The male clinician says with the first bit of emotion you've seen any elf shed, "To attempt to translate one of our sayings: We are sorry for your loss, and are hopeful to lessen it." He looks up from a short bow, "Please visit us again in a couple of hours."

The three of you return to Arnir outside and explain that you are finished at the clinic for now. He nods to you and the convoy proceeds to the castle by making its way back to the main road. The cart, now empty, is taken along with you.

The party passes over a large bridge across the river running through the city. It forms a make-shift moat when combined with what looks to be an artificial canal split from the river around the back-side of the castle. The castle, much like Cornelia, has walls nearly as thick as the city walls as well as a gate that is almost as massive.

Arnir dismounts and gives DAI a look that suggests he do so as well. "Please dismiss your birds, my good mage, as the stable-master despises conjured beasts mixing with his own. We will be able to return your cart to your vessel for you."

All of you proceed on foot through the gate. Unlike the surrounding city, it is rather surprising that the great majority of the architecture of Elfheim's castle is the same as Cornelia's. Now that you think about it, Cornelia palace's layout and design is a bit odd as compared to the rest of your home city. Growing up there, you possibly never had a chance to be away long enough to notice.

The guards from the palace entrance all the way to the interior patrols definitely seem to keep a very close eye on your group, but say nothing. Arnir's presence seems to be enough to qualify all of you to travel wherever you like. Eventually you make your way up a few staircases and down a long hall to a large, heavy wooden door. There are four guards in extremely ornate and glistening silver armor stationed outside.

"The king, for lack of a better word, has been waiting for you. We will be joining him in his private quarters," Arnir says.

He swings the large set of double-doors open at the end of a regal hallway you all occupy. A stately sitting room lies beyond and everyone makes their way inside. He walks calmly across it to another set of double doors, then opens those. Beyond them appears a bedroom with the outline of a humanoid frame beneath the fabric of a humongous bed.

"Our king awaits, Cornelians," says Arnir. He remains in the sitting room, motioning for you to proceed past him.

Jack proceeds as directed, giving Arnir a nod of thanks.

DAI would dismiss his chocobos, rather begurdgingly as he went to the trouble of using an item for them to last all day(mostly), but nothing could be done. As they arrived inside, DAI's curiosity of Arnir grew only more with the royal guards' reactions to him. Once they got to the sitting room, and Arnir told them to go on, DAI had to ask:

"Arnir...who are you to these people?"

"I believe the answer you're looking for is Knight Captain of Elfheim, though I hold several titles and positions and further such time-wasting designations and appointments."

The four of you enter the king's bed-chambers and in everyone's quiet trepidation a wheezing sound is very clear. Arnir steps in behind you and closes the doors. He motions for you all to continue on toward the bed.

"This is our king," says Arnir. "He has been this way for close to five years, and it is not common knowledge to the people. I would very much appreciate it," Arnir's tone breaks into an uncharacteristic stern and serious one, "if it remained that way."

"Only he knows where your key is located, and as you can see, he is not capable of telling you currently, and I fear he may never be able to do so again."

Arnir trails off looking at the king.

"What's wrong with him? Should Zeig take a look at him?" Jack looks around at the others. "And why are you telling us?"

"I doubt that I can offer anything beyond what the royal clinicians have done but I will examine him if permitted."

If permitted:
20:31, Today: ZEIG rolled 20 using 1d20+11. Heal - DI.

Zeig examines the king closely, checking the various systems of the body over without being extensively intrusive.

He also wracks his brain for anything information that could help, be it a similar situation, rumors of a similar disease, prophecies, curses, etc.

13:15, Today: ZEIG rolled 4 using 1d20+3. Know (Planes).
13:15, Today: ZEIG rolled 25 using 1d20+9. Know (Religion).
13:14, Today: ZEIG rolled 25 using 1d20+9. know (History).
13:14, Today: ZEIG rolled 23 using 1d20+3. Know (Arcane).
20:09, Today: teslas, on behalf of ZEIG, rolled 19 using 1d20+12. Spellcraft + DI.

GM Edit Skill Check Result-
This message was last edited by the GM at 01:13, Wed 13 July 2011.

Arnir responds in a dry tone, "Your White Mage is welcome to do a cursory assessment, but I doubt he is capable of anything better than our best in Elfheim working over the past years."

ZEIG moves forward and begins inspecting the king.

"To begin, I am telling you, of all people, because the king is the only person who knows about your key. I do not have any knowledge of where it might be and have only heard mention of it once before." Arnir walks around to the other side of the bed from ZEIG, keeping a close eye on him. "Secondly, you, of all people, might be the ones who are able to help. We do not want his condition known, and you four have a ship and are willing to risk travel over sea and land."

Arnir thinks for a moment. "If you wish to help our nation and retrieve your key, waking him seems to be the appropriate goal for you. It's the doing it that may be a challenge... and by challenge I mean you might be marching off into the world set on a purpose that will likely kill you."

"It would seem that we are up to our ears in dangerous tasks and perils.  If saving your king is part of our journey then we best get to it.  I trust that we can rely on your aid?"

Arnir responds, "You have my personal promise that I will send you on with every hope of succeeding. Although, as I said, the king's condition is not to be known by anyone outside of the few that already do. Providing you with a battalion of troops, or a small armada of ships, or opening up the treasury and giving you a large sum of money is simply out of of the question. Suspicions would rise instantaneously. The people are already beginning to wonder why their king, even though supposedly gravely ill, has not been seen by any save his closest aides and healers. The fact that you are a Cornelian band is both a blessing in this situation as well as a hindrance for you."

"But I can promise you just compensation if you do succeed, not that heroes of your caliber hold that as their primary motivation. Telling you any more on the matter concerns national security, so I'd like to hear you give your word of full cooperation before I continue."

2/3 of you is enough.

Zeig turns to his companions after finishing with the king.

"I can't determine the source of the ailment, as expected.  Well guys, what do you say?  Having seen his condition I do not wish to leave him like this.  If we are venturing forth to protect the nature of the world then I think we should know the world that we are protecting.  That starts here."

Zeig then turns to the elf and attempts a bow similar to the one he has seen demonstrated.

"You have my aid, Arnir."

DAI shrugs, before saying. "I'm fine with it but...I would like some time to look into elven magic, while I'm here."

"You'll have to be a little more specific if that was a request of some kind. A small delay shouldn't matter. He's been asleep a long time already," Arnir remarks.

"I don't know how educated you are in matters in the area, so I'll begin simply. Our neighbors, the Drow, we do not get along. We had not heard nor seen sign from them for almost a hundred years, and we didn't go looking to change that. Five years ago, a man posing as an elven wizard gained audience with the king claiming to need to speak of an urgent matter. Once in the chamber, he manifested himself in his true form, a nasty looking beast of a thing. He unleashed some sort of magic upon the king despite his guards, and managed to kill a few others before escaping."

Arnir stops for the story to sink in. "I don't know how much you know about our guards and warriors, but it is not an easy matter to cast a spell in this castle, nor is it one to escape after doing so. This thing, whatever it was, seemed to have underestimated what it was up against despite its power. Had it not been injured and chased off... we do not know of what else it was planning to do."

"Months later our scouts reported activity on the border of the Drow region. There was some kind of civil war. After that, none of our scouts could get close enough to their settlements to find out anything. They claimed that spirits permeated the land, making it nearly impossible to travel."

"Our council decided that it would be better to not notify the public of the king's condition, and were confident they could cure him. The only other thing heard from our neighbors was a captured party of four women, all near delerium from their injuries and lack of nutrition. The only information we could get from them was that the drow prince, Astos, had risen against the king. They claimed something they only referred to as "flayers" arrived shortly after and began taking people. This on top of the civil war apparently destroyed the majority of their society."

"They also claimed Astos had been turned into some sort of beast. The description matched that of the creature that attacked the king. We executed the prisoners shortly after they began repeating themselves and weren't able to offer any more information."

"I simply want you to find a way to wake the king. One route about this is to find Astos yourselves. Get what you need to know from him. Being human, and not elves, the Drow spirits may be less of a threat to you, but I've no idea. I'll supply a map and any advice I can. The rest is up to you."

Jack nods. Understood. Then, let's prepare.

Arnir says, "I will remain here. I'll also send word to the scribes, as they are employed by the crown directly, to treat you as Cornelian dignitaries should be. The other places of business in the city may not be so friendly." Arnir removes a small pouch from his belt. "I doubt you lack vital funding but you're welcome to what I have with me at this moment. Consider it a meager apology for any potential rudeness you may encounter with the merchants."

The pouch contains 328 gold.

"Feel free to return to your ship at any time." He removes another one of the ornate signal arrows from his quiver. "If you leave, you will need this to return. Without it, your vessel will be reduced to splinters before reaching the port." He hands the arrow to DAI, although a little unsure of his action because of DAI's longbow loosely slung over his shoulder, "And finally, in order to remain somewhat inconspicuous, do not attempt to contact me unless it is an extreme emergency. I'll check up on you in a couple of days if you're still in town. Any questions?"

You are free to leave the castle the way you entered, though you will of course have an escort while doing so. Your cart is being returned to your ship. It is roughly 4:30pm.
This message was last edited by the GM at 19:19, Wed 13 July 2011.

"We will, of course, have various preparations to make before setting off.  I shall take my leave, if you'll excuse me."

Eventually, after we get out of here:

Looks like we'll be rping the encounters at the shops but just in case.
Selling Warhammer (12GP, sold for 6).
Getting prices for Aquaveil (CL 3, 300GP, sold for 150GP?) and Blink potions (CL 3, 600GP, sold for 300GP?).
Also looking into how much Staff of the Deep is worth (???).
Let me know if I should roll appraise, depending on the price it might be worth it to sell.

Visit magic shop.
Get information on geography, climate, wildlife in the surrounding area.
Get information on religious beliefs held by elves and dark elves, cultural differences, etc.
Library?  Library?  Eh?

Arnir includes a rough map of Elfheim as well as a map of the countryside on this region of the continent. They are both in Elven, but the symbols on the city map easily denote the type of establishments for those of you unable to read the words, and DAI has no problem understanding either of them.

You have a very good map. Indeed, it may feel odd to be so well prepared for your potential route and journey. I'll get this made out for you before you depart.

Feel free to split up as you will in the city, though please try not to bombard me with too many general instructions. Pretty much any store will tender cash for the gemstones that you've collected, though you will probably get better luck at a jeweler.

ZEIG, it seems as if you'd like to head to a smithy to sell your hammer and then inquire about the value of the staff. You are, of course, welcome to roll an appraise check on it. (And it's no big deal to assume that you brought it with you, as I was assuming someone would even though it was suggested it was left on the ship.) We'll resolve that encounter (shouldn't take too long) and then proceed from there, so keep in mind what you'd like to do so you can declare it next.

JACK, there is indeed a magical equipment shop that you can easily find.

DAI, I'll assume you stick with the other mage until you say differently since he's expressed interest for research.

The clinic should be done with VIL and the marine within the next hour.

I never heard definite instructions on how VIL's body and posessions were handled, therefore, he was still carrying or kept with everything he had.

The four of you leave the castle. Most of the castle guards, while saying nothing, give you a mixture between confused, surprised, or unpleasant stares.

When you're back on the street, you head to the clinic. The afternoon sun, hanging low in the sky, gives Elfheim a very beautiful pattern of dancing shadows through the tree tops. A few elven children, ages 7-13, follow the party at a distance giggling and gawking.

Once you arrive at the clinic, LOGG says that he's going to head back to the ship and asks if you want him to tell them anything. Afterward, he departs.

Several lanterns have been hung inside of the clinic as the light slowly drains from the sky. They appear to have some sort of white light shining from inside of them that is definitely not fire. One of the women you spoke to earlier is inside, just turning around from one of the lanterns.

"Welcome back, travelers. Please, join me." She motions to the side room where the marine had been kept. As you enter you see him on the table in the center of the room. He is lying there with a square of cloth laid over his chest in a diamond shape, the top point resting on his neck with the bottom stopping near his ankles. He looks to be asleep, and it is clear his top half and bottom half are reconnected. The clinician speaks quietly, "As you can see, he is back and well. We have not woken him yet, but he is able and ready to go as soon as you wish. Now, to the next room, please."

You all exit and walk the short distance to the next room. Its door is closed. She opens it, and walks inside. Following her, you can see the same sheet VIL was wrapped in, re-wrapped around what looks to be something of the same size as VIL's body. VIL is nowhere to be seen.

After a short moment, the woman speaks "I am sorry. We were not able to call your companion's soul back to his body. He has either been called for a higher purpose, or was unwilling or unable to return. I am so very sorry we cannot help you further." Genuine concern can be heard in her voice.

"His possessions are in our office. Please join me there once you are ready. Stay as long as you like." She walks out of the room and turns to the left, leaving the three of you alone with VIL's body.

Jack sighs and sits down. What do we do now?

"In our haste we took the most dangerous path, and Vil has paid dearly for it."

Zeig stares solemnly at the floor for a period before continuing.

"I've seen this done countless times before, it doesn't simply fail like this, not without a reason.  I cannot for the life of me understand why he would choose not to return, but that seems to be the only explanation...perhaps I didn't really know him."
This message was last edited by the player at 20:45, Thu 14 July 2011.

DAI stares for a few moments before turning to leave the room.

"He couldn't have a higher duty then this right? So it's simple...he was scared, who wouldn't be?"

DAI rubs his head, trying hard to recall the feeling he had experienced while he was dead, failing to recall anything of merit, he merely sighs and follows the Elven woman to gather VIL's things.

"Maybe he was just scared, scared of the responsibility, scared of what he might become...I know I am.  Some days I still can't believe any of this, but there's too much at stake to give up so easily."

"Rest easy, Vil."

Zeig follows Dai out of the room.

You enter the office. It is lined with statues. Some of them are present in the Cornelian clinics and chapels, but nobody pays much mention to them.

The woman walks over to one of the walls and pulls a long, wide drawer out from it. The front side folds down, lengthening the new table in the room. On it are VIL's various possessions.

"We did not find any magically concealed objects on his person, though it is customary for you to check to make sure nothing was lost."

She pauses for a moment as you all walk over to the table.

Everything is there which I'll list in the OOC thread except for his green crystal pendant. The first one of you that turns around to look at the elven woman is met with a knowing frown.

"Yes, that." She removes a scroll from her robes. Around it, where the ribbon would normally be tied, is the chain from VIL's necklace. The green crystal hangs down from it. "I don't want to inquire any further into your business. So let's leave it at this. I noticed this pendant and then recalled the hint of chain hanging from some of your other necks. Good luck in your travels, and I hope I, nor anyone else in my profession, ever sees any of you again."

She lets a hasty bow and proceeds to the door, then stops for a short moment to say, "See yourselves out."

DAI merely takes the scroll wordlessly, untying the pendant and stowing it for now. He then takes a peak at the scroll, before walking by ZEIG and handing it to him. DAI then walks to the exit, deciding business in town would be good to get done now.

It was not mentioned, but clinics in Cornelia also provide burial services for those that they cannot help or that die of old age. Judging by the elf's mannerisms it looks that it is the same way in Elfheim.

JACK and ZEIG linger for a moment to gather up the rest of VIL's things. Coming outside, they find DAI staring at an odd sight: A disheveled dwarf jogging, or what passes for it as a dwarf, down the street toward the clinic, axe and shield in each hand, though neither readied. His armor, while obviously a fine example of Dwarven craftsmanship, looks as if it hasn't seen a polishing rag in quite some time and appears to have been hastily thrown on.

The sight distracts you from the elven boy that runs right up in front of you. "Hi! You're from Cornelia? I hear you have a boat and that some of you have already died of old age on the way here!" He waits for someone to speak. The dwarf slows to a marching pace and continues to approach the party.