"The Court of Eyes?"

Yshtar probably never heard of this Court in particular but she didn't even strain her memory as the suppressed memories came up. She sighed and ignored Bartimaeus' annoying telepathy. How was he able to do that anyway?

"Fine. I'll tell you. Not that there was anything significant anyway." She furrowed her brow as she concentrated. "After a flash of violet light I was floating in darkness for what seemed like a millennia. Then I was floating under a purple sky with a dying violet sun. I saw empty vistas: Smooth, blank mountains, violet seas lapping against shores of strange geometries apparently stretching into the eternity. This is not much if I talk about it but there was a terrible sense of dread in that space. Would this be the domain of the Violet Watcher?" She paused for a moment. "So we have Rothfield who sits in the cemetery and is linked to the Bardic College. The Violet Watcher's goons follow us because of Bartimaeus' interest in the stars. There is the crusader who is after him for unknown reasons. Anyone else we want to add to the list that wants our heads?"

Bartimaeus put his hand down at Yshtar's refusal, and listened closely to her description.

But he smiled at her summary. "Yshtar, he is the crusader," indicating Verse. "And though we know the Composer is tied to the College, we remain ignorant of the purposes and interests of the Court, whether astrokosmological or otherwise. After all, Verse and Mel paid me a visit before I'd acquired the kosmoculum, yes? Who's to say their agents weren't also among the College; who's to say my erstwhile College companion wasn't one of them, though I think it more likely he succumbed to them than joined them."

He sipped his tea.

"May I suggest a course of action? I needs must return to Milo's shop to remit payment in full, lest this magic of his bind me. Then we must arm ourselves with knowledge: a legitimate religion will be known among the temples, though the cult will also have its agents there. Perhaps from there to the Archives. I don't suppose you have any pull with the Lady Shadesworn, do you, Verse?

"Dawn is only a few hours away. It would be the work of that much time to examine these baubles. And we might want to relay a word to the Seaman's proprietor before the chambermaid enters to find this distressing development."

---

OOC:
I don't mean to rush, but Tegan is just about to leave Milo's and now would be a decent time to catch him up -- no doubt right outside Milo's shop because he'd have locked up and skedaddled for several weeks, wouldn't he have, DM?

B would be interested in identifying the orbs and examining the gemstones, and having a look at that scroll Mel passed to Verse. After that, Y made a suggestion about reading the star map before we were interrupted by the beholderlock.

Yshtar raised an eyebrow looking and Verse who was the not-so-unfriendly crusader. From what she saw the man was capable of, the armor clad woman doubted she could provide any meaningful defense against his attack. Better not be on his bad side for now.

"Agreed. We could also visit some fortune tellers. Most are likely frauds but some might give us a glimpse in what's to come and who we'd need to watch out for."

In reply to Bartimaeus (msg # 135):

Verse listens intently to the description Yshtar gives, nodding along in places as she goes. “Domain or prison, definitely. Not sure which you got a glimpse into, but it ain’t the sort of thing that mortal folk are meant to be peering into. Bastard likely wanted to send ya into a fit of raving madness with it...”

He chuckles at the mention of the “crusader” moniker.  “Faltering as that may be, let’s not make any brash accusations here. I’m a writer. Just looking for a good story, which, as long as I’m stuck in this shithole of a town for a while anyway, I figure I might as well find here.”

The mention of Lady Shadesworn seems to pull his attention. “‘Fraid I ain’t had the pleasure. I wasn’t lying when I said I’d only been in town a short while. A meeting with one of the city’s esteemed council members... but if it’s an audience with the mistress of lore and history you’re looking for; well that’d certainly be a fascinating little meeting to sit in on, to be sure...

Hearing Yshtar mention fortune tellers seems to draw a bit of attention from Verse as well. “Best be a little cautious around that sorta thing in this city. Any one could be a front for the Court’s agents.

Identifying the beads reveals them to be catalysts for casting a spell your unfamiliar with. They can be crushed into a powder and thrown on a target within 10ft of you. Upon impact, the target must make a Charisma Saving Throw of 13. Upon failing, a spectral duplicate of them begins to form in the same space they currently occupy. If the afflicted target moves from that space at all on their next turn, the duplicate spawns as an aberration hostile to the target for the next 30 seconds. It ignores all other creatures in the area unless the afflicted target is dead or missing from the current plane of existence... They appear to be something that just anyone could pick up and utilize. Simply crush and throw.

---

Tegan’s actually at the town square’s library at this point. You’d still be able to run into him on the streets outside it though if you were to head toward Milo’s.

Bartimaeus thanked Verse and Mel for their assistance. "If you are looking for a story, are you sure you won't find one here? Are these cults passé in the literary world?"

He examined the items taken from the cultist, and spent a few minutes patting down the other more human cultists in case they had more curiosities on them. He then remembered that the chains had continued to move... what were those, he wondered.

After he was satisfied they had nothing more to offer, he walked down to the bar to notify someone about the corpses.

At dawn he packed his belongings - he had no intention of returning here - to set out to Milo's in the Town Square. He knocked on Yshtar's door wondering if she'd gotten any sleep after her experiences. ~~ Quite a night for her, ~~ he reflected. ~~ Ensnared by a necromancer's enchantments and shown vistas of the Far Realms in the span of hours. Quite a night indeed. ~~

---

OOC
Identify on the chains and attempt to remove them from the body.


Maybe we should wait until we see what the chains look like, but for a loot split:
B: 3gp, 135sp; 2 amethysts (~25gp ea)
Y: 3gp, 135sp; 2 amethysts (~25gp ea) [DM, is that what you had in mind for the gemstones?]
If the chains are separable and not linked to the Violet Watcher, whomever doesn't get the chains gets the three marbles? Otherwise a 1-2 split?

Shall we head to the Town Square, then, Yshtar?

In reply to Bartimaeus (msg # 138):

The chains appear to be a single linked set, formed into a belt. They come away from the corpse’s body easily enough, but the slight twitching in their links continues. Investigating deeper reveals them to a be enchanted with a simple semblance of life.

---

Yes, Verse appears to be actively ignoring you on the topic of the scroll currently.

Belt of Constriction: A simple magical item made from a set of interlocking chains worn about an individual’s waist. The chains coil about the wearer like a belt, while the four ends of their length hang at about ankle height. They are tipped with viscous-looking hooks, but are never a threat to the one wearing them. As an action, you can call upon the hooks to reach out and attempt to grapple a visible target within 20ft of you. The chains will extend to reach them before making a Contested Strength Roll against the target’s Strength Saving Throw. If grappled, the target takes 1d4 damage during each of their turns they remain grappled and need to succeed at a DC 13 Athletics Check to break free; attempted at the beginning of each of their subsequent turns after been grappled.
This message was last edited by the GM at 02:43, Sun 15 Nov 2020.

Yshtar opened the door almost instantly. Her dreams were full of disturbing purple vistas and a colossal naked violet woman walking through it as it was all a dollhouse for her. All the while a concert was playing and specters of long dead heroes flew through the sky playing various instruments.
She did not sleep well. She was already clad in armor when the priest of Oghma knocked, only her metal gloves were missing, showing thin, pale alabaster white fists sporting green fingerless gloves. Black circles were under her eyes. Her voice was impassive.

"Is it time to go? I need a minute. Come in."

She left the door open and proceeded to don the gloves of the armor which she picked up from the table. Her things were all packed in a backpack on the floor and the bed looked like nobody slept in it at all.

I'd prefer the chains because of the vision but if you are attached (haha) to it then knock yourself out.
>> Let's go to the Town Square

OOC:
The chains are yours, Yshtar; I'll take the marbles.

See you at the Town Square!

The sun’s risen nearly to its zenith by this point in the day. The marine layer has all but faded from the seafront district; with only tiny pockets of mist sitting here and there in the corner between buildings. The outside of the Salty Seaman has stayed free of any such pockets today, and a sizable lunch crowd has descended upon the place to lean against the boards while they eat and drink.

A motley assortment of dock workers and sailors line the street just outside the inn, making it impossible to approach its doorway from any direction without being noticed by SOMEONE. But so long as subterfuge isn’t one’s aim, the door is wide open and there seems to be very few individuals actually seated inside. Finding a seat would be no trouble and one might even be able to get a drink or spot of lunch without having to shove more than a handful of drunkards aside today.

--From Tideswallow Harbor--

The trick to not being noticed was to not draw attention to oneself; being completely soaked aside, Mezzaline knew enough to know that trying to sneak into a tavern this early in the day with so many witnesses wasn't going to work. A room first, then she could deal with her overall mess.

Careful to not get too close to any sitting patrons Mezzy approaches the counter, looking for an innkeeper.

In reply to Mezzaline Thessaly (msg # 143):

Entering the building without any issue, you find yourself stepping into a dimly-lit tavern that appears to be constructed to resemble the galley of a ship. The walls, floor, and ceiling are all wooden boards, with numerous sea-faring decorations mounted all about the interior. The ceiling is considerably higher than you would expect for ship, but otherwise the look is fairly spot-on from your own experience with sea vessels.

A tall human man dressed in an outfit vaguely resembling a ship captain (though certainly one whose fallen on hard times) stands behind the bar, barely taking notice of you as he polishes out the inside fo a large copper bowl. A few platters of similar make are resting on the bar’s counter in front of him, most already cleaned and shined.

A few tables stand in the middle of the room, surrounded by barrels and simple chairs, while the rest of the seating appear to be booths lining every wall. A few patrons still remain in here. A half-elf man and human woman are quietly picking at a plate of what appears to be potato-based foods between them; not making eye-contact with anyone else in the room. Five men in the leather-and-steel of the City Guard are standing around a table where a red tiefling man in a long black duster and wide-brimmed trail hat sits; clearly in the middle of a heated argument or discussion with him. A quartet of gnomes are playing at some card game in one corner of the room; their voices low and their eyes shifty as they attempt to avoid the gaze of the guards and really anyone else in the room for that matter.

There is a general sense of foreboding and discomfort in the air... not exactly the most relaxing spot for lunch, but there’s a roaring fire going in a large fireplace near the middle wall of the room. You suspect it’d be as good a place as any to dry off a bit. A small hallway off to one side of the room leads to a staircase. You’re pretty sure the rooms that would be for rent are up there.

 Just as he crossed the threshold of the portal he placed his back up to the right side wall as swung his back pack from his shoulder to in front of him digging inside it. In the midst of doing such he peaked a side glance back out the doorway to see if anyone had followed after him or the woman.

 As he had fished out nothing from his pack he held it at his side as he made his way towards the fire. His eyes scanned the inhabitants over the main area taking note of everyone. He decided to place himself just to the right of the fireplace close enough to soak up some heat while not being directly in front of it, yet keeping himself facing in a direction that allowed him to keep his eyes one the room and the woman he followed.

Both surprised and not surprised by the nautical theme permeating the bar and a little impressed at how clean a dockside tavern was, Mezzaline gave the room one last look over, noticing a few people she didn't think she'd noticed before and keeping a small tab on everyone as she approaches the barkeeper.

She knows that if nothing else, she's going to stand out with how soggy she still is, dripping water and unable to shake the 'almost-drowned' look, and it was definitely 'almost'.

Making sure she has a few gold pieces in her hand as she approaches the bar Mezzy looks the barkeep in the eye, makes no notion of the fact she's squelching sea water almost everywhere and simply taps a gold piece on the bar.

"Greetings, good ser. I am in need of a room." It was almost a talent to keep a straight face after saying such an obvious thing, what with water still  dripping off her here and there - hopefully it gave her words a little more gravitas than usual.
This message was last edited by the player at 00:26, Tue 05 Jan 2021.

 After he had a moment to warm himself at the fire he walked over to the bar stopping about two arms lengths from the soaked woman. He looked her over one time as he placed his pack on the bar and then leaned on the counter top with his right arm. "So I noticed you running from the ship and you are soaked. May I asked what happened, are you ok?" he asked with a sincere tone just loud enough for her to hear.
This message had punctuation tweaked by the player at 04:52, Tue 05 Jan 2021.

It took Mezzaline a moment to realise that not only did she have company at the bar, but she was being spoken to as well, blinking slowly as she acknowledges the man speaking to her.

"Am I?" She says with an unintended bluntness, closing her eyes and mentally kicking herself before she attempts to make amends.

"Ahm, excuse me, it's been...well, it's been a mess, to be polite about it." She looks about the tavern, unsure if she should single herself out as the sole survivor of a shipwreck just yet. News of that would spread soon enough.

"I'm hoping for a room, if only to clean and dry mysel-wait." What he said finally registers and her eyes go hard and wary. "Were you watching me? Were you on the ship?"

In reply to Mezzaline Thessaly (msg # 148):

The man behind the counter looks around you a moment to shout over at the guards in the corner interrogating the tiefling man. “Oi, there’s a fee fer harassing my paying customers, ya know! Said ya wanted a ‘talk’ with ‘im, not a bloody memoir. Either pay for the space yer takin’ up or get back to licking the council’s balls somewhere I ain’t gotta see ya!”

The response from the city guards is little more than an icy glare back in his general direction. None move to leave. The barman simply offers them a pair of fingers from behind his station and returns to what he was doing.

He eyes the pair of you a moment before directing his attention to Mezzaline. “‘Pologies for that. What’ll ya be lookin for then? One night? More? Proper room or just a space with a bed in it? ‘Cause we got both available.”
This message was last edited by the GM at 21:12, Tue 05 Jan 2021.

 He kept his composure as the man behind the counter yelled out, looking in the direction of the guards he put on a sly smirk as he turned himself towards the bar fully and opened up his pack as he started to speak in the same soft, low tone " No I was not on the ship but I did see you leave it in a hurry and well, a lady leaving a ship that does not normally have woman aboard does raise some questions." Turning his head to face her allowing a few seconds to pass "Though I know it is none of my business I am, of course, wondering if you are ok?"

 His facial expressions and attitude were very nonchalant even as he turned back to his bag moving some things around he pulled out a few coins and looked back to her with the same smirk he had offered the guards "Would you like something warm to drink or eat perhaps?"
This message was last edited by the player at 06:45, Thu 14 Jan 2021.

Composed as best she can be given several overlapping factors, Mezzaline does her best to keep on top of her mood and nods once.

"Mostly okay, given I'm still a little soggy. On that note..." She turns to the barman and after a moment says "One night at least. Give everything a chance to dry proper." and then to Soren says "A hot meal, if you are still offering. Some warmth would be...nice."

 With a nod he held up his left hand and two fingers "Two bowls of something warm as well as two beverages perhaps a tea for me and whatever she would like." After he spoke his hand dropped down to the bag as he closed the top and slid it over to the right leaving room for his order when it arrived.

 His face once again turned toward her as he gestured with his right hand towards her "Where you mistreated on that ship?" his asked as simply as if he was asking about the weather. In the same moment he looked around the room for a table they might go to which or better yet, a spot closer to the fire as she might be more comfortable being a little bit warmer.
This message was last edited by the player at 22:16, Thu 07 Jan 2021.

"Mistreaded? No, on the contrary, they were fine shipmen. I know sailors, and I know their superstitions, and I happened to still be rather wet; I wanted to fix that." She says while not explaining how she got wet or ended up on a fishing ship.

She leaves some gold on the counter to cover a room and follows Soren once there's a little distance, opting to stand near the fireplace and making a half-hearted attempt to look like she had helped claim a table while attempting to begin drying off.

After collecting his bag he moves to the table closest to the fire place. He sits down and watches her by the fire. As he waits for the food and drinks he leans forward a bit and asks "So your new in town or..." he left the question open for her to respond as he was looking to see if she might know the town and some important people. He would have liked to spend more time by the docks collecting information but everyone seemed to busy to talk. Then this woman running from the ship drew his curiosity. Now hoping she knows the town to some degree, yet even if she is new like him then that works out just as well.
This message had punctuation tweaked by the player at 06:43, Thu 14 Jan 2021.

Although the fire was warm, the heat felt strange and distant, and not just because of her overall soaked self - she'd stopped dripping everywhere for the most part, but was still wet and cold. Not having really had a chance to deal with it was certainly a factor, but even with all the time that had passed, she should have been dryer, and could only assume that perhaps it had something to do with-

To do with-

She reflexively coughed as she could feel the burning in her lungs again, turning away to cough into her sleeve as a mouthful of water escapes her, and Oh.

She wasn't ready to deal with that and instead turned to face Soren, putting on a neutral face and downplaying her strangeness. "New enough. I know of Tideswallow, but this is my first visit. And you?"

 He watched her actions, awkward and somehow off. His hand limply indicated to her in a lazy way "No I have also just arrived" he spoke with look of slight concern. "You have any other clothes, that cough sounded bad and that wet look might not be healthy at this moment?" He knew the only thing he had in his bag was his hooded cloak and a thin jacket he used for other activities. His look was sincere with concern but his body language seemed as if he was indifferent to the issue.He looked down briefly after he had asked his question. In a slow movement he leaned back into the chair sitting up straight then placed both his hands on the table clasping them together.

"Well, that's mostly why I want a room - to dry off my things, if nothing else. The fireplace will suffice until then." Mezzeline states rather matter-of-factly, absently waiving off concerns for her health.

"This is, sadly, not my first time being soaking wet at a dockside; comes with the territory of shipwright." She explains and shifts a little to let the fire dry her a bit more.

"But you don't seem like a seafarer; what bought you to the docks?"

The barman eventually swaggers over to your table, plopping a pair of steaming bowls down in front of the two of you. Whoever’s job it must typically be to serve clearly isn’t present, as his mannerisms and decorum are... lacking, to say the least. Still, the food looks warm, smells hearty, and appears to be completely palatable. With it he also places a piping hot cup of what you assume to be tea in front of Soren and another of what might be coffee of some manner in front of Mezzaline.

Whatever is in the bowls appears to be a slurry of grains, potato mash, and a thick broth with a few chunks of beef and various vegetables chopped up into it. It’s not pretty, but it definitely looks like it will hold you over for quite a while and is surprisingly devoid of any of the sea creatures you’d seen dragged in on the nets of the fishing boats.

Beside the coffee, he also places a small silver key. “Room’s number 211, just up the steps. Should be nice an’ dry for ya.”

Under his breath, he also mutters to Soren “Careful with that sorta talk, lad. Lasses in this town  tend to be less the damsel and more the dragon.”
This message was last edited by the GM at 02:43, Tue 12 Jan 2021.