[23] Back on course

[Merc]

Session Start: Sun Jul 11 18:03:51 2010

<Merc> The group eventually makes their way back to the town thanks to Jack's tunnel exploration. Mission accomplished, leadership killed and snakes killed, so they shouldn't bother anyone eeeeeever again, right? Well, at the very least, no giant snake in the town lake.
<Merc> Anassia is fairly wiped from the entire experience (coming so possibly close to death does that sort of thing), and begs off to retire for the night as concerned villagers crowd around the group.
* Maya_Mahabala smiles, waving at the villagers.  "Your snake problems are over.  Good thing too, you had a whole nest of them."
<Merc> "A nest? Really? And you slew them all?" various of the citizens all clammer up.
<Elise> "We only did what any decent person would do when people are in trouble," Elise insists modestly. "Smite the godless heathens!"
<Maya_Mahabala> "Three full grown ones, and we wrecked the place good," She nodded.  "Elise has the right of it."
<Merc> A lot of people sigh in relief. "Thank you for your work then. We knew you were the right people for the job after slaying that snake that came into town..." one of the people replies.
* Aleph nods. "No problem. It was bad enough they kept trying to gas us."
<Elise> "We're just happy to help out those in need," Elise says.
<Merc> "Did you find anything about where it came from? More won't show up or anything, right?"
* Maya_Mahabala gave the obviously worried villagers a sunny smile.  "Well, it wouldn't feel right if we headed off and they came back here, so glad to help."
<Aleph> "As far as we can tell, they won't..."
* Aleph thinks for a bit. "...ah. Can I ask you guys a favor?"
<Merc> ooc: was that to the villagers or rest of party?
<Aleph> (Villagers)
<Merc> "Yes?"
<Aleph> "Could we stay here another night before we head off?  The gas those snakes breathed gave some of us some problems."
<Merc> "Oh, of course, of course! Please stay the night and rest."
<Maya_Mahabala> "Aleph, you didn't think they were going to run us out of town," Maya teased the boy.  "I could use some rest too though," She smiled, heading to the same place they stayed last time.
<Merc> ***
<Aleph> "Well, given that the snakes seemed to attack around the time we did get into town...you can't blame them for suspecting the timing." Aleph snrked
<Merc> ooc: switch Aleph's line to just before scene break.
* Maya_Mahabala yawns in the morning as they get ready to go.  "What now...onward to the border?"
<Elise> "Yes," Elise says, always active and alert bright and early! "We still have a mission to carry out."
<Merc> The next day looks to be nice and pleasant, with no evil cultists, poisonous gas clouds or giant snakes to ruin things! And given delays taken along the road, they probably want to get going on to the border and resolve their kingdom's problem with the neighboring Vyrdam. Shouldn't take more than the day to make it to the borders either.
* Jack_ yawns and stretches as he walks meets up with the others
<Merc> Anassia likewise meets up with the others, though she constantly winces as she moves. She seems to be okay after her experience in the temple, though the injuries are still with her, if certainly more manageable. She surely doesn't want to have such a close encounter any time soon again.
* Aleph moves to meet with the group, stretching. The bite from that snake seems to have recovered, to say the least...
<Jack_> "Want me to take a look at that Anassia?"
<Merc> The girl nods. "I'd look over myself, but I took some stabs in the back as well, and can't really examine there..." Anassia comments as she gives Jack permission to do doctorly stuff.
* Jack_ checks out Anassia's back(side)
<Jack_> roll 1d20+11 heal
<Penuche2> Jack_ invokes Penuche's magic: < 13 > [d20=2]
* Maya_Mahabala requests jack to look at her cuts as well.
* Jack_ moves on to maya
<Jack_> roll 1d20+11 heal
<Penuche2> Jack_ invokes Penuche's magic: < 22 > [d20=11]
<Merc> Anassia doesn't look to be relieved much more from Jack's ministrations, though Maya does. Alas, everybody favors the jiggly dancing girl.
<Merc> "So off to the border now, I guess?" Anassia asks after thanking Jack politely for his attempts.
<Aleph> "That it seems." Aleph nods in agreement
<Elise> "Yes. Onwards!"
* Maya_Mahabala takes the lead, teasing Elise as is her wont alongside her as they made their way down the path.
* Aleph takes second-in-line position, taking the time to ogle Maya every now and then
<Merc> The group walk out of the town, armed up with supplies, and leave down the road east! Anassia does stop to go into the woods briefly and give some commands to her skeletal minions to follow discretely from the jungle, rather than the road.
* Maya_Mahabala occassionally gives Aleph a teasing smile back, the only encouragement he gets, not that someone who moves naturally as teasingly as her has to do much special there.
<Merc> They travel for many hours, the hours just flying by as they keep heading east. Nothing exciting or new appears, and the scenery is pretty much the same old jungle and road for most of the journey. As the sun starts dipping in the sky, and night is a few hours from closing in, they finally spot a large wall up ahead, higher than even that of your hometown, massive even in the distance.
<Merc> You'd guess it's around where border should be. Well, that's one way to control immigration, right?
<Maya_Mahabala> "That's a bit much.  Are they really expecting an invasion rush here or something?"
<Jack_> "It's probably more for morale than anything."
* Elise looks up, and up at it. "It is an impressive construction, yes."
<Aleph> "Well, given the creatures we've seen out there..."
<Jack_> "I can't image it being THAT effective against an actual invasion force."
<Maya_Mahabala> "So what's our cover story again?" Maya wondered.
<Jack_> "I still say we should have taken those fish thing corpses."
<Jack_> "Think of all the money we could have made."
<Jack_> "and it would have helped our cover."
<Elise> "I don't remember," Elise says. "I leave lying up to other people!"
<Merc> "...I'm wondering how I get our new pet across it. I don't think I can just present papers for an undead snake and a pair of skeletons," Anassia mutters as she stares at the giant wall while they continue to approach.
<Maya_Mahabala> "Can't your pets go over the wall at night?" Maya considered.
<Elise> "Or dig under it? Some snakes burrow, don't they?"
<Aleph> "...Though I think it was Maya's idea to present ourselves as some sort of performing troupe?"
<Merc> "I think that wall is a little tall for them to just go over..." Anassia rejects Maya's suggestion but pauses to consider Elise's. "Well, I don't know if it can, but it might be worth a shot. I'm surprised you didn't just suggest we leave it behind though, Elise."
<Maya_Mahabala> "We are colorful enough for it," She smiled, hugging an arm around Aleph encouragingly.
<Elise> "Well...it *was* useful against the cult," Elise concedes. "I am not convinced of the morality of using one bad thing to fight another bad thing. But as long as you can control it, it would only cause problems if I objected to it."
<Maya_Mahabala> "Anyhow...let's see, what's a performance that involves a giant skeletal snake.  Weird and Unusual?  Sword dancing?  Archery through apples?  Knife throwing?  Flaming undead snakes?  Security?" She poiinted at various teammates, considering roles.
* Aleph simply grins as he's hugged. "Sadly, I'm not knowledgable in that matter of expertise. I'll leave it to you."
<Elise> "I guess I'm security," Elise says. "I'm not very good at pretending to be something else, otherwise."
<Merc> "I'm pretty sure the snake would just turn on all sorts of alarms in their heads and make them certain of keeping us out of their borders," Anassia interjects. "Just a normal troupe is fine, probably."
<Maya_Mahabala> "Well, that's what makes you best for it...no one else gets your sense of humor," Maya crossed her arms.  "is everyone up to this?"
<Maya_Mahabala> "Well...if we leave the snakes, you might not get them back."
<Elise> "What's wrong with my sense of humor?" Elise asks.
<Aleph> "Well, I'm fine.  Though I'm hoping that poison hasn't made my skills with a bow that bad."
<Maya_Mahabala> Maya subtly didn't answer that as she eyed the others, trying to get them involved in the performance.
<Merc> "Let's hope it can dig. If not, I'll just tell it to wait quietly for my return and not attack humans," Anassia replies to Maya. "But yeah, let's do the troupe thing. The security is probably more due to the wildlife than people though. I hope..."
<Maya_Mahabala> "You just have to look the part, Aleph," She slipped away, twirling her blade about in her hands.  "It's not like they're going to insist we do a live performance."
<Elise> "Well, it would make it more convincing if you did one, wouldn't it?"
<Jack_> "I can juggle, I suppose."
<Jack_> "And while I'm not quite as acrobatic as you, I have a fair bit of practice tumbling."
<Merc> As the group chatters the details of their plan, they continue approaching the wall, until they can see the guards stationed by the passageway into the kingdom. There's a small squad of maybe eight guards there, two standing by the passage, the rest just training or chatting, though they all turn to look at your group as you approach. Nobody else is around. Must not get a lot of tourists/traders, or it's just an off-hour for that. Who knows.
<Merc> They all seem to wait quietly and observing your group, letting you approach closer and closer.
<Maya_Mahabala> "Hail~" Maya waved, being very clearly there as she moved toward them a little ahead of the group.  "This is the Vydram border check, right?" She leaned over a touch, wondering innocently.
<Merc> "Vyrdam, yes. It is," one of the guards confirms, also correcting Maya politely. "What business does your group have in the kingdom of Vyrdam?"
<Maya_Mahabala> "Well, hopefully the business of making money.  My traveling troupe is looking for some new ground where our act hasn't been seen so much," She smiled.  "So I figured we'd head to Vyrdam.  Not many Farvonian troupes there to compete with, are there?" She smiled, conversational as she moved closer.
<Maya_Mahabala> OOC: Diplomacy?
<Merc> ooc: Or bluff! Either or!
<Merc> ooc: If anyone wants to assist her with her tall tale, type something and roll appropriately also!
<Maya_Mahabala> roll 1d20+13
<Penuche2> Maya_Mahabala invokes Penuche's magic: < 26 > [d20=13]
<Elise> OOC: Elise of the 10 charimsa will pass
<Maya_Mahabala> OOC: They're assisting as Props~
<Maya_Mahabala> OOC: :3
<Aleph> OOC: I'll add in
<Aleph> "Indeed.  As you can see here, our wonderful troupe leader and ourselves have traveled for days for this opportunity to present our show over here, and grant the others an experience like no other." Aleph adds in, laying on a grin as well
<Aleph> roll 1d20+7 My CHA may not be that good, but I'm decently trained in Bluff
<Penuche2> Aleph invokes Penuche's magic: < 17 > [d20=10]
<Maya_Mahabala> OOC: That was diplomacy actually.  YOu just have to pass 10 though to aid me, so that counts.
<Maya_Mahabala> OOC: 28 total roll so far.
<Aleph> (...oh.  Would've been 13, then, if synergies count)
<Aleph> (But I pass either way)
<Elise> "I would be pleased if you'd let my charges enter," Elise the Security Guard adds in to be helpful. "There would surely be less to worry about once we're on the other side and out of these jungles."
<Elise> roll 1d20 sure, more aiding
<Penuche2> Elise invokes Penuche's magic: < 7 > [d20=7]
<Maya_Mahabala> roll 1d20+13 assisting from Anassia as well
<Penuche2> Maya_Mahabala invokes Penuche's magic: < 24 > [d20=11]
<Merc> The guard hmms as he looks over the group, his eyes do seem to linger on Maya's and Anassia's bikini cleavage, as he takes in their words. "Yes, well, I do suppose you'd probably have more luck with getting a proper audience in Vyrdam. Are you planning to be returning to Farvona, or do you think you'll be staying?"
<Maya_Mahabala> "Well, we'll probably travel around for a couple months and then come back.  Is that alright?  Do we need to have any paperwork for coming back?"
<Maya_Mahabala> Maya's voice was sweet as she got close to the guard in question.
* Aleph watches the exchange closely
<Merc> "No, not really. We just mostly check out who's coming in and out of the kingdom borders, and ask a few questions," the guard replies. "So just a few more questions, and you can probably step in. Uhm, what sort of show do you guys do, I guess?"
<Merc> His eyes do move briefly from Maya's cleavage to look at the weapons some of you guys have. None of it's drawn, sure, but...
<Maya_Mahabala> She winked.  "All kinds really.  You've never heard of Maya the sword dancer?  I would've thought my act had at least been heard of out here," She grinned at him.
<Merc> "Can't say I have. Sorry, miss. What about the rest of your troupe?"
<Merc> Guard turns to the rest of your group, waiting for your explanations. At least that explains Maya's swords.
<Aleph> "I do a trick-shooting act." Aleph nods to the guard.
<Jack_> "We're mostly warm up for her. I juggle blades, and tumble."
<Maya_Mahabala> "Ah, Jack here is a whiz at throwing knives...you should see how they shriek when they go right alongside her body," Maya traced along Anassia in demonstration.
<Elise> "I just keep them safe from bandits."
<Merc> "Ah, the whole shooting arrows through thrown apples and splitting arrows thing? I've seen that before. Some of you archers can put some of our soldiers to shame with your tricks. Wish our instructors in archery were that impressive," the guard's companion chimes in. The one doing the question coughs, but doesn't disagree, as he turns to Anassia, the last of the group. "And you, miss?"
<Merc> ooc: Edit out the lsat question.
<Maya_Mahabala> "So can we pass?" Maya smiled warmly.
<Merc> The guard muses, but can't seem to think of other questions and nods. "Make sure you don't start any trouble while inside. Welcome to Vyrdam..."
<Merc> He and his partner move around the passage, and let the group pass.
<Elise> "Don't worry. I also keep them out of trouble," Elise says as she passes by.
<Aleph> "I'm sure we will." Aleph nods to the guard, flashing a grin.
* Anassia eyes Maya slightly as she runs a finger along her, but doesn't comment to the contrary. She does, however, smile to the guards slightly as he welcomes them. "I can't say anything about her," a playful gesture to Maya, "but you've nothing to worry from me."
* Maya_Mahabala laughs and heads inward, making sure not to stop until they couldn't see the guards.
* Aleph follows Maya in
<Anassia> Once they are out of hearing from the guards, Anassia pipes up.  "Thanks a lot, Maya.  Now I get to have knives thrown at me," she grouses.
<Merc> As your group passes through the passage in the wall, you find a bit of jungle wood still stretching ahead, but it seems to be more sparse, and you're seeing more familiar flora here and there as you keep moving ahead.
<Merc> It's starting to feel a little like home the further in you go down the road, really.
<Maya_Mahabala> "Nonsense.  Just in their minds.  Anyhow, we got through that smoothly enough.  Now how do we get Anassia's skeletons across?"
<Maya_Mahabala> "Do we wait here for a while while they dig?"
<Elise> "We could find a town here to rest while they do that?"
<Anassia> "I say we find a town." Anassia admits.  "I can look for them later; I've doubt they've gotten all that far along.
<Aleph> "I'm all for finding a proper town.  Tired of going through jungle and whatnot."
<Maya_Mahabala> "I'm all for not being in the jungle," Maya laughed and continued along the path.
<Jack_> "I'll never say no to a nice bed, especially one with company..."
<Merc> The group makes up their mind and forge onward! Probably a better idea than waiting out on the roads or offside as night approaches. It's about an hour further before they hit the first town of Vyrdam's.
* Anassia glances toward Jack again. "Who are you paying this time?" she asks, curiously.
<Elise> "Finally, back to civilization," Elise says. "I will also be glad to be in a bed again. An *empty* bed," she adds to distance herself from certain others.
<Jack_> "Paying? Who says I pay?"
<Maya_Mahabala> "We're lucky our accents didn't give us away," Maya smiled, tugging a cloak over her shoulders as she went for a less flashy look before they entered the town, looking around for something innlike.
<Jack_> "It's roguish charm."
<Jack_> "The tiger skin bikini bottom didn't hurt either, rather surprisingly."
<Merc> There's an inn right near the entrance of the town, called Windy Hollow. As they enter, they're greeted by a pair, a young man and woman. "Hello, are you looking for a place to stay?" the man asks.
<Anassia> Jack is given a laugh.  "If you say so.  Just don't spend too much...  And I think they knew we're foreigners, Maya," Anassia comments.  "Please," she says to the pair, smiling.
<Maya_Mahabala> "That's right," She nodded.
<Merc> The couple discuss the rooms for your group and payment as you walk into the inn, tired from traveling. "Will you be staying just the one night?" the woman asks as they hand over a set of keys.
* Aleph nods. "That we will."
<Maya_Mahabala> "Probably.  Is there anywhere we can get a map?  We forgot to pick one up earlier."
<Aleph> "...hm.  I think we'll need three rooms?"
<Merc> "There's a shop selling maps down the street, though they'll be closed at this hour, I'm afraid."
<Maya_Mahabala> "Thanks.  No rush, What about food?  Is that included?"
<Merc> "I'm afraid not. We're a small inn and this is something of a new establishment as well, so we don't quite have the staffing to offer those services yet. I apologize," the young man says with an apologetic bow. "We currently have a deal set up with a few of the places nearby where you can dine though, and I can recommend a few if you'd like."
<Aleph> "Ah, please do."
<Merc> "You guys are coming from Farvona, I assume? If you want a reminder from home, you might like trying the Green Den, I believe their delicacy is some sort of turtle stew or some such? Otherwise, there's a few others you might enjoy..." they name a few others, recommending in particular a bar with a mix of various of Vyrdam's cuisine, called Talon's.
<Maya_Mahabala> "Mmm, let's go to Talon's," Maya nodded, taking the directions and leading over there.
* Aleph looks over at Elise. "...no shattering any shells this time."
* Anassia is intrigued by the thought of the bar. After all, how often will one get a chance to try foreign cuisine? She is quick to follow behind Maya
* Aleph is definitely hungry after all of this, and follows the two girls over to Talon's
<Elise> "I wouldn't do that again! I'll be sure not to hit it as hard this time."
<Jack_> "Hm, you know, I don't think I've every tried Vyrdam food before, I wonder what it's like."
<Aleph> "Not sure I have myself.  This should be interesting, though..."
* Anassia eyes Elise. "Don't attack your food, okay?"
<Merc> The bar is dimly lit by candle light as the group open the door to the place and step inside. There's a few groups of people scattered here and there dining. You might think the food wasn't good given the lack of clientele, but it does smell rather good as your noses catch a whiff of the food. There's a bar near the door, with a barkeeper using a towel to clean the area, and looking up at the group, smiles. "Welcome to Talon's."
<Merc> "Just here for some drinks for the night, or food as well?"
<Elise> "They gave me a hammer!" Elise protests. "What else was I supposed to do with it?"
<Aleph> "Both, if you wouldn't mind."
<Anassia> "Both, please."  Anassia says to the man before glancing to Elise.  "If they give you a hammer, let someone else use it, please."
* Elise sighs. "I'll just eat something else."
<Merc> The barkeeper nods and motions to an empty table that looks big enough for your group, next to the tables of a few of the other customers. "Take a seat, I'll be with you in a second."
<Aleph> "...I think we're being too hard on Elise, Anassia." Aleph asides to the green-haired girl
<Maya_Mahabala> "Thanks," Maya smiled.  "And you two are...  Maybe Elise should get to order for you two."
* Aleph takes a seat, motions for Maya to take the seat next to him
<Anassia> "Possibly," Anassia says as she starst toward the table, taking a seat.  "And no," she eyes Maya.
* Maya_Mahabala takes Aleph up on that sitting next to him.
* Maya_Mahabala leans back a bit, waiting for the waiter, shuffling about in her cloak.
* Elise takes a random seat at the table.
* Jack_ grabs a seat and leans on the table
<Merc> As the group is sitting, the tables around you briefly seem to go quiet in their converstions. You guys do look kind of exotic from their perspective, so that might be it? Anyway, the barkeeper shows up soon with a sheet of parchment that he hands to Elise, the menu from the look of things. "Name's Talon. Feel free to order what you'd like," he comments simply, as he stands there, waiting for the group to peruse the menu and order something.
* Anassia leans over to try and glance over the parchment curiously, as Elise has the only.
<Merc> The group take a little time to get used to the service, as they pass along the menu and select something, in some cases at random, with Talon nodding and jotting some things. Eventually he vanishes again, and you're left alone, as the people around you seem to drift back to their conversations (though some men's stares seem to linger on the girls).
* Anassia leans back in her chair gingerly, stretching out as they wait on their food and drinks.
* Maya_Mahabala listens carefully to the casual conversations for any mention of Adalia.
<Aleph> "Hm...that was...indeed interesting.  I'm used to everyone getting a menu...wonder if this is a tradition around this place."
<Merc> A lot of the discussions just seem to be local gossip from what Maya can tell. Something interesting does come up as she hears a mention of Adallia from a few tables over, and as she strains her eyes to pick up on the topic, hears something about soldiers getting stationed at the border, something about some incident...it's kind of hard to hear. The poison attempt on the king maybe?
<Merc> ooc: Listen checks from people if they want to focus on the conversation, particularly the non-Maya variety if Maya mentions it or something.
<Maya_Mahabala> roll 1d20+8
<Penuche2> Maya_Mahabala invokes Penuche's magic: < 24 > [d20=16]
<Merc> ooc: Maya spies solo, I guess! But good roll.
<Jack_> roll 1d20+11
<Penuche2> Jack_ invokes Penuche's magic: < 26 > [d20=15]
<Aleph> roll 1d20+10
<Penuche2> Aleph invokes Penuche's magic: < 25 > [d20=15]
<Merc> "...still can't believe those heathen Adallian beasts attempted to assassinate our king. We leave them alone, and that's the kind of treachery they cook up," one of the men complains. His companion nods as he drinks from a mug. "Things have been tense near the border. Theo, my cousin, remember? Yeah, he apparently got drafted to help watch the borders and stuff. Glad I moved further south," the companion chimes in.
<Merc> "True, things will get sorted. Hopefully we'll finally deal with those idiots from Adallia and show them what's what."
<Merc> Conversation carries on around that sort of stuff, how Adallia is full of cowards and that sort of thing. Lots of nationalistic pride in Vyrdam too.
<Maya_Mahabala> "That's strange," Maya frowned a bit, leaning back.  She'd bring it up more when they were in privacy."
* Aleph raises an eyebrow at roughly the same time
<Jack_> "indeed."
<Aleph> "I'd say so as well."
<Merc> Getting to Windgate, wherever the hell that is, might explain some of the mysteries at work here. Particularly the unknown miss Feris.
<Maya_Mahabala> "Let's talk later at the inn," Maya returned to waiting for food, drifting the conversation to more pleasant topics, like whether she looked better in a green top or a purple top.  Talon certainly took a while with the food.
* Aleph would say that it matters less about the color and more about the general shape of the top
<Anassia> Anassia rolls her eyes slightly as Maya diverts the conversation back to her vanity again, not chipping in.
* Elise would say that no one should be wearing something like that now that they don't have to do it to fit in!
<Anassia> Although she adds that she's only wearing it due to the opressive heat.
<Merc> Your meal arrives soon, and some of you are surprised at what you get, some just think it looks interesting, others eagerly dig in. Maya has some fried...snake? Something like that. Must have gotten hungry after that time in the temple. Aleph has a crab, Elise has what looks like a huge steak of whatever bison is, Jack has some sort of poultry, and Anassia got...a fried rodent. Or something.
<Merc> It smells delicious, really it does, but god, what the hell is that critter?
* Maya_Mahabala delicately digs in.
<Jack_> "Man, fried rodent, that really takes me back."
* Jack_ digs in to his poultry
* Anassia eyes the rodent for a few seconds before shrugging and starting on it. When in Rome, after all. Although she glances toward Jack.
<Aleph> "...woah.  This is a lot bigger than I thought it'd be."  Aleph starts opening the crab up, regardless
<Jack_> "Well, not much else to catch in the city, and when you're starving you'll eat damn near anything."
* Elise digs in, occasionally glancing curiously at the others' meals. "Anassia, what *is* that on your plate?"
<Anassia> "I suppose so," Anassia replies to Jack before glancing to Elise.  "I've not a clue," she comments simply.
<Elise> "And you're still comfortable eating it?"
<Anassia> "Why not?" Anassia asks, quirking an eyebrow slightly to the girl.
<Maya_Mahabala> "If you're too picky, you don't find new tastes."
<Merc> "Fried cuy. Delicacy from northern lands of Vyrdam. They grow like crazy up in those mountains, and it became a popular meal at some point," Talon comments on Anassia's meal. "Any interest regarding the rest of the meals? And how's the taste?"
* Aleph grabs one of the smaller glasses from the...apparent tray of them, each with some small quantity of beverage
<Elise> "My meal is fine, thank you," Elise replies.
<Aleph> "...holy hell, when the menu said 'spicy', it wasn't lying.  Still good, though."
<Maya_Mahabala> "Not bad at all," Maya smiled, enjoying her wine.
* Aleph downs one of the sampler drinks
<Jack_> "Very good."
* Anassia will also grab a random beverage as she takes a few bites of the rodent. "Delicious," she says after a moment, smiling to him. "It has a unique taste to it."
<Merc> Talon waits a bit longer to see if anybody else has anything to say, but finally heads back to the bar, and back to wiping on the counter calmly, watching his guests. "Enjoy your meal, folks."
* Elise is content just drinking water, of course!
<Aleph> "Thanks." he replies back to Talon, before digging into the spicy crab some more
* Anassia savors her fried cute critter and potatoes, pausing only occasionally to try a drink from her glass. Which apparently kicks like a mule.
* Aleph downs a few other sampler glasses in the process. Perhaps it's just a comparable lack of water in the jungle travels, but he's already looking a little flushed.
<Anassia> "...anyone want to swap drinks?" Anassia asks, gesturing to her yet-half-full glass of mystery drink.
<Maya_Mahabala> "This is why you order something you know," Maya teased.
<Aleph> "Ah, I'll try some of that."
<Elise> "Or don't drink anything at all."
<Anassia> "Why?" Anassia asks, glancing to Maya as she hands the glass over to Aleph.  "Then you never experience anything new."
<Maya_Mahabala> "If its good, you want to at least remember the name," She waved, indicating she meant more not 'unknown drinks'.
<Anassia> "I can always ask what it was after," Anassia comments, taking another bite of the delicious meat.
* Aleph takes a gulp from Anassia's unknown drink, not expecting it to kick as hard as it did
<Aleph> "...woah, this stuff is awesome."
<Anassia> "A little strong, innit?" Anassia asks, glancing over to Aleph.
<Aleph> "Yeah, but it's good like that."
<Merc> The meal and drinking is enjoyed, and the group's enjoyment of the food seems to infect hte rest of the patrons as they also enjoy their meal. Talon smiles as he hear this, and once your group is ready to leave, your meal is paid for and you're on your way back to the inn. Now that the meal is over with, there's a few things to discuss from what was overheard earlier by some of you guys.
* Aleph looks a bit sloshed at this point in time
<Jack_> "Well, do we save this for the morning when everyone's sober, or do it now?"
* Maya_Mahabala sits on the bed in her room, having invited the others in to talk. "Jack can you check that nobody is listening in?  Not that anyone should be."
* Anassia reclines on one of the beds as well, quirking an eyebrow. "I doubt they're going to evesdrop."
<Maya_Mahabala> "I doubt so too...but we're not on friendly grounds right now.  It wouldn't hurt to get in the habit of being a bit cautious...even for me," She smirked.
* Jack_ makes a quick search
<Jack_> (and rolls?)
<Merc> ooc: no rolls needed.
<Merc> Jack doesn't find anything or anybody hidden, and the hallway seems mostly clear. As long as nobody starts yelling, you guys should be fine to discuss whatever you want.
<Maya_Mahabala> "Alright...don't know if anyone else heard interesting stuff, but the gossip is that the Adallians tried to kill the Vyrdam king not long ago, causing them to prepare for attacks from Adalia."
* Elise stands up abruptly. "What? That's absurd! Vile slander! We'd never do something like that!"
<Aleph> "...heh...what're the chances of that, I wonder..." Aleph comments, leaning up against Maya's bed.
<Anassia> "Great, all we need is to make this more complicated."
<Maya_Mahabala> "Did we or didn't we?  We don't know.  But it definitely means something is up here.  It could be someone behind the scenes trying to start a war.  It could just be a rumor to whip up people."
<Maya_Mahabala> "And it could mean since we left, things went wrong on the border," She worried.
<Jack_> "Took the words right outta my mouth."
<Aleph> "Could just be the government saying stuff on their end."
<Elise> "And it could be they're lying to make us look bad!"
<Anassia> "No matter what it is, we have to meet this agent," Anassia says, shrugging slightly.  "Speculation will get us nowhere."
<Aleph> "Oh yeah...where was he again?"
<Jack_> "Windgate, right?"
<Jack_> "And I think it was a she."
<Maya_Mahabala> "Yeah.  In the morning, let's get a map and make our way there.  And keep our mouths quiet, as if this is going on, they're going to be extra touchy."
<Aleph> "Let's, I'd say..."
<Elise> "Hmph. It's going to be hard to keep quiet when everyone around us saying things like this about our homeland! I'll try...but if I have to punch someone for spreading lies, it's *their* fault and not mine."
* Anassia eyes Elise. "...maybe you shouldn't be undercover after all."
<Aleph> "Heeey, you agreed to keep us out of trouble.  That means you too."
<Aleph> "Unless you want to say that you lied to that guard."
<Maya_Mahabala> "Elise...if we get thrown in jail, who will be able to protect everyone else?" Maya wondered.
* Elise sighs. "I won't say anything, alright? But rest assured I will be dreaming of smiting everyone!"
<Aleph> "Now that's not fair...what'd I do to deserve smiting?"
<Anassia> "I don't think she means you," Anassia says simply, glancing over to Aleph.
<Elise> "Not you guys. Everyone else!"
<Elise> "Why...have you done something you should be punished for, Aleph?"
* Aleph definitely looks drunk
* Elise frowns.
<Aleph> "You did say everyone." he comments to Elise
<Elise> "I meant EVERYONE ELSE." Elise rolls her eyes. "What's wrong with you?"
* Aleph shrugs
<Maya_Mahabala> "come on, it's late.  No arguments.  Let's get to bed and start out early," Maya's party mood didn't include face punches it seemed.
<Anassia> "I think that's a good idea, Maya."
<Elise> "Fine. Maybe we can get something done after everyone's slept off their intoxication."
<Aleph> "Alright...guess it's off to bed I go."  Aleph says, standing and absentmindedly brushing his hand along the outside of Maya's leg as he starts out of the room...forgetting that he was once again assigned to room with Elise
<Maya_Mahabala> "...He's getting bolder," She laughed a little not smiting the drunk Aleph for his boldness as she leaned back in her own bed.

[Merc]

Session Start: Sun Jul 25 17:33:14 2010

<Merc> Some days after making it across the Vyrdam border, the group finally makes it to where they're supposed to rendezvous with the Adallian spy. Thankfully, nothing has cropped up to distract them from their task recently, although they do occassionally keep hearing rumors and gossip regarding Adallia and Vyrdam's conflicts escalating. Elise has somehow held back on bashing people's head when those rumors pop up.
<Merc> Windgate's a pretty nice town at least, and they quickly find the local inn, where their contact should be waiting.
* Elise can keep calm when she has to! It's all for the greater good, Elise, just remember that.
<Maya_Mahabala> "Ah, let's go see if we can rummage up some snacks.  It's been a long trip."  Maya suggested, wanting information early herself as well.
<Elise> "It is important to stay well fed while on the road, yes," Elise agrees, trailing after the dancer.
<Aleph> "That, it has.  Also rather uneventful...though I'm not sure if that's a bad thing or not."
* Maya_Mahabala looks around the town, gossiping a bit to find the nearby bazaar and leading the group there.
* Anassia glances to Aleph. "I don't mind uneventful," she comments idly.
<Aleph> "As long as it lacks reptiles, I'm fine.  I'm sick of oversized lizards and snakes."
<Merc> Most of the people are pretty friendly, and quickly point the group where they're seeking.
* Maya_Mahabala looks around for a bakery, soon stopping and looking over their rolls a bit curiously.
* Quits: Elise (~Melanchth@pool-71-178-101-68.washdc.east.verizon.net) (Ping timeout)
<Merc> Jack is pretty silent (as usual), and just looking around. In general he seems to be observing the little streets, looking for ways to vanish and such. Probably paranoid about the meeting with the spy going south or something. As the group turn down another street, they end up in the trade center of the town, and Maya quickly spots some places where they could get rolls and other tasty things.
* Joins: Elise (~Melanchth@pool-71-178-101-68.washdc.east.verizon.net)
* Aleph follows Maya along
<Maya_Mahabala> "Hello, do you have any green bean rolls?  A friend of mine told me they weren't to miss."
<Aleph> "...ah, Maya, wrong place."
<Merc> "We do have some green bean rolls, actually. How many will you be having?" the old woman manning the bakery asks as she goes fetch some of the...'delicious' rolls.
<Maya_Mahabala> "One please," Maya smiled.
<Merc> The woman nods and smiles as she grabs one of the rolls and gives the price. "Anything else?"
* Anassia smirks slightly as the woman starts to get the rolls. "I'm not eating it," she comments slightly.
* Aleph looks toward Anassia, shaking his head as well...
<Merc> "You should, it's very healthy, and good for your skin, dear," the old woman tells Anassia, seeing her smirk.
<Elise> "Why shouldn't we eat them?" Elise says. "They don't sound that bad."
<Merc> "Do you wish to order more then?"
<Aleph> "..."
<Elise> "Oh!" Elise shakes her head. "Wait, no, one will be fine. We'll share it."
<Merc> "Hrm, well if you say so, dear," the old woman replies with a shake of her head after handing the one roll she grabbed to Maya.
<Anassia> "I'm just not very hungry," Anassia says, smiling to woman diplomatically.  "Thanks, though."
* Aleph decides to start with the being quiet
<Maya_Mahabala> "Nope that's it," Maya smiled, and took the roll, leading to the inn this time.
* Aleph follows the group to the inn, whispering once out of earshot of the old lady. "...that thing...even smells horrible."
<Elise> "Not everything that's good for you smells or tastes nice," Elise says. "If no one else wants it, I'll try it."
<Merc> "Enjoy the roll, dear. Come back for more if you liked it!" The old woman calls out as you all vanish towards the inn. The place's bar seems pretty popular, lots of people out drinking and chatting. As you guys enter the inn, the innkeeper greets you. "Hello, are you all looking for a place to stay the night?"
<Maya_Mahabala> "That would be nice," Maya nodded. "Can we get a few rooms?"
<Merc> "Of course. How many and for how many days?" the innkeeper replies.
<Maya_Mahabala> "Three, dunno how long for now.  At least tonight.  We'll see how the town treats us in the morning."
<Merc> The innkeeper nods. "Of course, that's fine," he says as he grabs a set of keys, and working through the transaction with your group. "Enjoy your stay here in Windgate."
<Aleph> "We hope to."
* Maya_Mahabala looks around the inn, seeing who is there.
<Anassia> "I wouldn't mind taking a day to relax, myself," Anassia says to Maya, smiling slightly.
<Maya_Mahabala> "Well, as I said, if the town is fun, why not?" Maya smirked.
<Merc> Lots of people around, all of them either eating, chatting, or working. Nobody in particular stands out. Admittedly, it wouldn't be a good spy if they did stand out without the use of the codephrase.
* Maya_Mahabala goes to sit at one of the tables in the small little eatery at the inn, leaning back and waiting for a waiter or waitress to arrive.
<Aleph> "Yeah...we've walked for who knows how long on our way here.  Might as well lay back for a day."  he replies, sitting next to Maya
<Elise> "I wonder if there's anything interesting to do in town," Elise says. "Any museums or historical monuments?"
<Merc> There's about four people all running around serving the food. Two of them are male, so they're probably not your spy (unless they're -really- good with disguises), since you were told it was a woman. As you sit on a table, one of the waitresses happens to approach you. "Can I help you?"
<Maya_Mahabala> "Could we get a menu?" Maya wondered.
<Merc> The woman nods as she hands the dancer a menu, as well as one for each of the others with Maya.
* Elise scans the menu for anything that sounds good.
* Aleph scans the menu for anything that looks a lot tastier than Green Bean Rolls
* Anassia glances to the menu curiously, trying to look for something that sounds delicious.
<Merc> Well, there aren't any green bean rolls on the menu... there's some familiar seafood dishes though, as well as that bison stuff Elise enjoyed a few nights ago.
* Elise is satisfied with having a big slab of meat on her plate, and orders such.
* Maya_Mahabala scans over the menu, idly wondering. "Do you have any Green bean rolls?  I'm trying to keep to a diet."  Hopefully not a real diet of more of those terrible things.
<Aleph> "Hm.  I think I'll go for the bison.  Last time I tried Fried Crab in Spicy Sauce, the sauce was a bit too spicy for my tastes..."
<Merc> The waitress vanishes while you guys look over the menu and returns after a while, ready to take the orders, taking Elise's first. As Maya makes her request, the waitress pauses, and turns to look at Maya briefly, apparently observing her. "...No, we're out of those." she replies. She seems a bit distracted as Aleph adds to his order, and almost misses it, before jotting it down as well.
* Anassia picks something at random from the menu again that sounds good; randomly picking something foreign has not led her astray to date! Clearly, it will continue to be good to her.
<Maya_Mahabala> "Hmm, well, I guess I'll just have to travel south for them.  A salad then?" Maya wondered.
<Merc> The waitress nods, and smiles briefly. "I'll have your orders out shortly," she states, though she doesn't follow up on Maya's code. She does return soon after with some drinks. Maya's has a little note under the glass. "Compliments of the bar," she adds, before vanishing again.
* Elise eyes the drinks with apparent suspicion. "We didn't order those. ...They aren't...intoxicating beverages, are they?"
* Anassia quirks an eyebrow. "Free drinks?" she asks curiously.
* Maya_Mahabala nods, sipping her drink, slipping the note out to read it. "We ordered these.  Don't make a ruckus."
<Elise> "Well, what is it? I have to know what it is before I drink it."
* Aleph chugs his drink
* Anassia shrugs to take a drink. Compliments of the bar are always good! Although she's not quite as... gung-ho as Aleph.
<Merc> There does seem to be alcohol in the drinks. Aleph feels just a tad woozy after chugging his. Maya's note, meanwhile just has a simple message of 'We'll talk later at night. - Feris'
* Elise watches the others for their reactions, then looks down at her glass. "I don't think I should drink this."
<Aleph> "Woah..." he wobbles a bit.  "...this is some strong stuff..."
<Anassia> "That's why you don't just chug everything, Aleph," Anassia says grinning.  "Now you don't get to enjoy the drink."
<Elise> "Huh. Well, I don't want mine. Someone else can take it if they wish." Elise pushes her glass to the center of the table.
<Maya_Mahabala> "Wow Aleph, I didn't know you were such a lightweight," Maya sips hers.
<Aleph> "This stuff's stronger than you think...or I had less to drink on the way than I thought I did..."
<Merc> It's actually kind of strong liquor. Really didn't help that Aleph chugged it. A little while after, your food arrives, compliments of your spy/waitress. Anassia's random selection this time seems to be a bowl shaped like a giant cracked egg...or it is a giant cracked egg? Seems to be a chunky soup or stew in there. "Enjoy your food," Feris states.
<Maya_Mahabala> "Thanks," Maya ate casually, and a bit carefully at the strange food.
* Joins: Ataru (~Ataru@c-76-19-193-223.hsd1.ma.comcast.net)
* Ataru is now known as Jack_
* Aleph starts eating the dead thing
* Anassia will start on her chunky food as well.
<Elise> "What is that, Anassia?" Elise asks between bites.
<Anassia> "I don't know," Anassia says, thoughtfully.
<Merc> You recall she ordered the ostrich special!
<Anassia> "Apparently, it's called an ostrich, though," Anassia says, taking another bite.
<Elise> "Huh. I wonder if it's a giant lizard like the one we fought in the forest?"
<Aleph> "..."
<Aleph> "...I hate lizards."  Aleph comments woozily as he contines eating the bison
<Merc> You guys eat your food, and after some time exploring the town, return back to the inn, waiting to turn in for the night. Well, that and your meeting with a spy. Speaking of which, a knock is heard on the door to the room Maya is staying at.
* Maya_Mahabala opens the door a crack, letting whoever is outside slip in.
<Merc> It's Feris! What a surprise. She slips in and looks around. "Thanks for waiting. Get the rest of your companions, and we can talk," she states as she notes some of the others she saw you with at lunch aren't inside.
* Maya_Mahabala nods.  "Alright, stay here a moment."
* Maya_Mahabala slips out herself, knocking on Elaine and Aleph's doors.
<Merc> She goes sit on one of the beds and waits for the rest of the group to gather.
<Aleph> "...man, why'd I get the sausage party room..." Aleph comments to himself as he groggily heads to Maya's room
* Elise remains standing as she crowds into Maya's room with the others.
* Anassia is sitting in her bed in the room she shares with Maya, quirking an eyebrow to the waitress-spy. "Hey," she offers, simply.
* Jack_ joins the others in the room
<Maya_Mahabala> "Alright, we're all here.  Now something definitely strange is up...could you fill us in?"
<Merc> Feris nods. "I assume you've been hearing some of the rumors as you made your way here?" she asks. "About -Adallia- being the one instigating events here in Vyrdam?"
<Jack_> "Yep."
<Elise> "Rumors? You mean lies!"
* Anassia glances to Elise at her outburst. "We've heard it a few times, yes."
<Aleph> "Maya said it could be a third party..."
<Merc> Feris nods. "Lies indeed, and your friend Maya would be correct. Most of the things spoken in those rumors have happened. Someone is wanting a war to happen, and they don't care which side starts it."
<Maya_Mahabala> "Do you already know who?" She wondered.
<Elise> "Someone here, or...in another country? One that's not Adallia."
<Anassia> "Farvona?"  Anassia says, curiously.  "They could be preparing for an invasion; a war is a good distraction, afterall."
<Aleph> "Elsewhere, Elise.  Not this place, and not Adallia."
<Merc> She shakes her head at that. "The third party is closer than that. I have a suspect, the fourth prince, Victor, has apparently been having conversations with certain people. He may hope to see his brothers die in a war, perhaps, who knows really, but I'm positive the people he's involved with are at the heart of this growing conflict."
<Anassia> "So a royal powerplay?" Anassia asks, her tone remarkably neutral.
<Elise> "That's madness! Starting a war just for the chance that his siblings will die? And how many other people would die at the same time? That makes me want to walk right up and cave his head in."
<Elise> "For justic, of course."
<Elise> *justice
<Anassia> "Doing that would no doubt /start/ a war, Elise."
<Elise> "Hmph."
<Elise> "I didn't say I was going to do it. Just that I wanted to."
<Aleph> "I take it there's evidence toward this?"
<Maya_Mahabala> "Well, that makes things hard.  If we were to deal with the real cause, it'd be years before we could go back to Adalia, if ever without causing a war."
<Aleph> "Pity the guy who tried to take out the king killed himself."
<Anassia> "All we would have to do is bring evidence of his plot to light," Anassia comments idly.  "No doubt his parents would take exception."
<Merc> "Don't concern yourself too much with the prince in either case. Like I said, he's not a major player, as far as I can tell, just involved. That said," Feris speaks as she pulls out a map and unfurls it, pointing to the capital and then to a town west of it. You can see Windgate itself on the map, some distance south of the capital. "The prince is going to be heading to this town in a week. Chances are he's going to meet up with the people we want."
<Merc> ooc: Assuming cut off - "The prince is going to be heading to this town in a week. Chances are he's going to meet up with the people we want."
<Elise> "So...we wait until they're all together, *then* beat up the ones responsible."
<Aleph> "I think this is less of a 'beat the crap out of them' deal, Elise, and more of a 'listen in on their plans' type of thing."
<Elise> "Well, we can do that too."
<Merc> The spy nods. "If you can. If not, at least get some proof that Adallia is -not- behind the incidents. If you can place the blame on the prince, go for it, but the important thing is to stop the conflicts from growing."
<Maya_Mahabala> "Alright.  Well, that's a plan at least.  Do you already anyone listening into the group behind the scenes?"
<Merc> She shakes her head. "I haven't been able to get anybody close enough without risking their cover. Mostly just get tidbits here and there from other agents."
<Anassia> "Glad we're disposable enough to infiltrate it," Anassia says with a smile.
<Elise> "They're just confident of our chances, I'm sure."
<Merc> Feris laughs. "If you got sent in, I would assume you're more capable in the fighting arts than the spying arts, so it's not so much about being disposable. Well, unless things have changed since I was last at home."
<Aleph> "...heh.  Or maybe just that we're not as easily tracable to Adallia."
* Maya_Mahabala laughs. "We're definitely not subtle.  So we go there, the first plan being to listen in and take out the group.  The second plan being to cause a big enough ruckus that its obvious something went down.  ANd ...what else?  What happens if things go really wrong?"  Maya's musings were fairly serious, given their failure would allow a war to happen.
<Anassia> "Aleph, we have equipment marked with the King's symbol," Anassia comments simply.  "If we fail, the war is likely unavoidable."
<Aleph> "...thanks for reminding me."
<Jack_> "Well then, if everything goes south, I suppose we'd better make damn sure no one but us walks away alive."
<Aleph> "And make sure that they don't own any gigantic lizards."
<Merc> Feris is about to add something, but can't help but raise an eyebrow at Aleph's comment, and look at him. "...Giant lizards?"
<Jack_> "We'd better not run into that asshole again.:
<Anassia> "We've had an eventful trip," Anassia says to the agent.
<Elise> "We found a giant lizard in the jungle," Elise clarifies. "It was eating people, so we killed it."
<Jack_> "I swear to god, if I never see another scale covered maneating monstrosity it'll be too soon."
<Merc> "Sounds like it," Feris notes. "Well, as your friend said, if things go south, make sure nobody gets out alive. Worst case scenario, well, dispose of your weapons if they do have the king's insignia. Or we can provide some backup weaponry, but I can't promise it'll be of the same quality."
<Jack_> "First it was the fishmen on the boat, then that big fuckoff lizard that guy was riding, then a cult that worshipped giant poison breathing snakes."
<Merc> "...on second though, stick with your weapons. You sound like you have enough experience fighting," Feris adds, looking slightly disbelieving.
<Elise> "There's no such thing as enough experience, I think."
<Anassia> "Let's try to avoid fighting, though," Anassia says simply.  "I've no desire to see how sharp weapons are again."
<Aleph> "Given Elise...that's like sitting a throne on the beach and commanding the tide not to come in."
<Maya_Mahabala> "I doubt anyone willing to cause a war would be so kind as to just give up."
<Aleph> "Indeed."
<Anassia> "There are other ways to stop people than killing them," Anassia says, simply.
<Merc> "Well, we do have agents in the town you'll be headed to, so you'll at least have some nearby allies," Feris adds, as she pulls out a small scroll. "Find the blacksmith and hand him this. If you wish to switch your equipment for something more subtle, he'll be able to take care of that as well."
<Maya_Mahabala> "We'll see.  Will you have folks to at least slip into their ranks if things go badly?" Maya wondered.  "I mean not that I mind being the star performer, but we want to make sure at all cost they don't manage to succeed, right?"
<Aleph> "Something tells me that would result in blown cover."
<Merc> "We'll try to insert agents, but we're still lacking in information on who this group is, besides Prince Victor's involvement, and that makes things somewhat harder. We'll certainly be doing our part to make sure they don't succeed, though any assistance you can provide in the matter is welcome."
* Aleph nods
<Maya_Mahabala> "Well then, tomorrow morning, we'll head there and wait, looking around for the prince to arrive over the next few days?"
<Merc> "Sources say it should be about a week before he arrives, but getting there early will help with setting up any cover you might need, so it'd certainly be good to get going there promptly," Feris answers.
<Maya_Mahabala> "Then we'll be off tomorrow.  Anything else we should know?" Maya wondered.
<Merc> "Not that I can think of," Feris says as she stands and moves towards the door. "I wish you luck and success."
<Aleph> "Same for you." he nods
<Maya_Mahabala> "Thanks,..." Maya waited for her to leave, shutting the door. "So...any opposing thoughts?"
<Anassia> "Thank you," Anassia says, smiling to her.  Glancing to Maya after she leaves.  "With what?"
* Elise shakes her head. "The plan sounds good to me. We find the villains and hit them until they talk. The hard part should just be finding them and getting to their meeting without them noticing us."
<Aleph> "None here." Aleph shakes his head
<Merc> ***
<Merc> The day after, you start heading to your new destination, and eventually reach it, quickly honing in on the blacksmith's shop and heading there, hearing the sound of hammering from a distance as you approach it, and can almost feel the heat from the forge radiating from it.
<Aleph> "...I'll never feel comfortable around these places."
<Elise> "Why not?" Elise asks. "It's like going home for me."
<Aleph> "Perhaps for you.  Home for me was on high places with the wind blowing, though."
<Maya_Mahabala> "Well, it does tend to smell," Maya smiled, understanding some reluctance as they walked toward, and into the blacksmith shop.
* Elise can only shrug. What's up with these people who don't want to work and sweat all day long, anyway?
* Quits: Anassia (~Navikarz@97-126-91-90.tukw.qwest.net) (Ping timeout)
<Merc> The blacksmith seems to be hammering a heated up sword, and is ignoring you for now, as he focuses on the weapon. It's not until he dips it in some water to cool the metal that he pulls up his goggles and looks at you all. "Can I help you?"
* Elise doesn't mind waiting. This kind of work demands precision, after all!
<Maya_Mahabala> "Just making an order delivery," Maya leaned near, handing him the folded up paper.
* Aleph wonders why someone would want to work and sweat all day in this place that feels like you could die from overheating...
<Merc> The blacksmith frowns as he takes Maya's paper and opens it up, reading through it. He nods after a while, crumpling it up and tossing it into the fire. "I'll close shop, and we can talk business," he says as he goes to lock the door.
* Joins: Anassia (~Navikarz@71-217-14-106.tukw.qwest.net)
* Aleph nods, already sweating
<Merc> "So folks from back home. Not common around these parts," he says with a small smile, as he grabs a chair and plops down on it.
<Maya_Mahabala> "Glad to hear," Maya went and waited near a window.  No reason to be nearer to the forge than she had to.
* Anassia also stays far from the forge, fanning herself weakly with a hand. Stupid forges. "Took us a while to get here."
<Aleph> Room for another?" Aleph asks, moving near the window himself
* Elise doesn't seem bothered at all, of course.
<Merc> "So the letter says you're on a mission here regarding the security and wellbeing of our kingdom and that I'm to defer to you on any related matters. Care to clarify that?"
<Aleph> "Basically, our weapons are a bit...conspicuous."
<Maya_Mahabala> "One of the Vydram princes and some other group is trying to start a war with Adalia, whichever way they can."
* Joins: Navilee (~Navikarz@174-31-139-91.tukw.qwest.net)
* Quits: Anassia (~Navikarz@71-217-14-106.tukw.qwest.net) (Ping timeout)
<Maya_Mahabala> "We're hoping to catch them and get some proof so that a war doesn't break out."
<Merc> The blacksmith frowns and nods. "I see. I'd heard Prince Victor was coming around town in a few days, so I assume he's the prince you're talking about?"
<Elise> "On the other hand, if *we* get caught...our current weapons have the royal seal on them. It would be a disaster for Adallia to be so obviously involved here. That's what brings us to your shop."
<Aleph> "...not just Adallia, but Vyrdam as well, Elise."
<Navilee> "He is," Anassia says with a nod.  "We're going to have our work cut out for us unfortunately."
<Merc> "Hrm, I see. That would be a problem. Well, I can rework your equipment to remove or disguise the insignia, or provide you with some alternate weaponry," the blacksmith muses. "I suppose you'll also need a cover story for your being in town for a while? Or do you have something set up already?"
<Elise> "Maya can just dance in public for our cover story. It certainly stops most men who see it from thinking about anything."
<Aleph> "We've got a cover story of sorts.  Though reworking our gear would be nice."
* Maya_Mahabala smiles, not taking offense at all really.
<Maya_Mahabala> "Anyhow, how long would it take to just cover up the royal marks?"
* Navilee is now known as Anassia
<Merc> The blacksmith snorts. "Alright. Well as for your weapons, that depends on the level of detail, and if you wish for me to just disguise it, or plain remove it," he answers. "Can you show me your weapons?"
* Elise hands over her hammer. "All that's important is that it won't be obvious who made the weapon."
* Anassia pulls the cloth covering her spear's head and pulls the dagger from her hip-sheathe, turning the seals to be on top.
<Aleph> "Sure." he nods, handing over his composite bow.  "Just covering it should be fine."
* Maya_Mahabala reveals her sword, holding it out for the blacksmith to take a look at.
* Jack_ hands over his short swords
<Merc> The blacksmith hums as he looks over the weapons. "I see. Well, I don't think I'll have to destroy anything, I should be able to modify and disguise it without damaging the weapons, although you'll need to get the blacksmith who made them to fix it up later if you want it to have the same level of detail."
<Merc> "I should certainly be able to do it before the prince arrives as well."
<Elise> "We'll worry about the rest when we get back home. Right now all that's important is that everything's ready for the prince's arrival, yes."
* Aleph nods. "That'd be desirable."
<Maya_Mahabala> "Well, be careful if you can," Maya frowned at having her shiny sword marred, but allowed the necessity of it.
<Aleph> "He won't do anything bad to it, Maya." he tried to reassure
* Anassia will also hand her weapons over to the smith easily. "While you're doing that, I think I'm going to have a look around," she says.
<Aleph> "Come on, there's sure to be stuff we can do while we wait." Aleph comments, putting an arm across Maya's shoulders.