Meeting
the HarpellsArrested!
As the party are finishing their meal, a group of three men - two young and the other in his 30s - enter the Horseshoe's dining room. The man in his 30s wears a red robe that seems to flash with colour. The two younger men wear purple robes. The innkeeper acknowledges his visitors and says, "Well met, Andall. Nothing unusual today." The man in the red robe replies, "Well met, Drake. Each of us'll have a hand-pulled." The three men then begin talking together quietly at the bar, deep in some private conversation.
Merrel rises from his place at the table, and strides to the bar, where he plonks his book. He listens to the 3 mages talking as he waits for a break in their conversation to speak to them. As he is waiting, he realises that although he can hear their voices plainly, the words that they are speaking are unintelligible. He guesses that they must be using some form of magic to ensure their privacy.
At the table, Serena finishes her meal, and is about to stand and make her way over to the man Drake had identified as Jowden Pike,the blacksmith. Before she can do so however, the three mages seem to finish their conversation, and all look towards the table where the party is sat, almost as if they remembered something important. Merrell, steps closer. "Good sirs," he begins in an even tone, concentrating his address to the older of the three, "I wonder if you might mind a bit of company and perhaps conversation?"
"Hmmmm what?!" says the older man whom the bartender had called Andall. "Why yes, actually I'd like to speak to all of you..." He steps towards the party, and waves his hands absently, muttering. Suddenly, rings of yellow light appear around each of the party members, including Merrell still standing by the bar. The rings constrict tight, and hold everyone's arms by their sides as if they had been bound by rope!
"Well met! Andall Harpell, at your service. Those are my cousins, Chiesedor and Wendlar. You're under arrest, of course, for the murder of the archmage Gaard of the Many-Starred Cloak in Neverwinter. Such a dastardly deed! A nice old man, Gaard was! And to suck all his blood out like that! I say! Are you vampires?"
<Ceely aka Robson wrote>:
> Ceely rises to her feet and yells "I knew it!!! I
> hope you are satisfied Merrel!! Well, mister Dimwit
> Harpell, we are certainly not vampires, since we walk
> on full daylight, as the innkeeper can assure you. "
> She breathes heavily for an instant, obviously trying
> to brake the ring, and continues "Second of all, we
> are not bandits, let alone murderers. Show your
> evidence first, before you accuse us wrongly. We´ve been
> battered enough already! I don´t care if you are a
> big shot mage, release us now, else you will have the
> blood of at least one innocent in your hands, MINE!"
> As she says the last phrase, she will start walking toward
> the "Dimwit Harpell"
Ceely surges to her feet, her chair clattering onto the floor behind her. The mage gestures at her, "so you say... so you say," he says dismissivly, as an invisible force pushes her back into her seat.
He turns to the other two Harpells, he shouts, "Chiesedor and Wendlar! Get Captain Narthing and get him to meet us at the house."
He turns his attention back to the party. "There's no use resisting, you know. Just stand up and follow me please. I'm afraid you'll have to answer some hard questions!"
His cousins leave the inn, whilst Andall waits for the party to get to their feet. As various members of the party protest, he simply shakes his head and holds up his hands. "We will get to the bottom of this have no fear!"
He turns his back on the party and gestures for the party to follow. Feeling like they have no choice, and in a very glum and angry mood, the party rise and follow after the powerful mage.
He leads them out of the Gilded Horseshoe and then towards the hill and the ivy covered mansion. The party pass through a fence and up the hill towards the large rambling building. He leads them towards the main entrance. Directly inside the door is what probably once was a somewhat elegant reception room. It hasn't been cleaned for a while, and he picks a way through two rows of crates, those on the left are empty and those on the right are filled with freshly harvested produce. In the middle of the room stands the statue of a mage who seems to be hurling a mighty spell at whatever comes through the door.
Andall comments - "That's my uncle Matherly - I mean my real uncle Matherly. He's been like that for more than 10 years now. We never figured out what spell he used or why he was doing it, but it obviously went wrong. Turned him to stone, and no one in the family has ever been able to come up with anything that can reverse it. Well ... I guess no one's tried now for awhile."
Andall leads the group down several corridors before entering a large room with an empty table. He gestures for everyone to have a seat and some force pushes everyone into sitting positions in different chairs at the table. Andall twirls his finger, and the glowing bonds holding their arms in place slink downward, freeing their arms but tying their legs firmly to the chair legs.
A group of 5 Harpells - at least you assume they're Harpells, they all look like wizards - enters the room. Andall's two cousins from the inn are there, also accompanied by two well-armed men in their middle 40s who look like warriors. At the head of the group is a mage who looks to be in his middle 50s. His bald pate and remaining gray white hair make him look older at first, but the details of his face suggest that he's still under 60. He looks like a man with many things on his mind.
Andall Harpell says, "This is my uncle Harkle."
The older man nods in stern greeting and says, "Well met! Harkle Harpell, at your service, along with Captain Narthing and Lieutenant Sarban of the Long Riders. As Andall's told you, we've been asked by the government in Neverwinter to arrest you on suspicion of murder and transport you back to Neverwinter. According to the charges, my good friend Gaard of the Many-Starred Cloak was found dead in his cellar. Every trace of blood was gone from his body. According to his magical servant, you were the last persons to enter his house, the last to see him alive." Harkle sits at the head of the table and sits back, his hands in his pockets.
"Well," says Harkle. "I'd suggest you make it easy upon yourselves and tell us the whole story. Don't leave anything out."
<Luc will test the bonds on his legs but not strain, and he will look to Milo then to Yvandel.> "Yvandel, your the story teller...why don't you tell them our story...I'm sure they have ways to decipher whether you are lying or not, then they will see we didn't kill the old Mage."
<Ceely aka Robson wrote>:
> "First of all, we have nothing to do with any murder"
> and turning to Andall "Yet!". Turning back to Harkle,
> she continues : "Yes, we did meet him. In fact we were
> hired by him. We left the city on or about the 25th of
> Mirtul. That´s all we know about Gaard. We met him
> once, and that´s that. We are travelling to Silverymoon
Blondung, almost speaking over Ceely, also yells out angrily. "I've never been to Neverwinter at all!" He gestures at Soggrin briefly. "Soggrin and I only met these people for the first time less than a tenday ago! Whatever they have done is nothing to do with me!!"
Larz looks up at the old Harpell mage. He speaks a little slower, but just as firmly. "I met them only 4 days ago in Triboar, and although I have only known them this short time, I cannot believe that they could be responsible for such a thing!"
Soggrin doesn't respond at all, justs sits there silently.
Harkle Harpel looks first at Blondung, frowning a moment. His lips twist as if he is about to say something, but Lucretia speaks first.
<Lucretia aka Joe wrote>:
> "Well it appears your mind is made up...that we are
> the culprits of this act....the only thing that I can
> tell you is that I was there when we met Gaard, I
> recall not caring for the man and his ways to much
> but I'll be dammed if we had anything to do with this."
Harkle scratches his head for a moment - almost puzzled. He leans forward in his chair. "I believe you" he says slowly.
<Lucretia aka Joe continued>:
> "Now tell me something...who is our accuser, and what
> evidence does he have?"
Harkle smiles ruefully. "Our esteemed colleagues of the Many-Starred Cloak in Neverwinter informed us by magical communication of the evidence they had found - namely Gaard's dead body. Your group, the 'Unknowns' I understand, were the last people witnessed visiting the mage. We have been on the lookout for a group that might fit your descriptions."
He pauses a moment as if thinking. "From what you say, it appears you're innocent, or at least not lying. I guess this means old Gaard was still was alive when you saw him. That means then that he was killed by someone with high magic, powerful enough to get past his magical wards and get past his magical servant without being seen."
He pauses to think again. "Hmm. We'll really should send you back to Neverwinter for questioning, though... " He turns to Ceely again. "You said you were hired by Gaard? What task did he hire you for?"
<Lucretia aka Joe wrote>:
> <SNIP>
> "Who is to say you or your family did
> not have a hand in Gaard's death?"
Harkle's eyebrows shoot up at this suggestion in surprise, and his mouth opens, not sure of what to say.
Andall Harpell however steps forward, holding his hands up, palms forwards. "Fear not from us. Simply because we wield magic does not mean we are villains, nor are we vampires!"
At this, Harkle snaps out of his shock, and smiles. "Definitely not vampires!" he laughs.
<Lucretia aka Joe continued>:
> "I think it best to keep what transpired
> between us and Gaard, between us and Gaard...
> at least until daylight when sensible people
> do business."
Harkle's face goes serious again. "I have been led to believe he set you a job that involved going to Silverymoon... I feel that the timing of his death must be significant and related to this, and knowing the details may help track down the real killers!"
"Something to do with blue stones" mutters Andall, his brow furrowed as he peers at the party, particularly at Milo.
Blondung glances sharply at Andall, realising that the guy seems to be reading minds. He quickly speaks, gesturing to the original members of the 'Unknowns'. "They were commissioned to take some dumb blue stones to Silverymoon for some big-shot archmage there to examine them. Apparently this Gaard fellow was worried about them. I had a look at them already, and I couldn't detect anything weird about them..."
<Cleo aka Eva wrote>:
> Cleo is still to shocked to say anything. As she
> listens to her friends out rage she doesn't even try
> to say anything, But, she does look over to Balnor
> worriedly. If what he said is true, he would be put in
> jail if taken to the Neverwinter police. As she thinks
> about that her face pales and everything starts to
> work into her head and she prays that, that doesn't
> happen.
OOC: Quick dice roll - boy, that's lucky - Andall isn't focusing on Cleo's thoughts at the moment! :-)
<Lucretia aka Joe continues>:
> "So now if you don't mind me and some of my
> companions wish to go to the gaming hall and
> test our luck." "We will come back and talk
> with these Stared Cloak fellas by your magical
> means in the morning and clear this up so we
> can be on our way." <Luc then tries to stands
> and looks at his bounded legs.> "Well?"
Suddenly something seems to occur to Harkle. "Andall," he says. "These folks are no murderers! They are our guests! Free them from their bonds!"
Andall twirls his fingers again, and the bands of light disappear, freeing the party. Harkle continues talking.
"Firstly, let me apologise. I think you can understand why your group was the strongest suspects. Secondly, although I feel we should send you back to Neverwinter to help in the investigation of Gaard's death, it also seems that it was pretty important to Gaard to have those blue stones brought to Lady Alustriel, and I think perhaps that the right thing for us to do is to comply with Gaard's last will and actually to let you continue in your mission."
As Lucretia stands, he addresses the group again. "Before you go however, I would quite like the opportunity to examine these stones ourselves..." his face drops a moment, "...although if Gaard couldn't find anything, I doubt we could, but as you can imagine, we are curious as well."
<Milo aka Steve wrote>:> He looks around at the mages with a newfound
> respect in light of their apparent ability to
> read minds. He wonders at the source of such
> a power, actually hoping that they would elaborate
> on it.
If Andall has read any such thoughts, he does not react, instead simply watching Milo as he rises to see what he might say.
<Milo aka Steve continued>:
> "Gentlemen, thank you for releasing us from our
> bonds. I am pleased you have concluded what we
> already know. We are not murderers. I would be
> willing to allow you to examine the stones under
> two conditions. I realize we are not in a position
> to make conditions, but I don't think these are
> unreasonable. The first condition is that I be
> present. The second is that I would like an
> audience with at least one of you to discuss an
> item that I have with my belongings, to evaluate
> it's supposed magical properties."
Harkle nods at Milo's words. "Of course you can be present. And anything we can do to assist you on your continued journey, well, we would welcome the chance." He glances around the party. Does anyone else have anything else which we might be able to similarly help you with?"
<Lucretia aka Joe wrote>:
> <Luc will move about the room stretching his arms
> and legs and checking for any damage or scars the
> magical bonds may have left...he will take in the
> room as he does so seeing what is about.>
Lucretia's legs are undamaged from the magical restraints. As he walks around the room, he takes in the nicely decorated room, the ornately carved table at which they had been sitting, a side-board cabinet at the back of the room upon which is a vase with scented flowers. It all points to someone with good taste - unlike some of the other rooms which the passed by on their way. A picture on one of the walls shows an elderly man with similar facial features to the other Harpells he has seen. Looking again at the mages still standing at the other end of the room, he starts to see the family resemblence amongst them.
<Lucretia aka Joe continued>:
> <When Milo has finished answering Harkle and Andall's
> request, Luc will extend his hand to each of the strangers
> present and introduce himself, hoping that maybe he has
> heard one of the names in one of Winston's stories of his
> travels...the Unknowns could certainly use more friends
> then enemies, right now. If not he will remark on how
> nice their home is regardless of it's condition and will
> ask about it's history...he will then breach the subject
> that is really on his mind.>
Each of the mages shakes Lucretia's hand in turn, introducing themselves. Harkle Harpell, his nephew Andall Harpell, cousins Chiesedor Harpell and Wendlar Harpell, and finally Windle Harpel Andall's brother. Captain Narthing and Lieutenant Sarban of the Long Riders also shake his hand.
<Merrell aka Mike D wrote>:
> "Yes, I would like to see you at work if you
> don't mind. Though perhaps our initial meeting
> was set off poorly, there is no reason that must
> continue. My name is Merrell, and I too examined
> the stones with little to show for it."
The mages shake Merrell's hand too as he introduces himself. "Of course you can observe!" says Harkle.
<Merrell aka Mike D continued>:
> <SNIP>
> [OOC: Merrell will wait until Andall happens to be
> looking at him, and will then think of Aran and the
> Zhentarim mage. 'Are you still reading minds?, he
> thinks, hoping that such a spell would have a limited
> duration.]
Andall seems to show no reaction to Merrell's thoughts.
<Milo aka Steve wrote>:> The priest waits patiently for a break in the
> additional conversation before interjecting -
> "I'll be needing to retrieve it from the inn.
> If no one has an objection, please show me to
> the door, and I'll retrieve the item now..."
>
> Milo stands, expecting to be escorted out, and
> if there are no objections, returns to the inn
> to retrieve his staff. Returning to the mage's
> home to discuss it with them.
"I'll walk back with you" says Chiesedor Harpell.
<Lucretia aka Joe continued>:
> "So...I hear you guys chased away some barbarian folk
> a few days back....any idea on where they are now?"
Harkle frowns as Lucretia mentions this, glancing at Soggrin. "No", he says dryly. "The Black Raven clan tends to move about a fair bit, and it is difficult to keep even a a magical eye on them." He glances at Soggrin again. "They are one of the more traditional tribes, and as such very much resent the fact that we 'foreigners' come here settling on 'their' land setting up farms, villages and towns. Occasionally, as happened recently, they mount an attack." He mouth curls down a moment.
"To say we 'chased them away' would be an exageration. They actually tend to hit farms on a 'hit and run' basis, and the best we usually do is arrive in time to watch them ride off. This recent occasion, we managed to get there in time to catch the stragglers." He looks at Soggrin again, who sits there quietly, simply staring at the backs of her hands.
"I have to ask" says Harkle. "So why do you have a Black Raven squaw with you?"
<Ceely aka Robson wrote>:
> Ceely turns to Harkle and says "She is a
> good friend of the group, and the road united
> us. And excuse me, I´ve seen enough of you
> already!" She calls Soggrin to leave with her
> that place.
<Lucretia aka Joe wrote>:
> "Her name is Soggrin and she is a friend...
> we simply want to help her return to her people."
Harkle frowns a little. "Good luck!" he comments somewhat cryptically
<Serena aka Douglas wrote>:
> "This may interest you," says Serena, fishing into
> her money pouch. She pulls forth the old dwarven coin
> she received from Gaard. "Gaard gave one of these to
> each of the seven of us he hired. He said these old
> coins were valuable -- whether as money, or as some
> other token, he did not say. Perhaps you learned
> mages might know?"
Harkle takes the coin and peers at it. "Not a denomination I am familiar with - although obviously dwarven. In fact..." a frown crosses his face. "It almost looks like it might originally have come from Khiezar Dalan. He turns to Larz. "Do you know of Khiezar Dalan?"
Larz nods. "I have heard of it" he says, "but to tell you the truth I know very little about it."
Harkle smiles. "Perhaps you will learn something then. Come see my father DelRoy Harpell. He has spent many years looking into ancient Dwarven magic and the legend of Khiezar Dalan is familiar to him! I will get him to look at these coins as well as the blue stones!"
<Serena aka Douglas continued>:
> <SNIP>
> Serena continued, "Gaard said he had a contract
> with Lady Alustriel to deliver specimens of these
> stones to Silverymoon for study. The Lady was
> financing their transportation eastwards. Gaard
> said that we were the last of three groups he had
> hired to take some of the stones to Silverymoon.
> The old mage made it seem like we were to be involved
> in some sort of race ? he offered a bonus to the
> first group to complete the delivery." Serena paused
> in her account. "If there was no other apparent motive,
> then it seems likely that Gaard's murderers were trying
> to get these stones. . . ."
Harkle nods. "I had heard of some other groups of adventurers who have passed through Longsaddle recently, but I did not get to speak to them. It sounds important that these stones get on to their destination! We will have to see if we can do something to aid your journey."
<Serena aka Douglas continued>:
> She cleared her throat and went on, addressing the
> family of mages. "I wonder, too, how it is you knew
> to look for us. If you were on the lookout for us,
> it is possible that whoever did murder Gaard is looking
> out for us as well -- and those cursed blue stones."
Harkle smiles. "That is easy to answer. Friends in Neverwinter - members of the Many Starred Cloak - communicated with us via magical means and told us of Gaard's death together with the description of your party - being the last people to see Gaard alive and..." he hesitates, colouring a little, "...the strongest suspects." He shrugs.
Harkle turns to Andall. "We will go see DelRoy now - can you guide any who wish to return after they have been back to the inn to us?"
"If anyone else wants to go back into the village, follow me," says Chiesdor. Captain Narthing and Lieutenant Sarban of the Long Riders turn to the door, as does Wendlar and Windle Harpel.
Andall nods and follows Milo and the others who are heading back to the village.
<Herod aka Scott wrote>:
> Herod will wait for an interruption in the conversation,
> "Excuse me, but could any of you help in determining if
> an item is mystical and if so what it's properties are?
> Tempus will allow me to determine if something is mystical,
> but not much beyond that point. You have shown that you are
> willing to help us. I would be grateful for any help you
> could provide us." He wait to see if there is an answer
> before deciding what to do.
Andall nods. "There are magical means of finding out the magical properties and powers of enchanted items, so I am sure we can assist. It may take all night though. Do you have the item here with you or will you return to the inn with us when we go to fetch Milo's staff?"
(OOC: I will assume that the answer to this is "Yes, I'll go back to the inn and fetch it")
Heading down to the inn.
(Ceely, Soggrin, Milo, Herod, Cleo, Balnor, Blondung, Lucretia)
<Ceely aka Robson wrote>:
> Ceely sighs in relief as she leaves the magic mad house. She
walks
> along with the Long Riders, longing for a warm night of sleep.
If
> Soggrin comes with her, she will try to establish conversation
with
> her. She is not in the mood for talking right now, at least with
> anyone else.
The Longriders lead those who are returning to the village back out of the Harpell mansion, and back down the hill. Upon reaching the village, they bid their good nights, and head off towards some buildings at the other end of the village.
Soggrin talks with Ceely on the way down. She expresses her resentment for the residents of Longsaddle, the fact that they have "colonised" the lands which had traditionally always been hunting lands of the Black Ravens. She particularly despises the Harpells because of the way they abuse their power. (OOC: in her eyes :-)
Blondung heads back to the inn and basically just goes into his room - making an early night of it.
Milo, Herod and Andall also return to the inn, coming out a short moment later. Milo is carrying a staff and a small casket, Herod is carrying a bundle wrapped in cloth.
Staying at the Harpells.
(OOC: Yvandel, Larz, Serena, Merrell,)
<Merrell aka Mike D wrote>:
> While waiting, Merrell fills the gap with idle conversation
> directed at Harkle. "It seems rather unusual that an entire
> family would enter into the art of Mystra. It is such a
> demanding art. How far back does magic go in your family?"
Harkle smiles broadly. "We have had mages within our family for 5 generations. It is unusual I grant you, and not all of us have the same level of skills, but we are a close knit family, and we all get access to free training from our elders, so we have an advantage over others in that respect!"
<Merrell aka Mike D continued>:
> At another lull in the conversation when all of the mages
> can be addressed at once, Merrell will clear his throat
> hesitantly. "As you can see these stones are the subject
> of much controversy and seems to have the attention of
> nare-do-wells. We have barely made it this far, and I
> fear that if those who killed Gaard are still after the
> stones we will not deliver them to Alustriel alive. Is
> their any [pause] magical aid that you could provide or
> that could be purchased. Our need is great."
Harkle nods seriously as he continues to lead the smaller group down the twisty corridors of the great mansion. The route is so tortuous that the group wonder if they would be able to find their way if they had to do so alone! As they reach the bottom of a spiral staircase he answers. "We will do our best to assist you, but first, we need to see if my father DelRoy can help at all!" There is silence for a while as everyone moves up the staircase in single file. The staircase seems very tall, and it soon becomes apparent that the height that the group has risen is taller than the highest part of the building visible from outside. There are definitely some things about this building that don't seem to quite fit as one would expect!
Meanwhile.....
Andall leads the smaller group back up towards the mansion, entering through a different door this time. Within a few minutes, they find themselves climbing a spiral staircase. Ahead of them, they can hear the other members of the group who stayed in the mansion.
At last, the stair ends, and the re-joined group enter a circular room with magical paraphernalia of all sorts scattered around, small fires burning here and there with flames of varying colours and what not. An ancient man sits at a work bench, a flat stone on the bench before him, his gaze remote, staring in the direction of a tower window at nothing in particular.
Harkle says, "Father, I've brought some travellers to see you. They have some stones which the dwarves think might be magical - I think you might be interested."
"Well then sit them down, son!" answers DelRoy as he turns around, nodding to the party, looking at each of them in turn.
It takes a bit of a search, but Harkle finally finds stools and chairs of different sorts here and there, enough for all of the group.
Milo gets out the blue stones, and puts them on the bench in front of DelRoy. The old man examines them, first by look and feel, and then by casting an intricate spell, whilst the others look on silently. After a while, he frowns, and scratches his head.
Harkle interrupts his father's thoughts. "They were also each given one of these coins, which I think might interest you... given your recent acquisition...", he places the ancient dwarven coin that Serena had lent him on the table in front of his father. Again, DelRoy examines the coin. After a few moments, his eyes light up. "This is a coin from Khiezar Dalan!" he smiles. "I can see what might have made you think that these stones are related!" he comments to his son. "Thank you for bringing them here!"
The ancient man turns again to the party and speaks again, "So, you want to know what it's all about! Well, I don't know what it's all about, but I have my guesses. So let's start with the story of Khiezar Dalan."
"Now as you know, dwarves don't believe much in magic these days, unless of course it's their old ancient magic." Larz grunts, but DelRoy ignores him and carries on. "Those of us who've paid attention to such things noticed long ago that the magic in dwarven weapons seems to have almost nothing in common with the kind of magic we wizards use today. We work with a weave that's controlled by the goddess Mystra herself."
"But it seems that the dwarves won their magic from the sun and the moon and the stars and the soul of Toril itself. That was extremely long ago. Perhaps there was no weave then yet. I don't know. There's a lot of debate over who came first, the dwarves or the elves. Dragon lore says it was the dwarves - Dvergr in the old tongue. And other histories say the elves - Alfar in the old tongue - learned their magic at first from the dwarves and forged mighty creations together.
"According to these tales, the parting of Dvergr and Alfar began when the Alfar discovered the weave and began using new magic and wizardry of which the dwarves didn't approve. Maybe it was just like that. Maybe that's a lot of hogwash. And maybe that's only a part of the real truth. That's the most likely option of them all. But it was long, long ago. No one knows.
"Some old dwarven runestones talk of a magic fire deep within Toril and say that the combination of sunlight, moonlight, starshine, fire from this source and blood of the enemy, usually blood of the orc, were the ingredients the dwarven smiths used to conjure their magic and place it in their weapons. A few runestones suggest that this magic fire was a fountain of flame known as the Rose of Fire somewhere in lost Khiezar Dalan."
"Now, these blue stones that you have here, they might contain this kind of magic. They seem to give me a hint of something like the old dwarven magic, but not quite. If there's magic in the stones, we don't know what it does. It would be kind of hard to guess what's behind these stones, if it wasn't for this runestone here." At this point, he reaches up onto a shelf behind him, and carefully pulls down a large dwarven runestone. (It looks like it weighs a couple of pounds).
"A short while back, a druid and a ranger were travelling together on the Lurking River in the Lurkwood a couple hundred miles northeast of here, when they came upon a trail of dead dwarves. Each dwarf and been staked out on the ground and then been cut with drow knives in several places, none of the cuts really serious, but all big enough for the dwarves to bleed to death."
Larz growls somewhere deep in his throat.
"The last dwarf was still alive. Unfortunately, the ranger and the druid weren't able to save him. But they did get to hear his last words. He said he and his companions had found an entrance to Khiezar Dalan north of the Trollmoors."
Larz's head lifts, and he shows new interest.
"Exactly where it is he never got to tell. He died first. But he did succeed in telling them where he hid this runestone which gives a rough location. He wanted it brought to King Harbromm in Citadel Adbar." DelRoy pauses to show the stone tablet to the party. It is covered with dwarven Dethek runes. Larz leans forward and translates.
"khiezar dalan found ... orc cave on north bank of the rauvin ride east of the heralds tower ... warning ... grave danger ... many" The young dwarf looks up at DelRoy, his eyes shining in excitement. "So have you tried looking for it yet? Perhaps I could be the one to take it there?!"
DelRoy shakes his head sadly. "I am too old to go searching in the flesh, and my magical scrying have so far been unable to detect it. And I am sorry, but this is too important to rest in the hands of one lone dwarf. However as soon as we find a dwarf caravan that's 100% certain to be able to get this runestone to King Harbromm in Citadel Adbar, I'm sure that they will have some dwarven expedition out there to have a look for it." DelRoy sighs.
Harkle gathers up the blue stones and returns them to Milo, also passing Serena's coin back to her.
Andall speaks up from where he is sitting near the back. "Uncle, our guests also had some things they wanted help in identifying... can you help?"
Harkle nods, and Milo presents his staff and the casket of 8 vials. Herod presents his short sword, and Yvandel presents his wand....
Harkle's eyes rise as he sees the various items come out and get placed onto the table. "It is lucky that we do not have to use the 'normal' method for identifying items", he jokes to Andall and his father, "we would be here for days!""To save time," comments Andall, "I'll just double check for enchantments..." He mutters a few words, making an odd gesticulation with his fingers. (Merrell & Yvandel recognise a "Detect Magic" type spell being cast) On the table, the short sword, the staff, the bag of red powder, the wand and the 8 vials of liquid glow faintly for a few seconds. He nods satisfied.
Harkle opens the casket. Inside the casket is 2 rows of 5 vials. When the vials are held up to the light, it can be seen that 4 of them contain some pale yellow liquid, 3 of them contain a dark red liquid, one is a luminous green liquid, one is clear although viscous, and the last is empty. The inside of the lid has what looks like a list, but in a language that no one recognises.
Harkle peers at the writing. "We should be able to decipher this... let me see..." he pats various pockets, before finally pulling out a pair of spectacles. He puts them on and peers at the writing. "Ah yes, here we are..." He pulls out the vials each in turn. "Yellow - Dragon Control" He pauses in his reading, raising his eyebrows. "Powerful stuff!" he mutters. "Red - Healing", he continues. "Clear - Mind Reading and Green - Climbing." He lifts his eyes to Milo. "If they do what it says on this index, then these could be very useful potions!"
DelRoy walks over to another shelf, where he takes down a long rod, one end of which has a misty white glass globe attached. He returns to the table.
Bidding everyone to be quiet, he arranges the remaining items in a row, then starts to mutter and chant in an arcane tongue. The mist in the globe begins to swirl, and the hairs on everyone's head starts to stand up a little as the room becomes charged.
As he holds the globe over the short sword, he nods his head, still chanting, before moving on to the next item. As he reaches the staff, which happens to be last, he suddenly breaks off his chanting, and starts coughing and laughing at the same time. To conserve magic, he goes over only 4 of the vials - one of each colour.
When he has calmed somewhat, he summarises what he has seen.
"I apologise for laughing - but the staff you have here was enchanted once. Enchanted to cast illusionary fireballs I think! It has no charges left on it at the moment, but it can be re-charged using the appropriate spells. Probably not a lot of use to you though!"
He turns to the short sword. "This sword has been enchanted to provide it's wielder with improved accuracy and power. (OOC: read that as +1/+1)
He picks up the bag of red dust. "This is an interesting powder - it absorbs water. I understand that it will absorb a cubic yard of water for every pinch of dust, compressing the water into a small dry pellet. If you then smash the pellet, say by throwing it onto a hard surface, then it will release the water it has absorbed." (OOC: the pouch holds 10 "pinches")
Gesturing at the vials as Harkle replaces them in the casket, he concurs with Harkle's reading of the list. "They appear to do what the list says" he comments.
Lastly, he turns to the wand. "This is a simple wand which when invoked, should perform the same function as an Enlarge spell, making who or whatever it is aimed at bigger for a period of time. Unfortunately, I couldn't determine the invocation word."
He turns to Yvandel. "I take it you didn't find any obvious command word when you found this?" He glances around the rest of the group. "So where exactly did you come across these items?" Harkle and Andall also look at the party, interested to hear the history of the items.
"A wand of Enlargement," Yvandel uttered in surprise. He quickly rummaged through his pocket and took out a little piece of paper he'd stuffed in it. "Well, I did find this word on this piece of paper, but hadn't given it much thought yet. I think now would be a good time to test it, now that I know the wand will not fire of fireballs... like our other wand was supposed to do. Any volunteers to be Enlarged? Or should I just aim it at an inanimate object?"
Yvandel looked around at the members of the group, and even looked at some of the Harpells, inviting them to be the test subject.
DelRoy shrugs and points to what looks like a stuffed owl on the end of the bench. "You could try that if you want..."
"Alright," Yvandel replied. "Stand back everyone, you never know what might happen when I try to control the flows of magic."
Yvandel positioned himself a good two yards away from the stuffed owl and aimed the wand at it.
He opened his mouth... then closed it again. His left hand (he had the wand in his right) reached into his pocket again, to retrieve the piece of paper once more. He looked at it for a moment, then put it back in his pocket.
"Here we go..."
Yvandel got ready again, aimed the wand at the owl and opened his mouth...
"Vearman!!!" he yelled, a little too loud he thought, but at least the wand would hear him that way.
The end of the wand pulses green for a second, and the stuffed owl suddenly starts to grow, until it is 50% larger than it was. (OOC: Yvandel realises he can control how big it grows - a 50% increase per charge - of course, you are not sure how many charges there are left!)
Yvandel opens the last of the scroll tubes he had taken from Kazan's chest. First he spreads out on the desk what looks like an old handwritten letter, it's corners curled and brittle.
Letter found in Kazan's chest in the Broken Fang Keep. |
To the Almighty Revealer of the Hidden, As foretold, a great star has fallen
from the sky and we have endeavoured to obtain it. It landed
on the slopes of Firebelcher near the thrice cursed Feymen of
Sharandar. Yet through subtlety and the guidance of The Hidden
One, I have personally procured yon Shriven Stone with a deal
blessed by Gargauth, himself. Alas, we are beset on many sides
by the followers of the Light and I am unable to send it for
your examination. Instead, we shall hide it until we have beaten
back these pathetic worms and can move in safety. Send forces,
for I am none too sure of our continued survival under the heavy
onslaught that we currently endure. You will receive no further
missive from me, as this is the last of the Dark Birds that
we have for such messages. Grow in Power thru All Means, Prietraw Xaldon First Bringer |
"Gargauth...." murmurs DelRoy, as he reads it. "I've heard that name before. I think I read about it once..." He turns and starts to browse through a few of the books on some shelves on the far side of the room.
Yvandel gets out the other two pieces of paper. These are tattered and faded considerably and very patchy, with only a few words visible on each. They look like they have been torn from a journal of some sort. The words are obscured here and there by what could be dried blood stains.
Words found on fragments of paper |
".................break through the outer wall and then all
could be lost. Azule |
".....................................all
is lost.................................................... ............................they lust for our blood! I even pray the foul Knights might come quicker!....................................................................... . .hide the Shriven Stone.......................................within His right hand." |
"Shame they're not more legible" says Andall.
"Certainly doesn't make much sense as it is" says Harkle. "Although it sounds like the reference to the "Stone" in the first is probably the same 'Shriven Stone' referred to in the letter..."
<Balnor aka Mike B wrote>:
> "Oh right!" Balnor exclaims, "I also have this
> scroll I found!" and hands it to Merrell. "I don't
> know what it is though."
Merrell opens the scroll and peers at it. He quickly recognises a magic spell. "It appears to be a spell titled Twilight's Slumber" He scans through the rest of the spell. "A more powerful version of a Sleep spell" he concludes. (OOC: It is a level 2 spell.)
DelRoy looks up from the book he had been searching through, his face very serious. "That name I mentioned earlier, I have discovered it's source. "G.A.R.G.A.U.T.H", he spells, "is an ancient power of the most evil persuasion. He represents the inevitable decay and corruption that accompanies all self-serving, greedy, and power-hungry leaders and groups." He slams the book shut with a bang that grabs everyone's attention. "I understand that he used to be a demon of some power, who has managed to raise himself to near god-hood. His is a name you should not utter carelessly, it will only attract his attention! "
He approaches the table again and sits back down, his bones creaking a bit. "Where did you find this?" he demands, gesturing at the letter, then waving hand over the other items. "All these things?"
<Yvandel aka Sebastian wrote>:
> Yvandel spoke up. "We found them in the ruins
> of an old keep. It was inhabited by a group of
> hobgoblins, led by a spellcaster who goes by
> the name of Kazan. I'm sorry to say that he
> escaped our wrath, but we were lucky to get
> out of there alive, so I can't really complain.
> This letter and these papers were found inside
> one of the chambers in the dungeons of the keep.
> I think it was the chamber that Kazan called his
> own. These must have been his belongings. So I
> assume that he has read the contents of this
> letter and is acting upon the orders contained
> in it as we speak."
"And this keep you mention, that is located locally?" asks Andall. "If so, I think perhaps we should send someone, perhaps with a detachment of Longriders? What do you think father?"
Harkle nods in agreement.
<Lucretia aka Joe wrote>:
> "Do you fellas think that our stones, this Shriven Stone
> and the unfortunate party of dwarves could be all related
> in some way?"
"Possible I suppose..." mutters Harkle, his brow furrowed in thought. "Although I can't see how..."
<Lucretia aka Joe continued>:
> "I personally don't know much of anything, but
> Kazan said that he was still seeking the stone...
> could be this stone is what we really need to find
> as well."
"What makes you think you need to find any other stones at all?" responds Harkle, "after all, Gaard gave you the stones that he is worried about!"
<Lucretia aka Joe continued>:
> "Like I said before Gaard was an old coot...no
> disrespect mind you, but he was a learned man
> and he may have given us these stones as a way
> to flush out who were seeking them." "You know,
> leak the word that the stones were on their way
> and what route they were taking...we have had
> quite the adventure so far traveling a very common
> road...
"I know Gaard," interrupts Harkle, "and I know he wouldn't do that sort of thing. In fact it was unlike him to recruit adventurers at all really! But if he felt that these blue stones needed to be analysed by the Archmage Austriel, then he must have been pretty worried about them, so I guess it is probably quite important that they actually make it to Silverymoon!"
<Lucretia aka Joe continued>:
> ...and I think we should consider the possibility
> that all we have learned so far maybe connected...
> except for maybe the part with Xred the Ogre Mage."
All three of the Harpells eyebrows rise at the mention of the Ogre Mage. "You met an Ogre Mage? Very rare beast that! Most ogres are all brawn and no brain!"
<Lucretia aka Joe continued>:
> "You know it just came to me that the stone
> that they were talking about was hidden in a
> hand...do you think it may have been in the
> hand of one of those statues we saw in the keep?"
Larz nods. "Yeah, there were several weren't there. Some near the stairs and that one that must have represented Garga..." he stops himself from finishing the word. "That big ugly one down in the temple that those hobgoblins were repairing" he finishes.
<Lucretia aka Joe continued>:
> "You know it still maybe in our best interest to
> return to the keep in the swamp and find this stone."
Harkle's brow furrows, "I think it might be more important to head on to Silverymoon and complete Gaard's mission..."
<Balnor aka Mike B wrote>:
> Balnor looks to Luc "As much as hate to admit
> it you might be right!" He will take his dust
> back and give the scroll to any taker. Though
> he is kind of uncomfortable in here is is
> intrigued and begins to look around with much
> more attention. "Returning might be a disaster
> but it might be worth it, we are better prepared,
> we already know a few things about it, and I'm
> sure there is more treasure down there at the
> least."
Larz looks at Balnor. "Don't forget that Kazan and co might be better defended or more prepared for us as well! We survived mainly through the fact that we managed to keep the element of surprise for a long while. If they had known we were coming, or had raised an alarm earlier, I'm sure we wouldn't have made it out of there alive. At least not all of us. You forget how close you and Ceely came to dying in there!"
<Balnor aka Mike B continued>:
> "...I'm also not sure if getting these stones
> to Silverymoon first will be hard. If we make it
> I have a feeling that we would be the only ones,
> no matter how late we are. Ever since we left that
> keep I have been thinking of all that we didn't
> explore and all we missed. I say lets go back,
> and maybe these kind mages will give us a hand?"
> He says this with a smile, the first unforced
> smile since his brush with death.
Harkle looks serious. "I am only too happy to lend assistance in your mission to accomplish Gaard's last will, however I'd rather send a detachment of Longriders, with perhaps Andall and one or two of his cousins to 'check out' this Kazan fellow and this keep with it's temple to G.A.R.G.A.U.T.H."
<Yvandel aka Sebastian wrote>:
> "Well," Yvandel started, picking up the letter once
more, and
> <SNIP large chunk of very good post>
> Well, the very fact that the writer chose to write 'His' instead
> of 'his' means to me that it is very possible that Luc's thoughts
> could very well be right. The writer obviously thought of 'Him'
as a
> godly figure. It could be 'the Hidden One' of Gargauth.
DelRoy frowns at Yvandel. "You should try not to utter the power's names unless you want to attract their attention!" he repeats.
<Yvandel aka Sebastian continued>:
> <SNIP>
> I think I might just remember what the statue looked like. Perhaps
> that will give you more information, DelRoy...
> <SNIP description>
DelRoy fetches his book again, and opens it again, flicking through the pages. At last he stops and opens it at a page which has a rough illustration entitled "A likeness of Gargauth"
The picture does have similarities, the wide head, tusks and the single large horn on it's forehead.
<Yvandel aka Sebastian continued>:
> <SNIP>
> Now, putting all the clues together...
>
> It seems to me that a long time ago, this Shriven Stone fell
down
> from the skies. A follower of Gargauth... and of 'the Hidden
One'...
> found this stone. I think that one of his allies... Azule?...
use the
> stone and somehow brought something to live that in the end probably
> killed them. I assume that they were able to hide the stone inside
> the right hand of a statue, and I assume that Kazan somehow found
the
> statue and took it to the dungeon. We just happened to stumble
upon
> this dungeon and possibly destroyed Kazan's plans...
>
> So, now, should we go back and find out more? Should we hunt
down
> Kazan and discover if he has the stone, or knows where it is?
>
> DelRoy, do you have any thoughts on this?"
DelRoy looks at the young mage with the puppet with new eyes. "You've got a good brain on you lad!" he says, "and that sounds a fair analysis. Although perhaps on reflection, it sounds more likely from your description that the statue was built there, and thus more likely that this Kazan fellow could have been searching the dungeon for this Shriven Stone himself..." He sighs. "What ever that is!"
<Lucretia aka Joe wrote>:
> "Yvandel...you forgot the rat beasts we fought...the Verman,
they damm near
> took off my arm. There was also the picture we saw of hundreds
of these
> beast attacking...maybe your can create that illusion of it again,
it may
> help."
<Yvandel aka Sebastian wrote>:
> "Indeed Luc," Yvandel replied. "I completely forgot
about them. Well,
> I think that completes the picture: the Verman are probably the
> beings that came forth from the rats the went through the
> transformation, after being the target of the Shriven Stone's
power."
>
> Yvandel paused for a moment, while digging up memories.
>
> "DelRoy, have you heard of these beasts? Verman? We fought
a few of
> them in the dungeons. They seemed to be controlled by the hobgoblins.
> Extremely fierce, extremely dangerous. Would it help you if I
give
> you an illusionary image of one of them?"
The three Harpells are absorbed by this story, and all nod at the offer to see this strange unknown beast.
<Lucretia aka Joe wrote>:
> "I gave them the name" <Luc pipes in and then quiets
a bit after realising
> how ridiculous he must have sounded.> "I don't believe
the hobgoblins could
> control them <He adds a minute later> they were locked
up and chained in
> positions as traps and guards." "They were fierce fighters,
worse than an
> Owl Bear I would suspect."
"Well let us see if we cannot perhaps identify them properly, and give them their real name! Cast away, young mage!" says DelRoy, his old eyes shining with excitement.
<Your DM wrote>:
> "Well let us see if we cannot perhaps identify them properly,
> and give them their real name! Cast away, young mage!" says
> DelRoy, his old eyes shining with excitement.
Yvandel closes his eyes for a moment, bringing his memories to the fore. Then, with minimal gesturing and only a small movement of his lips, the silent image of a "Verman" springs into being. Knowing it to be an illusion doesn't stop a slight flinching from several people as they remember their close encounters with the real thing.
The three Harpells peer all around the illusionary creature, DelRoy making a few notes about it. At last, they indicate that they have seen enough, and Yvandel let's the image disappear.
"An interesting beast" says DelRoy. "Not like one I have seen before. I see what you mean about the rat-like features - especially the face and tail - but it is not a lycanthrope, or at least not like any I've seen or heard about. I have read about experiments that some unscrupulous mages have performed in the past, which involved merging humans and other beasts - creating 'broken ones' - who tended to have aspects of both. All such experiments were ultimately unsuccessful though, because the minds of the humans involved would be reduced to animal hatred for 'normal people.'" DelRoy shakes his head sadly. "This may be the results of similar style magic, especially given some of the references in the papers you have found... If this is true, then my heart goes out to the human guinea pigs who were transformed!"
<Lucretia aka Joe wrote>:> <SNIP> ...I can attempt to draw a map to the place
> for the Longriders." "Since we are obviously not
> going back." <he adds the last part sarcastically.>
Andall nods. "That would be very useful for them!"
<Serena aka Douglas wrote>:
> <SNIP>
> "I would guess that, if Kazan had found the Shriven Stone
> and had mastered its powers, there would have been more
> Virmen guarding that ruined keep than the few we ran into.
> He seemed like a clever fellow, after all. If Kazan couldn't
> decipher this ancient manuscript, he wouldn't know where to
> find the stone. Perhaps he was searching that ancient ruin
> -- tearing out the walls -- trying to recover the Shriven Stone."
Harkle nods at Serena respectfully. "Sounds reasonable logic there, although it could be that he hadn't had enough victims to transform many yet!"
<Serena aka Douglas continued>:
> "Which is just as well . . ." counters Serena,
> ignoring his sarcasm. "For the Unknowns already
> have a mission that needs to be completed. But I
> would be willing to return to the ruined keep
> after we reach Silverymoon, Lucretia. So keep
> your map. You wouldn't want the Longriders to
> ride away with whatever treasure is left there,
> now would you?"
Harkle frowns. "Surely what is more important that what 'treasure' you might find is that the threat to the local area is neutralised!" He turns to Lucretia, "We would certain appreciate your map if you can sketch one!"
<Merrell aka Mike D wrote>:
> Merrell turns his attention back to the wizened
> Harpel. "I know nothing of which you speak,
> though it may explain why my magic could find
> none within these stones. [Merrell paused in
> thought for a moment] Are you suggesting perhaps
> that these stones are from Khiezar Dalan?"
DelRoy turns to Merrell. "Teleport spells do exist, it has to be said. However when dealing with forms of unknown magic, it would be best not to subject them to transdimensional forces such are imposed on spells like Teleport and Dimension Door. Who knows how they might react! There are whole sets of theories about those types of spells and how they react under certain conditions, and only some of those theories have ever been proved! All in all, a risk best avoided."
<Merrell aka Mike D continued>:
> Merrell will let DelRoy answer the question and then
> will proceed with another. "As I mentioned to your
> son earlier I fear for the safety of our charge.
> Though we have a stalwart group, we are certainly
> no match for drow. Are there no safer means of
> transporting these stones to the mage?"
Harkle leans forward. "Drow are unlikely to be found above ground - certainly not during the day. For the most part they keep themselves to themselves. I can only guess that the dwarven party came across them underground, and that the drow brought them to the surface to display as a message to others." He smiles kindly. "The north is a wild frontier land it has to be said, but you are more likely to have trouble from Trolls than from drow!"
<Merrell aka Mike D continued>:
> And finally, Merrell will ask about Khiezar Dalan,
> "DelRoy, since hearing of this, have you dispatched
> anyone to investigate the dwarfs tale? Surely if
> such a place has been found we would prefer to
> reach it before the drow."
The old mage smiles kindly at Merrell. "Although I can ask favours of my family, I cannot force them to go on such missions. At the moment, none of them have volunteered, being too busy on other projects etc. Also, I am sure that the dwarves of Citadel Adbar would rather be the first to 're-discover' Khiezar Dalan if they can."
<Balnor aka Mike B wrote>:
> "Yeah and why can't you mages just magic them to
> Silverymoon and save some adventurers a world of
> trouble?
Andall frowns at Balnor, but Harkle answers the impatient young thief. "As my father said just now, without knowing more about these stones, transporting them by magical means could be dangerous."
<Balnor aka Mike B continued>:
> That would really be helpful, and once we
> leave the area you say you will help us but how?
> So far all this mystical magical stuff i have seen
> from you so called "powerful" mages has done a
> real stand up job so far in helping these stones
> get to where they are going, i have seen magic and
> simple brains used to greater effect by my friend
> Yvandel here and he claims to be a puppeteer,
> not a mage. So lets have a straight up answer,
> what exactly can you guys do to help us out?"
A slightly annoyed tone enters Harkle's voice as he addresses Balnor. "You know little about what you speak young man, and demands for help in such tones are unlikely to be met! We have not had a chance to discuss it amongst ourselves, so don't be so impatient!"
<Serena aka Douglas continued>:
> Serena winces at Balnor's insulting comments and
> crass demands. In an aside to Lucretia, she whispers,
> "That rude ferret will turn these Harpells against us,
> now that we've at last got them on our side. Who
> appointed him to be our spokesman here? I just hope
> none of these mages notice the mark he's carrying on
> his hand . . ."
<Lucretia aka Joe continued>:
> <<Taking his queue> "Come on Ferret lets go have
a
> look at the gambling house, knock back an ale, and
> leave all this trickery for the mages." "There has
> got to be something more interesting going on down
> there."
<Balnor aka Mike B wrote>:
> "Yeah, you might be right." Balnor replies, "I'm
still
> interested in what help they can give us. But yes,
> lets go have some ale and try our luck at the gaming
> tables."
Harkle and Andall look at the exchange, both frowning. As Lucretia suggests that he and Balnor leave to the Gambling halls, Andall nods firmly and stands. "It is getting late, let me show you out... if anyone else wants to chat further with my father, he will show you out later."
<Yvandel aka Sebastian wrote>:
> "So... could it be that the Shriven Stone
> is actually still inside the statue's hand?
> DelRoy, can you let your Long Riders know
> about this? I wouldn't want a stone like
> that to once again fall into the hands of
> those that would abuse its power..."
Harkle nods. "It will be done."
<Yvandel continued>:
> He turned back and walked right up to Andall.
> "I'd like to chat just a little bit more and
> then head off to bed."
As Lucretia, Balnor (and Serena?) head off towards the Gambling Golem, the remaining members of the party enter the inn, making their way to bed. Yvandel turns back to Andall, his breath a white cloud in the cold night air. Andall claps his arms around himself as he looks at the young mage. "A quick question? Or should we go inside the inn to stay in the warm whilst we speak?"
"Well, it's been my experience that even quick questions sometimes require long answers," Yvandel replied. "Let's head for the inn."
Yvandel and Andall enter the inn with Serena. Yvandel offers to purchase Andall a drink, who declines. Yvandel points towards a quiet alcove and suggests that he and Andall sit quietly alone...
Andall speaks with Yvandel for a short while, then rises and leaves.
At last, everyone gets back to the inn and goes to bed.
************In the morning, everyone awakes and makes their way down to breakfast. As they are finishing eating, Andall arrives bearing a staff and a scroll. The latter he passes to Yvandel with a nod and a smile. He turns to the rest of the group.
"I came to bid you farewell. Remember, keep your eyes and ears open for signs or a word of Khiezar Dalan. Harkle also sent something along to help you against the Trolls, but use it sparingly. This one's new, but it has only 15 charges." He raises the staff to show what he is talking about.
"Chiesedor invented this. We've already tested it out, and it works fine. It's something like a fireball staff, but it works differently. A fireball staff makes one big fireball. This one makes up to 36 little fireballs. They do very little damage actually, but they seek trolls out and light them. You only need fire to burn a troll, not a lot of fire.
"There are only a few drawbacks with this troll staff. One of them is, that Chiesedor has been only able to bring 15 charges into them safely, well ... 14 actually. With the 15th charge, you have to throw it at the trolls and the shout the trigger word as soon as it's out of your hands. If you're still holding it, it will blow up in your hands. That also happens quite unpredictably when Chiesedor puts more than 15 charges into it. Yeah ... he's already on his fourth pair of hands because of these troll staves. Harkle has had to regenerate his hands three times already, be-cause of explosions, so be sure to count how often you use this thing!
"There other drawback isn't quite so bad. You see, Chiesedor has a funny sense of humor. Well, downright strange, actually. So ... the trigger word is ... oh, yes, I better put this down."
Andall sets the staff on the table.
Andall: "That's another drawback. If you're holding the staff in your hands and there aren't any trolls around when you say the trigger word, it'll also blow up in your hands!
"It's only good on trolls, and the thing wants you to be serious when you use it, so make sure you have at least one troll around before you say the trigger word."
"Anyhow ... the trigger word ... hmmm ... as I said, Chiesedor is a bit strange. Well, there's nothing for it. The trigger word is actually four words long: Enjoy more Longsaddle beef! Yup ... that's it. Sorry about that!"
Milo has to stifle a laugh at the trigger word.. Unfortunatly he succeeds in snorting some of his beverage through his nose, and ends up in a fit of coughing!
Finally getting control of himself, his cheeks color in embarassment as he looks around to the others with a grin!
Milo will wait for a moment to see if anyone more agressive steps forward to claim it. If so, he will be content with his weapons. If not then...
Milo stands to accept the staff, nodding his thanks to Andall.
"Please express our appreciation to Chiesedor and the rest of your family for helping us along. I hope we will not need this, but if so, I think it will be more useful than the last staff!"
****
Quick summary of actions:
1) Milo takes the Troll Staff. Andall bids his farewell and leaves.
2) Milo passes the Staff of Illusionary Fireballs to Yvandel, then
goes for a walk with Ceely.
3) Yvandel passes his wand of enlargement to Merrell
4) Yvandel disappears back to his room to study his spells.
5) Serena and Herod wander off to look for a bow.
6) The weather is brisk, only about 7 degrees above freezing, with
a light wind - more cloud than clear sky.
7) You do have horses - but it's only a small village, so a short walk takes
Serena and Herod to the blacksmith's place.