Tales of Faerun

[Quintatas]

Xundus soon went back to sleep, and after a restless slumber, it was morning.

 

When he woke, he decided to take an in-depth look at his gear he'd picked up from the dragons lair, maybe even take it to a local enchanter. After inspecting the shortsword he'd at first thought was un-enchanted, the drow was fairly certain it was, though with what he wasn't sure. He knew the cloaks were enchanted, but like the shortsword, the nature of the enchantments were unknown to him.

 

After a few minutes, he put on both cloaks, and strapped his weapons to his belt. He'd slept with his leather on, so that was taken care of.

 

Finally ready to go, he fairly ran down the stairs and into the tavern room. He didn't immediately order breakfast, instead waiting for the others to come down.

[AurianaValoria1]

Rhaine whirled around upon hearing the familiar voice and opened the door once again to see Arva Ivaebhin and Ianthe Moonblood embracing each other in the middle of the hallway. A strange-looking woman - oddly resembling a rakshasa but lacking the planar aura - stood nearby, impressively tall for her gender and covered from head to toe in a fine layer of white and lightly striped fur. More than a bit surprised at the presence of all three, plus Amendale's sudden talkativeness, the Doomguide exclaimed, "What is this? Arva? Ianthe? Where have you been? I thought we'd lost you at the fairgrounds; assumed you found someplace else you wanted to go. And where are the others? Alphonse, William, Reona...?"

 

Aodh, who had draped himself about her shoulders, peered with curiosity at the nymph and pale elf before glancing to the tiger-woman. His eyes grew wide and he suddenly jumped up, fluttering in front of the stranger with excited chitters and squeaks. He immediately found a perch on her arm, which he latched onto with all four limbs, morphing his coloration to match her white fur and stripes. He made small purring noises as he rubbed his head up and down on her shoulder and lightly clawed at the fur as if to fluff it.

 

Rhaine chuckled at the pseudodragon's behavior, "I think he likes you, there, stranger. Must be the fur. Forgive me, but I haven't encountered one such as you before. You are not a rakshasa, that much I know. Are you with Arva and Ianthe, here?"

[tokyobiohazard]

Ianthe immediately detached herself from Arva upon seeing Rhaine and Amendale and wrapped her arms around both of them so quickly, the hugs were over before she even gave them time to react. "Amendale, Rhaine!"

Arva coughed and muttered, "That's Aera... She's with me..."

Ianthe smiled, "He just gets these fancies for girls and talks with them all night, it's very stran---"

"Aera, why don't you introduce yourself?" Arva quickly interjected, turning red as a beet.

"I'm a weretiger, sir and ma'am. And a street performer. You should come see me tomorrow if you're able. I can transform at will." She didn't know why she was doing this for the company of a man who'd just tried to take her to his bedroom, but she unfastened her cloak, revealing her "costume", which was actually her everyday wear, a very wild-looking outfit assembled from black bear hide. "Normally my kind don't wear clothes, but it's a must around small children and the like in cities and villages like these."

Arva surprisingly made no comment, seeming to only have eyes for the nymph before him. He also did not stare openly at her clothing, which surprised her.

"Ah, and we've been traveling on our own for a while," Arva said, and wrapped his arms around Ianthe from behind, "After we left the fairgrounds, Reona and Alphonse erm... Well... They sort of..."

"Enveloped!" Ianthe said, as if she had helped greatly.

"Eloped, love."

"Oh, eloped." She looked down toward her and Arva's feet.

[AurianaValoria1]

"Well," Rhaine blinked, glancing between her companions, "That is...interesting news indeed." In all honesty, she was not exactly surprised, especially considering the odd love circle that had existed between the elves before the fair. "In any case, I am glad to see you both again."

 

Nodding to Aera, the Doomguide added, "And well met to you. We will be staying a day or two longer in Westgate...perhaps we shall indeed see you perform on the morrow. For now, though, I need rest. We've been traveling by ship for the past seven or eight days, and the journey has been exhausting. If you all are interested in continuing with us, then let us speak of it in the morning. Until then, good night to you."

 

As she turned back towards her room, Aodh reluctantly jumped from the weretiger's furry arm, his hide changing back to its normal hue. He lighted on Rhaine's shoulder for a few breaths as she closed her room door, but then jumped up again, fluttering around the room before flitting this way and that about a seemingly empty chair. The pseudodragon snarled and growled, chittering angrily.

 

Someone here. Invisible. Old man ghost.

 

His telepathic message alarmed Rhaine, and she indeed felt the presence of something quite powerful; the hairs on the back of her neck stood on end. She drew her sword and called on Ethereal Purge, hoping that her magic would force whatever it was into visibility - and perhaps physicality. A violet bubble expanded rapidly around her with flash of light, bouncing into the walls to encompass the whole room within seconds.

[GrueMaster]

 

 

"I must admit, I did not think to check for a pseudodragon to be with you. How careless of me." Fitalis said with an old, raspy chuckle as he felt the Ethereal Purge wash over him with no effect, despite the strength of it. "Powerful effort, Rhaine Alcinea," he said with approval, becoming visible but remaining incorporeal, "but I would very much prefer to avoid my physical state for the time being. The Material Plane has been so very hard on these bones for the past millennium. I understand your reaction, though, and do apologize for greeting you in such a manner. I was merely waiting for you to finish with your wayward friends before showing myself. Friends are such wonderful commodities to have. I remember a time when my peers would squabble over the simplest of things. 'Whose dweomer is the most powerful; Whose city could float the farthest; Who could cast which spell.' Rather petty, I thought. And then that fool Karsas..."

 

The old man shook his head, as though to clear an unwanted thought. "There I go rambling again. I'm afraid those are becoming more common in my old age. Which reminds me as to why I am here." He leaned on his walking stick, even though there was no need do so. "Firstly, my name is Fitalis, and would prefer that name remain between us. I represent an organization of which, I harbor no doubt, you have heard called the Cullers. I'm sure Kalin has told you all of the general details about us, what with his guilt complex and the fact that you hold a haunting resemblance to his late fiance."

 

Fitalis drew a long sigh. "Kalin has had a most difficult life, one that I'm afraid has become even more difficult as of late, as I am sure Kelemvor has likely informed you, and I apologize to say that I am responsible for that. You see, I authorized an investigative team to track down Kalin and bring back to the council, to answer for his supposed actions during that little duel you two had had some months ago. One of the councilors, a particularly ambitious woman named Saris, had heard of that duel and wanted Kalin hunted down for endangering the secret of our race, hence the investigative team. Unfortunately, as we both know, Kalin never made it back to my council, and is currently being held captive somewhere in the Shaar, which brings me to my main reason for being here..."

 

"I would like for you to kill Saris." Fitalis said it flatly, a deathly serious expression on his face that harbored no room for negotiation or empathy. "Saris has been a thorn in my side for the past two centuries. Though highly intelligent, her extreme views on the other races and her hunger for power have no place in the leadership of the elan race." The ancient man wearily rubbed his brow. "I must admit, I have become very old, very old indeed, and will likely join the halls of your god soon, but I cannot allow the likes of Saris to take my place when I die. Which is why I allowed her to pursue her false accusations."

 

" I know Kalin is innocent. Perhaps a little loose-lipped about us, but he had good intentions. I had hoped that when Saris failed to appear with him, the council would send a team to track her down for her actions, but, as I'm sure a perceptive woman such as yourself, Rhaine, can tell, she has made several friends over the centuries, so I am left in a precarious position at the moment. Now, if I were to directly intervene with Saris, there would be... difficulties... within the council, which is why I need someone like you to do it. If someone with no ties to the council were to kill Saris, no one would question it, laying the blame as it were upon her own actions."

 

" I am not sure where exactly she is, though, as she has had ages to prepare magical defenses against any and all attempts at locating her haunt. What I am sure of is that she wouldn't have her hiding place on the Material Plane, but instead have a portal entrance hidden somewhere in the ancient ruins that dot the southern Shaar, likely between the Wyrmbones and Lake Lhespen; she has always gravitated towards such remainders of civilizations long lost. To get inside, I've crafted a little tool for you."

 

Concentrating for a bit, Fitalis became corporeal, suddenly looking as though he had the weight of the world on his shoulders. Reaching within his robes, he pulled out a small metallic sphere, roughly six inches in diameter and intricate carvings etched into it. "When you manage to find the portal, use this dweomer. You will not need to do anything save hold it close to the gateway; it will bypass whatever defenses are in place and allow you access to her realm. I also know that she has been working to strengthen Valthanarax, so when you can, toss the sphere into whatever ritual she has likely prepared. It should hopefully buy you some time, where you can then save your friend Kalin, and in return kill Saris for me."

 

He shuffled over to Rhaine, walking stick clacking softly on the floor, and gave the sphere to her, before leaning in with a quiet tone in his voice. "I must warn you, though. Someone like Saris would never submit to the likes of a dracolich... not suitable to her own plans of power. She has some other agenda, and not even I can predict who or what she's really pursuing. Be careful, young Doomguide."

 

With that, he turned ethereal once more and began to fade from sight. "One more thing, Rhaine Alcinea. Please do hurry; Saris is aware of you now, and has sped up her ritual. I cannot emphasize enough how much we all do not want that to happen. Look to the thri-kreen... they'll speed you on your way..."

 

And then the figure disappeared completely. May the gods guide you... I pray Kelemvor Chose well...

 

[Deleted6317247User]

"And what if I said that I wouldn't mind staying up all night to listen to your stories?" She said and then glanced at him but then thought it would be better to change the subject.

 

"You seem to be very good at this, what other secrets talents do you have?" She asked with a smirk. "You're an excellent cook, talented musician, you get a long well with everyone, especially women." She remembered Tak'we saying once something about the last part and chuckled. "You are full of surprises, Tannin."

===================================

Shalena was enjoying her drink when she noticed that Amendale and Rhaine returned from the Greys and with them she noticed several people that seemed familiar.

 

"Hey," she exclaimed from her seat at one of the tables, "weren't you traveling with everyone when we took over that merchant vessel?" She asked out loud when she got a better look at Arva and Ianthe.

[AurianaValoria1]

Rhaine held the dweomer sphere in one hand, her sword still in the other, staring off at the space where Fitalis had been only moments before...perhaps the most powerful elan in existence. He was on their side, of that the Doomguide had no doubt; he was a natural leader, and knew that Saris's ambitious actions posed more of a risk to his race than Kalin's leaking of information. Rhaine sheathed her weapon and placed the sphere in her bag, pulling out her map again and locating the landmarks that Fitalis had mentioned. It would be a lengthy journey all the way across the arid plains of the Shaar, but at least they now had a better idea of where to go.

 

"Thank you", she whispered. Looking to the chair where Fitalis had been sitting, "You just might have tipped the scales in our favor, old man."

 

=================================================

 

The next morning, Rhaine woke late. The sun was already high in the sky, shining through the window with a fierce intensity. She yawned widely and tossed off her blanket, moving over to the curtains and peering between them. She squinted from the brightness. It was a clear, beautiful day in Westgate, which would lend itself to easy preparations on the part of her companions and the crew of the Sea Compass.

 

Aodh remained curled in the warmth of the rumpled sheets, kneading his claws into the fabric and purring loudly while Rhaine re-armed herself. Letting sleeping pseudodragons lie, she simply gathered her things and left the room with the door open, certain the little creature would follow whenever he felt like it.

 

Conall was already awake, having sat at the bar beside Dagny. Both of them had their heads in a massive breakfast of eggs, sausage, bacon, toast, fresh fruit, and wine. Argyros, on the other hand, was still nowhere to be seen.

Edited January 28, 2014 by AurianaValoria1

[josh900]

"Well if you said that, then I would be forced to indulge you my lady." Tannin said with a dramatic bow. "As A gentleman I simply cannot refuse a request from a lady you see." He said with a smirk. When he straightened up he reacted to her compliments with feign embarrassment. "Oh you flatter me my lady, I'm only a simple man who enjoys a few hobbies. I keep no secrets, I simply withhold information until asked to reveal it." He said with a grin.

"But as far as stories go." He said as he finished taking her measurements. "I suppose I could conjure up something. What sort would you like? Funny, dramatic, sad, happy? Good ending? Bad ending? My failures or my successes? Loved ones? Enemies? I am a Bard after all and the audience dictates the tales that I shall tell."

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Azuris and Hexol returned to the Inn a short time after the others did so, but not before checking pockets for any silverware that may have fallen into them (finding more than one piece but discretely returning it)

When they entered the common room it was easy to tell that Azuris was exhausted both mentally and physically, while Hexol continued to chatter up a storm. "So then I told him that I wasn't his brother but he kept on thinking I was! We didn't even look anything alike! Cept we were both Kenders.. and had the same hair and eyes and nose. We even sounded a lot alike too! But I knew all my brothers and he wasn't one of them! Of course later I found out that I was his brother and he wasn't a he! That really made me feel better about thinking he was cute that's for sure! But yeaah, that's what happens when you don't see your family for a few years, they don't look the same as they did when you left, I bet I look a lot different than I used to, I bet you look a lot different than you did too Azy! You would have been a funny looking baby with that beard! I wish I could have a beard, I bet I could pass off as a dwarf even! What do you think?"

"I doubt you could." Azuris said tiredly as he slumped down into a chair.

"Yeah you're probably righ HEY NEW PEOPLE!!" Hexol yelled out as he caught sight of the large catlike woman standing in the hall with the Rhaine.

He ran over to her and pointed up at her with a huge grin on his face. "You look like a Minotaur only you're not! You're a cat!.... you're aaaa.... Catotaur! Am I right?" He asked excitedly, not having a clue that what he just said could be offensive.

[Deleted6317247User]

"You're not making this any easier, you know." Nawen said once Tannin finished measuring her. "Which one would be shorter? I don't think that we have all the time in the world for longer ones at the moment." She added.

 

Rhegar who woke up just moments before, stared at the two-legged creatures, confused as to what the taller one is doing here. Hoping that Tannin won't notice delicious piece of meat lying by the bed, the little wolf jumped off the bed and grabbed his prey with his teeth and started dragging it to the other side of the room while growling as he dragged it past Nawen and Tannin.

[Quintatas]

As Conall and Dagny took their seats, Xundus moved and took a seat next to them.

 

"I don't believe we've fully introduced ourselves to each other. I figure if I am to be a part of the group, I need to know each of you so I can work more to each of your abilities. I'm Xundus," said the drow, extending his hand to Conall.