Session 152 - "Never Trust a Beardless Dwarf... Woman"

General Summary

Hyannis

1.31p

Kelath plans a course of action and closes in on the prone assassin, raking his dragon-winged sword across archer's back. X continues to lay motionless on the ground. With reluctance, the cloaked man stands somehow evading both Kelath's and the Unworthy Soul's attacks and begins his difficult task of escaping. Moving to the side of the roof, Nyrrk walks over and flings rock which smashes into his back. The man staggers but does not go down. Drago's target continues to try and evade him, quickly downing a vial of something which promptly renders him invisible. The dhampir drops back to the ground and suppresses his rage. After a breath, Drago shifts into the form of an unearthly, shadowy wolf and begins sniffing the ground. Neferu moves to X's prone form quickly begins administering aid. As he regains conscious, we wakes to an Osirian accent saying, "Any friend of Drago's is a friend of mine…"   Kelath moves into the alley and provides defense for his fellows. X groggily pulls his own vial out and quaffs it, even more vitality filling his system. Nyrrk's foe shakily begins making his way out of the alley, falling away from his line of sight. Neferu begins noticing movement as one of the dwarves runs across the street. There is a cry of surprise followed by the sound of a scuffle. Nyrrk runs to the edge and sees a dwarf looming over the archer's prone form. He angrily calls out, "He was mine!", startling the dwarf. A torrent of magic missiles stream from his outstretched hand and slam into the archer's body. Wolf-Drago begins searching for his quarry, but his rage overrides his reason and he begins racing away to the north where he locks onto a blood scent. As the townspeople finally beginning to form a fire line, Neferu moves around the front of the building and makes his way towards the confused dwarf. Neferu asks him to go get Svegal. The dwarf motions to the body and tells him it was a gift from the Svegal and to make his away across the street when they are ready, cautioning him not to burn down the rest of the town. His message given, the thug saunters off oozing bravado. X begins formulating a plan to extricate the group. With no one else to target, Nyrrk climbs down and cedes control back to Kyrrn. Drago makes his way into a graveyard where the smell of blood leads to a mausoleum. He issues a ghostly howl before sneaking inside, the shadows enveloping him as he goes. In the gloom he sees the man slumped in a corner breathing hard. Back on the street, the Unworthy Soul makes his way towards Neferu.   Back in the town proper, Kelath walks over to the dead assassin and begins searching his body. He finds nothing to identify the dead man, but does note how few possessions he has at all. Kyrrn opens herself up and rapidly begins catalogue information from the scene around her. It becomes more clear that the dwarves seem unconcerned about the violence that just transpired and that they may recognize the Fellowship for who they are. It is apparent that this was a heavy hit on X. It also occurs to her, despite not seeing it before, that the wolf she heard was actually Drago. She calls this out to Kelath and Neferu and time jumps forward down the street. "You fool, we will send a legion upon you." The assassin attempts to pick out Drago in the dark, somehow finding him in the gloom. For the first time with focused intent, Drago mentally reaches out to Kyrrn and relies a vision of his pursuit of the assassin. He then continues to silently move around in the dark, circling his prey.   Moving up, Kelath gives a cadence call which quickens his, X, Neferu, and the Soul. He then moves in the direction that Kyrrn is running. With the encounter clearly not over, X unfurls leather wings off his back (which look draconic in nature) and flies off into the air. Almost skidding to a stop from surprise, Kyrrn recovers quickly and casts longstrider from the wand she carries. She relays back to Drago and similar set of images and makes it to Kelath, who she tells that Drago is in the mausoleum. The assassin tells Drago, "We never sleep," and begins moving around the stone sarcophagus in an attempt to put it between them. Several low angry growls begin issuing from several sources in the building, drawing an immediate startled reaction from the assassin. The Soul and Neferu lend to the chase.   Kelath and X continue on to the Drago, as does Kyrrn. Within, the wolf and mouse game continues. The assassin and Drago continue to move around, trying to keep away from each other, but the assassin finds him. Drago shadow jumps to the opposite side of the small building, emerging invisibly from the darkness. Neferu and the Soul press on.   X pulls ahead of Kelath and Kyrrn. Kyrrn makes it to the mausoleum and draws a wand, sending an image of being outside the door. "You know, we found your sister. Yes, that's right, we found her," the assassin whispers. He moves off to the corner and looks towards the back of the mausoleum. Sensing that Kyrrn is close, Drago explodes from the shadows and rends the assassin off his feet. With dark satisfaction, the wolf fades back into the shadows. The Soul and Neferu close the distance.   Kelath moves next to Kyrrn and raises his shield in anticipation. X moves to cover the entrance and calls for the assassin to come out, that they just want to talk. Kyrrn storms in and unleashes a spray of magical color at the assassin, blinding and stunning him. The assassin stumbles but still manages duck from view. Drago shifts back to his normal form and leaps onto the sarcophagus. The man starts and looks up in time to see Crissaegrim coming down upon him. "I'm glad you're not asleep for this," Drago quips. Neferu and the Soul arrive on the scene.   Kelath steps into the building and launches himself at the man with his sword, yelling "There will be no trial," finally dispatching him. With disgust, he pulls the body from out of the corner and throws it outside.   Drago introduces the group to Velexander. He appears draconic in nature and he and Kelath greet each other warmly. He pulls out a sealed message for Drago, who opens it and begins reading. Kelath begins searching the body and rebuffs Velexander's efforts to do the same. Neferu finds the short bow and blade he has are magical. Upon finishing the note, Drago calls X over to have an insistent exchange. Drago looks to Neferu and says that he must go that X will take his place. He must take care of family business immediately and then disappears into the shadows. Neferu explains to Kyrrn that Drago comes and goes, but she angrily says all she knows is that's the third friend she has lost in her short life before storming off. She starts to rend a tree telekinetically.  

2.02p

After examining the loot, the revised Fellowship begins making its way to imperator's hall. A dwarf outside asks if they are the Fellowship before allowing them entrance. As Kelath goes to enter, the guard stops him and tells him, "No funny business." The smell of the place is striking, like some odd herb and perfume mixed with sweat. The tables are piled with furs, mining equipment and other items, like it's a kind of general store. There are also a number of thugs. A dwarven woman greets them from behind the bar. X whispers to Kelath that she is unbearded and not to be trusted. Lytha Boldbrow welcomes them and asks for them to introduce themselves. She begins asking pointed questions of the group. She asks Kyrrn where she is from, who simply replies in dwarven, "Searchers after horror haunt strange, far places." Lytha replies, "Is that so ... you are a mystery indeed."   Kelath says that rumor has it they must speak with her to talk to Svingal, "the woman behind the throne". It quickly becomes apparent that there isn't an actual Svingal and is some sort of setup for a quid-pro-co for some kind of bargain. She says that she wanted to meet for two reasons: first she wants the Fellowship to continue on their way, and asks if they understand and that she would sweeten the deal. Kyrrn thinks, "She probably doesn't want us to disrupt her interests here in town." Kelath asks about the Dark Riders, riding pale, piebald horses with a brand. Kelath wants to know about the faceless stalkers. Lytha offers them information and money to leave town   X replies mentally to Kyrrn "Oh, be careful with this one. We should agree to her terms and then regroup outside town."  

---