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City Intrigue with a Wizard |
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4/3 - Arrived in Brigantium a little before noon. Early to bed tonight.
After we had time to freshen up, Uncle called us in to meet our new
comrade, whose name is longer than he is, being a halfling with the
ambitious cognomen of Xenophon. He assures us that he is tall for his
people, but the effect of his standing next to Sir Otto is most amusing;
and Alfredus has declared himself pleased to no longer be the shortest
among us.
Uncle also gave us a pressing assignment. He has been contacted by
someone who somehow (and don't we want to know how!) knew he had obtained a
book from the ancient library containing a very advanced theory of magical
nexii, including a mathematical formula for locating them. Unfortunately, if an error creeps
into your calculations, you can spend a great deal of time and money
obtaining a piece of real estate which is, in reality, several miles west
of the site you want. To be certain you have the correct location, a
particular device is necessary. We found none in the ruins, and one of the
things Uncle was planning to do in Brigantium was obtain the wherewithal to
build one; but it seems this will not be necessary. The stranger who
contacted Uncle claims to already own not one, but two of these devices,
one of which he will gladly trade to Uncle for a copy of the theoretical
work. However, he is very secretive about his identity, and insisted on
Uncle's representatives meeting his representatives in the trade market
this evening, not in order to make the exchange, but in order to agree on a
time and place to make the exchange. We were to have no tokens of
recognition at all, and he was to recognize us because one of us would wear
a red toga.
This all being very odd, we decided to divide the party. I of course
would go, with Sir Otto as obvious protection and Decimus in case a more
technical head were needed. Alfredus, Robyn, and Xenophon strolled
unobtrusively about the market, keeping an eye on us. Tamara is the only
one of us who owns a red toga, so she would fill that role. (Decimus
actually suggested that I borrow it! I sometimes think men are born
color-blind. Or perhaps he was merely teasing. If so, Alfredus has
avenged me, for he purchased a tunic for Decimus in the market, and had an
archery target embroidered on it. But we must not be hard on D, since he
has spent every bit of his bonus money making potions and distributing them
among us. He makes me feel myself to be quite stingy.)
In time, we were approached by a youngster much afflicted in the
complexion, whose master should reduce his diet of fried meats and increase
his intake of vegetables in proportion. Sir Otto detected no evil intent.
Under the guise of attempting to sell us a length of cloth, he asked us to
name a place of exchange. I suggested one of the public spaces of the
temple near our hostelry, and he agreed that a prayer nave off of the main
sanctuary would be acceptable. It should also preclude treachery on the
spot, for no one, surely, is wicked enough to offer violence in a holy
place. The time will be half an hour before dawn. He then departed,
followed at some distance by Robyn and Xenophon.
Robyn returned some little time ago, to report that the lad had been
joined by a man - or, more probably, a man-ogre half-breed - taller even
than Sir Otto, and they had proceeded into a respectable middle-class inn.
Xenophon has rented a room, and Robyn, after reporting, has returned to
keep an eye on the place from outside.
While waiting outside, Robyn observed a man watching the inn from across
the street. After a time he was relieved by another, but several hours
after dark their vigil ended uneventfully, and Robyn returned to our own
lodgings for a few hours rest before once again taking up his post outside
the inn where Xenophon slept. Early the next morning, a trio including the
youngster from the previous afternoon, and the large halfbreed, left the
inn en route to our scheduled rendezvous, followed surreptitiously by Robyn
and Xenophon. Robyn spotted two men apparently following him, and took
advantage of the early morning crowds to circle around behind them. At
this point, two things became clear: the men Robyn had spotted were not
following him and Xenophon, but the trio our party was to meet; and the two
men were not working together, only one of them even aware of the other's
presence.
4/4 - The exchange went well enough. Sir Otto, Tamara, Decimus, and I were
at the church early, leaving Alfredus outside in case anything untoward
happened. Shortly after we arrived in the prayer nave, Xenophon came in,
passing close enough to us to inform us, sotto voce, that "they" had all
drunk potions before entering. (Sofia doesn't know it, but these were
alter self potions.) However, when the boy, the half-ogre, and the
middle-aged man accompanying them approached us, Sir Otto again detected no
evil intent. When I asked permission to cast a Zone of Truth spell, to
ensure fair dealing, the middle-aged man, who was clearly the leader and
presumably the mysterious mage himself, agreed on condition that we
restrict all questions to the authenticity of the trade. This was
disappointing, but perhaps he has legitimate reasons, with which we would
agree if we knew them, for concealing his identity so pertinaciously.
Items and assurances were exchanged, and the good examined to everyone's
satisfaction. Decimus had a list of criteria from Uncle, and all were met.
Both sides declaring themselves satisfied, we went our ways - Robyn,
Xenophon, and Primus all following the mage, for it would be much, much
safer for Uncle if we could determine who he was doing business with.
Decimus requested that I give him the parcel, since he has spell
permitting him to fly, and in the event that we were assaulted and our
assailants seemed about to take the device, he could, as a last resort, fly
with it to Uncle. I agreed that this was prudent. I walked ahead between
Tamara and Sir Otto, looking the proper target, and Alfredus and Decimus
walked behind.
We were about four blocks from our destination when two large men with
accents so extremely barbaric that I could scarcely understand them stepped
in front of us and demanded the package. One of them went so far as to
point his sword at my chest! I warned him that his behavior was doubly
dangerous, as he risked offending both an earthly Senator and Our Heavenly
Progenitor; but he laughed coarsely and declared that "such things did not
matter where he came from." At his signal, six other ruffians, all armed
with crossbows, stepped out of the alleys around us. The small number of
people who had shared with the street with us had all melted away, and I
confess I was momentarily nervous, since we were six to their eight and
they wore armor whereas all of us, out of respect for the Church, did not.
At that point, however, Tamara stepped back, whipped out a crossbow I had
not even been aware she was carrying from under her cloak, and shot the man
fair through his impudent gullet. Sir Otto smote his companion, Decimus
color sprayed two of the ruffians, and Alfredus charged two more of them
with such a terrifying aspect that one of them turned and fled. (It is
wonderful how frightening a man of his stature can appear when he sets his
mind to it.) I called Orus's blessing down upon us amid a hail of bolts.
Sir Otto staggered, gravely wounded; but fortunately I had not been so
trusting as to leave my new wand at home, and he did not fall. After a
flurry of violence, our assailants realized that righteousness would
prevail, and the survivors attempted to flee. Alfredus and I bound those
Decimus had rendered unconscious while Sir Otto, Decimus, and Tamara
pursued the companion of the one who had accosted me, and forced his
surrender.
We bore our prisoners back to the inn, then sent one of the servants to
inform the vigiles of the brawl so that they could take away those we had
felled for proper burial. On our way, Decimus was informed, through
Primus, that the mage and his party had been similarly ambushed, but by a
smaller group of people. However, we were soon informed that all was well,
and that Robyn and Xenophon were on their way back to report. As it
transpires, Robyn was the hero of the hour, for he had spotted someone else
following the mage -- one of the two that had tailed the trio to the temple
-- and kept him in view. When the ambush occurred, this person stepped
into an alley and produced a large crossbow, already cocked and ready to
fire into the unfortunate mage's back. Just as the mage was being informed
that he was covered by a crossbowman in case he attempted any spells, Robyn
fired, dropping the villain like a stone. In his own quiet way, he seems
immensely satisfied by this success, which enabled the mage and his staff
to take the offensive against their assailants and drive them off handily.
He and Xenophon were handsomely rewarded by the mage, as heroic passersby,
but no mention was made of their connection to Uncle.
However, we learned of this later. We deposited our prisoners in a small
room, where they could reflect upon their position and pray Orus's mercy
while we breakfasted. I was quite famished - breakfast should always
precede business, in my opinion! After breakfast, we brought them out and
I explained the situation - that I was going to cast Prevarication's
Bounty, that in the past Uncle had been generous to prisoners who
cooperated, etc. Meantime Alfredus made great play with bringing up a
branding iron from the stable, and I am given to understand that, when I
asked the first question, the reason the leader of the prisoners lost his
mulish expression and began answering more or less politely was, that
Tamara stood behind me smiling and tapping the iron against her hand.
Whatever his reasons, he was sufficiently forthcoming that I have
recommended mercy to Uncle, though whether he will follow my recommendation
remains to be seen. They came from the far North, hoping for fame and
glory, and found their skills insufficiently remarkable among the scores of
other, similar hopefuls crowding the streets of the empire. When their
fortunes were at a low ebb, they heard of "a job" to be done, applied for
it, and got it. Their employer is a clean-shaven equestrian with a
patrician accent, black hair, and green eyes, of middle height and weight.
He paid 50 solidii per person up front, to be followed by 50 on delivery.
The rendezvous was a barge down at the docks, which he could not describe
more particularly.
I sent Decimus to Uncle to report and inquire if he had any more
questions. Under cover of healing some of the prisoner's wounds, I took
the liberty of casting Detect Thoughts, and continued the conversation in a
more casual way, the better to determine whether he was being evasive on
any points. Though I did not recognize his mental image of his employer, I
did recognize the person who took him to the employer - Marius, the
kidnapper we believe to have been in the employ of V! The green-eyed
equestrian also bore a certain resemblance to Robyn and Gaius, so I believe
it likely he has a touch of elven blood. There should be no difficulty in
tracking such a one down.
The prisoners have breakfasted and been shut up again to reflect some
more. Tamara and Robyn have gone forth to learn more about our equestrian.
Decimus was all for taking the barge, but Uncle vetoed the idea as too
dangerous. Brief though it was, our encounter strained our resources and
drained Decimus and me both of most of our spells.
Uncle is also anxious for us to set off for the nexus he believes his
calculations have discovered. He will not tell us where it is until we
actually set out, but he mentions wilderness. How does one wear one's hair
in wilderness? How does one take meals? Where does one - never mind, I
will learn shortly, and must thank Orus for the chance to be useful and to
be part of this journey of discovery. Meanwhile, we have preparations to
make; and I have recommended to Uncle that he question those of his
servants who might have learned about the contents of his book, in the
confines of a Zone of Truth, in order to find out if anyone has been
indiscreet. It can only be one of a very few trusted people, and the
thought that one of them may have behaved so is painful to him; but I
cannot help hoping one will prove guilty; for, if they are innocent, some
subtle and powerful magic is being used to spy on him. I do not like to
think that my dear uncle has an enemy as powerful as himself.
Last Updated:
Saturday, 26-Apr-2003 21:26:03 CDT
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