Session 23: Orzhovian Nights Report
General Summary
Espeaux sighs, and pulls a key off of her person, offering it to the party. "Here, as a present and token of appreciation from the two of us, but only if you promise to stay for the celebration, this key will guide you to an empty manor that you can use to sleep in tonight." She says before looking to Ayame. "Tomorrow morning should be a good time to get your testing done, just go to the college and ask to take the admission exam. Shouldn't take you more than thirty minutes to an hour I suppose."
Ayame smiles and gives a bow to Espeaux. "Thank you."
Eleanor hums in a bit of thought and nods, "I suppose we're stickin' around for a ceremony then from the sounds of it."
"I'll be there Espeaux, don't worry. Thanks for the place to stay -- Sleeping in the carriage was getting tiring.~" Naomi says with a smile.
Espeaux sighs, and drops the key, which clatters on the stone ground before appearing in Naomi's hand, looking back to Expeaus, the party found that she had yet again vanished from sight.
"Spooky..." says Ayame.
"Says the one that raises the dead." Eleanor retorts.
Ayame pouts to her companion. "W-Well I won't be judged for that here!"
"Yknow, I dont know why I didn't grab the keys from her hands. I was just so shocked to see her. Kinda feel...awkward now.." Naomi says as she looks at the keys that appeared in her hands.
Eleanor gives Naomi a pat on the back, "I'm sure she did that just to do more flashy magic tricks"
Ragia sigh looking to the others. "i have no idea why i agreed to come back here, this was a bad idea in retrospect. I can show you all around town at least, would be surprised if it changed that much since i last set foot in here."
After a small agreement between the party, they set off to explore the city.
It is nighttime at this point, and the more monstrous races and a few clean shaven dwarves and some gnomes occupy the streets, still making preparations for tomorrows festivities. Seeing some new clothing, a few witches come up, and poke/prod Ayame's outfit, measuring it, all within just a couple of confusing seconds before running off gibbering in giant.
A small handfull of people lay eyes on Eleanor, not believing she is supposed to be there given her stature, but nobody gives her trouble.
Lacy is ignored for the most part as just another traveler within the city, but there are one or two glares in Ragia's direction as she tells people about the town.
The crowds in this district seem to mostly be commoners, although slightly more affluent then what you might see living on the outskirts of a normal city. Interspersed amongst the crowd you would occasionally see what appears to be a wizard, The robes are all parted at the front, showing either a skirt or pants, with a hood on the back, and all consist of a mostly blue color scheme. Each wizards robe is slightly different though, apearently customized to the wizards tastes. A shorter or longer skirt, metal plated bits, jewelery, and even the occasional sword at their hips.
Ayame looks confused at group of witches, blinking as she watches them leave, but otherwise just enjoying the tour, absorbing everything she can about the city.
Eleanor hums to herself as she follows along with Ragia guiding, not paying attention to the folks looking at her, "So before we find where we're sleepin, is there a bar travelers here are allowed? Or is this one of those stingier places?"
"Oh there's one, the owner should be one of the few persons who don't hate me either, never piss off the person serving your drink." Ragia says with a nod towards Eleanor.
"Ragia do you know where we could perhaps find a magical store? I'd like to go there while the others...bar hop."
Almost immediatley, ten people crowd around Naomi, in trenchcoats, offering discount magical items.
"you'd have to be more precise, every shop here is a magical store of some kind." ragia says pushing back against the trenchcoats. "never buy from the trenchoats though" shouting "we're not interested! we're not interested! WE'RE NOT INTERESTED!"
"I have feather tokens for sale!" "Well i have a vial that makes you ten years younger!" "Only after it takes 10 years off of your lifespan, try my clock without clockwork!" call out different people in the crowd.
I-I'm looking for Ioun Stones." Says Naomi, feeling overwhelmed.
One guy tries rushing forward into the rest of the group with what looks to be a pot with some string in it, but he is quickly pulled away by a couple of guards, "NO" they shout at him as he gets pulled out of sight.
"Oh we have tons of stones!" says one guy that smells of guano, who holds up a pile of thunderstones, but looks a little off balance."
Lacy announces loudly. "Huh, that's weird, My 'detect charm person' cantrip just went off... you don't think anyone here is trying to use magic persuasion do you?" She jabs Eleanor to back up her claim.
Not even needing a chance for Eleanor to reply, the trenchcoats scatter, with the guano smelling guy stuffing the stones back into his coat before falling down, a loud "BANG" being heard and now he's screaming about being blind.
Eleanor blinks, looking genuinely confused, "I don't know much so... maybe? Is that how that works?"
Ayame scratches the back of her head as she watches them all scatter "W-Well then...thats interesting..."
Lacy shoots naomi a smug glance, as naomi leans down and whispers to Ragia. "Ioun stones, do you know where they are?"
Ragia nods and say "follow me, i'll just be passing by the bar first so you know where it is and we can leave the drunkards to drink their fill."
Ragia leads the party to the bar, "Black Beauty" With a sign of a curvacious woman in black ink that slow dances on the sign outside, but just a few houses down is the most rundown magic shop you've ever seen, even with a small bits and pieces on fire. The sign outside is entirely in carved script, but looks like it was carved by a sword into the sign, it writes: "H O R D A K S"
Naomi stares at the Black Beauty's sign for a while, and gulps...She waves to the others. "W-well wish me luck on a good deal. I'll be a few doors down."
Naomi and Ragia head to HORDAKS, while the rest of the party goes into the bar.
Inside the bar it is nothing like the sign itself, it is fairly peaceful, with a small library of books in the back, no stage, and a bartender, a warforged with an effeminite body, and wearing a long black wig, that looks to be making... something that the majority of the party hasn't seen before. The sign above the bar says, "Coffee, Espresso, Dwarven Breakfast, Mana Pies."
Ayame excitedly approaches the bartender. The bartender looks to Ayame and puts down a cup. "Coffee. You haven't had it before yes?"
Ayame peers at the and nods "N-Never! What's it taste like? Is it alcoholic? I'm trying to stay sober tonight..."
"Do you prefer sweet, or bitter? Cream?" The warforged says, ignoring her question.
"U-Uhm...sweet! and sure some cream.." Ayame says.
The warforged creates a cup of coffee, with sugar and cream, giving it to Ayame. "First ever cup is on the house, everything else costs." She says as another patron reading a book knocks on a table. The warforged makes a shotglass of something, places it onto a tray and moves it over to the table, setting it down before the man reading a book.
Ayame peers at it, adding some sugar and taking a sip...scrunching her face up a bit and adding a bunch more sugar.
Eleanor looks at Ayame drinking and hums, "Is it.. alcohol? Like really strong?" She chuckles, "From the looks of your face it is"
"N-No Its just a little bitter, but it tastes ok!" Ayame says to Eleanor.
The bartender goes back to the bar, looking at the party. "It is not alcohol. Some say it helps with hangover, though I think that is an excuse to have more of it."
Eleanor chuckles, "If something could cure hangovers you wouldn't be giving this out for free. Only cure for those is more drinkin."
The bartender shrugs. "I never said it was, just that others claim it. How can I claim something I never experienced myself?"
Eleanor looks the bartender up and down, a spark of realization seeming to hit her and she excitedly stands up while looking at the bartender, "What you don't get hangovers!? That's so cool! Isn't that cheatin??"
The bartender, with a blank metalic stare looks back at Eleanor. "You get to grow a child inside of you to build your family. Mine requires a master crafstman. Isn't that cheatin?"
Eleanor sits back down and thinks for a moment, "Well I've been stabbed and stitched together so many times I'm not sure what's still functioning inside. But fair point. Didn't mean to be the judgin type."
The warforged nods back to Eleanor. "So much focus is on what can't be achieved, or what is unnobtainable, or what others have, that we forget how fortunate we can be." She says making Eleanor a cup of coffee as well.
Eleanor nods "Those're words I can definitely appreciate" she grabs the cup, "Also thanks- oh its hot" She shrugs and takes what is essentially a swig, taking a few moments to taste it, "I don't know what you were talkin about Ayame, this ain't bitter at all"
Ayame pouts, ears flat to her head "Is so!"
Eleanor sips some more happily, shrugging to Ayame, "Maybe I've just had worse. Enjoyable though."
Naomi makes her way into H O R D A K S, where she is greated by the smell of sulfur from every angle the moment she opens the door. At the counter, she sees a grizzly sight of an orc, barbed wire wrapped around his arms and the holy symbol of Ladisus burned into his chest. Blood slowly drips from the orcs body as he polishes a few stones on a countertop that looks like it went through a woodchipper ten times and got put back together again. The orc only grunts as he fiddles with the crystal before it breaks, to which he stands up and slams his fist into it, breaking it more and putting another dent into the counter, before picking up another crystal and trying again.
"H-hello? I'm here to buy an ioun stone a-and maybe a Wayfinder to protect it with?" Naomi says nervously, approaching the counter.
"What's your price at hordaks?" The orc says, keeping an eye on his work and not on the customer.
After some time, Naomi walks out of Hordaks with an appreciation for orc culture, a wayfinder, and a new ioun stone. She and ragia chatter making their way back into the bar.
Ayame waves to the two of them, coffee in hand. as they go to sit with her, while Eleanor and lacy chat at the bar. "Got what you where looking for?"
Naomi nods. "Yes I did get what I needed, I hope I didn't...interrupt anything..?"
"Hmm..I don't think so...well...I think im going to go get ready for my test tommorow" Ayame says, finishing off her coffee.
"Mmh...I should go check out the Manor we were given for the night." Naomi says in agreement.
After a bit more chatter, the party exits the tavern, the warforged waving after them. Naomi looks over the key that she was given, and remembers that they are in fact magical. In fact, she remembers this as she sees the other side of the key she was given, where the phrase, "Your first test" is engraved on the key itself. She doesn't quite remember what the magic that is on the key is however. She does know that the key is supposed to help its holder locate their home.
The party looks as Naomi frowns, looking over the key with consternation.
"Somethin wrong Nao?" Eleanor asks, leaning over the clerics shoulder to look at the subject of her aggrivation.
Naomi takes a deep breath in, and out, before responding to Eleanor "I dont know which manor the key is supposed to be for. It's a test, it's written on the key. It's magically enhanced, however. So we should be able to figure out where to go with just this..."
Ayame thinks for a moment before reaching a hand out to Naomi. "Hand it over!" Naomi does so and ayame squints at the key intently before beginning to walk. "This way!" she calls out to the rest of the party, as she climbs up and perches on sebastians shoulder.
After only a half hour of traveling, and only a single missed turn, the party comes to the door of a very nice home, with white walls and blue terracotta roof, and Ayame puts the key in the door seamlessly opening it for everyone. The manorhouse has ten bedrooms, a kitchen, and a large common area, and is beautifully furnished. Even Naomi didn't grow up in a home as lavish as this one.
"Wow this place is nice! I can't believe she afforded all of this to us for the night!!" Naomi says, excitedly looking at everything.
Eleanor whistles impressed while looking around, "Family up in high places get you some real nice sleepin arrangements. I was about to ask which rooms are we rentin but remembered who you got that key from" she says with a chuckle.
Ayame grins and nods excitedly, stepping inside and handing the key back to Naomi. "She did give it to you afterall."
After wandering the house for a few minutes, Naomi comes upon a note, standing up in the kitchen with her name on it. She opens it.
"Took you long enough. this is a commons dorm for students, but its been out of use for a while. If there are rodents, please take care of them."
"Stop me if you've heard this before... " Lacy waltzes into the decadent abode. She takes a moment to suck in the comfort and seems thoroughly pleased "A wise man's guests, generals, and prisoners all have the same bed-" Finding a nice couch, she decides to prop her dirty, street stained boots on the table.
Ayame spots Naomi reading the note, and peeks over her shoulder to read it. "Whats it say?"
Naomi sighs. "This is a common dorm for students. We can stay but have to take care of those rats."
almost on cue, a few rodents jump out from the sofa that Lacy is sitting on and rush towards the door.
Eleanor spots the rats scurry, pointing to them and looking to Naomi "Are those part of this test thing?"
Less than half an hour later, the pied piper would be proud of the party as they ensure it is clear of rodents, mostly unharmed save for the one being munched on by the 8 legged creature in a corner.
After a bit of discussion for the next day, the party settle down, and prepare for a new day in orzhov.
Character(s) interacted with
Espeaux Shadowdirk: Co leader of Orzhov
HORDAK: An orc jeweler within Atrum Caedes.
