Kicking It In Kaer Maga (Inactive)

Game Master GM Idyll

Mastargre's eyes grow wide. "Retained her intelligence, you say? Fascinating! Truly fascinating. Was there only one example of his success in the crypt or were there other twice-borns who retained their intelligence? Why did he not come to us?! There are those here who would have embraced his research into unlife. No matter. Nothing to do about it now. Perhaps this book you've recovered will be of some use to us." He takes the formulae book and sets it on his desk.

"Now, to the matter of your induction," he says, pinching the bridge of his nose. "You have, beyond a doubt, performed admirably in the task that we have given you. However, the moratorium on recruitment is still in place and I have been unable to meet with Suthevan to discuss making an exception in your case. Please be patient, Kenji. Your time will come. In the meantime, please take these scrolls as a token of our appreciation, and," he adds with a wink, "perhaps, another test of your abilities."

With that he bows and returns to his desk.

He has given you three scrolls. You will need to identify them before they may be used.

"I don't mean to insult you," she apologizes huskily. "I came to Kaer Maga for much the same reason. I thought if there were anywhere in the world I could go without being feared or pitied, it would be here, where there are so many more... unusual things walking down the streets." Although she clearly appreciates his consoling words, she hesitates before taking his proffered arm. "Before you choose to trust me," she says reluctantly, "you should know.... What I said in the crypts is true. I killed someone. A woman, unarmed and defenseless. And then I ran." She watches warily for his reaction, obviously steeling herself for rejection.

Kenji's heart falls a little at his further rejection. Hewould need access to this place to plumb the secret histories (it was rumored) they kept on Thassilonian magic.
Your efforts on my behalf are appreciated. Perhaps if you have any further tasks that I may complete to prove my worth to the college here, I will remain in contact. In the meantime the Pharasmans have requested that the group I worked with to discover the Alchemist, return to the catacombs and clear out the undead there. I will likely accept the work. There does appear to be some knowledge down there. You know where to find me. I thankyou for the scrolls.

Kenji bows and takes his leave. His outward visage is calm, but inside he is seething!
"Another wall placed in my way! By the gods, I SHALL blast it down!"

Stirgen's unsightly features scrunch into a more genuine and warm smile as Lilley hesitates. He does not falter and his arm remains open "I am not blind milady, but in the time I have known you I have seen nothing that would give me pause in extending you my trust." waiting to see if she does indeed rise to join him.

She lets out a breath she hadn't been conscious of holding. When she looks up at him, it is with the first real smile he has seen on her face. "I would be delighted," she says, standing up and taking his arm, "to have some breakfast."

Stirgen leads Lilley through the Lycaeum to one of the meal halls. In typical bohemian style the food is haphazardly presented in a buffet, half-finished and up to the consumer as to what and how it is preferred to be taken. Trestle tables and benches are the order of the day, and Stirgen finds an unoccupied end of one - seating Lilley before moving away to retrieve some food and drink.

As a start he gathers two bowls of a pasty gruel that looks like softened paper - but tastes much better, rich and creamy with honey strewn through to sweeten the meal. He also retrieves a pot of a fruity smelling tisane of apple and mint, as well as two cloudy glass mugs. Pouring for Lilley first, he then fills his own glass and holds it up for a cheers and proffers "To beauty... wherever we might find it"

Not sure how much of a liberty you want me to take with descriptions - here's a partial description that I had thought of:
The hall chosen is one frequented by the poets and singers of the bardic college - and among the eating students are those deep in thought, with muttered or half-volume performances and a basso profundo at one extreme bizzarely chanting some kind of elvish aria in a voice so deep as to defy human production.

Going back a bit...

Valanthe bows and accepts the symbols. ”Upon your return to the Ossuary, you will be compensated for finding these. And certainly, after you have cleared out the depths below, we will eagerly explore the ruins ourselves to uncover what ancient mysteries the crypt holds. Thank you for your service to the Lady.”

As you finish at the Cathedral, you make your way back to The Warren and your s+$!hole of an apartment/clinic. You accompany Bastarger on his way back to the Calvacade, but must make the long walk through Bis alone. At this time of morning, the famous balconies are empty and dark. You walk in silence and solitude.

You arrive home without incident. Opening the door, you find everything as you left it - except for a small note on your bed. It’s scrawled in an uneven, barely legible script. Opening it, a single gold coin falls to the bed. You read the note:

I is sorrey for steeling from you. Heer is yur coin bak. I is sorrey.

The note is not signed, but you can assume who it is from - the small boy from Mother Millie’s.

That is perfect. Good stuff.

Rajah can't help but sigh after reading the note. Grabbing the coin and placing it within the note, he folds it back up and places it within his pocket. "Do not fret, my young friend." Rajah speaks to himself barely above a whisper. "I shall see you soon enough and return to you what is rightfully yours." As he sits for a bit thinking on the whole situation, a bit of worry finds its way in. I just hope she keeps her end of the bargain. He thinks to himself as he decides to turn in and get as much rest as possible.

Lilley starts the meal self-consciously -- the tusks that are ideally suited for tearing meat from bone make it difficult to eat porridge or sip tea in a ladylike fashion -- and bows her head over the table to hide her efforts behind a curtain of black hair, but that neither Stirgen nor the other diners seem to find anything out of the ordinary about her presence serves to ease her anxiety. "It's good," she smiles at him. "When I'm hungry, I usually just buy a meat pie or something from a street vendor and eat it in my room. It's never warm, and in Ankar Te, I'm always afraid to ask what might be in it." She looks around at the students. "You study here? What do you learn?"

Just recopying description from above
The hall chosen is one frequented by the poets and singers of the bardic college - and among the eating students are those deep in thought, with muttered or half-volume performances and a basso profundo at one extreme bizzarely chanting some kind of elvish aria in a voice so deep as to defy human production.

Stirgen eats with a tangible hunger, and once his bowl is empty gets a couple of pieces of flatbread to finish with. To Lilley's statement of her gastronomic tendencies he chuckles "Aye milady, you're a braver soul than myself in that regard." before he continues to answer her query "I am a student, yes... and Poetry is what has first called to me... though I fear I have much to learn of the art. Perhaps our spelunking will inspire me" giving her a wry grin as he returns the question "And what of you milady? - you mentioned you are here but recently, have you found your feet and lodging?"

"I have a room in Ankar-Te," she replies, "but no employment. The payment from the Pharasmins will keep me safe from having to take up a profession in Hospice for some time, at any rate." Her hand goes to her pouch to make sure it still jingles reassuringly and she wasn't robbed passing through the city's streets. "The man who told me about the job in the Ossuary last night was the same one who pointed me to a place to stay when I arrived in the city. He said he would be at the cathedral as well, but...." She trails off, shaking her head; Stirgen knows as well as she that he didn't meet Priestess Valanthe with them. "I owe him a great deal, and I'm worried something might have happened to him."

Stirgen drops his bread onto the table and slaps a hand to his forehead in remonstration "Ai! You've just reminded me... I should check in with the one that led me to the temple also" thinking of the halfling Rory. Shaking his head at his own forgetfulness as he offers "I would be worried as well Lilley... do you think it urgent enough to inquire immediately?... or could it wait until after we've rested?" heavy lids on his eyes showing sign of his near exhaustion.

She considers a moment and then shrugs uncertainly. "He works in the evenings; perhaps he simply had a less dangerous offer of employment. He is a bard," she smiles at Stirgen. "You would like him. The gambling hall would not be open so early in the morning to inquire at anyway. It is probably wise to rest first and then ask after him in the afternoon. I will hope it is only a case of his plans changing after he sent word to me."

Nodding "Good, good... I would think the better for the rest.. shall we meet at the hall of vice later?"

Once the short farewells are made, Strigen makes a halfhearted attempt to find Rory before collapsing in a heap on his bunk and succumbing to sleep.

He sets out to rendezvous with Lilley upon his awakening.

Returning to Ankar-Te in the bustle of shops opening and workers hurrying through the streets, Lilley climbs the stairs to her room as many of her neighbors are filing down to begin their day. She manages to shrug out of the heavy armor and sets it up at the foot of her bed. Looking at it, she remembers the sight of countless cockroaches swarming out of it. Going back down the stairs, she locates Betty to ask to borrow a scrub brush and send one of the Twice-Born servants to carry a basin of water up to her room. She spends half an hour scrubbing out the inside of the armor thoroughly. Then she looks down at the clothes she was wearing under the armor, strips them off, and rinses them out in the basin before hanging them to dry while she sleeps. Then she considers her skin that had been inside the clothing under the armor where the roaches lived and uses the rest of the water in the basin to wash herself before laying down on her narrow bed to sleep until the afternoon.

At the appointed time, Lilley is waiting on the steps of Thrown Bones in Ankar-Te. She is unarmored and appears to be unarmed. She is dressed in what are obviously mens' work clothes, roughly-woven and ill-fitting, probably bought secondhand. The shirt and trousers appear slightly damp and rumpled, like she washed them before she slept and they didn't completely dry before she awoke.

Arriving at Thrown Bones, Stirgen is similarly unarmored - wearing a simple smock and leggings in brown, but he does still carry his primary stonecarving implement across his shoulders. A smile creasing his broken face as he draws near he raises a hand in greeting before looking to regard the gambling hall "Our first port of call?... shall we?"