HLoM: The Firebird, Chapter 2

[Nathan of the FoS]

UNIVERSALITY GREY TEMPERANCE, YEAR OF THE ALZABO (June 26th, 775)

Even after the delay in your departure to accommodate the Inquisition, the rockslides which had delayed Avram had not been cleared, so you found yourselves obligated to take the more circuitous Vestrrut, down almost to the Forfarian border, making the three-day trip a five-day trip. Thankfully, the weather had held sunny and warm during the days, though nights in the Balinoks were always chill. Also thankfully (at least for Richard) it meant another three days with Marcel, since the Ezran community based near Forfarmax now lay on your road to the Jarenberg.

You hoped to reach Forfarmax tomorrow; tonight you would be hosted by Salbard Homweyz, a client of the Jarenbergs, in what could only be called his aerie overlooking the pass leading down into Jarenberg territory proper. A hard-faced man with an underbite, with the scales of the pike decorating his temples, he looked about as glad to see you as a face not naturally meant for pleasant looks could do.

"Renhalt! Cattia! Please, be welcome. Introduce me to your guests."

[Isabella]

********************SOMETIME EARLIER**********************

"Frei- ah, Frei-Freherr Boritsi," Richard had called out, as they set out on the road. The Mordentishman fiddled around in his mule's saddlebags (the light grey mule, Arthur, was hardly a dashing charger, but he was large and he seemed to keep his feet under him quite well), and with a significant glance back at Lena, moved to pull alongside Vasili. Maya grumbled at being abandoned and padded over to catch up with them.

"I-I-I-We should have rightfully given-given these earlier," Richard said, with a solemn tone, and another glance back at Lena. "I-I... well, it-it-it was the Baroness' coin that paid for it, in the end, but she-she... we thought we ought to give them to you together, and found we were lacking in-in opportunity of late."

Richard reached out and presented Vasili with a simple wooden scroll case.
Inside the scroll case are Five (5) scrolls of Lesser Rejuvenate Eidolon (CL 1).

"I-I-I..." Richard paused, his mist-colored eyes looking right into Vasili's. "Well, I-I-we had been concerned for Leila, after the incident with the crowd. But I-I suppose they aren't really -- I-I hope they wind up being -- I-I hope you never need them, Freiherr."

Richard flashed a wan smile, and that seemed to be all he had to say on the matter.

********************PRESENTLY**********************

Richard bowed politely to their new host, although he self-consciously brushed at his cloak. Magicians had it easy, always looking bright as a button, no matter what they'd been doing. Richard, in contrast, was covered in a fine layer of dust. He looked as well as he could, all things considering, especially since he always seemed to stay up late and get up very early.

Detect "Evil"

[NeoTiamat]

********************SOMETIME EARLIER**********************

"It was dear Richard's idea and my money." Lena said dryly, while Ushka clung precariously to Lena's hood. The fox was eyeing Leila with extreme dubiousness -- how come she got scrolls and Ushka didn't? "So really, I had the easy part."

"Just a little present, for all you and Leila have done for us, Vasili." The Baroness said, shifting to a somewhat formal tone since there were others present. She flashed him an absolutely dazzling smile.

********************PRESENTLY**********************

Lena was one of those magicians, which meant that she looked lovely and fresh despite several days of travel. Magic was a wonderful thing to have, really. Even Ushka looked bright, red, and fluffy, riding as she was on Lena's shoulder and peering down at all beneath her. Lena glanced at Renhalt, waiting to be introduced.

Taking 10 Knowledge Barrage -- What do I know about the locality?
Knowledge (Nobility) 23
Knowledge (Local) 21
Knowledge (History) 21
Knowledge (Geography) 20
Knowledge (Nature) 20

[The Whistler]

Avram was not a magician, or at least not that kind of magician. The Lawgiver, Blessed be He, presumably felt that traveling Rashemani hetmen could jolly well fend for themselves. So Avram was dusty too, though, being mountain born and bred, he had weathered the journey well for his age. His walking stick was a far better walking stick than it ever was a spear shaft, apparently.

He bowed, lower than the others, from his proper place in the back of the group.

[Nathan of the FoS]

Renhalt steps forward to make the introductions. "Salbard. We thank you for your hospitality. Let's see. This is our cousin Altan Isfahani. The Baroness Elena von Zarovich, visiting us on business at the Bergsforg. And Ushka, of course. Freiherr Richard Blackwood of Mordent, and Marcel Boudreau of Souragne; the freiherr is a good friend of the Isfahani and has come to visit them. My friend Vasili Boritsi supervises at the Bergsforg; his familiar is Leila. Goodman ben Mansur supervises at the Eizer Kanet."

Homweyz bows to Altan, Lena and Richard, and acknowledges the other introductions with nods. "Please, make yourselves comfortable. Ylana will show you where you can wash up, and we'll have a late supper ready for you soon."

The supper is simple but well-prepared--a lentil soup followed by lamb kebabs with flatbread, more and differently spiced than the non-Hazlani are accustomed to, with a thin yogurt and dry red wine to drink. After the meal is well begun Salbard turns to address Lena, Richard and Marcel more or less equally. "Is this your first visit to Hazlan? How have you found it?"

Just to note, Avram is here too, hangin' out with the other Rashemani doing the serving and clearing away duties, tho he can always decamp to the kitchen to get something to eat and come back later.

[NeoTiamat]

"Oh, no. I grew up at the Hazlani border, only a few leagues outside of Vestrdyrr. My father has an estate outside of Volkadav, I don't know if you've heard of it?" Lena said, threading the eye of the needle between eating so little that she offended her host and eating so much that she spontaneously combusted. Barovians did not go in for spices, really. "I've been in and out of Hazlan all my life, though this is my first time in this part of the country. It's really quite beautiful, isn't it, Richard?"

Renhalt, in the meantime, was being quietly hypnotized by a fox. He had made the mistake of introducing Ushka formally, and the fox approved of this. As a result, the little red creature was now sitting on the floor, looking up at him, and attempting to get him to feed her by sheer force of will.

[Isabella]

"I-I-I have not had the pleasure of visiting Hazlan before, Freiherr," Richard said, rubbing his neck. He did not appear as dubious about the food as Lena, though he was examining the yogurt with a slightly bemused look. "It is, as the-the Baroness says, beautiful. I-I have never before encountered a landscape such as the one we-the one we are now situated upon."

[DeepShadow of FoS]

********************SOMETIME EARLIER**********************

"I-I-I-We should have rightfully given-given these earlier," Richard said, with a solemn tone, and another glance back at Lena. "I-I... well, it-it-it was the Baroness' coin that paid for it, in the end, but she-she... we thought we ought to give them to you together, and found we were lacking in-in opportunity of late."

Having been silent most of the journey--and already refusing food and drink by force of long habit--Vasili's mouth practically creaks with disuse, his voice strange to his own ears.

"I-I..." He stops, swallows. "Opportunities...for generosity...are indeed rare of late. We--we must take them as we may. As for me, I had planned gifts of my own, but I'm afraid only one of them is ready at the moment. I'm hoping yours will be ready, Richard, by the time we rest."

"I-I-I..." Richard paused, his mist-colored eyes looking right into Vasili's. "Well, I-I-we had been concerned for Leila, after the incident with the crowd. But I-I suppose they aren't really -- I-I hope they wind up being -- I-I hope you never need them, Freiherr."

Vasili meets Richard's gaze, and seems to take strength from it. "Ah, one of those gifts--the kind we keep close but wish to never need," he observes wryly. "Very appropriate to the situation, Richard."

He slips the case open, slides out a scroll, and his eyes widen. "This--this is rare magic! I will treasure it, as you say, for emergencies."

"Just a little present, for all you and Leila have done for us, Vasili." The Baroness said, shifting to a somewhat formal tone since there were others present. She flashed him an absolutely dazzling smile.

"Indeed, Baroness, I'm glad that you both consider me at your service." He bows low and pauses, his smile far less dazzling and lot more rueful. "I hope you know, that though I serve under the Jarenberg, everything I have done or will do is for our mutual good. And while Richard's gift is almost finished, I am truly delighted to give you yours, now."

With that, he holds out an envelope, the wax seal bearing the Boritsi insignia. During all this exchange, Leila stands silent on an outcrop over the road, watching something in the distance.

****************Presently*****************

(Unless the others protest, Vasili will clean the road grime off them sometime between introductions and dinner. You don't need to BE a magician if you have one in your service!)

Vasili gives Renhalt a panicked look at the sight of the spread--this wasn't like the Burning Scroll, where he could sit in the back and feign having already eaten. Nor was this like the fireworks feast, where no one would notice that he never took a plate of food. This was a proper sit-down meal, and he would be expected to eat all of it!

Renhalt had barely met his look when Vasili blinked away his shock and turned away. He was not going to jeopardize everything with his foolish habits. Steeling himself inwardly, he summoned every drop of sincerity he could muster, made note of his new record of 107 days, and accepting a serving of lamb kebab and flatbread with a grateful smile.* As their host turned his attention to the foreigners, Vasili listened eagerly, taking only the tiniest of sips from his first ever glass of wine.

...threading the eye of the needle between eating so little that she offended her host and eating so much that she spontaneously combusted. Barovians did not go in for spices, really.

Himself unused to Hazlani spices, Vasili sees in Lena's delicacy a mirror of his own situation. As Lena finishes speaking, Vasili offers her more yogurt. "It helps," he murmurs.

++++++++++++++++++++++++
Bluff +22 to hide his conflicted feelings about having to eat.
[dice]0[/dice]

Don't know if/when Lena is going to share what she learned with her checks, but Vasili is also determined to know what he can. I don't know how many of the other knowledges are really relevant here, but I can take 10 in all of them:
Knowledge (Arcana) 21
Knowledge (Engineering) 21
Knowledge (Dungeoneering) 21
Knowledge (Planes) 21
Knowledge (Religion) 20

And now the ones Lena used. Assuming I have to beat her results to learn anything new, that means it's a roll-fest:
Knowledge (Nobility) +11
[dice]1[/dice]

Knowledge (History) +10
[dice]2[/dice]

Knowledge (Geography) +10
[dice]3[/dice]

Knowledge (Nature) +10
[dice]4[/dice]

Knowledge (Local) +10
[dice]5[/dice]

[NeoTiamat]

********************SOMETIME EARLIER**********************

"Indeed, Baroness, I'm glad that you both consider me at your service." He bows low and pauses, his smile far less dazzling and lot more rueful. "I hope you know, that though I serve under the Jarenberg, everything I have done or will do is for our mutual good. And while Richard's gift is almost finished, I am truly delighted to give you yours, now."

"Of that I have no doubt, Freiherr." Lena said, her face a pleasant, friendly, and thoroughly unreadable mask. Perhaps Lena had forgiven him. One could hope. She accepted the envelope and very carefully opened the seal, glancing inside the envelope.

****************Presently*****************

As Lena finishes speaking, Vasili offers her more yogurt. "It helps," he murmurs.

"Thank you." Lena said, sotto voce. She cast a sidelong glance at Vasili, then returned to her food.

Does Lena notice Vasili's Dietary Dilemma? Sense Motive +23
[dice]0[/dice]

[Nathan of the FoS]

"I've been here--well, near here--before, but not at this time of year," Marcel volunteers. "It's certainly more pleasant and safer than early spring...no mudslides."

"Yes," Salbard says, "I've always thought this the best time of year for enjoying the heights, although...what's this?"

"This" is a small, green, winged, warted homonculus, which darts into the room from an adjacent chamber and communicates something in a rasping, chittering voice to its master. Standing, Salbard says, "Naming the Enemy calls him to us, it seems. I was just about to remark that brigandage is a more pressing problem at this time of year, and it seems we may have detected a group of them. I had better see to this. Please, continue. I'll let you know if it turns out to be serious."

Vasili's knowledge dump nets that Salbard is a transmuter, plus what Lena has revealed. If you want to accompany Salbard you can make a Diplomacy check (except for Cattia, who, as a Jarenberg, can just say she's coming along if she cares to.))

[NeoTiamat]

"Mind if we come with you?" Lena asked, favoring Salbard with an impish smile that turned serious. "I've spent several years in Gundarak, and I would rather see just what is going on with my own eyes -- for the sake of my nerves, Freiherr. And Sir Richard and the others here are quite the warriors."

Diplomacy +23; Getting Lena, Richard, and anyone else my Diplomacy will carry and who wants to come up there.
[dice]0[/dice]

[Nathan of the FoS]

Salbard hesitates*, then says, "Certainly, Baroness. Please, follow me."

He does not (contrary to expectation) move toward the stairs leading down to the aerie's entrance, but goes up a short flight of stairs into a small, almost bare room whose principle feature are five small silver bells suspended from metal hooks and what appears to be a heavy bronze funnel laid on a small table. One of the bells rings gently as you enter.

"Kaber Tor," Salbard mutters. "Interesting." He positions the funnel beneath the bell which rang, muttering a brief incantation as he does so, and the room is filled with the sound of someone speaking in a strong Nova Vaasan accent.

"…hole up here for the night. An' I say again, no-one to leave these four walls without he's got someone with him. Not to piss, not to squat, not for nothing."

Another voice, also Nova Vaasan, pitched almost too low to hear: "…been old enough to wipe it myself for a good long while now."

The first voice, audibly angry: "That's fool's talk, cutter. You're not hunting plains cats now."

* Sense Motive DC 21.

[Isabella]

Richard seemed to look askance of Lena, most especially at her assessment of him, but gave Salbard a sharp nod all the same, following him up to the scrying room.

"Whereabouts lies Kaber Tor, Frei-freiherr?" he asked quietly.

[DeepShadow of FoS]

Salbard hesitates*, then says, "Certainly, Baroness. Please, follow me."

The dutiful servant, Vasili turns to Cattia, "Freyif, if we are to help them perform their duties, should we not enlist our healer as well?" He nods toward the servant apartments where Avram is dining.

After Avram arrives, Vasili allows the rest of the party to go upstairs first, then casts Message on everyone on the way up the stairs. After seeing the scrying apparatus, Vasili realizes that the spell was unnecessary, but he is nothing if not prepared.

[Kaitou Kage]

Altan ate well and partook especially of the kebabs. He ignored the yogurt. Back at the Academy a favorite game was to see how much spicy food one could pack away before literally breathing fire. Ages ago some clever potion makers devised a tincture that caused a person to spout flames (sometimes from both ends) when a certain threshold was reached. Altan developed quite a tolerance for spicy food over the years.

"Are these brigands so dangerous that you cannot send soldiers or conscripts to deal with them?" he asked as everyone assembled to listen in.