feasts on the skin of animals who ingest it, as a defense mechanism. Fortunately, it has rather the opposite effect on humans and demi-humans, instead transferring the upper layer of skin into a nigh-impenetrable alloy. You won't enjoy this permanently, though, it falls off in ten to forty minutes. I would give you one dose.


He looks over at the covered mirror.
This is a dangerous one. I would prefer to trade it to someone trustworthy. I don't fully understand its function or properties yet. It is unwise to touch it, and it is distressing to look upon.

Lastly, I have this bottle of ancient tequila. I'm not sure how old this bottle is exactly, I was saving it for a celebration which may now never come, but you see that scorpion inside? Its species went extinct before the time of the Pallid Emperor, two hundred or so years ago.

[OdeMx]

Wow! I wish I could take and try all of them! Do they taste nice? How long will the fungi last if I store them in my pocket? Can I admire that dagger you carry? I need a decent weapon, a black leather armor and a decent cloak that can help around the shades, is it possible to find that stuff down here?