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"He gave us some scroll to give you," Cleo says to the man, grimacing at the overwhelming aroma that is filling her sense. She nudges Geral, before adding, "hurry up and hand it over."

Geral nods and pulls out the scroll, handing it over to the man.
"He sent us with this. We have not looked inside it, to preserve your privacy. If that is all, then our job is complete I believe and we may be going."
He smiles to the man and bows slightly, turning to move toward the door, making a face to the rest of the group, hoping they realize they should go before he has time to order anything else of them just to be on the safe side.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. Hold up," Cameryn interjects. "With the amount of trouble we've gone through to deliver that scroll, I wanna know what it says. And I'm sure I'm not the only one. We could have been killed delivering this! It's only fair."

"I'm agreeing with the elf, Geral," Eoli says, turning from his examination of a label on one of the crates. "There was much risk involved in getting here. I would like to know what this ever-so-important message is about, as well."

"Yeah! You can go out there and be boring and talk to the other boring mercenary guy, but I am curious to see what was so important that I had to make such a large detour." Cleo crosses her arms and turns back towards the warehouse man, impatiently awaiting his response.

Geral sighs and shakes his head. He was hoping to get out of here before they were put in more danger delivering the next one. And was also hoping to avoid stepping on a private matter. But he turns around, knowing they won't be leaving for a little while.

Tor'ac takes the scroll from Geral, drawing a dagger from his belt to break the seal. He opens the scroll and reads silently for a moment. "Ah that bastard, the Gods take him! He didn't fall for my trap," the merchant says walking over to another table, covered in small models. Tor'ac carefully moves a few pieces around. "Bah! That's frustrating. I was hoping he'd follow my cavalry's false retreat but he's backed off and tried to flank me. Now my forces are completely out of position," he says looking over the table, which on closer inspection appears to resemble a battlefield of some kind with the models representing formations of soldiers. "Hmmm... It's going to take me a while to plan my next move. But I suppose you want to be on your way," he says, turning back to the group. "How much did Sarab offer you? The normal 100 gold each?" He asks pulling out a coin purse and starting to count out 500 gold, which he then hands out to the group.

"I think it was 150 each, actually," Cleo says, quick to try to squeeze out as much gold as she can without it seemingly like an obvious lie. "He seemed particularly concerned with this scroll, enough to send so many people with it." She motions towards their decent-sized group.

Mechanics

[SHOW]

Bluff: 19

"Ah these are dangerous times I suppose," Tor'ac says, handing over an extra 50 gold to each member of the party.

Geral takes the money gratefully, rubbing the coin between his fingers. He lifts his old sword a bit, wondering if he shouldn't swap it out at some point... Then shakes his head, there's still some time left before it's voice gets too loud. After all, he hasn't been killing anything that would make it shout in his ear lately. The hyenas did set it off, but at least it wasn't too loud, he can withstand it for a little while longer.
"Well. I suppose staying was a good choice then. Thank you for the coin, now we'll be on our way."

"Thanks," Cleo says, before quickly leaving and making her way to the nearest temple in sight. I like this town, really gullible people. Hopefully the ones in the capital are just as easy to fool. I wonder what temples are here anyway?

The group leaves the warehouse unburdened with another scroll and finds themselves back in the market. Cleo makes her way to the temples and soon finds herself outside a temple to Et-namn. Consisting of a dome with four minarets, it is big for being inland.

"Oh," Cleo says quietly to herself as she approaches the temple and sees the many images of horses around. Et-namn, I guess. Of course there's one, there is always one. Well maybe they will be unique. She steps inside the temple and glances around, observing the interior and looking for anyone to talk to.

Shira'stasa steps along behind Cleo, her coinpurse a might bit heavier after being paid for their errand. "Quite strange men," she says aloud to her companion. "I couldn't discern if they were playing some sort of game via messenger or if they were actually commanders of troops," she admits.

"Who knows," Cleo responds to Shira'stasa while glancing around at the sights. "Kind of weird that is what we were being paid for, though. Not even a contract or something important?"

"Well, we shouldn't overthink it, I suppose. A sum of coin can go a long way on the trails," Shira'stasa says, dismissing the topic. She looks around for any priests or priestesses at the temple. "Perhaps there will be someone here that can give us some interesting history of these temples," she wonders aloud.

Geral steps out of the warehouse and watches the tenants leave, deciding to give them some time off from his... Brutishness, or at least perceived brutishness in his mind. He looks about the market, tapping the side of his pack absentmindedly, wondering what all he needed. After all, he was a mercenary, he could need any variety of random objects.

OOC

[SHOW]

Shops plez.

The inside of the temple is fairly impressive. A small entrance way opens up into a large room dominated by a large golden statue of a rearing horse in the centre. Smaller shrines are dotted around the edge of the room in alcoves. A few people are dotted around deep in prayer, but the temple appears to be mostly empty. "I may be able to help you with that," a voice says in reply to Shira. A young priestess steps out from a curtained alcove and smiles at the two tenants.

Geral

[SHOW]

Namelessjake wrote:A veritable smorgasbord of stalls and shops line the bank of the lake before giving way to a maze of riverboats and jetties.

There's a lot of stalls and shops, all of which are fairly specialised but you'd be able to find pretty much anything you want unless it was something rather rare or unusual.

Cleo bows to the priestess as she approaches, having great respect for the priest orders. "Uh, what can you tell us about this temple in particular? I've never been to Thesus before, so I was hoping I could learn a bit of its history." She continues to gaze around the chamber in awe. Temples are the best.

"I'd be happy to. The temple itself is actually relativity new, for a temple at least. It was constructed shortly after the eruption of Kresh Garuul, as more trade began to come from the North, due to the invasion of Kurnhuelde, and a larger temple was required to house the travelling merchants wishing to pray," the Priestess says before turning to look at the golden statue in the centre of the room. "The statue is probably the most interesting thing in the temple. It was commissioned by the original temple towards the end of the first era and is of Dwarvern creation. It is made of pure gold from the mines of Garrund and has two large rubies for eyes. The craftsmanship is quite impressive even up close."

Oh wow, a dwarven design. It's not often you see that, it must have been so expensive. Cleo gazes at the statue in awe for a few moments, temporarily fixated on its ruby eyes in particular. When she realizes that she is staring she clears her throat and returns her gaze towards the priestess.

"It is a marvelous statue, the dwarves are clearly as skilled as the reputation suggests. I've never actually seen something sculpted by them before, even the most ornate sculptures in the Great Library were made by Serran artisans."

She glances around the temple again for a brief moment before asking, "You wouldn't happen to have any tomes on Et-namn I could take, would you? I'd love to read more about her, but I won't be here for much longer to study her properly." Her face shows her disappointment as she contemplates ditching the others to stick around Thesus a little longer, but the idea of continuing on to the capital to see Sek-bas' temple pushes the thought aside.

Pure gold, Shira'stasa ponders to herself as she listens. This statue must be worth incredible value to somebody brave enough -- no, foolish enough -- to cleave off a chunk.

"It's quite beautiful," she says aloud to the priestess. "The statue is probably one of humanity's greatest offerings to the Gods above. I am curious though... Has anyone tried to loot from it before? The ruby eyes and the solid gold could entice some unfortunate soul, I figure."

"Here in Thesus we're downriver of Garrund so we have more contact with the dwarves than most of Serran. As far as I'm aware I don't think anyone has ever tried to steal it. I'm sure there are those which have thought about it though," the Priestess says, a disaproving look flashing across her face briefly at the idea of someone wanting to steal from the temple. "I'm sure I can find something for you, I'll go have a look," she replies to Cleo before leaving the Tenants and disappearing into an adjoining room.

With the tenants off doing their own thing, Cameryn remains in the market, scanning around for shops. With so many people in one place, the elf realizes that someone somewhere may have the potential to recognize him and force him back into slavery. No. Never again. The elf spots a stall selling disguises and walks over.

"This is so marvelous," Cleo says to Shira'stasa once the priestess is gone. "I wish I could gaze at it every day. The dwarven cities must be so beautiful if they can spare things like this for a place so unimportant in comparison." She says the last bit with no intended malice, though it would likely come across as such to any bystanders.

Geral walks about the market, viewing this stall and that as he finds some bits and pieces of equipment he feels he can use. He starts with a torch the owner claims will never die out, smiling slightly. It is good to have something that, although it does not burn as brightly, provides light. Sunrods should be used for combat, not for exploration. He does purchase a few sunrods as well, to replace the used ones. His stomach growls as he goes and he picks up some rations for the road, along with a waterskin for desert travel. He fingers the rest of his gold and smiles, tying it up in a bag and putting it on his belt, near his sword for safekeeping.
That done he starts for the docks, wanting to check on their traveling companion.

Mechanics

[SHOW]

Bought an everburning torch, four sunrods for combat situations, and forty travel rations. Total cost: 78 GP. Remaining GP: 72

Pocketing the gold, Eoli exits the building and heads back to the stand he was at before. "Good news, friend. My business finished earlier than I would have thought."

He browses for a moment before his eyes alight on a rippling, watery cloak. "Well, that would be quite useful in the desert. I've heard about them, but never had the chance to own one. I'll take it."

Walking off with his new purchase, Eoli wanders for a while longer, buying a few highly nutritious loaves of bread to top up his reserve. After a while, he gets tired of the market, and begins wandering towards the temples. Luckily, they aren't too hard to navigate towards, as the spires jut skyward quite visibly.

MECHANICS

[SHOW]

Bought:
Gray Rain Cloak
9 Journeybreads

I didn't keep track of how much things cost, but I have 87 gp left.

After a few moments, the Priestess returns to the Tenants and hands a book to Cleo. "Here, it doesn't go into too much detail but hopefully it will satisfy some of your curiosity," she says with a smile.

* * *

"Ah! What can I do for you today my friend?" The merchant asks as Cameryn comes near. "These dyes will let you change the colour of your hair to anything you want!" He continues, picking up a pot of a reddish mixture to show to Cameryn. "Or how about these ones for your skin," the man persists clearly eager to make a sale.

* * *

Stocked up on supplies, Geral makes his way to the docks. They're not hard to find and he arrives without incident, however the docks are almost as busy as the market. Ships are being unloaded and loading along the various docks which stretch far out into the lake and goods are being hauled to and from the quayside. The ships themselves are far from impressive in size. Built for traversing the river, most are simple barges sitting low in the water. Kanan will likely be hard to find.

"Thanks so much!" Cleo says excitedly as she is handed a book on the goddess. "I will be headed on a trip soon so I will read this on the boat." She glances at Shira'stasa for a moment before returning her gaze to the priestess. "In fact, I am actually in a bit of a hurry. Farewell! Perhaps we will meet again sometime."

With this she turns and begins to leave the temple, turning back for just a moment as she nears the exit to wave to the kind priestess. Once outside she makes her way towards the other temple in town, hoping she can find another book or two to add to her collection there. She was so nice, I want to be her friend.

"Whoa, whoa, hold up a bit. I just need something that I can use to look like someone else. Not permanently, just some of the time. Ya see, some people are likely trying to find me, and I don't particularly want to get found. So whaddya say? Can you help me out?" Cameryn smirks at the merchant, holding his bag of coins, jingling them to prove he can pay.

As he heads towards the temple, Eoli spots Cleo exit one of the temples. Catching up to her, he begins walking along, unsure of what else to do in the city. "Do you mind if I join you, Cleo? I've finished my visit to the market and Geral doesn't make very good company."

"Uh, sure," Cleo says, a bit surprised to see the orc and even more surprised that he wants to follow her around. "That was a temple to Et-namn, a neat place but kind of boring since basically every city has one," she says, walking along as she talks. "So I decided to go check out the other one. Do you know much about the gods?"

Eoli, Shira'stasa and Cleo soon find themselves outside an ornate archway bearing the image of a eagle, wings outstretched, across the top. The archway leads into a small courtyard with covered walkways around the edges. In the centre a large stone eagle forms the basis of a large water fountain. There are a few priests and worshippers dotted around the courtyard, however there appears to be another archway, on the opposite side of the courtyard, leading inside.

* * *

"Ah I see," the merchant says to Cameryn as he looks around his stall. "I've got just the thing for that. Here!" He says, pulling out a small bag from a crate. "This should do the trick, and it's a steal for just 30 gold pieces."

"Oh! This must be a temple of El-unod!" Cleo says as the two approach the eagle-themed courtyard. "He is one of my favorites," she says, curious to hear the orc's take as well.

Eoli looks up at the eagle stretched out above the arch, taking in the sight. "Hm. El-unod. Not my area of expertise, unfortunately. I know a small bit about all of the gods, but I'm more invested in Et-namn and Gan-holtra, personally, so that's where most of my knowledge lies." He shrugs, "Some have thought me a bit addled for placing so much faith in what is thought to be some massive creature, but she lends me aid, so I lend mine. I also know a fair bit about Asa-hari, but blame that on my upbringing," he shudders.

"Speaking of Et-namn, that was a temple dedicated to her that you just left, correct? I may need to pay a visit, if so," he says, frowning slightly.

Along the way, Shira'stasa keeps an eye out for any sort of altars or shrines to Am-ines. When Eoli joins them, she replies to his question. "Yes, we just left this city's temple to Et-namn. The priestess we met was very kind and lent Cleo a book, even." She looks curiously at the orc's slight frown. "Why, what task urges you to go there?"

Mechanics

[SHOW]

Perception for keen eyes to spot Am-ines' altar or shrine, should this city have one: 1d20+4=15
Religion check to recognize it: 1d20+13=33

"Uh, what exactly is it?" Cameryn utters, glaring at the merchant. "I'm not exactly keen on buying a mystery bag if I don't know what's in it. For all I know it could be a bag of sand, so I'm sure you wouldn't mind explaining what's in it."

Geral sighs as he looks about the docks, thinking to himself how wonderful it is that they decided to go meet their new friend and the boat he'd be getting... In the busiest place possible besides the market. Hopefully he can spot Kanan amongst the crowd.

Mechanics

[SHOW]

Perception check to attempt to find Kanan: 12(1d20) +1 = 13

"Nothing insidious or otherwise. I just value what she stands for." Eoli says in answer to Shira'stasa's questioning gaze. "I try to pay a visit to her temple in any city that has one."

With Cleo, Shira'stasa and Eoli standing around the entrance to the temple it isn't long before a Priest makes his way over to the group. "What do you want?" he asks bluntly. The man is almost a complete contrast to the young Priestess encountered earlier, his face is slightly wrinkled and his hair is greying, his robes are dirty and fraying and his doesn't appear to be in a particularly good mood.

* * *

"Some dyes for your hair and skin and some prosthetics. Applied correctly no one will have a clue it's you, I guarantee it," the Merchant replies to Cameryn, opening the bag slightly to show him some of its contents.

* * *

Geral scans the harbour looking for any sign of Kanan. The Mercenary manages to make out what he thinks is Kanan talking to a man by a small river barge, further out on the piers in the lake, currently being loaded with crates.

"Oh, hello sir," Cleo says as his words interrupt her staring at the surroundings. "I'm a scholar of the gods and I just figured I'd check out the temples in town while passing through. Is there anything you can tell me about this one?" She notices his tone of voice and facial expression pointing towards the man being in a bad mood, but her excitement at finding a temple dedicated to El-unod temporarily prevents her from getting short with the man in response.

Cameryn glances into the merchant's bag, taking record of what it holds. Well this will definitely come in handy if that bastard Akbal has any of his lackeys looking for me. He scowls at the thought of his former master, but he figures he shouldn't think too much of the evil man. Blocking out the thoughts, Cameryn says to the merchant, "Sounds good to me. I'll take it." The elf pulls out his coin pouch and hands 30 gold coins to the merchant. With a wry smile, he takes the bag and walks toward the docks.

With the docks possessing the same hustle and bustle as the markets, Cameryn scans the area in hopes of finding Kanan with a ship.

Mechanics

[SHOW]

Perception to find Kanan: 6(1d20) +14 = 20

"A good idea. We need the Pantheon to watch over us in our journey," she responds to the orc.

"Hmph," Shira'stasa grunts as the older priest bluntly interrupts them. He seems stressed out, annoyed, or possibly a combination of both. Wonder what he found in his boots this morning, she thinks to herself with a sly smile.

"If you're a scholar of the gods then you've probably seen a large number of temples. It's like all of those," the Priest says clearly not interested in explaining the history of the temple. "Although this one, is full of insufferable fools!" He adds, turning towards some of the other priests and raising his voice to the point of shouting by the end of the sentence.

* * *

Cameryn easily spots Kanan out on a pier by a river boat. The man is deep in conversation with what appears to be the captain, as other crewmen load the boat with crates. It isn't the fanciest vessel docked but it's by no means the worst.

"Hmph," Cleo exclaims, crossing her arms. "Well if you're going to be like that then maybe I will go talk to them instead," she says, before walking off towards the group of other priests without giving the man a chance to respond. How rude! They shouldn't let such ornery people be priests.

Geral moves through the crowd of people as he heads towards what he thinks is Kanan, eventually breaking free from the crowds as he steps out on the pier and calls out to the man.
"Hey Kanan, have we got a ride?"

"We do indeed," Kanan says nodding in greeting as he sees Geral. "This is Ral Meynolds, captain of the Tranquillity," he says gesturing to the man he had been talking to. The man acknowledges Geral before heading back onto the boat where he begins barking orders at the crew. "They're taking a shipment of Nisosian spices down river to the capital. And now us too."

Confused as to why the first priest they meet in this temple is so irritable, Eoli wonders what exactly the man means by insufferable fools. "Most would consider this bad patronage, dear priest." he says, somewhat sarcastically. "What is the issue, that you find yourself needing to treat visitors of this place with such an attitude?"

Geral nods to the captain before he goes, turning back to Kanan.
"Well, that is a bit of luck then isn't it? I didn't think we'd get a ship with so many people here at the docks. Does he require pay for us to board or is this something out of the kindness of his heart?"