A pretty half elf stood by the door, the servant excused himself and left. The dress wasn't as elaborated as the lady of the house, but she made it look good enough. A dagger dangling from an elaborated scabbard at her side just seemed to compliment the attire.

"Good evening." She took stock of the others, lingering on the dangerous one a moment longer before finishing her introduction. "Lady Svalkvor." Se seemed to have arrived a little late, so she took her time before moving for the table.

An awkward half hour is spent with the lady as you all try to socialize the best you know how with the lady of the house. Soon the door opens and a tall thin man with a very worried expression and a two day beard swiftly enters, a thick folder brimming with papers in his arms as he moves into where you are.

"Ah that would be Artemis" Prunilla says.


The man sweeps into the room and greets you all with a friendly smile  spilling some papers that the lady discreetly picks up.


"Um..yes well lets go eat, and after we can talk"


Dinner is wonderful and you all have as much as you like, soon after the last plate and coffee is served Artemis gets down to business.

Well, im sure your all curious as to why a stranger has summoned you to his house for dinner. To be honest its your reputation as adventurers, but also how each of your abilities can fulfill my desperate need.

I own a small mining outfit in the mountains north of here, ofcourse its not your normal pick axes and carts, but a place to test my new invention.

Efficient mining operations start with effective drilling and blasting. With the right drilling system, a drill-and-blast team can produce more holes - at required uniform depth and precision - faster and at lower cost.

I have come up with a marvelous contraption that does just that.

However a strange event has taken place recently, large mounds of sand have appeared around our operation and creatures that look like giant ants bearing weapons and some degree of intelligence have attacked the men on the site. Testing of my machine has ceased and its costing me dearly.

I you to go up there investigate and get rid of them.

Now, I am willing to pay you handsomely say in the range of 2,000 gold coins each plus outfiting expenses.

What do you think?
This message was last edited by the GM at 17:44, Sat 20 Oct 2007.

Garath reaches for his tea - he does not drink coffee - and takes a contemplative sip as he mulls Artemis' words.  "Fascinating..." he mutters quietly, almost to himself, "I wonder if a formian hive has been breached by the mining operation."  He chooses not to address the key question of employment until he has heard from the others around the table, and instead focuses on something else that caught his attention.  "Sir, I confess my surprise that my extremely meager reputation has preceded me here.  For much of my life I have been an academician, tending to my studies in book-lined halls, not out afield doing deeds of derring-do.  How would you envision my abilities, such as they are, contributing to this task?"

Gibius drinks both tea and coffee with notable indifferance as he listens to the mans proposal.  For the majority of time he seems off in his own world, his eyes drifting along the walls and ceiling and at one point carefully inspecting his teacup.  But upon the mention of a 'contraption' his eyes perk up and he speaks.

"I'll do it."

The concern seemed genuine, the gold sounded good, but there had to be something else, he concentrates in him. [Private to DM Raconteur:  10:03, Today: Secret Roll: Kratos Aureon rolled 11 using 1d20+6. Sense motive on Artemis.] The blond seemed to have the right idea, or was he part of something?
Kratos was about to comment on what he was talking when the gnome spoke. He had known many gnomes, but this one...
He decided to go back to Artemis, after all, gold was gold, IF it was worth it. "That seems unfortunate. And for what you are telling me the formian weren't there when you inspected the land? After all incects thend to be territorial." [Private to DM Raconteur: 10:13, Today: Secret Roll: Kratos Aureon rolled 17 using 1d20+4. General K (nature) to remember as much about it as he could]

"Could that thing explode or be used as a weapon?" She prefered to get to the start before going to the end. 'Small words could contain such great power.' Thats what her fater had told her once.

At this Gibius sits on the edge of his seat, listening intently to each word.
This message was last edited by the player at 17:36, Sun 21 Oct 2007.

"Could it explode... well thats very unlikely but yes I suppose if the pressure in the steam tanks build up it would explode. I doubt however it would make a very good weapon"


[Private to Kratos Aureon: You get no sense of deception or skulduggery]


Turning to Garath Artemis says Why your great knowledge first and foremost, it seems you have already figured out what they are..what did you call them formorons?

Garath seems surprised, startled even, by Artemis' suggestion.  "I guess I never thought of it that way before..."

He pauses, ruminating a moment on his host's question.  Then another moment.  Just before the pause threatens to lengthen into awkwardness, he speaks up, more slowly this time.  "Formians.  But that is just a guess - they might be muryans, or a number of other types of creature, though formians would be the most likely.  I'd have to see them to be sure."

Marina listens with care at Garath words. Something will have to be done. "Well, it could blow, but not enough to be an explosion... Say, Mr Artemis, what else can you tell of this creatures?"

Gibius nodded.  "How do they die?"

Artemis shakes his head "I know little, they attack in groups and have made no attempt to communicate they seem to be quite mindless in there ways. They will allow no one near the mine however, and so they must be removed"

"Removed?  If they are indeed formians, they are probably only protecting their hive - they mean you no harm.  And they are intelligent creatures, not vermin to be exterminated!"  Garath seems dismayed by Artemis' hardline position, but his expression quickly changes from consternation to reflection.  "I... apologize for my outburst.  Of course, it is your property and you have the right to evict trespassers.  And yet - I come from a family of merchants, and perhaps I am overly disposed to explore avenues of mutual profit, but I see an opportunity here for trade, rather than violence."  The hitherto-shy youth grows more animated as he launches his ideas at his host.

"Consider.  Formians do not enjoy a reputation for benevolence, 'tis true, but they are generally deemed trustworthy, and their word, once given, is rarely broken.  Your machines would likely be of great interest to them, and their expertise in underground excavations would certainly be of use to you.  They can test your inventions, even before you have carried out the full roster of safety checks - they are a hive, after all, and a few individual formians killed by accident are no great loss to them.  This could cut the development time and let you field new prototypes and improvements more quickly than your competitors.

"Moreover, the vast differences in lifestyle and talents between your workers and theirs open up equally vast opportunities for trade based on comparative advantage.  You can find in them a market for the resale of tools and machines, while they can rent out their workers to you as cheap, dependable and capable miners.  If you manage to get them to agree to an exclusivity compact with you - before they are aware of the value of such an arrangement - you will have a lasting advantage over other mining companies."

His bashful nature reasserting itself, Garath blushes and seems to shrink in his chair a little.  "Sorry - sometimes my thoughts get ahead of me.  But I really think you have an opportunity here."

Kratos was more open than most, but to change that it would mean he will have to work with a wild card on the team. Why am I even here if this was going to be a diplomatic group? "But what exacly are you proposing? one thing is defending something and other complete different is to just kill. I mean, they had to kill the workers way before the guards could get there. SO if they had just defended they could have made them run... " At this he turned to Artemis. " ... No report at all? I mean, how did you got what you know?" This was turning way too fishy for him. Or was there something else? something more deep than he could get at the moment?
This message was last edited by the player at 03:15, Thu 25 Oct 2007.

Gibius leaned back in his chair and let the conversation play itself out.  Meanwhile he entertained an idle daydream in which he used the blasting and drilling machine to blow the Formorians to pieces in a wonderful firey explosion ... after he had copied down the machines schematics of course ...

"My one question is,why did they attack my men. If they were trustworthy at all they would have attempted to talk to my foreman or in some way make it known they meant no harm  I cannot waste time trying to persuade them to help. They need to be destroyed or driven back to where they came from.

He then turns to Aureon I have told you what I know, they attacked my men and we haven't been able to continue our mining operation. No one in there right mind will go up there, the creatures are to formidable for the common man. Thats why I have sought you out and made you the offer that I have.

"Smart and diplomatic are not the same." Marina tried to give her point. "I have seen grown men act like children, have seen them act like they dont know people from years of friendship, just beause menial things. Either they dont care or considerthemselves too smart for us."

Garath considers the sparse information.  "Would we be able to speak with some of the foremen who were on the site?  I'd be curious to learn more of these attacks - where in the mine they first occurred, what tactics and weapons were used, the pattern of fatalities - if any - and so forth.  That the formians attacked does not, in itself, imply they are untrustworthy, merely aggressive in protecting what they see as theirs."

*Just as you are, my worthy host*, he finishes silently.

"You know, this is starting to sound like church" Not one of his best places to be, but at lest he had an idea of were this was going to end.

"So witch one will it be?" It was going down hill.

Gibius sat up in his chair and looked straight at Garath.  He began to speak in a raspy high-pitched monotone.

"You say that they are intelligent, you say that they only protect what they think is thiers ... I say so what!  Orcs are intelligent, and they think everything is theirs!  The same goes for the drow, and the demons, and so many others.  Now what happens when they try and claim their posessions?   People kill them.  We are those people, or at least we have been offered a nice sum to become them.  So I say that we do."

Gibius looked to the other two as well, not speaking to them directly, but obviously awaiting their choices as well.
This message was last edited by the player at 21:19, Fri 02 Nov 2007.

Yes, just like the church, cant this clerics ever stop talking? "Look I'm not a diplomat, if thats what we are going to do count me out. I'm sure you can find some sacrificial lamb for a pair of gold to go in your place." He replied a bit angry, his frown showing it. Damn this guy is frustrating! To bad he seems to know more than anyother on this table. He took a swing of his dring and was about to break it on the table when he remebered it was no bar. It just helped remind him of what was happening here. That made him a litte angry.

She considered her words, taking as much time as she needed. It was clear the next words could change everything.
"I have traveled much in my life. Cant say I understand all of it, but one thing is sure, I will not walk away."

Garath turns to consider the raspy-voiced gnome, whom he had initially taken for a street beggar being charitably hosted and fed during the island's festivities.  His surprise that Gibius was in fact counted among the adventurer's number had faded, but a faint disdain for the creature's poor manners remained.  Still, courtesy was for everyone, from royalty down; and so Garath would address the gnome appropriately.

"Master Gibius - let me be clear here.  I have no dispute with our host's right to clear the ant-men off his land, if that is his choice.  I shall help him do so, if that is his will.  But since he has invited me here to benefit from my knowledge, such as it is, I would be guilty of malfeasance were I not to place at his disposal all options that I see.  The Elves have a saying, 'A drow's word is lighter than his step' - meaning, one does not bargain with them.  Demons are, if anything, worse.  But formians are different from the creatures you cited; they are reputed to stand by their bargains."

The academician turns back to face Artemis.  "Sir - the choice is rightfully yours.  It may be possible that these creatures can be reasoned with, to mutual profit - that is, you might profit more by trading with them than by destroying them.  But I do not believe you have anyone here with diplomatic training; certainly, I do not have such.  If you wish us to use violence, I think all here are prepared to undertake the task; if you wish to parley, I would be prepared to try, though I would counsel you to retain more experienced negotiators."

At this Gibius nearly gaped.

The fool boy is giving away good money - my money!

But there was nought he could do but sit and await their might be employer's decision.