The Misadventures of the Missed Adventurers

[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 ]

[Jack Simth]

ooc:[nevermind]

[ June 27, 2003, 06:36: Message edited by: Jack Simth ]

[narf poit chez BOOM]

ooc:[i meant to say west. and now everybodies heading west. fixed. it depends on wether or not he's ambitious. maybe he likes it here. um, looks like i blew the consistancy. should we go back to heading east down the mountain?]

they talk a bit more, then D says "someone approaches. it is the wizard."

narp "he's probably detected the illusions. lets stay invisible and see what he says."

a few moments later, the wizard strides into the room. with a sweeping glance, he takes in the entire room. then, he looks striaght at jack. "if your an apprentice, your the most talented one i've seen in a long time. why not simply say your an advanced journeyman?" then, looking at narp "and i suspect you are not just a humble bodygaurd." then, looking at D "your the biggest enigma of all."

"so, why don't we drop this charade and focus on three things. do you have an agenda? do you know anything about the weather magic at the top of eagles peak? and do you know anything about the bandits?"

ooc:[he's using a spell to see through illusions. i've decided that the reason he thinks D is an enigma is because D has some illusions he can't see through. now, i made him sound more hostile than he is because he's worried and hoping he'll startle us into the truth - if we have been lying. and i should have brought up the wether magic thing sooner, but if we make it so that only he and the baron know and they havn't told anybody so as not to raise a fuss, it fits. only one sp error and nothing to change. good. i normally have 5-8 things.]

[ June 27, 2003, 05:45: Message edited by: narf poit chez BOOM ]

[Krsqk]

[ooc: thanks for the help. I don't mean to highlight inconsistencies; but my brain is fried after this week, and I couldn't resolve it. ]

After a lengthy visual inspection of the summit, Arthur settles on a specific site as the most likely spot for his home's remains. A brief "localisez la magie" creates a dozen or so gold lines which seek around a bit before detaching themselves from Arthur and planting themselves in the turf. After an "entfernen der Schmutz" at the site of each marker, two rings, a cloak, and a medium-sized ball are shoved in a cloth bag and stowed in Arthur's robes. The remaining holes are hastily filled, and with a final "Cachez-les," Arthur turns his back on his former home.

Arthur "Where would those three go? Most likely, the town and the road would attract their interest. That should have them winding up at the manor in Lago with that meddling wizard. I'd best head that way. Créez le vortex." A swirling funnel again appears, taking the mage toward the distant manor. "Localisez la vie forte." Signs of life are detected in the direction of the town and the manor house, and deep in the forest. Slightly delayed, but unusually strong, a response is sensed from under the hills north of the Baron's residence. Arthur continues his journey toward the manor into the night.

[narf poit chez BOOM]

ooc:[sounds like the wizard of no name has been blocking arthur's weather manipulations...this has the sounds of a pc villian. well, that was a good one to highlight.]

[ June 27, 2003, 06:23: Message edited by: narf poit chez BOOM ]

[Jack Simth]

ooc:[I believe I have already established Jack's position on secrecy when Jack and Narp were talking about Jack's home plane. That pretty much means he is going to answer reflexively....]

Before anyone can stop him, Jack speaks up.
Jack "Because I'm not a journyman; I haven't passed the exams for that yet, and I'm can't take them for another...."

At that moment, D finishes casting silence on Jack.

Jack "..."
Jack "..."
Jack "..."
Jack "?"

Jack, just realizing that he can't be heard, sits down and begins working away at D's spell.

D "Four years. I'm sorry I stopped him, but he does have a tendancy to ramble on."

Just then, having finished untangling the spell, Jack speaks.

Jack "Hey, that was fun!"

D "Not that it Lasts long; I've trained him well."

[narf poit chez BOOM]

wizard "well. what do you know about weather magic?"

D "i aviod it, generally. and i know of no wizard working weather magic nearby."

narp stands in the corner, thinking.

ooc:[couldn't think what else to post. all set for a confrontation here. based on what krsqk posted, he knows someone is messing with the weather. krsqk, could you ooc the extant of your contact with the wizard?]

[ June 27, 2003, 07:16: Message edited by: narf poit chez BOOM ]