[Taocow PBEM] Chapter IX - The King Of The River

[Aaron Clausen]

> > [GM]
> > As the company eats, they see two people in thick fur coats
> > walk in. They're hooded, so their faces cannot be seen, but one
> > of them stares at the company for an uncomfortably long time,
> > his green eyes oddly visible beneath the shadows of the hood.
> > The other speaks to one of the waitresses for a long time, before
> > Max takes notice and begins walking towards them.  The one
> > cloaked figure quickly disengages from the girl, though the
> > company notices that a gloved hand lingers on her arm for a
> > moment longer before they leave.  Max seems satisfied and
> > walks away, but the girl has a peculiar look on her face and she
> > lets the empty tray in her hand fall aside and she walks towards
> > the kitchen at a brisk but almost mechanical pace.
> > [/GM]

> As soon as Ted notices the two hooded travelers, he telepathically
> asks Bongo to monitor their conversation and then press for
> updates every few minutes.
> [/Ted]

[ Bongo]
Bongo nods to Ted as he chews with some delight on the roast beef.
[/Bongo]

> [Sia]
> Sialillion eats the hearty potatoes and gravy appreciatively, though
> she pushes the roast beef to the side.  "No matter how many
> times I explain to Max that I'm vegetarian, he always serves the
> meat just the same.  I think he hopes that some day I'll come
> around."  She smiles and takes small sips of her ale as she
> speaks.
>
> "Anyhow.  The king has informed me of your aim to travel to
> Rath-Iren and slay the Reaver.  An ambitious goal to say the least,
> though not one without merit.  The king fears whatever power may
> still lurk there, and that it may threaten the kingdom."  At this,
> however,  Sialillion gives a sly and conspiratorial smile to the
> group.  "I, on the other hand, am more interested in seeing for
> myself what ancient mysteries you may uncover.  But I will do my
> duty just the same."
>
> At this, Sialillion takes a small draw of ale, and her eyes follow the
> cloaked men over her glass.  She is suspicious, but just the same
> trusts that one would have to be a fool to do something rash under
> Max's watchful eye, and also she is interested in seeing the
> group's capabilities should something come of the suspicious
> activity.  She  watches the situation unfolding, but says nothing of
> it.  She continues in a somewhat more casual, almost aloof and
> bratty air.
>
> "The king has asked me to accompany you on your journey and
> report back on what you find, and of course to protect the
> kingdom, blah blah, etcetera.  His view is a bit shortsighted, if you
> ask me,  considering the magnitude of the forces at work here.
> Should K'murd-faka really want to destroy a minor kingdom such
> as this, it would be as a child blowing away a sandcastle."  She
> seems amused at the idea.   "But I digress... as Major Pournelle
> mentioned, I have convinced the king to provide you with a jetboat
> which will speed our passage along  the riverways southwards.  I
> also have something that you might not have- a map of the
> riverways leading to Rath-Iren, from some of our ancient archives.
> It should lead us there directly."  She looks at each member of the
> group, gauging their reaction.
>
> "In return, all I ask is that you allow me to accompany your group.
> Nothing more."  Another small sip of her ale.  "Now, I, for one am
> sincerely curious, what draws you travelers towards so dangerous
> a  destination?  Do you truly believe yourselves equal to the task
> of  slaying a greater demon?"
> [/Sia]

> [Ted]
> Ted chuckles. "Look around, Sia. Do we look sane enough NOT
> to?"
> [/Ted]

> [Sia]
> Sialillion smiles bemusedly, but says nothing.
> [/Sia]

[Amanda]
Amanda breaks a small smile, but looks at Sia with a little distrust.
[/Amanda]

[Osiris]
"Equals or not," Osiris says, "it is at least my duty to do it, or to
die trying.  I have not travelled through such distances in space and
time to give up because a king thinks it foolhardy."
[/Osiris]

> [Talas]
> Talas making direct eye contact with Sia asks, in Elvin "My Lady
> Sialillion, how great of a concern are those two men?"
>
> Then switching back into English, but that of the English Isles and
> not the American of North America, says in a flat deadpan tone,
> "Do I think I we can destroy a greater Daemon? I am Talas
> Leaf-Blade, a 'Daemon Queller' even if I fall the beast shall fall
> with me. For this is the destiny of all Daemon Queller." Talas
> takes a sip of his ale and then in a much more upbeat tone states
> "Besides I can not die on this quest. I still need to go back to
> Ireland to get my horse." Talas then gives a hearty laugh.
> [/Talas]

[Osiris]
"That's the spirit!" Osiris laughs.  "Same old Alister!"
[/Osiris]

> [Alex]
> "You guys are bad company, it appears that we can never stay in
> a place  for more than a single day." Alex stated. Mostly, she is
> amused but there is just a bit of an edge to it.
>
> The ranger puts her hand to her head, "It is not your fault but life
> seems to have become pretty insane over the last few days. To be
> honest, I don't have a clue on how to deal with demons except to
> shoot it and hope it dies."
> [/Alex]

[Bongo]
Bongo smiles.  "One of my trainers once told me 'You can kill anything
providing you've got enough bullets'.  I suppose we'll see if that's
true.  I just hope I can get one more night in a proper bed before
this is all said and done."
[/Bongo]

> [Carlos]
> Carlos says out loud, not in any particular direction, Merely
> accompanying the group is small payment for such services. No
> one offers much with little to gain."
> [/Carlos]

> [Sia]
> "On the contrary," Sialillion retorts directly to Carlos, "so far I
> believe I've gathered, correct me if I'm wrong, that there are at
> least two Coalition soldiers, a cyberknight, a demon queller, and a
> technowizard among your party.  I'm unsure as to the rest of you,"
> she says looking towards the remaining members of the party,
> "but that kind of protection alone is worth a great deal."
> [/Sia]

[Bongo]
"We'll soon find out." Bongo replies.  "I'm re-armored, and I don't
intend on biting the bullet yet."

Bongo turns to Sia.  "We have a map, and some co-ordinates.  I think
they point to the area that the locals call the Southlands.  Still,
it's from before the Apocalypse, and I imagine things have changed a
bit since then."
[/Bongo]

> [Sia]
> Sialillion keeps her eyes on the serving girl at the end of the hall.
> She murmurs quickly to Talas in Elven, barely moving her lips,
> "They are not familiar to me.  That alone might be reason enough
> to be concerned, in this land."  Then, with a look of intense
> concentration, she sings an urgent but beautifully lilting melody in
> what sounds like Elven for a couple seconds, though no distinct
> words can be made out.
> [/Sia]

> [Alister]
> Alister smiles thinly and says "Demons, demigods,
> inter-dimentional beings, all part of saving our world. I've faced
> many menace before, and all have either fallen or fled. How much
> worse can a greater demon be?"
> [/Alister]

> [Sia]
> Sialillion murmurs to herself in Elven, "As I thought," following the
> strange bit of song.  She turns towards Alister and responds in
> American, "You are quite sure of yourself, Technowizard.  Perhaps
> you'd be interested to know that the wench behind you is under
> the influence of a domination spell, likely perpetrated by the two
> cloaked men who took such a keen interest in us earlier.  Or does
> your bravado make you immune to vibroknives to the ribs and
> similar subterfuge?" Then to the rest of the group, with quiet
> intensity, "Everyone be on your guard."
> [/Sia]

[Bongo]
Then Bongo drops his voice.  "I tried to spy on those two strangers
words.  It's a crowded room, so pretty tough, but it sounds to me like
they were asking if any strangers had checked in, and when the girl
wouldn't answer, one of them started speaking in some gutteral
language that I don't think I've ever heard.  Then she seemed more
than willing to answer, though she didn't know much."
[/Bongo]

[GM]
Despite this troubling incident, the rest of the evening goes on
without incident.  The waitress isn't seen again, however, and Max's
bright smile betrays a bit of concern.

As the meal is finished, Max comes up to the company.  "You're more
than welcome to stay here and enjoy the next show." he says.  "I've
got your rooms prepared.  When you've got yourselves set up, I have a
thing or two I'd like to talk to you about."
[/GM]

-- 
Aaron Clausen   mightymartianca at gmail.com