Adv Log, Session 45: Document Retrieval Specialists

General Summary

Kynetsday, Colding 8, 879 AFE

Taid had gone to talk to Dain the Tailor because Dain wanted to set up a Shard game. Eykit had gone earlier but hadn’t gotten a firm date . Taid did, then went to the Awakeners, meeting with Sunil Mychell, to let them know about it and spread the word. What once been a private game turned into an ad hoc Shardmeet. The Shardmeet was scheduled for the evening of Kennettsday, Colding 12, four days away.


Elitheris and Taid were staying at the Cellar Keg. Ruby and Almë were staying at the Mountainstream Inn, sharing a private stateroom. Eykit was at the Silver Blossom Caravanserai, near where Wilbur was stabled. Wilbur’s care and feeding was paid up to Colding 10.


Eykit visited Wilbur, saddled him with the pack saddle, perched himself upon it, and took Wilbur for a ride. He took him up to Upper Dwarfchat via the Switchback Road. He stopped at the Mountainstream Inn, hitching Wilbur to one of the hitching posts. The Mountainstream Inn had stabling facilities, but Eykit figured that those would cost money, and he likely wasn’t going to be there that long.


Ruby had recently gotten some Shards, but had only gotten a chance to test them against Almë’s Shards.


It was late afternoon when Eykit arrived at the Mountainstream Inn, and if he wanted to get back before dark, he had about an hour. They hadn’t told anyone that the manticores were dead, and the Civil Patrol still had the curfew active.


Elitheris wanted a nice relaxing bath; it had been a while since she’d had the chance to get properly clean. She spent the three marks for some soap and hot water, and spent some time relaxing in the tub. Taid was due back sometime in the evening. Feeling fresh and clean, she dressed and went to the Mountainstream Inn.


Almë and Ruby had spent the day in the tavern; Almë just chilling with a beer in front of him, and Ruby doing what Hobbits did best: eating. They had a relaxing day. Looking across the table at the number of plates and bowls emptied by the short woman across from him, he was amazed yet again at how much food such a small person could put away.


Elitheris walked in, seeing Ruby and Almë at the same table. She sidled up to the bar.


Eykit walked in a little later. Scanning the room, he identified his friends. Keeping up the fiction that they were all strangers, he went to the bar and sat in the stool next to Elitheris.


Almë got up and went up to his room, moving leisurely and expecting that a companion would follow. Taid walked in as Almë was getting up. Seeing Ruby at the same table as Almë, he gestured, tapping the tips of his two index fingers together to her that he wanted to play Shards. He followed Almë up the stairs to Almë’s room. It helped that Almë waited until he could see Taid coming up the stairs at the end of the hall before entering the room. It allowed Taid to know which room was his.


Ruby stayed put, finishing her meal. Eykit heard familiar footsteps, turned, and saw Taid walk in, then follow Almë upstairs. He paid attention to his footsteps as the Dwarf made his way to Almë’s room. He had a fairly decent idea of where that room was. It turns out that he was able to narrow the room down to one of four in that part of the hallway.


Taid stood in front of the door that Almë went into. He grabbed the doorknob; it was unlocked. He walked in. They waited for the rest of the group to come in.


Elitheris had known Eykit for long enough to know how to recognize some of his Thieves’ Sign. She didn’t know what it meant, but she could tell that it was a message. Combined with Eykit’s nod upward, she figured that he was going to Almë’s room. He downed his beer, got up, and went up the stairway.


Elitheris waited. She saw him go upstairs and disappear into the hallway. She finished her beer, and looked like she was about to leave. Ruby finished her meal, then headed back to her room with Nori.


Eykit got to the area he presumed was where Ruby and Almë had their room. There were four doors there; he wasn’t sure which one was the one, but that didn’t matter.


“Ka-kaw!” he said, grinning.


“Ka-kaw,” came the answer, in Almë’s voice. Eykit went to the room that the noise had come from, finding Taid and Almë. They all waited, and soon Ruby walked in, followed by her big dog.


“I’d like to try out our Shards before the Shardmeet,” Taid said.


“Now that we have some new ones to test,” Eykit added.


“Sure, sure,” Ruby replied. She was the one with the new Shards, taken from the lair of the manticores.


Elitheris hadn’t gotten there yet, but they decided to get started anyway. It was unlikely that she wanted to risk her Shard cluster.


Ruby pulled out the four Shards she had, ready to test them. She’d already had tested the ones Almë had. Taid pulled out his pouch of Shards.


They sat on the floor, facing each other. Ruby sent Nori out to sit outside the door. She didn’t want him in the room when they tested to see if the Shards connected up. Plus, it made it easy for Elitheris to find the room. Nori sat, and Ruby gave him a treat and the command to guard the door. He took the treat, and as Ruby was about to go back into the room, he gave her a sad puppy dog look.


She gave a half smile, and cradled his head with her hands. “You need to stay out here. I don’t want you hurt.” One last scratch between the ears, and she went back into the room. Left alone in the hallway, Nori whuffed woefully, then laid down in front of the door.


Ruby and Taid tested their Shards, but none of them matched up.


Elitheris came up the stairs, and saw Norolind laying in front of a door. He saw her, raising his head and wagging his tail. She spent a few moments giving him a good scratching, then stepped over him, opening the door. She went into the room, closing the door behind her. Nori gave a small whimper, and laid his head back down onto his paws.


Elitheris saw them trying to combine Shards. “How’s it going?” Taid was disappointed. Eykit tried his next. Again, no matches.


“Want to try yours?” Taid asked Elitheris. Her five Shard cluster had only one power: that of telepathic mind-sending. That meant that the powers it had had before the latest joining had disappeared. That was always a danger with larger clusters; a new joining could reset the old powers and be completely different.


The Elven woman shook her head. “No, I don’t want to risk losing our communication ability. It’s limited, but still useful.”


Almë, however, didn’t feel the same way about the cluster that he had, the one that had something to do with dreams. He didn’t know exactly what it did, but he wasn’t really a fan of his dreams anyway. If he lost that power, but gained something else, he wouldn’t be too put out by that.


Like the others, his cluster didn’t join with any of Ruby’s. He regretfully put it back in his Shard pouch.


The Shardmeet was in four days. For the next few days, they planned to listen to rumors and train spells and skills.


Taid spent a great deal of time praying to Aheru-Mazda, pledging himself to the god’s service. Over time, he was rewarded, gaining the ability to channel the deity’s power. This power didn’t come all at once; he learned of them over time as he prayed. It wasn’t so much that he was told about them; he just felt them, as if he had always known they were there. He was pretty sure they hadn’t been, but the more he thought about it, the less sure he was. It felt to him as if he could have tapped into these powers back in the days when he was at the Retreat of St. Euclase, had he been more aware of himself.


He now knew that he had the ability to enhance Maggie. He could make her shorter or longer for a moment, or he could make her hit harder, or he could swing it around to produce a deafening sound, or he could make her have the ability to hit ghostly targets. Like that damned wraith-baby, he thought. I really could have used this a little while ago! At least if the damned necromancers launch any more of those flaming skulls I’ll be able to deal with them with prejudice!


It was getting dark. Eykit had to leave, as he had the farthest to go. The Cellar Keg, where Taid and Elitheris were staying, was only a few blocks away. It wouldn’t take long for them to get home, and even if it were after curfew, chances were high that they would be able to get to the Keg before being spotted by the Civil Patrol anyway.


Eykit got home just before curfew.


Jyprasday, Colding 9, 879 AFE


That morning, Taid went to the city hall of Dwarfchat. He was interested in holy orders, specifically which ones, if any, were in town. During his prayers to Aheru-Mazda, Taid remembered that there were two basic pathways for the holy. One was the priesthood, the other was more martial, that of holy warriors. That was more Taid’s style, and as he prayed, he remembered more and more details about his time at the Retreat of St. Eustace. He’d been so busy there, learning not only about how to handle weapons, but also about magic and service.


He’d been there for over ten years, and he’d become more and more filled with doubt. When he’d become old enough to leave, he’d done so. He needed a break, and a chance to really find out who he was. He’d joined the Imperial Army, putting his skills to the test. That had been fine for a while, but that too lost its luster. He’d tried being a mercenary, and while he’d joined a band and had been hired by one noble or another, it didn’t suit him either.


Now he was coming full circle, and was ready to be enfolded in Aheru-Mazda’s arms. Being a champion was what he did indeed want.


The doors to city hall were heavy, of solid, carved wood with large black iron hinges. Those hinges were well oiled, too, since they didn’t squeak at all. There was a clerk at a desk, and Taid walked up to him. The Dwarf’s beard was colored in vertical braids of black and white, with colorful glass beads of blue and red woven into them.


“Hello,” Taid said, “I was wondering if the Order of Ahern-Mazda had a presence here in Dwarfchat.”


“Sounds familiar,” the clerk said. “Let me check.” He opened a drawer in the desk, and rummaged around. He closed that one and opened another, again looking through the contents. He grabbed a ledger, and set it down on the desk in front of him. Opening it, he flipped through the pages.


Taid could see neatly written paragraphs in Khuzdûl runes, along with some columns of text and numbers. The pages turned to fast for him to read them, but the gist he got was that they were groups and organizations.


“Ah, here they are,” the clerk said. “They also go by the Order of Mithras, the Human name.”


“Could you tell me where to find them?”


“Sure. It’s a public listing.” He read the block of text associated with them. “Don’t seem to be an exclusive bunch, either, unlike some organizations. Many of those are for nobility or the wealthy, or members of certain clans, or what have you. Says here that one of the members is a Human. Which explains the note about Mithras, I suppose.”


“But where are they,” Taid asked again.


“Ah, sorry.” The clerk chuckled. “Got carried away.” He read the entry again, running his finger down the page until he got to the address. “Here we go. It’s here in the Walled City. On ‘Warrior’s Path Street’ above a general store.”


“Great. Thanks.” Taid waved, and walked out, headed towards Warrior’s Path Street. After asking a passersby where it was, it didn’t take him long to get there. As expected, it was above a general store. The sign read “Longbeard’s Shop of Needful Things”.


Taid opened the door, which jingled a bell mounted above it. It was a typical general store, with shelving along the outside walls, and shorter shelves and tables in the middle of the space. All were loaded with various tools, materials, clothing, preserved foodstuffs, and other assorted household wares. A Dwarf stood at a shelf, rearranging some items, likely moved around by a previous customer.


“Greetings, good knight,” Taid said.


“Well, okay, but it’s morning, not night,” the shopowner replied.


Taid introduced himself, then added, “I’m looking to join the Order of Aheru-Mazda.”


That brought the shopkeeper up short. “Oh? What are your qualifications?”


“I have a calling.”


The shopkeeper locked the door, and put up a “Closed” sign in the window, then led Taid to a small table and chairs at the back of the shop. “I’m Tighe Longbeard. I run this shop. Now, tell me your story.”


Taid told Tighe his story, about how he spent years at the Retreat of St. Euclase, learning the martial and magical arts. He told him about joining the Imperial Army, including a few anecdotes about some of the postings and missions he’d had there. Taid stated how life in the Army didn’t really suit him, so he struck out on his own. And he told him about the dreams he’d had, which he was pretty sure were from Aheru-Mazda himself.


Tighe mostly just listened, asking a question here and there but mainly just letting Taid tell his story his way. “Tell me about these dreams.”


Taid described the dreams in detail, narrating what he remembered from each of the five dreams he’d had so far. Tighe nodded, agreeing that they seemed to indicate that Aheru-Mazda wanted Taid to become his champion.


Still, Tighe was having a hard time believing it. He looked at Taid, wide eyed. “Uh, you aren’t just pulling my leg, are you?” It was less disbelief than it was wishing it were true. It was rare for a deity to take a personal interest. He and his fellow knights had heard of such things, but none of them had ever been visited by Aheru-Mazda before, despite being devout and committed. But if it was true, then…!


“I’m not pulling your leg, but I won’t pretend I know what it all means. Or if it actually is Aheru-Mazda. It seems real to me though.”


The shopkeeper nodded. “I think we can help you.” His mind was bouncing between excitement and jealousy, but the thought of having an actual god-chosen champion as part of his order was almost overwhelming.


“Good! Where do I sign up?”


“Right here,” the Dwarf said with a smile. He went behind the counter, and got out a ledger from the bottom shelf. He brushed dust off of it, then blew the remaining dust with a couple of deep breaths. He sat back down at the table, opened it, and spun it around to face Taid. He pointed with his finger to the blank page on the right. “Sign here, print your name here, along with any titles, and here is where you write where your residence is.”


The left hand page already had some text in it; Taid merely glanced at it but he noticed the name “Sargon Sharptongue”.


Tighe watched as Taid scrawled his name, “Ser Taid Tehoredor Lasu”, then “Sairina Tarwar Manor, Walters Barony, Sharpe County, Duchy of Antonian, Grand Duchy of Featherstone.”


“Huh,” he said. “Haven’t heard of Sairina Tarwar Manor before. Sounds Elven, though. Where is it located?


“Just south of Port Karn. We have a plant mage who is Elven. It was all we could do to not have the manor in his name.”


Tighe smiled. “Well, at least you averted that disaster!” He chuckled.


Taid grinned back.


“Welcome to the Order. Our next meeting will be in an eighty, on the 17th of Colding.”


The shopkeeper continued, “I am Knight Banneret Tighe Longbeard, Supply Master. The other members are Knight Banneret Schist Longbeard, my brother-husband, Knight Bachelor Calcite Rockheart, Mage, Squire Sargon Sharptongue, and Knight Champion Serandite Godshammer, our fearless leader and chaplain. He is actually a priest, but felt a more martial calling.”


“Only five of you?”


“Well, six now,” Tighe said with a smile. “But yes, Dwarfchat isn’t that large of a town, and many people don’t commit to serving a deity. There are only a chosen few of us.”


“I noticed you seem to have different ranks.”


“Yes, we do. New recruits, such as yourself, start off at the rank of Page. As we assess your skills and commitment, you can progress up the rank structure. After page is Squire, then Knight Bachelor, Knight Banneret, Knight Commander, Knight Champion, and finally Knight Commander of the Order. The different Orders are fairly independent, but they are all connected via the command structure above the Knight Champion level.”


“Uh, so what happens when I go back home, to the Port Karn area?”


Tighe looked a bit despondent. “Well, we send word to the chapter of our Order in Port Karn, and you transfer to that one. And we here will be disappointed that you left us.”


“Who is in the Port Karn Chapter?”


“I don’t know any of them. But it’s likely called the Order of Mithras there, since most of the people there aren’t Dwarves. But when you leave us, you’ll be taking whatever rank you achieve here with you.”


Taid nodded, and stuck out his hand. “Thank you very much,” he said, with gratitude.


Tighe Longbeard gripped his wrist, and Taid reciprocated. “Welcome to the Order of Aheru-Mazda, Page Taid Lasu.”


Taid left then, and went back to the Mountainstream Inn. It was about time for him to teach the others about Apportation.


While Eykit’s companions, mages all, spent time with Taid learning their apple spell or whatever, he wandered around Lower Dwarfchat, listening to rumors. New caravans had come into town. Complaints about the “imported” Civil Patrollers could be heard in just about any tavern, and Eykit had visited three. People were getting a bit tired about how strict they were getting. It was really starting to influence trade; people who were on edge were less likely to spend money.


There were no new rumors about any disappearances, which Eykit felt pretty good about. Of course, he didn’t mention that the manticore (or dragon) that people were still wary of was a problem that had been taken care of.


He did overhear some dockworkers mention a fire to north, and that if one climbed up one of the local mountains the grey smudge from the smoke could be seen on clear days. The mention of “odd creatures on fire” didn’t thrill him, either.


He went into one of the two wharf taverns. It was a dive bar, with wood furniture dark with age and use, with too few oil lamps and straw strewn on the floor in a desperate attempt to soak up spills and, judging from the smell, vomit. But it was crowded, being around midday, with a lot of dockworkers on lunch break. Judging from the activity he’d seen on the wharves outside, the place would be crowded with people for the next few hours as workers came and went. It was his kind of place.


There was an empty seat at the bar, vacated by a dock worker who had to go back to work. Eykit hopped up onto the stool. He could have used a booster seat; this tavern didn’t have those clever adjustable height stools that were a common feature in most of the other taverns here in Dwarfchat. Port Karn’s taverns didn’t really have many of them either, instead opting for stools of various sizes for the various folk of nonstandard heights.


The stool was situated between a couple and some guy who seemed to be having a bad day. Eykit got the attention of the barkeep, a Human, tapping the bar in front of him with two fingers, indicating two drinks. The barkeep nodded, and pulled the tap for a pair of beers. He set them down in front of Eykit, saying, “Four marks.”


Eykit paid, then slid one beer over to the despondent Human next to him. “Here,” he said, “you look like you could use this.”


“Yup, I suppose I can,” he replied, accepting the beer. The man turned to look at his benefactor, seeing a small, cheery Goblin. He was a little surprised that he was seated next to a Goblin, although he really shouldn’t have been; Goblin voices have a certain telltale timbre. He chalked it up to his current mental state; it was a detail he should have been paying attention to, not sulking with his mind running in circles.


“Hello,” he continued, “My name is Fenric.” He held out his hand, saying, “And thanks for the beer.”

Fenric Gates


Eykit shook the proffered hand, and said, “I’m Eykit.”


“Nice to meet you.”


“Just coming into town?”


“Nah, I’ve been here a few days.”


Eykit cut to the chase. “Sounds like you’re having a shit day.”


Fenric nodded, “Yeah, I am.”


“Care to talk about it?”


There was something about this Goblin that made Fenric feel very comfortable. He wasn’t exactly sure what it was; perhaps it was the sense of sincerity and compassion. Fenric was surprised for the second time in only a few seconds. He blinked in amazement, his eyes owlish.


Eykit continued, “No pressure. You don’t have to.”


Fenric thought about it for a few seconds. “So, I’m a merchant, and I’ve been trying to get some trade deals going. And I’ve been having to prove my bona fides. It would be easier were I a Dwarf, but….” He trailed off, indicating his very Human body. “But there are rivals that don’t want me getting any trading contracts. And so they’ve sent some…people…after me, and I’ve had to stash my documentation to keep it out of their hands. I was in a rush, but I found a good hiding place to put them, and, you know that—“ He stopped abruptly. “Have you been in town long?”


Eykit lied, “A few days.”


“You know that new temple they are building there?” He gestured in the general direction of Upper Dwarfchat.


“Yeah.”


“Welllll, they’ve been doing more building since I stashed my stuff. And now it’s inside the walls now.”


Eykit looked a bit confused. “In the walls?”


“They bricked it up.” He paused, then continued, “Anyway, I’m just having a bad day trying to figure out how to get my ancestry documents out of there.”


“So, this is just…paperwork?”


“Yes,” Fenric said, nodding.


“So when you say ‘bricked up’, you mean ‘completely inaccessible’?”


“Now. It wasn’t inaccessible before.”


“Kind of a dumb place to stick it.”


He looked abashed. “Yeah, tell me about it.”


“So the only way to get it out would be to deconstruct the wall, or some sort of magic. How near ground level did you stash it?”


Fenric held his hand out, just below shoulder height. “About this high. At the time, it was wedged in behind a support. But it’s behind an actual wall, now.”


Fenric took a sip of his beer. It was cheap beer, bitter and with an oily aftertaste, but he didn’t mind. “It must still be in there. If it had been found, I’m sure I would have heard about it somehow. But no one has discussed it in Upper or Lower Dwarfchat. It must have gotten bricked up without anyone discovering it.” He shook his head ruefully. “I didn’t realize they would be so quick building that section. Dwarves work very quickly, I guess.”


“Where in the construction didn’t you stash it?” Eykit asked.


This made Fenric wary, and his eyes squinted in distrust. “Why do you want the specifics?”


Eykit shrugged. “I might know a guy. What would it be worth to you to do some ’stone work’? It’s a difficult spell, and costly.”


An earth mage? Fenric thought. That could do it. “I don’t have much cash on me, but I have some of this.” He reached into his shirt and pulled out a pouch, from which he pulled out a ball of dried leaves about the size of a small marble. It looked a lot like tea, but Eykit recognized it. It was Gaw, known on the street as “Looking Glass”. It was a hallucinogen, technically illegal, and worth somewhere around fifty marks per dose on the open market.


“I’ve got thirty doses.” He put the ball back into the pouch, which went back into his shirt.


Eykit did the math. It worked out to around 1500 marks. Potentially very profitable for what must be only an evening’s work. He smiled. “So, where are you staying?”


“The First Street Caravanserai.”


“I’ll consult with the person I know and come find you.”


Maybe the day isn’t so bad after all, Fenric thought, if this works out. “I appreciate that. I suppose I could take a sledgehammer to it, but I get the impression that the crew might notice. And then probably hit me with it.” He gave a rueful grin.


“Knowing Dwarves and their constructions, I don’t doubt it. I suspect you’d have shattered knees at the very least.”


“Ouch.” Fenric didn’t like that image, but Eykit was likely right.


“I’ll be back later today.” Eykit drained the remains of his beer, then hopped off his stool and left the tavern.


He made his way up the Switchback Road to South Upper Dwarfchat and the Mountainstream Inn, which is where Almë was staying. He didn’t see anyone he knew in the tavern, so he went upstairs to Almë’s and Ruby’s room, which is where he presumed the other four were doing their finger wiggling and mumbling of esoteric words.


“Ka-kaw!” he said.


Almë opened the door, his eyes rolling.


As he expected, everyone was there. Taid was demonstrating how to control a floating object by using a sheathed dagger. I slowly spun about a half meter above the floor, moving to one side about 30 centimeters before changing direction and going the other way.


Eykit told them about Fenric’s problem.


Almë offered to help right away. Everyone else agreed to go along. They made some plans; night would be a problem, with all of the curfew patrols, although dusk or dawn might work. Eykit would get Fenric, then meet the others at the construction site.


Fenric wasn’t in the tavern at the First Street Caravanserai. Eykit asked the innkeeper, “Is there a guy named Fenric staying here?”


“Yes, there is.” His expression said, “and his whereabouts are his business.”


“Can I get a message to him?”


“Sure,” the innkeeper said agreeably. He liked it when conflict deescalated without effort or trouble. The innkeeper slid paper, a quill, and an inkwell to Eykit. “If you don’t want to write it, I can relay it to him if you prefer. Otherwise, I’ll be happy to take your missive to him.”


Eykit scribbled, “Eykit is in the lobby.” He didn’t write much, but the Skulls had taught him to read and write at least a little. He’d learned that having the ability to read could be useful in his…endeavors. Information was valuable. But writing was also a measure of practice and dexterity, and while Eykit had remarkable dexterity, he didn’t practice his letters very often. But the message was short, and readable enough for the purpose.


He folded the paper, and gave it to the innkeeper. The innkeeper then delegated the job to a server, who then disappeared.


Eykit waited in the tavern. A while later, approximately a third of an hour, by his best guess, Fenric walked in through the front door.


“Fancy meeting you here,” Eykit said, hopping off the stool he’d been perched on while waiting.


“You’re back, I see,” Fenric replied, the hint of a hopeful smile on his face. “Thank you. I got your message.”


“Did you?”


“I did, which is why I am here. So what’s the plan?” Fenric tried to not portray the eagerness he was feeling. He didn’t want to pin too many of his hopes on this diminutive stranger.


“How?”


“I’m sorry? What?”


“How did you get my message?”


Fenric frowned, confused. “It was delivered to me.”


“Where?”


“In my room.”


“But you didn’t come from your room.”


“I did. I just didn’t come down that stairway.” He gestured to the main staircase that led from the tavern to the sleeping rooms on the upper floors.


Eykit eyes narrowed. “Okay. Odd.”


“Not really. There are people that want to ruin my reputation, and ruin me as a merchant. So I’m not taking chances by being predictable.”


“Who are these enemies you have?”


Fenric answered quietly, “Several of the Dwarven trading guilds.”


“What, not a fan of Dwarves?”


“Oh, Dwarves are great. But their guilds can be pretty cutthroat when it comes to business.”


Eykit changed the subject, putting the conversation back on task. “So, I’ve spoken with my friend, and he’s going to help.”


“That’s great! Who is this friend and how can he help?”


“Oh, he’s a very talented gardener.” Eykit grinned.


The elation that had spread across Fenric’s face disappeared. “A gardener,” he said, flatly.


“What’s the worst thing that could happen?”


Fenric’s face showed a touch of anxiety. “They could catch up to me.”


“And what do you have to lose at this point?”


“Not much, to be honest. So I have to trust you. And your talented gardener. I don’t like it, but what can I do? I have somebody who says they can help me, so I will accept that help with appreciation and grace. And not lose my head.”


Eykit looked shocked and confused. A death sentence? For trading?


Fenric caught the look. “Metaphorically,” he said, shrugging.


“At this point, what else do you have that is valuable to them?”


“Just the inability to form trading contracts.”


“But they’ve already got that.”


Fenric shrugged again. “Not really; I am still a possible contender.”

“Ah.”


“I’m still thinking I’ve got a shot at this. We’ll see.”


Eykit tugged on Fenric’s sleeve. “Let’s go take a walk.”


“Where are we going?”


“To the approximate spot where you stashed your documents.”


“Ah!” he said, excitedly. “We are getting them tonight?”


Eykit nodded. “”That’s the hope.”


“Good. Good good good. That would help me sleep better. But not permanently, I hope!” he jokingly added.


The Goblin patted his arm. “I’ve got someone who could help, and I am just here to facilitate that.”


“Alright then. Let’s do this.”


They walked through Lower Dwarfchat, and started up the Switchback Road.


“I am getting such strong quads,” Eykit mentioned, rubbing his thighs, as they made their way up the sloping road. It was a long road, and all uphill, back and forth up the cliffside.


Sometimes they had to wait for wagons or animals to get out of the way. Fenric looked wistfully at the lift, breathing heavily from the exertion. “Maybe,” he said, “if I can get these contracts, I’ll be able to afford the Lift.” He sighed. “But for now, I have to walk.”


In time, they got to the top of the cliff, in South Upper Dwarfchat. The construction site was in West Upper Dwarfchat. “When are we meeting this friend of yours?” Fenric asked.


“Oh, we are meeting them there.”


Them? he thought. How many of his friends are we meeting? How big of a mistake have I just made coming with this guy? He didn’t let any of his doubts cloud his face, saying, “Really?” He wasn’t able to remove all of the nervousness creeping into his voice. “Okay, then.”


The pair of them went over the second bridge that spanned the river, and made their way to the site of the temple being constructed.


The future temple was fairly large, filling half of the block. Scaffolding surrounded the building, of which the first story worth of stone walls were completed. On one corner a three story tower was being erected, with a wooden skeleton framework topping that by another two stories. In several places were cranes, powered by workers in treadwheels, lifting loads of stone blocks up to where the masons needed them.


Surrounding the entire site was a series of withy fence sections, strung together with twine, their purpose to keep visitors out of the dangerous working site. The sound of shouts, chisels, and hammers rang in the air, and a pall of dust hung over the entire area.


Taid elected not to go. Almë just up and left, telling the others that he was going to the construction site. Elitheris went with him, planning on being a lookout.


Almë and Elitheris arrived at the temple site. Across the street was a bench under a tree. Almë sat in it. Elitheris found an alleyway between two buildings, out of site of the traffic flowing past on the street. She started climbing up the side, using window sills, lintels, and any other hand and footholds that she could find. In less than a minute, she was four stories up, and pulling herself up onto the tile roof. She moved around, looking for a good vantage point. She found one situated between a pair of chimneys.


Eykit saw Almë on the park bench. “Hey, Almë,” he said. He didn’t see Taid, Ruby, or Elitheris.


“Hey,” Almë replied, looking Eykit’s companion up and down.


“Fenric, this is my gardener friend.”


“Hallo,” Almë said, “I heard you could use some help with a bricky situation.” He grinned at his own joke.


Fenric either missed it or ignored it. “Thank you for being willing to help. How exactly are you going to do that?”


“I’m not only a gardener, but I’m also an architect with the skill of shaping stone. So we can just make a hole, grab your stuff, and put the stone back without doing too much damage.”


Fenric was winded from the walk, and sat heavily on the bench next to the Elf. He wasn’t in the best of fitness, and Eykit was used to walking quickly to keep up with his longer legged companions.


Almë asked, “What kind of paperwork are we getting from there?”


“It’s ancestry documents, in a scroll case.” He sat there, catching his breath for several long moments. “So,” he finally asked, “when do we begin?”


“When the workers go home, so we can get in there without people noticing,” Almë replied.


Eykit added, “We’ll need to know the best place to access the stash. So maybe the two of you can go take a walk to check it out.”


Fenric looked at the work in progress. “Looks a bit different, now. But I think I shouldn’t have too much trouble locating the finding spot. Those Dwarves certainly work fast.”


“Do your best,” Almë said. “We won’t have too many tries.”


“Don’t worry. I want my stuff back, so I’ll definitely do my best.”


They waited. It was getting dar,, and there were still a couple of workers still inside the site cleaning up. They weren’t terribly near the spot where Fenric thought he had stashed his stuff, but they were visible from that spot.


They continued to wait, hoping that at least one of them would go home. And, finally, the worker at the far side of the temple finished sweeping and left.


It was “officially” night time. In the twilight glow of the still luminous sky, they could see a pair of Civil Patrollers coming down the street. By now, the three of them were over by the construction site, squeezing between two sections of the woven fencing. One worker was still inside, frantically trying to finish whatever it was that he was doing.


The only opening in the withy fence was in front, along the main roadway. They squirmed through the opening, trying to not be seen by the Civil Patrollers or by the remaining worker. There was a temporary door that led into the temple. There were also several openings in the wall that later would house glass windows.


The door was locked, likely as a secondary measure to keep people out of the work site. “Hmmph,” Eykit snickered, “won’t be locked for long.” He took out his lock picks, and three seconds later the lock clicked open. “They should use better locks.” But he knew the lock was a mere formality. If someone wanted to get in, there were a bunch of window openings that would only require a modicum of climbing skills. Or a step stool.


The three interlopers filed in through the door, closing it behind them. Inside was a huge space filled with scaffolding along the perimeter, piles of stone, and dust and debris swept into piles. There was still the final worker onsite, sweeping up debris at the far side of the temple, some sixty or so meters away.


Eykit hustled the other two farther along the wall, away from the door, stay close to the wall in the shadows of the scaffolding that stood above them. Dwarven sight was very, very good in the dark, but the space was open to the luminous sky above, and they were in shadow. They reached the approximate spot where Fenric thought he had hidden his documents. Eykit pulled out a roll of black cloth and crouched down, setting the roll on the laid stone tiles of the floor. He stepped on the edge of the cloth, then kicked the roll, which unrolled parallel to the wall. As it did, a field of dimness sprang up a few meters high along the length of the cloth, deepening the shadows and providing them a better chance of hiding. Eykit figured that the worker would be in a hurry to leave, and not be paying too much attention to anything but avoiding curfew infractions.


The Dwarven worker scurried to the door in almost a dead run. He got to the door, opened it, and exited. Eykit could hear him waiting after he had closed the door and locked up the site.


A moment later they could hear the clatter of hobnails on the cobblestones, the creaking of leather, and the soft clinking of mail. It was the two Civil Patrollers, making their way down the street. After a few more seconds, Eykit could hear the worker move off, after tying the withy fences shut.


“Okay,” Almë whispered, “Lead us to the place where I should search.”


Fenric moved over to the side wall of the temple, sighting along it, trying to guess where he had stashed his documents. He moved back and forth, pacing off distances, and comparing his position to other landmarks of the construction. It took him a little while to come to a conclusion.


“Take your time,” Almë said.


Fenric stood in front of the wall, checking both ways, then looking down at the flagstones on the floor, perhaps comparing shapes and patterns. “Right here,” he finally said, pointing at the wall in front of him at a spot just above his waist.


Almë cast the spell of Earth Shaping, the magical forces moving from him to the stone wall. Dirt was easy, and natural stone not much harder. But this was worked stone, which due to some metaphysical properties made it resistant to magical shaping. Not impossible, and really not that much harder, just more tiring. He made a slit in the wall, the stone flowing apart and opening like a large mouth, until it was large enough to reach through. Then he stepped aside to allow Fenric to reach into the dark opening.


The Human knelt and shoved his arm into the wide slot, feeling around. The walls were over a meter thick, of dual wall construction, with wooden support members between the two courses of stone. He had his arm in the slot up to the shoulder, and he felt around for the scroll case he had hidden in there.


The spell still active, Almë widened the slot, extending it along the wall a half meter. Fenric shuffled along on his knees as he moved to a spot thirty centimeters to the left.


“Aha!” he said, and pulled out a cylinder a half meter long by thirteen in diameter. “Excellent! Thank you for your help.”


“Got everything?” Eykit asked.


“Yes.”


Eykit nodded at Almë, who started filling in the slot. The stone flowed like a thick, viscous liquid, filling in the opening. Almë then spent some time blending the new stone to match the original stone as best he could. He was having fun, actually, using some sculpting skills he didn’t often get a chance to use. He liked being artistic. He hadn’t had much chance to do that lately.


Fenric watched Almë work, intrigued. He’d known about magic, and had seen it fairly regularly, but he’d never been so close to it before. He watched enraptured as Almë reformed the joints between the stones and recreated the original textures of the blocks, matching the surrounding stones.


“Ok,” Fenric said, “let’s get out of here. Before they catch us.”


Elitheris, up on the roof, had watched her companions scurry into the temple, and watched as the pair of Civil Patrollers walked down the street. Shortly after they passed by the temple, she saw a Dwarf, the last worker on site, presumably, duck out from behind the security fence, glance quickly at the retreating backs of the patrollers, then quietly hurry in the opposite direction. Things after that were quiet for a little while.


Then she noticed that the two patrollers were coming back. She reached into the pouch where she kept her Shard cluster, and willed it into action. It had the power of transmitting thought, and she sent “Patrollers coming back, a hundred meters away” to Eykit.


Eykit heard the message as Elitheris’ voice in his head. He relayed the info quietly to his companions, and they moved to the door. It was locked; the worker had locked it on the way out. Two seconds later Eykit put his lock picks back into their case and opened the door. Outside, the opening in the fence had been tied shut with a piece of twine. Eykit cut the twine with his knife. The two patrollers were about fifty meters away.


Elitheris scanned the street, thinking about providing a distraction. She could shoot an arrow, and make a series of noises, depending upon what she shot at. Perhaps a tree? Make them think something was in it? She nocked an arrow, drew it back, and launched it into a tree behind the patrollers, targeting one of the upper branches. It thunked into the wood, transferred its energy and momentum into the tree, shaking the branch.


The rustling of the branch in the otherwise windless night caught the two patrollers’ attention. “What was that?” one asked, as they spun around to see what the noise was.


“Go now,” Eykit heard Elitheris say in his head. “Go right.”


The patrollers spent some time seeing if some thief was hiding in the tree, but eventually one said, “Come on, it was probably just a squirrel.”


“Damn heavy squirrel,” the other muttered, but he dropped the matter and followed his companion.


The three “Document Recovery Specialists” scampered around a corner and out of sight of the patrollers. It was time to make their way back to Lower Dwarfchat.


Eykit suggested to go to the nearest inn. He wanted to get paid, and if Fenric met any patrollers on his way back to the caravanserai, that wouldn’t happen. Especially since he was being paid with goods that likely would get confiscated.


Elitheris stayed on the rooftops, being overwatch and scout, running along the ridge tops of the steeply sloped roofs. She was able to direct them with the mind sending Shard cluster she carried.


With her help, they were able to avoid the patrols and get back to the Cellar Keg, which was the nearest inn. Almë continued on to the Mountainstream Inn, a few blocks farther on. He was stealthy enough to avoid the patrollers, although over that short a distance, he only had to hide once. The patrollers didn’t even get very close to him.


The rest of the little group stayed at the Cellar Keg, getting space in the hammocks in the common room. The tavern was fairly busy. Eykit got dinner, knudging Fenric to pay.


Fenric made an exasperated face, but grudgingly said, “Fair enough,” as he put some coins in the server’s hand for their two meals.


Eykit engaged in some small talk with Fenric. “Did you get back everything you needed?”


His dinner companion nodded. “Feels the same weight as before, and it was in the place I left it.”


“Where are you going to get your business started?” Eykit asked.


“Well, I was just in the Dwarven Undercities, where I was trying to make contracts with some of the trading houses there. In order to get some shipments of goods to them so they could do some manufacturing.”


“Actually in the mountains?” Elitheris asked. She’d never been into the Undercities.


Fenric nodded again. “Yeah, inside the mountains.”


“What do you deal in?” Eykit asked, curious.


“Oh, all kinds of things. Metals, woven textiles, wood products, other things the Undercities don’t really have access to. Metals aren’t really part of the contract, since they have all the metals they need. Might do import contracts with metals though.


Fenric turned it around on Eykit. “So, my friend, how about yourself? What do you do when not rescuing merchants in distress?”


“I’m just traveling around with the Gardener guy, keeping him out of trouble.”


“He didn’t seem all that troublesome to me?”


“He’s very…helpful.”


“I sense something in your voice.”


Eykit sighed heavily. “He’s very helpful. Sometimes to a fault. Sometimes he just needs a bit of corralling, like an excited young colt. He can be a little impulsive. He’s got a great heart, though.”


“Ah, so he needs a bit of guidance, huh? He’s still young, then? It’s always hard to estimate an Elf’s true age. They look like adults long before they act like them. And then they just don’t seem to age at all, for hundreds of years. I always figured it was related to their long lifespans.” He glanced around at Elitheris. “That about right, miss?”


Elitheris simply nodded. She was young, and had stayed alone for almost a century. It had been a long time since she’d lived with Elves. She had never really had a problem estimating a fellow townsperson’s age, but she now wondered if she’d have trouble now. She wasn’t certain why Elves didn’t really have trouble making that kind of assessment; she just figured it was subtle social cues or mannerisms.


But then, for the most part, Elves didn’t care. Unless the Elf was really young or really old, it simply wasn’t much of a concern. Elitheris figured that Humans put more stock in it because they died so soon after being born. And looking at Eykit, she figured it was even more of a thing with Goblins, since their lives were shorter still. Another thought occurred to her: Aarakocra were lucky to live to thirty…did their feathers turn grey when they aged? Unfortunately, she didn’t know any to ask.


She brought her mind back to the conversation at hand.


“So, despite the fact that he is way older than me,” Eykit was saying, “Sometimes he can be a bit immature. He sometimes needs somebody who is a steadying hand.”


“You guys just travel around?” Ferric asked. “You two and that gardener? Is this a job? Corralling this Almë fella?”


“Actually, we are trying to get a manor holding off the ground and successful. But we are starting so far underwater that it’s been a difficult slog so far. We are in the beginning stages. So we are out just trying to scout out business ventures that could turn a quick profit. But we are doing mostly produce at this point.”


“Well, that sounds trying. Where is it?”


“Northeast of here.”


Fenric was taken aback. “Where in the northeast?”


“Near Port Karn.”


“Ah, yes! I’ve been there.”


“Right now we are starting with peaches.” Eykit made a face. “So. Many. Peaches.”


“You don’t like peaches?” he said, before remembering that Goblins were primarily carnivorous. He chuckled. “I guess not, although you could make some nice sauces or chutneys for your meat dishes.” A thought struck him. “And you didn’t leave the gardener there to, well, garden?”


“He’s got it all set up to go without needing a guiding hand.”


They chitchatted a bit more, he told Eykit and Elitheris a bit about his family. His great grandfather was a well known trader, although Eykit had never heard of him. Not that it was much of a surprise; Eykit grew up on the streets, where merchants were simply pockets that moved around. Fenric, and his family, were from Knightsmill, several hundreds of kilometers upriver from Port Karn.


Veliday, Colding 10, 879 AFE


Fenric woke before Eykit, at dawn, and nudged the Goblin awake. “C’mon,” he said, “let’s go.”

Eykit opened bleary eyes. “Aw man, another hour? This hammock is actually comfortable.” He closed his eyes, trying to get a bit more sleep.


“Sun’s coming up. Time to start the day.” Fenric seemed way too cheerful for it being so early in the morning.


Eykit looked towards the window at the end of the room, past the rows of hammocks filled with sleeping bodies. The light was that even bluish light of a day not yet started. The sun hadn’t risen yet. “Bleh,” he said. “Fine.” He rolled out of the hammock, being careful not to disturb the sleeper in the hammock below his.


The pair made their way down to Lower Dwarfchat, to the First Street caravanserai that Fenric had been staying at. Fenric felt his purse, and the distinct lack of money in it. He’d just spent money paying for two spots at inns, instead of only one. “Gah,” he said ruefully. “I’ve only got three marks left. I’m going to have to find a way to fix that.”


“Hey!” Eykit exclaimed. “No backing out now!” He was alarmed that Fenric might be reneging on the deal.


“Oh, no. Don’t worry. That’s why I dragged you here. To pay you. I could have left you sleeping, you know.”


Fenric talked to the innkeeper, who went off into his private residence, and the lockboxes he had in there for safe keeping. He returned shortly with a small box, which he handed to Fenric.


“C’mon,” Fenric said, leading Eykit up to the room that he had paid for, but hadn’t slept in the night before. He closed and locked the door.


“Hey,” Eykit said. “I have a question.”


Fenric nodded for him to continue.


“Why didn’t you just give the innkeeper your documents to hold onto?”


Fenric shrugged, and said, “I stashed them before I had a place to stay.” He unlocked the box with an iron key, and pulled out a cloth bag, dropping it into Eykit’s hand. “Thank you very much,” he said. “I really appreciate it.” He went on, “If I have anything in the Port Karn area I’ll look you guys up, if that’s all right. At Sairina Tarwar, you said? Maybe we can do a deal. Or it I want some peaches.” He smiled.


Eykit opened the bag, glancing inside. It was full of little balls of dried leaves. The smell told him it was Gaw. He didn’t specifically count the doses, but the weight and what he could see felt right. Eykit looked up at the Human. “Good doing business with you. Stay safe.”


“Oh, I plan on it,” Fenric replied with a small smile.


“Maybe find a better container for that,” Eykit said, pointing at the tubular document case. “Maybe something that doesn’t look like heritage documents?”


Fenric’s eyebrows rose in thought. “Good idea. I’ll do that.”


“Take care of yourself,” the Goblin said, opening the door.


“You too. I know it’s not easy traveling around.”


“Yeah, we are far from home right now.”


“Oh, and keep clear of that dragon that’s flying around snatching people.”


That made Eykit pause in the doorway. “What? You know something?”


“Me? No. Just heard the rumors, that’s all.”


“Heh. The rumors we’ve been hearing around this town have been nuts!”


“Yes. I’ve been scared shitless, to be honest. First it was a manticore, now it’s a dragon!”


“Me and my friends…we have heard ‘dragon’, ‘manticore’, and ‘sorceress who raises people from the dead’.” Eykit was fishing. But until the line was in the water, no fish could be caught.


“Really? Why the fuck am I even in this town? I’m getting the hell out of here as soon as I can. Undead? No thanks!”


“We’ve actually not seen any evidence of that yet. The people disappearing? That seems more ‘manticore’ or ‘dragon’ to me.”


“I’ve heard both. Manticore and dragon.”


“So be careful out there. I don’t know what all is true.”


“I will. And try to stay clear of the Civil Patrol. We got lucky not running into any last night.” Fenric still couldn’t believe their luck in that respect. The Civil Patrol seemed to be everywhere.


As Eykit turned and left, he could see Fenric rolling the document case in the bedroll that had been laid on the bed.


He didn’t think he’d have any problems selling the hallucinogenic drug. He was a member of the New Square Skulls, and he had connections. He spent the rest of the day simply wandering around the various areas of town, getting familiar with the locations of the various shops and services. Besides, he was actually enjoying pretending to be a tourist. That was something usually reserved for the rich, so he took advantage of the time he had. He paid extra attention to the locations of alleys and tunnels to the courtyards inside the blocks of row houses. Knowing where the bolt holes were could be handy.


It was the last day for Wilbur’s stabling that had been pre-paid. Taid paid for another eightday’s worth of care and feeding.


The mages spent the day relaxing and learning Apportation, in Ruby’s room at the Mountainstream Inn.


Ralsday, Colding 11, 879 AFE

It was another day of relaxing, and learning Apportation from Taid.


Ruby and Almë spent the time indoors, either in their room, or in the common room of the inn. Elitheris and Taid would drop by and go up to the room for training. Eykit stayed away, dropping by the stables to groom Wilbur, or take him out for a walk.


Elitheris had been cooped up in a city for too long, and needed some spaces that were more natural than stone walls and people. She spent the non-training time outside in the forested areas just outside of town, exploring the countryside and marking the locations of manor houses and dwellings of the rich.


Rumor-wise, there was still talk about the disappearances, the manticore, and the dragon. No new disappearances though. The only thing new was that some people thought that maybe the Civil Patrol will ease up a bit, since no one had gone missing in the last several days. It had been seven days since the last person had been abducted, a period of time longer than any since the abductions had begun. People seemed to be getting a bit restless. They were starting to complain about not being able to enjoy a night at a tavern. The tavern keepers were especially eager to stop losing revenue due to curtailed hours of business. The curfew was beginning to get on their nerves a bit more than in the past.


They were also hearing that Shardmeets were starting up again. The first one was being held at a tailor’s house in the Walled City, against the Civil Patrol’s wishes. It also seemed to be invitation only, which some people thought was annoying and elitist.


The only other rumor that caught their attention was one about some odd, fiery creatures in the jungle to the north, living in a burnt out section near the river.


Starsday, Colding 12, 879 AFE

The Shardparty (a smaller version of a Shardmeet) at Dain the Tailor’s was to begin at midday to allow for plenty of time before people had to leave to avoid violating curfew.


Almë didn’t go to it. Instead, he found a nice shady bench under a tree about a block away. He could see Dain’s Tailor shop down the street. Ruby joined him, Norolind and Mister Wiggles settling at her feet.


Elitheris located a rooftop where she could see the door to Dain’s shop. She would be overwatch again, in case things went sideways. She climbed up the side of a building, using the ledges, sills, and carvings as handholds. The Dwarven architectural aesthetic made it a rather simple endeavor. She stalked across the ridgeline of the roof, found a pair of chimneys, and slid down the slate roof tiles to them, crouching between the two stacks. She was about as hidden as she could be without magic, with a good view of Dain’s shop across the street. She made sure she could easily reach her Shard cluster.

Dain's Tailoring

Taid went in fully armored, trying to look “regal” as opposed to “imposing”. He got past the gate guards without too much trouble, although they did eye him, obviously noting him in case something happened later. If someone died of deep cuts or puncture wounds, they knew who to look for. Taid could hear them whispering to each other as he walked off. They will know my name when I show up with that manticore head, he thought.


Eykit wore his chain shirt, and he also got noted by the pair of gate guards. He, like Taid, could hear them whispering as he walked away. “That was the second person in armor this morning. What the fuck?” But they didn’t stop him. But if anything happened, he’d likely be the prime suspect.


Eykit put six Shards into a pouch in his pocket. The rest he kept in his pouch in his pants.


As Taid and Eykit approached Dain’s shop, they could see other patrons, likely Shard enthusiasts, entering ahead of them. They could also see two pairs of Civil Patrollers, and Eykit got the distinct impression that there were others scattered nearby on neighboring streets. It would seem that they were aware of the ad-hoc Shardmeet, despite their wishes, but were allowing it. But they were certainly paying very close attention to it.


The pair entered the tailor shop. It was fairly crowded, and they could see a Civil Patroller in his uniform of terracotta and grey. He was in a corner, watching the people. He looked like he was ready to step in if required.


Dain himself mingled with the people in the shop; it was still a little early, and technically the Shardmeet hadn’t officially started.


Taid made his way to the Civil Patroller. “What’s up?” he asked.


The patroller looked Taid over. “Just watching over the Shardmeet,” the patroller, a local one, replied. “Making sure it goes well,” he continued with a grimace. “Despite our decree against them.”


“Huh. What are you concerned about? I’m new to the area.”


The patroller glanced at Taid more closely, noting the armor.


“Where I am from, “ Taid continued, “Shardmeets are fairly uneventful, except for the times when the Shards make it exciting. I’ve seen a couple of those. It’s been pretty hilarious, to be honest.”


“I’ve seen a few myself. They have been pretty entertaining.”


“What did you see?”


“Oh, once people just started floating around, unable to touch the ground.”


“Floating? That’s cool.”


“Yeah, a section of people around a table just rose up into the air, floating in the air like fish in a pond. Tumbling around, couldn’t do anything. Little bit of vomiting, but soon enough they all came crashing back down. Broke the table, and a few limbs I think, but no one died.”


“I saw a guy’s ass spontaneously burst into flame, like he’d had an entire plate of flahberganber.”


“The spicy Orcish dish?”


Taid nodded. “Oh my god I couldn’t believe it. Dangerous, and hilarious. And he had a built in transportation system, too. He jetted all over the room, screaming. He wasn’t floating, that’s for sure.”


“More of a series of fiery hops?” The patroller grinned behind his beard.


“I don’t know what he did with those Shards, but it was certainly worth the price of admission!”


“Hah. Indeed. So far, here in Dwarfchat, we haven’t had any truly tragic events. Except for the muggings.”


“Hmm. I’ve heard about those. Also heard about the disappearances, but I haven’t heard of any lately.”


The patroller nodded. “Well, there haven’t been any in the last several days.”


“That’s good,” Taid commented.


“Yeah, it’s promising. Only time will tell though. Someone will likely disappear tonight, because that’s how it works. You get complacent, and then the bad things happen.”


“I haven’t heard anything about the mugging, either.”


“Yeah, well those stopped when we stopped having—“ he spread out his arms, indicating the crowd of people, “this. Now we have to worry about this again.” He didn’t seem too happy about there being a Shardmeet. On the other hand, he seemed more resigned than antagonistic. “Gotta protect the people who are here. And if they are all home by curfew…” He trailed off, shrugging.


“Well, hopefully this gives people a bit of fun and isn’t too onerous for you.”


The patroller nodded. “I hope so too.” He considered. “It has been a while since we’ve had one of these things. I don’t know. People like their Shards. To be honest, I wouldn’t mind playing myself.”


“We’ll try to keep it as uneventful as possible,” Taid said with a grin.


“I appreciate that. So, why are you wearing armor in town?”


“Oh, the armor? I’ve been to these kinds of things before, and I’ve come to appreciate the extra protection.”


“Well, I can’t fault you for that,” the patroller replied.


“This,” Taid said, tapping his corselet, “is probably a little overkill, but I just don’t want to take any chances.”


“I once did see an explosion of balls of ice, and a lot of people got hurt.”


The words “explosion of balls” made Eykit’s ears perk up; the family jewels (both kinds) were his preferred targets. Most of the opponents he had to fight were male, and the crotch was a weak point that he was good at exploiting. With his small stature, he needed all the advantages he could get. A straight up fair fight would be difficult, if not impossible, to win.


“I just wanted to assure you,” Taid said to the patroller, “that I am not wearing this because I am expecting trouble, it’s just that I am expecting trouble.”


The patroller laughed.


“Excitement, maybe,” Taid clarified, “not trouble.”


“I’ll try to keep that in mind,” the patroller said.


There were a dozen people in the room in total, and Dan rang a little bell to get everyone’s attention. “I’d like to thank you all for coming,” Dain said. “And I appreciate the Civil Patrol for letting us do this.” He’d addressed that to the patroller, who nodded. “And now,” he beamed, “let the games begin!”


There was a series of whoops from most of the people there.


Taid recognized Sunim Mychelle sitting off to one side, idly twisting her Shard pendant with her fingers. Taid wandered over to her. “Feeling lucky?”

Sunim Mychele

She grinned up at him, recognizing him. “I’m always lucky.”


“Oh really?”


“It all comes down to putting yourself forward, and focusing on what you want. Eventually it comes to you. It’s a matter of recognizing your opportunities. As an Awakener, we learn to move with the intentions of the Universe. You just have to open yourself to it.” Her tone was friendly and relaxed.


“That’s a good philosophy of life.”


“Yes. You just have to be open to things.”


“Alright.”


“All of the things.” She said it with what could only be a knowing look. She smiled.


“Well, if I need some luck, I’ll call you later on that.”


She smiled up at him. “Okay.”


Dain’s shop wasn’t that large, but he’d managed to move the tools of his trade and most of his fabrics out of the center of the room, leaving enough space for two tables to be set up. Two sets of players could play at once.

Dain the Tailor

Taid had broken up his Shard collection into two groups: nine in a hidden pouch, and four in one that he planned to “display”.



As Eykit and Taid watched the games, they could also tell that they were getting sidelong looks as well. They were the only two people in the room wearing armor. They could hear at least one person mutter, “What? Are those guys expecting trouble?”


People started pairing off, waiting their turns for a space at a table.


Taid and Eykit paired up, knowing that their Shards wouldn’t match up, but that it might be good as a starting point to get things rolling. And Eykit was a good enough actor to sell the excitement of a game of Shards, despite knowing the outcome.


They got their turn at a table soon after the Shard party started. They played conservatively, laying down Shards one at a time, drawing the game out and playing for time.


Each of the two table were surrounded by onlookers, some edging closer, some being more cautious and moving back. It was a tug of war; people wanted to be affected by the magic, while at the same time were afraid of the potential danger. It was always something of a balancing act. People didn’t want to miss out on the experience of a “fun” effect, but there was always the potential for a dangerous, or even deadly, effect.


Eykit did a good job of playing the excited player; Taid just followed along, taking his direction from Eykit’s actions. The crowd grew more and more expectant, until the end, where nothing happened. There was a general sense of disappointment, and not a few groans or sighs.


The overall goal was to build up excitement, and if nothing happened, people might be more willing to risk more Shards trying to get Shards to join. Also, it wa a way to showcase Eykit, make people remember him, to set him up as a potential target, and to make everyone believe he wanted to test his Shards with everybody.


“Come one, come all!” Eykit said expansively. “I want to try my Shards against everyone!” He pulled his Shards into a pile on the table.


Standing behind Eykit, Sunim Mychele smiled.


Eykit made a show of putting his Shards back into the pouch, one by one. He put the pouch into an outside pocket where he could rest his hand upon it. He was showing off, and plenty of people wanted to match Shards with him.


The first person who played the game of Shards left disappointed—nothing happened. This was the usual state of affairs; matching Shards were a very rare occurrence.


The Goblin was busy at one table, so Taid went to the other one to play. Taid had set aside four of his Shards to gamble with, and the person across from him, a Dwarf by the name of Crispin, had six. They played the game; Taid and Crispin each placing a single Shard on the table.


It happened on the first play of Shards. Crispin had played a Shard onto the table, and as soon as Taid placed his it shot across the narrow space between the Shards, slamming into Crispin’s Shard with a bright flash and a loud “clack!” A moment later, everyone was diving out of the way as a six meter wide area was filled with raining rocks, leaving only narrow areas around the edges of the room safe from the falling stones. The rocks looked like basalt chunks about three to five centimeters in diameter, appearing to fall from the ceiling and hammering down into the tabletops and the people trying to get out from under them.

The falling chunks of rock filled most of the interior of the shop; there were some safe spots along the walls, a small band of safety at the front of the shop, and a larger space towards the shop’s rear.


People shrieked, swore, and did their best to avoid the rocks. But it was like dodging raindrops. Rocks battered the players as they ran to and fro, trying to get to safety as they did their best to protect their heads from the falling stones. Taid and Eykit could hear dull thuds as the rocks hit flesh, and sharper thuds as the rocks slammed into the tabletops and chair seats.


Taid hunkered down, using his armor and helmet as protection as he scanned his surroundings for an open path out of the area. Eykit slid off his chair, taking shelter under the table. But he wasn’t quite fast enough. Before he got fully under the table, a large rock hammered into his buttock. His Goblin ass was covered by his gambeson and chainmail however, so the rock didn’t do much besides raise a contusion and cause a bruise the size of his outstretched hand. He rubbed his aching ass as he crouched under the table, which continued to get rained on by the hard stones.


The din from the stones hitting the tabletops was louder than any rainstorm.


As soon as there was a clear path, Taid bolted to the back of the shop, laughing. It was worth losing the Shard for this entertainment, he thought. Some people were bleeding; two had scalp wounds, one had stumbled into a rack of clothing and had opened a cut on his arm. Several people were showing bruises, mostly on their upper bodies and arms, although some were limping. Nobody seemed seriously hurt, however.


After a long twenty or thirty seconds, the stones stopped falling, leaving a layer of round stones on the floor two or three layers deep. People were picking their way across it, stumbling every now and then as the stones shifted under their feet. Some fell, swearing or laughing, depending upon how much the fall had hurt.


“My shop! My shop!” Dain was yelling, surveying the damage. The rocks had dented the wooden tabletops, the chairs, and the shelving that contained the bolts of cloth Dain used to make clothing. Tears ran down his face as he looked over the ruins of his shop.


The Civil Patroller, standing in the corner and thus out of the area of the falling rocks, tried his best to look concerned, but Taid could see that he was barely containing a smirk. “I told you so,” was practically written on his face, along with an implied, “this is what happens when you have Shardmeets.” He looked over the area. The floor was an uneven mess of stones, looking more like mine tailings rather than a tailor’s shop.


The moans and groans of those hurt by all the falling rocks could be heard, now that the loud avalanche sounds were done.


Dain looked around at the destruction of his shop. “What am I going to do with all these rocks?” he lamented. The stones were lumpy spheroids, ranging in size from three to six centimeters across, apparently made of dark grey basalt.


He got out a broom, looking first at it, then the rather large, round rocks. The broom wouldn’t do any good. Perhaps he could sell them as souvenirs of the first Shardmeet since the ban. He found a box and a few baskets that had escaped damage, and started to fill them. There was no way that they would all fit; there were thousands of the damned stones. They made moving around the shop difficult.


Eykit had a bit of trouble climbing out from under the table. His left butt cheek hurt enough to make his leg less than trustworthy, and the layers of round stones constantly shifted under his weight.


Taid surveyed the damage to his armor and helmet. Both were dented, but a decent armorer or competent blacksmith would be able to bang those out. Still, he mused, it looked like someone had used his armor and helmet as some sort of musical instrument played with mason’s hammers.


Crispin held his new Shard pair, his eyes going from it, to the ceiling, and back to the pair again. He looked like he wanted to try out his new toy, but wasn’t sure that he should. After a long moment, he pocketed it, along with his other Shards and a pair of the stones for good measure.


From the rooftop across the street, Elitheris could hear the usual sounds of a Shardmeet: groans of disappointment, somme cheers, some laughter, all subsumed in a general hubbub of conversation. It was faint at that distance, but her imagination filled it all in. Then she heard a loud cheer, followed by screams and shouts, and a faint rumbling sound. From her rooftop vantage point, she could only see a meter or so of the shop through the windows. She could see some kind of movement, but due to the angle and the reflections in the glass, she couldn’t tell what was happening. To her, the floor looked like it was crawling.


That morning, before the event, Elitheris had told Taid and Eykit to open the shop door if they needed backup. If something happened, she figured that at least one of them would be able to signal her. She had to trust that they were okay, since the door was still closed.


She thought about climbing down the building to get a better view of the inside of the shop. The door to the shop opened, and she tensed, ready to start climbing down. A Dwarf with a broom stood in the doorway, using the broom to sweep out dozens of round stones into the street. The broom was hardly adequate, and the stones were largely impervious to the bristles.


Someone inside must have said something, because the Dwarf, who Elitheris figured was the tailor Dain, got a bemused look on his face, and he set the broom down, leaning it against the doorframe, and instead started picking up the stones and carrying them inside the shop. Several of the rocks he had swept out of his doorway rolled slowly down the sloping, cobblestoned street.


The clamor had turned the heads of the people walking up and down the street, and many gazed confusedly at the stones that had, for some reason, come out of a tailor’s shop. Some reached down and picked them up, looking at them and trying to figure out what they meant. Most dropped them, uninterested after the first few moments.


Inside, the Shard game players were pocketing what rocks they could, taking their own souvenirs. If Dain could sell the rocks, why not them too? Dain was doing his best to get as many rocks behind the counter and out of the way as possible. He didn’t have enough bins, boxes, and baskets for them all though.


The two tables looked like some insane drummer had played them with hammers. The two tabletops were pitted and dented, splinters rising from the depressions’ edges. The wood grain was crushed and beaten. They were ruined as furniture.


The tailor looked around his shop, at the ankle deep sea of stones, the destroyed tabletops, damaged furniture, and then up at the ceiling as if trying to figure out where the rods had come from. He got a stricken look on his face, and he bolted up the stairs to his living quarters. Those in the shop below could hear him thumping along the ceiling, going from room to room up above.


A few moments later, Dain came back down the stairs, looking very relieved. “No damage upstairs, thank Khuz’dun!” he said, by way of explanation. The living quarters above were apparently fine; the storm of stones hadn’t manifested upstairs.


There were still hundreds (if not more) of lumpy spheres underfoot, despite Dain’s attempts to find containers for them. Foot would be tricky, especially if someone kicked them out of the way—they just rolled to other spots on the floor where someone else could stumble on them. Several players had left, too injured to want to play anymore.


And stumble they did, although nearby patrons caught them before they fell.


“Crispin,” Taid asked, “should we finish our game?”


“By all means,” Crispin replied, “now that the evening’s entertainment is over.” He rubbed his shoulder, which had been hit hard by one of the falling stones. His arms were a collection of colorful bruises and welts from when he had used them to protect his head.


They started their Shard game again. They played their Shards, but there were no more pairings. The six other remaining Shard players seemed relieved that nothing happened. Crispin left then, taking his prize home. He’d had enough, and wanted to get some tender loving care for his bruised arms and shoulder.


Elitheris saw a Dwarf with bruised arms exit the shop. In his hand was a Shard pair. He closed his fingers around it, appearing to concentrate. There was a flash of motion, and a window below her shattered. Something had launched itself from the area of his hand, flown across the street, and broken through a window.


The man’s face grimaced, and he hurried off up the street, away from the broken window.


The door to the shop below Elitheris’ hiding spot opened, and two Dwarves stepped out onto the street, looking around, trying to figure out what that noise had been. All they saw was regular street traffic. A moment later, the pair was joined by a third, who held a large round rock in his hand. “Who did this?” he asked gruffly, holding out the rock. “Some bastard threw this rock through our window!” He tossed it aside, and it thunked into the gutter, bounced once, then rolled to a stop. The three Dwarves went back inside, talking about getting the glass repaired.


Elitheris had noted Crispin’s features; His beard was yellow and red, with beads in it that sparkled in the sunlight. If she saw him again, she was pretty sure she would recognize him. He was wearing brown and grey clothing.


She watched as Crispin fled up the street, weaving between passersby. She sent a message to Ruby, using her Shard cluster. “Ruby, follow this guy. He’s got a Shard pair, at least, possibly more. Possible target. He’s got a red and yellow beard with glass beads, and is wearing brown and grey. Headed north on Khazaldamar Street.”


Ruby handed her staff to Almë, then cast the Shapeshifter spell, turning herself into a falcon. She launched herself into the air with a flapping of wings, arcing towards Elitheris’ position.


Elitheris saw the raptor cruise past, heading northward. It didn’t take Ruby very long to find her quarry. She circled above the buildings, keeping an eye on him.


Eykit sat back down at one of the damaged tables. A player sat down across from him. It was a Dwarf, with a black beard with a green stripe as wide as his mouth going down to the tip, which was just above his belly button. Bright blue eyes peered out from beneath craggy brows, and his wavy hair cascaded around his face and tumbled down past his shoulders. He gave the impression of a tall man, despite his 140 centimeter height.


“Hallo,” he said, “I’m Bellus.”


“Eykit. Nice to meet you. Ready to play?”


“I am,” Bellus replied, holding a drawstring pouch.


They began. They hadn’t played very many when Eykit’s Shard slid towards one of Bellus’, connecting with a ‘clack’ and a flash of deep magenta light. Other than that, there was…nothing.


The onlookers glanced around trying to figure out if anything had happened, or if anything had changed. They all kind of waited for…something.


Apparently, it was a dud, or, more likely, something had indeed happened, but whatever it was it was too subtle to be noticed, or the effect had no apparent sensory effect.


Bellus and Eykit finished their game. Each of them only had four Shards, and there were no other pairings. In fact, there were no other pairings from any of the other games that day. But there had been two pairings, even though one of them had been was most would call a “dud”.


Eykit and Taid had each lost a Shard. Eykit had been very conspicuous about the “three” that he had left.


Crispin turned left onto another street, then left again, doubling back the way he came. He went out the gate that lead to the West Upper Dwarfchat. He went down several streets, ending up in an area that seemed to be primarily residential row houses. He walked up the steps to one, and went inside.


Ruby flew across the street, perching on the roof of the row house opposite the one Crispin went into. She waited, looking at the windows of the four story building. She had been hoping to see through the windows, but the reflections from her angle obscured the view. She took off, leaving her perch on the roof, and flew back and forth in the street, so she could get a good look through the windows. She was able to get a glimpse of him in the second floor unit.


She sat outside of the window, watching him. She was looking into a bedroom that opened up onto a hallway. The flat was narrow, with a hallway on one side, and a series of rooms on the other. Crispin went into the bedroom, hung his coat in the closet, then went back down the hallway.


He appeared to be a totally normal guy living in a totally normal house. She looked around, seeing if he had been followed by anyone suspicious. She didn’t see anyone out of the ordinary.


She took off, flying over the house to the other side. There was na open space, like a courtyard, surrounded by the block of row houses. There was a space behind his house, mostly gravel, with a small table and a pair of chairs.


Through the windows, she could see three adult Dwarves, one was a woman with a plaited blonde beard. Crispin’s household seemed to be him, a wife, and two brother-husbands, plus maybe some kids. She hadn’t seen any, but it was possible that they were there. The backyards in the area were mostly austere rock gardens, with few plants, unlike a Hobbit’s garden of herbs, vegetables, and flowers. Dwarves seemed to use plants as details to highlight their rocks and gravel patterns. There were a few trees here and there in the shared courtyard space, although they weren’t very big. But they did provide some shade.


Ruby made sure she noted the appearances of the four Dwarves in the flat, and the location of the flat itself. Then she headed back to Almë.


Almë recognized her as she flew towards him. “Hey Ruby,” he said, “it appears as if the Shardmeet is breaking up. They just left the tailor shop.” Ruby preened her feathers.


Elitheris saw everyone leave. Eykit was among the first to leave, while Taid was almost last, being followed by a Civil Patrol officer. Dain, presumably, locked up and went upstairs to his flat. That meant that there were four players, besides Taid, Eykit, the patroller, and Sunim Mychele.


Elitheris sent another message to Ruby. “Follow Taid. I’ll follow Eykit.”


Ruby flew off, heading for Taid.


Almë stood, grabbed his and Ruby’s staves, and headed after Eykit. He wasn’t really going to shadow him; he was planning on staying a street or so away. But he knew where the Goblin was heading, and he wanted to be within range to help if needed without too much delay.


“Hey Ruby,” Elitheris sent through her Shard cluster, “change of plan. You follow Eykit, I’ll follow Taid.” Her communication cluster only worked one way; she couldn’t receive any kind of response. She had to assume that her “orders” would be followed.


The falcon circled over Elitheris, screeched once, then flew after Eykit.


Eykit limped his way out of the Walled City, over the bridge, and into South Upper Dwarfchat, heading to the Mountainstream Inn. He was in search of liquid anesthetics, and he knew that the Mountainstream Inn had them. Opening the heavy, carved wooden door, he went inside.

Malram was bartending, as he usually did, and, being late afternoon, the tavern was busy.


“Hey, Malram!” Eykit said over the general noise of the chatting patrons, wincing as he sat his sore butt cheek on the bar stool. “I need a drink.”


“Oh, hi,” Malram said, acknowledging him. “Dark ale?”


“Yeah. That sounds good. Hey, did you hear about the rain of stone balls over at Dain the Tailor’s?”


“Yep. One guy came in here and said that there was some excitement at the Shardmeet. Lots of injuries, apparently.”


“Understatement. There was a storm of stones!”


“You were there?”


“I got hit! It was great,” his Goblin voice dripped sarcasm. “My ass is still upset about it.” He uncomfortably shifted his weight on the barstool, wincing.


“You’ll have to tell me the story. What happened?”


“Well, there was a sort of Shardmeet situation, and I lost one of my shards!”


“You mean this was your game this happened in?”


“Yeah.”


“Oh, yay.” Malram sympathized.


“It wasn’t my Shard that caused the maelstrom, but I got caught in the mess and had to dive under a table, and didn’t quite make it.”


“And it smacked you on the ass?”


Eykit nodded. “It was pretty chaotic there for a while.”


“But you seem more or less okay. I did hear that something like that had happened, and many people were injured.”


“True,” Eykit confirmed. “There were some people that got thunked pretty hard.”


“Really?” Malram asked. His tone of voice was wistful, as if he wished he could have been there.


“Hopefully, they are all okay. I feel I got off pretty easy.”


“Just a limp, it looks like.”


“Yep.”


“And a bump on your butt?” Malram couldn’t help but smile.


Eykit let that one pass. “Fortunately, I still have a handful of Shards left.”


“Good for you.”


“Do you have any?”


Malram shrugged. “A few,” he said.


“I’ve got three.”


“That’s more than me. I’ve actually only got two.”


Eykit dumped his pouch of Shards onto the bar top. He lined up the three Shards so that they were in a nice, even row.


Malram reached into a pocket, and pulled out his two Shards. “We going to play a game?”


“Sure.” Eykit pulled two away, dropping them back into his pouch. Malram also played his Shards one at a time. They played, but there were no matches.


“Eh,” Eykit said, “mine seem to be duds.


“Wasn’t one of yours—“


“That was someone else’s that caused that chaos. That guy was lucky because he was wearing armor.”


“Oh?”


“Yeah, so he lucked out, despite being in the middle of it. He didn’t get hurt. It was almost like he knew it was coming. Weird.”


“Huh.”


Eykit remembered Taid’s armor. His helmet was dented, both the dome and the lobster back, and his corselet wasn’t in much better shape. The stone balls had banged off of the metal, making his armor look similar to the battered tables.


Eykit continued, “Some folks left early. They got hurt pretty bad. There was blood.”


“Sounds like the guy who told us about it earlier was one of them. The guy had a broken arm.”


“Oh gods, really?”


“Yeah. Well, he didn’t realize it was fractured at first. He was favoring it, so we had someone here take a look at it. Turns out it was a broken arm. We sent him to the house of healing.”


Eykit drank his beer, taking his time. He wanted to wait until it was almost evening before embarking on his forty five minute walk back to the Silver Blossom Caravanserai.


Ruby perched on a branch in a tree, trying not to be impatient as she waited for Eykit to leave the inn. It had been a while since she had eaten, and she could see a flock of pigeons scavenging fallen grain from a nearby street. Her stomach growled as she watched them, and she started salivating and instinctively calculating speeds and dive angles to get them. But that was the falcon body and instincts talking, and she clamped down on that urge. She was a vegetarian, and she could wait for a proper hobbit meal.


Eykit finished his beer when he judged that it was late enough. He said farewell to Malram, and exited the inn.


Finally, Ruby thought, as she readied herself for flight.


The Goblin started the long walk back to the caravanserai. Ruby followed, discreetly.


Eykit walked down the switchback road, occasionally moving out of the way for wagons and animals coming up the road. Ruby watched him from the top of a tree. From there, she could watch his progress as he went back and forth down the road. He walked through the mostly empty streets of Lower Dwarfchat and to his caravanserai without trouble. He had to take a detour once to avoid the Civil Patrol, but that was easily done.


Ruby didn’t see anyone suspicious, or anyone that seemed to be following Eykit.


It was another day of no information about Kallia.

Rewards Granted

3 CP
30 Doses of Gaw

Missions/Quests Completed

Retrieved Fenric Gate's Documents, got the Shard games going again.

Character(s) interacted with

Fenric Gates
Crispin
Bellus
Malram

Report Date

26 May 2024

Primary Location

Dwarfchat

Secondary Location

The Tondene Empire

Related Characters

• Almë
• Elitheris
• Eykit the Eel
• Mister Wiggles
• Norolind
• Ruby Smallburrow
• Taid Tehoredor Lasu