Mellaris Uldreiyn
Entry X
7th Summer-Eve, 2021 New Reckoning (2/7/2016)
Since the events of my last entry, we've spent a month recuperating within the city of Spindlestone. I don't know what it is about this place, but we're finding it difficult to leave. It's as if something new comes up every day we're prepared to depart. Tonight, it was the reappearance of an old acquaintance - Vinnie Palermo (at least, I assume that's the spelling. I did not bother to ask him personally).
Coincidentally, although it is he who is indebted to us for the collection of Spindlestone's drugs and the inspection of the sewers, he says he'd like to ask another favor. I - for one - think it's time we made our way out of this city by now, but the rest of the party (Ellie especially) want to hear out his request. He introduces us to his sister - Theresa - saying that Gabilan's royal family has strong connections to his own. The catch is, a rival "gang" (hive of wretched fools as he calls them) is also looking to strengthen their ties with Gabilan. Vinnie asks that we take Theresa with us to Gabilan, in the hopes that she may be chosen by the Prince as a bride.
For any other, this task wouldn't be enough trouble to turn down… but quite frankly, Theresa comes across as an obnoxious and spoiled child. I haven't heard a word from her mouth that wasn't a complaint.
...Now that I think about it, she'd fit in perfectly with royals. It wouldn't surprise me if she and the Prince turned out to be a perfect match. Still, our party is wary of the fact that we still have to escort Theresa such a far distance. To make up for this, Vinnie (unfortunately) offers us a ship to take. The others seem pleased with this offer, but I'd sooner walk all the way to Gabilan with iron weights in my bag than sail. As soon as dinner ends, Vinnie wishes us good luck and we agree to depart the next morning.
16th Summer-Eve
As I suspected, the trip overseas was altogether awful. The seasickness was not even the worst of the journey - the child Theresa has turned out to be a larger nuisance than I originally thought. Melek had to talk myself and the Orc out of tossing her overboard several times. Now, however, we're walking on solid ground again, and have arrived just outside the city of Caer-Gabil. Without taking even a second to stop or explore, we decide to make our way into the palace, where we'll be introduced to the prince. Once inside, my instinctive guard immediately perks. I feel no comfort surrounded by such highborn nobles. Every glance I receive feels as if they're looking for something to take from me.
Once inside, the prince's servant quickly announces our presence, only noting Theresa's name and calling us as her company. It's true that we specifically may never have been invited, but it seems we're welcome nonetheless. The Prince welcomes us cheerfully and invites us in to sit, but before we get the chance, another visitor is announced right beside us. As he steps up, I identify him as a small halfling, and he's introduced by the name "Carrot Underfoot". I have no clue who this man is - and while we'd do well to ignore him, Ruby (unsurprisingly) walks straight up to the halfling and strikes a conversation. Carrot at first looks interested in meeting us, but as his eyes drift past Ruby and notice Juniper - well, his eyes might as well have popped straight out of his head. He quickly calls out to her, saying it's been a whole forty years. Juniper steps forward, but seems oddly hesitant to talk to him. While they continue talking, the prince invites us all in to sit down, despite the fact that he doesn't know us. Just as I'd expect, this prince is too naive and foolhardy to care at all for the safety of himself or his servants. He continues, saying that such trifles can be forgotten on such a "special" day, and asks us to introduce ourselves.
Giving no ounce of trust to this highborn or his consorts, I introduce myself as "Sakarias Ventoris" - the latter of which is a common surname of my people. Ellie (wisely) gives a fake name as well, while the rest give their true identity. The Prince tells us that his name is Edmund - and just at that moment, a group of men from Spindlestone enter. I recognize one as Lord Chase - the maliciously entitled one who nearly wounded me with his horse. He appears to recognize us upon sight, but oddly says nothing. Perhaps the visit from Vinnie's stooges had some effect on the man.
The feast begins, and as one would expect, the nobles all begin talking amongst themselves. The Elven prime minister asks Ko'ruk a rather foolish question about his skin color - to which Ko'ruk makes an appropriately rude reply that I can't care to remember. Various other conversations are going on at once, but the one garnering the most attention at the moment is between the Nordenfjorders, who are arguing over some sort of succession crisis. The both of them support opposing rulers, both claiming that their candidate has the true right to the throne. One of Spindlestone's representatives makes a remark about the human's merit to rule - he says they're the only ones to prove that they can truly get things done. At that, the Queen of the Elves speaks - and her words are ones that I remember quite clearly:
"If there's anything I know for sure, it is that the Elve's last war was a grave mistake that we must learn from. Diplomacy is - and always will be - the best option."
After that, I lost attention to the next five minutes of conversation. I came into this palace aware that the Elven Queen would be here - and it was my honest intention to avoid her at all costs (for the possibility that she discovered my history), but what she just said… was the clearest truth I've ever heard from the lips of a noble, let alone the queen herself.
I can only assume that several more minutes of political arguments ensued, because the Prince has now appearing to grow uncomfortable. He says that it's his birthday - we should be relaxing, enjoying ourselves and having fun. To do so, he challenges anyone willing to a drinking game. Before his name can even escape my mouth, Ko'ruk springs from his chair to accept the challenge. Apparently his kind does not hold liquor as well as their reputation would have me think, because it took not much more than five mugs to have the half-orc tip backwards in his chair. The rest of the night proceeds blandly, as any gluttonous human feast does. Melek, Ko'ruk and I are given the same room to sleep in, and as they doze off on either side of me, I enter into a state of meditation.
It didn't take longer than two hours for my focus to be broken by a piercing scream. It was no doubt Theresa's - no other would've caused me to shudder so violently. I wake Ko'ruk and Melek, and the three of us head down the main hall, where we encounter Ruby, Ellie and Juniper, who were awoken as well. We split up briefly to search, and as I enter the female bathroom I find a pink piece of torn fabric by the toilet. I call the others - it's definitely a piece from the dress Theresa wore the last time I saw her. If this weren't a favor for Vinnie, I'd be content to let her be and go back to our room. Instead, the party decides to jump down into the sewers to try and find her. Just in case anything else occurs up here, I decide to stay. Crossing my legs on the floor, I resume my trance - anything moving or making noise outside will alert me.
After what I estimate to be twenty minutes, I awaken to light sound of flapping and hooting coming from down the toilet. As I crane my head to look, some sort of creature comes whizzing up the hole, nearly taking my head with it. As I jerk back, I glance up to see Ruby's Owl, who flaps its wings slowly to settle down on the floor next to me.
It simply stares at me and tilts its head. If Ruby wished to say something, she could speak through the Owl. I wait, and it continues staring with its abnormally large and unsettling eyes.
I've had enough of looking at the thing. Deciding to ignore it, I turn around to face the door and continue my meditation. As soon as I do so, I can feel something nuzzling at my waist-pouch. The Owl is trying to get the oats I usually feed Johann... It's odd, considering Owls supposedly eat rodents and small birds. After several unsuccessful attempts to shoo the Owl away, I throw the bag outside the door in the hopes that the creature will follow. It works temporarily, giving me five more minutes of meditation before I feel the bird now perching on top of my head. Although it's slightly irritating, I can still go on with my meditation - I just hope the others return soon.
It's only been about an hour before the Owl starts fidgeting. Meditation was possible when the creature was still, but now it's hopping up and down on my head. Just as I raise my hand in an attempt to swat it off, it flaps its wings and flies to the open window. I don't know what, but its gaze is focused on something moving outside. I close my eyes and curse silently. If the creature suddenly decides to-
-it did. It just flew outside into the forest outside the palace… but I care not. I assume Ruby has the ability to summon it whenever she wishes. With that, I cross my legs again in an attempt to finally meditate in peace - only to be disrupted as the Owl quickly returns, with what I believe to be a live mouse in its beak. Whether he's going to eat it or not, I don't really care, but-
-my ears perk as I hear footsteps outside. It's most likely one of the nobles, but I rest a hand on one of my scimitars just in case. It's at this very moment that the Owl drops the mouse onto the floor, and just as it quickly scurries towards the door, a woman rounds the corner and lets out a quite piercing shriek. The mouse continues down the palace pathway as I get a closer look at the woman through the darkness - it's the Elf Queen. She quickly recovers from her recoiled stance and steps towards me as the Owl perches itself upon my head again and starts pecking at my hood. I close my eyes again in an attempt to go back to meditation.
After several seconds of what I can only assume must have been awkward silence for her, she asks why exactly I'm sitting alone in the women's bathroom. Without opening my eyes again, I simply explain that my friends are sorting something out some potential danger, and that it's none of her concern. When she asks what exactly is going on, I crack one eye back open and reiterate that it's nothing important. It occurs to me then that any royal waking in the middle of the night would be accompanied by servants - but this Queen is completely alone.
At this point she does something especially strange - she steps even closer and asks me my name. I open both my eyes and stare at her for a moment in confusion. My natural disposition towards any royal is to dislike and distrust them, but I oddly can't bring myself to hate this woman. After a short moment, I give her the name Sakarias. She then gently scratches the head of Ruby's owl and politely asks me if I can leave her to use the bathroom.
I of course agree, and as as she finishes and leaves, she wishes me luck with whatever "danger" my friends are dealing with. At that I simply nod, and continue my meditation. Or at least try. Such courtesy from a royal (an Elf royal, no doubt) to a complete stranger is something I've never once encountered before. No matter the quality of this new Queen's character, she's simply an exception to the standard noble. Nothing more.
Now, after an approximate total of three hours since the party descended, my thoughts are quickly interrupted by shouts from below - I crane my neck over the hole to see Juniper with Theresa, both asking me to let them up. I lower the rope and pull them both out - at which point they both quickly wave me out of the room to shower off. After that, Juniper tells me a rather short tale involving fights with leeches, several zombies and a trio of green hags. Honestly, it doesn't sound like I missed much, and when asked if anything occurred up here, I simply say no. The three of us simply wait (loudly, as Theresa is with us) until the sun rises, which is about when the rest of the party returns - through the palace gate, for some reason - and gives Juniper and I news of a rather interesting discovery over breakfast.