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--- resources:adventure:the_invisible_sun [2016/05/28 22:56]
seb [Consequences]
+++ resources:adventure:the_invisible_sun [2016/05/29 11:32]
seb [ACT THREE: IN WHICH THEY SEEK OUT THE REPREHSENSIBLE MALEFACTORS RESPONSIBLE AND ENSURE JUSTICE IS SERVED]
@@ Line 129: / Line 129: @@
 And then…no more traps. In the chamber beyond lies a ritual circle – and in the centre, Gerbera’s limp and lifeless body next to his glowing sceptre. Emily strides into the circle to touch the sceptre, causing Karlos to scream at the very idiocy of it, hanging on to her as she drags him into the circle with her strength. Paradai disarms her when she picks up the staff, and in a frenzy Karlos shatters it, and shatters it, and shatters it again.
+====EPILOGUE: IN WHICH A CORPSE IS EXCHANGED FOR MONEY====
+The party spend some time in Gerbera's hidden chamber, shaking it down for anything shiny and valuable. AMoMM makes to make off with a large cache of potions, which causes some serious coughing fits from Paradai, Rafe and Emily. "Ahhh......waste not, want not?" AMoMM intones, with an attempt at gravelly charm. The faces staring at him do not shift. Sighing, he hands out healing potions (which are useless to him) and pockets the rest.
+Meanwhile, Karlos is dealing with a severe case of stomach ache. The skulls are constantly berating him for his  hasty act of consumption, and worse, seem to be actively gnawing at his stomach trying to escape. With fortified consumption fading fast, he raids the cupboard around the room for the necessary components - salt, sugar, vinegar and coffee, which he divides into bowls. He comingles his blood with each of these components, and, tasting each of them in turn, he rips of his shirt and daubs his distended stomach with a circle of each of the preparations, trying to place these approximately where each of the skulls should be.
+Now the ritual proper begins. He takes two mana crystals, and crushes them into the four bloodied bowls. First, he laps the salt up. One of the circles burns white hot on his stomach as the prideful skull groans and starts to melt. Next, he takes the bloodied vinegar, and laps that up. The second circle glows, and the sorrowful skull wails and starts to dissolve. Then, he takes the bloodied sugar and necks it, activating the third circle, which sends the happiness skull into a fit of nervous laughter. Finally, he chokes down the bloodied coffee, and the love skull chunters and sighs with regret, as it too, begins to fade.
+Last of all, Karlos holds his fully-charged implement aloft, and taps the mana sealed within, feeling its power course over him as his stomach flesh leaps and distends wildly, like a pot of water on a roaring boil. It seems the skulls are making a last-ditch effort to escape. Gradually, though, Karlos brings them under control, and the circles on his body fade. There is a final muffled cry of what sounds like 'you are the worst person I've ever known' and then, silence.
+Whilst Karlos recovers, the rest of the party set out to loot Gerberopolis for everything it's worth. Karlos stays a while to grab a couple of tasty-looking tomes which pertain to the rite of manipulation as practiced in Strossberg, as well as pocketing a sheaf of documents concerned with the prisoners Gerbera stole in the first place. Karlos is careful to separate the file belonging to the informant 'Selena' who he failed to extract last time he was on the island. He then joins the party for some more looting.
+Nearly a full day elapses while the crew turn the island over for everything it's worth, and they make camp at night in the eerily-deserted campsite of Gerbera's former 'followers', who are nowhere to be seen. Though the survivalists of the group are able to find only mediocre firewood, the fire they set roars as though it was three times the size, filling the camp with light and warmth and comfort. The party sleep well.
+The next day, they return to Acryn via Outset, and head first to Ghita to let them know that the deed has been done and Gerbera eliminated. She thanks them on a job well done, and the ghost of a smile crosses her lips, causing one of the attendant mages to gasp with disbelief. The party are all very gracious, that is, until a silence takes the room and Ghita makes for them to leave. "We though there would be...payment?" one of them pipes up. Ghita acts puzzled, and says that she thought that serving the interests of the city - and earning her respect - would be its own reward. Emily insults Ghita and a scene almost develops, before the others intervene and start to placate her.
+A wry smile crosses Karlos' face. Here are the papers Gerbera stole...but his body is our property, technically. If you want it, what will you pay us each?'. Rafe coughs, and says '50 riel ought to do it'. '15 riel? Fine.' says Ghita. 'No, 50 riel', Rafe insists. Another scene almost develops, but feathers are once again unruffled, and the party depart with extra pay.
+Before they leave, Ghita calls out to Leon. 'I'm glad that your deplorable streak of ruining everything you do in the most absurd way seems to have come to an end. I hope for your sake that it stays that way.'
+Next up, the party head to the Decor town house. Here, Maranda and Cosmo are in attendance, as well as Galbadia, who Karlos and Leon recognise, plus one other, who turns out to be Figaro. The family thank the party for what they've done for Cosmo, and for the Beacon. It turns out Maranda didn't have the disposable purse to pay the party 50r each, but the rest of the family have all chipped in to make sure that they get paid properly. Leon asks to stay behind, and the Decors are more than happy to comply. The others, perhaps feeling excluded from the game of nobility, decide to leave.
+Here, Leon announces that he has a proposal to make. Maranda swoons. It's so sudden, and so fast, but - yes! She accepts. Leon has to awkwardly explain that ah, no, that's not the sort of proposal - but when he looks up to see the rest of the family (minus Maranda) smiling and chuckling, he knows that it will be alright. No, the proposal he has in mind is a *business* proposal. The Decors have a profitable shipping operation, might not the protection of the Darrish family fleet serve to increase the Decor family's profits - and the Darrish family's profits at the same time? Galbadia immediately hands over a document with some terms which Leon provisionally agrees to (somewhat unfortunately, without even looking at) - and the families agree to speak later. You are speaking on behalf of house Darrish, I assume? Galbadia asks, sweetly. Leon nods and mentions that he thinks he'll definitely be able to sort something out, in a mostly-convincing fashion.
+Paradai has headed off to report back to his handler. He's successfully accomplished his mission - keep The Phoenix out of trouble, and has done his best to restore her to full operational capacity. The handler is pleased. More work will be...forthcoming. Paradai also asks if they'll consider adding another member to their roster....and introduces Emily. "Do you vouch for her?" the handler asks. Paradai nods. "Very well. We'll see what you are capable of."
+Karlos also heads off to report to his True Council contact - the White Duke. Having bungled his previous attempt to extract Selena, he reports that he has her file here, and has taken steps to ensure that she is 'off the books' of the list of prisoners the Watch and Ghita are set to recapture (at least, for now) - which should give them time to extract her. The White Duke is pleased well enough with the attempts of Sir Farblade, and supposes that it sometimes doesn't matter how long a job takes...so long as it gets done, right, in the end. Karlos is introduced to the chamberlain to pay his fee (10%, which amounts to 6r) and is told that further work will be forthcoming.
+Rafe invites the watch unit under Captain Salamandra to train at his school, which should be an academy shortly - to teach them anti-wizard measures. Not to be outdone, Leon also puts out an offer to train in 'convict handling', given some of the displays today. Step 1: do not idly throw grenades at unarmed prisoners...
+AMoMM pens a letter to Jimmy Hoskins thanking him immensely for the help he offered getting him out of jail, free - and makes a broad general offer of help to Mr Hoskins. Eventually, he gets a brief meeting with Jimmy. Jimmy stresses that AMoMM can help in three ways. 1) Exercising Discretion. 2) Identifying Opportunities for Benefit. 3) Executing on those aforementioned opportunities. "For example," Jimmy says, "I hear word that today you came into contact with several items pertaining to the god called the Beacon. One of these items belonged to The Phoenix, who happens to run a gang which is harmful to the security and prosperity of Acryn, and also a business rival of mine. So, can you see any opportunities there?" AMoMM thinks on this. "Ahhh.....yesss. I know where the items are now. The torch is with...Ghita. The worry balls...with Cosmo Decor. The amulet....with the Phoenix. The coat...." (here he chuckles darkly) "The coat is with Emily Anara."
+Leon meets with Olivia Darrish to propose a trading deal with the Decor family. Olivia is...cool, at best. She stresses that any such venture would reflect on the Darrish family name, and only someone trustworthy, reliable and resourceful could be put in charge of such a project. Leon asserts that he is such a person. Olivia makes no reaction. She simply states that she would also hold such a person personally responsible for any failure - and would have to take the appropriate action to correct such a threat to the family. Leon nods. Incidentally, Olivia asks idly...what age is Maranda Decor these days?
+Leon is dismissed. Though, before he leaves the estate, he receives something baffling and entirely out of the ordinary - an invite to dinner on the estate. My, he hasn't had one of those in a while. Several members of the house look daggers at him, and his entreaties to pass the sauce often fall on deaf ears, but - he has a seat at the table, nonetheless.
+Karlos spends the next couple of weeks studying the tomes that he filched from Gerbera's library. Very interesting. Very interesting indeed. To declaim...to announce one's intent upon the world, and force it to comply. Oh, oh, oh. There's so very much that could be done with this. Maybe Gerbera wasn't quite so wrong after all...
@@ Line 134: / Line 173: @@
 To follow...
-{{tag>"the invisible sun" karlos_farblade leon_darrish man_of_many_means rafe_white emily_anara paradai the_beacon gerbera_unnuttum ghita_darrish maranda_decor figaro_decor cosmo_decor eudaimonia_gunderson galbadia_decor adventure}}
+{{tag>"the invisible sun" karlos_farblade leon_darrish man_of_many_means rafe_white emily_anara paradai the_beacon gerbera_unnuttum ghita_darrish house_decor eudaimonia_gunderson galbadia_decor adventure}}

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