Day 49A: New People, New Snakes, New Snake-People!

[Iron Dragoon]

Session Start: Mon Feb 02 12:23:02 2015
Session Ident: #dunes
* Now talking in #dunes
* Topic is 'Ithea(34)>Lief(33)>Muirfinn(31)>Kina-ja(26)>Antenora(25) '
* Set by Kotono on Thu Jan 29 20:02:43
<Kotono> Aria leads the party first to deep in the library. Here a man sits, reading. He looks half man and half cat, humanoid but with decidedly feline features. No whiskers, but he has fur and a cat's slitted eyes. His motions are more graceful than a humans and his expression is neutral. He wears rich brown robes that match his fur. "Aria," he greets, looking to Pepo. In Feline he says, "Are you Pepo?"
* Lucy feels immediate distrust of this man, not even able to explain why.
<Pepo> Pepo replies with a fairly ambivalent sounding meow and a narrowing of his eyes that says in feline, "Yes."
<Kotono> Jetina crosses her arms at this, "Oh, another cat?" she murmurs.
<Moore> Moore stays quiet for now!
<Kotono> "It's good to meet you," he says, "I'm Iro." He puts his book aside, "It was wondering...but no, it doesn't look like it," he shakes his head, "I don't think you're one of my kind."
<Pepo> Nope, not even in his mostly humanoid form would Pepo look like that. Dismissing this as unimportant, Pepo looks for a comfy spot to curl up while everyone does... whatever it is they're here for.
<Kotono> The cat-man frowns at this, and in Feline again, "Not the social type?"
<Pepo> Rather than use the simplified and expressive language of feline, Pepo just invades the man's mind with his own to broadcast, 'No.'
<Kotono> 'Ah.
<Kotono> OOC: Gah.
<Kotono> 'Ah.' Iro at that shakes his head, "Fine," he says in Common, "I don't think this one is going anywhere. " With a slight sigh, "You can't make a cat do what it doesn't want to. I should know. Thanks, Aria. You can take them along now."
<Moore> Moore raises an eyebrow. Nothing for the rest of them? Oh well.
<Kotono> Aria leads you the party out, "Next there's someone who wants to meet both Moore and Lucy," she says, "Iridan Shellay. He's a transmuter with a secondary focus in enchantment, as well as with an interest in bards and performance art."
<Pepo> What was this all just some pretext to give Pepo an 'emotional connection' to this stupid city by having another intelligent cat around? Disappointed at such transparency, Pepo rouses himself. 'It is getting late, I am going back to the ship,' he tells his friends, heading on out.
<Lucy> 'Please take care, Mister Pepo,' Lucy bids it, before smiling pleasantly at the transmuter.
<Kotono> OOC: Okay, lemme move Pepo into #evildunes then.
<Moore> Moore nods to Pepo with a smile. 'Don't do anything crazy, Mister Pepo.'
<Kotono> It's a short trip to a workshop. Here various posters are full of arcane diagrams, with a middle aged man studying them. He's tall and gray haired, human except for pure black eyes dotted with tiny spots of white light. He smiles as Aria enters, "Aria and the heroes of the hour!" he greets, "Welcome, welcome!"
* Lucy glances at the diagrams, but knows not to spend too much time studying them now. First, she has to meet their host properly.
<Moore> "Hello, Mister Shellay!" Moore says with a smile.
<Kotono> 'Greetings,' His voice sounds in your minds, smooth as oil. It's sonorous and soothing, the sort of thing that makes you want to close your eyes and listen to it. He comes to both, offering his hand out for a shake. 'Iridan Shellay, transmuter, student of enchantment and a rapt fan of the honed arts of  magical music. Thank you for helping with those pirates.'
* Lucy offers her own in turn. "A pleasure to meet you, Mister Shellay. I'm Lucy," she introduces herself.
<Moore> Moore will in turn shake his hand as well, clasping it with the other as well. "Moore. It's a pleasure!"
<Kotono> Aria slips back as the conversation begins in earnest.
<Kotono> 'It is a pleasure.' He takes Lucy's hand and kisses it, 'I'm honored that such a fair maiden has proven to have such mastery of magic.' He then turns to Moore, 'And that a musical magician of great mastery has come to us as well.'
<Lucy> "Likewise, it is nice to find myself among mages who remain students of the trade."
<Moore> Moore just smiles. "I don't know if I'd call myself one of great mastery, but thank you for the compliment."
<Kotono> 'I'd be honored to get to know all of you.' He says, 'Not today, for today will be busy soon, but within the next week. A chance to get to know one another and perhaps collaborate on some magical studies.'
<Lucy> "Might I ask what you're working on at present?"
<Kotono> "I just finished," he says, going to a table and coming back with two things. One is a glass bottle and the other is a small book, pixie sized. "I make enchanted perfumes as a hobby. Please, accept this one," He offers it to Lucy.
<Lucy> "Why, thank you!" Lucy chirps, accepting the gift and, unable to stop herself, sprinkling a bit upon her wrist.
<Moore> "Oh, wow, those must be very popular." Moore says with a bit of a grin.
<Kotono> Oh, it smells -good-! It seems to shift and whirl, soon becoming exactly what pleases Lucy the most. OOC: Feel free to mention what.
<Kotono> "As for you, please take this book with my compliments, Moore, "He offers it to him, "It's a study book I made of bardic music."
<Kotono> OOC: Loot post.
<Moore> Moore will take it. "Ah... oh my, that's very kind of you." Moore says with a small bow. "I'm always picking up new tunes whenever I go somewhere, so this will definitely come in handy!"
<Lucy> Lucy's smile grows a bit wider at the faint, inobtrusive hint of strawberry. "My, my~"
<Kotono> Jetina leans and sniffs, "Oh, that is pleasant. Strawberries?"
<Kotono> "Take them with my compliments," Iridan says, "I live at Oripan Manor, please come and avail yourselves when you like."
<Kotono> He clears his throat after, "Ahem."
<Lucy> "Not so much it is offensive," Lucy cheerfully agrees with Jetina. Returning her attention to Iridian at the cough, she smiles again. "Most certainly, Mister Shellay!"
<Moore> "Absolutely." Moore nods.
<Kotono> "Wonderful!" He's all smiles at that, "The help will be expecting you. Just introduce yourselves and they'll take care of everything."
* Lucy wonders a bit why their host started talking out loud through it all, but just smiles politely as she agrees.
<Kotono> "Well then, I won't keep you any longer," he says, "It's been a pleasure meeting you," he says, as Aria clears her throat, "This way."
<Moore> Moore nods with another small bow. "Thank you for your time."
<Lucy> As she follows Aria onwards, Lucy muses, "This is a very pleasant recruitment pitch. Although I'm curious as to how our aptitudes were decided. By observation? Or divination, perhaps?"
<Moore> "It didn't look like it worked very well on Mister Pepo." Moore says with a smile.
<Lucy> "He is a cat," Lucy states the obvious.
<Moore> "Is he really a cat? I mean, he has that other form..." Moore says. "I mean... I guess if he considers himself a cat then that's all that matters."
<Lucy> "To be perfectly honest, I thought that other cat person was a bit shifty myself," Lucy confides in Moore quietly.
<Moore> Moore nods to Lucy and responds in kind. "There was something... too... ...smooth?" Moore looks like he's searching for the right word. "Like he was trying too hard to play a part."
* Lucy shrugs. "I didn't try too hard to put my finger on it. Being ignored like that is something you respond to in kind."
<Moore> Moore nods as well. "I don't know why they didn't just try with someone with psionic powers. That might have caught Mister Pepo's attention. ...Oh, by the way, did he tell you about his divination?"
<Lucy> "A bit. I believe I've heard enough. It is a shame, but it seems like we might no longer be continuing together in the near future."
<Moore> "I was thinking about it... why don't we just see if we can convince him to stay here and then help him deal with whatever it is? I mean, he doesn't strike me as the type who wants to flee from danger... and if it's something about that Hero person..." Moore says with a sigh. "It's fine and dandy to be a good person, but when you're an oppressively good person..."
<Lucy> "Please convey to Mister Pepo that the more menacing they seem, the more interesting magical items they are likely to carry."
<Moore> Moore grins and nods. "Exactly."
<Kotono> "Iro's always like that," Aria says, "I think they just didn't like each other. Anyway, this way. There's one more who wants to meet you before the celebration."
<Moore> Moore clears his throat and nods. "Of course."
<Lucy> "Then let us be off!" Lucy doubts anyone will make a better pitch than what working directly for Aria would be, but she's open to offers.
<Kotono> The last takes out outside of the library and to a tower on the edge of town. It rises up, a building of white and blue stone, banded together in patterns. Aria knocks on the door, which opens a second later. A half visible unseen servant makes an approximation of a bow. "Masssster will ssseee you sssoooon."
<Moore> Moore blinks. Someone from Rossalund, perhaps?
* Lucy nods in approval at the wizard's tower.
<Kotono> It's not long you have to wait. A woman in a green robe comes down, a tiara of gold and emeralds on her forehead. She carries a snake-headed staff, with more emeralds as eyes for it. She's the sort of tall, curved woman people could make statues of. Yet when she speaks, you can spy a forked tongue. "Greetingssss, heroessss."
<Lucy> "Thank you for having us at your home," Lucy says politely.
<Kotono> Jetina smiles, "Good and well met," Jetina offers her hand out, a handshake between the two.
<Kotono> "Your magic isssss intoxicating," she sniffs the air, "It even ssssmellsssss like sssstrawberriessssss."
<Moore> Moore glances up to see if he can spot any snakes in her hair. Discreetly, of course.
* Lucy does seem to have that effect on some people! "I've been told this when I briefly visited Rossalund," she says, giving their hostess a chance to comment on that unfortunate island.
<Kotono> "Rossssssalund," The woman frowns, "I do not have a high opinion of that place. The medussssasssss are....well, they matter not anymore." Moore doesn't spy any snakes or anything, notably.
<Moore> He lets out a small breath, probably of relief. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Miss...?" Moore will bow politely either way.
<Kotono> "Kayue," The snake-woman says, "Come in." She steps aside, the image of an unremarkable room shifting to that of a grand reception hall. Music plays are light comes from chandeliers above. The aura of the place is peaceful, warm and pleasant.
<Lucy> "Yes, I suppose it is rather academic at this point," Lucy politely agrees. "It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Miss Kayue. I'm Lucy, and this is Moore."
<Moore> Moore nods. "Thank you for your hospitality, Miss Kayue." Moore will fly in after the ladies he's with and bow once again at being introduced.
<Kotono> Jetina steps in, "Oh, are those Arkole chandeliers?" Jetina asks, looking up.
<Kotono> "They are," Kayue's voice picks up at that, "You know them?"
<Kotono> "The best chandelier makers on Falbard," Jetina answers, smiling, "The family manor has them."
* Lucy spends a few moments studying the chandeliers. Anything to help firm up her mental image of Jetina's home!
<Kotono> "Charmed," After that Moore and Lucy are greeted, "Sssssssso you cleared the gem out of that curssssed forestss!"
<Moore> "It was an adventure. I feel like we were there for months." Moore says with a somber nod.
<Lucy> "But it was only a few hours," Lucy adds with a smile.
<Moore> Moore nods to Lucy in agreement. "I'm just happy we recovered it quickly enough to aid the city."
<Kotono> "I often need jobssss and tassssks accomplisssshed by ssssuitable heroessssss." Kayue replies, "I pay in magical itemsssssss."
<Lucy> "A very sensible trade," Lucy says with clear approval. "Do you have one such job lined up right now, Miss Kayue?"
<Moore> Moore takes a moment to look around at the other furnishings to see if there's anything that seems to stand out, and if he might've heard of any of it while he's been in the various towns. OOC: Not sure if there's an appropriate knowledge skill for furniture, but hey!
<Kotono> OOC: K:Local, I guess.
<Kotono> "Yesssss." She answers, "Rosssssssssalund hassss an underground ssssyssstem of cursssed cavessssssss. Do you know them?"
<Lucy> "No, but it wouldn't surprise me that the place had such a thing."
<Moore> roll 1d20+9 K:Local
<Serith> Moore roll for Serith < 25 > 12 [d20=16]
<Moore> "We, ah... didn't really get a lot of leisure time there." Moore says.
Session Close: Mon Feb 02 16:55:13 2015