The Misadventures of the Missed Adventurers

[narf poit chez BOOM]

ooc:[update. just in case you don't know. as narp is acting the part of the humble bodyguard, he wouldn't get greeted or announced by name, which is what he wants. narp's thinking like a solder and partly like a scholar and so the first thing, it seems to him, is that what he should get is information...which is sometimes better got by being ignored.]

the doors are opened and the three enter the great hall. a herald annouces "a party from a land unkown, consisting of the wizard D with apprentice and bodygaurd, to see Lord Baron Roger William Peixes IV of Lago and his Master Wizard of Lago"

in the hall are four tables, arranged with one at the end on a dais and two lower down stretching along the hall and a rough one, probably for the use of servants, near what are probably the kitchen doors. there are a few men-at-arms at the lower ends of the lower tables, but not of course, at the servants table. behind the table on the dais, which is the finest, is presumably the lord, who is showing a touch of age and has a moustache and a small beard. his is wearing fine, but practical clothing and his gaze shows a sound mind behind it. sitting to one side is the wizard. he wears fine robes with no runes or symbols on them. the wizard leans over and mumers something in the lords ear the leans back.

ooc:[the wizards clothing may or may not be important. i just threw it in there. the wizard just gave him a breifing on our illusion, and other stuff i'm leaving up to you - since he's a master wizard, probably more than that. i'm basing this of off what i know of medieval customs, as a bodygaurd who's not noble - as he's not and as he's been trying to appear - he would be officialy ignored for the most part. it doesn't neccasarily say anything about the lord, just the culture. in addition, if we're invited to sit down, narp will as a bodyguard, have to stand behind the wizard. D will go somewhere on the high table and jack will go on one of the two lower tables. jack probably wouldn't have gotten noticed except as an apprentice, but you've already introduced him. that's what i remember of medieval customs anyway, which i might not all remember right.]

[ June 24, 2003, 08:45: Message edited by: narf poit chez BOOM ]

[Jack Simth]

ooc:[Which would also mean D is going to be doing all the talking to the various personages, Narp can listen in and taste all the food D eats, but is stuck at the Lord's table, forbidden to speak unless specifically addressed; that leaves Jack for quietly talking to the servants - not that any outside speech would be permitted while the Baron is in a public conversation.]

Baron "You may approach."

D walks towards the dias, with Jack and Narp following two steps behind, off to the right and left.

Baron "What brings thee to our domain, Wizard?"

D "We are but humble travelers, who wish to pay our respects to Your Lordship."

Baron "To where dost thou travel, and from whence dost thee come?"

ooc:[Narf - you can have D field this one.]

ooc:[We get to make up our own mideval customs, as they varied from generation to generation and land to land, and even (to some extent) court to court.]

[ June 24, 2003, 09:29: Message edited by: Jack Simth ]

[narf poit chez BOOM]

ooc:[true. looks like jack's going to be fishing for information while narp's feet get flat...something my feet are in danger of.]

D "I am lately come from the city of pitaza and was headed to the north country, for i had heard things of interest, when i was caught up in those most unfortunate disturbances. i was surveying these new changes when i spotted thy magnificent domain."

ooc:[well, i already used one actual food name - a dirivative can't be to bad.]

the lord looks pleased at the flattery - unless you look at his eyes, which, while not unfriendly, show a realization that flatering words do not a freind make.

lordship "since thee hast traveled so far, perhaps thou wilt partake of my hospitality?"

with a gesture, plates are placed for the travelers, one first at the higher tables, one at the lower tables and one offered at Narp's left elbow so as not to impede his sword arm - although nobody would bring up that reason. D sits, jack sits, and narp stands, with his plate, which he puts in his right hand, because in case of trouble it's easier to drop it and go for his sword, behind D, who has been placed opposite his lordship.

after enough time for D to eat some of his food,
lordship "now, we can talk more comfortably. i have a bandit problem and for some reason scrying is not working well. i would be gratefull if you could help."

ooc:[guess Narp will have to get D to dismiss him sometime, or no chatter. the baron may still suspect us, after all, if someone is blocking his wizards scrying, that someone could be Jack or D.]

[ June 24, 2003, 09:45: Message edited by: narf poit chez BOOM ]

[Jack Simth]

Meanwhile, down at the lower table, Jack tastes his food once, then sets it down because it's burned too badly for his liking, while the rest is almost raw.
ooc:[Historical note: long ago, the ovens used to cook things didn't do so evenly, especially for things that couldn't be turned or stirred, such as bread. Thus, bread coming out of a mideval kitchen would be burned on the bottom, hard and overcooked in the middle, and just perfect on top. The guests (and sometimes the head of the household: the Baron) would get the perfect portion from the top (D), family would get the middle portion, and the servants would be left with the burnt portion (Jack and Narp). The servants were left with anything the guests and family wouldn't want to eat.]
Deciding he would prefer some of his bland conjoured rations to the burned meal, Jack decides to engage the servants in conversation. Unfortunately, he can't get a word in edgewise - the table is just overflowing with gossip, which Jack listens in on.

"How long do you think it will be until the Baron has solved the bandit problem?"
"Not long; he can't afford to let it go on much longer."
"Yeah, I heard that even the well-gaurded tax carts get ambushed; the Barony is running off of the treasury."
"That can't Last long."
"No it can't - and what happens when the treasury runs out?"
"Then we will have to seek employment elsewhere."
"But we already work for the kindest baron in thirty leagues!"
"I know, I know. These bandits are just far too orginized and well equiped."
"You'd almost think they had support from somewhere."
"They even ambush peasants! Just Last week, my uncle was robbed on his way to visit me. They took all six of his coppers, and stole his coat!"
The rest of the gossip is just variations on the same plus the standard castle variety: who is thinking of marrying whom, which members of the court are the most demanding, how people's crops are doing, that kind of thing.

By the end of the meal, Jack still hasn't gotten a word in edgewise, but he has learned a few things.

ooc:[That should cover just about anything Narp would have wanted to ask the servants that they would actually answer anyway.]

ooc:[We will get a chance to compare notes overnight; apprentices and bodygaurds are always assigned to the same room as their masters; the apprentice to do the master's bidding, the bodygaurd to gaurd against nighttime assasins.]

ooc:[The court mage would be very worried about D; the report from the sergant would indicate that it was Jack (the apprentice) who humbled the gaurds (stole the bolt and released Kendric). If that is what the apprentice can do, what about the master? We may have a nighttime visitor.]

[ June 24, 2003, 21:28: Message edited by: Jack Simth ]

[narf poit chez BOOM]

ooc:[my brain is being squashed flat by my new empire, so no new Posts now. lets see what i can get my brain to come up with.]

D "i would be glad to help. what is it that seems to be the problem?"

wizard "well..." and D and the wizard are soon chatting about scrying interference and exchanging all sorts of magical terms.

narp eats the stuff on his plate, listens, watches, notices that jack isn't eating his food and resolves to tell him that if he's going to act like an apprentice, it's best not to be picky about food. makes you stand out. besides, he thinks, if you don't breath through your nose, some of it's not bad.

after the meal, there shown to there room, which contains a bed and two cots, one near the door and an adjoining bathroom with bath. then the servant who showed them to there room leaves.

narp taps his ear.

ooc:[are we being listened to? some of that...ugh.]

[ June 26, 2003, 06:40: Message edited by: narf poit chez BOOM ]

[Jack Simth]

Jack yawns and stretches, incidentally covering his mouth with his arm
Jack "No eavsdropping spells, but we are subject to a scrying spell. Fortunately, scrying isn't very compatible with magic detection; you always end up detecting nothing but your scrying spell."
Jack bends over, stretching his back, and incidentally causing his robes to cover his face.
Jack "There, I've put illusions of ourselves over ourselves, so if you'll make us, but not the illusions invisible, D?"

Just as D does so, Jack summons his ration; then everyone has the peculiar sensation of seeing themselves wander off from where they are to get ready for bed.

ooc:[So now everyone's invisible, and there are illusions of us preparing for bed.]

Jack slowly eats his ration between talking; not that anyone can see, as it is invisible too....

Jack "We should be able to talk freely now."

The party catches up on what they learned during dinner, and Narp informs Jack not to be so picky.

Jack "I suppose next time I'll teleport it out; only the wizard will know I'm not eating at the table. He will know I can teleport stuff already anyway, if he got the report from the sergant." Jack laughs briefly "He'll probably even know why."

Jack "So, D - how far do the Baron and Wizard want our help to extend?"

In another section of the castle, the Master Wizard of Lago frowns while staring at a fuzzy image in a small crystal ball.

Wizard "That's odd ... the lower edge of the covers aren't rising, even though they are starting to crawl under them. Ah, I get it, they are covering against scying. Clever; I was almost fooled. That D is good; but not good enough. I'm just going to have to do this in person."
The wizard then begins the trek to the other side of the manor.
ooc:[If he was one of the top 100 wizards in the empire, he wouldn't be working for a Baron; he would be either independant, a major guild player (if one exists on this plane), or working for a Duke, at least; he will likely have a fairly small set of spells that he can get a lot of milage out of. So far, we have had him use scrying, invisibility and enchantment (in the sergant's amulet), perhaps others.]

[ June 26, 2003, 08:31: Message edited by: Jack Simth ]

[Krsqk]

[ooc: irrelevant now]

[ July 05, 2003, 00:24: Message edited by: Krsqk ]