After a time, the door opens and two figures come in.  The first you reconise as the gnome that serves the blackstaff. The second is a middle aged woman, lithe with silver hair. Her blue eyes are piercing and her robe is a color of silver with purple and blue trim.

The woman looks at Khelben with a neutral look. "I was on my way back when Garan found me."He voice was musical, but almost tired. Khelben smiled for the first time looking at her.

"Forgive me my dear but this is of some urgency."

The woman looked at each of the party coming closer, standing closest to Sonori, and her eyes fell on the stone.

The woman moaned in pain, her eyes glowing white, her hand gripping the chair Sonori sat in, her hand brushing the woman.


Within seconds, the womans eyes stop glowing, and she breathes heavily. She looks up at Khelben with a hint of fear in her eyes. "They awaken" she mutters as she looks at the stone again.

The gnome, perplexed, steps up beside his mistress. She looks at him. "Find Stormwing for me....i need to send a message."

She looks at the party. "I am Laeral Silverhand, mistress of teh tower. You look for the old one, don't you?"

Rivka was just as awed by the female sorceress as she had by the sorcerer they'd originally been talking to.    She said nothing, but almost rushed instinctively to the woman's side when she seemed to have some kind of attack.  But it was over too quickly.

"I seek to preserve the balance." Oler states, while hoping the others will fill in more details of their own motivations and desires.

  "But of course Lady Silverhand. Well him primarily. There are other things we will be requiring I'm sure before this is done, but none else except a moment of your time and your sister's time at the moment. And if you might know more then Master Arunsun and myself."

Sonori was a bit startled when Laeral moaned in apparent pain and grasped the back of her chair, but was more so when the two brushed. She gasped, shut her eyes, and after a moment, opened them again, eyelids fluttering. She glanced around at everyone, but no one else seemed particularly perturbed. She looked up at Laeral, into her eyes. "Time for what?" she asked directly of Laeral.

The bard was as startled as anyone when the Lady Laural moaned in pain.  Her question caught him completely off guard.  "Wait," he said quietly to no one in particular, "now I'm a bit confused.  Is it we who are seeking the old one?  I rather thought it was the other way around."
This message was last edited by the player at 00:38, Thu 19 Mar 2020.

Now it is both Turbalio.

Nym replies just as quietly.

"Oh, very good.  Thank you for clarifying, Nym," he said in a whisper, looking quite uncomfortable as he considered what it meant for both the group and this old one to seek one another.

The woman looked at Sonori with a furrowed brow. "You heard that?" She looked at the gnome with a perplexed look, but drew her focus from her to Yacob. "I do not know much.  All i know what the stone has told me. those who were once dormant have now awoken....The mistress and The old one."

she looked at the stone. "One has been used for years now, known by the elves to the north, but it's master uses it rarely....wisely so." She walked around the desk and sat down. "the mistress and The old one....you know him as Zarmatan, are part of something old and great, something that has been in action since the begining."

Khelben stood, guiding the woman to his seat as she held her head. "It was told to me by zarmatan himself this tale.  Long ago that the role of these two is prophets of aligning prophecies, seen as one good and one evil, but in reality the same coin, just opposite sides. Their destenies are intertwined. While one lives the other cannot die. "

She sighed then continued. "Their power is limitless, but also limited.  One cannot act without the other, and their power is equal. Destructive and potent, their battles have destroyed cities and wiped races from existence. Zarmatan, guidance of the light, is usually the one who doesn't act until the mistress does. Being a soin of darkness, she revels in destruction"

The woman sighed. "that is all i know, other than my sister knows more. Go to her.....to waterdeep. She knows the man known as Zarmatan, has worked and trained with him herself. If anyone knows where he is, it is her."

Rivka's eyes widened at the phrase 'wiped races from existence'.  It seemed...unthinkable.

Sonori nodded, "Yes, and saw - you saw it too, when we touched, didn't you? What was the shimmering in the center?"

Would your sister know more about unlocking the stones secrets? if we are stand against the mistress we will need there power.

"This other stone, does your sister have it?" Oler asks plainly.

The woman shook her head. "I fear only he knows the extent of what this is" She again looked at Sonori with a perplexed look.

"We tried once to intervene in his war....it did not go well. No, we will not help unless he asks us. You find him and learn what you must."

She looks at Sonori. "As for you....you have a gift. Not like mine, something else, and i do not mean your ability with water. No, you have a part to play in this." She paused locking eyes with her. "I saw it....my gift, but never has one come with me. I do not know what it means, like you, but i know it's important."

She leans forward in the seat, eyes still locked on Sonori, unnervingly. "Your mind is sharp and will is strong. You will need it."

the woman stands, holding her hand to her brow. "I need to rest Khelben.  See our gests out....they have a long journey ahead."She turns to the party. "...and when you see my sister, send her my love."

The woman walks out, leaving the party (And Khelben) a little confused. The gnome page shuffles in, snapping the man out of his reprieve. "these people have a long journey ahead. Organise mounts to be delivered to their in in the morning. I will have a letter for them also, that you can deliver to Lady Elustriel."

He looked at Oler with a neutral look. "I do not know...she mention elves and the north. perhaps there."

he looks at Yacob. "I wish i could have helped more, perhaps my wife shed some light, but it is clear. If you look for Zarmatan, silverymoon is your best bet. Go to the inn, rest and i will have horses delievered to youo in the morning. I will send word to your uncle Master Yacob....tell him what i can. You can leave when you want, but given my wife's reaction, i suggest you do not tarry."
This message was last edited by the GM at 04:52, Fri 20 Mar 2020.

It took him a bit to understand, but Nino walked over and showed the human his gauntlet. Nino was proud of it and even banged it on the table.

  "If I could get there today I would. Have no doubt about that. But I think we might stay a day or two at the most to make sure we prepare properly for this undertaking. No more than a few days. the dwarf agrees.

OOC: While I want to be prepared as possible Yacob wouldn't stay more than three days he just wouldn't. If you could present a good enough case he might stay for a fiveday. But we need to make a call on that.

Nino looked at Bob Bob and was a tad annoyed that he tried to get the human to not look at his gauntlet. Then Nino thought about beer.
This message was last edited by the player at 23:26, Thu 19 Mar 2020.

I believe it is in our collective best interests to leave for Waterdeep first thing in the morning.

Nym turns to look at Oler.

It looks like we might be headed home to the High Forest as well my friend.

We should stay here in Waterdeep we can take time to prepare more safely. It,s a huge city where we can blend in easy. Also from what I've heard we can find anything we might need here.
This message was last edited by the player at 09:54, Fri 20 Mar 2020.

Sonori was herself rather perplexed. She scratched the back of her neck, watching Lady Silverhand leave while thinking about what she saw and what she said. She had never had a vision. The special power her god had given her was breathing water. Why had she shared a vision? What did it really mean? "There were eight stones in the vision. Plus... something else. Something shimmering. Something that I think is just as important as the stones but maybe not as bound to a physical form? I don't know. But we have one stone, we know where one more is. Is there anyone else here in this city who we should talk to who might know where more are?"

Khelben looks at Nino's hand with wonder at the gauntlet. He looked at him, hoping to touch it, but the dwarf had an empty expression.  He gingerly touched the metal and smiled. "It's warm, almost like the temperature of skin" The dwarf, giving a cheeky smile, grasped the handle in the gauntlet, causing a huge two handed mace of black to appear. Khelben gasped at it and smiled again. "What a wonder..." he muttered, touching the axe handle.

Khelben shook away his wonder and looked at Sonori, his gaze going to Nino, now having fum making different weapons from a dagger, to a scimitar, to a battle axe. No one knows of these stones, even me.  I suspected my wife did from the mention of Zarmatan, as with her sister. I don't know how much Elustriel may know, but she worked closer with Elminster and even spent some time under Zarmatan, though only a few months"

He sighed as he sat. "She said to keep your mind on the goal, but she also told you to remember what you saw. I have no more answers for you."

He looked at Yacob. "Your uncle has done me a favor here sending you, both with anthel's keep and this." he looked at the stone and Nino. "I would have you keep me posted if you would."

Kell is deep in contemplation while this conversation happened. Such powers and matters were beyond him, yet perhaps some anippet of useful information was tucked away in one of the historical records he had studied as a youth.

03:04, Today: Kell rolled 4 using 1d20+3.  Martial Lore.

03:04, Today: Kell rolled 19 using 1d20+3.  Knowledge History.

Oler had no love for big cities, but he could get the materials here readily to make some potions. He thought they'd be better prepared with some potions but didn't seem most of the group wanted to take the time to prepare. He could perhaps purchase a few supplies and make potions later but he'd still first need to know what potions they wanted and some coin to buy the materials here.

"It would be easier to get supplies to make potions here, I have no love of the city myself but it would be much quicker here. Elsewhere we would have to spend more time searching for the materials necessary to make a potion. If we had some coin to buy supplies and an idea of what we might want I could get supplies now and make them later though." Oler suggests.

Cure Light Wounds, Lessor Vigor, maybe a strength potion or two, stuff useful for us. Dexterity and wisdom."

Kell suggests "a Protection vs Evil oil would not be amiss. Keep mental domination at bay should we encounter Her."