As they walked back to the main door and on their way to find the church, Ilsa asked, "Now that we have been paid, what supplies or equipment do we need?" As impressed as she was by the payment, anything she might want (like better armor) would cost more than they had, except food and incidentals, which she delegated to Shirok to worry about.
This message was last edited by the player at 21:08, Fri 15 Jan 2010.

For the first time since having known her, Stan catches a glimpse of Kaele at a terrible end of her anger—and an end she rarely visits.  She ignores Stan's question and regards the succubus with contempt, steping past Stan and eyeing the temptress keenly.
“The tower, creature!” she cries out in frustration.  “We wish to know what happened at the tower!”
Clementine jumps back, but quickly regains her devil-may-care composure.  “In some realms, spouses are protected from testifying against one another,” she quips with a devish grin.  “Oh!  Were you referring to The Glass Tower?  My apologies,” she sneers sarcastically and offering a low bow.  “The only clue I will be inclined to tell either of you is this,” she continues as she eyes Stan and Kaele, “Azazel.”

---

Your late-night trek back into Godsgate is a rather uneventful one.  The lights of the upper city filter down and cast eerie shadows upon the ruined avenues below.  The half-orcs and wolf easily find Blackstone Church thanks to Shirok’s enchanted map; however the ancient structure appears different than it had 80 years prior.
Instead of a house of worship, the bastion as been heavily fortified and appears more akin to a fortress.  Shadowy figures stalk the ramparts that were once beautifully crafted balconies lined with stained-glass windows and granite gargoyles.  It is plainly obvious, and even in the dim night-light, that somebody powerful now lives here—at least within the decedent society of Godsgate.
This message was last edited by the GM at 19:57, Tue 19 Jan 2010.

Shirok was not impressed by the fortifications. Just some paranoid fool that thought stone and metal was proof against all the evils of the world. He was silent as he confidently strode forwards towards the door, slamming his fist upon it a few times to be heard within the dense walls.

"So then, dear, what now? Do you wish to return to the lower planes?"

Switching quickly to her native tongue, he asked "Or shall I cause an 'accident' with your binding circle? "

He used the language's special term for 'accident' which implied a premeditated event made to look innocuous. The same word her people no doubt applied to the destruction of his former academy.

Still in a language he hoped Kaele couldn't understand, he said, "Frankly I don't trust you, but you're all I have left. Say the word and you're free."

Stan of course had no intentions of releasing a dangerous outsider on the denizens of the material plane, and in another wizard's house at that. The false promise might perhaps offer a glimpse into the temptress's apparently flippant motivations.

Ilsa stood back and let Shirok do the pounding and the talking. "This doesn't look like a very good church," she said. But then, the concept of churches as buildings was foreign to her.

As Shirok and Ilsa (and Neya) make their way toward the enormous reinforced door barring their entrance into Blackstone Church, many of the figures standing guard upon the fortified ramparts suddenly take extreme interest in their presence.
“Hold!” one calls in the midst of the other sentries clamor in other foreign and guttural languages.  “Whut business have ya wit tha Baron of Blood, Lord of Blackstone?” the voice cries.
Suddenly, the both of you get the feeling you shouldn’t be here much longer.  You must have missed it before, but you all now notice the more than thirty shadowy figures stalking about, all as big as Ilsa, and all just as willing to tear two half-orcs and one wolf apart just for fun.

---

“Thank you,” Kaele replies to Clementine’s cryptic answer, and even offering the devil a bow.  Finally having something to further research the wizard backs away and exits the chamber, leaving Stan alone with his wife.
Seeing that they are finally alone, Clementine drops her act and rushes forward to embrace Stan in her arms.  The young mage jumps slightly at the ease in which she was able to break the binds of her confinement within the summoning circle.  Not caring to dwell on it too much in that present moment, he accepts his wife’s embrace.
“What horrible things to say!” Clementine finally says after their shared moment.  For another moment her eyes seem to be filled with fury and anger, but their stormy ire quickly passes as she remains with Stan.  She appears to want to say something, probably some retort to his earlier accusations of her alleged fickleness, but instead she warns her husband of a looming danger.
“My love, the she-elf you call a friend has many powerful enemies.  I beg you to take special care in your dealings with her!  Her character is sound; however there are many who seek to end her insatiable lust for forgotten lore.  Please be careful!”
Suddenly her attention is drawn elsewhere, as if she is able to hear a distant conversation.  “My mother!  She is looking for me again.  Please, dismiss me.  I’ll contact you in three of your days time.”

"We seek the half-elf woman known as Blanka, once a priestess at this church," Shirok called out, refusing to be intimidated by mere physical force. "If she is here, we would like to speak with her. If not, then we will depart."

"I'm sorry if I hurt you. You're terrifying when you want to be!"


"As you wish. But first-"

He caught her up in a theatrical embrace and pressed his lips to hers. To someone watching it would have looked like a comic opera kiss. It was over too soon, those few quick seconds before he bid her farewell.

"Three days, then. I release you, beloved."

There was a whiff of brimstone and a bright flash, and then she was gone.

If he could at all help it, Stan would try to avoid Kaele for the time being and instead see what Roth and Porto - he was quickly coming to think of them as "the boys"- were up to.

Muffled speaking can be heard taking place over the wall.  Finally an answer comes.  “Depart then,” the voice replies.  The rough and dirty humanoids continue to stare down at the half-orcs watching them.

---

Without saying more, Clementine disappears in a poof of smoke.  With the ominous presence having dissolved from the chamber, Stan returns to Silvervine’s common rooms.  There he once again meets the strange construct called Ishmael, and from him he learns of the departure of his friends.  Sure that they would soon return, the young mage then seeks out Kaele; but remains cautious of her.
He finds her in her study, sitting rigidly at her desk and reading from an old and thickly bound book.  As he enters the small room, she speaks but does not look up from her research.
“Her love is well placed with you; and I believe it is earnest.  I purposely allowed a chink in the binding circle, a subtle gap but one obvious enough to such creatures.  She was unrestrained.  She could have fled; or slaughtered us easy enough.  However, she didn’t and I believe it was because of you.”
Before Stan has an opportunity to reply, she changes the subject.
“The story of Azazel Shiningstar appears to be one wreathed in tragedy and conflict.  Most of the details seem to have been lost to obscurity; however I have thus far been able to identify the entity of which your wife spoke.  Please allow me the rest of this evening to complete my research.”
This message was last edited by the GM at 19:57, Tue 19 Jan 2010.

Shirok stared up at the walls for a few moments before finally turning away. Yet another link to a past that could not be reclaimed, broken. Their companions were lost in time then, and could not be reclaimed any more then he or Ilsa could return to the tribe. It was time to move on then. Nature was nothing if not change, and the change was here. Adapt or die.

As they were leaving the area and heading towards the markets, Shirok took the pouch filled with most of the coin he'd gained from Kaele and handed it to Ilsa. "You know more of armor and weapons then I; get whatever you think is best. I will acquire some other incidentals we need, and then there is nothing left to hold us here."

Ilsa left the church-that-was-not-a-church, mildly confused and annoyed at the situation. But it wasn't worth fighting over.

Taking the pouch, she asked, "Is there any weapon you require? I am thinking a heavy bow to match my strength would be good. Especially if it is just the three of us."

Shirok shook his head. "Nothing I can think of," he replied before making a small motion forward. Neya looked up at him with a slightly confused expression before seeming to shrug and shift over to Ilsa's side; apparently Shirok felt the need to be alone for a little while.

"You want to go with me, Neya? We'll have fun without mopey Shirok. We'll buy a roast pig with the money I have and make him watch us eat it." Ilsa laughed. She then asked Shirok, "How long will we be in this city? The bow may take days to make. But if we leave sooner, I will not buy it."

"We have time; apparently Kaele feels bad enough about what happened to allow us to stay if we need to remain for a few days and there is no other place we need to be."

Ilsa walked over and gripped his shoulder firmly with her right hand. "We can leave this place and return to the tribe, taking our rightful place. The Snake Tongues have existed for generations and will for generations more. They might have moved, but we will find them. Or we stay away longer still, grow in strength and wisdom, then return. Not just to join, but to lead." She had that familiar grin, her eyes gleaming with bloodlust. To become leader, one must prove themselves by challenging the old leader. It was clear she wanted to do just that--not because she wanted to lead, necessarily, but she wanted to challenge and win. She also thought Shirok would be a good leader and she would be happy to kill anyone who thought otherwise.

That familiar grin made Shirok return a smile of his own, nodding slightly. "Yes, we could." Ilsa hadn't changed, it seemed. Generations lost in the blink of an eye, and she simply continued on. He could learn a lot from it.

"We should get going. I will meet you are the entrance to the markets when we have both finished."

Ilsa nodded and grunted her acknowledgment. She scratched the top of Neya's head and they headed to the market. She weaved her way through the crowds, not worrying who she might have bumped into or even knocked over, but she wasn't looking for a fight, either. Not having the natural sense of where Neya was, not like Shirok, she glanced down every so often to make sure the wolf was still there. She was smart--she wouldn't wander off on her own--but Ilsa didn't want to have to tell Shirok that she'd lost his wolf.

She visited a few craftsmen who made bows until she found someone who could make what she wanted. It would be a very strong bow, stronger than most men could pull, and indeed more than she could now. But using it would help her grow stronger, which is what she wanted.

OOC: She wants a composite long bow with +5 Strength mod (she's currently +4). Standard price would be 600 gp. She should have enough of her own funds to get it as Masterwork quality as well (total 900 gp).

Truly, weapon smiths and second-hand peddlers are a dime a dozen in Skyway City.  It takes Ilsa a long time to find just the right bowyer.  The man has several pieces for sell in his tiny shop on the west side of the market platform, but none of them fit what she has in mind.  After a brief introduction, the half-orc simply states what she wants, and the two spend a little while going over the details, and more importantly the desired pull strength of the bow.
The man explains that, if he were to work feverishly, the task might take him at least a week and maybe more.  Ilsa shows the man the cash, and even though he only asks for enough to procure the materials up front (200 gold coins), Ilsa pays him half now and will pay half upon completion.  This insures that her bow remain the man’s top priority.


As soon as we close out the night, this Prelude will be over.

Shirok moved through the markets quickly, trying to ignore the mass of people around him. Too crowded, too noisy. It had been a long time since he had been able to hear silence. But city's did have their uses.

After some time he was able to find a store that sold enchanted items. Nothing truly powerful, but powerful enough to find a wand that held healing magics. His own skills at magical healing were limited, and such an item would be invaluable when traveling in small groups. The store also stocked small rods that gave off light like a torch, and he acquired a few of them as well before returning to the entrance of the market, hoping to find a place where he could pretend that the mass of people was just far-off animals or birds.

"Not a problem, take your time." Stan gives Kaele a healthy but not unfriendly distance as she works.

"I'm going to see what Porto and Roth are up to."

Satisfied with her arrangements, though it meant staying in the city longer than she would have liked, Ilsa went on to buy hearty portions of charred meat on sticks for herself and Neya. She ate while she waited for Shirok at the market entrance.

Neya lay on the ground before Ilsa's feet, her tail wagging rapidly as she ripped off chunks of the meat, fumbling slightly as she tried to eat around the stick. After a while she suddenly glanced up, barking once as Shirok emerged from the thinning crowds at the entrance. He raised a hand in greeting as he approached, scratching Neya behind the ears before she returned to her meat. "Everything go well?"

Ilsa grunted and nodded. And though she wasn't done chewing yet, she grinned and started talking. "No problems. It will take many days. But worth it. I hope. He hopes." She swallowed and wiped her lips with the back of her hand. "Did you do well?"

"Fine," Shirok replied with a nod, settling down beside her. "If there is nothing else we need, then we should return to the tower and get some rest."

She tore off a some meat with her fingers, then handed the rest to Shirok. "It has been a long, strange day."