Sapphire:Sessions:20151205
Another probe pings off of Branamin's ward. After putting on an Illusion Disguise, he goes to the Mages Guild. Introducing himself as "Grum from Eimoor," he speaks with a dark-skinned woman regarding learning more about Scrying and related spells. He pays a silver piece for a scroll that should reveal the source of the next "ping" and secretly makes a copy of it. He practices Fire spells until dinnertime.
A street kid arrives with a message from Rory to Chalker requesting his presence at the Dolyenan Embassy.
Shawna heads to the University and busies herself in the library doing research on the jasper figures. The cracked bell is described as a unique artifact discovered in some ruins within the Calventine Empire less than a hundred years ago. The writing upon it was indecipherable at the time, but it is not Venettian. It is described as having a "multi-worldly" and "ageless" feel. Its symbolism is unclear; one scholar speculates that the bell itself might represent "warning." Shawna finds references to other jasper artifacts found in the Troubled lands, including a yellow scarecrow, a sword, an eagle, a ladder, and a dark blue X standing upright on a base. She tells the librarian that she will pay up to four university students to do further research on the jasper artifacts and have their findings delivered to her within the week.
Mid-afternoon, Ahn-Lee leaves Yasser drinking at the Boar's Head and seeks out Kalid. "I got bored and decided to come on out." Kalid begins a training session in two-man work and also acting.
At 4:00pm a young man (later described as a 'fancy royal courier') enters the Boar's Head, looks around briefly, then goes straight to Yasser's table. After verifying that he is 'Master Lalo' the youth produces a sealed note in elegant script and explains that it is an invitation from Baroness Sylan Giles to a party being given that night. Yasser, who has never heard of the lady, says as much, adding, "Too suspicious for me, friend." Courier: "Oh, the invitation is for yourself and any companions you wish to bring." Yasser, sarcastically: "This is totally not a trap." Courier: "Why would my mistress want to trap you?"
When Ahn-Lee, Branamin, and Shawna return to the Boar's Head for dinner, Yasser shows them the invitation. Shawna invites Bajeeter to join Yasser's 'entourage.' Kalid takes Yasser and Ahn-Lee to obtain some nicer clothing (Yasser's clothes are unsalvageable).
Branamin goes to his room to change clothes and gets pinged. Immediately he uses his copied scroll which reveals the source of the ping -- an elderly human male (gray hair, deep wrinkles) wearing a magic ring; he looks vaguely familiar to Branamin. Behind this man Branamin senses a powerful human female. The man is within the city of Sapphire and Branamin is locked on to his location.
Shawna has rented a carriage and driver for the evening. She signals the driver to stop a little ways away from the baroness' house; Ahn-Lee, Bajeeter, and Kalid disembark and go around to the back of the house where the security is quite lax.
Yasser, Branamin, and Shawna enter the house and Yasser straightaway approaches the baroness, demanding to know why he was invited. The baroness says she knows of him through an elf who was previously a comrade of Yasser's. Yasser notices that the necklace the woman wears is crafted partly of the same metal that makes up Yasser's ring. She claims she bought it from a seller in Gateway. Yasser feels comradely toward the baroness.
Branamin (in disguise), trailed by an eager young mage, opens a door and enters a side room. The elderly wizard from his vision turns and says curtly, "This is a private party." Branamin apologizes for the intrusion. He realizes that the wizard's name is Zola and he is from the Gateway mages guild.
Ahn-Lee listens at the window of a study. Three men and two women stand around an oak table, on top of which is a black medallion. One of the people touches the medallion, then stares at each of the others. All of the people are young and well-dressed (in the style of lesser nobility or wealthy merchants).
In response to Branamin's silent alarm, Shawna enters the room. Zola says he is from Gateway and is here because the baroness has invited earth mages to consider employment in her barony, the main industries in which are mining and farming. Also, he is looking for an old acquaintance named Branamin, who is said to be in Sapphire.
Branamin privately tells Yasser that Zola is looking for him (Branamin), "and he's a *real* mage." Yasser replies, "He looks fragile." Branamin casts Sense Foes and Zola is definitely his foe.
Bajeeter tells Ahn-Lee that someone in the house had cast a spell; Kalid was affected by it and no longer feels like stealing. Ahn-Lee slaps Kalid hard across the face, trying to snap him out of it.
Branamin confronts Zola, who says accusingly, "You killed a guildmaster in cold blood!" Branamin: "He was mind-controlling his students!"
Yasser tells the baroness, "Your necklace may be magic." The baroness offers to buy his ring; he replies, "I can't remove it." As she raises her offer to 300g, Yasser says, "This *was* my night off. You don't want this to get ugly."
Then things get ugly. Shawna, realizing that the necklace grants the baroness control over people's minds, Dazes the baroness and abruptly yanks the necklace, snapping its chain. Several people cry out. "Cover your eyes," Branamin warns, and casts Flash, temporarily blinding almost everyone. Ahn-Lee sees four people still moving toward the baroness, including a woman in a yellow gown who is flying near the ceiling.
"Mine!" screams the baroness, hatred in her eyes as she tries to grab the necklace. Shawna simply puts her hand holding the necklace behind her back. Yasser grabs the baroness to restrain her. Branamin shouts "They're mind controlled!" and casts a realistic Illusion that the ceiling is on fire. The woman in yellow dives directly at Shawna, who simply turns so that the woman crashes into the floor, then Shawna continues her 'dance move' and kicks the woman under the chin. The black amulet Ahn-Lee had seen earlier flies into the room and spins in place over the baroness.
The fight soon ends with the baroness subdued and her four loyal mind-servants in various states of injury. Shawna gives a report to a city guard captain with instructions that the baroness is to be investigated on various charges.
Ahn-Lee turns up a small box containing several slivers of the strange metal. There is speculation that the baroness was bringing in earth mages to try to locate a source of the metal.
After Branamin tells his story, Zola seems to accept that Branamin had some justification in killing the master mage fifty years ago and then going into hiding. (Zola was a fellow student.)