[ You're still at the Angry Porcupine. It's the day after Fyril and Nebby sort of broke into Friya's tower. Fyril himself has yet to be seen today. ] [ The rest of you are there, tho. And chances are you have some stuff to discuss. Like, what or where to next? Of course, you can ignore that if you want, too. ] [ Go ahead, folks. ^_^ ] Coffee... * Ethan idly slides a cup of coffee to Sei. "Up late?" * Sei thanks Ethan, sips, and stares straight ahead for a moment. "As usual..." * Ada walks down the stairs and over to the table. "Doing what, exactly?" No doubt practicing with your staff. Smart idea. I wonder where Fyril is? Probably getting in trouble. * Ada sits and grabs a muffin. (Yu, what's my Change of Subject roll?) * Nebrinel mutters under her breath, and pokes at her food. "I certaintly do not know." ( -3 and a -2 bonus for pimpage. ) ( With Ethan? No luck there, man. Not unless you're Ada. ) * Ethan closes his eyes. "Let me guess... you were doing thrust exercises... repeatedly trying to target your staff into a narrow space. Good for developing accuracy..." ... 2d6-5 * Atom rolls for Sei (2d6-5) and gets 1. Am I close? * Ada eyes Ethan. * Sei peers at his coffee. "One could say that." * Ada snickers. Good man! You'll be an expert with your staff in no time if you keep it up! (Hey. I got a pretty darn good Change of Subject roll. ;_;) * Ada laughs. Why the future tense? ...oh, never mind. ( Sorry. Have to Crit Succeed against Ethan. ^_~ ) As a true master said, "It is necessary to practice often." * Ethan hrms. "I could probably teach you a few useful techniques..." * Sei chokes on his coffee. * Ada laughs harder and almost falls off her chair. Would require you to work on your wrist strength, though. Th...that's quite all ri...urk! * Nebrinel quirks a smile and shakes her head, and rests her hand on the hilt of Plague Bringer idly. But stick with me, and you'll be whacking with the best of them in no time! * Sei coughs further before gulping down some more caffeine goodness. * Ada gasps for air and somehow manages not to fall over. * Nebrinel frowns to herself, and mutters softly, "'Good morning?'" * Ethan waits 'till Sei takes a sip. "Just don't practice too much... it'd be bad if we get to the end of our adventure and you couldn't get up for the big climax." * Sei falls sideways out of his chair. * Ada watches Sei fall off his chair, grins, and goes about eating her muffin. ^_^_v (KO!) * Ethan idly eats something or other. * Nebrinel watches Sei thud onto the ground, and says softly, "Never did approve of a purely studious life." One of the serving girls that Sei's been getting along famously with comes along right then with a pitcher of coffee. "Here you are, Sei! More coff-- Sei! Are you alright?" M...*cough* more or less, I think. Thank you. * Sei sets himself back down in his chair and eyes Ethan suspiciously. * Ada looks at Sei out of the corner of her eye as she says to Nebrinel, "Who does?" The girl sputters a bit before managing "Would you like more coffee?" * Ethan holds a bagel over his head, and whistles innocently. * Sei smiles. "Yes, please." * Nebrinel snorts, waves a hand and makes Ethan's bagel crumble to ash. "You'd be surprised." The girl seems terribly happy to be pouring coffee for Sei. ;_; * Sei continues smiling. * Ada nods as she grabs a glass of juice. "Your hair's dirty, Ethan." The girl begins to leave, and then, as an afterthought, asks if anyone else wants coffee too. * Ethan shrugs, shakes his head, and munches another bagel. No, thank you. (I thought the euphemism was tea, not coffee.) (And I'd like to take this moment to say... JUICE! XD) (JUICE! XD) ( JUICE! XD ) ( JUICE! XD ) ( OJ SIMPSON! XD ) ( Oh, coffee is much more popular than tea here. ) (juice. x|) (*kicks Ethan out the window*) ( SPLUT! x_x ) (...I know a song about a hedgehog.) * Nebrinel stays silent on the coffee issue. No thanks. * Ethan tries to get the remaining ash out of his hair as he turns to Nebby. "Hey, Nebrinel, do you know any staff techniques you could show Sei?" The girl walks away, then. After beaming at Sei, of course. * Sei grins back. * Sei almost falls out of his chair again. * Nebrinel raises an eyebrow, and says drolly, "Some. It's in my nature to be prepared, after all." * Ethan nods. "That it is." Anyhoo... so where do we go from here? * Ada finishes her muffin. So, has anyone seen Fyril at all? Nope. ( Maybe he went to buy himself a staff to practice with! ) (...) (*kills Ethan*) * Nebrinel shrugs. "Probably practicing his craft." ( None of you have seen Fyril since yesterday. ) * Ada nods and stands, stretching. "Well, if he doesn't want to come along, he doesn't have to come along. I'm going to take a look in that tower." * Sei shrugs and stands up. Ooh! I can probably cobble together a siege engine to get us through the walls! No. ...no. ... or we can walk in the front door. * Nebrinel stands and stretches. "There should be no need. Teleportation spells tied to the place." Indeed. [ So! You all head out to Friya's place, which is still where it was last time; on a cliff, which is probably where the barony gets it's name. ] [ Just as last time, there are no doors. ] ( "OH GOD I'M FALLING AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHH!"? What an odd name... ) ( *drops a cieling tile on Jesse* ) ( x_x ) * Ada hmms and looks the tower over. (Any windows?) You're still there outside the tower. No, really! * Ada starts to walk around slowly, then ahs and walks over to the wall. "Ethan, get over here." ( ... I now have this odd image of Yu as Captain N. "PAUSE!" ) * Nebrinel shakes her head, and waves her hand. "No need, Ada." * Ethan trots over, stops, and salutes crisply. "Ethan, reporting fo- aww shucks..." Really? He can't get in by himself. * Nebrinel quirks a smile. "Friyas was a master of teleportation. The lack of doors is on purpose." * Nebrinel waves her hands. "Everyone get close to me, and I'll take us in." * Ada rolls her eyes. "I know that. I spotted the spell." She grabs Ethan's arm with one hand and they vanish. Wha- * Sei steps over to Nebrinel, then blinks. ... * Nebrinel mutters, "Then why didn't she do that already," and grabs Sei's arm, doing the same. You all appear in a sort of entryway. It's lined with entryway things; mats to wipe your boots on and racks to hang your cloaks on, if so desired. * Ada looks around. "You've been here before, right Nebrinel?" ... woah. That was funky. * Nebrinel nods. "Yes. His equipment and detailed info is on the top floor, although there is a library on this floor." She waves her hand over towards a doorway. * Ada nods. "Let's check the top first. We can always browse the library afterwards." Library...*_* Lead the way, Nebrinel, since you've been here before. I'll take the rear and watch for... err... dangerous furniture... ... ( Suddenly, you're all assaulted by an ottoman! Okay, not really. ) (Gazebo...;_;) * Nebrinel walks forward to (and up) the stairs. "Somwhow, I think the danger is all long gone." ( Look, a candleabras! Hit it! ) * Ada walks after Nebrinel, glancing around for anything of interest. * Sei follows. Nebrinel leads you along and up several flights of stairs and down a few hallways, eventually leading to one room with three doors at one end. * Ethan eyes Nebby. "... why don't you just say 'What could *possibly* go wrong?" while you're at it?" I should've mentioned that it was overcast outside, seeing as how that might help explain away the ominous rolling thunder that can suddenly be heard from outside. * Sei facepalms. * Nebrinel shrugs. "Because we never did open that middle door." ... * Ada chuckles. * Ethan chuckles. "Good answer." I try my best. * Ada looks the door over. "I don't see any spells on it. Who wants to do the honors?" I will, if you guys promise to have Sei heal me if a giant foot stomps down on me or something. ( ::writes that one down:: ) * Nebrinel says, "Sure, whatever." She half-smiles. "I don't know if he'll want to, though." ...I will. * Ada nods. "Go ahead, Ethan." * Ethan whispers a quick prayer, checks his armor, then OPENS THE DOOR! The knob doesn't turn all the way. Apparently, the door is locked. * Nebrinel says, "Anyway, the dagger was in the left room, and Friyas was found dead in the right room, for the interested parties." Wonderful. I suppose we can check them afterwards. ... So, I wonder where the person who killed him went. ... okay, the door's locked, and I feel rather silly. Shall I attempt to break it down or somethin'? * Ada sighs and walks over to the door. "Let me see that." * Nebrinel says, "Honestly, Sei, that's a good question. He was most likely hired, and as a human besides... it makes me wonder who else is looking for great weapon pieces at the same time we are." * Sei nods. "That can't be good." * Ethan steps aside. "If I knew anything about his style, I might be able to tell you something... fighting styles are very distinctive, and if this guy's as good as he seems to be, he'd probably have a reputation." * Ada peers at the knob. "Missed a spell," she mutters. I guess we could use Fyril's skills about now... Mmm. We can get by, it's just trickier. Nebrinel, do you think you can keep this spell busy while I undo the lock? * Ethan gets his glaive out of it holster. "Stand back... lemme give it a shot." (oh, no...) * Nebrinel walks closer to the door. "I don't see why not." * Ada nods. "Tell me when you're ready. ... or I'll just stand here while you two handle it. *idly twirls glaive* * Nebrinel stands near the door, and says, "Do it." * Ada concentrates. 2d6-4 * Atom rolls for Nebrinel (2d6-4) and gets 3. 2d6-3 * Atom rolls for Ada (2d6-3) and gets 5. The lock clicks open. * Ada nods and attempts to open the door. Ada succeeds, amazingly. (Isn't it?) * Nebrinel says, "Simple enough, I suppose." She looks over to the right door briefly, and then back to the newly opened doorway. The door opens. Inside is what looks like a shrine or altar. (Oh, this can't be good.) * Ada steps in and glances around. "Huh." ( I desecrate the shrine! ) On the upside, nothing in the room looks like it's been used for blood sacrifice. The candles have burnt down and died, but they used to be green; if they were red or black, it might be reason to worry. Hmm. * Ada walks over to the shrine/altar for a closer look. ( Friya was a Shriner? Where's his Fez of Power? ) * Nebrinel walks over to a tome near the shrine, and frowns. "Unmarked books bother me." She opens it and looks at the first page. Book? * Sei edges closer. * Nebrinel says, "Well, that makes sense. Worshipping Barlen would fit in with Friyas' interests." She hands the tome to Sei. "Want a look?" * Ethan leans against a wall, as this is not exactly his area of expertise. Sure, thanks. * Sei peers. (Barlen?) (Non-threatening agriculture/education god.) * Sei pulls another book out of his backpack and sets it side-to-side with the tome for a minute. ( Ooh! Ethan can offer up a bunch of carrots as a sacrifice! ) * Sei grins and hands the tome back to Nebrinel. "Thanks." So what's in the book? * Nebrinel shrugs, and puts the tome back without saying anything. She slips out of the room and into the room where Friyas died. * Ada hums, seemingly satisfied with the altar. She glances at Nebrinel as she leaves, then walks after her. Which book? * Sei follows. * Ethan follows. "The book on that altar thingee." I'm not sure...Nebrinel? * Nebrinel walks into Friyas' laboratory/study/whatever place, and shrugs. "I didn't read it. I figured you would, and books of worship aren't my interest." The room Nebby leads Sei into is obviously a lab or study of some sort. There are a few desks with devices of one sort or another on them, as well as numerous open books sitting about. * Sei sweatdrops. "Ah." * Sei runs around with his book. * Ethan wanders in, looks around, and sits down against the wall. "Lemme know if you need me to hit anything." * Nebrinel chuckles, "A warriors lot is waiting. Haven't you heard that before?" Yup. Never been a good waiter though. * Ada walks over to one of the books and starts skimming. "He really liked his teleportation." * Nebrinel says, "Well, once you're done here, the other room is even worse." She leaves Ada and Sei to go into that other room. * Sei finishes the last few books. Hm, I can imagine. * Ada gives the devices a once over, then shrugs and moves on. * Sei follows. The room Neby moves to next seem to serve as storage for a number of odd trinkets and devices. There's a large brass telescope in one corner, although how it's supposed to see out of a room with no windows is anyone's guess. * Ethan wanders into the room, sits, etc. * Sei wanders around, peering at the various items. * Nebrinel snaps her fingers. "I am suddenly reminded. Does the name 'Faydra' ring bells for any of you?" Not particularly... Faydra? * Ada hrms. "Not that I can remember. Why?" * Nebrinel says blandly, "Just curious. Saw the name around here." ...oh? * Ada walks over to the telescope and takes a look through it. Ada sees the wall, greatly magnified. * Ada stands up straight. "That's disappointing." * Ada looks over at Nebrinel. "Where did you see that name, exactly?" * Nebrinel pulls two sheafs of papers out of her pack. "These documents, detailing two artifacts he had here. One of which was our great weapon." * Ada hrms and holds out her hand. "May I see?" * Nebrinel hands over the one on the great weapon. "Sure, go for it." * Ada starts reading. "What's the other one, out of curiosity?" * Nebrinel says, "A staff. Inhabited by a spirit that says it's an elven noble named Faydra." Interesting... Interesting enough, at least. Those were his two big artifacts, it seems. They even had pedestals. He kept his staff on a pedestal? * Nebrinel helpfully points out a pair of pedestals in the room. * Ada glances up at the pedistals, then goes back to reading. "They were gone when you got here?" Here's a question. If this assassin was human, and presumably had no magic, how'd he get in? Assistance? Someone would've had to have teleported him in, right? * Sei nods...or, there are the windows. Because the windows are a bit high for a human to reach. * Nebrinel frowns and says, "He was wearing servant's garb. And I wouldn't rule out magic. He seemed awfully disdainful of our magic for a human." Now, assuming Friya wasn't a moron, he probably had some kind of defenses to keep random people from teleporting in, right? Which would mean whoever teleported the guy in had to have been powerful enough to break through said defenses... (Friyas. There's a s at the end. ^_^;) ( It's 1:30, and I worked a 10 hour shift today. Don't nitpick my spelling. =P ) I wouldn't necessarily say that either. Friyas could have been fooled, and neither Ada nor I had any trouble getting in. * Ada frowns as she walks over to the pedistals and looks them over. "He could have used some sort of magic. I'm proof of that." * Ada nods at Nebrinel. Ruling that out, he could have had a device that did it, or an accomplice. There are plenty of ways in. Yeah, but with Friyas dead, wouldn't the defensive spells disappear? * Ada gestures around the room. "The defense spells are still active in here." ... point. They're just keyed to Friyas. I suppose he wanted to deal with things himself. Okie, I'll leave the magical analysis to you guys. =P * Sei ponders. In any case, he probably took the Weapon. I suggest we find him. * Ethan perks up. "And hit him?" * Ada eyes Ethan. "Maybe." * Nebrinel says, "Of course." And try to avoid getting hit by him. Finally, something for me to do! ^_^ I'll murderlize the bum! *shadow boxes* * Ada sighs and shakes her head. "I think I'm finished here." Sei? Hmm...whatever you all agree on. * Nebrinel raises an eyebrow, "I was asking if you were done, so we could get on with the chase. We're already behind by a day." * Sei smiles. "Sure." I've copied all the books, so... Don't worry, Ada! Despite the fact this guy was good enough to take out an extremely powerful magician who probably would have reduced me to smoking bits in a fight, I'm confident I can take him! *powerpose* * Ada pats Ethan on the shoulder. "Sure. You do that." (Hee, straight from their original versions. ^^) ( *snickers* ) * Nebrinel yawns. "Time to collect Fyril from any jails he might be in, figure out what direction the assasain went, and get going, then." * Sei nods. Works for me. [ AND THEY ALL LIVED HAPPILY EVER AFTER. SESSION END. ]