Noted.

You spent the day travelling, you reading your books, Milkweed drinking, lamenting the boredom and relieving it when he could on his new favorite gullible guinea pig. Shifu sat still and silent as a statue the entire time, ether asleep, in deep DEEP meditation or staring at Horus. And speaking of Horus, the boy took turns with Loki piloting the skimmer, and of course having become an expert at it since you last met him (figures).

Having learned his lesson it seems, Loki called for stop at day's end, set up a perimeter and camp for the night rather than risk riding through the night in the dark and be attacked, fit a dune/rock or simply arrive exhausted at a place that would demand your full attention should you hope to be successful. And considering 2 of the people he cared about for most in the world hinged on him doing just that, he wasn't ganna gamble.

The following morning you did not wake up a happy camper. Again, after an entire week if not more of restful sleep (nightmares not withstanding) you felt like your dreams were...not entirely your own. Invaded? It was a worse feeling than just having a bad dream. An unsettling feeling you hoped to drown out with you your books but found yourself pondering it all the same.

This time you remember it clearer than ever before, perhaps because after such a long time you weren't under the merciless stress of the next thing grinding you against the elusive sands of time.

You remember having a dream about...being barely conscious in...a forest somewhere. You could hear the flow of a river nearby, the rays of the moon peeking through the canopy. Your body felt heavy, hurt, very hurt, but nothing compared to the disbelief and anger of fresh betrayal, yet not powerful enough to fuel what had been some abused.

...You heard footsteps. Heavy, labored but swift footsteps coming nearer. A swaying light accompanying them. You try to get a better look but your body was a tomb your couldn't get to cooperate. Finally the footsteps stop. From your peripheral vision you could see part of their owner. You could see...2 long limbs, an upright creature, clothe-IT WAS ANOTHER PUNY 2-LEGGED MORTAL!!! The wound so fresh in your heart and mind flares to life, MOVE DAMN YOU! you command your body, but the traitor ignore you.

It came closer. A glint of beaten iron passes your eye. Despair replaces anger as too many obstacles were thrown at you. It just wasn't fair. This was your end and you knew it. You closed your eye as your pride wouldn't allow you see it coming. It was just too indignant.
...but the blow never came. Instead you feel your body float up, NO, lifted up by strong, thick, hairy but gentle hands. You felt held in a firm, safe embrace like a newborn babe. A weakness you would otherwise never allow on confess to come hell or high heaven, but for right now, right this moment...you were glad.

A silent tear of relief as gratitude you could never express in words even if you were given another 1000 years, runs down your cheek as sweet restful oblivion takes you.

As abruptly as it came it went away, the calm, bittersweet emotions replaced by a sudden, violent storm of images, scenes, people-NO memories?!-seem to thrust into your mind:

Water. Dark. Drowning? No, swimming up towards the surface. Lungs exploding for the need for air. Others near you. All of you reaching up towards the light.

Grim place. Underground.
"So Helen is here," you heard Loki say.
-"It's just like Horus said," a chipper Hana exclaimed, "Thanks Horus! *^smooch*" you felt a peck on your cheek. Despite the cold you felt a rush of heat go up to your head, your ears, and felt the need to look away. It was weird but somehow...you still liked it.

There's only black and white. 2 blurry black silhouettes stand in the white background of a doorway of a black wall.
"...and what of the sacrifice?"
-"It is growing Lord Emmao."
-"Aaah...goood."

"They will find us. We should use the-"

And that was all you remembered before whatever else you drempt shocked you awake.

---

You were understandably grumpy after all that. You packed up and got ready for another day of sailing through the desert.

At least nothing attacked you last night.

This time it wasn't a cold sweat but goosebumps that woke him, as if his very body was jolted. It was still just before dawn, and the Kitsune was watching the camp, or drinking.. or sleeping.. It was hard to tell with all that fur and in the dark. Irfan knew he wouldn't be getting sleep again anytime soon after his reflexs had kicked in like that.


Between packed sand roads fromed frequent carvans, there was little need to verify their position as the sun rose over the ?mountains?, and it was too dark to read. So Irfan started breakfast, and preparing 3 salves and a foam formula for the day.

He tried not to process what he had dreamed, but the vividness of it stuck rather then faded. By lunch he could no longer focus on his book, but it wasn't until he bit into the Jerky that he realized why it bothered him. Maybe it was recent events, but that wasn't his dream, it was someone else's. Someone that wanted to save and impress Hana, Looking over the group there were two options Loki and Horus. Irfan didn't know what Loki wanted on the inside, but the first half didn't feel right, not the kind of thing a human or tengu would feel. That was the perspective of something kept in a bottle, buried, alone, and frightened, the feeling of something inanimate.

That left two possibilities, Shifu and Horus, and Shifu didn't seem weak or helpless in the slightest. Irfan had know Horus was abnormal, but not how beyond his abilities and how they found him. Everything so far had pointed to him being impossibly naive, but trustworthy. Shifu on the otherhand was the opposite, and he claimed the attention she gave him was unwarranted. Whatever standards Shifu considered normal, her actions went beyond some crush, she was fixated on the kid.

Finishing the jerky and taking a bite of his plumb before smearing the juice on his biscuit, he came to the conclusion that, Whatever was going on, Horus probably didn't know, but Shifu clearly knew something. So he decided to lure her away, and see what he could learn tonight, they could probably find some desert grub while they were at it.

Passing the rest day with the odd swerve, they managed to avoid any traffic by running over the sands while keeping the road in sight. They passed a patrol, but by the time they recognized what was coming, they had already passed it. It was staggering just how pathetic the time they were making made his trip to Wingheld seem like a joke, even with the set backs. Irfan contemplates having Loki push on to the Coil Oasis, but there was no need, and there wasn't time for his personal feelings.

As camp gets set up, Irfan propositions Shifu a bit unsure how to go about it he really didn't want anyone else volunteering, "I'd like to forage for some fresh dinner for the group, and I was wondering if you could come with in case some scorpion decides I look tasty. We might even find some oil for that armor."

Today: Irfan rolled 23 using 1d20+11.  Influence vs Shifu.

Irfan has the goal of talking to Shifu, but also scavenging for food and some 'materials' needed to craft https://www.d20pfsrd.com/gamem...poison/oil-of-taggit

If successful, as they travel along in silence, and get 15-20 minutes out away from camp, Irfan starts speaking as he walks and peruses the sandy terrain.

"You come with high praise, both in work and accomplishments, but you find something special in Horus. He is a bright kid, but he isn't a normal one. You can try to hide behind that armor if you want, but you knew he isn't normal without knowing how I found him. Whats more, he is affecting others while asleep." Clipping a pair of melons off a bush, with his back to Shifu "I don't know why you watch him so harashly, but I will tell you what I know if your willing to share what you know. Its not much, but I get the feeling you want to know as much as possible."

Irfan will devote up to 2 hours to his foraging trip.   In the morning he will make 2 potions and one Oil of Taggart if he acquired enough supplies.
This message was last edited by the player at 10:02, Thu 01 July 2021.

When you asked her to come along, Shifu pauses for a minute, a metal helmet turned your way, "Shifu appears to be sleepy, but she will accompany you for you seem intriguing, is what Shifu says," then starts walking along without another comment. She remained silent as you walked, and even after finishing there was a long pause before she responded.
"Shifu is not hiding. Shifu is Shifu. Appearing to stare harshly was an error not intended. Will rectify in future. And you are very sharp, so says Shifu. That was the one you call Horus' dream. Of things that were, are and could be, it seems. His eyes are not the power of mortals, but it is still incomplete, says Shifu. Shifu is amused by your attempts at bargaining. Shifu says she knows. Why is Horus in such a hurry? Why search for this person? Why need to find so badly? What do when find them? You don't know, Shifu says. And neither does Horus himself.  Ho ho ho ho ho-" a creepy, deep, echoey, cackle abruptly came from her then just as abruptly stopped,"...It would appear it was inappropriate to laugh at that juncture," she said after a long, awkward pause.

But before you could make heads or tails of her bizarre behavior, an old 5 legged friend leaped out of the sand to pounce on you.

Roll me initiative and a perception check to see if you get to act during the surprise round. Do you need a battle map or should we theater of the mind this?

I originally intend this to be a solo encounter (it was inevitable as soon as it healed and you left the town. Once a stalker spider picks a prey they will hound them however, says so in the ecology section), with you ether winning a hard-earned solo fight or fleeing and getting help, or fleeing and the spider escaping to fight another day, but bringing Shifu along was a smart move, though a bit disappointing for me since I had this epic showdown planned. Oh well.

Fuck it. If I wait for when I'm not busy or stressed I'll never get this done so I'll just bite the bullet and MAKE time for it. Will post tomorrow even if it costs me.

Short Summary:
You are Irfan, a budding young man of humble origins with sharp wits and insatiable lust for the novel and miraculous of the world to match it. After a tumultuous childhood of hardship, abandonment, serendipitous salvation followed by equal unfortuitous misfortune, it finally came to a rest in the form of a safe, stable, boring, mind-numbing, soul-crushing, monotonous, quill-pushing, cubicle daily grind for "The Man" (trade guild). Eventually your wanderlust boiled over, on impulse you quit your job and decided to explore the wonders of the world. And quite a world it was if any of the stories coming beyond the sands are true. Cultures rich, strange and exotic. Man-made structures reaching for the stars. Tales of eras gone by. Marvels of might and magic. Sublime natural beauty. Beasts of every size, shape and creed. Immortal colossal behemoths beyond human comprehension roaming the land, breathing life to it, oozing magic as we know it, their very presence shaping the topography to their wills, oblivious to the mere insects that bask in their glory yet occasionally touched by their grace.

Your first stop was straight north, the highest mountain in the world, right where the desert ended the kingdom of the flying tengu began, Wingheld, home to the oldest and most powerful mortal/kingpriest ever to have lived, the heart of cutting edge magical research, and hub of the most worshiped Exalted in the world, their patron, P'ung The Wise One, Lord of the Skies and Seas.

The mere journey to the base of the mountain was rewarding, but you soon learned reality can be quite cruel as the jewel that lay at the top was somewhat of an exclusive club. Even were you to betray yourself and give up on checking off this one off your bucket list, you feared that this might turn into the 1st step of a pattern where your meager limitations would deny you everything the world had to offer. However if you hadn't believed in fate before, what happened next would have turned you into a believer. Just when the black clouds of despair were on the horizon of your dreams, the Grassland kingpriest showed up out of nowhere, seeking to hire guides and cohorts for an expedition to not only your homeland of Arcania but the city of your childhood no less. No questions asked (to save his fiance, a very popular princess of Wingheld who was kidnapped by the Kwon, invading nation from across the ocean currently at peace with nations of this continent), name your price, the bar is low, supplies are ready and the departure was NOW. You did him this one little thing for and the keys to the world would literally fall in your lap If that wasn't a sign you didn't know what was. As the good idea fairy would say "what could go wrong?"

And that is when you learned if something seems too good to be true, it probably is (fuck you good idea fairy!). It was you, the "barbarian" kingpriest (though you'd never think that looking at him), the princess of Wingheld (for some reason) and a ditzy perpetually drunk kitsune (whom you suspected conned himself onto the crew). Barely 2 days into the desert and you had a violent close encounter with Arcania's Exalted, Sa', the aptly named Cruel One who's eternal anger brings about the intense heat of the sun that turned and keeps Arcania as a sand desert (at least on the surface).

Stranded in the middle of nowhere with your Sand Skimmer half-wrecked, you had no choice but to split up. One group guarding the Skimmer from scavengers and preventing it from being swallowed by the desert due to the Exalted's environment shaping powers, the other half seeking help, supplies, parts for the Skimmer or even alternative transport. Against his better judgement, Loki the kingpriest was convinced to stay with the kitsune bodyguard while you and the princess (Hana) went to fetch help, but not before tasking you with her safety, arming you with a big-ass sword (which turned out to be an artefact) and assuring you your death would not be swift should anything happen to her. When a kingpriest makes that kind of promise, one tends not to take it lightly.

You found recent caravan tracks, which gave you hope you might find help sooner than anticipated, but following them only lead to a crater full of what was left of caravan. There were camel tracks leading away from the site, meaning there were survivors and a town couldn't be far, but more interestingly there was an abandoned survivor inside the crater as well. A lost (in every conceivable sense of the word), scared, naked (well toned), blue-haired boy. He was completely out of it. Didn't know who he was, where he was, what he was doing, where he was from or going, didn't even know how to dress himself properly. All he knew was he had to find..."someone", No. Matter. What.

Taking pity and a liking on him, Hana named him Horus and decided to have him tag along until he could find the help he needed. Like a blind man to a stick, he latched on to whatever hope he could find. You allowed it since you figured out here you needed all the help you could get. That soon proved to be a crucial decision as, following the Exalted's passing as well as a rare rain, the wild life of the desert exploded with activity and you soon found yourself at the heart of a vicious "small fish, big fish" game.

Escaping death by the skin of your teeth, you sough refuge in nearby ruins not yet fully swallowed by the land. You evaded the worst of the predators, but one in particular imprinted upon you and wouldn't give up the chase. And as if that wasn't bad enough, turns out these ruins were a satellite site to Arcania's former capitol, Shambala, before it was Hexed (magic nuke without the structural damage) by the Kwon during the previous Great War. That in of itself wouldn't be a bad thing if it wasn't for the fact that it was connected to the Hexed city via underground tunnels, which allowed the hex (a purplish fog-like substance heavier than air) to travel to this site and animate the dead (among other things) when it senses life and/or especially magic (which Hana cast against the persistent predator).

Pinned on one side by a giant spider seconds away from bursting in and killing you all while a horde of undead rising right in your midst, Horus cowered in fear, hating himself at how powerless he was at stopping it all and berating himself at how useless he had been earlier. It is during this darkest moment that the angel that was Hana encouraged him and told him "You can be anything, if you just believe in yourself". And so he did...AND THEN HE DID!!

By some miracle, you managed to get out of there alive, but at the cost of the sword Loki had entrusted to you (also, you doubted you had seen the last of that spider). Your dreams had been increasingly been getting weirder as of late but you felt like they really picked up after this.

Eventually you managed to find the town where the caravan survivor's trail lead to. It was the very epitome of bum-fuck-nowhere. But a few drinks and spastic band of traveling dwarf bards later, this place turned out to be more than met the eye. Before you can get to the bottom of it (and get the parts you needed for the Skimmer) a whole regiment of Kwon just brazenly strolls right into town. They begin harassing and interrogating the populace, claiming they were seeking something "weird", until Hana stepped forth to put a stop to it. After everything was said and done, which included setting off a stampede and playing the mother of all cat and mouse game with a war hero nazi commander (who had the skills to pay the bills), you and Horus successfully faked your own deaths while on the actual brink of death, and princess Hana was kidnapped by the Kwon as a "consolation prize" having given up on their original mission (which the commander admitted was a lost cause from the start ^{*insert internal infighting and political intrigue*}). You now had a new mission, "Rescue the princess before they reached the impregnable Kwon fortress at the southern edge of the desert a month from now".

But in the meantime you had a more immediate issue, the stranded kingpriest. Because the princess stuck up for the merchant while he was abused by the Kwon, he let you in on the secret of the town and who was really in charge. A noble who dreamt of resurrecting Shambala and earning the people of Arcania the dignity they deserved, and this town was a front for the 1st steps towards achieving that goal. He sympathized with your plight and was quite impressed with your drive and resourcefulness, even offered you a position by his side, but ultimately could risk getting entangled with kingpriests and major power politics before he was ready so your request for Skimmer parts was denied. The same merchant Hana saved and got you in the loop however saw things differently. He betrayed his employer for your sake, then rode off into the sunset as the unsung hero (taking the 4 camels granted to you with him) .

Loki was...not pleased, but you managed to talk him down from doing something rash. A plan was in motion the fix this, but your new benefactor wanted some payment for his investment (plus you had time to kill until it was all actually ready). Several of his both main and side projects had encountered difficulties. With the kitsune bodyguard in tow, you set about fixing some of them. Perhaps due to the Blade of Damocles in the form of Loki's wrath nolonger hanging above your head (for now), your vivid dreams had gone away. You discovered the lauded mystic "Graveyard of Sand Ships" spoken of in hushed tones during drunken Arcanian tall tales. It was a veritable treasure of knowledge and wonder in the eye of a storm that blinded even the most powerful off seeing magics, all supervised by an old man on his last legs who wanted nothing more than to pass on his legacy to a worthy lad. A lad such as yourself who uncovered the problem of the bottleneck (the recent unusual Exalteds' behaviors) in a matter of hours that had stumped all others for a week now. But whereas your new benefactor would have wanted nothing more than to appoint you the new caretaker of this place, Old Teller recognized that such a mind must roam free. He gave you all you could take with your mind, all his records, ledgers, Kwon schematics, and promised the physical trove would be waiting for you if you ever wanted/needed it.

Your second stop wasn't one of hushed legends but of gasped awe. The Great Hauyne of Arcadia, the largest, most beautiful Oasis (Golden Mere on account of the yellow sand), the place where the Stars Sang. It was also Arcania's most prized resource (both domestic and export) for it was the home to Arcania's second Exalted patron, Ni, the Forger of Bonds, and collecting remnants from it (used for anointing one with a "blessing" from the Exalted) was relatively much easier and consistent than any other Exalted. It was managed by none other than Old Teller's former protege, like yourself. Despite all that had happened, the fire inside of you to see the wonders of the world hadn't been extinguished, and you'd have been damned if you were not to see this one with your own eyes.

But weird things were happening here as well, along with some cryptic messages from a mysterious bard, and a second close encounter with an Exalted (this one actually being pleasant), making you probably the only person ever to have ever come in contact with not 1 but 2 Exalted and lived to tell the tale.
http://images4.fanpop.com/imag...330620-1680-1050.jpg

Turns out some of Ni's power had spilled over during that same event that had agitated Ra', causing a piece of mold in the bowels of the dam that made the Golden Meres to hyper-evolve into an abomination of unspeakable horror. The kitsune had progressively let glimpses of his true skill slip out from under the mask of goofiness he put forth, but aside from some weird behavior on his part at the beginning, he truly showed you the extent of his skill and determination in this struggled. Coupled with some of your wit, science, moxie, and more than a little luck the two of you managed to nip a possible threat to the entire world before it could happen. You departed yet again, leaving behind a friend in your debt, with a sample of a "?dead exalted in the making?", remnants of 2 Exalted (one of which whose recognition you had earned), and a cryptic message from the equally enigmatic ancient old bard that "you are traveling with 1 3/4s Exalted already".

Returning back to the secret town, all preparation were made, the new Skimmer ready to go. The day before you go you witness what could have been a major setback to Alba's plan to form an Arcanian nation. The Hex Cleaners (supposedly the best in the biz) he had hired were refusing the job of cleaning Shambala. He assumed they were just trying to nickel and dime him, but they were simply refusing regardless of the pay. The Hex had been more troublesome than any they had encountered before, and recently it had grown in strength (which you recognized was due to Loki's artefact you lost. A hex feeds on magic and that artefact was as powerful as powerful can get). You had offered hope in the form of a Kwon potion you had snatched during your previous tussle with them that may open up new methods of dealing with the hex that had previously been unexplored. This convinced them to stay, except for 1. Reputedly the best cleaner among them that didn't take off the massive armors that they wore (about a dwarf's height, almost as broad as it was tall) that had already invited itself onto your party.

She(?) knew things that she shouldn't have and spoke almost as cryptically as the ancient bard you had met, so you decided to let her join for now. The Lonely One knew you'd need all the help you could get if you were to face that Kwon commander again (Loki may bare the title of kingpriest and enjoyed the privileges' and political power that it granted, but in terms of actual power he wasn't even close to the other 2 kingpriests of the Alliance). Oh and the weird dreams were back.

With everything ready you set of for Cruilla, your original destination to both find clues on the original kidnapped princess Elena (this was her last know location) as well as a potential aid/information in rescuing the latest kidnapped princess, Hana. On your way there you made a stop during which time you went to gather some minerals and other substances for your alchemical concoctions, as well as a chance to probe your newest and thus far sketchiest companion.

It is during this excursion that you encountered (or I should say you were FOUND by) an old acquaintance of yours. A certain, few legs short spider stalker.

Round 1:
Stalker uses bite (11 dmg; roll Con save DC 20 vs poison. Paralyze and 1 Str dmg if you fail)
^{01:55, Today: GM rolled 30,11 using 1d20+11,1d8+8.  Stalker bite atk.}

^ Good laugh there.


Irfan rolled 23 using 1d20+4.  Poison.
Irfan rolled 6 using 1d20+2.  Initiative.<orange>

By Luck, Virtue of not being worn down by the elements, Inoculation, or aided by some trace of magic, Irfan doesn't immediately begin to cramp up from the bite as he did last time. (TBH the spider is probably the one worn out this time.)




<orange>If you want, put in something like a ancient cellar to create a arena. I'm still having a bit of trouble understanding the spider keeping up, but if it's 3x as slow the skimmer at our pace if it went no rest it could make it. I'm actually considering a more supernatural explanation in line with what already in place.

The terror of the spider would have been present on a subsconcious level when Irfan met the Bond Maker, and the spider would have been in rough shape too and equally if not more bound to Irfan then Irfan was to it by fear.

http://spheresofpower.wikidot.com/conjuration#toc11


Irfan balked, the ground exploding underneath him was not what he had expect to happen, in fact it was even among the things he considered unlikely to occur. (actually did Irfan get any chance/warning at denying it a surprise round? Nope, Irfan rolled it's stealth in sand modifier)

By the time he recognized the situation for what it's was and got his bearing, the beast was on it's second round.

<Irfan rolled 21 using 1d20+4.  Second save vs poison. /sweat>

It was big, angery, focused, and fast. No time to think, just react.

Irfan rolled 15 using 1d20+10.  Knowledge nature vs spider legs hydralics.

Using practiced hands and organized storage, Irfan grabs one of his small bombs and juices it with ammonium nitrate.

(Cast Defensively? Provokes?)  Irfan rolled 20 using 1d20.  Raw concentration check.

Irfan rolled 21 using 1d20+5.  Ranged touch attack Ice bomb.
1d8 Physical 3d6 Cold.  DC 16 Fortitude vs  Blind + Deaf 1d4+1, Staggered 1d4.

Fortified by his previous experience, or just in Crisis mode, Irfan doesn't flinch as he follows through.
This message was last edited by the player at 05:58, Sat 25 Dec 2021.

Well, Arcania and this world in particular is very saturated with magic and the sand stalker IS a magical beast (incantations are a thing http://spheresofpower.wikidot.com/incantations ) so maybe the spider's obsession with you triggered one of them (not needing food, water or sleep, sustained by magic alone and augmented to be tireless, unrelenting and fast). No one ever said incantations were exclusive to humans. In fact more animals and objects have been affected by the Exalted than humans ever have (where do you think all the monsters come from? You think that can happen with normal evolution?). And then there's the meeting with the Lonely One, the literally "forger of bonds". All of the Exalteds' blessings are double edged swords. ^{Good catch btw}.

From what I can tell, normal flashbangs don't provoke Aoos but Material Imposition on their own do. You are not using a Material Imposition on its own (the 1d8 cold dmg + frozen stiff thing) but merely augmenting your flashbang (a separate entry with different effects), and that doesn't provoke an Aoo because it's not a separate action as stated in the beginning of the Material Imposition text and the 2nd paragraph of the Flashbang. You DID however expend your martial focus and since the fort save was a success you didn't regain it with an Immediate action, meaning you can't use an Augmented Flashbang again until you do regain your focus through the regular method (ether Total Defense or Withdraw action)

Like I said earlier, the Sand Stalker is a magical beast, meaning you'd need a spellcraft check, not a knowledge nature check. And from what I can see, you have no ranks in that. You did however bring up an interesting idea that's closer to engineering though so I will grant an entangled condition for 1 round since it hasn't got all its legs.

The spider looked a mess, like a diseased mutt, patchwork of missing skin and fur, still missing 3 limbs from its encounter with the undead. However it acted like possessed demon. It didn't even try to protect itself from your attacks, broke off another limb you had frozen solid because it was slowing it down, didn't even show an instinctual flinch to sudden loud noises or flashes of light, its desire to kill you, to avenge the slight you caused, right whatever cosmic injustice it perceived you had wronged, overrode all reason and instinct. It thrashed this way and that, missing more often than not but it didn't case as long as it inflicted pain!

"In much trouble, Shifu thinks you are," the armored midget next to you observed, detached of worry or fear that harm might fall upon it. "Angered the monster much, she inquires why you have done?"

Summary:
Initiative order:
1. Shifu (19) but can jump in at any second because it delayed its initiative after the 1st round
2. Advanced Spider Stalker (15)
3. Ifran (6)

Surprise round:
Spider attacks (11 dmg), Irfan resists poison.


Round 1:
Shifu delays.
Spider attack (natural 1).
Irfan uses Augmented Flashbang (7 dmg), expends martial focus. Spider resists effects, but is entangled for 1 round on account of targeting vulnerable spot.

Round 2:
Shifu delays.
Spider attack (9 dmg). Irfan resists poison again.
This message was last edited by the GM at 15:13, Sat 25 Dec 2021.

Maybe these spiders evolved a Buff incantation similar to a Geas spell that helps them hunt, but comes at a price if the hunt goes too long.

<orange>Swift Action: Scout Spider Irfan rolled 12 using 1d20+11.  Scout check.


Irfan 14/34 vigor.

Irfan tries to get a handle on things, but the spider is too big and way too distracting to get a grasp on.

He could run, but it would easily catch him in a moment.


"I didn't let it eat me... Twice.... and may have subjected it to Curse (Zombies? Echos? Husks? Drones?)" Irfan says. Raising his staff, the atmosphere begins to change, and a feeling of pressure builds.

Irfan rolled 9 using 1d20+7.  Will save vs wind.

If Able, Ifran activates Lightning rod as a full round action, Presumably this generates some wind effects.

6d6 lightning Reflex  DC 16 for half. Irfan rolled 23 using 6d6.  Lightning Strike.



Irfan takes a 5 ft step away from the spider.
This message was last edited by the player at 17:51, Sat 25 Dec 2021.

No, even if it did create wind it wouldn't be strong enough (that fast) for a medium sized creature to need a save throw.

Irfan jumped back and unleashed a bolt of lightning.
"Oo_ooh"

But it only made the spider angrier. Worse, it thawed some of the ice.

Summary:
Round 2:
Irfan uses lightning. Spider dodges (11 dmg).

Round 3:
Shifu delays.
Spider attack (12 dmg). Irfan resists poison again. Entangled ends.

"Bugger off already. It's your persistence that got us into that mess.
" Irfan levels his staff in the 5 foot gap between them.

Irfan readies a standard action to blast it again when it goes to attack him. Spider reflexes asside, it was predictable and not thinking clearly.

"Responsibility for one's own actions, rarely does one take. Easier blame others is, says Shifu" said Shifu, sitting on a boulder, legs dangling like child on a swing, enjoying(?) the show.

Figuring rather than a continuous charge, a more concentrated burst of energy would be more effective so you held the staff at the end, like a baseball bat, the other end pointing up at the small, low hanging, artificial storm cloud you created with some chemical seeding.

Electrical energy was shooting down and building up at the tip but you were grounded so you had nothing to worry about. But by your calculations, if the top connected with the spider it would all discharge at one. That is, if the spider decided to continue the attack. Which predictably enough, it did.

You swung hard just as it pounced on you, connecting in midair and suddenly...AN EXPLOSION, right in front of you. You were startled, stumbled back 2 steps, had to shake your head to get your bearings, blink a few times to clear the dust from your eyes. There was still a cloud of dust in front of you, still settling down, but looking to your left you saw some 15-ish feet away the spider lay on its back ^{*twitch, twitch...twitch*}. It looked alive, just...out of it for the moment. Slowly it righted itself back up and did that shake dogs do when they're wet except in its case it was to make the world stop spinning (erm, you know what I mean).

Astonished, you look at your staff in awe, wondering if you did that? Had you really swatted the giant spider out of the air like a fly and sent if tumbling away a dozen feet? That was way more effective than you thought it'd be. Wow, sometimes you didn't know your own strength.

But as you were patting youself on the back you noticed something off. There was a lot of rubble around for some reason. You turned to Shifu to ask-...she(?) was just standing there, twiddling her(?) thumbs waiting to see what happened next. Standing because there was bolder to sit on anymore.

Rewinding a coupe of seconds earlier, the same scene from a different angle just as Irfan struck with his staff.


Summary:
Round 3:
Irfan readies lightning.

Round 4:
Shifu readies Throw Boulder.
Spider uses 5ft step and Standard action: Bite. Lightning triggers (reflex success, 12 dmg). Boulder triggers (16 dmg + bullrush). Spider cannot move because it took a 5ft step already.

Spider total dmg taken thus far: 46
Irfan's turn again.
This message was last edited by the GM at 22:53, Sat 25 Dec 2021.

He knew he should just end it, but that didn't sit well with him. It just needed to learn he wasn't food.

So Irfan tried something else.


Irfan rolled 23 using 1d20+7 ((16)) finesse: sleight of hand
If I taste that good, fine. Limb for a limb right?
Irfan 'cut's off his hand' and chunks the empty glove with a instant foam bomb in it at the spider.


Reflexive stealth in expected bubble blast?
This message was last edited by the player at 07:47, Sun 26 Dec 2021.

Irfan made a very convincing performance of slicing his own hand off while secretly slipping a vial of foam into the glove that should have held flesh (23 vs 15, Success), then he made a plea for parley. The spider was exceptionally smart for a non-humanoid (Intelligence 4) and could understand such higher concepts. Whether it truly intended to honor any such deals is highly questionable, probably just viewing this as a snack before the main dish, but from its point of view it was offered free food after days of starvation. (24 vs 22, Success)

You heard the audible crunch of glass as the sand stalker gobbled up your "hand" and began to chew ravenously. Moments later the spider went rigid, you heard a dull fshhhhhhhhhhh sound, the spider began to swell a little then opened its maw wide and a greenish, mostly white substance gushed out. Upon exposure to air it quickly semi-sponge solidified and expanded in the familiar chemical foam of your own creation.

You saw the spider heave, gasp, struggle trying to push away this white substance whose other end was still stuck on the inside but it was hopeless. Expanding gases sought the direction of least resistance. It had already expanded on the inside, filling its stomach and lungs to their stretching limit before erupting from the mouth (it was lucky it didn't exploded it from the inside out). And now it was stuck in there, impossible to puke, cough or pull out.

The spider was doomed to a slow, painful death of suffocation. All you could do is watch its last moment of desperate, futile struggle for life.

"Most cruel thing ever seen in all her centuries this is, says Shifu" says Shifu as she(?) observes your handywork. "Much more dangerous than your frail appearance, are you," her tone as expressionless as the full-body armor it wore, making it impossible to determine whether this was praise or what.

Moments later you see Horus and Milkweed run onto the scene.
"We heard lightning. Since there are no clouds we figured it was you and you were in troub- WHAT IN THE-?!" the innocent blue-haired boy was so aghast at seeing the giant spider (pardon my french but this is what it looks like at first glance when you have no context) vigorously pumping in and out of its mouth a giant white phallic-like object.

Milkweed recognized your handywork, but he was never one to miss a chance to use a misunderstanding to fuck with Horus so he leaned in and said, "Oh, we're in for a rare treat. That, my dear little friend, is what happens when a creature doesn't find a partner during the season of "the birds and the bees"."

Horus stares back the kitsune in horror. You were pretty sure he didn't understand iever half of what the prankster had told him, but he was still horrified.

Summary:
Round 5:
Initiative order changed due to readied actions.
Irfan uses Foam.
Spider is drowning/suffocating. It cannot bite due to obstructed orifice and it has no other natural attacks.

The encounter is effectively over. You gain 800xp.

Adendum: Coup Degrace Mercy killing, spider is effectively immobilized/helpless.

Irfan's poisoned gift have a far greater impact then he intended, He stares at it in shock before putting it out of it's misery with another blast. It had chosen to pursue him this far and at obvious detriment to it's health, and the last thing he needed was it ambushing him again. Just because it wanted to eat him didn't mean he had to sit there and watch it suffer either. Unable to react in it's bloated state, Irfan fries it till it stops twitching.

"Centuries" Shifu. Irfan leans on his staff, and exhales. Rather unhappy with the result but more happy to be alive then disgusted. He certainly didn't want to see that ever again though. "Not by choice, It must have been pursuing me ever since it nursed the wounds it got at "???" closed up. Thinking back, it could have been at the lake as well (Irfan also fell off a cliff after being mesmerized). "It certainly would have killed me with your help. I thank Shifu for her kindess."

"Oh, we're in for a rare treat. That, my dear little friend, is what happens when a creature doesn't find a partner during the season of "the birds and the bees"."

Irfan is too winded from the bruises and twisting that he doesn't even try to correct the Kitsune, though Irfan mind processes it as a comment about rabid till it reaches the last bit. @Horus "Just a old enemy looking for food, couldn't really let him eat me after all that work Hana did to stop him last time. He ate something that disagreed with him... And actually THIS is a perfect example of why we don't mess with my potions. Irfan states, glaring at the Kitsune.



https://pfharris.com/blogs/bug...-how-spiders-breathe (spider probably survives, bar internal damage realistically, but no one here really knows that I'd say. Spider probably qualifies for nemesis at this point, and is getting more patient. Cold revenge not hot anger now.)
This message was last edited by the player at 23:21, Tue 28 Dec 2021.

Milkweed gives you this look (kinda hard to tell what he was expressing with all the fur and bangs obscuring his eyes like a poodle) then reaches into the folds of his cloak and produces a vile, then another one, and another one, "Well then it's a good thing I found these when I did. You really shouldn't leave dangerous things like this just carelessly laying around. What if someone accidentally drank them? Think about Loki, or poor innocent Ryu here, or someone who doesn't yet know your diabolical side like Shifu here," he said, handing them over one by one while chastising you.

Then swiftly made his way back to camp with the others.
-"Shifu is not-"
-"^Hush."

---

And it was so that you made your way to the city of your birth.

Having last seen it when you were a very young adult (not long after the fire of your adopted father/mentor, and not long before you moved to Yuzna) you knew it would be changed a lot, you expected it, it was the nature of having a permanent settlement in a land that literally gave way under your feet and slowly sank. But even so, it had changed A LOT.

Having nothing else to compare it to so for you this was a metropolis as far as you were concerned. The largest possible collection of people that could be found in one place. Merchants, caravans, skimmers, people was constantly going in an out like ants, the whole place was in constant motion with sights, sounds, smells, bright and dull colors weaving in and out at all times. The expressions on Ryu, Milkweed and Loki (and you assumed Shifu, but who could tell what she(?) was thinking under that armor) revealed the culture shock. You assumed it was the awe of the size of the place.

You had thought Yuzna was well organized when it came to storing, filing and securing skimmers since it was the "birthplace" of the business as far as anyone was concerned, but this place took the cake and you knew you had nothing to worry about on that front at least. That allowed you to focus on the more important matter at hand.

1. Finding clues about Elena.
2. Finding clues about the Kwon's recent unusual activity (Save Hana).
and 3. Not get scammed/robbed blind in broad daylight.
"^{Come on Ryu, keep pace, don't make eye contact.}"

The architecture of the city itself was quite fascinating. It didn't have much of defensible walls to keep critters away like Yuzna or Saray had, but given the natural elevation and undoubtedly the numerous protection services guilds were probably more than enough to keep such threats at bay while remaining "harmless enough" for the Kwon and Ironia to ignore. As the city sunk, more city was build on top of the old structures with many platforms and walkways effectively creating new streets that hung in midair. This kind of made it a "generational city" where it's age could be counted on the number of tiers it had. Currently there were 3 tiers, making this Cruilla 3.0. You knew and grew up in Cruilla 2.0.

On the top tier, the "surface city", meaning the section directly exposed to the blistering sun of Arcania and it's freezing nights, lived both the poorest caste of Arcanians and the absolute richest people who did it to flaunting their wealth and influence because they could afford the magic necessary to make shield them from the elements. As the newest build tier, you were unfamiliar with this one. The 2nd tier, formally the 1st when you were a child, became prime real-estate when it sunk into the shade, providing a natural cooling effect during the day, and warmth during the freezing nights due to radiative cooling of the ground. This is where the middle class people lived and much of the rich class. The bottom-most tier is technically speaking off limits since there are still remnants of the Hex there (remember it's heavier than air), but you have heard that outcasts congregate here (which is saying something considering all of Arcania is already considered the world's outcast central) or the truly desperate looters. The Cleaners hired at the time were ether not the best or tried to renegotiate after the fact (one of the worst sins in Arcania) as all outsiders do once their job got harder, so the job was never fully finished, but the worst was done and the hex was supposed to fade with time so the Arcanian "nobility" took the cheaper solution at the time since they were already hurting for cash. You see, at the time, when the Hex was first dropped on Cruilla, people didn't know that much about it, but using common sense knowledge they figured "if it can't touch me, it can't hurt me" so they walled off half the surface city, the infected part. But then your father and people like your father who worked near the wall and other infected areas started dying off and/or going insane. This wasn't a problem until the hex started seeping down into the lower tier, you know where all the rich people lived. THEN it became a problem. However, all the plebs were on the surface, which now became prime real-estate. This is what initiated the "Great Move" of Cruilla, where the vast majority of the poor surface dwellers had to leave the city due to skyrocketing prices (meaning they were gentrified out of existence), and also prompted the construction of the 3rd tier (the new top tier). Although a semi-nomadic lifestyle isn't uncommon in Arcania (Cruilla and Shamballa before that not withstanding), such a massive exodus of people at one time is what prompted the creation of many smaller settlements, the construction of the Golden Sands' Dam (and Saray as you recently found out), and immigrating outside of Arcania. Having been forced to abandon their homes so quickly and move to the surface, much of their physical wealth was left down there (which is why the bottom tier is attractive for the truly desperate looters. Although can it still be considered looting decades after the fact?)

Based on what you know now about the Hex, the prominent magic trade of Cruilla probably delayed the fading of the hex on the bottom tier, but it's been decades. Even factoring that proximity, by your calculations the hex should have faded by now. Still, that was a mystery for another day.

Right now you needed to figure out what your first step would be. The others looked to you for guidance.

Although can it still be considered looting decades after the fact? Yes, if one were willing or able to brave inside the walls. Though whose to claim it? There might be more then one heirloom down there of considerable value or sentimental value.




https://www.deviantart.com/nel...ert-Sunset-793365078

https://www.deviantart.com/jbr...sert-Ruins-507020399

Irfan had two aces up his sleeve at the moment, a letter of recommendation and a(two) objects of considerable value. Understanding the state of the city he knew the guilds has probably moved around considerably, and if he wanted the premier guilds he would need to head up.

All of his concerns should be address well by moving to the upper level and arranging for hospitalities with the guild/trade master. That should open negotiations at the top of the information networks or at least someone very important to them. He would like to do a bit of information seeking on his own first, but between a impatient Loki, a naive Horus, a prankster Milweed and literal shifu he would never have a chance. He needed someplace to atleast two of them if he wanted to get anything done.

That meant Irfan had to get all of them to the upper levels which shouldn't be diffcult in a city based around trade, Loki's Wealth and upbringing, and the Letter from Akira should be enough to prove they have business above.

Plan: Deliver letter to the trading company for validation, and provide the Scale of the Destory for safekeeping to the guild vaults under the understanding of selling it or having it sold by the guild. He didn't expect the Man himself to show up immediatly, but he expected a solid welcome atleast after present trade goods of this quality. That should be enough to get Loki somewhat settled in, The question became what to do in the remaining time before evening. He hated the idea but Horus might be able to learn something if turned lose. Shifu would probably be better off safeguarding Horus in the city then confined in luxury.

Irfan leads his party upwards fully expecting to atleast be verbal checked by guards that keep the riffraff from the upperclass.


  Irfan rolled 28 using 1d20+11.  Passive perception check.





10 years ago, Irfan is 21, so roughly 11. Probably the time of the fire, but either right about the start of the 3rd tier construction or the great exodus?


Loki + Irfan Negotions or Loki + Milweed?
-> Loki negotiations?
-> Milweed -> safe guarding Loki/ schmoozing the town with horus?
-> Horus Gather intel/sleuthing?
-> Shifu  Bodyguard/doting on Horus?

The 1st link is much closer to what I imagined this place looking like than the latter. Just keep in mind the whole place is constantly sinking so 1 or 2 tiers are completely underground.

Damn, that's a high passive perception. That earns you...

It didn't surprise you to notice someone taking an interest in a rag-tag party as formidable looking as yours (which always meant ether trouble or opportunity), but you expected it to happen AFTER you reached the more "posh" part of town where the wealthy lived. You, quite honestly, right now didn't look like you belonged there. Even Loki wasn't dressed practically rather than to display wealth and power. You expected the private security that the rich could afford and actually maintained law and order to give you the stink eye, flex some muscle your way, throw some weight around, but not BEFORE you got there. (if you've watched Arcane imagine the difference between Piltover and Zaun)

A cloaked figure, quite skilled at what they were doing, stared and followed you obsessively. It went beyond just the local gangs or whoever that controlled the poor part of town having a spotter keeping an eye out for trouble. Those kind of guys would note your presence and report back, not obsessively analyze you to the exclusion of all else. For a moment you thought that you may be getting primed for a mugging or a 5 finger discount, but quickly cast such thoughts aside. Your group looked too dangerous for that, plus it wasn't the Arcanian way. They'd sooner try to scam you out of your money than take it by force or guile, but with you, obviously an Arcanian yourself, they'd know your party would be inoculated by such things, assuming you weren't already in the middle of fleecing the foreigners (which didn't even look wealthy and dumb to begin with).

No, that wasn't it. Furthermore, it made you believe that your stalker might not be local. A local spotter would try to blend in with the crowd and not care if others (other locals) saw them, meaning the preferred style they'd implement would be a "faceless nobody in a crowd". The hooded person that was stalking you made the attempt to not be seen by others as well, or at least not be seen stalking you. They performed silent acrobatic stunts from roof to roof (who ever looks up at the blazing sun, am I right?), stuck to shadows, corners, stay low, hide behind cover, using speed and guile to be undetected rather than be unassuming. It was perhaps that they chose this way to track you that caught your eye in the first place. What puzzled you the most though is that you haven't done anything yet to earn such attention. Nobody knew what you carried nor who any of you were, right? It's not like you've told anyone yet.

Whatever the case, you knew they wouldn't be able to pull off the same thing once you were in the 2nd tier of the town, so one way or another they wouldn't be a problem anymore once you past the checkpoint, so if you planned on confronting them, now would be the time. But you had a sneaking suspicion they'd run/disappear as soon as you tried. Considering how cautious they were to avoid attention from everyone, you doubted a public confrontation is what they'd desire, or probably any kind of confrontation for now at least.

You finally reached the unofficial checkpoint between the top and 2nd tier of the city. You had to decide what to do about your stalker, if anything, and whether to let Horus to "do his magic" (with Shifu to chaperoning him, obviously) while you, Loki and Milkweed proceeded to have the adult talk in the rich district. Milkweed was surprisingly compliant to be "left out of the fun" and remain with you guys despite being assured that there'd be no tomfoolery beyond this checkpoint.

Loki + Irfan
Horus + Shifu
Milkweed?

Irfan notices a tail, but has every reason to not be concerned. A tail makes sense in context right,just a part of the guard and guilds. Just being aware is a Win no? Being able to deduce his tailer's idenity later is 100% a win at the right time.(it's never that simple in your games but that is meta)


Today: Irfan rolled 28 using 1d20+11 with rolls of 17.  Irfan influence check bluff the tracker into thinking he saw nothing.

Conundrum, what to do with Horus to be productive going into meetings? 100% maybe better if he stayed at the inn. Smoozing nobles ahead means Milkweed wants out too. Probably best to cut them loose and see what shakes? Retcon people back to standby/offscreen? Any shady business can take place there. Pity the fool that messes with Horus under Shifu's care.

Unphased, Irfan continues on course, expecting nothing, but hoping the persurer might reveal some identifier details by some fluke. Fully expecting this is some noble taking interest in the kingpriest that bought and then drove the nice skimmer to town.
This message was last edited by the player at 07:36, Sun 22 Oct 2023.

What was the Scale of the Destory? I didn't get that far yet. Anyway.

Your tail followed you a bit longer. During this time you got the chance to catch a bit of a better view of them. Or to be specific, her. She was covered from head to toe in a robe, kept the hood low, probably wore something else underneath but you couldn't see what. What you did notice was that she wore extremely high quality boots, that were build for practicality rather than appearance. And she had a tail (lol, the tail has a tail). A red bushy tail that ended with a white patch, probably a fox variant of some sort from the beast folk? The 2 bulges on the robe on top of her head pretty much confirmed it.

All the businesses the guilds and merchants wealthy enough to have employees under them to do the actual day-to-day trading, did so back on the top tier. And upon reaching it your tail didn't stick around for long, not when guards patrolling the street became more common (and vigilant). There were no bazars here, no street stalls, no cacophony of sales pitches, catch phrases, smells, sights and sounds of bustling masses, but that by no means meant there were no people. More than a few probably had business directly with the guilds. Registering, reporting, restocking the front back topside, probably even buying wholesale, and obviously unloading the goods from caravans for storage. If you were to have a warehouse, you'd want to have it in the safest part of town and as close to you as possible so that your personal security can intervene where the public one failed, no? The point is everyone here walked with purpose rather than keeping an eye out for opportunity or bargain hunting. They knew where they came from, where they were going, why they were going there and what they'd do there. As expected, you didn't look like you belonged there. Your appearance could be forgiven, there were other non-rich people around after all, but the fact that you didn't know exactly where to go, where to find Romco Aolp's home / HQ, was a dead giveaway.

You asked some guards for directions and they politely provided them, though it did earn you some stares. When you saw the place, your heart sank. Yes a lot of this place has changed, buildings had been added, but the place was your former home. Your second home. This Romco Aolp had rebuild the tower of your old master and father-figure Marco Polo and had made it his home now. And he had a terrible artistic sense. The new decorations just look so gaudy. In a way it made you feel like he was somehow desecrating your old master, or rather your memories. The tall, mean, bare-chested, muscular thug that guarded the main entrance only made it worse. You recognized his type immediately, the way he glowered along anyone unfortunate enough to be passing by too closely. The power-tripping kind. You got those kinds of people back in your office job from time to time. Thinking they could lord their big size above you and bully you into overlooking "discrepancies" in their manifests.

You could only hope he wouldn't cause any trouble. Loki was...not in the mood to suffer fools.

This message was deleted by the player at 00:06, Wed 01 Nov 2023.

Nice boots, Kitsune, Acrobatic and atheltics.... Milkweed's Sister???

------------------

quote:

You got those kinds of people back in your office job from time to time. Thinking they could lord their big size above you and bully you into overlooking "discrepancies" in their manifests.

Irfan rolled 28,28 using 1d20+11,1d20+11 with rolls of 17,17.  Influence Check, disadvantage Appearance.

  The more things stayed the same, the more comfortable Irfan was navigating the hurdle. His fancy letter probably meant next to nothing to the self appointed gatekeeper of a guard. Given it was a high end local, bribery probably wouldn't do him any favors, just waving the letter around would get it confiscated and put at the bottom of a stack of reports. The path way forward here should be to avoid triggering his ego, while presenting a solid case for business. Unfortunately the solid case for business was not the kind you casually mention having on the streets.
~two? three? weeks ago the Golden Meres started having production issues due exalted activity? Maybe enough time for  the (lack of) caravan goods to have reached the city of Cruilla.

 Irfan rolled 62 using 1d100 with rolls of 62.  RNG Check. Akira, Romco Aolp

 Approaching the guard, Irfan settled on mixing a lot of true with a few lies, He would be a messenger sent by Akira via the nearest skimmer with urgent news regarding his remnant supply shortage issue. The letter would be proof, but the whole message would required interaction. Bearing bad news was bad enough, but having to give bad news about a investment to someone as high as Romco was not a enviable position to be in. Presenting himself to guard, (I assume bouncer is a closer word), Irfan follows up with " I've just arrived from Golden Meres, (the lonely one's oasis), as fast as a skimmer could bring me. I have urgent message regarding Akira's business venture, and news of such that Romco will want priority access to." showing the seal on the letter, but refusing to part with it. "At the very least I have been instructed to hand it over to the store manager, and clarify any details or questions too long to have been included."

Hope Loki isn't scowling his head off when I portray myself as a messenger/scribe doing busy work.

The bouncer glowered down at you with the (you assume) the most intimidation, scrutinizing look he can give you and see if you'll finch. When you didn't, he started glaring at the letter to "appraise" if it was a forgery. You HIGHLY doubted that the man had such capabilities, but it must've looked "official enough" because he barked for you to get inside.

When Loki made a move to enter inside as well though, the muscle mountain stepped in his way, "Hey now hold on. How many people does it take to deliver a message? Mr.Romco Aolp only meets with trading partners, it's bad enough I'm letting you in," he said as he aimed his snarl at Loki, who unlike your 'oblivious' approach to dealing with it, matched it with a blood curdling death glare of his own. It had not been the reaction the bouncer had expected but he wasn't ganna back down from someone lanky cotton-hands whose clothes he could fold with him still in them. If only he knew how right he was, except for the direction in which that statement applied.

You were quick to assure the man (28 vs 25, success) that this was one of Ramco Aolp's trading partners. One that was affected by the recent troubles. With the fearlessness of the impudent wimp justified and, oh shit backed up, the bouncer stepped aside. He could bully the peasants all he wanted but one of his employers revenue incomes? That was a big no-no. As a last ditch to save his pride though, as you entered the establishment he promised that if you weren't meant to be in there... and left the threat hanging.

---

The inside of the place was something else. Like stepping another world. It had clearly only 1 purpose and 1 purpose only: to awe any arrivals. It was so posh, so luxurious it almost bordered on tacky except no expenses had been spared on obtaining nothing but the best and original. It was a kleptomanic's wet-dream. You don't know how Loki was managing to remain even-hearted. Guess rage is a hell of an anesthetic.

You were quickly approached by a hostess who, unlike Mr.Muscle outside, was nothing but the epitome of welcoming politeness and professionalism. After hearing you wished to see Mr.Ramco Aolp in person though, she reiterated the same thing the bouncer had said (although far more diplomatically). 'Only business partners got to meet with Mr.Ramco Aolp'. And even then you assumed, unless it was someone huge, they'd have to have an appointment first. She did offer to deliver the message to him in your stead though. You weren't sure how seriously she was taking this whole thing and feared she might place it in the pile of low-priority everyday paperwork.

At this point you will have to remind me some things since I haven't had the chance to read the old posts. Why exactly are you here to meet Romco Aolp (the princess, the other princess, Akira, the secret town with the alchemist... what was your connection)? How much do you know about Ramco Aolp's involvement into all of this? Where did you get all the info? I remember you overheard some stuff the Nazi captain said before he took the princess but...

Irfan nods agreeing as much, "Understandable, please evaluate the contents of the letter. As he adjusts his satchel, bring it in front of him for easier access. Paper was paper and it had done half it's work. Farther from the prying eyes of the street gossip there was less chance of word slipping out about the contents he was carrying. Shuffling the contents, he waits for her to read the letter or reply before lifts the flap of His satchel  reveal the Destroyer's scale resting inside for her to see.


Presuming she would be both knowledgeable of the basics of exalted goods, and that the size alone would merit more secure dealings. Maybe not enough to warrant a emergency meeting, but enough to put him on the schedule with at least a direct aide some time today. Anyone with spying inside the lobby was probably the right crowded, not that he wanted to cause a scene or just pull it out here.

ooc:Betting that someone had to be brazenly stupid to walk in with a forgery of such a high value good and try to con Romco, inside of romco no less. Atleast serious enough for the product to be verified while someone(s) else stands nearby to pummel any would be con artists.


This message was last edited by the player at 05:17, Wed 01 Nov 2023.

You saw as the woman's eye grew wider and wider to the point her eyebrows ran the risk of disappearing from her face. As rude as it was, she even took the time to appraise the letter and artefact for validity with you still present. Then asked you to wait in some comfy chairs (they brought you refreshments in the form of exotic fruit cocktails with shaved ice, whose price would probably make you cough blood if you had to purchase on your own) as she summoned another, older man from the back who looked more like a craftsman than someone who entertained guests so he can double check and verify her initial evaluation. The conversation between them was hushed, but by the looks of it he confirmed it. Finally she returned and said, "This...this isn't a scale that had fallen off from age. It's a fresh one that had chipped off from the Exalted One brushing up against something...How did you get this?" she asked incredulously since neither of you looked like the typical remnant scavenger. "And this letter...It is far beyond within my authority to accommodate you in any way. I will deliver it to master Aolp as soon as possible. Will you depositing the artefact with us for safe keeping until a bargain has been struck? Where can we contact you for when master Aolp has a reply for you? Oh and will you be selling this to the master exclusively or do you wish for him to organize an impromptu auction on your behalf?"

You hadn't expected to meet with the man immediately even if he'd be dying to meet with you. It was one of the trading techniques the Arcanians had developed for generations (with trade being their lifeblood and all). Never secede power in a negotiation. Never make it seem like you want or -heavens forbid- need something from the other party. Just 'would be nice to have' at worst or 'doing you a favor by getting it off your hands' at best. This hostess had broken some of those rules, yes, butt hen again that's what set aside the good merchants from the unsuccessful ones. You doubted Marco Aolp would be making the same mistake.

Ooc: I would argue it was well handled given the quality of the item.

Dirty Commoners walk into to a noble shop, want to sell something, see your CEO to sell it. All highly irregular, but the product is a particle accelerator,  it's preposterous, a ambush even.

Sir we sell teslas here, not used cars.
I know, i'm here to see Elon.
He is a very busy man,
I'm using a watch battery to power your floor model tesla.
I, um, Will see what we can do, this is so very irregular.
Elon: you solved my battery weight issue? Do tell.

Side note, Irfan told Loki nothing of the sort.