"From what I've heard," Alvin said. "You need to be invited to enter a Tower of High Sorcery. Have we been invited? Or how do we get invited?"

"There are other ways to gain entrance, but in this case, I shall not enter uninvited. My presence in the town should be enough to gain some measure of interest from its master, but the name I will mention should be enough to draw attention. From that point on...well, we need to wait and see. Unfortunately I'm sure what we need from him will have a price."

"Almost certainly," Alvin said. "Your guardian is already drawing attention."

And he was. The people passing the heroes by were looking more at the ambulant stone statue than at the heroes themselves.

During the voyage, Olven Wolf insisted he be barricaded in his cabin. He had spent most of his time below decks, only rarely emerging for a brief respite of fresh air and the salty smell of the sea. With him were two others, a squire he had taken on named Michel and a manservant named Tomas.

Michel was a young lad, from a minor noble house, scarcely thirteen and perhaps 70 pounds soaking wet, with a wild mop of blonde hair, big green eyes, and freckles. Michel had been recommended to Wolf by the King of Kalaman, and Olven had taken to train the boy as best as he could in the proper use of an axe, spear, knife, and crossbow. However, Michel insists on wearing a longsword and training with it, and though Olven knows nothing of the weapon, he does his best to at least give the boy a training partner.

Tomas was an older man in his fifties, graying hair, and well-manicured sideburns. He often smiled and was quick to crack a joke, and Olven welcomed the levity, especially for its influence on Michel. Once Olven would have joined in with gladness, and part of him still desired to do so, but another, more powerful side of him was given to irritation and annoyance. Other than his daily training sessions with Michel, Olven left the members of his entourage to their own devices.

Now Olven stands in the street with the others. His clothes are of a finer cut than he was wont to wear in the past, his shirt fine woven, brilliant blue cotton with silk brocade and ruffles at its neck and sleeves, his trousers linen, and his boots of calf’s leather. The only weapon he wears is a long knife in a sheath inlaid of pearl. Tomas carries a bundle with Olven’s armor and weapons. Michel rounds out the ensemble with his longsword sheathed in its hilt.

”Yes, well, let’s get on with it,” the former mercenary says, shading an eye as he looks up at the Tower of Sorcery. ”The sooner we sort this business out, the sooner we can move on to meet with the Baron.”

D'aden looks at the tower, again, and mumbles "yes, let's sort this out."
With an apologetic look, he adds, "besides, I need to get back to Katie before she forgets who's in charge," and begins striding towards the tower.

Roisin raised an eyebrow "Da'den, she is in charge. The fact you even feel the need to say this implies even you know it."

D'aden smiles slightly, "yes, madam, I am aware. Still, it seems appropriate to stay as near as possible to those in charge that they not forget their charges."
Turning to Roisin and raising an eyebrow while affecting a tone of innocence, he remarks, "why else would I accompany you to the tower?"

"Because you wish test the patience of mages." Roisin said mocking him by saying it in a testing manner. She looked at the crowd as Utrecht made his way down the street next to her. "It's almost like they've never seen a construct before....and the Tower is here." she looked at Alvin "I'm mildly tempted to throw a fireball in the air...but that might draw inappropriate attention."

The heroes continued on their journey and were soon at the edge of Shoikan Grove, the grove of trees surrounding the Tower of High Sorcery. It was a high tower with two minarets, they all shared the same foundation and several of the lower levels. The marble had once been white, but since the Cataclysm it was black. And recently it had changed color once more and was now blue. The onion-like roofs were dark red, giving the heroes a feeling that they had been dipped in blood rather than the original crimson.

”A cheerful place,” Olven Wolf says, grunting, as he shades his eyes and scans the tower from base to roof. ”Looks like a good defensive position. The Tower could probably do well against a sustained siege.” He looks to Roisin. ”We’ll follow your lead, Roisin. I’m not exactly at home in a wizard tower.”

Roisin looked worried "It is said the Tower of High sorcery at Palanthas reflects the personality of its master. That it is blue is cause for hope, perhaps, that the roofs are the colour of blood, perhaps a warning." Roisin turned to the others "The Tower has its own defences in place. Even were this place to be invaded by the dragon armies, it would be inviolable. One cannot pass the Shoikan Grove without a nightjewel, and one might only obtain them from the Master of the tower or from...dubious sources that the Master might take offence at us using. We should not press on the grove." she looked at the others "All of the Towers have magical defences. This Tower is the greatest and with the strongest defence. If there is anything in the world that fills you with fear...you should stay here until our presence is acknowledged. I can but hope our presence is enough to draw curiosity, as even the strong willed in the town will not venture this far."

D'aden smiles, "do you mean we should wait here till we're noticed?"
As he continues, he fiddles with his pack and soon has his lute in hand, lackadaisically plucking the strings as if to test the tuning. "Understand that I really don't mind, but I've never been one to wait quietly. Besides, it seems a perfect opportunity to do what I like."
With a small flourish he begins playing and singing a not terribly common tavern ditty about a mismatched pair of mages, one that turned trousers to skirts and another that turned skirts to trousers.

”Anything that fills me with fear?” Olven Wolf bares his teeth in a mirthless grin. ”Plenty. Maybe I better stay here - perhaps out of earshot of D’aden - and wait for your return.”

He slides his knife out of its sheathe and inspects the edge. ”Tomas, my whetstone, please. I’ll stay here and sharpen my weapons while Roisin goes to treat with the master of the tower.”

Roisin's eyebrow raised as D'aden begun his song, but she spoke to Olven first "Oh, you should make no mistake, I may be waiting here a while, even I would not dare enter the grove. While I have may passed my Test and my soul reforged into something new, it is wise never to test the soundness of it unless you have to."

She looked towards the Tower, frowning "In case you're listening. You and I have much to discuss. I am now Mistress of the Lyceum near Kalaman, and you borrowed something which its owner is now seeking to have returned."

She looked over at D'aden rolling her eyes. "Much more of this, and I might see to it that it might be more appropriate for you to be wearing a skirt."

D'aden stops the song, and says to Roisin, "well, that wasn't much of a test. Would you prefer some other method?"
Before he receives an answer, he is gazing at the tower again. "It's so odd, it appears to be moving without moving. Is that one of its defenses?"

"I don't see anything out of the ordinary." Cocking an eyebrow and shading his eyes with one hand, Olven peers at the tower in the distance. "D'aden, I fear you've been hitting the sauce too early today."

The heroes had waited outside the Shoikan Grove for hours before a single figure approached them between the trees. The person was dressed in a blue hooded cloak, covering his head and face, over leather armor. As he came closer, they could see a brooch of black metal in the shape of an equilateral triangle, with the point upwards, circumscribed by a circle fastened to the cloak. He was armed with a long knife worn at his belt under the cloak.

"Fancy meeting you here," the man said as he lowered the hood, revealing that it was Gareth the bard. Whom you ran into on your way back to Kalaman after visiting the Lyceum.
This message was last edited by the GM at 17:26, Thu 29 Nov 2018.

Roisin sighed heavily "I should have guessed." she looked at the erstwhile bard "So...do we have an invitation to enter? or should we discuss matters here?"

Sliding his knife back into its sheathe, Olven turns and greets the newcomer. ”Olven Wolf, at your service,” he says, swiftly noting the man’s armor and unusual brooch. Inclining his head in greeting, Wolf says, ”My associate, Roisin uth Bannatar, has business at the tower,” and nods toward Roisin.

OOC: Did Gareth come from the direction of the tower? Does he have any visible weapons?

D'aden facepalms. "I don't suppose I was fortunate enough for you to miss my performance of 'Bare Legged Wizards'. I must admit that it was merely to tease the young lady when I added the verse about harpy harps and flitting flutes."

"It is good to meet you my lord Wolf," Gareth said. "I have met your associates previously."

"It is our lot to entertain," he said, having turned to look at D'aden. "Come the Abyss or high water."

"About passage through the Shoikan Grove," he continued, now facing Roisin. "Why have you come here?"

[OOC: Gareth did come from the tower. He is armed with a long knife. I have added it to my previous post.]

Inclining his head in acknowledgement, Olven Wolf turns to Roisin and waits for her reply. He is eager to be done with their business at this Tower and continue on, but he does not wish to offend those whom they have traveled so far to meet.

"If I must speak plainly then I must do so. I seek an audience with the Master of the Tower. He borrowed the icon of truth for a moment of need. That moment has passed and Jason seeks its return. Secondly, I wish to enter the archives to research an affliction that requires a degree of sensitivity, I will talk to Nathan about the issue if I must, but only him. Thirdly, I owe a debt to Mistress Caladen, I have still to repay it, she seeks to possess a nightjewel for safe passage through the grove as one of those favours to be repaid. Fourthly, I have been made mistress of the Lyceum, and I'm seeking knowledgeable teachers to teach some of our youngsters in a safe environment. While there might be none here that wish to teach the young, they might know others interested in such positions." Roisin spoke plainly "I've always been curious about this Tower, and I've never been here. It might good to collaborate with some peers on some things I have in mind."

"Beautiful ladies rarely have to mince their words," Gareth said and bowed a little to Roisin.

"To respond to your issues. You would have to talk to Master Evardson about the icon and the library. The Order considers us renegades. They would not accept us as teachers. And no one outside this Tower will possess a Nightjewel permanently."

"Visitors may borrow one though." While adding this, he put a hand in a pouch that had been hidden under his cloak and revealed four brooches like the one he was wearing, but they had a black gem in the center of the triangle. He stretched forth his open hand towards Roisin with the pieces of jewelry resting upon his hand.

Roisin nodded gracefully. "I realise that as one of the order I might not be welcome, but surely the sharing of knowledge must rank amongst the highest of everyones priorities." she took the brooch pinning it to her robe. "Thank you. I shall keep it only for as long as we are welcome and return it the moment we are not."