Day 44: Wealday the 31st, Lamashan, 4707
I woke up to the mixed smells of Jonathan and Ameiko's clashing cooking styles. That, and a voice chiming in my head that it would like some advice on what to start on next. It took me a minute to realize that it was Veronica, and that her wanted me to tell them what project they should work on next. I got up and saw that Savah was still resting. I gave her a kiss on the forehead before getting dressed and heading to the impromptu workshop. Veronica was there with another two turbines done. I was impressed that she had completed such work on such a short period of time. I figured that the next challenge that I could provide for her was recreating the battery that I had gotten from the Aspis Consortium. I would very much prefer to have my own source.
I had previously, very carefully, taken apart the battery that I had gotten from them and done what I could to get the materials that I would need to make the battery correctly. I didn't have access to the micro-circuit card that told how much charge was left on the battery, and I probably would never get it unless I managed to find a way to manufacture on a much smaller scope that I currently could, but the pure guts of the battery should be fine. It will make recharging the new ones much more difficult, but I can try to fabricate up a charger for them when we are back in Sandpoint.
I went back to the bedroom to find Savah sleepily waking up. She asked me where I was and I told her that I had to assign some tasks for Veronica and I wanted to be able to spend all the time I could with Savah while she was awake. I'm not certain, but she seemed a bit miffed at that answer. I helped her get dressed and was as attentive as I could be and we went down to breakfast together. Everyone was there, with Ameiko and Jonathan still making and delivering food to everyone. I sat down with Savah and we got to eating. Everyone was talking about how they needed to do this or that. Looking around, there was one person who was missing. Faunra. I asked Shalelu where Faunra was and she told me that she was likely still working on everyone's clothing for the festivities.
As if on cue, Faunra stumbled into the dining quarters where we were and dropped a pile of clothes on the floor, saying a single word, clothes, before trudging off in the direction of her bedroom. I looked at everyone else and yelled thank you after her. I went to the pile and got Savah's dress to give to her before getting my clothes for me. I told the rest of the group that I wasn't sure which sets of the rest of the clothes belonged to which person. Ameiko, with a custard stuffed roll in her mouth, came over, pointed to individual sets, and then to the people they belonged to. Jonathan used his telekinetic abilities to pass out the sets of clothes to each person with one hand while he held a piece of bacon to chew on with the other.
Savah told everyone that the stylist would be here in the afternoon, and that they would demand everyone's specific attention during the time that they were working on our appearances. We all finished up our meals and had a brief conversation about what each person might need to do to get themselves ready for the event. Apparently Dame Rebekah would be going to talk to Chaplain Tira and Chelger would be heading out with her. Jonathan and Shayliss were going to be checking in with any guilds that they needed to confirm their business' existence with before she would be heading back. Shalelu said that she was going to retire with Faunra and Ameiko said that she had a couple of things to deal with in Magnimar before she went back to Sandpoint. Savah said that she had the day free, so I asked if she wanted to go out for a drive around town until we needed to be back for our appointments. She looked at me a bit oddly but agreed.
We went back to the room and got geared up for a trip outside the walls of the Kaijitsu Townhouse. She was a bit aloof with me while we got dressed, but once we got into the stables, she seemed a bit more like her old self. As we winded down the roads, with her next to me, I got to see her smile for a bit. We drove all the way down to the Keystone district and then to Ordellia before starting back up. On the way, we passed by a little store that I noticed had a nice necklace that would look good on Savah. I told her that I wanted to get something in the shop and we wheeled around.
Savah waited outside as I got the necklace and gave it to her. She thanked me and smiled a bit before getting sad again. I asked her what was wrong, and she told me that she wasn't happy that I had that Homunculus now. I apologized and asked her what was wrong with it? Savah told me that she felt that I would be paying more attention to it than any child that we would have. It clicked to me that she was thinking that I was displacing any child that we might have with this automaton. I shook my head and told her that Veronica was introduced to me as an extension of me, not as something separate from me. I added that this was why I was interacting with it as much as I was. I told Savah that I would be interacting with it less today, and probably less as time went on, only to give it instructions on what to make while I spend more time with her. Savah said that she would like that.
We continued our ride and had some good sights. We turned a lot of heads as we rode, even though we were going at maximum of fifteen miles an hour, no-where near as fast as my car would have me going, even with the streets of this city being this undeveloped. Even I could tell that the bikes were getting some good attention. I told Savah that I was certain that her bike company was getting some good publicity from this. She smiled and said that we might need a few of those Homunculus to expand operations. I told her that if she wanted, we could ask Faunra if she could make some for her as well. Savah shook her head, smiled, and whispered that she'd prefer to make them with me on our own.
We got back right around lunch to see that Shayliss and Jonathan getting back at the exact same time. Jonathan flung open the doors of the stables open with his mind powers and we drove on in while Shayliss and him followed after. Savah got off her bike and went over to Shayliss, giving her a hug and to talk about all of the business she was likely to get from the people watching us. Jonathan helped me strip down the bikes to prevent theft and we all went back into the Townhouse. Everyone else was already there and Faunra was back awake and with the rest of the group.
Just as soon as we were about to say something, we heard a knock at the front door of the townhouse. Savah went over and opened up the door and a young frosted blond man of impeccable grooming and attire was there. He introduced himself as Corwin Icewolf, and that he would be our stylist for the Defiant's Garden Event with the Lord-Mayor Grobaras today. He asked for us to all get into our attire so that he could best design our individual styles. Everyone except Ameiko left from the main room and headed to their individual bedrooms. Savah and I went to our bedroom together and we helped each other get dressed. She told me that she wondered what her dress would look like after the change. I told her that I was curious about my suit as well.
When we were fully dressed, we left to head back to the receiving room where we had left Corwin. Ameiko was just finishing up a conversation with him about something Magnimarian as Savah and I made our way into the room. Corwin looked us over with a bit of distaste before Ameiko came over and whispered that the command word for the clothes was embroidered on the inside of them. Neither Savah nor I thought to look before coming out of the room, and Ameiko saw our hesitation. She whispered something to Savah and Savah said something under her breath. Her gown changed into a very fine high Magnimarian gown, in colors of steel grey and bright white that almost looked to be metallic. I was floored with how beautiful she looked in it. Savah saw my reaction and smiled at me.
Ameiko then came over to me and whispered that I should focus on the fact that I was going to a high society affair when I say the word "bespoke". I did so and I swear that it looked like William Westmancott had been shifted across the dimensions, and tailored this suit just for me. I mean, I obviously didn't see him here but my suit, a cheap Amazon off-the-rack George Bride Tuxedo, was now one of his "Ultimate Bespoke" collection suits, in storm grey with lighter gray and bright white highlights, with silver Aegishjalmur buttons. I was certain that even if my style of clothing didn't match what was expected, the apparent quality alone should be enough to not cause me problems. I stopped to wonder briefly if I could find some way to get William Westmancott here for a private fitting if I ever got enough money. I could use a good real tailored suit.
I shook off the idea, because it would probably require deals with unsavory entities, and I didn't want to inflict that upon Saville Row. Then again, they would probably just get a MASSIVE influx of business. It would also be a MASSIVE violation of the third Rule of Acquisition. Now I just needed to get some kind of shoe that would also be appropriately magical and I would really be bespoke from my head to my toe. Maybe then I'll follow through with the line and make my new bullets from gold. Maybe there is a spell for it. Who knows in this world.
I heard a whistle from Savah and it broke me out of my thoughts. We walked over to Corwin who was looking much more approvingly at us. He walked with us to an antechamber that was set up for all sorts of treatments and asked us what kind of statement we were looking to make when we got there. I kind of shrugged and looked to Savah. Savah gave Corwin a brief recounting of what we have been dealing with so far, from the goblins to the Lamia of the Shadow-Clock. Corwin seemed intrigued and noted that he was an adventuring wizard at one point. I asked him if the reason why he stopped was because he caught an arrow to the knee. He looked at me like I was stupid and told me that it was because he had grown increasingly annoyed with the messiness of all of the spell components and decided to pursue his true joy of tonsorial endeavors. I congratulated him on seeking his true life goals and he thanked me.
Corwin said that he would get Savah's hairstyle and everything down first before working with me. I told her that I was certain that she would be the most beautiful woman at the event. Corwin smirked and said that she definitely would if he had anything to say about it. He ushered me out of the room and shut the door as I saw Savah sit down in a specialty chair. It was then that I noticed that the room that he had led both Savah and myself into had not existed in the house before.
Ameiko noticed my confusion and told me that he had in his possession an extradimensional space that allowed him to fully utilize his talents. I asked her if these were common things, and she told me that they can be acquired, but that they tend to react negatively with other extradimensional spaces, like bags of holding and handy haversacks. I asked her how negatively, and she told me that they could cause you to lose everything that was in either of them as the minimum. I asked what the worst was and she told me that they could open a portal into another dimension, sucking all of those nearby into it.
I stopped my thoughts at that. I didn't need to do that kind of thing. Ameiko told me of a legend of some barbarians that had vanquished an ancient evil by sacrificing one of their members to put one extradimensional item into another to cause that rift to form and such both the barbarian and the entity into the rift. Ameiko added that every time that she heard the story, the item that was put into the other swapped. I gulped and thanked her for the warning. It was around that time that Shayliss and Jonathan showed up in the receiving room. Shayliss was wearing what looked like an awful conglomeration of multiple sets of finery mish-mashed together in whatever pieces would fit. Jonathan was wearing the noble outfit he had acquired for his upcoming betrothal. I could tell that he was wearing his Hat of Disguise, as his form was almost exactly as it was when we first met, and he has had some distinct atavistic changes since then.
Just when I got used to seeing them, Dame Rebekah and Chelger arrived in the receiving room. Again, they were dressed like Shayliss, in mismatched clothes only similar in the fact that they look like they could have possibly belonged to a noble person at some point. It was almost humorous and looked almost intentional. Ameiko walked up to Shayliss and whispered something to her, and her gown turned much more risqué than Savah's, with highlights of yellow and black, with some miniscule embroidery of wasps in black thread on the black fabric. Calistria's colors and symbol. It only seems appropriate. Ameiko nodded and did the same routine with Jonathan. It took a minute because his two forms of illusionary magic duked it out, until he stabilized it to be a much better version of the outfit he was wearing, with yellow highlights, again with some wasp embroidery.
Faunra and Shalelu were the last out, and their outfits were so different as to clash with each other. Shalelu's seemed to actually be a tailored outfit, in subdued forest colors, while Faunra's was again the riotous clashes that seemed to come from Ameiko's frenzied acquisitions. Ameiko made her way over to Chelger and performed the same whisper routine. His finery changed in subtler ways compared to Shayliss'. The outfit remained multicolored, but the colors now blended together better, and there was a fringe of what appeared to be very fine feathers. Among the colorful fabric songbirds were embroidered. Ameiko did her whisper routine to Dame Rebekah and Dame Rebekah's outfit changed to be red and white, with majestic rampant lions on either shoulder.
While Dame Rebekah and Chelger were admiring the gross changes and subtle details of their newly designed outfits, Ameiko made her way to Faunra and Shalelu. Ameiko did her whisper routine with both Shalelu and Faunra respectively, and Shalelu's outfit changed to be a more elegant version of the clothes she was wearing. I could almost make out the embroidered leaves and arrows on the cuffs and seams. Faunra's became midnight blue with hints of colors that would be home in the aurora borealis. I think that there were stars and hourglasses embroidered in the midnight blue sections, but I couldn't make them out that easily.
After Ameiko helped everyone else, she updated her own clothes via the same method and her outfit looked to be made of very fine quality materials and the style was of what I would have called a fusion style back home. It merged what looked like Eastern European Roma and Traditional Japanese styles to be her own unique fashion. She certainly looked ready to head to this party and ready to fit in to any high society function in general. Just after she changed, the door opened to Corwin's parlor and Savah walked out. I can't even write words to explain how she looked. Savah was attractive, to no doubt, but Corwin has done something amazing with his work. Savah came out smiling and walked over to me. She whispered to me that she was a little embarrassed by all of the attention. I told her that she deserved it, and that she was absolutely stunning. She smiled a little and Corwin broke up the tension by pointing at Shayliss and telling her that she was next.
Ameiko came over and congratulated Savah on her new light blue dress and her new hairstyle. Savah said that Corwin's services were always reserved for only the highest members of the guild. She added that it was just a matter of chance that she had won a single afternoon of Corwin's services in a guild raffle shortly after joining, but never thought that she would use it because the service could only be done here in Magnimar. Ameiko noted that this was an extremely lucky event. Everyone got the chance to congratulate her and wonder about what Corwin would do with them and who he would pick next. We didn't have to wait long.
Shayliss seemed to take the same amount of time as Savah did, but came out with a remarkable up-do with hints of gold and black woven throughout her hair. No streaks like people would have put in where I had come from, but almost individual hairs that shouldn't even be that obvious, but just seemed to catch the light and pop out when you looked the right way. Corwin looked over the crowd and finally settled on Shalelu. Shalelu went into the room like a proud warrior and Corwin looked to be smiling as they both started their task.
Shayliss talked for a bit with both Ameiko and Savah about the experience and how he never physically touched her hair once, only using magic to do everything. Savah said that Corwin was an experienced wizard who had done a lot of experimentation with the prestidigitation spell. Ameiko noted that he was well regarded as someone who had studied the spell for extensive periods of time and figured out all kinds of additional skills and abilities in its use. Shayliss told them that he had told her that the colors in her hair would last until the hair grows out. Ameiko said that she had to make the changes every hour when she wanted to have her hair have different colors.
Shalelu took a lot less time than Savah or Shayliss. Her hair coloring was much the same as it was when she went in, just more visually striking. Her hair was done up in some simple warrior's braids that looked functional at the same time as remarkably stylish. Corwin didn't take a moment to think before pointing to Faunra. I watched as the elven magus followed him into his chamber. It was about this time that I got a mental message from Veronica. She was asking what she should work on when she couldn't work on the batteries anymore today, I told her to start work on a simple alternator and she acknowledged my command with a visual interpretation of the blueprints and design.
Savah tapped me on the shoulder just as I sent the thought message and asked me what I was thinking about. I told her that I was delivering a command to Veronica to work on something that will improve our conditions back in Sandpoint. Savah looked at me inquisitively and smiled after a minute and asked it would lead to me needing to spend less time in the workshop. I told her that it would provide power to the glassworks allowing for non-magical lighting, heating and cooling, and other things, to include a phone system for the town if it works out right.
Savah asked what that would mean. I told her that if I made a phone system, someone could call her up with an order, she could give them a price and then they could call Jasper to get one of his delivers to pick it up and deliver it straight to them. I added that if I managed to get the phone system to extend to Magnimar, she could call someone here who could then contact her people to ensure that things were ready, without her having to head to Magnimar, wait for the orders to be processed, then come back. I told her that it would mean that her turnaround time would decrease even further. Savah seemed to like that a lot.
I added that if I really put my mind to it, we could set up a much larger version of our bikes to act as a back and forth between Magnimar and Sandpoint to make the journey much faster for those who might want to do so. Savah asked what would happen to all of the individual towns along the way. I told her that the rail could be set up that they had stops and that people could go part of the way or all of the way to Magnimar or Sandpoint. It would mean that people could live outside of Magnimar or Sandpoint and still work in the city or town respectively, without needing to stable a horse all the time. Savah puzzled on that until Faunra came out.
Faunra had changed dramatically in the time that she was in there with Corwin and everyone noticed. Her hair was now midnight blue, like her dress, with some spots of silver scattered in. It certainly gave the appearance of stars in the night sky. Her hair was purposefully kept down; I guess to keep the expansiveness of the night sky in focus. Corwin looked around at us like he was picking the next victim and Ameiko was summoned. It would make sense if he was selecting all of the females first, as they might need more time to work on them.
Ameiko followed him into his portable parlor and the door shut again. Everyone was commending Faunra on her updates. Savah asked her why she went with those designs and colors. Faunra noted that while she was researching some of the more esoteric aspects of magic, she came across an empyreal who was a patron of homesickness, which was the feeling that Faunra felt most deeply all the time, and even though we had made a home for her here, she still felt the sadness of being away from her home village. Everyone then consolidated her for this and we felt a little bit down.
I asked Faunra if she could tell us a bit about where she was from, and she told us about the teacher that she had, and how she had to split her time between learning wizardry and still being a capable member of the town guard. She told us the story of her trip to the go talk to the mephits that fateful day, and how when she came back everyone was gone. As she finished her story, Ameiko and Corwin were coming back out. Ameiko's hair was in some fairly simple style that belied the actual complexity of the interwoven colors. Her hairstyle was again in a fusion of Varisian and Tian styles. Apparently Corwin was knowledgeable about the various styles enough to accomplish this fusion. He looked around at who was left. Dame Rebekah was his next project.
Ameiko talked with everyone and asked Faunra about her new faith. Faunra explained all of the things that she had learned about the lady of the stars. I listened in because it was always useful to learn about a new faith, especially when the gods of this world were as active and responsive as they were. Everyone else listened in as well and asked some questions to improve their own knowledge and understanding. Dame Rebekah came out shortly after Faunra was finished explaining everything. Her hair style was in a fairly simple braid designed to keep her hair out of her eyes in the case that there was any kind of fight. Her hair also had hints of red and white, keeping in line with everyone else's changes. Dame Rebekah seemed very happy with the changes. That left Chelger, Jonathan, and myself. Just the men. Corwin looked to the three of us, frowned a bit at Jonathan, and picked Chelger.
I wondered what that was about for a bit, but figured that it might be the fact that Jonathan was at least two layers deep into illusions, and it might be a difficult job, so he might want to save it for last. Everyone was talking to Dame Rebekah about her changes and all of the changes that everyone had went through for the party. I got a message from Veronica that the first battery was done, and that she would start work on the next one. I mentally thanked her and told her that I was sure that she had done a good job, and that I would check in with her before leaving for the party. Veronica sent me an acceptance of this and that she was going back to work.
Chelger took almost as long as the others, but when he came out, his hair was an actually well done faux-hawk where the tips were done up in a rainbow pattern. It made it look a lot like the rainbow feathers of songbirds. I was amazed by the complexity and skill of Corwin. That left Jonathan and myself. I was kind of surprised that he picked Jonathan, but it kind of made sense. He had gotten through everyone else, and now he could spend however much time he needed on Jonathan.
Dame Rebekah was admiring the styling for Chelger, and everyone was joining in with her. The door for the parlor flung open and Corwin called for Shayliss to come in. Everyone was a bit perplexed, but she went. After a few tense minutes where everyone was silent, but trying to be polite about not paying attention to what had happened, Shayliss came out, and Chelger peeked out noting that this would take a little longer than he had expected. We all went to the dining room and had some minor snacks, with Ameiko, Faunra, and myself using our prestidigitation abilities to ensure that we were still completely clean. I used my prestidigitation powers to change flavors and textures to give people various tastes from back on my old world.
After about fifteen minutes, Jonathan was escorted back, with his suit still as it had looked, but he looked impeccably groomed, with some silver black and yellow highlights in his beard and hair. His enlarged canines looked to be made of silver when he smiled. Corwin smiled and said that this might be his best achievement yet. He looked to me and just gave me a motion. I followed him into his portable shop and sat down in his chair.
Corwin asked me if I had any thoughts about what kind of message I wanted to send with my appearance. I told him that I was confused with what he meant. Corwin told me that every time you walk into a room, your appearance tells people so much about you as a person and your experiences that they can learn a lot about you with just a few glances. He told me that from the original form of the garb I was wearing, that I had come from a place that used something akin to magic to fabricate the clothing that I wore, but that the materials seemed to be something not natural, but also not magical or high end.
Corwin continued with telling me that the shoes that I wore looked to also be made by magic, but that they used only the lowest end leather for the shoes. Corwin added that it seemed like I kept them fairly well shined, so that meant that I knew how to take care of them, and that there was not a lot of wear on them, so I didn't wear them that frequently. Corwin continued that none of the clothing looked broken in or really worn, so I likely did not wear those things frequently, so I likely thought of them as infrequent use clothing. He added that the belt that I wore did look broken in, so it was likely that I wore that belt for more than just this outfit.
Finally, Corwin took aim at some of my more personal details. He first noted that my despite my best efforts, my nails were bitten, indicating that I had nervous issues, and that even with prestidigitation, there was grease on my hands and under my nails, indicating that I worked with my hands, and the scars on them helped greatly to show that I worked with them with generally single edged sharp objects. The fact that I still had the scars means that I didn't have access to a lot of clerical healing until recently. He stated that when you combine it all together, it was very likely that I created things, as I didn't seem to have the mindset to keep up on my appearance all of the time. He told me that he would have concluded that I was likely from Alkenstar City, and that I worked on their inventions there, but that the uniformity of my clothing indicated that I wasn't from somewhere without magic of any kind, and I didn't look like I was from Razmiran, so he was a bit at a loss.
I told him that I was impressed, and that I did work on machines back where I was from, but that I wasn't from a place called Alkenstar or Razmiran, that I was from much further away. Corwin nodded and continued with telling me that from all of that, he gathered that I was a person who didn't look to take care of himself, but that looked to constantly create. He added that I didn't look the part of someone who was in high society with my look the way that I was now, and that I should probably change my look if I want to come across as belonging at the party. I told Corwin that I was a part of the group that was being honored by the Lord-Mayor tonight and he laughed.
When Corwin stopped laughing, he told me that this party was planned months ago, and that any honorific that we would receive was just incidental. Corwin explained to me that the Lord-Mayor loved his galas and parties, and our heroics just managed to coincide with this party. Corwin then asked us what we managed to do to gain the Lord-Mayor's benevolence. I told him that we destroyed a flesh golem that was apparently known as the Scarecrow and stopped an assassination attempt on the Lord-Mayor. Corwin asked if I was serious about the Scarecrow. I told him that we destroyed him at the bottom of the Shadow Clock in the Shadow. Corwin stopped for a second and thanked us for destroying this fiend. Apparently it was a menace for the city of Magnimar for generations. Corwin refocused and asked again what kind of message I would want to send at the event.
I thought about it for a few seconds and said that I would like to show that we were powerful, not someone to be trifled with, with a large focus on how we were not some bumpkins to be used in their games. Corwin said that he would do his best to portrait that. He started up his prestidigitation effect and I froze like I did for all haircuts. Corwin stopped after a few seconds and asked why I was stiff. I told him that I used to be in the military, specifically the Navy, and that when you got your hair cut on a ship, you froze so that the barber didn't have to deal with you moving at the same time. Corwin looked thoughtful for a second but then he continued.
After a little bit further, Corwin stopped and asked if I could tell him which deity I professed to. I told him that I couldn't tell people here because of issues with the deity not be local to this area, and possibly causing problems with both my deity and a certain evil deity that was local to this area. He nodded and said that he was merely trying to figure out if there were any colors that might be good for highlights for my hair style. I told him that I never really thought about getting highlights, but that my deity's colors were of a bluish black and grey, but that I didn't think that having bluish black added in was a good idea, as it would be too close to Faunra's colors which might cause problems with Savah. Corwin smiled and told me that it was a good idea to keep any associations separate, but that since my suit was already of the grey color, adding a few touches of the bluish black would be a good idea. I asked if he could dye my handkerchief and bowtie to match Savah's dress.
Corwin smiled and dyed my handkerchief and bowtie light blue and then added some very slight highlights to the suit to make the embroidery and thread work to be a deep midnight blue to make it more appropriate to the event. I asked him how he went about doing all of this when the prestidigitation effects would only go away in an hour. Corwin smiled and told me about how he had learned to tease out additional secrets from the spell, and that he might be willing to teach people, for the right price. I told him that I would be interested in learning, but that my schedule was fairly packed for the next few months. Corwin nodded and said that he was busy too, but that Savah could get in touch with him if my schedule was to free up.
I thanked him and he told me that we were done. He conjured up a mirror and I looked over my haircut. It was an almost perfect rendition of a high and tight, in perfect military fashion. I noticed that there were faint highlights of grey on the sides, but not enough to be fully noticeable unless there was an in-depth look. Corwin motioned for me to get up and out of his chair, and I did so and exited out through the door. I managed to drop a platinum as I left the extradimensional space. Corwin smiled and nodded silently.
I left the extradimensional salon to foyer to everyone's evaluating gaze. Savah smiled and nodded, Jonathan and Chelger seemed to be blasé about my appearance, and everyone else seemed to be somewhere in the middle between Savah's encouragement, and Jonathan's neutral acceptance. Ameiko noted that it was about time, as it was almost time for us to head out to the party. I looked shocked and looked at my watch. Ameiko laughed and said that we still have a lot of time to get ready. Everyone laughed, including Corwin, before I joined in as well.
Corwin enjoyed the humor for a minute before recalling his extradimensional salon and noted that this was an enlightening experience and that he hoped that he would have the chance to work with us again. Savah thanked him and walked him out. Faunra noted that she still had some time to work on something, if we thought that it was a good idea to beef up our host gift. Ameiko nodded and said that it would probably be a good idea, as the book might be lost on our host, and most especially the details that were updated.
Faunra went back to her makeshift lab and I went to go check in on Veronica. Sure enough, she was feverishly working away on the batteries. There were two already done. Veronica noted to me that she could continue to do so for another six hours before she would start work on the alternator. I mentally asked Veronica if she would be offended if I took some readings off of the first battery. Veronica noted that she would not, so I pulled out my multi-meter and checked. It had the same readings as the original battery that I had gotten from the Aspis Consortium Member. Savah came in and hugged me from behind. Savah asked me how it was going. I told her that the first two batteries were successes and that if the rate continued, we would have another six by the time we got back from the party.
Savah asked me if that meant that I wouldn't have to deal with the Consortium anymore. I told her that I wouldn't intend on using them now, since I could now make my own batteries, but that if they approached me with any other high tech items, I might have to purchase them from the Consortium. Savah nodded and said that this was good, as she had heard rumors about the Consortium and their dealings with both Slavers and a band of religious assassins for hire by the name of the Red Mantis. I thanked her for this information and told her that I would definitely try to not deal with them anymore.
We congratulated Veronica on what she had done so far, and went back to where everyone else was. Well, everyone except Ameiko, Faunra, and Jonathan. Faunra was still working on whatever she had figured on trying to make. Ameiko had apparently went off to go get some wines and stronger spirits, because, in her apparent words, we would definitely need them after all of this. Jonathan was working on making some easy eating food for us to eat to not interfere with our clothing, hair-dressing, or other preparations. Basically sandwiches and finger food, but in enough varieties and with enough dips to make everyone happy. We were well into our snacks when Faunra and Shalelu returned. Faunra had a kind of impish smile about her as she held out the coffer that we had discovered in Thistletop.
Dame Rebekah asked her what she was planning. Faunra replied that she had managed to get in a reverie and then did a quick enchant on this coffer so that it would be ready for the party. Savah asked her what the enchantment was. Faunra smiled and whispered something to the box as she opened it. Instantly, what appeared to be fireworks shot out from the box, appearing to burst into the roof in brilliant displays of silver and blue. Many shapes and effects occurred for the five minutes that followed as we oohed and awed. Faunra shut the box and told us that it is a fireworks display in a box, that it will play for up to fifteen minutes a day, or as the person desires for that use. Faunra told us that the command word was Joyeuse, and that command word was engraved on the lid. She added that she had taken inspiration from seeing a fireworks display on one of the movies that she had watched on my tablet back so long ago, but had put it in the colors of Magnimar.
Savah and I commended her on her choice, and Faunra noted that the book and a bottle of wine should both be able to fit in the coffer, so that we can present it all as one. Dame Rebekah looked a little bit upset for a minute and Savah asked her why. Dame Rebekah noted that I had provided something for the host gift, and Faunra had as well. Ameiko was going out to get a bottle of wine, and Jonathan was even providing a grade transportation for us, but that she wasn't providing anything. Savah apparently had an idea and rushed over to whisper something in Dame Rebekah's ear before anyone else could say anything. Dame Rebekah listened and smiled before grabbing Chelger and running off. Savah just shrugged at me and we continued to absentmindedly snack while we waited for Ameiko, Dame Rebekah, and Chelger to get back.
It wasn't all that long before Ameiko came back with a very old looking bottle of wine. Ameiko confided in us that she knew that the Lord-Mayor actually really loved an elderberry wine common to the underclasses of the Lowcleft area, but would never be seen drinking from the container of such a lowly spirit. Ameiko explained that she happened to know someone who collected the old bottles of wine that were disposed of from the noble households in Magnimar and did a brisk trade in selling them to other people, for whatever reason. Ameiko told us that she picked up the oldest bottle that the seller had, did a thorough cleaning job on the interior, picked up some elderberry wine from the docks and transferred it into the old bottle. With the addition of a cork, some wax and her familial signet ring, it completes the illusion.
It was then that it all dawned on me, and I blurted it out. I had realized that every one of our gifts was an illusion of some sort, from Ameiko's liquid legerdemain, to Faunra's phantasmal fireworks, to my own sleight of hand storybook, they were all duplicitous in some way. Ameiko looked at me like I was stupid for a minute before saying that this was the point. It was then that Dame Rebekah came back in with something in her hands. Chelger was following behind her. Dame Rebekah looked exceedingly proud of herself when she showed her "Pegasus" feather bookmark, their gift for the Lord-Mayor. Of course the feather came from her horse's newly developed wings, because of course that's a thing.
I was confused for a minute and asked if I could just sit down for a minute. Savah and Ameiko came over and asked me if I was okay. I told them that I was trying to process everything. Savah offered to me that the Lord-Mayor had access to anything he wanted with the combined resources of his own fortune and that of Magnimar proper. Ameiko agreed and added that the only way to make things that he didn't have access to was to either use duplicity or get something from somewhere that he could never have access to. Savah smiled and said that I was the best chance to give him something that he didn't have access to ever, because I wasn't from here. I thanked them both and said that I thought that I would be okay.
I got up and asked everyone if we had everything ready to go. Everyone looked at each other and nodded or said as much, so Ameiko, Faunra, and I went about using our Prestidigitation powers to primp everyone up to be ready for the gala. Just after Ameiko had finished going over everyone to ensure that we were all up to standard, we heard a deafening crash of thunder and the sound of rain coming down. Ameiko cursed to herself and said that we didn't have a wagon to take us there. Jonathan just smiled and said that we would be covered. We all went to the stables and he rolled out the large silkweave fabric carpet that he had gotten yesterday. It was large enough for all of the couples to stand side by side, with two couples up front and two in the back. Ameiko could comfortable stand in the center and be the part of the Noblewoman that she now technically was.
Jonathan focused and the carpet lifted up off the ground a little. He told us all to get on and get into position. We all did, with Faunra and Shalelu on one side in the front and Jonathan and Shayliss on the other. Chelger and Dame Rebekah were behind Jonathan and Shayliss while Savah and myself were behind Shalelu and Faunra respectively, and Ameiko was in the center of all of us. It was quite interesting being on an area that I knew was not there, but was capable of supporting three tons of weight at least. With another thought, Jonathan flung open the doors of the stables. The rain came down in a torrential downpour, almost reaching the front group. Then suddenly it didn't. For a very large area around the front of the stables, the rain just stopped. I could tell that further along, the rain still fell, but for at least twenty foot in an arc around the door, there was nothing. Jonathan smiled and slowly moved us out of the stables and into the courtyard.
I could see that the rain stopped a good ten feet past the carpet on either side, and extended beyond the front and back for at least fifteen feet before going into the hemispherical arc. I could see, looking up, that there was at least a half inch of water above us, as the rain just stopped and the rainfall was seen dripping above us before draining out over the sides, leading to even more water flooding around us. Jonathan caused the door to shut behind us and basically levitated us towards the courtyard gate on an upward slope. Instead of opening and closing that gate, he simply levitated us up and over it and had us be ten feet off the ground while we were heading down the street to Defiant's Garden.
While we travelled, at approximately three and a half miles an hour, I asked Ameiko if this was enough of a statement for us to show up at the gala. Ameiko noted, as people would rush through the curtain of water to get underneath our carpet, that we were certainly a spectacle. We were a barely visible under our stadium of shelter, with the water pouring down around us. The fact that the water did pool so meant that there were people who would brave the deluge to get inside what they figured was an area that was safe from the rain. We got to hear all manner of speculation about who it could be above them that was so important as to not be rained on and not touch the ground. Shayliss stifled a snicker and Ameiko smiled to all of us.
As we silently proceeded to Defiant's Garden, people would enter and exit at whenever they thought that they had made it to their destination. Some people lagged behind a bit to try to get a glance of the people who were so important or tried to rush ahead to do the same, but timing it with the movements of the mobile rain shelter were a bit more difficult so frequently they would just give up and trudge along, especially with the wind whipping the way it was. Eventually we made our way to the gate of Defiant's Garden, and Ameiko noted that it would probably be poorly thought of if we were to just bypass the gate entirely.
Jonathan nodded and slowly started lowering us. Dame Rebekah yelled out for those underneath us to evacuate the area. A pair of well-dressed nobles stepped out from underneath us. Jonathan lowered us to be only six inches above the ground. The man of the noble couple stepped forward and introduced himself as Hobart Deverin and thanked us for the shelter. Jonathan still had the rain stadium going on. Ameiko smiled and asked if he was the famed uncle of the Mayor of Sandpoint. Hobart visibly beamed as he confirmed it. HE asked how we knew her. Ameiko told him how she was Ameiko Kaijitsu, daughter of Lonjiku Kaijitsu, and owner of the Rusty Dragon in Sandpoint and that we are a group of stalwart adventurers known as the Saviors of Sandpoint, so proclaimed by his niece herself. Hobart said that if his niece thought well of us, that was all he needed to do the same. I thanked him much for his kind words and he nodded back.
We invited Hobart and his guest onto the carpet and we opened up the door to the gate house. There was a pavilion set up for the guests to wait under and we glided ourselves underneath it. Jonathan cancelled the power that was lifting the carpet and used his other power to launch the water almost two hundred feet into the air over the Arvensoar to dispose of it. He then used his power to telekinetically lift, fold, and roll up the carpet, now without anyone on it. I surreptitiously used my Prestidigitation powers to clean it quickly. We all then walked over to where Valanni Krinst was waiting for us. Several other nobles and guests were all getting dried and cleaned via whatever means that they had available.
Valanni smiled and escorted us to the side. Valanni noted that since we were not the usual participants in a gala like this, that he would have to send a page to get our proper titles so that we could be introduced to the assembled properly. He took us to a sitting room and bade us to make ourselves welcome. There was a small assortment of sliced meats, cheeses and fruits on a large platinum tray, with a bottle of what they call fire-mead chilling next to it. We say down in the voluptuous couches and Jonathan passed the tray and the mead around to everyone. He was getting quite skilled at the fine movements with his telekinetic capabilities.
It was a few minutes of waiting and talking back and forth about things to watch out for and expect before a young page came in with a quill, a pad of paper and an inkwell. Ameiko had previously told us that she would handle telling the page our introductions so that nothing was messed up. She walked over to the page and whispered to him about each of us in turn. He dutifully wrote down everything that she said. I was being distracted by Savah's radiant beauty so I didn't catch what was being said. The page hurried off and we all went back to talking about our plans for the future.
Ameiko told us that she didn't want the glassworks to be idle, so she definitely wanted the person who we had hired to work there full time, but she didn't want to kick Savah and myself out, especially after we had done what we had for her and the town. Savah told her that we would be looking into making our own place up on the East bank of the Turandarok, just as soon as we finished off our back load and saved up the money, since I was being afforded the permission to build a school. Jonathan noted that he would be glad to help out in any way he could, since his fiancée and him ad just gotten full guild status, and thus would get more official business. Dame Rebekah and Chelger contributed that they were going to redo Foxglove Manor as a cathedral and sanctuary for travelers with a dual focus on Iomedae and Shelyn. Faunra said that she would probably be looking to make a tower and observatory somewhere and get some apprentices, at least not until after she learns the ability to mess around with time a bit more.
We all had a good laugh and we back to smaller talk. It was only a few more minutes until we were all shocked by the Lord-Mayor's bodyguard, Khonderian, popped out of the shadows to let us know that it was now our time to enter into the feast-hall. And just like that, he disappeared back into the shadows. Even Jonathan was taken aback by the sudden appearance of the Lord-Mayor's top bodyguard. We all got up and got ourselves squared away and headed to the main entrance.
As we got to the main banquet hall's entrance, we were stopped by the young page who had gotten our details stopped us and told us that we needed to enter two at a time. Everyone looked at each other and shrugged. Dame Rebekah and Chelger were the first to head through the door. We all heard a booming voice call out, "Dame Rebekah Destrier of Windsong Abbey, War-priestess of Iomedae and Brother Chelger Fespen of Sandpoint, Acolyte of Shelyn." I looked at everyone else and they looked a little apprehensive.
The young page motioned for Faunra and Shalelu to be the next pair to motioned to called out. The both moved forward, and went through the door. The booming voice called out, "Miss Faunra Felldoom of Lurkwood Forest, Champion of the Mystical Bow and Miss Shalelu Andosana of Crying Leaf, Goblin-Slayer of Varisia." The entire banquet hall had been quieted by the first announcement. Faunra and Shalelu went into the banquet hall with a certain grace that I was confident that I did not possess.
I looked to Ameiko, and she just smiled at me, before jumping in line and getting to the door next. She whispered back to us that she was certain we will do fine. The voice outside was silent for a second before starting up again, "Lady Ameiko Kaijitsu of Sandpoint, of the Magnimar and Sandpoint Kaijitsu family." Ameiko went into the banquet hall and I looked to Savah, Jonathan, and Shayliss. Shayliss looked a little more worried than I did, so I told her that I was certain that she would do just fine.
Shayliss looked a little be more self-assure and went up to the door to be summoned in with Jonathan. The young page motioned for the pair to come forward. I was kind of curious as to what they might have come up with for Jonathan and Shayliss. Jonathan and Shayliss entered the hallway together as the booming voice called out, "Esquire Jonathan the Hainted, Master of the Unseen Arts and Miss Shayliss Vinder of Sandpoint, proprietor of The Bolting Barghest." Jonathan was light on his feet, but he was using his half-elf form. He had done a good redo of what Corwin Icewolf had done with his Hat of Disguise.
All that were left were Savah and myself. It was at this point that I was a bit worried what they might use for my appellation. The young page motioned us forward and I looked to Savah, she smiled and nodded and we both walked forward. We saw another page just inside the door. He looked at us and let forth his call, "And finally, Master David Drake of Virginia, Technomancer and Inventor, and Miss Savah Bevaniky of Sandpoint, proprietor of the Sandpoint Armory. The Saviors of Sandpoint and guests of our Esteemed Lord-Mayor Haldmeer Grobaras." Huh, Technomancer and inventor? Never thought of myself as an inventor before.
Savah and I made our way into the banquet hall and headed to the table we were pointed to. Our group was broken up and split amongst the various tables. Jonathan and Shayliss were with a group not too far from where Savah and myself were seated. There were four other people at the table we were seated at: a pair of married nobles, Sheila Heidmarch and her husband Sir Canayven Heidmarch, both apparently members of an organizations called the Pathfinders, a rather severe man by the name of Lord Justice Bayl Argentine, and another noble who looked like she wanted to be anywhere but here, Savasha Versaede.
There was small polite conversation before the first course that consisted mainly of introductions and a brief talk about what all of my various title meant. Savasha asked where in the realms Virginia was, and I told her that it was so far away that I would never make it back. Sheila asked if I had ever thought of joining the Pathfinders, based on how far I must have travelled, and they might even know how to get me back there. I told her that I was comfortable here with Savah, and in Sandpoint. I added that I had found some people who could get me the things that I need, even though they are not the things that I was familiar with.
Course 1: and the Curse of the Pathfinder's ire
Canayven asked me who might have been the person that might have been able to get me those things. It was then that the first course arrived. It was a stew made from quarter of a stag that had been brined for a week with amaranth. The wait staff brought out a red wine that went well with it. We sorted out everyone getting some and started trying out the feast.
After a little bit, Sir Canayven asked again, since we were interrupted by the wait staff. I thanked him for reminding me, and told him that the only person that I had found that had the technological resources was a man by the name of Maiveer Sloan. Sir Canayven stiffened and asked me if he was the man from the Bronze House. I perked up and said that yes, yes he was. I added that he was extremely useful in getting ahold of the materials that I needed to make my technological items.
Sir Canayven bristled at that and asked me if I knew that he was a member of the Aspis Consortium. I looked confused to Savah and said that I didn't know what his organization was. I just dealt with him as a merchant and he had the supplies that I needed. I added that I didn't even really know what the "Aspis Consortium" was. Sir Canayven gruffly said that the Aspis Consortium apparently goes to ruins in the area, take the Thassilonian artifacts from them, and then sell them to interested parties.
I let Sir Canayven if there was some claim to ownership to those ruins that the Aspis Consortium was violating, and if those individuals had pressed claims against the members of the Aspis Consortium or the Consortium itself. Sir Canayven was a bit flustered and said that he had not heard of anything like that. Sheila, Savah, and Savasha were all silent as the back and forth between me and Sir Canayven continued. I tried to defuse the situation a bit by asking Sir Canayven if the Aspis Consortium was in conflict with their Pathfinder Organization.
Sir Canayven told me that the Pathfinder Society was dedicated to documenting and retrieving these artifacts from those Thassilonian ruins. I asked him what the society then did with the artifacts. He told me that they would go into the service of the Pathfinders to help them in their pursuits of finding more ruins. I asked him how the society got funding for their activities. He told me that members and others donate money and goods so that the explorations can go on. I thought for a minute and told Sir Canayven that it just seems like he was being pissed because the Aspis Consortium was more efficient in their business plan.
I apologized to him if I was being blunt, but that it seemed like the only difference between the two groups was that the Pathfinders liked to retain the items they found for themselves, while the Aspis Consortium sold the goods that they found to interested parties. Sir Canayven blurted out that the Consortium had participated in slavery. This infuriated me. I told Sir Canayven if this was true, I would break off any contact with them. I thanked him for providing a venue of inquiry, and that I would be looking into this first thing.
Sir Canayven seemed a bit more relaxed after that. Sheila asked if the items that I was getting from them were Thassilonian. I told her that I was certain that they were not, at least not as far as the Thassilonian ruins that I had been through had nothing in the way of higher technology. I added that I was told that they came from a place called Numeria. Sheila noted that there were no known Thassilonian ruins there. Savah noted that the items that I bought did not look magical at all. Savasha asked what the items that I bought did. I told them that all they did was story electrical energy.
An announcement was made at that point that the Lord-Mayor would now be accepting any host gifts that any members of the group had. I looked to Savah, and she nodded. I apologized to the table that we had to go deliver our host gifts, and Sheila and Savasha both bade us good luck. We got up and went over to where the rest of our group was and got out the assembled gifts. As the assembled group walked up to the Lord-Mayor's table, we brought the coffer.
Ameiko officially introduced us and we presented the gifts. The Lord-Mayor took the bottle of wine with a wink from Ameiko with thanks. Savah and I presented our book and light combination. The Lord-Mayor glanced at the book and Savah told him that he should read it and reflect on the current situation of the city. Dame Rebekah and Chelger presented their Pegasus bookmark, to the Lord-Mayor's approval. Jonathan and Shayliss presented their gift, which I had not even known about, but was a specially designed meal that the Lord-Mayor had never tasted before. Finally, Faunra and Shalelu provided their gift, the coffer and whispered the command word to him. He said the word and the roof of the banquet hall exploded in silver and blue fireworks.
Course 2: Electric Boogaloo
The Lord-Mayor loved the sum of the gifts and thanked us greatly, sending us back to our tables. We all went back to our tables just in time for the second course to be delivered. The second course consisted of an enormous pie on each table, which had a silvered crust. The pie contained a stuffing made of minced loin of veal, hardboiled eggs, saffron, and cloves. It was served with a very nice apple melomel that went well with it.
The table seemed to really enjoy it, so the conversation was a bit stilted. The Lord Justice was the first one to break the silence. The Lord Justice asked if it was true that I had been deputized by the Sheriff of Sandpoint. Savah spoke for me, because my mouth was full of minced meat at the time. Savah told him that I had participated in the saving of Sandpoint from the Goblin attack at the Swallowtail Festival. The Lord Justice noted that simply stopping one raid. Savah noted that we were deputized to investigate the attack because there was a further raid planned and then we needed to investigate a series of murders that were being perpetuated by an undead ghoul cult that was killing the good people of Sandpoint.
The Lord Justice asked if this was related to why we were all invited as special guests. I responded that investigating the threat brought us here to Magnimar, and that we worked with the Magnimar justice system to rout out some dangerous elements in the city. The Lord Justice nodded somberly and thanked us for that, and that he had not been made aware of who exactly it was that had performed the deed, and was glad to know now. Savasha asked Savah how it was that we had met if I was so far away. Savah told her that she had first seen me wandering the day of the festival, looking like a wonderstruck rube. She noted that I looked kind of cute, but a bit soft, until she saw me take out a goblin with my weapon. Savasha giggled a bit at that.
Course 3: Revenge of the Pith
The next course arrived just in the nick of time to save me any further embarrassment. It consisted of salmon cooked in parsley and vinegar and coated with powdered ginger, with cold spiced vegetables in wine with a honey sauce. The drink was a dry honeyed wine, like Chaucer's back home. Sheila and Sir Canayven both took their portions, and the Lord Justice took his. Lady Savasha took a small amount and I looked to Savah. She kind of shrugged and indicated that we should both take some. I was kind of annoyed that we had taken the opportunity to eat as much as we did before the event, but Ameiko had told us that if we look like we are ravenous, it will showcase us poorly.
We continued our meal, and I asked Sheila if she could tell me a bit more about the Pathfinders, as I had heard precious little about them before this day, and would like to know more about them, if the organization would still consider me as an applicable member. Sheila was a bit confused by this, and asked why I would consider joining the Pathfinders if I was could get what I needed with the Aspis Consortium. I told her that slavery was something that I took very seriously, and the accusation of that was enough for me to suspend my business until I learn the truth, and that in the case that it was true, I would want to reach out to those who would seek to spread information around, not just keep it in their custody.
Sheila said that the purpose of the Pathfinders was to discover and document the history of the world and pass this along to the society as a whole, for the information to be collected and disseminated to the public. I asked her who decided what information should be released and which should be kept secret. Sheila noted that she had never heard of any information being kept back from someone requesting it, but that only the most interesting or useful bits were published. I asked if this was mainly due to the time it took to copy books, and she said that even with magic, it took a while for someone to copy a book, just to pass it along.
I asked Sheila what it took to join the society, and she told me that usually a person just applies and is given a test, then they are trained for three years before they are given the chance to undertake a mission to confirm their status. She added that sometimes, when an unaffiliated individual makes such a great discovery that it cannot be expressed how much it advances the knowledge of the history of the world, they are offered field commissions and full member status immediately. I looked to Savah and she kind of shrugged, but in a positive manner, and I told Sheila and Sir Canayven that they should drop by the Kaijitsu Villa some time tomorrow, because I might have some information that would be useful to them.
Sheila asked if this was in regards to what I traded with the Aspis Consortium, and I told her that it was only remotely related, but that would best be explained when they could be present. Sheila said that she could accept that and that they would try to come calling at some time respectable tomorrow. I thanked them for their time in advance, and hoped to diminish any bad blood between us with the information. The Lord Justice spoke up and asked if the information was obtained during the investigation. I told him that it was, and that a copy of it had already been presented to the Sheriff of Sandpoint, the Mayor of Sandpoint, and the Lord-Mayor of Magnimar. The Lord Justice asked if he could be briefed on the relevant information, and I asked him if he would be available to drop by the villa, or if we would have to go to the Pediment building to catch up with him. The Lord Justice noted that he would send a page in the morning with the best scenario.
The event got a bit better at this point, as Master Leis came by and congratulated us for the host gift. He told us that he had never seen the Lord-Mayor squeal with delight for such a simple enchantment. I got up and asked if everyone here knew Master Leis Nivlandis. The only person who was not as well acquainted with him was Savasha, who exchanged deep glances with him. He told us that he didn't have time to stay, as he had to get back to his table before the next course, but that he was very hopeful for the future of my new school.
I thanked him again for his backing and he said that he would try to catch up with us before we went back to Sandpoint. Sheila asked what kind of school I was opening up. Savah told her that I had been authorized by the Lord-Mayor to open up a technomancy school in Sandpoint, one that was far enough away so as to not ruffle the feathers of the existing magical schools, but close enough to be available to those who might be interested. Sheila asked what my technomancy could do, and the Lord Justice told her that he had seen my vehicle first hand, and how it could go faster than a horse without obvious enchantment. Sheila said that she would like to see something like that, and I told her that Savah could give them a firsthand look at the bikes when they dropped by tomorrow.
Course 4: Live free or Eat Hard
Just then, the staff came in to clear out the course that was in front of us and deliver the next course. I whispered to the wait staff to ask how many courses that there would be. The waiter told me that there would be four more, including this one. I balked a bit, but thanked him for the information. Savasha whispered over to us that most people would excuse themselves to relieve themselves midway through the feast, so as to not upset the Lord-Mayor's generosity. I asked if it was frequent that the Lord-Mayor was this wasteful. Savasha said that he had the remainder of any course taken to the indigents of the Underbridge, and that it was mainly for show that he had so many courses. The course was of fat capons stuffed with sweet potatoes drenched in a rose and orange glaze. It came steamed asparagus spears in an orange sauce and with a dry white wine to offset the sweetness.
Sir Canayven asked if the vehicles were the only result of the technomancy. Savah spoke up and told him about the Jacuzzi that I had made for her, and how relaxing baths were now. Savasha perked up for that and asked if we did commissions for such things. Savah shrewdly said that it could be worked in, but that we already had orders for more of the bikes and after that was the Lord-Mayor's defense force's new weapons. The Lord Justice raised an eyebrow at that, and I explained that they were designed to subdue the people rather than just kill. He nodded and went back to his chicken.
Course 5: And the Order of the Cooked Gooses
We finished our meal just in time for the next course to be delivered. It was a series of gooses, coated in egg yolks, sprinkled with spices, and served with wafers coated with a kind of ginger syrup. It was served with a kind of white wine that took away the harshness of the ginger. It then that the Lord-Mayor rose from his table to recognize the Saviors of Sandpoint for all of the good deeds that they had done for both the town of Sandpoint and the City of Magnimar. He gave a very abbreviated record of the conflicts that we overcame, and the dangers that we protected the town and the city from, including the destruction of the Scarecrow golem of Underbridge and how we stopped an assassination attempt on his life. Everyone at the banquet was applauding us as we rose to receive it. When the applause ended, we sat down again.
It was then that I felt a firm hand on my shoulder. It was Khonderian. He told me that the Lord-Mayor had something that he would like to discuss with the both of us. I looked at Savah, and we both stood up. I apologized for us having to leave, and Khonderian said that we wouldn't be too long. Sheila and Savasha both wished us luck, and Khonderian took us out of the main hall to a side room. He stood there for a second before asking me what I meant by bringing that to this event. I asked what he meant and he asked to see the weapon that I had brought with me. Savah looked at me as I pulled my pistol and handed it to him handle first. Khonderian took a look at it and asked why I had brought it with me. Savah was just looking at me with shock. I told Khonderian that we had been jumped by several people in this city since we got here, even to the extent of being attacked on the steps of the Pediment building. I added that I was just trying to be cautious and make sure that I could keep people safe, even when I didn't have armor. Khonderian nodded and asked if I had any negative inclinations towards the Lord-Mayor. I was shocked and told him that I definitely did not, and that I'd likely strike out at someone who was attacking the Lord-Mayor if I was in his vicinity, should he be attacked.
Khonderian watched me like he was studying my very being to judge the veracity of my statement before he nodded and said that he could understand that. He cautioned me that I should have told him about it before I came in. I told him that I could understand that, but that if I did, he probably would have removed the weapon from me and then we would have been undefended if an event came to pass that I needed to defend Savah, myself, my friends, or even the Lord-Mayor. Khonderian nodded and I continued with telling him that I can respect the duties of a bodyguard, as I had pulled that job a couple of times before back where I was from.
Khonderian told me that he wouldn't cause a scene this time, but that I shouldn't bring a weapon to event like this in the future. I nodded and thanked him as he escorted us to the Lord Mayor. Savah looked at me and gave me a soft slap on my arm. I apologized to her and she told me that she could understand that I wanted to keep everyone safe, but that I should have told her that I was planning to have a weapon on me, and that she could have helped me hide it a bit better. I thanked her and we walked to join the rest of our group.
Khonderian took us to a side room where the Lord-Mayor was just returning to after relieving himself. The Lord-Mayor thanked us again heartily and presented us with some sacks of gold. He told us that Magnimar was grateful that we had disposed of such evil elements in its midst and that the city might call on us again, should the need be great. I looked to everyone else and then turned back to the Lord-Mayor, thanking him for his generosity. The Lord-Mayor excused us and bade us return to the feast. Khonderian and some other aides escorted us back to our tables.
Course 6: You Only Eat Twice
When we arrived, we noticed that the next course had been put out, consisting of plums that had been stewed in violet water and apple snow, both served hot. The course came with an excellent desert wine. I guessed that the dinner would be coming to a close soon. Savah seemed to enjoy the apple snow, where I didn't particular like either of them too much. Good to know for the future. Shortly after the course was set out, Toth Bhreacher came over to our table and politely asked if he could ask a few questions of us.
Toth had apparently done some research into us and had heard about the armor material that we had "discovered". He wanted to know what could be done with it, and I told him that it was almost as flexible as any other fabric in its original form, but when combined, with the other required materials, it became almost as hard as Adamantite. He asked about some of the other properties and we told him about the chemical and heat resistance properties that the material had. He finally asked how soon we could make more, for his sampling. Savah told him that we had ongoing operations and that we needed to see how far the back order was before we could get back to him with a quote and a sample. Toth nodded and said that he would check back in with us after we got back to Sandpoint and got situated.
The Lord Justice asked us about this material, and I told him that we were already outfitting the Sandpoint Guards with new armor made of this material, and would also be looking to do the same to anyone who volunteers to do a tour of service in the Sandpoint Guard. At a huge discount, Savah added, finishing my thought for me. The Lord Justice asked if there had been any volunteers from Magnimar, and Savah told him that there had been some holy warriors from the church of Iomedae who were responding to a call for aid to remove the ghoul menace from the areas around Sandpoint. Sir Canayven asked if we were looking to make this armor for anyone else, and Savah said that we took commissions on a case by case basis, especially with the backload that we currently have. He nodded and we all went back to eating in pleasant silence.
As I looked around, eating some apple snow, I noticed that the others of the group were all having their conversations with various nobles and other heads of society. I think that I saw Dame Rebekah and Chelger were having a conversation with Proctor Jyronn Imikar. Jonathan and Shayliss were having a conversation with Ayamyra. I swear that Ayamyra saw me looking in their general direction and winked at me surreptitiously. I started to enjoy a break in the conversations, either with my table mates or the people who would come up to ask questions, where I could just enjoy being next to Savah in a setting like this for a few minutes.
Course 7: Desserts of Future Past
Of course it couldn't last long. The final course came out, and it consisted of a sweet cottage cheese fritters with butternut squash jam and boysenberry preserves. A gastrique of fig with a touch of molasses was a drizzle over the top, and it was served with a dry mead to balance it off. Savah and the rest of the table seemed to be falling into their carb coma from all of the sugars and breads that they were eating. Maybe my former modern American dietary habits that are high in carb are keeping me from passing out. Who knows?
We all finished off what we could from our final course and the Lord-Mayor called an announcement. He thanked everyone for coming to this gala, and said that he wished us all well this, the last night of Lamashan. Lord-Mayor Grobaras concluded his statement by saying that he was grateful for having such fine and noble people in this city and that there were people who he could count on to keep this burgeoning city and its vassal towns safe. Lord-Mayor Grobaras then noted that it was time for the dancing and that the hall would be cleared by his servants. The Lord-Mayor retired while the servants rushed around to remove plates, bowls, and chalices from the tables before starting to remove the tables. Other nobles followed suit, leaving my fellow party members, our significant others, Ameiko and Master Leis still in the room.
Jonathan looked to me questioningly and I nodded. He asked the head servant where the tables went, and the head servant told him that they were stacking them up on the sides of the room. Jonathan then warned them that he would be moving the tables for them, and focused his powers on moving everything heavy for the servants. The servants were a little spooked at first, but then I guess that they noticed that there was no real danger, just a lack of having to put forth the effort to move everything, and they seemed like they were in a much better mood. It wasn't too long before Jonathan had done the work of dozens of servants in moving the furniture. We checked with the head servant and he claimed that everything was where it needed to be, and went off to check on the musicians and took the rest of the servants with them.
That left just our group, Ameiko, and Master Leis left in the great hall. Master Leis looked to us and asked us how long we thought we might need before we pursued the next portion of our epic quest. I looked a bit confused and looked to the rest of the group. They were all looking around with the same confused glances. Master Leis snapped us out of with a continuation of his previous comment, sarcastically asking if we really thought that this would be the end of what had been started. Before any of us could answer, Master Leis told us that we would be called upon again to look into grave matters, and for that reason we should do what we can to prepare ourselves. He told us that he couldn't say exactly when it would be that we would be called forth again, but that he wouldn't be surprised if it would be after the Night of the Pale before the Lord-Mayor comes calling with a request for us to investigate something.
Before we could say anything else, the Lord-Mayor himself came back in with the head servant and was impressed with how much was done so quickly. He commended the servants for rising to the occasion, and Ameiko noted to him that they must have been stirred into action by their concern about how the life of the Lord-Mayor himself was protected. The Lord-Mayor puffed up, smiled to himself, and agreed with Ameiko's assessment. Without much fanfare, he summoned the musicians in to get ready to start performing, and went back to his chambers. The musicians floundered to get into place much earlier than they had expected. I asked everyone how their conversations had gone for the first part of this night.
Dame Rebekah and Chelger noted that they had basically had a somewhat polite, but terse conversation with Commander Ismeir Odinburge and Proctor Jyronn Imikar. Commander Odinburge was talking about the trials and tribulations of being in charge of the defense of such a small, backwoods town like Sandpoint while Dame Rebekah and Chelger both tried to stick up for the townsfolk there. Proctor Jyronn Imikar tried not to take sides in the matter, only indicating that they were attempting to do their best with the resources that they had. Commander Odinburge noted that not having a sufficient defensive wall would bite the town in the ass eventually. Dame Rebekah agreed with the Commander, and asked if Magnimar would help support the building of the defenses of its vassal town and Commander Odinburge went silent. I told Dame Rebekah and Chelger that they had done a great service to Sandpoint in defending the town in this manner.
Jonathan and Shayliss noted that they had been seated with Aymara and a noblewoman by the name of Madame Remeka Abantiir. Apparently the noblewoman was upset that she was denied a family home by an ancestor who had turned it into a brothel, and now she feels forced to run it. Aymara tried to console the woman in that she could continue to amass power in the way of secrets and favors from the nobles that might partake of their services for when she can make her move. The discussion included Jonathan and Shayliss when the subject of Calistrian vengeance came up and he was asked whether it was better to get vengeance quickly or to wait. Jonathan told us that Shayliss had pointed out that taking action against someone that was not the offending party wouldn't be vengeance, and that many things can be said in jest or even thoughtlessness. Shayliss pointed out that Jonathan added that those who you might consider blocking you from your goals might actually be willing to help you achieve them if given the full knowledge of the situation. I told the both of them that this was great advice, in my mind anyway, and that they had done exceptionally well in my mind.
It was Faunra and Shalelu's turn next. They had been seated with Doctor Ernst Landis, an esteemed scholar of Varisian history, Luma Derexhi, a half-elf druid that resides in the city and is an illegitimate child of a noble, and Lady Verrine Caiteil, executive moderator of the Council of Ushers. Faunra told us that Lady Verrine had grilled the tow of them about the conditions in the areas around Sandpoint, and to a lesser extent, what everyone in the party's allegiances are. Doctor Ernst Landis seemed very intrigued by the revelations of the ancient past that Faunra could provide, while Shalelu and Luma hit it off quite well, as lovers of the forest and all things natural. I told them both that they did fine and no matter what, I was certain that they told the truth and that we shouldn't really worry about that.
The rest of the group was looking to me, and before I could say anything, Savah casually declared that had I managed to piss off the Pathfinders, insult the Lord Justice, and ignore a social climber noble woman all at the same time. Ameiko asked if that was everything. Savah thought for a minute, and added that I had admitted to engaging in business practices with slavers to their mortal enemies, and snuck a weapon into the gala after warning the Lord-Mayor's Bodyguard about possible assassination attempts, without telling anyone else. Everyone looked at me like I had grown a third head. I sputtered before Savah laughed and said that I had fixed most of it by the end of the meals. Ameiko asked what group I was working with. I spoke up and told her that I had bought something that I needed from the Aspis Consortium, something that what I purchased wasn't a Thassilonian relic, but seemed to be much further advanced technology than was even available back where I had come from. Ameiko noted that yes, they were slavers and that I should stay away from them. Savah noted that I had sworn to not deal with them anymore.
It was about that time that people started meandering back in. I guessed that Ameiko's update will have to wait. As the people filtered in, Sir Canayven and Sheila Heidmarch both came up to Savah and me and Sir Canayven apologized to me immediately. He added that he didn't know that I literally was from so far away that I had never heard of the Pathfinders or the Aspis Consortium. I told him that he didn't need to apologize, that I would have looked more into the company that I got the supplies from but had not had the time to do so yet, as I've been in Varisia for all of about six weeks, and figuring out my survival was what was coming first. I added that since I had developed some manner of safety net, I could afford the time to look into the reputations of the people that did business with.
Sheila spoke up and noted that they felt the same way and that was why they were willing to work with me now, having checked in with other people who knew me and determined that my heart was in the right place. I thanked them both and they looked to Savah and told her that they would be in touch to see if they could get on the waiting list for the armor, for Sir Canayven of course. Savah winked at me and said that they should drop by Sandpoint for Crystalhue, and that we could all talk about it after the ceremony. Sheila noted that they would try to make it, and the Heidmarchs went off to dance.
The group looked to Savah and she simply said that if I got to invite people, then she certainly did to. We laughed a bit before all taking our places in the group of people who were dancing. I told Savah that I did not know any of the dances that would be likely done here, and she got Ameiko to give me a quick run thru of the most common ones. Nothing like I knew from back home, but maybe something that I saw in that one movie, without nearly as much jumping about. When Ameiko was convinced that I wouldn't embarrass Savah, she turned me back over to her and went off to find her own partner.
Savah and I danced for a good time until I was informed that the rest of the group were ready to head out. We all made our way off the dance floor and over to Valanni Krinst, to check to make sure that it wouldn't be an issue for us leaving. Valanni noted that we had been her for almost all of the evening, and by this time, the Lord-Mayor was into his own revelries, and other party members were heading home as well. Valanni said that he would take us to go say our good nights to the Lord-Mayor and he would escort us out.
We walked through the crowd, escorted deftly by Valanni, to where the Lord-Mayor was casually chatting with several youngish Noble women. Valanni moved over and whispered in the Lord-Mayor's ear. The Lord-Mayor perked up out of his somewhat drunken stupor to wish us well and to thank us again for all we had done for this city and for him in particular. We thanked him again for inviting us to this lavish event. Valanni and Khonderian escorted us to where our carpet had been stored, but it was missing. Valanni apologized profusely for the theft of our magic carpet, and swore that it would be found and returned to us. Jonathan thanked him for his vow, but said that it was a plain canvas that was temporarily enchanted for the trip that we had taken, and would only be a normal, exceptionally light canvas for anyone else who tries to use it. Valanni thanked us for understanding and asked us to keep quiet about it. Ameiko assured him that we would, and we started walking back to the Kaijitsu Townhouse.
When we got back to the manor, we all retired to our individual rooms and spending the rest of our nights how we each desired. Savah chewed me out for a bit before pulling out a pair of daggers from some secretive places on her own person. She started to chastise me about how she can protect herself, but stopped and said that she realized that I was only trying to keep everyone safe. We got changed and retired to bed. It was a tiring day, and I'm glad that I got most of the information in in spurts throughout the day. Before fell asleep, Veronica told me that she had finished what she could on the batteries and was working on the alternator. I mentally congratulated her and asked her to look into making whatever she wanted to help her out in the future days of her own crafting. Veronica acknowledged the command and continued her work.