Sapphire:Sessions:20180811

Chalker picks the lock on the door of the second-floor room at The Hawks where Ahn-Lee had fought the night before. Inside Chalker and Ahn-Lee recoil from the smell of sulfur and burnt wood, though there is no evidence of fire and no fumes. Chalker asks Ahn-Lee, "If there had been a demon in here, you'd have known it, right?" Alastor has no reaction, explaining that he is anosmic. Ahn-Lee and Chalker determine that the smell is coming from four palm-sized drawstring bags, one in each corner of the single room. On each bag is embroidered or woven a different pattern of crisscrossing lines, which seem to shift about; Chalker recognizes them as an obscure symbol used by adherents of Assaraah in uncivilized parts of the world. Other than the bags, the room has been magically cleaned. Ahn-Lee starts to feel dizzy, but walking into the fresh air in the hallway for a few moments relieves the dizziness. Alastor opens one of the bags and finds seeds and leaves from a variety of rare plants, most of which are poisonous or have other physical effects, but nothing to explain the sulfurous smell. He starts to feel dizzy, but when he closes the bag he soon feels better. To Chalker Alastor says, "Good call. Let's examine these someplace with better preparation."

In the hallway on their way out, Ahn-Lee spots near the ceiling a tiny irregularity which, as he watches, resolves into a thumbnail-sized spider which begins to creep away. Ahn-Lee fast-draws a knife and throws it, killing the spider. He points out the spider to the others, then pulls the dagger out and thrusts the impaled spider toward Alastor's face. Alastor identifies it as a very rare spider created by dark elves at least a thousand years ago. He thinks there's a merchant in Sapphire with whom Jules does business who might have such an arachnid in his collection. He seals the dead spider in a specimen jar.

Chalker writes to Shawna in his journey book, then heads for Temple Row. Ahn-Lee and Alastor go to Jules' Apothecary. Alastor shows Jules three of the bags and the dead spider. Jules says the poison produced by the spider is deadly to all races, though less so to elves. Jules names Christopher Norsick, a wealthy merchant, as the "collector of spiders and vermin." "Be diplomatic," Jules warns Alastor; "He's one of our best customers."

When Shawna arrives, Ahn-Lee asks, "You know a lot about spiders, right?" Upon examining the spider, she says that there was a spell on it, a combination of Raise IQ and Soul Rider, cast by an old and powerful female mage who serves one of the First Chosen. The mage is warded but is located somewhere in Sapphire.

Chalker skips up the steps of the Temple of Asseraah. Within, incense burns and several priests kneel at the altar. Chalker performs his observance, and one of the priests stands up, staring at Chalker with a hard smile. Chalker: "I wish to speak with Father." Priest: "He is always present. Chaos is all around us." "I call BS... Let's walk." "Is this an essential part of your ritual?" "It helps me think, and it makes me a moving target." The priest sets off in the opposite direction. Chalker raises his voice: "I was exposed to a magical bag with your symbols upon it." He pulls out the bag and the symbols rearrange themselves. "Are the creators of these things doing your will?" The priest turns and starts walking at Chalker's side and says, "This one is devoted." "Is it expressing your intentions?" "Chaos is expressed and darkness is encouraged." "I'm getting better at darkness." "Yes, you are trying." Chalker says boldly, "Father, you shouldn't take that tone with me. Of your children, am I not the most chaotic?" "Hurt will be expressed."

Chalker hands the bag to the priest, who begins praying in an archaic language: "Lord of Darkness and the chaotic universe, return this to where it will most do your will..." Chalker snatches the bag away. The priest turns toward him, shocked that Chalker understood what he was saying. The priest completes his prayer silently. Chalker hands the bag back. They argue theology for some time, then Chalker performs his concluding observance and departs. Outdoors, he writes in his Journey Book: Asseraah is involved up to his neck.. He takes a carriage to Jules Apothecary.

Ahn-Lee has tracked his quarry to a back room of an eastside dive called Keen Rogue; he can hear a male and female voice conversing. Shawna arrives and Ahn-Lee picks the lock, then finds there's also a bar across the inside of the door. Shawna casts Silence and Ahn-Lee slides the bar aside with a knife blade. They sneak down a short hallway to a closed room. Ahn-Lee hands Shawna one of his sleep needles, arms himself with two needles, and bursts through the door. Inside is a male goblin sitting with his feet propped up on a table, and a middle-aged woman. Ahn-Lee lunges at the goblin, whose eyes widen in recognition; the goblin manages to kick himself away from the table, turn a back flip, and land on his feet, spreading his arms and calling "Whoa - whoa - whoa!" Ahn-Lee sticks him with a needle; the goblin glances at Shawna, then drops. Shawna has needled the woman. Ahn-Lee leads the way to an empty building he knows of, three blocks away.

Alastor calls to Danny (a Copper Kid who has taken to hanging around him) and says, "Want to make some coin?" He gives Danny a silver piece to watch Jules Apothecary. Alastor then tells Jules "I want the back room for a few hours." This room is a laboratory of sorts, equipped for dealing with possibly noxious substances. Alastor begins by carefully extracting the poison sac from the dead spider.

Chalker arrives at the apothecary, introduces himself, and hands Jules some money to give him passage to the laboratory. "Sometimes the elven warrior and I partner.... I need my own personal herbalist." Entering the lab, Chalker assures Alastor that in case anything goes awry, "I'll pull you out; that's my job."

Alastor finds that each of the bags weighs exactly the same. From the contents he identifies thirteen different plants and seeds, none of which smell like sulfur. Chalker has him turn an empty bag inside-out; Alastor feels a slight tickle at the back of his neck as he does so, which passes quickly. Chalker observes aloud that the symbols had tried to move from the outside of the bag to the now-exposed inside. Alastor places the everted bag inside another bag. Alastor moves toward a shelf of books and Chalker interrupts him, saying, "We don't have that kind of time." He has Alastor put the contents of another bag into a 'neutral' bag, and as he watches Chalker sees the symbols shift (but they do not jump to the neutral bag). At no time does Chalker smell sulfur. Chalker: "I asked Asseraah about the Apothecary Conspiracy; he said they're aware of it."

Shawna puts up a magical Ward. She searches the sleeping woman, finding several daggers and a garrote. Ahn-Lee (using what he calls the Chalker Method) slaps the goblin awake with a cheery, "Hey there!" The goblin, Forick, says the name of the woman he was with is Loris Din; Ahn-Lee replies, "May she rest in peace." Forick admits he's being well-paid by Pandemonium Guild via Tate Patel. He mentions an elf named Laas Grart. The goblin had been waiting to be told their next meeting place, which should be "not far from the Keen Rogue." A 'specialist' had been brought in "from the isles" to "support the operation." "I'm a well-paid contractor. I'm only 'fanatic' about my own survival. All I know is they're going after something very valuable. They're very paranoid and have hired a lot of heavy hitters." He lists off several taverns and inns in Sapphire, including Bold Warrior, Cup 'n' Stein, Bull & Imp, Hawk Inn, Cheap Book, and Keen Rogue. He names several Pandemonium members working in Sapphire: Tate Patel, Taren Gibbs, Aaron Traymon, Logan Miles; another male goblin, Cal Lindross; an elven female, Perdrina; another female elf whose name he doesn't know, describing her as "stunningly beautiful" and wearing forest-green leather. Ahn-Lee acknowledges the goblin's information, then says, "Well, Forick -- sorry" before cutting his throat.

Ahn-Lee had given his Journey Book to Alastor, and asks Shawna how he can obtain another. Shawna explains that they were given by Jax. Ahn-Lee calls out Jax's name three or four times, and when Jax appears Ahn-Lee asks for another Journey Book, which Jax immediately hands him. Shawna warns Jax to "get your mother's filthy claws out of this city... the showdown is coming."

Chalker goes to Christopher Norsick's mansion, and tells the butler who answers the door, "I'm here to see the spider man -- I mean, Chris. I am Chalker Jackson, Envoy from Dolyena." The butler shows him in. Chalker, slightly annoyed by the discourtesy, has to ask for refreshment while he waits.