[ We find Our Heros outside the palace of Tree-By-The-Sea. They've even seen the tree, now. All they must yet do is enter the premesis and confront the lord of the manor. ] [ Session Start! ] ... quick question before we go in. Undead... will just hitting him work, or does this require soul sucking, a special dance performed with each blow... * Nebrinel frowns. "Hitting him will be plenty. If we even see him." Okay, good. * Ada looks around, then pipes in that childlike voice, "Figure out which door we're gonna use yet?" * Nebrinel sighs very slightly. "If Fyril were here..." She walks tree-door- ward, careful to look for the magicacl defenses that must COVER it. * Ada trails Nebrinel, cloak dragging a bit ridiculously behind her. [ Magical defenses do indeed cover the door, for those that can see such things. ] * Sei shrugs, and follows. ... m'assuming there's more blocking that door than a lock, right? * Nebrinel glare at the door angrily, "Yes. Quite perceptive." [ Nebby can try to examine and pick apart the defenses, if she likes. Or she can try a different door. ] * Sei nods. "Quite a lot." 2d10-2 * Dicesuke throws the bones for Nebrinel (2d10-2) and gets 15. * Nebrinel looks at the door carefully! Boy, is she looking. * Ada stifles a yawn and glances around again. [ Nobody's here watching you. The tree, despite being the only greenery in the city that you've seen so far, doesn't seem to be a popular gathering spot. ] I bet they only keep the tree here so Mr. Baron can hang onto his name. * Ethan has the good sense to be quiet while Nebby does her work. * Sei nods. I mean, what else are they gonna call him? Lord of Waste? * Nebrinel smiles thinly. * Ethan pauses for a moment in thought, and his dedication to silence fails him. "Baron Braineater?" * Sei snickers despite himself. * Ada turns, tilting her head to one side and finally regarding the door. 2d10-8 * Dicesuke throws the bones for Ada (2d10-8) and gets 0. 2d10-5 * Dicesuke throws the bones for Nebrinel (2d10-5) and gets 2. [ Nebby does something. It takes about a minute. ] * Nebrinel grips the hilt of Plaguebringer as she does so. * Nebrinel murmurs, "1 down. 4 to go. And if anyone cares to tell me if I'm forgetting something before we are all obliterated, please let me know." [ You haven't seen any patrolls yet, but you don't know if there are any coming. ] * Ethan blinks, as if something is suddenly occuring to him, and starts jogging around the tree in such a way as to give him a view if anyone is coming this way. Tree. Whee. *jogs around tree* Not gonna be obliterated yet. I bet Ethan'll scream nice and loud for you if we are. * Nebrinel concentrates again. "Good to know." 2d10-5 * Sei grins. * Dicesuke throws the bones for Nebrinel (2d10-5) and gets 12. [ Nebby does something. It takes about two minutes. ] [ You all hear a conversation approaching from the left side of the building. Two men are talking about someone else. ] * Ada blinks, cocking her head the other direction. * Ethan jogs around the tree right near the others. "Auntie N! Auntie N!" * Ethan continues jogging around the tree merrily. [ Ethan sees the two people who are talking, since the tree is actually some thirty feet from the door. They both stare at him, and one draws a sword immediately. ] * Nebrinel goes after more locks, because Ethan sucks. 2d10-9 * Dicesuke throws the bones for Nebrinel (2d10-9) and gets -1. [ The two tallish elves in green-and-blue livery approach Ethan. ] [ On the upside, they seem to be ignoring the rest of you. ] [ "You there!" shouts the one that hasn't drawn his sword yet. "What are you doing here?" The other one just scowls. ] * Ada facepalms. * Sei stays to the side, for the time being, with an eyebrow raised. [ Ada looks so cute when she does that! 'Cause, y'know, kid and all. ] 2d10-5 (I'm adorable! Only I'm covered with a cloak 'n' stuff!) * Ethan keeps his head down in his robe as he talks. "The tree, sirs. It's... cool." ( Roll them bones, Zeg. ) (6) ( Modified, that's a 1 for Nebby. ) [ Nebby continues to do something, but it's taking her some time. ] [ One of the elves reaches out and touches the tree. "It feels normall to me." ] [ "Why are you lying to a guard, human?" askes the one with his sword out. "You know there's penalties for that." ] No, no. Not cold. Cool! It's a nifty tree. Different from other trees. [ "'Nifty'. Right." They look at each other. The calmer one shrugs. "Don't look at me. I never studied any of those languages." ] My mistress ordered me to stay here while she did something. I think it was a reward because I didn't drop any of her luggage on the trip here. *pauses* I don't get to see trees much. [ "Your mistress, eh? And just who is that?" ] [ Meanwhile, Nebby finishes doing something. ] * Sei whispers, "Nebrinel, sounds like you're up." My Lady. (Could we hear all that?) [ "No, you stupid human!" Spits the bad cop. "What's her *name*?" ] * Ada frowns in impatience and focuses on the door. * Ethan attempts fear, and cowers back. "I am not permitted to speak her name, honor be to it. I apologize, sirs." (Oh yes. Kevin, roll!) (7) (-8 is -1.) If it assists you, she was clad in a purple robe when I last saw her. [ Yes, you can hear Ethan. ] (... I am not clad in a purple robe. c.c;) (Bah, you could always make your clothes purple.) (Says you. c.c;) ( He's not talking about you, since he's kinda trying to distract attention from you HANGING AROUND SUSPICIOUSLY NEAR THE BACK DOOR. ) (Says me!) (I'm not wearing a robe, either.) [ And, you can hear the guards when one of them says, "I don't buy it." The calm one draws his sword, too, and says levelly "You are under arrest. Hand over that glaive and come with us." ] If you say so, sirs. * Sei looks at Nebrinel and gestures in Ethan's direction, questioningly. * Nebrinel attempts to walk around the tree. Behind the guards, not in front of them. [ Ada does something! ] * Ethan reaches for his glaive, then pauses. "Will you at least attempt to find my lady after you arrest me? If she does not find me here, and has to look for me... she will be very angry." 2d10-3 [ "Sure, right. And we'll try to keep you in one piece for her." ] (And no dice yet. Do that baby, Zeg? ^^;) (7, including the -3.) (That's a make!) * Nebrinel walks up behind the silly people quietly! And then clears her throat and says, somewhat loudly and in a harsh tone, "Ethan!" * Ethan stands up stock straight as he reaches for his glaive. "Yes, my Lady!" [ The two guards jump slightly and turn. "You there! What are you doing... here." Asks the calm one. The angry one is distracted by her prominently displayed chest. ] * Nebrinel uses her breasts to get what she wants. Well, with one of them at least. "I am here because my devoted yet uncultured human servant nee guard has no doubt gotten himself in trouble." Her gaze slides to Ethan. "Again." * Ethan shrinks back. [ "Your servant, hm? And you are?" ] [ "Unbelieveably beauti--" starts the second one before he gets smacked. ] * Sei motions to Ada and heads off to hide, where the guards aren't likely to notice them. (*snicker) * Nebrinel smiles at the complimenter, then says, sternly, proudly, "Lady Amydien of Wooded-Mountain." * Ada is tugged off to hide. Her wide brown eyes keep watching the scene, though. [ "The very one!" cries the bad cop. "Why, I had heard of your beauty, my lady, but I never thought it could be-- Ow!" He finishes, as he gets smacked again. "Stop that!" ] * Nebrinel laughs a little, then says, "I am sure more would have heard of me, if my servants could learn better how to act." Another glare, then looking between the two guards. * Ethan shrinks back s-more, moving to hide behind the two guards from Nebrinel's glare. [ "I had thought that suspicious, m'lady," says the good cop. "He couldn't provide us with your name." The bad cop adds, "Hm? What? Oh, yes. He must be new." ] * Nebrinel nods slightly. "I will be sure to corret him on it again at a later date. Come on now, Ethan, I am sure the guards have business to attend to." * Ethan meekly follows along, head bowed. [ An awkward silence ensues. "Well... m'lady," says the good cop suspiciously. "If you would kindly keep a tighter reign on your servants in the future, it would spare us... further embarassments. Good day." ] [ "I have an apartment in the upper part of the cliff, you know," adds the bad cop helpfully, before being dragged away by his partner. ] * Ethan continues following meekly behind Nebby until she decides to stop. * Nebrinel waits for them to be dragged, then walks around the other side of the tree and mutters, "You have a future in theater, Ethan." * Ada peeks out from the other side of the tower, then starts wandering back once the guards are gone. * Sei follows! * Ethan whispers back. "I just tried to distract them long enough to give you guys a chance to finish what you were doing and hide. If I had a future in theater, they woulda bought it." *grins* No, if you had known anything about elven society, they would have bought it. Now. * Nebrinel looks at the door. (Did Ada take out the lock spell?) * Sei nods. "That was impressive!" * Ethan blinks. "What was wrong with my cowering servant act?" * Nebrinel mutters, "Proper elven servants do not cower." You would have mentioned your lady's name immediately and impressed upon them just how great she was. (Yup.) ... ah. Okay. * Ada chimes in with, "They like being reminded of that kind of thing constantly." Didn't know that. *scratches head* Never had occasion to be an servant to an elf. Thankfully. * Nebrinel nods slightly, then says, "Yes. Shyness is for spies and operatives and mages disguising themselves as bards. Also. Thank you, Ada. Shall we go?" Well, s'good to know for future knowledge. Can we go in now? But I *am* a bard. And you're welcome. * Sei grins. * Nebrinel walks up to the door! It's a long walk, because the GM isn't here. I probably coulda stabbed 'em both in the throat, kept 'em from screaming for help... but I didn't wanna chance it. * Sei nods. "The less violence, the better." * Ada wanders off. "They would've gurgled," she says, matter of factly and in that odd voice. Maybe, maybe not. Just weighed the risks, and decided on the subtle option. One of the keys to war is knowing which battles not to fight, after all. * Nebrinel seems to be weighting something, then reaches her hand out to the door and lets a little magic fly. 2d10-9 * Dicesuke throws the bones for Nebrinel (2d10-9) and gets -4. 2d10-9 * Dicesuke throws the bones for Nebrinel (2d10-9) and gets -2. [ Nebby holds her hand out to the lock, which turns red in short order and slowly begins to slough off. ] ... nifty. * Ada folds her hands, rocking back on her heels, then forward, then back again. * Sei nods. "Nice!" * Nebrinel burn burn burns. "I must remember to ask Fyril about the finer points of picking locks. I am rusty." [ Eventually, the lock is completely melted, the motel metal oozing down the door with sizzles and crackles. ] ( Molten metal, even. ) * Nebrinel pushes the door open. "It's quiet time now." She walks in! Finally! I usually just break 'em down. *pauses* Guess that's why I never got into the advanced scouting and recon classes. * Ethan nods, and gets quietish. Probably. * Ada follows. * Sei nods. * Sei follows! [ Inside, the palace is roomy. You appear to be in a large ball room. There is a single exit directly ahead of you. ] ( >N ) ( > Or is it S? ) ( Right now? SE. ) ( Not that it matters. It's 'Forward'. ) ( Yes, but if we're not careful, we'll wander into the darkness and be eaten by a grue. ) * Nebrinel goes that forward way! * Ada tags along! Yay! [ Nebrinel walks across the room. There is a door there, closed and unguarded. ] * Ethan draws his glaive smoothly as he walks along, pushing back his hood as he does. * Sei puts on his ring as he walks to the door. * Ethan pointedly does NOT eat as he walks. That'd be downright unstealthy. [ Nebrinel reaches the door. It seems unimpressed with her looks. ] * Nebrinel frowns, then goes to the melting again. Silent, silent melting. [ The door does not seem to have an obvious lock. Are you sure you want to melt the handles anyway? ] (Okay, the obvious 'open the door' option shouldn't have been a great 'take 5 minutes' decision, Yu. We open normal doors!) (You're leading. Open the door! ^_~) * Nebrinel opens the door! >_> [ The door is open! Ahead is a large hallway. Doors line either side at irregular intervals. At the end of the hallway, about sixty feet along, is the back of a stairway leading up. ] [ Nobody is in the hallway. ] * Ethan shrugs his shoulders questioningly at the others. * Ada looks to Nebrinel. "Your show." * Sei nods. * Nebrinel starts walking down the hallway. "Looking for down." * Ethan nods, and follows. * Ada keeps a-goin'. * Sei follows, looking around for the stairs. [ On the left a ways in is a door marked 'Laboratory'. It might just be what you're looking for. ] ( o/~ It's a sinister day in the laboratory, sinister day in the laboratory... o/~ ) (Bwahaha!) * Nebrinel turns towards the lab door. Is it normal, locked, magically enchanted, etc? >_> [ It's got magic aplenty alll over it. ] * Ada giggles. "This'll be fun." [ But it's not locked. Just magicy. ] ... Ada's giggling. I'm gonna be over here. *scoots back a few steps* 2d10-8 * Dicesuke throws the bones for Ada (2d10-8) and gets 5. * Nebrinel looks over at Ada and says quietly, "You have been acting strangely all day." She quiets down as Ada gets with the magic. * Ada gestures, and her fingers look a little slimmer than usual. "No idea what you're talking about, Aunt Nebrinel." * Sei raises an eyebrow. ... yes, of course not. * Ethan tilts his head at Ada, and strokes his goatee, but doesn't say anything. No distrubing the lady doing the magiks. 2d10-8 * Dicesuke throws the bones for Ada (2d10-8) and gets 2. [ Ada plays with magic for a couple minutes. Nobody comes out and spots any of you, and eventually the door is safely openable. ] 4 2d10-8 * Dicesuke throws the bones for Ada (4 2d10-8) and gets 2 4 1 5. * Ada finishes, stretches a little, and actually opens the door. Or tries to. [ Ada succeeds; the door is opened. ] * Sei grins. "Well done." * Ada goes in! * Nebrinel nods slightly, then will walk in carefully! Labs might be populated! * Sei follows! * Ethan follows, giving a last glance at the hallway before entering. [ Inside the door is a wrought-iron spiral staircase leading down. ] *quietly* Close the door behind us? Yes. * Ethan closes the door behind them! [ The door is now closed, with you inside it! There is no light in here. ] * Ethan produces a glowing fish, which gives off a soft light. (... what?) * Ada eyes Ethan. ... * Sei nods, and says quietly, "Good choice of species." * Ethan blinks at the light, then eyes the fish in his hand. "... cool. Glowfish." * Sei grins. "Wouldn't have thought of that, myself." ... Just don't eat it. Won't. Yet. M'a bit hungry, though. Enh, they're perfectly safe, actually. * Nebrinel will walk down. c.c; * Sei will follow! * Ada walks after, yes. [ After a while of walking down the fish-lit stairs, you reach the bottom, which ends in another door. ] * Ethan holds out the fish by the tail as they walk. (What's all with the door!) * Ada peers at the door for a moment, then just opens the thing. * Sei peers inside! [ The door opens. Someone is inside! A tall, elven figure with pale skin and dark hair turns. "What? Who's there!" ] ( Avon calling! ) [ He turns and draws a sword. The sword is large, and has something odd clamped onto it, all gems and gold tracery. It gives off a slight Morganti feel.] ( "Flowers for Baron Tree-By-The-Sea!" "I didn't order any flowers..." "Er, I mean, SCOWLS for Baron Tree-By-The-Sea!" ) * Ada smiles cheerily and waves, stepping in and taking in the surroundings. "Hi!" * Nebrinel says, with a small smile. "Nebrinel Amydien," and pulls out Plaguey, who is keeping his Morganti effect in. "I'd like to ask you for one of your pieces of a Great Weapon, but somehow, I doubt it will go that well." [ "Bah! You have broken into my home, and I shall kill you for it." And then he gives it a real good shot! ] [ Session End. ]