Greyband nods and follows the man, standing ramrod-straight and nodding to the others.



Greyband bows respectfully as the king approaches before straightening back to his ramrod-straight posture. "As my learned companion states, we are here to be of aid. We can even boast of having good fortune in pursuit of another quest involving a gem, as Jayanti, Orin and I were among those who freed the princess from the ruby curse some years ago.

"Please do tell us more: where is the Elvenstar now? What fell things keep it from you?"

Following the others into the Citadel, Jarder takes in the sights and does his best to control any 'impulse' to acquire something.

Waiting his turn and then bowing he adds to Greybands question; "Aid we shall give you, but please tell us what this Elvenstar is and where we can find it?"

Killian's ears perked up "Elvenstar?"

OOC: Sorry for the short post.  Busy days.
This message was last edited by the player at 14:56, Sat 22 June 2019.

Patch nodded his head as the merchant explained. "That is well. The young ones are needful in times of plenty... even moreso now..." The tall cleric tapped his weathered staff on the street a time or two, a faraway look in his eyes as the lines around them tightened momentarily.

"Times are difficult, but they'll soon change if my companions and I have any degree of success. When that happens, remember what you've done in times of want and double it when the spoils once again fall to the wayside and find homes in the gutters."

He made a strange gesture, made eye contact with each, and then turned to follow his new companions toward their meeting with royalty.

~~~

When they arrived at the library, Patch joined the mage in gaping at the books. He seemed nearly as interested, and of all the things he might have said to a King at first impression, the following was what he asked...

"Do any of them have pictures Your Majesty, perhaps?"

Like the others, Orin found the library very impressive.  He was not especially fond of book learning and such, but he recognized and respected the wealth and knowledge the accumulated tomes and scrolls represented.  And of course from his stature it looked all the more impressive.

He bowed to the mage-king when Greyband introduced he and Jayanti and uttered a polite, "Your majesty" but otherwise kept his mouth hidden behind his whiskers and his ears open wide.  When the king mentioned the stone Elvenstar Orin suddenly shuffled a little nervously.  Another stoneAnother stoneAnother stone, he thought.  Anvil of the Mountain Lord, not a second cursed gift from the dwarves, I hope!

”Elvenstar was a gift of the great sages of the Fae,” Gylharen explains, ”It was given to us in an hour of great need and served as the  source of our victory, and our ongoing protection.”

“Years ago, our kingdom was trying to hold back an invasion from the barren lands to the north, Denagoth. Their highly trained lancers and the savage bands of orcs and goblins that served them had brought our smaller army to the brink of destruction. They were led by a fiend, a necromancer of terrible power called Landryn Teriak, known to his servants as the Shadow Lord.”

“The Fae, who understood our desire to rule Wendar justly, saw our plight and gifted the Elvenstar to us, a sapphire the size of a man’s fist, suffused with silver light. It served to strengthen the magic we used, many, many times over. With the stone at hand, I and the wizards of the realm were able to repel the invasion. When the war had ended, the sapphire served to power the wards we created to guard the valley, workings that have held evil forces at bay for decades now.”

He sighs heavily, leaning on the table with his palms. ”One of the apprentice wizards who came here to learn, a young man named Camla, betrayed us all and stole Elvenstar. It was a year ago, and it is certain that he spirited the stone away to Denagoth. I must presume it lies in the possession of the Shadow Lord, or whoever has succeeded him in leading that terrible land.”

He shakes his head. ”Since that time, droughts have decimated our crops and plague has ravaged our people. Our borders are harassed by raids and my spies report armies amassing just beyond the Mengul Mountains.”

“If we catch up to this Camla, he will pay dearly for his crime.  Those who betray all must fall.”

A light has come on behind his eyes, as though revenge was a more tantalizing prospect than even fighting and plunder... even if it was revenge on another’s behalf.
This message was last edited by the player at 06:45, Tue 25 June 2019.

Jayanti bows.

"Your Majesty...is there reason to believe that the Shadow Lord has mastered the secrets of the Elvenstone to protect his kingdom, as it was used here? If so, how could its magics be used against us as we get closer to the artifact?"

Greyband nodded, waiting for an answer to Jayanti's very good question.

The king shakes his head emphatically. ”No. The stone draws its power from the pure energies of the Fae. They cannot be harnessed by those of corrupt intent. The Shadow Lord cannot turn the Elvenstar against us, only deprive us of its protection by its absence.”

Jayanti nods and glances to Greyband. "That's a relief!"

Killian listened to the King as he explained the power of the Elvenstar.  The Elf shook his head sadly "Warding your realm was not enough, your majesty.  The Elves have used that strategy for untold centuries.  We have thought that keeping what is ours hidden and protected would keep us safe.  My brethren continue to think that, but it is untrue.  Time and again we have been pushed back, defeated and retreat more.

"Safety is not achieved by Elf-like passivity.  My House has finally acknowledged that Truth and we have grown strong by fighting back, by seeking out likely threats and allies both.  It is why I am here as a representative of House Hawkfire."

Greyband nods sagely at this. He then turns back to the king. "Can you give us any insight about how we can track it down? Any magical tips, or a last known location? Or maybe a contact in the kingdom who can give us a lead?"

Patch rubbed a little dust away from the spine of a particularly ancient-looking tome, seemingly disinterested in the conversation going on somewhat away from him.

"... or perhaps something we might use as bait to catch someone - or something - that might be encouraged to share certain information with us?" he asked over his shoulder, betraying the fact that he had indeed been paying close heed.

“Quite so, Master Elf,” Gylhaten says in somber agreement, ”I fear I have become complacent with the state of Wendar’s army, content to only have soldiers stationed at each of our borders, vigilant for raiders, not entire armies. It is a mistake I am seeking to correct even now, but I am doubtful that we would be ready, should invaders from Denagoth arrive in the coming weeks.”

Addressing the other adventurers’ questions, the king replies, ”Myself and a few of my fellow wizards have been able to obtain visions regarding Elvenstar’s location. It is in a tower, on a barren plateau in the northern part of Denagoth. Beyond that, my and others’ sight has been restricted, likely by the efforts of the Shadow Lord.”

“For aid, I mean to lend you the services of one of my finest soldiers, one who has braved parts of the Mengul Mountains before.”

“Also...just beyond the mountain pass in Denagoth is a village called Geron. The Shadow Lord’s forces maintain a barracks there. One of my spies has infiltrated the town and will be waiting there to share what he has learned with you. Even I do not know what he looks like, but he will respond to a password. Should you ask him, ’What is the price of gray breeches?”, he will answer, ’Not much, unless the trim is gold.””
This message was last edited by the player at 01:45, Fri 28 June 2019.

Greyband grins. "A pass-phrase that I can stand by, that's for certain. Grew up in grey breeches, after all."

He looks at his companions. "I've heard all I need to. Anyone else have questions?"

"Agreed.  I am good and would like to get this started.  the faster we get moving the sooner we get this Sapphire back here and fix the problems."

The eccentric cleric's face turned away from the books and toward the king, his eyes seemed to twinkle. "A passphrase! How delicious! But you realize, oh King, that a countersign should be employed on the rare chance that someone actually IS interested in the price of breeches..." He began to suggest several but his companions' urgency brought him up short. "I'll have a word with this agent your Majesty. It is, in fact, something I've a particular, religious, interest in you understand."

"I'm at the disposal of the party, weary and winding roads are no stranger to me,

ever forward, seldom back,
the branches split and merge along the track,
dusty, dry or muddy wet,
hailing passers-by I've not yet met,
a hearth, a humble Inn
found at the day's long, exhausting end...

Yes, let's go find this Shadow fellow and share with him the riddle of steel."

“Why must it be gray breeches?  Gray is such a dull, insidious color.  Why not something more cheerful, such as pink breeches?  I would pay a much higher price for the pink.”

Will they realize he merely jests?  He waits.  The last time he tried a variation on this gag, he nearly received a crossbow bolt to the throat in response.
This message was last edited by the player at 06:36, Sun 30 June 2019.

Orin regarded Neuken with bushy eyebrows tilted high on his craggy brow and glinting blue eyes tinged with surprise.  I hadn't figured an evil greater than anything in Denagoth to favour pink, he thought with a mixture of amusement and alarm.  But it takes all kinds...

"Ahruum, yes...er, pink."  Orin coughed, blinked twice, then turned to their regal host.  "I have a question if I might, your majesty.  I am not familiar with the lands of Denagoth, nor of the people who live there.  Can we expect to be able to move about freely if we do nothing in particular to attract attention?  Are elves and dwarves," he waved a hand at his non-human companions, ending by taping his own breastplate, "common sights?  Or must we slink about to avoid any notice at all?"

The king pauses momentarily, blinking at Orulto as though stymied for a response. When Starshine speaks up, he gives his attention to the dwarven warrior.

”From what our spy has been able to tell me, southern Denagoth is primarily populated by humans and orcs. From what I am given to understand, the further north one travels, the more creatures of a monstrous kind they will encounter.”

“However, it seems Denagoth is willing to open its doors to any that would serve it in a mercenary capacity, regardless of heritage. So, I am inclined to think that should you put on a believable front as a sword for hire, one appropriately devoid of morals, you will encounter little trouble.”

He pauses. ”However, I must tell you that I am uncertain how Denagoth guards its border, but whatever method it uses, it is an effective one. Almost all of the scouts and spies I have tried to send into the realm have never been heard from again. The one spy who reached the barren country, the one you can seek out in Geron, was an outdoorsman of some renown. He traveled through the mountains themselves and the journey took him the better part of a year. We thought him dead, until he was able to send word to us. Time would necessitate that you use the passes to gain entrance to Denagoth. But be cautious. Somehow, they are able to halt those that mean them harm.”

“I will, of course, provide you with fresh mounts, rations, and letters of passage for my forces to the north. Renia, one of my finest scouts, will accompany you as well.”

“You will rest here, in the Citadel, tonight. At first light, all will be ready for your departure.”

Just as Gylharen promised, fresh horses from the king’s stable await the adventurers in the citadel’s courtyard at the break of dawn, their saddlebags filled with all that the company members would require for the journey. Already mounted on one of the steeds is a red haired female warrior, clad in chainmail, a long sword at her belt and a spear strapped to her back. She greets the group with a smile and a nod.

”I am called Renia. I’ve served in the king’s army since I was of age. I’ve ridden the pass to Denagoth many times, setting ambushes for the lancers and orcs that seek to enter the valley. I’m eager to enter that terrible realm. To take back what belongs to Wendar and see those that stole it punished for the evil they’ve visited upon us.”

“Unless any of you desire otherwise, I mean for us to ride at a quick pace. If we do, we should reach the mountain passes by midday.”

Killian frowned at Neuken, but said nothing.

Once the group meets Renia the Elf gave a quick nod to the soldier "Welcome, a brisk ride sounds like the correct course.  Shall we go?"

Greyband shoots Neuken a look that suggests that a crossbow bolt might, in fact, be forthcoming. "Anyhow..." he growls, restraining himself for the moment.



Greyband nods seriously. <goldenrod>"A reasonable caution, thank you." He spends a moment mulling the matter while the king continues his offer of resources.

He then thanks the king warmly, if formally, and retires to enjoy the king's hospitality.



Greyband had drank well but rose early to inspect their new equipment and mounts. He surveys their health and, at Renia's words nods. "That's assuming all of us can ride steeds this tall and stout."

“We should carefully consider our plan well before we arrive,” Neuken suggests.  “If we intend to pose as mercenaries seeming employment, I heartily recommend myself for the position of party leader and speaker.  I’m very fluent in the language of evil.”