Session Start: Sat Apr 25 18:15:17 2009 Session Ident: #castlevania * Logging for #castlevania started [The intrepid party settled in for the night, information about leads and investigations to be had lingering in their heads.] * Demota is now known as Charlotte * Adam sleeps the sleep of the awesome! * Charlotte sleeps. z.z * Nyyx sleeps after taking a brief walk around the town. It's strangely lonely not having the warm cat curled up on her stomach. * Skip sleeps uneasily, his mind often on the new power with which he was entrusted. [After a restful night in the new surroundings, the party awakens and goes downstairs for breakfast.] * Nyyx makes her way downstairs and says good morning to the innkeeper. Innkeeper: "Morning, Miss. You're up early. That's good. Can't get much done around midday." * Charlotte walks downstairs after some morning prayers. "Good morning." Innkeeper: "Morning." * Nyyx nods. "I don't intend on missing the market this morning." She smiles. "I wouldn't mind a little breakfast first, though. I'm not a picky eater, so anything quick will be fine." * Adam stumbles downstairs, half asleep and looking like he pretty much just rolled out of bed. Morning, Adam. Hi Nyyx, Hi Adam nnngh Morning, Charlotte. * Nyyx looks at Adam. "You all right?" tired. why you gotta get up so early? It's good luck. The market starts early in the morning, and we don't want to miss it. You'll get used to it. [The Innkeeper prepares a light breakfast of bread and cheese for the party and sets it down on the bar.] [The party notices as a group that they are the only ones here at the moment.] Thank you, sir. * Nyyx glances around. "Not usually busy in the mornings?" Thanks * Olivia is not down there! This isn't necesarily uncommon. No meat? Innkeeper: "Most folks have their own homes around here or rent on a semi-permanent basis around town. I just take care of passers-through." Ah. No other visitors at the moment, then? You get visitors often? * Skip arrives in time to pick up a plate some delicious cheese. Innkeeper: "Right." * Nyyx nods. "Well, we're happy to provide you with some business." She pays for breakfast. * Adam grabs a loaf of bread and a block of cheese, chops up the cheese, applies to bread... then casts a quick prestidigitation and applies fire to it until it's nice and melty. * Adam digs in. * Nyyx just eats the bread and cheese cold. * Charlotte eats her meal.:9 Cold breakfast means a bad day. Is that a superstition where you come from? * Adam shrugs. "Just something Mom says." Ah, it's probably good advice. * Nyyx finishes her cold food - well, room-temperature food - anyway. We gonna go to this market? I wasn't really paying attention last night, someone wanna fill me in on the way? * Nyyx stands and brushes off crumbs. "We are." * Nyyx nods. "Where's Olivia?" Dunno, I'll get her. Thanks, Adam. * Adam hops off his stool with the rest of his sandwich and runs upstairs. * Skip tries to quickly finish eating. * Adam bangs on Olivia's door a couple times and tries to open it. Hey Olivia, we're leaving! * Olivia appears at the door a moment or two later, all dressed up like normal with someplace to do. She looks to Adam and then replies, "Well, it's good I'm just ready, then." * Phospholipid has joined #castlevania Oh. Good. * Adam runs back downstairs. * Nyyx is waiting at the door. "Is she coming?" * Skip falls in line next to Nyyx. "Our new friend sure has a lot of energy." Yeah, she's done. * Olivia comes down a few moments later, smiling slightly at Nyyx before she adds, "I knew you were impatient, but talent does take time." * Adam offers Olivia a cheese sandwich. * Nyyx nods to Skip. "He's young." She smiles and opens the door. "No problem. I'd hate to miss the market, though. Do you mind eating on the walk there?" * Olivia takes the sandwich and shakes her head. "Not at all. Was thinking I'd get something there." Not a bad idea, either! Yeah, I hope they've got some meat on a stick. * Nyyx heads straight for the market. She already scouted out the location last night, so she knows where it is. * Adam grabs a third sandwich on his way out and follows Nyyx. That smells like a pretty good sandwich. How'd you learn to make a sandwich like that? * Olivia half-smiles, then follows after, chewing the sandwich thoughtfully. After one swallow she comments, "It all seems so basic, now." Like what? * Nyyx glances at Olivia. "Hm?" [The party wanders up the street to the 'market.' Really, it's just a consignment store and general store with the proprietor's home on the second floor.] * Nyyx goes in. [Inside, the stores wares are arranged in bins and on tables and shelves with the proprietor perched next to the door behind the counter with the high value items.] * Olivia looks back at Nyyx and adds, "Stepping from what I did a few weeks ago to this... a little mundane. Surely you can see that, given your new station, m'lady?" She bows slightly with a teasing smile at that last. Manager: "Hello, folks!" Howdy! * Nyyx nods toward the manager. "Hello. We were wondering if you have any of those relief panels from the ruins that we could take a look at." * Charlotte forgets about the sandwich and looks around the store. Manager: "Ah. Panels from the ruins, huh? You want to see the real stuff or the fakes I sell to tourists?" * Nyyx smiles a little. "How about the real ones?" Manager: "Alright. Now, are you serious? What's your interest in them?" We're here on temple business. Looking for answers to some important questions. * Nyyx nods. "We're researching a mage by the name of Hassad. Do you know anything of him?" Manager: "Hassad? Not heard that name around. If he's old, you'd be better asking an historian or a mage. I just sell the stuff." Don't we mostly just need the reliefs and where they were from? Manager: "If you are serious, I'll bring the tablets over to the Inn this afternoon. Would you be looking for anything else in the meantime?" * Nyyx smiles. "Thank you. We appreciate it. Well, do you have any, ah, meat on a stick?" Manager: "Meat on a stick? Sure, we have cured gecko on a stick. Give me a minute." [The manager wanders over to a side counter and works with some foodstuffs for a minute, keeping an eye on the party at the same time.] Manager: "Here you are. Five coppers if you would." * Nyyx is merely perusing the merchandise for anything interesting or something Liverwurst might like as a souvenir. "Oh, of course." She hands over the coins. "Thank you." * Nyyx hands one to Adam and another to Olivia. "Anyone else?" * Adam noms. [The wares are a collection of useful goods like boots and satchels and canteens and craft items and even some household goods and stored spices and salt. The more esoteric stuff must be in the back.] * Olivia takes the meat from Nyyx with a smile and quiet, "Thanks," before gnawing on it a moment. Good stuff. * Nyyx returns the smile and helps herself to one of the cured geckos. "You're welcome." She turns back to the store manager. "Do you have anything else interesting for sale?" Manager: "Of course, what are you looking for? Weapons, equipment? I can tell you're adventuring types. Books?" I love books. Musical instruments, too. Manager: "Well, I've got a good collection of local flutes and other woodwinds and books on a great many topics." If you have any gear for surviving the desert around here, I'd like to take a look at that. And any advice on surviving the desert would be welcome, too. Manager: "How'd you get out here without that? Anyway, we certainly do have a wide selection of tents, clothing, packs and water storage for surviving in the desert. Plus balms for your skin. I suggest very wide brimmed hats. " A nice hat is something everybody should have. Sounds like a plan. * Adam pulls a big, floppy, garishly decorated hat with four different feathers on it, and puts it on his head. * Nyyx appraises the hat and smiles. "A hat with more panache than mine." * Nyyx 's hat has only the one feather, though it is very wide-brimmed. * Skip has feathers in his hair, but no hat. * Olivia side-glances and says, "A little... gaudy, but far be it from me to quash your style." * Adam looks hurt. You... you don't think it's a nice hat? * Olivia kinda looks confused at him, then peers at it a moment. * Nyyx is now known as Nyyxfeed * Skip is now known as SkipFOOD It's a pretty good hat. What do you have for storing lots of water? * Olivia presses her lips together a moment, then finally says, "At a second look, not so bad." Manager: "I've a few barrels." * SkipFOOD has quit IRC (Ping timeout) * Adam looks down at his scrawny kid arms and says "Barrels are a little heavy." Manager: "That's what barrels and bags of holding are for." Manager: "Well. What's it gonna be?" * Adam looks at Olivia and Nyyx. It's totally not his place to be making this call. [The party haggles for a bit and settles down on desert robes for the party, rations, small water barrels, anti-poison kits, tents, canteens and other desert gear.] [The manager leads the party to a shelf set with a variety of books in varying states of repair. Some look new while other may have spent time out among the sands or worse.] * Adam starts perusing the oldest of the books, looking for anything out of the far past. * Charlotte admires the purchase. * Nyyxfeed is now known as Nyyx * Olivia flips through the books with the skill of a practiced Boccobite, which is to say, her secret 15 levels in Super Librarian, looking at, flipping through carefully, and then putting aide books. (aside, even) * Charlotte watches Olivia flip through books. o.o * Adam looks through the books and begins softly reciting, as if reading from a page, geneaologies of major people in the region, and the connections between them, both blood and political. [About forty minutes pass.] Manager: "Well, I hope you're having fun, but I'm not running a library here I'm afraid." * Adam shakes his head as he snaps out of it. Oh man. How long have we been looking at books? Almost an hour, I think. * Olivia finally ends up with a few carefully picked books, looking over at Adam and saying, with a slight smile, "You were quite into it." * Adam shrugs. * Olivia then looks to the manager and stands up to face him, saying, "I think these will do." Manager: "Excellent." I don't know much about history and such, but I like to read. * Nyyx smiles. "I'm that way as well." * Nyyx addresses the manager. "Would you happen to know where Madame Deschains or the other mages in the area might be found? We'd like to chat with them, if we can." * Skip has joined #castlevania [The party makes its purchases.] Manager: "Well, Miss Abigail lives at the house just up the way with the black shuttered windows. Other than that, we've got a healer at the chapel named Jake that might qualify. The other mages around live on their own out in the desert." Are they difficult to track down? Manager: "Well, I've really never tried. I expect they are set up in some of the rock formatons out there. Shouldn't be too hard if you are willing to travel. Or can fly." About how far out? Manager: "Varies. I'd guess about twenty to sixty miles." * Nyyx nods. "Thank you. We'll look for Miss Abigail and Jake first. Thanks for all your help. We'll be back at the inn in the afternoon to see the reliefs." * Skip nods his thanks, then turns to his comrades, "Sounds like we have a lot of searching to do." Shall we? Sure. Oh, yes. * Skip leads the way out, then begins looking for the house of Miss Abigail. * Nyyx holds the door for everyone, says goodbye to the manager, and exits herself. * Charlotte heads out * Nyyx walks down the street looking for the house with black shuttered windows. [The party finds the one story stone building about four houses down and about a half dozen buildings down from the town square. The front windows are shuttered and closed.] * Nyyx steps up to the front door and knocks politely. [After several moments, the door opens. A blonde woman of about twenty in a long white robe stands in the doorway.] Woman: "Hello?" Hello ma'am. Miss Abigail Deschain? Abigail: "Yes?" ( Deschains ) We were told you were the local expert historian and were wondering if we could talk to you for a bit. Do you have some time? Abigail: "Who are you?" My name's Natalia. We're doing some research on the area. Abigail: "Okay. What kind of research." We're looking into some of the mages that have come out of this area, especially a particular one named Hassad. Abigail: "Hassad? Really. What business do you have with a mage that's been dead for centuries and didn't go undead?" We met one of his students and were interested in his origins. Very interested. Abigail: "Why exactly? And how did you meet one of his students?" He tried to kill us. Several times. Abigail: "Well then. You might as well come in." * Nyyx nods. "Thank you." She steps into the house. * Charlotte follows in [Abigail steps back into her home and leads the party into a small parlor off of the front hall. It is sparse but the chairs are upholstered and comfortable.] * Olivia comes in as well, humming idly as she looks around slowly. * Nyyx notes their surroundings as she walks to the parlor. Abigail: "Please take a seat." Thank you. * Nyyx sits down. [Abigail settles down in a worn chair near a small stove at the side of the room.] * Skip sits too. Abigail: "So, what exactly do you need?" * Charlotte has a seat We're looking for Hassad's origins, and his student Gregor's. Anything you can tell us would be a great help * Nyyx nods. His full title is Gregor the Red. We met him in the village of Kronenberg. He was lord of a castle of the damned. Abigail: "Kronnenburg? Over the mountains to the west?" That's the one The castle isn't there anymore; the Pelorian Inquisition dealt with it. Abigail: "Hmm. I'd heard rumors about a mage out there causing trouble. My sister went out there to check it out but she never came back. Was this your Gregor?" * Nyyx blinks. Your sister. Did you have a sister named Evelyn? Abigail: "Yes! Do you know her!" * Skip gives an uneasy look to Nyyx. Yes, we've met...though admittedly under unfortunate circumstances. This is partially why your help would be invaluable. Abigail: "What do you mean?" Her time within Gregor's castle unfortunately ravaged her mind, and he now keeps her in a demiplane of his own creation. [Abigail frowns at this and looks down.] I'm sorry to deliver this news to you. Abigail: "It's alright. It's not your fault. Where is this Gregor now?" We're not certain. We destroyed him physically, but he's still at large. This is why we're tracing his origins, so that we can find out how to stop him and free the souls trapped in his demiplane. He used some of Hassad's research to create that demiplane, so finding out about Hassad is very important to us. Abigail: "Well, if he can create a demiplane, then good luck." Abigail: "I see. Well, Hassad was from around here like Evelyn and myself. There are only a handful of mages of his ability in a generation and even fewer out here in the desert so I've heard of him but I'm not really sure about much more." * Nyyx nods. Abigail: "Hmmm... Well... He was an Illusionist... Linked to the Boccobites after they Temple'd up... Was a hermit... Bad reputation." * Nyyx glances sidelong at Olivia at the mention of Boccobites. * Charlotte frowns * Olivia just nods slightly at Nyyx's look. They can discuss it later! * Nyyx nods. "Anything else of note?" Abigail: "Well, he lived out in the desert. Apparently spent time with the locals and the folks around here kind of cut him off for it." Like the locals of the desert? * Nyyx nods. "The relief tablets that we heard about coming from the cities in the desert also interested us. Do you think Hassad might have found anything there?" Abigail: "I honestly don't know. From what I've seen, the old cities around here were magically advanced, but I have yet to find anything that would lead me to believe they are a source of hidden power rather than a historical curiousity or inspiration for future research." * Nyyx nods thoughtfully. "Have you seen anything useful carved on the tablets people have found?" Abigail: "Nothing really. Just signposts in old dialects and some religious paraphenalia." Can you tell us anything about the desert locals? I know a group of riders clad in black stirred up trouble in this region not too long ago. Abigail: "Yes. I've run into them once. The thing rode into my camp on a whirlwind of all things. Wanted to know about my research. Seemed friendly enough but - wrong- you know? Just off. Like how you would keep a dog as a pet but not a wolf." Abigail: "I haven't seen an 'black riders' around here. Try not to wear black out there if you can help it." Sucks up heat? Abigail: "Right." * Skip poses thoughfully. Thank you for your help, Abigail. Hm. We'll have to consider this carefully. If we can defeat Gregor and help your sister, we will. * Skip looks distressed and nods, "Thank you for your help." [END OF SESSION!] Session Close: Sat Apr 25 23:01:19 2009