Sapphire:Sessions:20171202
The 12th of each month is a "holy day" and Chalker performs his observances. He notes that attendance at all temples is higher than normal, though he can't tell why.
Frost Time 13: Early in the morning Ahn-Lee goes to Azzhik's alchemy shop. A petite female merchant is the only other patron; she picks up an energy potion. Azzhik assures Ahn-Lee that the sleep gas potion is "almost there." Ahn-Lee places an advance order for five of them.
Ahn-Lee looks up his sometime mentor Kalid, who agrees to do some "tandem work."
Chalker has Jeeves pack up the leftovers from the previous night's feast, then he, Relinda, and Sybonne take the food to an orphanage. Sybonne reminds Chalker that in a few more days she will be ready to attempt divination on the black sword. Chalker: "Don't worry, Relinda should be able to revive you." Chalker eats lunch at the Boar's Head.
Shawna writes: I have left Sapphire. I have other work to accomplish. Good luck.
Ahn-Lee and Kalid take in 2g for their day's efforts. Ahn-Lee asks Kalid to recommend a breaking-and-entering expert. The job he has in mind is very dangerous. Kalid almost volunteers himself, but decides it's too risky.
Rory informs Chalker his ship will sail on the 20th, and mentions that a woman has applied for the position of navigator. Chalker notes that he is looking to buy another ship which is registered out of Lavinia. "Send the False Premise down the Lavinian coast. I need intel about the 'temperature' of the country."
Frost Time 14: Kimtri brings Ahn-Lee to a hidden room piled with books. "These are all the open contracts. You have two hours to read through them all. Here's a potion to help you remember what you read. Remember, you have responsibilities to the guild." Ahn-Lee: "This is what I get for giving you a gift." Kimtri: "Please pass on my apologies for what occurred."
Frost Time 15: Ahn-Lee meets Kalid for dinner at a dockside restaurant. Kalid: "I got a name for you -- Cameron Clemens, one of the best B&E men in the city. Decent fighter, nimble, excellent lockpick, keeps his mouth shut." Ahn-Lee will meet him on the 16th, and intends to offer a 50/50 split if Clemens will also train him. He gives Kalid their day's take as a finder's fee.
Frost Time 16: In a warded room, Sybonne directs Chalker to stand in a specially-protected corner, then pulls the black sword out of a black velvet bag and lays it on a table. Meticulously she performs the vocalizations and gestures of her divination spell. Her whole body stiffens, her nose starts to bleed, then she staggers and goes to one knee. Shaking her head to clear it, she looks wildly around at Chalker. "It's cursed, in a way." The sword feeds upon intelligent life and transfers the energy to its wielder. The sword itself is not sentient, "but perhaps it's working toward sentience." While the sword has existed for several millenia, it has not been used in hundreds of years. Sybonne describes the appearance of the last man who wielded the sword.
Sybonne: "I also see part of the future... the next person to wield it will use it on you, Chalker. Young male, just out of his teens. ... There are dozens of possible futures. But in none of them did any of your companions use it. I didn't recognize any of the users. ... The sword turns its user into an 'eater of life' -- eventually they must use it in order to live. ... The sword is unbreakable; that's been tried many times."
Chalker asks Relinda if the curse can be broken. "There's always a way," she shrugs. Chalker chides her for her lack of concern. He has Sybonne store the sword in the Mages Guild.
Later that afternoon, Chalker visits Tron Ironsinger, the master swordsmith, who is just finishing up a new weapons. The muscular dwarf greets Chalker heartily. Chalker: "I have a cursed black sword, a soul-sucker. Addictive. Breaking the curse is beyond the expertise of my mages. Can you break the sword?" Ironsinger: "If it can be made, it can be broken!" Chalker picks up various pieces of hardware, including an improved Dink-Dink.
That evening, in the back room of a seedy tavern, Ahn-Lee meets with Cameron Clemens. "Have you ever broken into a prison?" "Can't say that I have. Which prison?" "The prison." "What makes this worthwhile?" "There's plenty in it -- hundreds of gold. I need to get into a certain prison cell, and a storage area. There's only one piece I require; the rest is yours." Clemens all but says "it's impossible", but wants a week before he gives his answer.
The Imperials will not sell Chalker the ship he wants, as they intend to use it for espionage. They think they can "turn" the merchant to their side.
Frost Time 17 thru 20: Unspecified.
Frost Time 21: Chalker visits the Imperial Prison and requests a visit with Cinnamon Brandy LeHigh. The guards subject him to a thorough search, then allow him five minutes. Her attitude still projects self-confidence. Chalker: "You have many ways to get out. What are you waiting for?" (He also knows that the tiny diamond is unaccounted for.) Her trial date is ten days away (Dark Days 1).
Frost Time 22: Cameron Clemens says to Ahn-Lee, "There are rumors from people I trust that someone recently broke into the prison several times, so the security has been stepped up, including sniffer dogs." Ahn-Lee: "Can it be done?" Clemens: "It's an interesting challenge." Ahn-Lee wants the job to be done by just the two of them. Clemens: "Our chance of success is only about 40%. ... Are you willing to kill guards?" Ahn-Lee: "I prefer not to. I have ways to incapacitate them." Clemens expresses relief at this. Clemens: "Can you change our appearance?" Ahn-Lee: "I can find something." Clemens: "It will take two weeks of planning, which would bring it up to the 4th." Ahn-Lee: "There's a suit made from spider silk that I figure is stored in the prison. I want it for myself." Clemens: "I want 2g for 'living expenses' for the next two weeks."
Ahn-Lee gives Branamin the rundown. "I think someone's going to break out of prison." Branamin suggests Watchdog spells and some kind of magical tag. Ahn-Lee helps himself to a couple of glasses of Branamin's excellent wine.
Ahn-Lee scouts the prison for possible escape routes and the most likely place for him to wait and observe.
Chalker writes: I'm about to take a trip to the Troubled Lands to see if Rinaldo Canana will come talk to me. Ahn-Lee: When are you leaving and coming back? Chalker: Leaving in the morning; be gone two or three days max. I've never been to the Troubled Lands. Ahn-Lee: What are the chances of gold? Chalker: Good! Ahn-Lee: I'll meet you at the Boar's Head.
Ahn-Lee confides to Chalker, "I'm afraid CBL will try to escape. I'd like to show her that I'm better than she is. She taints her craft. I'd prefer to prevent further encounters with her." Chalker argues that Ahn-Lee won't be able to break out even if he can break in. "Come to the Troubled Lands with me." Ahn-Lee: "Is this the guy that flies around on a griffin and shoots fireballs? I'll get my crossbow!"
Ahn-Lee picks up his five vials of sleep gas and one vial of magic resistance potion, and asks Azzhik to make more of the latter.
Frost Time 23: Rory and Trace have prepped the gate to the Troubled Lands. The gate is located in an underground bedroom, and Trace has shaped an exit which comes up in open farmland near a small village with a clearinghouse. Trace mentions that he embedded chunks of iron in the earthen plug so that Chalker can use his TK to raise and lower it easily. Chalker wants the gate left open for a time to see if that will lure Rinaldo to them. Under the bed Chalker finds a small ivory figurine of a beautiful woman, which he puts in his backpack.
It is 8:00am in Sapphire, and just after sunrise here. Chalker and Ahn-Lee hoof it to the little village, where people are beginning their day. They eat a hearty breakfast in a small tavern. This village has no horses for sale, but they're told that Farmer Johnson will shortly be driving his ox-drawn wagon to Chapel, the next town over, which is eight miles away. Chalker pays him 2c for transportation. Along the way, Chalker points out a cluster of ruined building visible left of the road and tells Ahn-Lee to remember their location.
There's "a little bit" of tension in Chapel (population ~900). Johnson doesn't care to linger; he drops them off, transacts his business, and heads back home. Just before they walk into a tavern, they observe a six-person "adventuring party" riding away northward. Chalker asks the barkeep, who says dismissively, "They're young, wasting their time looking for wealth. Wouldn't know what to do with it." As for the political climate, "The current duke is an asshole, and stupid, so we'll probably be taken over soon." Chalker agrees, "Stupid assholes don't stay in power long." Barkeep: "Any army on the road?" Chalker: "We must have missed them." Barkeep: "Yeah, the orc problems are farther west." Chalker: "Orcs only do two things -- fight and breed."
Chalker and Ahn-Lee visit the marketplace (Chalker reasoning that if anyone around here did find anything interesting, they would try to sell it). There they find a young man, a mage with mid-level potential (according to Chalker's Aura Sight), arguing with a farmer. Chalker asks the mage about the ruins. "They're nothing but a bunch of old stones and crap." He says there's nothing of interest beneath them, though he admits he hasn't seen for himself. He complains that his daily earnings are 5c "but I should be getting two silvers for what I do for these farmers." Telling the mage "I can't see magic items," Chalker offers to pay him to explore the ruins with them. "Three coppers now, and two more when we return."
From "Donald the Fair" at the livery, Chalker buys three horses and tack. Riding out of Chapel, Ahn-Lee and Chalker see three men scouting the village.
The ruins are several hundred years old. The mage, whose name is Troylen (Chalker calls him "T") points out where the cellars are. Ahn-Lee remarks, "This looks like the sort of place Jax would hang out." Looking through the stone, Chalker finds that one cellar in the middle of the ruins has a tunnel leading downward beyond the range of his Penetrating Vision (now up to 25'). Troylen uses earth magic to clear away stones and dirt, then claims he must rest. (Chalker quips, "Are you related to Branamin?")
Chalker hands Ahn-Lee a lighted torch. Ahn-Lee descends into the musty cellar. Sitting cross-legged in the shadows is a man... Jax. "What are you doing here?" "You called. You said my name with intent." "I can't help it if you eavesdrop. That's creepy." "It's an interesting place. You have the Messenger with you. He's got one more, you know." "Ever broken into a prison?" "I'm trying to break someone out of one. Want to help? There are gems, and it would piss off Mother." Jax stands up. "I'll tell Father you said 'hi'." He steps into the shadows and is gone.
Lying in the dust where Jax had sat is a leather pouch. Ahn-Lee prods it open with a stick and sees a rectangular piece of metal in it. He calls Chalker down to have a look. Chalker identifies it as a clip of bullets which, coincidentally, would fit Ahn-Lee's gun. Ahn-Lee takes the clip. Chalker: "Why would that be down here?" Ahn-Lee: "No idea."
Chalker looks through the door. The piece of string that would have triggered a trap when the door swung open has rotted away. They call Troylen down. Troylen: "Ten feet down the tunnel is a ward hiding the tunnel beyond." He begins babbling nervously about imaginary dangers. Chalker: "You're the magic against the magic. We're the steel against the steel." He hands Troylen a torch and motions him forward. Intoning arcane words and performing mystic gestures, Troylen casts Dispel Magic and seems surprised when it actually works.
Thirty feet further down is a stone wall bearing an inscription in a language Troylen says is a thousand years old: EMERGENCY STORAGE. Chalker locates a lever and a door slides aside, revealing a 12'x12' room stacked with food crates and wine casks. All have preservation spells, so the food and wine are perfectly fresh. Another door leads to a weapon room. There, Troylen points out a longbow, quiver, and leather armor that are magical. Chalker offers the armor to Ahn-Lee, who is suspicious of it. Chalker tells him, "If you don't want to wear it, you can sell it." Ahn-Lee carefully puts the armor in its own separate bag. Chalker takes the bow and quiver, and tells Troylen, "You can have the rest of the stuff." As Troylen picks up a shield and two spears, Chalker casually asks him if he can break a curse on a weapon. "If it's stuck into the earth, I can," replies the mage.
Ahn-Lee returns to the surface only to find two rough-looking men waiting, one armed with a longbow (A), the other with a crossbow (X). "We wondered when you'd come out. Drop that stuff; it belongs to us now." Lightning-fast, Ahn-Lee draws two knives and throws them accurately into each goon's chest. A drops his arrow; X's eyes glaze with shock and he lowers his crossbow. A drops his bow and raises his hands, wincing. Ahn-Lee pulls his knife out of X's chest, wipes the blade on the goon's clothing, and pushes him over. Then he roughly yanks his other knife out of A.
"Since I'm in a good mood," Chalker begins, then rips off A's shirt and bandages the goon's chest. Troylen casts Minor Healing on X. Chalker: "What were you thinking, asshole?" A: "We're scouts for Lord Analon and he doesn't pay us enough."
After closing everything up, Chalker sends Troylen to fetch the goons' horses, which turn out to be fine cavalry mounts. Ahn-Lee rides up leading the other horses. Chalker demands all the money the goons have. X's pouch contains five coppers (one of which is fake) and A's has eight coppers. Chalker trades horses with the goons for the ride back to town. X grumbles, "The corporal won't like this."
They ride back to Chapel. Chalker sends Troylen ahead to put his shield and spears away, while he and Ahn-Lee ride right up to the corporal. Chalker: "These are your men. They have chest wounds that need to be tended. I want to make sure they were not under orders to rob us." The corporal, a tall, slim man with jet-black hair and blue eyes, denies issuing such orders. "We are part of Lord Analon's army, scouting these lands for expansion." Chalker: "How many fingers does this Lord Analon have?" Bemused by the question, the corporal assures Chalker that Lord Analon has five fingers on each hand, "but there's a rumor he has a sixth toe on his left foot."
Donald the Fair is impressed with the new horses. Ahn-Lee surreptitiously dabs some Influence potion on Donald's skin, and Chalker offers to sell the three horses and tack for 21 gold. Donald reluctantly, "But I only have 11 gold." Chalker settles for that price. "Deal!" cries Donald, returning with a bag full of silver and copper. Chalker arranges things so that he and Ahn-Lee will ride to the smaller village, then Troylen will bring the three horses back to Donald.
Once Troylen is out of sight, they pull up the plug and go back through the gate to Sapphire, where it is sundown.
Ahn-Lee takes the leather armor, bow, and quiver to Branamin to have the magic identified. Branamin reveals that the armor is DR 3 (compared to normal leather, DR 1); the bow grants +2 to the user's skill. Most interesting is the quiver. If a vial inside the quiver is filled with human blood, and the arrows touch the blood, the arrows do +2 damage. Ahn-Lee decides to test it with the bolts for his Tiny Crossbow.
Ahn-Lee ascertains that there were no prison breakouts during his day's absence. He climbs to his observation point. Chalker reads about the bow from Ahn-Lee's notes in the journey book, then retires for the night.
Frost Time 24: Chalker sleeps late. Since it is a "holy day" he visits the temple of Mensep and gives observance. Then he begins walking around the sanctuary. "What's this last message I have to deliver?" Suddenly there's a ten-year-old boy walking beside him, the feeling of "sanctity" increases, and the priests and other worshippers murmur among themselves. "Well, good morning, Chalker!" Mensep exclaims; "The time's coming closer! I'll tell you when -- if you take another message." Chalker declines. The boy becomes a teenager and asks, "What do you need?" Chalker: "Every time I talk to one of your brethren, they remind me about this message." Mensep: "It's an important message. Telling you more will put you in more danger. The message gives you a small measure of protection. It is hard, I know, but it's best for you." Chalker: "I'm going to talk to the Mother of Night." Mensep: "You give Charesoon a lot of credit. She does love to meddle. She might disregard the fact you've been tapped to deliver a message." Mensep walks toward the altar, disappearing in mid-stride. Chalker gives observance again, and as he leaves his says to himself, "That was one of the few times I felt good after talking to a First Chosen."
Ahn-Lee sees two men wearing black hoods deliver a limp body to the prison, then head toward the palace. He figures these must be the Dark Guard of which he's heard, as that's how they're said to dress on their missions. It's unusual, however, to see two of them together.
Ahn-Lee reminds the Copper Kids to be on the lookout for CBL, but not to hang around the prison.
Later that evening, Chalker is seated in his study reading a book when Jeeves announces a guest, Jason Johnson. Chalker recognizes Jax, who asks for wine. "Do you need another journal for your new companion [Azzhik]?" Chalker suggests that Jax retrieve Yasser Lalo's journal, which Chalker will then give to Azzhik. Jax: "Father's flame is not as strong as it should be. The other First Chosen are restricting him. He usually stays neutral in the affairs of mortals." Chalker: "Is there something you need?" Jax: "Are you interested in mind-to-mind communication devices? They are moving into position for you to claim them in two months."
Chalker: "Tell me about your brother." Jax: "Several of my older siblings had to be... contained. Some things done back in those days need to be righted. I am assisting Roo as I can. One of your companions is working to right an injustice." Chalker: "What is your brother's name?" Jax: "It will be revealed once your current quests are complete. My mother creates and adopts some of her children." (The brother of which they speak is an older full sibling of Jax.)
Chalker: "How many Second Chosen are there?" Jax: "There are two active: the Lord of Beasts, and the Mother of Night. Most have been taken out of action by the First Chosen." There are nine Third Chosen, including Jax. "One other is active in the Empire and in the Troubled Lands."
Chalker: "Ahn-Lee is plain-spoken and knows how to get what he wants." Jax: "He doesn't like me." "He thinks all Chosen are dangerous and to be avoided. You have erased everything about yourself." "Roo's requirements have delayed placing the rings in your path. She is usually right." Jax finishes his wine, then shakes Chalker's hand. A tingle goes through Chalker's body.
Simultaneously, a young man climbs up to Ahn-Lee's perch. It's Jax. Ahn-Lee: "I'm busy right now." Jax: "You don't have to tell me that. Would you like more bullets? I know you have hesitated to practice with the gun for lack of ammunition." "You know where to put them." Jax places a brown box beside Ahn-Lee. Jax: "Several First Chosen disapprove of the use of these." Ahn-Lee: "You made me an offer but you didn't give details." Jax: "Roo doesn't like things too straightforward." Ahn-Lee: "You've gone beyond my interest." Jax: "Oh, I'm boring you!" Ahn-Lee: "Can you die?" Jax: "Yes." Jax disappears. Inside the brown box are fifty .45 caliber bullets.
Frost Time 25: Ahn-Lee stretches, checks his drops, goes and finds breakfast. A couple of Copper Kids report no sightings of CBL. In one of his drops is a note from a man who had accompanied him on his recent task across the bay; the man requests a meeting on the 27th at the Green Lantern Tavern. Ahn-Lee replies in the affirmative.
Relinda tells Chalker she has a spell with which to try to break the curse on the black sword. She bought a large manastone to help power the spell. Chalker agrees to reimburse her for it.
Chalker, Relinda, and Sybonne go to the secure room at the Mage Guild. The sword is brought in. Relinda explains that the ritual will draw some power from Sybonne. Relinda offers a silent prayer, then begins the ritual. A black aura "glows" around the sword and it rises six inches off the table. Relinda and Sybonne step back. Chalker hooks onto the sword; it tries to suck the life from him; he struggles against it with all his will. Relinda casts another spell which feeds energy to Chalker. Chalker tries unsuccessfully to pull the sword out of the black aura, then resists the sword's next attempt to drain him. Chalker slowly pushes the sword back down onto the table; its glow lessens. With an effort Relinda covers the sword back up, then its pull is gone.
Chalker explains that Relinda did not break the curse; he saved her life by intercepting the sword before it could "walk up the spell" to her. Relinda: "It doesn't look like a magic item." Chalker senses "no First Chosen aspect, yet all." He will take the black blade to his friend the swordmaster to be broken.