Sapphire:Sessions:20171118

Shawna casts Trace Teleport followed by See Invisible. Seeing tracks leading away, she shifts into hawk form and follows them.

Feeling hungry, Ahn-Lee (still in his Chalker Jackson guise) and Dain start toward the Boar's Head, a ten-minute walk away. Ahn-Lee observes a number of older Copper Kids hanging around, and a priest of Asseraah who is watching "Chalker" closely.

In the area of the Mercenary Guild hall, Shawna sees a darkened building with a door ajar. She lands, resumes her elf form, draws her sword, and enters. She turns and casts Glue in front of the doorway, just in case. She is in a pottery shop. A faint bacony aroma lingers in the air. There are noises from above, like someone with a hand over their mouth struggling to call out. She casts Invisibility and ascends the stairs. She kicks open a door. Near an open window stands a tall man (TM) with bright eyes, right hand wielding a knife, left hand clamped over a struggling man's face. Shawna strikes TM in the neck and a dark liquid oozes out. TM releases the other man and dives out the window, with Shawna right behind him. TM bounces off an awning, lands on his feet in the street, then stumbles. Shawna knocks TM down. His eyes are shiny, metallic-looking; she concludes that TM is a construct of some sort. It carries coins minted in Gateway. The initials CBL are tattooed behind its left ear, and on its shoulder another tattoo reads H I G H. She says the word "high" aloud and TM opens its eyes as if in response to its name.

Calling some city guards to stand watch over High, Shawna runs back upstairs and heals the injured civilian. When she returns, the guards are standing around staring at a dark puddle. A guard explains, "He -- it -- just melted away." Shawna soaks up the liquid with a strip of cloth, dismisses the guards, and heads for Envoy Manor.

At the Boar's Head, Ahn-Lee observes a "new" mercenary (human, 6'2", 182#) who stares at Dain a little too long. Ahn-Lee orders a Bajeeter Special for Dain, then waves at the merc, saying "Hey, c'mere!" The merc gives the name Stanley Sharp and says he's looking for "a large dwarf man." "I meant no harm. They're going to try to kill you anyway." Ahn-Lee: "Feel free to follow us!" SS: "There's no bounty on you in Sapphire." SS looks around the dining room and it seems everyone is watching him. Intimidated, he takes his leave, saying "I'll go to my room at The Soldier's Friend."

Ahn-Lee to Dain: "Next time you be Chalker." Dain: "I don't know the man." Ahn-Lee: "Even better. He'll think it's hilarious!"

After bathing and putting on fresh clothes, Shawna meets with Sybonne and Relinda and shows them the strip of cloth. Using her Divination skills, Relinda relates the that "High" and its twin, "Lee", are golems owned by CBL. The dark liquid is a magical substance that when poured into a humanoid form turns the form into a golem. The properties of the liquid, which acts as the golem's blood, are such that the longer the golem is "alive" the more it learns and the more human it becomes. "It is an old method. I knew of it back in Idria." Relinda will work on a Seeker-type spell specific to such golems.

Chalker writes in the journey book: I'm on trial. They're trying to take my stuff. Relatives suck. Especially the ones that marry in. It's a power grab. Shawna replies: I can tell you're nervous, Chalker.

Ahn-Lee and Dain arrive at the manor. Jeeves pointedly (though politely) steers Ahn-Lee away from Chalker's room.

At breakfast the next morning, Relinda remarks that she has never seen a racial combination like Dain's. Dain claims to have some Dwarven ancestry.

Jeeves admits Ambassador Frederick's son, Prince Nedwin, and a man named Victor Ward (formerly Baron Ward of Silene). They seem to be asking Shawna (in her capacity as Envoy pro tempore) to allow Ward to transport troops across Dolyenan territory into Bicarn. Shawna explains that they would need to petition the royal court of Dolyena for such permission.

Ahn-Lee, Dain, and Shawna go to the marketplace, where they learn that Stanley Sharp was killed last night by two arrows to the chest, one of which pierced the heart; they had been fired from different directions.

Delta Blue ("Molly") walks up to Ahn-Lee and hands him a purse containing 20gp. "That's your payment for Drogo." Shawna tells Delta "I'm putting out a hit on CBL."

A Copper Kid tells Ahn-Lee that the merchant with a two-masted ship embroidered on his shirt is named Gak Sultan. He has a small shop on the high end of the pier where he sells potions, wands, and charms. Ahn-Lee and Dain go to the shop, which appears to be closed. Ahn-Lee goes in anyway, and as soon as he does Dain's Danger Sense goes off. A big man [BM] steps through an open door behind a counter, a loaded crossbow in his hands. "Good morning!" Ahn-Lee greets him; "We're here to see Gak!" To the left appears a blonde with bright eyes, her crossbow pointed at Dain. She demands, "Where is the elven woman? She killed High! We can't kill her, but we can kill you." Ahn-Lee manages to scribble a quick note to Shawna.

Ahn-Lee spins away from the knife blade he feels at his neck, fast-draws two knives, sees a pretty brunette with brown eyes smiling at him. She ducks away from Ahn-Lee's attacks, and Ahn-Lee parries her thrust toward his midsection. BM fires at Dain, but misses and the bolt flies through the door. The blonde shoots at Ahn-Lee, who dodges. Dain flings an axe at BM, who deflects it with his crossbow.

There is the smell of bacon in the air. Ahn-Lee suddenly feels a liking toward the brunette; Dain definitely likes the blonde and doesn't want to harm her.

Ahn-Lee steps behind the brunette and stabs at her neck; she avoids the attack from behind by backing into him. Dain swings at BM and misses. The brunette grabs at Ahn-Lee, who dodges. The blonde throws a knife at Ahn-Lee's head; he dodges. BM slams his crossbow into Dain, knocking him back.

The smell of bacon grows stronger. Ahn-Lee doesn't want to fight the brunette, so he starts toward BM. The brunette opens a door and steps outside. BM turns and sprints out the back door, with the blonde following. Ahn-Lee pursues the brunette, who is walking quickly away. She looks back at him and smiles, then glances at Dain (for whom the bacon scent is now fading).

Ahn-Lee tells Dain he cannot hurt the brunette. The brunette steps around a passerby and disappears, but Ahn-Lee catches sight of a different woman and feels it's the brunette in a new guise.

Shawna arrives, rapidly sizes up the situation, then turns invisible and moves to intercept BM. She casts Tanglefoot at his feet; he trips and falls. Ahn-Lee hurries over to BM; "Are you okay?" he inquires, stabbing BM with a sleep needle. BM gets to his feet and says slowly, "I - am - fine." BM retreats from Ahn-Lee, but falls backward over Shawna.

Shawna stabs BM in the back. BM grabs at Ahn-Lee who dodges back. The brunette (whose hair is now strawberry blonde) grabs Ahn-Lee from behind and blows in his ear. Dain has sighted the blonde atop a nearby building and is climbing after her. The brunette murmurs to Ahn-Lee, "Relax, this won't hurt long."

Ahn-Lee plants his feet and jumps backward, but the brunette is too strong. BM tries to punch Ahn-Lee, who dodges. The brunette's arms constrict around Ahn-Lee's ribs, but he slips out of her grasp. The blonde fires at Ahn-Lee, who acrobatically dodges it. "Say, this is fun!" Dain looses his grip on the building and falls flat on his back, momentarily stunned. Shawna hamstrings BM.

Shawna now smells bacon. Ahn-Lee draws two knives and closes on the brunette, saying "Let's dance!" She dodges twice. Shawna strikes BM's other leg and BM falls down. The brunette steps back from Ahn-Lee, raises her hands in the air, and says loudly and distinctly, "I surrender." She strokes her hair, turning its color back to brown. The blonde runs away.

Royal guards close in on the scene. Shawna restrains herself from exacting her own justice on the brunette. BM's body has the word "LE" tattooed behind his left ear. His eyes open briefly during the examination, look directly at Shawna, then close again. Shawna beheads BM and collects the black liquid. Shawna instructs the guards to search the brunette thoroughly before imprisoning her in a secured anti-magic cell.

Dain asks for healing and is taken to a nearby clinic run by the temple of Zeph.

The journey books buzz and there's a message from Chalker: I'm back in town.

At Gak Sultan's home, Shawna unlocks the front door. Upstairs Ahn-Lee finds, lying on a bed, a man and a woman looking thin and worn. Shawna confirms they're under a Sleep spell. Ahn-Lee slaps Gak awake. Gak groans, "That was an ugly dream. Where is Cinnamon?" During questioning, Gak says that he last saw Cinnamon (the brunette) three or four days ago. She had come to his shop saying she needed a place to stay. With her were a blonde named Brandy, and two big guys named Le and High who were very aggressive and tended to finish each other's sentences.

Shawna searches the bedroom where Cinnamon had been staying and finds a number of documents, including orders to kill Drogo, Ursula, and Alfred; methods for breaking into and out of the royal prison (noting that the prison had already been broken into and certain items left). Some of the documents contain the name Cinnamon Brandy LeHigh. There are various contracts on Chalker Jackson, Ahn-Lee, Shawna, Yasseph, and Branamin from such persons as Mose Kintoth, J. K. Polk of N. Carolina, and the Janus College.

A diary of sorts explains that seven years ago, sixteen-year-old Cinnamon had come across three inert golems and an instruction book, all dating back to Idria of 2500 years ago. She had studied for some time in Gateway. "Know your target. Always have multiple escape plans. Always have all the aces."

The report from the imperial prison indicates that Cinnamon had been wearing a bodysuit woven from giant spider silk (+7 armor) and a Ring of Persuasion on her pinky finger.