SESSION 20D: THE TALK OF THE TOWN
April 27th, 2008
The 8th Day of Kadal in the 790th Year of the Seyrunian Dynasty
GATHERING AT THE GHOSTLY MINSTREL
When they had gotten some distance away from the cathedral, Tee asked Dominic whether he thought they ought to tell Mand Scheben about what was happening. “Even if he can’t advise us, I think he should at least hear it from us.”
Dominic agreed and they headed over to the Temple of Asche. Unfortunately, Mand Scheben wasn’t there. They made plans to come back the next day. They also tried to meet with Lord Zavere, but he was also out (Kadmus told them that he had gone out with Lord Abbercombe and was not expected back until the next morning).
Stymied (at least for the moment), they returned to the Ghostly Minstrel in time to meet the rest of the group for dinner.
Tee and Dominic gave a brief, but complete, overview of what had happened with the Silver Fatar. Dominic also told them that he had decided to simply not show up at the Temple of the Clockwork God the next day. He still wasn’t sure what Maeda wanted, but he didn’t feel safe about it.
With that decision made, Elestra began telling them everything she had learned that day about Pythoness House; the second Flayed Man killing; and – most exciting of all – the fact that their names were being mentioned all over town as a result of Shilukar’s capture!
“It’s being talked about all over town?” Tee said.
“Yes!” Elestra said.
Tee’s face went white. She pushed her chair back and stood up quickly. “Excuse me. I have to go.”
She ran out of the Ghostly Minstrel, leaving the others to look after her and exchange puzzled frowns.
ANOTHER INTERLUDE WITH TEE
Tee ran up the hill to Emerald Hill, through the gates of Iridithil’s Home, and straight to Doraedian’s office.
Doraedian’s desk was covered in various bits of parchment and he was sorting through them. He smiled wryly as she came in. “Tee… It seems you’ve been quite busy.”
“Leytha?”
“It’s true, isn’t it? You captured Shilukar?”
“With the help of my friends.”
“Of course. But your name keeps finding its way to the most interesting places.” Doraedian smiled. “You have grown beyond your years, Tee. I’m very proud of you.”
Tee started to smile, but it faltered. “But I feel lost. I wish I knew if I was following the right path… Do you think I’m doing the right thing?”
“I can no longer judge your choices, Tee.”
Tee didn’t know how to respond to that. After a moment, Doraedian continued. “Why are you here?”
“I don’t know… I…” Tee trailed off.
“The path you’re on is taking you to places where I cannot guide. I don’t know if you can take any comfort from that, but I do.”
Tee frowned. Then she seemed to reach a decision. “There’s something else.”
“Oh?”
“You remember my friend Dominic? The priest?” Tee quickly described the mark of Vehthyl and the arrangement which had been made with Rehobath.
Doraedian’s face was grave by the time she was done. “He’s calling a convocation?”
Tee nodded.
“I shall have to bring news of this to the Commissar,” Doraedian said. “Thank you for bringing this to my attention.”
“Do you think we did the right thing? Do you think Dominic should go?”
“I don’t know. If he has been chosen by one of the nine gods, then perhaps he’s doing exactly what he should be doing and can do nothing else. I know little of such matters. But if the Silver Fatar is planning a religious gathering like this, then the Commissar should be warned so that proper preparations can be made.”
AN EVENING WITH TEE
Tee left Doraedian feeling more conflicted and confused than ever. She felt the need to clear her head – to relax and put the constant cares that plagued her conscience behind her, even if it could only be for a single evening.
Her thoughts drifted to the thousands of gold pieces she was carrying in her bag of holding. She realized that she was richer than she had ever dreamed of being. Somehow the reality of that seemed distant to her more often than not.
More than that, she was dressed in some of her finest clothes – she had changed into them to meet with Rehobath and never had a chance to change out of them. She was struck by the desire to go some place expensive. Some place carefree.
She headed to the White House. It was the most prestigious gambling establishment and brothel in Oldtown. Tee was surprised when the guards standing in front of the white marble façade scarcely gave her a second glance as she passed through the doors.
The interior of the White House was luxurious – but a very different sort of luxury than the one she had seen in the Outer Cathedral earlier that day. The cathedral had possessed the regality of age – it was a mature and elegant sort of luxury. But the White House was gaudy – a youthful and exuberant luxury that sought to lavish its patrons with pleasures.
There were only a dozen or so tables – but all of them sported the highest of stakes. Tee dabbled at a gambling wheel, but then settled down to games of green dragonscales.
Tee had been worried that the news of the day might have followed her to the White House, but instead almost everyone she talked to seemed to be most fascinated by the news that mrathrach – a game that she knew had begun down city in the Cock Pit – was moving uptown to the White House. A mrathrach wheel was being installed and the news was that it would be operational within mere days.
She lost a small fortune (although it was only a minor dent in her current finances), and then slowly spent the rest of the evening earning it back bit by bit.
TEE AND THE DREAMING APOTHECARY
It was very late when Tee returned to the Ghostly Minstrel, but Elestra was still in the common room nursing a drink. She grinned and waved as Tee came in.
“We were worried about you. I thought I’d stay up and make sure you came back all right.”
Tee smiled. “Quite all right… now anyway. Actually, I’m glad you waited up. I was wondering if I could borrow that token of the Dreaming Apothecary that Jevicca gave you?”
“Of course!”
They headed upstairs, stopping by Elestra’s room long enough for Tee to grab the token, and then said their goodnights.
Tee headed straight to her room and placed the token under her pillow. Then she eased herself into a dreaming trance.
After a time, Tee seemed to wake in her own room… but with her skills she quickly identified the telltale signs of the Dreaming.
An elven woman dressed all in white and glowing with a soft, white light floated in the center of her room. The woman’s eyes were milky white and her long, blond hair flowed about her as if she were floating in water.
“What do you wish from us?”
Tee quickly described several pieces of mage-touched equipment. The floating woman named a price that would exhaust almost all of Tee’s funds, and this gave Tee a moment of pause… but only a moment.
“Place the coins in a bag upon the table at the side of your bed. We shall collect it and deliver the items as soon as the enchantments have been worked upon them.”
The woman smiled and began to fade to ethereal nothingness. As she disappeared, Tee felt the blackness of sleep washing over her… but she recognized this as a false impression and fought against it.
She forced her eyes open to find herself still in the Dreaming… but now she stood atop the Spire, able to see for miles in every direction. She looked down and saw, where the city should be, nothing but an empty grassland stretching from the base of the Jeweled Cliffs to the Southern Sea. A black speck was moving through the grasses.
Then, unexpectedly, her vision sharpened like an eagle’s. At first she could see that the black speck was a man and then, suddenly, she could make out every detail of him.
The strange knight seemed to be searching for something. His gaze crossed back and forth across the grasslands. And then, abruptly, the knight looked up at the Spire. His gaze seemed to pierce her. Tee stumbled back in surprise…
… and woke in her own bed with the morning light streaming through her window.
RANTHIR’S LABORS
After returning from the Necropolis, Ranthir had retired to his rooms at the Ghostly Minstrel. He had been hoping for several weeks – almost since waking up in the Ghostly Minstrel for the first time – to have the time to perform a lengthy and complicated ritual. Now that he had a day free, he leapt at the opportunity.
He began by drawing up detailed astrological charts showing the positions of the stars and the planets as they had been reflected at the time of his birth. (He had prepared such charts before, but they had been left behind in Isiltur. The gods alone knew what might have become of them by now.)
He then compared these charts to various magical texts he had collected. These texts were copies of incredibly old works – works almost as old as the practice of magic itself. They outlined a formula and, by comparing this formula to the details of his astrological charts and working in the factors of Ptolus’ geographic location and certain other details, Ranthir was able to work out the particular details of the ritual he would need to perform.
With the ritual designed, Ranthir took the time to bathe – anointing himself with alchemical oils – and donned fresh garments of clean linen. Then, with his window open, he took a freshly crafted, unused brass brazier and filled it with fragrant wood. Setting it ablaze he cast into it a variety of herbs, spices, fluids, and minerals – each carefully measured and the interval between them precisely timed.
Then, for many long hours – as the brazier burned – Ranthir recited aloud the magical verses of binding. The words fused the rites of the ritual and Ranthir could feel his soul reaching out… calling out…
In the wee hours of the morning, the call of Ranthir’s soul was answsered. There came a snuffling sound at his window. Rising from his lotus position, Ranthir crossed the room and held out his hand. Into it crept a tiny, white hedgehog.
And Ranthir named his familiar Erinaceidae.
MAND SCHEBEN
(09/09/790)
By the time the others had finished breakfast, Ranthir still hadn’t emerged from his room. So Tee and Dominic decided that they would head back to the Temple of Asche and see if they could gain an audience with Mand Scheben. They felt strongly that he shouldn’t hear about Dominic’s alliance with Rehobath second hand.
Mand Scheben was at the temple this morning and was more than happy to see them.
Tee and Dominic had been worried that Mand Scheben would be upset, but he soon set these fears to rest. “The Imperial Church may hold us in low regard, but although I fear that the Church itself has lost its way I have no doubt that many of those who serve it hear the true voice of the gods.”
Religious Note: Mand Scheben serves as one of the head priests for the Reformist church known as the Temple of Asche. This temple was dedicated to Asche, one of the saints of Itehl – the patron saint of cities.
He did caution them not to trust Rehobath too much. “Remember that you are the one to bear the mark. Not him.”
