Arasmes smiles, looking around as if a shy, or bewildered.
Adriel lets himself be lead...
Gryfford takes his clothes off with a prodigious practiced speed, managing at the same time to throw his falchion and its sheath on the bed,
then rushes on the half-orc to grapple her in a tight but not unkind embrace (which is the half-orc race manner of preliminaries), making the two of them take off from the floor and then land on the waiting bed with a resounding "Thump !".
.
As you finish up your excitement, the girls dress themselves and lead you back out to the main hallway where you first entered. The girl who just took Adriel looks at Arasmes and says, "How bout you sir, could you use some company as well?"
Given the company I had preferred yours, I admit to being tempted - but I'm looking for a special type of girl, and frankly, you seem too innocent.
The girl looks offended when you say this, and says, "I'm plenty old enough, ask your friend over there." She gestures in the direction of Adriel. "But if you're not man enough..." she smirks and trails off looking at another gentleman who has just entered the establishment.
Adriel looks to Arasmes, not smiling but looking...relaxed?
The arrangements at this...bordello are wonderfully simple. In the moment with no messy attachments.
Resisting the urge to pinch the bridge of his nose, Arasmes asks quietly
"Do any of the girls have piercings?"
"As a matter of fact, Dgarah', the lovely half-orc hetaera, has piercings. Several. In the most judicious places" Gryfford drawls while lazily sprawled on a gold-trimmed pouffe in the main "lounge" of the bordello.
"That's not usual for an half-orc woman. In fact, I wonder if perhaps the half-orcs have introduced piercings in Avistan" says Gryfford thoughtfully.
He looks at Arasmes: "Do you like piercings that much ?"
Is he subtly trying to ask me if I'm a Kuthonite? Is he trying to tell me that this Dgarah' is a Kuthonite? Has he already questioned her? Did she say something about the amulet being orcish? What is he trying to tell me?!?!?. Wait - he must be trying to tell me to look like I'm a Kuthonite.
Apart from a slight twitch Arasmes maintains his calm
"I like them enough that I have a few myself. I used to have a lip-ring, actually, but it got ripped out."
Gryfford grabs a pitcher of strong alcohol lying nearby on a low table, and serves himself an healthy draught, before pouring it generously in a giggling prostitute's cleavage.
He then proceeds to lick the girl's large bosom, trying not to miss a drop of spirits.
Gryfford is not trying to convey any hidden subtle meaning by mentioning Dgarah's piercings.
Gryfford knows apparently a great deal about Orc culture. But no one can tell if this ethnic knowledge could one day come in handy.
It seems that Arasmes subtleties are lost on the ladies of the night. However a few of the girls continue to press in around them, offering to help them ease their minds.
Yolk, untainted from the sins of the evening, sleeps soundly on his bed in the temple of Erastil.
Taltōsh likewise found his quarters for the evening and retired, planning to rise early and focus his mind for the day ahead.
Adriel relaxes on the cushions, his worries and anger forgotten now. While I am enjoying myself, thoroughly, perhaps we should move on? My it would be a waste to lose one's perse in a single eve. I should like to return another night though.
"One should never abuse of the good things, lest they go away or turn to dross in the dour light of the morning" philosophes Gryfford from under the warm embrace of one of the girls.
He gently disentangles himself from the girl.
"I must go, my lovely. To the temple from the bordello !" he chuckles.
The girls smile and wave as you head outside. The streets are empty, as you make your way back to the temple, things are quiet. You arrive and the cleric on duty greets you and leads you back to some rooms in the back. Perhaps you can find some more information in the morning.
In the morning you all make your way back downstairs and Angus is already up before you. "Morning all, how was your night? Find anything exciting in the big city?"
Just as he says this one of the clerics comes in looking around quickly, "Is there a Master Arasmes here?" He looks confused.
Arasmes stands
"I'm Arasmes."
Yolk sits up in his bed. Hope theyre alive!
Gearing up Yolk walks downstairs and nods to Arasmes as he leaves the temple to pray to Torag. "Morning! Be back inna bit."
Adriel simply nods at breakfast, his excitement at the wenches touch is gone. Replaced by his usual surliness.
What are our plans today? I'd be on the trail of this killer as soon as possible
Taltōsh greeted the others as they arrived for breakfast.
When the cleric asked for Arasmes, Taltōsh stopped eating and focused on the exchange.
I wonder what is going on?
Gryfford looks in good shape this morning, eating heartily as usual, and humming quietly to himself.
He salutes Yolk back with a nod of his head as the dwarf cleric goes out of the temple.
Before the temple cleric came looking for Arasmes, Gryfford asked Taltōsh:
"So, did you and Yolk learned anything useful after digging through all these musty tomes last night ?"
"As for me, and the other party-goers here, we learned... nothing new." Gryfford smiles as he looks in the direction of Adriel. "That is, we learned nothing new pertaining to our quest. But some of us perhaps broadened their horizons a little bit."
"Unfortunately, no," Taltōsh replied. "We found a reference to Grey Novel, but nothing specific."
Shrugging, he added, "Hopefully we will have more luck at the Great Library."
Adriel sighs, More books.
The cleric turns to Arasmes, "Uh... there was a messenger here for you sir. He asked me to give you this." He hands over a folded piece of paper.
"Well if no one has anything else to do perhaps we ought to head out. I believe the best place to look would be in the Great Library. However if anyone has any other leads they'd like to check I'm sure we could split up and cover more ground." Angus gathers his things and heads for the temple door.
Arasmes reads the note, and tuns to the cleric
"Thank you, friend."
As Angus heads out Arasmes starts to follow
"While my tutors despaired of my ability to study, I'm happy to see if I can help."
"No, Master Angus. Please lead on to the Great Library," Taltōsh said.
While curious, the hooded sage felt it inappropriate to ask how anyone knew to send Arasmes a message at the temple in Magnimar, when only a day ago they were in Sandpoint. Perhaps magic? Or was it a result of last night's activities?
Either way, it wasn't any of Taltōsh's business, so he declined to inquire.
Adriel simply gets up, ready to leave. If we must, I am a good study.
Coming back in from the morning rituals, Yolk posts himself in the door way. "Was any, useful, information revealed in your evening adventure last night fellas?"
"Not really, Yolk" Gryfford laughs.
"But we had a good time. And nobody has a hangover this morning. All is well then, except for my purse missing."
He sighs. "Why must the prettiest ones also be the slyest ones ? That's one of the mysterious constants of the Universe." He shrugs.
"Anyway, I won't accompany you today. I must confess libraries bore me to tears."
"I will visit Magnimar this morning. At noon, I will check to see if you're still at the Great Library ; if that's not the case, I will go back to this temple to rejoin you. If you're not at the temple at this moment, please leave a message to the priests here as to your whereabouts."
"All settled ? Well: happy book worming, then. See you later !"
Gryff:
You set off through the town in search of something to do. It doesn't take you long before you see a man dressed in leather armor in the square shouting something aloud. As you get closer you see he has a patch over his right eye, and has some sort of symbol on his chest. When you get closer you hear what he is saying, "TOURNAMENT! KING'S TOURNAMENT! SIGN UP TODAY! GOLD FOR THE WINNER!" He is waving a stack of flyers and handing them to passersby.
Others:
The rest of you weave your way through the city, and as you head north you see the large cliff face that divides Magnimar. Angus leads you to a gate at the base and you can see stairs carved into the stone of the wall. You manage to move up the stairs at a quick pace and reach the top. As you crest the final steps you see Angus breathing heavily, "Not as young as I used to be, heh." He stops for a moment and you see as you look up a massive building with a large golden dome on its top. Angus points through his huffing and puffing, " There it is, the Great Library." You take a moment to gaze at the massive marble columns on the outside. And you can see just to the left of your current position are a short set of steps leading up to what appears to be a large wooden door.
"Most impressive," said Taltōsh, awe evident in his voice.
Unlike Angus, however, the hooded man was unfazed by the long climb up the stairs.
Adriel drifts in and out of memories of last night. Perhaps I should have gone with Gryfford.
Gryfford takes one of the flyers offered and reads it.
If it's about some occasion to fight and earn money, he's definitely interested, and will probably sign.
Arasmes, struggling to hide how tired he is, walks silently behind Angus.
"Pray, tell me: what does the symbol on your chest mean ?" Gryfford asks to the man in the leather armor handing out the flyers.
"I'm new in town" the swordsman explains.
Arasmes, squinting against the sun, makes out a vague blurry image of a building through the sunlight beating off the brilliant white columns and shiny gold.
So tired. So, so tired. Going to have to bow out soon and get some sleep - these all day marathons are killing me! thought Arasmes
Gryff:
He looks down at you from where he is standing and says, "It's the royal symbol. The great emblem of our king!" He smile broadly at you, "Interested in the tournament are you? I think we could find a place for you. The name's Pike by the way." He extends his hand.
Library:
As you walk over to the stairs and enter the wooden doors of the Library. You see a short hallway that opens up into a large chamber filled floor to ceiling with books. Various people are milling about pushing carts. Directly in front of you is a diamond shaped desk with an older gentleman sitting behind it. He wears a black cloak with insignia on it. Around the main hall of the library are several long tables with people sitting and studying at them.
Gryfford shakes the man's hand
"I'm Gryfford. I'm a gladiator. "Falchion" is the name of my art. I'd like a place in the tournament, for sure."
Taltōsh waited for Angus to approach the desk, standing slightly behind and to one side of the dwarven paladin.
Adriel, who despises libraries, feeds Chatterbeak a cracker.
Library:
Angus turns to the group,"There is plenty of knowledge to be found in a place like this. I say that we ought to split up and see what we can find."
Gryff:
The man smiles, "Pleasure to meet ya. Just show up at the Coliseum at the north end of the city tomorrow and tell em you're there for the tournament." He turns back around and passes out more flyers to people and begins his promoting again.