Sapphire:Sessions:20161022

Shawna informs the high priestess of Santash of the evil cult she and her companions had fought in Digger's Vale.

Two of Rory's Kids trot up to Chalker to inform him that Spirit of Many has made port. The Copper King is overseeing offloading and warehousing of the ship's cargo. Chalker sends the kids off with a message to request that Rory and Captain Torr join him at the embassy later on.

Ahn-Lee, in disguise, emerges from the Temple of Zeph. He relates that he had killed a male vampire that came from a bale who was operating as a rogue assassin. Of the five people who had accompanied Ahn-Lee, three of them are dead. Ahn-Lee assures Chalker and Shawna that the vampire had been beheaded.

The group takes their usual table at the busy Boar's Head. Chalker to Sybonne: "I hope you've reconsidered your quest for these icons." Sybonne: "Yes, I have." Chalker: "Now that we have them all, I'm kind of fuzzy on what we want to do, or how we activate them." Shawna: "Since it's never been done before, we'll just make it happen." Branamin: "Is this something we want to discuss right here at this table?" Everyone else: "No."

The group converges on Branamin's lab, where Trace joins them. Trace says the eagle is "active" and the scarecrow is "altered". The eagle seems to represent a magic/militaristic plane.

The First Chosen Roo appears and Branamin asks her, "Will you show us how?" and Roo replies "No." Shawna: "I await... but not long."

Ahn-Lee hands Chalker a list of 20 bale names representing 10 sets of twins. Chalker briefly summarizes his experiences in Yavelin (now called Caladon), a country once enslaved by bales. Chalker and his companions had sparked the rebellion that united the humans and goblins of Barshar City to liberate themselves from the bales.

Branamin has prepared his lab so that the icons can be safely hidden there. Shawna emphasizes that everyone else who is pursuing the icons will know they are in Sapphire. Shawna will sleep in Branamin's lab tonight. Chalker and Sung go to the embassy where Rory and Captain Torr await.

On his way to his own quarters, Ahn-Lee doubles back and confronts a young man, Terry Coleson, who claims he is looking for someone to help him. "This professor at the University needs to go away." Suddenly Terry faints and Ahn-Lee feels a chill.

Shawna dreams of legions of armored troops passing in review, a "glorious, impressive sight."

The next morning, Feast Time 30, Shawna remains asleep while Branamin goes to the market for fresh bread and butter. He returns and leaves some of the food for Shawna's breakfast, then goes back out to help sick and crippled people.

Chalker has breakfast with Sybonne and Sung. Chalker: "I'm sure we're going to be attacked today. Sung, you get to stay with me." Sybonne can anticipate attacks and has "minor" offensive and defensive spells, so Chalker tells her, "You're gonna practice on the job." He presents her with a sheathed silver knife. "You have one week to prove that you're needed here, or I'm going to put you on my ship and you'll be Ship's Mage. I prefer to keep you where I can watch you. Last night we were in the presence of all the First Chosen."

Chalker visits the temple of Sooth, where he is told "We indulge you too much." Chalker: "The First Chosen we don't think about are the most influential. You all have things to say. ... Who is your consort?" The avatar won't answer.

Ahn-Lee finds "Terry the idiot" among a group of other youths. Terry is excitedly telling the others, "I almost got killed last night! He knocked me out!" Ahn-Lee notices non-verbal components to the conversation. They never name the professor that they want killed.

Ahn-Lee follows Terry to another hangout and sits beside him, saying "I heard you were looking for me." "I thought I might hire you... but I decided not to." "Explain the gaps in your conversation." "We can sometimes share our surface thoughts, not reliably... In the intensity of the moment, I touched the surface of your mind... that's how we know the professor hates us and is out to get us."

A man (around 5'10", age 30s-40s, light brown skin) wearing fine merchant-class clothes and carrying a quarterstaff, comes looking for Chalker on "a matter of importance." He gives his name as Jule Sanders. Chalker quickly sizes up his aura: some psi ability, slight Magery, has done some "not good" things, has been in the presence of demons. "Dangerous items, ashars, were stolen from my employer in another timeline. I am trying to find and return them. I have been on the road for a couple of weeks, from the city of Bernhid on the Isle of Corsica. I came here with a caravan out of Verdai in the mountains." He shows Chalker his "tracker", a shiny gray rock.

Chalker: "No, you can't have them. Why don't you go now, before I get upset?" Jule: "My employer is the College Januserus.... All of the icons were carved by the same person and marked with the initials JC... I have covered over 1000 years of your history." Branamin: "I feel you are being genuine, but we need to protect them." Chalker: "We don't feel a need to kill you, unless you come back."

Branamin casts Death Vision on Jule. "Wow, that was intense." He tells Chalker, "I can see the icons' effects on you.... I saw yesterday that twelve of the thirteen icons were in Sapphire... I'm a seeker of lost objects, a finder...." Finally he goes away. Branamin suggests destroying the icons.

Chalker tells the others that Spirit's cargo will fetch 500gp, of which each group member will get one-sixth after the crew is paid.

Ahn-Lee, walking through the marketplace, is approached by a man who claims to recognize him from Verdai. "My name is Jule, I'm a searcher." They go to a tavern. Ahn-Lee's ale doesn't taste right to him; the waitress (rather loudly) snatches it up, sips, and insists it tastes fine. Ahn-Lee objects to her drinking out of his mug, so she flounces away to bring another.

Jule: "I'm looking for a statue of the sea god... I have an intutition; I can size people up." Ahn-Lee: "I'm sorry, it's not in my skillset." Jule: "This thing is worth 200 gold, and there's a 10% finder's fee."

Ahn-Lee's journey book vibrates, and he surreptitiously reads the latest entry. Branamin has written a warning about a man with a staff named Jule.

Jule goes on, "I'm staying at the Boar's Head." Ahn-Lee: "I've heard of it." Jule leaves the tavern and Ahn-Lee shadows him to the Mercenaries' Guild.

Ahn-Lee tells the others about Jule, adding that he had been playing with a silver stone.

Sybonne divines the destruction of the gray pentagram. "It exploded and wiped out a two-mile radius of Sapphire."