Perrol’s Story

The pirate ship has surrendered.

I do magesight

The Silver Branch of Talarshand (name of a country).  Known to be among the most deadly assassins in the world.

+2 XP

An enemy ship approaches over two days.  It is a fast ship built for war.  They raise the skull and crossbones.

At about 600 yards distance all of a sudden we see a lightning bolt come toward our ship and I dodge.  Segment 12!

+2 XP

The town guard arrives at the inn.

Jarlyn pays his 40gold and pays 40gold for Glandslag.

Jarlyn pays the Captain of the Bodyguards 15g to get 3 Cure Poison potions.  The captain returns with the potions and 3 silver in change.

We are eating at the Speared Boar Inn and Glandslag walks in.  He is the Orc that we are here to escort to Umbr.  We know it’s him because he is greeted by name by the bartender.  He walks up to the bar and starts a phony conversation with the bartender.

We get to port, check in to the inn where we meet the Orc.  He is expected back in about 3 days.  We convince the captain to stay 3 more days to take us back with the Orc.  We start back for the inn…

We get stopped at a choke point by 6 Orcs in front of us and then there are 9 Orcs behind us.  When they stop us they say something in Orcish.  I make out two words in Trade-Tongue: “filthy dwarf”

Segment 12!  We all more or less hold except for Ghoral, who swings with the dull side of his cat-lady’s claw.  Jarlyn makes a presence attack that is surprisingly effective.  It turns out that one of his boons is effective against the Orcs.  The Orcs back off and let us through and we go back to the inn.

We hang out there until Jarlyn has to go to the ship to fulfill his obligation to screen the new recruits.  We all go down to the ship with him.  He sees two evil ones and

1 XP

We go down to the wharf and find someone that will give us passage to Thordar for 34 gold, including officer grade food and passage and food for our horses.

I know where to find books and we go to a bookstore.  I buy for 30 gold a book on Sorcery, specifically detecting invisibility, detecting illusion and mind seeking.  I buy two language books, Thordarian (for the good Orc city we are going to) and Umbrian (for the land of Umbr where we are taking the Orc) for 25 gold.  I buy a book on sea shanties for 15 gold.

Four days pass and we find out that we are leaving the next day.  We get there and get settled in and the first mate Johnny knocks on the door and says, “Excuse me there is a miffed looking lady asking for you on the dock.”  I say I will go and see her.  The mate look concerned.

I go out to the dock, we talk and she wants to know why she hasn’t heard from me and where am I going and why.  I tell her it is a 6 month journey to repay a favor for someone.  She asks who and I say “Bob.”  She says, “Bob who?” and I say, just “Bob”.

We settle in and ride the waves.  About 50 days into our 60 day trip we see ships coming from the direction of Thun which are mysterious and bad.  The alarm is sounded.

+1 XP

We sleep.

I go shopping for a disguise kit and buy it for 18 silver.

We all go to the Skyfather Temple to see Aldus Mannus.  The guards have been doubled up and I notice they look nervous and tell my group.  We also notice priests around that look bummed.  We are approached by Matthias and he asks us to wait with him while Aldus is in a meeting.

As we approach Matthias’ office I hear a conversation through Aldus Mannus’ office closed door.  I hear Aldus Mannus, Bob, and Tiffany.  Bob is loud and angry.  I hear him yelling that he doesn’t like it.  Then I hear silence and harp music starting and the conversation continuing in muted tones.

In Matthias’ office he asks us how we are doing and Jarlyn asks him how he is doing.  He looks frazzled.  He is about to say when I hear Tiffany say, “Okay you can come in now.”

We knock then enter.  Aldus Mannus is sitting behind his desk and looking calm.  Bob looks very angry.  Tiffany looks like she is under control.

Bob calls in a favor and says that we need to guard someone on a journey.  We need to go pick him up in Brelg which I know to be in Thordar which is the “good” Orc land and take him to the High Church City.  His name is Glandslag which is obviously an Orc name.  I ask Bob if he really expects us to guard an Orc and he smiles and says “Yes!”  Tiffany walks up to Bob, says, “You still are a bastard aren’t you,” and kisses him on the cheek and tells him he can go now.  He grumbles and walks out.

Tiffany says that she volunteered to bring rewards to us for our valorous deeds.  She gives Kross some special arrows, gives Glaive a necklace that lets her be not recognized as Ulronai for 5 hours.  Jarlyn has to wait a day for his reward.  Ghoral got the option of buying up a +1 all weapons to +1 overall.

She holds out a jewelry box to me, opens the box to show a ring and says, “May this help you in your use, study and learning of the magic of music.”  It is a ring that gives me +2 to Music Magic.

We realize we were just visited by Lantiphone (Tiffany Lan turned around) who is a goddess that is “Lady of the Arts” and is a daughter Kilburn.  She is a goddess of anything requiring skill.

Later, I want to try out my magic skill with my new ring so go play at a tavern and manage to succeed in soothing the masses.

Still later, we are visited at home by Matthias.  He tells us that the expedition has left with the stone and that he was sent to give this to Jarlyn.

We plan the trip to Brelg in Thordar and on to Ytheis where the main temple of the High Church

We are back at the house and preparing for the ball with the performance by the bard.

I dress in normal (1 PD) and takes my dagger.  I lend a throwing knife to Glaive.  Kross dresses in normal (1 PD) and takes his knife.

We take a coach.  As we approach the castle we don’t get in line with the other coaches but continue around to the side of the castle to a shorter line.  We are guided to the castle entrance by footmen.

We enter the main hall from the “commoner” entrance to avoid undue attention but we attract it just the same.  I hear some comments of “Ulronai” and less commonly, “Dwarf”.  There is music from a quartet and there are some people dancing.

A young man approached the group and looking right at me he asked if I would like to dance with his sister.  I agree and follow him to a group of several women.  He introduces one of the women as his sister Heather.  She looks to be of the middling merchant class and of average appearance.  We make small talk about the happenings in town while we have been away.  I ask her what her business is and she says it is transporting goods between here and Aarn and by sea.  I ask if she is acquainted with Mr. Miggins and do it poorly so that she frowns and says no.  We dance for the rest of the song and

The dance ends and I go back to our group and report the conversation.  Jarlyn asks how she knew my last name and how she knew we had been gone for a month.

After a time they start to set up for the performance by bringing out chairs.  There are not nearly enough chairs for all of the people in the room.  The first row is for the nobility.  There is a large gap and then priests and mages are seated then we are approached and are seated.  I notice that Heather is seated as well but behind us near the back.  We are seated in row three of the main section which consists of 8 rows with 10 in each row.  There is one row set off in the front for nobility.  We are told to stand and do so while the nobility comes in.  They sit and then we do.

Tiffany Lan comes out with a small harp.  she starts playing beautifully.  This is very unusual that I don’t know her.  I will make a point of trying to meet her later.  She sings a song about the origins of the world and the start of the war of the gods.  Everyone but Kross notices that she is singing in our native language.  I don’t think it is unusual until Ghoral leans over to me and says, “Isn’t it great that she is singing in Ghoralzod?”  I am shocked to hear this but don’t say anything.  I also notice that we are drawn into her emotions.  I do magesight and can’t see her aura over the glare of all the mages in front of me.  I have never seen anyone do the multiple languages trick and very few that can even draw us into emotions this way.

There is an intermission where we compare notes and find that she was singing in the home language and even using local god names for each listener’s native land.

She comes out after the intermission and sings about the fall of the Lord of the Graven Spear.  Once again she sings in each listener’s native language with native gods or other elements and uses the magical pull on emotions.  This lasts about 30 minutes.

After the performance she leaves and I expect the band to start playing again.  They balk at following such a performance.  Finally there is an announcement that there will be a 20 minute intermission.  I say that I’m going to try to meet the performer.  The group comes with me where I find a guard I recognize.  He is able to get a senior page who runs off and then Julienne appears.  I ask her if I can get a chance to see the performer, explaining that I have never seen anyone like her before.  Julienne says she hasn’t either but then is somewhat embarrassed to say that I can’t see her because they can’t find her.  I offer to help and she thanks me but says that they have people very familiar with the palace searching.

People start to leave.  Heather comes over.  I say that it’s a pleasure to see you again.  She says that she is leaving and I ask her last name and how to see her again.  She says her last name is Locklear.  I know from my streetwise that the Locklear family is slightly shady and has been known to occasionally partner with the Upright Man’s group.  In fact if they were to deal with any group that is more shady then it would be the Upright Man group.  We both know that I would know all this from her last name.  I ask whether I could come to see her sometime and she pauses then says, “Suuure.”  She leaves.  Shortly after we leave and return to the house.

+1 XP

We’re playing again!  Yay!

Aldus Manus asks us to come back in two days.

Julienne offers to let us stay in a house which we accept.  We ask what’s been going on and she says that there have been attempts on the Regent Mother.  She also says that there will be a performance by a bard named Tiffany Lan and invites us to see her.

We decide to go shopping for more potions and go to the store where we went before.  The guy in the store immediately tells us to get out and says that he will not allow any dishonorable people in his store nor will he trade with them.  Jarlyn challenges him and the proprietor points at Kross and says that he is dishonorable and that as his friends we also may not trade with him.  I charm him to tell me where there is another store where we can get what we want and with some complaint he finally tells us.

We go to the other store which is close to the building which blew up.  I climb down into the crater to satisfy my curiosity about the filled in hole.

1 Dust of Imprisonment - Glaive
3 Seaweed that allows underwater breathing (Gillyweed) - Perrol, Kross, Jarlyn
1 Healing Potion - Glaive
3 Smokesticks - Kross
1 Lavoisier’s Useful Eluctuary (identifies potions, 50 charges) - Jarlyn

Total cost 14 gold

We are all glowing blue from the boon.