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Old 03-29-2021, 01:05 PM   #71
Stomoxys
 
Join Date: Jun 2020
Default Day 196 since leaving The Homeland

Nuur-Karif had been strangely occupied with Azura since I suggested they might know something about Ashtar's sibling, clearly putting more stock in my theory about star power than myself. Trudging all the way back to the far side of The Cities of the Prince, for no good reason was not very appealing, so I asked Odon what they thought of my theory. Since Odon's sibling are undying, they had all the time in the world and did not need to use large amounts of energy, but could take more subtle approaches. The resulting discussion was a bit confusing and I believe Odon did not quite understand it themselves. By becoming undying, Odon and their siblings could no longer commune with the gods. Because those that worship a god affects were and how a god interacts with the world, this was a restraint. Gods can also be several places at once and be different gods at different places to different worshipers, even giving them new aspects if sufficiently many worsipers served and worshiped in a particular way. Odon suspected that their siblings had found some way to worship Ashtar without serving and had used it to bind an aspect of Ashtar to them. How they did it was a mystery, though. Their siblings in the land of the dead had access to many spirits, but very few gods would be affected by spirits. Then again, Ashtar is a god of death.

I wondered if their could be any information about this in the ruined city. Odon did not think that there was much directly related, but there should be information on how the demons were created. They were quite vague, but they hinted that the inhabitants in the city, or at least some of them, had tried to become demons and this was the reason the city was ruined. Perhaps this was were the demons were created. Odon compared what their siblings were trying to do to what the inhabitants of the city had tried. By gaining more power, they wanted to be transformed into different beings. It all sounded very ape like.

Odon wanted to leave and be with Nyra, but I managed to get in a last question about the ditches. They can be used by creatures with magical connections to restore themselves. This sounded very useful, but when Wolfram asked how to make one, they only said it should be obvious and left. I will try to investigate before we leave.

After Odon left we discussed what to do. Since it now seemed Azura was unlikely to know much about Ashtar's sibling, Nuur-Karif was less set on going to them. Instead, they proposed we could send a letter to Pakk and Gromann and wait for them in Byblos. While hiding in a basement in Byblos did not sound very appealing, it should be possible to get supplies there. According to Nuur-Karif and Yana, the coldest months are approaching and there could even be snow up in the mountains. We do not know how high up the city is located, but Odon seemed to think it was quite high, so I will need thick clothing. There should also be many Ashtarite temples in Byblos. My companions wanted to retire for the night, but before Grogg could prick themselves with the needle, I asked if I could examine the stone Kra had brought. It was still glowing and felt the same as last time. I also gently probed it, but could only determine that it was magical. A more thorough examination would have to wait until we were out of the demon corrupted area.

This night, I decided to observe the sky to the north. I wish I could somehow establish communication with Krull and while I have no idea how I could do that, the stars above the Night Mirror seems a good place to start. Brushing the worst ash off a rock, I sat down and opened my mind to the northern stars.

Someone shook my shoulder and Paulon were standing right in front of me when I opened my eyes. They did not say anything, but simply walked off with their two followers. I must have been in a trance again, because several hours had passed and I was sure I had experienced a powerful vision. I could not recall any of it though. Looking up at the sky, a sign was shining brightly over the Night Mirror. I had seen it before at various locations far to the north, but not noticed anything special about it until now. Trying to open my mind again, I got impressions of war, aggression and biting cold, causing shivers to run down my spine. I think this was half remembered glimpses from my vision, because I did not learn anything more, even when I used magic to trace the threads emanating from the sign.

Before going to bed, I walked a round around the whirlwind, but did not notice anything else out of the ordinary in the sky. I briefly opened my mind to the slurping toad, being reminded of The Homeland and Lunari, but it was only being its usual smirking self. Inside the whirlwind, I decided to experiment with the ditches in the starlight. Odon's followers only use them in the light of Ajaw, but they are not star creatures. It was a bit cooler than I would like, but it was passable and I fell asleep.
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Old 04-22-2021, 12:07 PM   #72
Stomoxys
 
Join Date: Jun 2020
Default Day 197 since leaving The Homeland

Unfortunately, the ditch did not work at night and I felt rather groggy when Ajaw's rays hit me in the morning. However, Nuur-Karif was determined to get going and Yana had already prepared breakfast. While eating, I suggested to Nuur-Karif that Godana was gaining fame in Arland and they should switch character which they agreed to. They wanted to be Biskutella, a female elvish name and they would claim to be of the Larma family. After considering how Larma treats their females however, they switched to Biskutello, a male name. Grogg and Hylda would be called Knarr and Knurr, which should be simple enough for them to remember while Yana wanted to be called Lind. Wolfram did not wish to change name, claiming they would forget it, but grudgingly agreed to be called Black after we pointed out that everyone at the inn where the Mirror Shard broke had heard their name. Myself, I picked the name Visku, as this sounded like a plausible name for a Jaguar or someone from the south. After deciding on names, Grogg sent Kra to The Evening Fortress with the letter to Pakk and Gromann. It would be too risky to send Kra to the tomb in the wetlands.

After breakfast, I asked Wolfram if they knew anything about the northern stars and told them about the sign I saw the night before. They responded that stars in the north were all orcish stars. This made no sense of course and Hylda's reaction made it clear Wolfram was spouting nonsense. Considering that they worship Tityra in the north, I had expected Wolfram to know something about the northern stars, but clearly thye did not, When I pointed out that what they said would make Tityra a northern sign, they made up some story and tried to steer the conversation to a letter they were writing to their superior. As expected, it was completely unencrypted.

While the rest finished packing their things, I walked over to Odon's tent with a duplicate of the letter to Pakk and Gromann in case Odon met them in the wetlands. The follower standing outside shook their head when I explained why I needed to see Odon with a surprisingly vigorous gesture. Looking inside the tent, Nyra was still lying on the bed and Odon was sitting next to them, looking very tired and emotional. The bed was also full of blood stains, but as far as I could tell, Nyra was still alive. I decided to hand the letter over to the follower with a note saying Odon should give it to a troll and a dwarf if they met them at the tomb.

Walking back to our tent, the others were ready to leave. I quickly searched for threads of energy from the ditches and found that there were something there, though it was not active at the time. I could not tell anything more and studying them further would take a long time, if it worked at all.

Wolfram had laid down on the cart with the needle sticking out of their neck. The extra weight slowed down Grogg a little, mostly because they got fewer breaks, but we were still able to move at an acceptable pace and we decided the best route would be to go north of the demon worshiping village. If we continued north west, Yana thought we should eventually find a main road heading straight west towards Byblos. I decided it would be better pick an actual Arani name and asked the others to call me Shira, the name of the prince in the book.

We had made it past the village and continued north for about half an hour when I spotted some movement at a nearby farmhouse. Sneaking closer, I spotted a dog leashed to pole. It struggled to get loose, but was too weak from malnourishment and made a pitiful sight. Taking a round around the farm, I found the tracks of two apeoids as well as the dog arriving recently. There were no signs of horses or soldiers, so I concluded it was probably local peasants. As I was about to head back to the others, I spotted an apeoid looking nervously out from one of the houses. The apeoid disappeared almost immediately, but their clothing fit with with my theory. More interesting was the guttural roar that came from the house soon after. It sounded muted, as if from underground, and came from an apeoid. It reminded me of the possessed peasants we had seen.

Nuur-Karif wanted to investigate when I told the others what I had seen. I had to agree with Hylda when they wondered aloud if we planned to stop and talk to everyone we met on the way, but it would be interesting to see how the possessed peasants reacted now that the demon was contained. We woke Wolfram from their slumber and Nuur-Karif and Yana walked up to the farm while I sneaked around. Unless there were hidden surprises, Nuur-Karif should be able to handle a couple of peasants, so Grogg, Hylda, and Wolfram stayed with the cart. As usual, Grogg reminded Nuur-Karif to not kill anyone, using their real name of course.
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Old 04-22-2021, 12:24 PM   #73
Stomoxys
 
Join Date: Jun 2020
Default Day 197 since leaving The Homeland

The dog started barking and tried to get away when it sensed the humans approaching, but it was trapped by the leash. There were no other response when Nuur-Karif knocked on the door, so they climbed in a window and let Yana in. I started sneaking closer to the house, but quickened my pace when I heard a roar followed by the sounds of fighting from the house. Yana came tumbling out just as I reached the door and I glimpsed a struggle between Nuur-Karif and a male human inside while an unseen female apeoid was screaming.

I maneuvered around Yana and through the door just in time to see Nuur-Karif deliver a punch so hard that I could hear several ribs crack and the human collapsed to the ground. I checked on them and they were still alive, but seriously injured. No doubt to Nuur-Karif's chagrin, they would have had no trouble subduing the malnourished human had they wished to. I suppose they wanted plausible deniability before murdering someone in front of Yana, who has an irrational aversion to violence.

The screaming was still coming from a hatch leading down to a small cellar under the house. Nuur-Karif opened the cover and talked to the apeoid down there while I tied up the male, being careful to remain out of sight. The female was screaming that we had come to kill them and was completely hysterical, but Nuur-Karif was able to calm them down and goad them out of the basement while I slipped outside.

The female was convinced that we had come to kill them and that they had to die because they had broken the laws of Mitra by being awake at night and having killed someone. It was challenging to parse any information from their insane rambling, but it seemed they and their mate had been starving and someone had told them to come to the village. There, they had participated in fights, especially the male, and the fights had changed them. Those in charge of the village had made the male fight and kill many times and they were now unrecognizable. Interestingly, the male had not been violent towards the female, even though they looked rabid while fighting Nuur-Karif.

It was not clear if they meant the possessed village, but it seemed plausible. Judging from the tracks leading to the village, the peasants in the area had been gathering in the village and the way the female spoke made it sound like someone had organized them. Yana came out to fetch Nuur-Karif's medical kit, and I told them to ask more about it. However, Yana preferred not to think about it and Nuur-Karif had started preaching, meaning they would be enraptured for the next hour or so. Hopefully, it had been local peasants organizing the village, but I would not put it past an apeoid sorcerer to attempt to gain power by sacrificing peasants to the demon. From what I have gathered, the priests of Mitra are likely to exterminate anyone they find in this area, which is probably for the best.

Nuur-Karif's preaching did not seem to have much impact on the female and I leaped around a corner as they burst out and started raving about Mitra. Kra had been mistaken for a bird of Mitra in a village we slept in and I figured it would calm the female down. Weaving the threads of energy, I was able to shape them into the likeness of a shining bird and let it fly over the female from east to west as the Mitra bird apparently is supposed to.

The effect was beyond all expectations, but not exactly what I had hoped. Instead of being hysterical with fear and shame, the female was now hysterical with religious fervour. Forgetting all about their shame, they ripped off their clothes while praising Mitra, Malik and Malakks and were planning to walk to Byblos and serve in the temple of Mitra. Malakks are supposed to be some kind of winged lions, but what a Malik is I do not know. Perhaps it is another name for the bird.

Inside the house, Nuur-Karif was busy rummaging through the peasants meager possessions and had no interest in figuring out who had organized the village, apparently convinced that it had to be locals. Showing myself to the female could have unpredictable results, but I figured I could use a similar trick as the bird on myself. Conjuring up an image of a priest of Mitra in flowing white robes and golden embroidery, I wrapped it around myself and ran after the female.

The image clearly worked and the female praised Mitra and promised they would not eat anything before they reached Byblos and asked if I could end their relationship with their mate. The Mitra followers seem to think their god cares about who they mate with and if they mate with someone, they can only mate with that individual ever again. For a second it looked like they were going to touch me, but I made up some nonsense about having promised Mitra to never touch a female. I have no idea if this is something the Mitra priests do, but it sounds like something the apeoids would come up with and it had the desired effect as the female raised their arms towards Ajaw instead of me.

I told them they were blessed by Mitra and they were now free and should preach about Mitra to everyone they met. However, they should go to Sam as that place was more in need of Mitra than Byblos. Sending them far away from us would be safer for both parties and it will be interesting to see how the poor and starving masses of Sam will greet a self proclaimed prophet. That is if they make it of course. I have the impression that it is dangerous for female apeoids to travel alone. I tried to press the female for more information and got the impression the leaders in the village had been local, but they were not very coherent. While I would have liked to interrogate them further, I could not maintain the image much longer and sent the female on their way.

The others were back at the cart and preparing to leave when I got back to the house. I quickly searched it, but the only interesting thing I found was a waterskin full of blood. It was clearly apeoid blood and tasted of seething rage. The female had mentioned something about blood after the fights. Why they would take it with them will remain a mystery, unfortunately. The male was slowly regaining consciousness, but, judging from their earlier behaviour, it would not be possible to get any information from them. Oddly enough, Nuur-Karif insisted that the waterskin was full of wine when I told the others about it. I think they were trying to fool Yana, but failed miserably.

We continued west, avoiding any apeoids we saw. It would be best to get out of the area unseen before any Mitra priests showed up. Just before Ajaw touched the horizon, we spotted an abandoned orchard that would provide cover in the otherwise open landscape. We had now gotten so far from the the crypt that there was noticeably less ash and some of the trees even had leaves. Wolfram, had slept with the needle for most of the day and was wide awake, so they agreed to take the night watch. Yana and Nuur-Karif disappeared into their tent while Grogg lay down on the ground with Hylda and put the needle in their neck. I found a nice tree reaching a bit higher than the others and found a comfortable V where the trunk split in two. It will be nice to sleep in a proper tree again. From below, I can hear Wolfram running around doing their exercises.
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Old 04-26-2021, 02:18 PM   #74
Stomoxys
 
Join Date: Jun 2020
Default Day 198 and 199 since leaving The Homeland

A bright light woke me up in the morning, but it was gone as soon as I opened my eyes. Looking around, I could not identify the source. Ajaw was barely visible over the horizon in the east and there were no other light sources. It also felt as if I had not slept at all and it was clear I had had a vision again, but I could not remember it. It must have been more powerful than the night before though. When I tried to recall it, it felt as if cold was radiating through my body. The cold was followed by a strange shuddering that got so strong I was concerned I would fall down from the tree.

I climbed down and was met by Wolfram who had not slept at all. They said my eyes had been glowing intensely all night and they had seen strange shadows move across them. There was nothing that could have cast the shadows and they were wondering if I had used magic. I do not think so. I was tired from lack of sleep, but if I had been using magic all night, I should have been in a coma from exhaustion. Talking with Wolfram also reminded me that I had spotted something in the northern sky next to the new sign. This must have happened just before the vision, because it was the last thing I remembered.

Wolfram wanted to investigate what had been going on and I agreed. If I can figure out exactly what is causing the visions, perhaps I can learn to control them and remember them. Wolfram had raised their totem during the night and started a ritual, calling for the aid of Tiri. Even though Amna was gone, under the horizon, the ritual must have worked, because a faint glimmer, like a glowing mist, appeared in the tree where I had spent the night. It dissipated almost as soon as it appeared, but it gave me hope that there might be traces of energy left that might be detectable. I warned the others that it might take a while, so Grogg put the needle back in their neck and Nuur-Karif and Yana disappeared among the trees.

I think I spent over an hour up in the tree, carefully searching the space I had been for any traces of energy. It was exhausting, but I was able to detect some the faint signs of a spell. It was too faded for me to tell the pattern of the threads, I am not entirely sure I even detected anything, but I got an impression of something very complicated, much more involved than anything I have attempted so far.

After I was satisfied that there was nothing more to learn, I climbed down and we returned to the road and turned west. We were now in more populated areas with more traffic on the road, so scouting ahead was less relevant and I would have been too exhausted to do so anyway. Wolfram was still recovering and laid down on the cart with the needle in their neck, while I put on my clothes and makeup.

Around lunchtime, we saw a village ahead and Nuur-Karif wanted to talk to the locals and hear if there were in news. In the village center, there was a small crowd of apeoids and soldiers handing out food from a wagon. From their clothing, it looked like the soldiers served the king. Wolfram had looked increasingly nervous as we approached the village and it looked like they were about to panic when they saw the crowd. I feared they would cause a scene so I instructed Grogg to hurry through with the cart and Wolfram to follow close behind and we made it through without incident. Nuur-Karif and Yana stayed behind so we stopped about a kilometer west of the village and had lunch. When Nuur-Karif and Yana caught up with us they sad that the natives were optimistic now that food had started to arrive, but that they did not have much choice. The punishment for voicing discontent could be harsh.

We reached a new village about two hours before nightfall. There were no free rooms at the inn, but the innkeeper informed Nuur-Karif that we would soon reach the main road and should be able to reach a larger village before dark. To speed us up, we woke Wolfram and I took their place on the cart. After an hour, we reached a larger road going east-west that should lead almost straight to Byblos and just as Ajaw was about to touch the horizon we reached an inn.

On the way in, we spotted three wagons carrying food parked by the inn. The soldiers guarding it were all inside, making Wolfram refuse to enter. While being outside is frowned upon, it was tolerated that Wolfram, Grogg and Hylda slept in tents since the inn was quite full. The rest of us shared a single room with a window facing east, as is the custom here.

After dark, I opened the window to take a look at the sky. About 500 meters away, I could see Wolfram's and Hylda's tents, with Wolfram sitting outside and burning incense. A few windows to to my right, one of the soldiers were sitting and keeping a watch on the wagons and their cargo. They were much too focused on their wagons to notice me climbing up on the roof to observe the stars.

The cold sign was still shining in the north, but it was less intense than the night before. I could not see any other signs nearby that could correspond to the sign I remembered seeing. I would be very visible from the nearby village if my eyes started glowing, so I did not open myself up to the sky, but I let the shining coin absorb a bit of starlight. I keep forgetting to expose it to the stars.

Climbing down again, I found myself standing above Nuur-Karif's bed and thought I had walked to the wrong bed due to lack of sleep. Not thinking any more about it, I was about to find my own bed when Nuur-Karif asked me to close the window. In the north, a bit to the east of the cold sign, I saw two new stars dancing together. They looked like lead stars that were somehow not in the right position. That should not be possible, so I climbed back up on the roof and opened myself to the stars. They were indeed lead stars in the wrong position and should not exist yet. As I observed them, they started moving apart, one westwards, the other to the east. Luckily, I did not get any visions, so I climbed down and to my bed.

I slept a long time this morning. At some point, I woke from someone closing the door and noticed that Nuur-Karif and Yana's things were gone. However, Grogg, Hylda, and Wolfram were frolicking around in the grass outside and looked in no hurry to leave, so I went back to sleep. I slept a few more hours before waking up and prepared to leave. Nuur-Karif and Yana were sitting in the common room of the inn while the rest were still outside, but we soon got ready to leave. We would not have reached Byblos today had we left early, so Nuur-Karif had decided to let me sleep, to which I was grateful.

Wolfram had also seen the lead stars and agreed that they were significant, but did not know anything more. I asked Hylda about the stars in the north, but they have never been there. The orcs from the north are strong and hardy, but stingy with their money according to Hylda. It will be exciting to see where the lead stars appear tonight.

I also apologized to Nuur-Karif for waking them, which made Yana comment that I had said something strange and there had been a light. It turned out that my eyes had been glowing and I had proclaimed that "Each of the animals lead their own horde!". Nuur-Karif apparently had no intention of telling me this if Yana had not revealed anything. While I have come to expect Nuur-Karif to be too obsessed with Yana and Ashtar to ignore obvious signs in front of them, this was shockingly negligent of them. It is not like I haven't predicted two appearances by dragons and that Tivito would use the burrowing rat to steer Tuza.

What my proclamation means is a conundrum. There was a lead star in the north when the horse spear was activated and Mir talked about hordes of horse riders streaming in from the steppes to the north, so it is tempting to think that one of the animals is the urhorse, but what could the other animal be. Krull did talk of sending the orcs into Arland, but I have not heard of either Krull or the orcs being associated with any animals. The demon Albor was associated with animals, but not any one in particular as far as I know. I hope one of our letters reaches Pakk and Gromann. If nothing else, at least they should be able to identify the cold sign.

I was still tired from sleep deprivation, so I slept on the cart, well hidden from any prying eyes. By lunch, I felt reasonably rested and we saw another caravan of wagons and soldiers passing by while we ate.

Last edited by Stomoxys; 05-03-2021 at 02:13 PM.
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Old 05-03-2021, 02:45 PM   #75
Stomoxys
 
Join Date: Jun 2020
Default Day 199 since leaving The Homeland

We finished up the meal and continued westwards, passing by some merchants from the inn that had overtaken us while we ate. I explained to Nuur-Karif that they had to tell me if I had a vision again, but they merely muttered something about looking down on the ground. Luckily Wolfram is less myopic and I will make sure to keep them around the next time I look at the stars.

Byblos is the largest or second largest city in Arland, depending on whom you ask, and I wondered how Wolfram will cope when we get there. They were reluctant to answer, lacking their usual bravado, and changed the topic to Larma. According to Yana, the king's official guard is called the loyalist guard and, while nominally answering to the king, they are financed by the Larma family. It would seem baffling that the other noble families would allow Larma to have such influence, but the king also has a personal guard to maintain the balance of power. This personal guard acts more like a secret police force than a regular guard.

Besides the guards, the city of Byblos is also protected by walls that completely encircle it, only broken by a side branch of the Ar river that passes through the city. The royal palace complex is located next to the river with a the old harbour to the north and a, while a new harbour has been constructed outside the walls south of the city. South of the palace is a garden district and further from the river is a large market called the caravan market, presumably because caravans from the desert in the south arrive in Byblos first after reaching Arland. Next to the market is an area dominated by mercenaries and other rough types, where Grogg and Wolfram should fit in. There is also a bounty hunting complex there, but unlike Sam it is not controlled by Ashtarites. It seems the Byblos Ashtarites have not been able to corner the murder marked like they have in Sam.

Getting into Byblos should not be a problem. While guards are posted at the gates, one can always bribe them, as usual here. I still inquired about swimming in along the river. Yana thought there would be apeoids about at all hours, but I doubt that would be an issue for me. It did sound like it would be complicated to get Grogg in or out by this route though. Climbing over the walls should also be an option.

The day was ending, and I wondered whether it would be better to stay outside so I could observe the stars undisturbed. However, we were now in such a heavily populated area that it would be too dangerous. While the natives are supposed to stay inside and shutter their windows after dark, there were no hiding places in the open fields and a single stray glance would be enough if my eyes started glowing. We decided to stay at an inn in a village and Nuur-Karif and Yana went ahead to see if there were free rooms.

I stayed back with Grogg, Hylda, and Wolfram, the latter looking increasingly worried imagining the crowds in the common rooms. Grogg has been unusually hostile to Nuur-Karif lately and I asked them why. It appears that Kra is telling them to be nice to Nuur-Karif, but now that Kra is not here, Grogg can act as they please towards Nuur-Karif. Wolfram wondered what Grogg had against Nuur-Karif, which set Grogg off on a detailed description of the various acts of murder they had witnessed, as well as how Nuur-Karif embraced the demon crown of Gritt. I made sure none of the locals were within earshot and Grogg had gotten to the salted head in the box when Nuur-Karif returned.

It turned out that there were three rooms free at the nearest inn. I would share a room with Wolfram this time, which was excellent considering they were unlikely to get any sleep. If my eyes started glowing, they should be willing and able to record anything I said. Despite some shenanigans by Nuur-Karif when Grogg was paying, we got rooms and I managed to manoeuvre Wolfram through the common room without incident. Grogg would have left their sack full of Lunari's loot, several hundred gold pieces, had I not reminded them to bring it upstairs.

Staying in a room with Wolfram reminded me of the star water. There were less energy in it than before, but it was still faintly glowing. It also tasted the same as before, with the glitter itching in my throat. I left the cup of water on a stool in front of our window and explained to Wolfram that the stars would appear in the water. That piqued their curiosity, but it was still an hour or so until the stars would appear. I sat down on the bed with the Arani book to read, while Wolfram occupied the rest of the room with their physical exercises.

Night fell and the stars appeared in the sky. However, Grogg and Hylda had begun mating so violently that the whole building shook. This kept the water from ever settling and small glints of starlight appeared on the surface but were almost immediately disturbed by ripples. It sounded like Grogg and Hylda intended to keep going for a long time, so we shifted our focus to the sky. I considered climbing up on the roof, but it would be too visible and getting Wolfram up there would be a challenge. Instead, I leaned out of the window and got a good view of the lead stars and the cold sign.

The lead stars had moved further apart during the day and the one heading west appeared to be heading directly for the cold sign. It was unclear where the eastern star was headed, but I glimpsed the sign the apeoids call The Horse just above the horizon in the north east and it looked like the lead star might be heading in that direction. It seems strange that a lead star should move during the day, but then again, it is strange that they move at all.

I explained to Wolfram that I wanted to try to trace the threads from the lead stars to maybe understand them better. Wolfram thought this sounded dangerous, but I reminded them that I served the temple of Amna. While Wolfram has strange beliefs about Amna (thinking they are not the mother of the stars for example), they were reassured and even helped holding me so I could use both arms without risk of falling out the window. Unfortunately, I was not able to find any threads that belonged to the lead star and everything became entangled with the stars in the water. I do not know if lead stars even have threads, but the presence of the water made it very hard to look for them.

To try to calibrate my search, I sat down to meditate in the window, but the shutters were suddenly closed in front of me and Wolfram confirmed that my eyes had started glowing. Now that I was woken in the middle of the vision, I was able to remember something and I was sure the eastern star was headed to the horse sign and the western star to the cold sign. I wonder what the cold sign means, what Krull is up to, and what the demons want with the Night Mirror. Wolfram had heard about the Night Mirror in their indoctrination, but not much, only that it was a place of great power and anyone insane enough to attempt to use that power would be too dangerous to be let anywhere near it. The demons would fit the bill perfectly and perhaps they only want it because it is a place of power and they covet it. Grogg and Hylda finally ended their ruckus and Grogg appeared in the window soon after. They were not able to sleep either due to excessive use of the needle. We discussed the horse star a bit, but unlike the others, I felt the need to sleep and went to bed.

Last edited by Stomoxys; 06-01-2021 at 02:11 PM.
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Old 05-15-2021, 05:24 AM   #76
Stomoxys
 
Join Date: Jun 2020
Default Day 200 since leaving The Homeland

Wolfram had fallen asleep sometime during the night and I made sure not to wake them when I woke up. Instead I knocked on Nuur-Karif's door to ask if they could procure some food from the inn. Their room reeked of alcohol and vomit and Yana was showing the after effects, but Nuur-Karif was on their feet and agreed to fetch breakfast. They must have been enjoying themselves.

The cup with star water stood untouched in front of the window. However, it felt like there were more energy in it than the night before. Perhaps it had absorbed some from the night sky. I returned the water to the waterskin and sat down by the window with the Arani book. If we were to reach Byblos, we could not stay as long as the day before, so we woke Wolfram and Grogg an hour later and got on our way.

Since we wanted to reach a mercenary complex in the south of Byblos, I suggested we should take the southern gate to minimize Wolfram's exposure to the crowds. Yana agreed that this would be shorter, but the crowds could be denser in that part, so it would not necessarily reduce the total risk. In 15 days, the apeoids will celebrate the end of Ratanu's month which involves a large number of executions and commutation of sentences. As a result, the demand for bounty hunters tend to increase at this time and we could expect increased activity at the place we were going. I do not think Wolfram would suffer anything worse than a panic attack, but having the large and armed apeoid causing a scene could attract attention. If so, we could always put the needle in them. Dragging an unconscious human through the streets might also raise some eyebrows though.

I asked Nuur-Karif if they were sure they wanted to impersonate a Larma. It would be safer to impersonate a more generic and less known noble. However, Nuur-Karif said that the Larma family is large and they could claim they were from some obscure part of it. They were convinced they could pull it off and I hope they are right. They should do more research though. I do not have the impression they know as much about the family as a member, even an obscure one, should.

In the last village before Byblos, Nuur-Karif and Yana sold the cart as it was likely to be inspected at the gate and we would have to bribe the guards to get it through. Having to carry everything on our backs slowed us down considerably, but we soon crested a small hill and saw Byblos in the distance. The walls were five or six meters tall and the land was cleared for several hundred meters outside the walls. The only exception was the harbour area south of the walls, which was dominated by low buildings and warehouses. Considering the amount of goods coming through the harbour, most of the storage capacity must be inside the walls. The city was clearly designed to be defensible, but it looked like it was barely contained and wanted to burst through the walls and the nearest buildings were looming over the walls.

We made our way south on the road and approached the southern wall when Wolfram suddenly stopped and refused to continue. Grogg pricked them with the needle, but Wolfram was able to resist the effect and remained standing. They had decided they would not survive in the crowds and not even reminding them of the bad Larma sorcerers in the city that needed smiting could convince them to enter. I wondered if Grogg had any of Lunari's more sedative drugs left, but they had used them all. I still had the yellow liquid that had made Lunari forget their shame and dance naked, but I doubt it would have the desired effect on Wolfram.

While discussing possible narcotic solutions to our problem, Grogg suddenly got a strange look on their face and pointed at Wolfram and asked Lunari to solve the problem. Whatever Grogg thought they were doing did not appear to have any effect and Wolfram just stood there as confused as everyone else. Strange things have happened with Grogg and the Slurping Toad before, so I cannot completely rule out that Grogg has some kind of connection to Lunari's sign, but I could not sense anything. Perhaps Grogg is simply going crazy.

In the end, Wolfram agreed to be put under by the needle and let Grogg carry them into the city. However, they made us promise to not remove the needle before before they were alone in a room. To make them appear like just another intoxicated mammal, I doused them with some foul smelling alcohol from Grogg's backpack. Despite Grogg's best efforts, we made it through the gates, though Nuur-Karif had to bribe the guards. On our way through the city, Grogg talked about finding the best bed in the most expensive inn, which was very out of character. Usually they are content to sleep anywhere as long as there is no horse dung in the immediate vicinity. Thankfully, Yana was able to convince them to at least bring Wolfram to the mercenary complex before looking for a bed.

We reached the mercenary complex which was adorned with an Ashtarite symbol, but Nuur-Karif still warned us to be careful. There were a few apeoids inside, but much less than Nuur-Karif had expected. Grogg pronounced that they wanted a bed with silk sheets, clearly forgetting the part about the most expensive inn. The innkeeper, eyeing an opportunity for profit, expertly handled the Troll and plied Grogg and Hylda with beer while arranging rooms for the rest of us. I would share a room with Wolfram again and made sure to get one with windows facing both north and east. Unfortunately, the view was somewhat obstructed by taller buildings.

Wolfram was dumped in our bed and the needle removed while I fetched water for them to clean off the alcohol. Just after I returned, Nuur-Karif entered with Yana and declared they were going to the chapel, and I went with them. There were a few apeoids there and a a few more joined for a meet. The Ashtarites in the room formed small groups that did not mingle and I got the impression that almost none of them were local. I sat in a dark corner to observe while Nuur-Karif pumped the meet leader for information. Most of the mercenaries and assassins in the city had gone south to Sam, lured by Mir's promise of gold. As a result, there was a large backlog of murders to commit in the city for anyone who was interested. In addition, the Ashtarites also needed something done, but the meet leader did not specify what. When the they asked what Nuur-Karif was doing in Byblos, Nuur-Karif simply said they were on a holy mission and got no more questions.

Trade on the river was now mostly back to normal, as evidenced by the activity we had seen in the harbour, but food was not coming from the south. Perhaps Mir was planning a similar trick as in Sam, spreading rumours of food shortages to make the hysterical masses flock to their cause, or maybe they were planning to starve the city into submission or maybe there is an actual food shortage. With at least two armies going around killing each other and burning farms and other equally productive activities, food production is bound to be affected.

Mir was rumoured to be making their way up the river and the local nobles were bickering among themselves as usual. I hope this will not give Nuur-Karif or Wolfram any ideas. While a possibly insane Mir is preferable to a a demonstrably insane Larma, their dreams of conquering Arland and beyond is not relevant to our interests.

After the other Ashtarites left, I sat alone in the chapel and pondered the nature of Vaxo and Ashtar. I do not know how long I had been there when I was startled by something brushing against my hand in the dark. I quickly realized it was a snake hissing something to me before slithering back to the other snakes in the room. Something about it reminded me of the snakes at Vaxoan. I immediately left to find Nuur-Karif, hoping they had not started drinking again. They might be able to understand what the snake hissed and demonstrating interest in Ashtar should make them more favourably inclined.

Knocking on the door, I got a response immediately, but it took several minutes before Nuur-Karif came out and walked with me down to the chapel. They sat down with the snake and started hissing with it and asked me to sit down and meditate again. I did and they said the snake had said I talked about portals, but it was unclear what it meant. I am quite sure I did not say anything out loud, but I had been thinking about Vaxo and the portal to the underworld. Somehow it must have picked up on it. Studying the snake closer, we thought it probably lived on steep and jagged rocks, like on Vaxoan. Perhaps it came from another manifestation of Vaxo?

Returning to our rooms, we could hear Grogg and Hylda screaming somewhere in the building. I was a bit worried that Wolfram could have barricaded the door to keep the crowds out, but it was open and they were passed out on the single, large bed in the room. Tiptoeing over to the window facing north, I could see the western lead star and even though a building was blocking my line of sight, I could tell from the light that the other one was still there. The lead stars were so bright that it almost looked like two miniature versions of Amna and they were steadily progressing towards their respective signs. While the horse was mostly hidden by buildings, the cold sign was high and clear in the sky.

Suddenly I found myself in the bed curled up next to the snoring Wolfram. As far as I could tell, they had not moved, so I must have gone to bed on my own. The only other time I have moved while having a vision, I found myself in an Ashtarite chapel afterwards, so this was considerably less dramatic, but still very strange. Trying to meditate on the cold sign, I only got a strange, unpleasant feeling I cannot really describe, as if something was on its way. I was reassured by seeing four of The Nine dance in the east before returning to the bed and finding a corner not occupied by Wolfram.
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Old 05-15-2021, 05:28 AM   #77
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Join Date: Jun 2020
Default Day 201 since leaving The Homeland

Wolfram was still sleeping when I woke up, but I found Nuur-Karif and Yana and ate breakfast with them. If the ruined city was high up in the mountains, I would need some way to keep warm and asked Yana about making protective clothing. At first they were confused by the question, not realizing that People are less resistant to cold than mammals, but said they would think about the issue. However, they suggested that some sort of carrying device might be more useful so I could share body heat with Grogg or Wolfram might be a better solution. While impractical and not very pleasant, I had to concede they had a point. Nuur-Karif and Yana were going out to buy materials for a new wardrobe for Biscutello and I asked them to keep their eyes open for a book with information on the stars. Yana was doubtful as the Arlanders are too obsessed with Mitra to look at the stars, but even a myth with a name for the cold sign would be better than nothing.

I spent the rest of the morning reading a bit and then going down to the chapel. By lunch, Grogg, Hylda and Wolfram were awake and I ate with them and explained the cold problem. Grogg was surprisingly willing to carry me and even suggested I sleep between them and Hylda. I think it would be safer to sleep in the cold.

I wanted to investigate the stone Kra had brought, but was concerned that mages in the town might detect it if I used magic. However, Wolfram did not think that should be an issue and even agreed to join me in the room when I did it. The stone was still glowing and I carefully knotted my rope in an elaborate pattern to channel the energies. It took maybe two hours, but I was able to figure out what the stone did. If any spell was put on it, it would absorb all or part of the energy, trapping it within itself. By carefully unraveling the threads, it would be possible to recover the energy of the spell at a later date. I wanted to test it and asked Wolfram if they wanted their flail to shine with starlight, but they refused. While obviously impractical, I had hoped they would appreciate the statement of smiting bad sorcerers with starlight. It will have to wait for later. Instead, I will rest for the rest of the afternoon. The investigation of the stone was taxing.
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Old 05-25-2021, 02:13 PM   #78
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Join Date: Jun 2020
Default Day 201 since leaving The Homeland

Sometime later, Nuur-Karif knocked on the door. Wolfram was still there and let Nuur-Karif in, followed by Yana. Nuur-Karif proclaimed they had received some kind of mission, but were unable to elaborate. The meet leader from the night before, called Lero, had told them that they could prevent infighting among Ashtarites, but it was unclear how. The meet leader had said something vague about gathering information and that we should cause a scene at the northern gate of the temple district. This would gain the attention of the guards there, which would somehow be beneficial for the mission. The whole affair sounded like a bit of a distraction, but it could be fun, so I agreed to Nuur-Karif's proposal. The lead stars should not reach their signs for at least a week or so.

The best way to cause a disturbance would be to get Grogg and Hylda to start mating in public. As mentioned before, the apeoids have a schizophrenic relation to breeding. While they rarely think of anything else, doing it in public is associated with great shame. However, Grogg had no objections to this plan and Hylda thought it sounded exiting.

The temples in Byblos are located in a central district separated from the rest of the city by a wall. There are gates in each of the cardinal directions, but the northern and southern gates are larger than the eastern and western. Each of these gates has their own guard force, independent from the city guard. While they answer to the king, they are funded by the temples and mostly operate independently. At the northern and southern gates, there are dungeons to confine any troublemakers caught in the temple district. Guards and prisoners are not supposed to be in the district. From the northern gate, a parade street leads directly east down to the harbour.

In order to avoid too much attention and to be able to bring Wolfram along, we decided to carry out the operation after dark. In the meantime, I would go ahead and scout out the area. I decided to go through the temple area and headed for the southern gate. The wall separating the temple district from the rest of the city was little more than a glorified stone fence and Grogg would be able to see over it if they stood on their toes, but I suppose it would keep the rabble out. The gate itself was flanked by two large towers, but there were doors on the outside, indicating that the purpose was crowd control, not defense.

A book was placed on a table by the gate and the apeoids passing in and out left coins on it. I suppose this is how the temples extract wealth from the worshipers and I left a coin to blend in. The title of the book was "The laws of justice", some kind of apeoid superstition, and it was clearly too heavy to have any kind of practical function beyond bashing somebody over the head.

Inside the walls, the buildings were less densely packed and there were even some green areas. One of the first temples I saw was a temple to Tsovin and Vagan, but all the streets in the area lead to a central square in front of a large (by apeoid standards) Mitra temple. The square was dominated by a gilded statue of an apeoid in a cart meant to represent Mitra.

The northern gate looked much like the southern one with two towers and the guards positioned on the outside. Walking around in the area, I noticed some openings by the wall with iron bars that looked like vents. Judging from their distance from the towers, the dungeon under the towers were surprisingly large.

While I was lurking around, I heard someone shout from outside the walls that someone was coming. Leaving a coin on a copy of the southern book, I left through the gate and into a small square. To the west, a boulevard went down towards the harbour and Ajaw who was approaching the horizon, bathing the street and surrounding buildings in a golden light. A steady stream of apeoids was heading towards the harbour and I went with the flow.

At the harbour, a large crowd had gathered and blocked the main streets. However, the side streets were mostly clear and I made my way to the north western part of the harbour where the throngs were less dense. The harbour consisted of a large basin dug out from the side branch of the river, perhaps 200 by 300 meters. Across the harbour from me, the south western part was separated from the rest by a high breakwater with two gates big enough for ships. Behind each of the gates, I could see a canal wide enough for four ships side by side. The ships inside looked like they were designed for war with tall fore- and aftercastles and some had war machines similar to the one in Jori's crypt. Behind the ships were large stone buildings that appeared to be part of the palace complex.

The apeoids around me started gasping and shouting just before Ajaw reached the horizon. A ship appeared from behind the palace building sailing slowly up the channel and turned towards the harbour. Two other ships followed in its wake and they were all flying the banners of Mir and Aldera, as well as the flags of the troops that had followed Mir from the west. From the babbling of the apeoids, I gathered that sailing through the channel was very expensive. No doubt this was a calculated move by Mir to give the impression of wealth. Despite the flags and the channel sailing, I had expected more opulence from Mir. A few soldiers were visible on deck, including Nulius who was standing by the gunwale on the leading ship. There were no signs of Mir.

The ships were rowed into the harbour and parked outside the breakwater. Soon after, a rowing boat flying the king's colours came out to meet them and three soldiers followed by two nobles or high ranking officials climbed aboard. They shuffled around and talked to Nulius a bit before Nulius signaled and a tarp covering a hatch to the cargo hold was pulled aside. A lion's roar could be heard clear across the harbour and a murmur rippled through the crowd. One of the nearby apeoids began ranting about creatures of Ajaw from the west, but most of them just huddled together in fear. The nobles on the ship looked even more disturbed than the crowd and almost ran back to their boat, leaving Nulius standing alone on deck.

Not much happened for the next ten minutes, but then one of the gates opened up. Nulius signaled to one of the sailors and the Aldera ships were maneuvered through. While the roar had caused a stir, I could not imagine that Mir would tolerate such a muted entrance into the city. They demanded a parade whenever they entered or left The Evening Fortress and that was before they got hold of the stupid horse spear. It would not surprise me if Nulius had only come to arrange Mir's parade.

There were several piers sticking out into the harbour that looked like excellent hiding places. Waiting a bit for the crowds to clear, I slipped under one of them and stripped down. It was getting dark, so crossing the harbour unnoticed was no issue. It turned out the gates in the breakwater reached all the way to the bottom, but they were poorly maintained and I wiggled through a hole left where a stone block had fallen out.

The Aldera ships were anchored along the stone quay lining the side of the canal. Guards dressed in the uniforms of the palace were patrolling the quayside every few minutes and oil lamps were burning every other meter. Sailors in Aldera colours were stationed on the ships, but appeared to be more relaxed then the guards on land. I also noticed that the gangplanks were raised.

The ships were mostly dark, but there was light in one of the aft cabins of Nulius's ship and drifted towards it without a sound. Unfortunately, the only open window was facing the quay. Climbing up would be easy, but it would leave me exposed a few meters away from an oil lamp and any guard passing by. While the apeoids are easily distracted, I was not willing to gamble that they were that dull. Instead I climbed the quay as high as I could while remaining in the shadow. However, the only things I could see through the window at that angle was a brightly lit roof and the top of a bookshelf. It certainly lacked Mir's opulence.

An aft cabin in the ship behind also had a light and I drifted over. This time, there was an open window facing the water and I climbed up and peeked inside. Two apeoids were standing next to a rough map of Byblos, sometimes pointing at sections of the map, particularly the royal palace. Unfortunately, they were speaking something that sounded like Lithin, so I could neither confirm nor refute that they were planning a parade. It was now getting quite dark and I had promised to be back at the murderer's guild two hours after Ajaw disappeared. If I was going to make it back in time, I had to go. Nothing happened on my return, except I saw some intoxicated apeoid getting arrested in front of the palace.

Last edited by Stomoxys; 07-12-2021 at 05:16 AM.
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Old 05-25-2021, 02:23 PM   #79
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Join Date: Jun 2020
Default Day 201 since leaving The Homeland

Back at the complex, I gathered Wolfram, Nuur-Karif and Yana and told them what I had seen. We were ready to go to the gate, but judging from the screams coming from the floor below, Hylda and Grogg were mating again. Nobody wished to see that, so we had to wait. When the screams finally died down, we made our way to their room and were met by a miasma of alcohol and the sight of an unconscious Hylda lying on the bed. Grogg seemed more or less unaffected, though they smelled even worse than normal. The original plan was no longer feasible, but having Grogg urinate in the streets should have more or less the same effect. However, we were interrupted by the cawing of a raven. Kra was back.

The spirit raven was no longer visible, but their cawing was loud and clear. I was about to ask Grogg when they had returned when Kra suddenly made an uncharacteristic mumbling noise. Listening more closely, I recognized the voice of Isa. However, there were no discernible words, only their voice. I have never heard Kra do this before and they ignored Grogg when Grogg asked them to imitate Wolfram. I wonder if Isa have used some kind of spell on them, but I could not detect anything unusual when looking at Kra's aura.

Nuur-Karif put on their new disguise, looking like a male elf and we set out towards the northern gate. While the gates to the temple district was technically open at all hours, we would probably be questioned if we came wandering through at night and instead decided to walk around the temple district on the eastern side. There were a few apeoids out in the streets, but not more than Wolfram could handle. A few hundred meters from the gate, we stopped in a dark alleyway and I went ahead to scout.

Six guards were standing in front of the gate and and some of them were paying close attention to two apeoids sitting on a bench at the opposite side of the square. They were dressed like someone who did not wish to attract attention, but sitting outside after dark like that was very unusual, especially since one of them was clearly keeping an eye on the guards and the gate. They did not have any visible weapons though. I returned to the others and told them what I had seen. Grogg would go ahead and cause a scene and Nuur-Karif, as the noble elf Biscutello, would follow sometime later with their bodyguard and their female and look for their troll. I sneaked up with Grogg to observe.

Grogg tramped up to the center of the square and set about their business. As soon as they realized what was going on, two guards approached them and addressed Grogg sternly, even though one of them thought it was hilarious and could barely contain themselves. The apeoids on the bench stirred and Grogg had clearly gotten their attention as well. Grogg did not comply with the guard's instructions and they set about arresting the troll and eventually succeeded. Luckily, none of them did anything to trigger Grogg's temper. While they were struggling with the troll I noticed some signals passed between the guards and the two on the bench. I got the impression that neither of the groups were pleased with the presence of the other, but they recognized the need to restrain an unruly troll.

After Grogg was taken away into the right tower, one of the bench apeoids got up and looked up and down the street. For a second it looked like they had spotted me, but they turned away and I am quite sure they did not. Nuur-Karif came wandering up the street 15 minutes later, acting like they were looking for something. When they reached the square, Wolfram and Yana stayed behind while Nuur-Karif walked up to the guards and asked if they had seen a troll. At first they were told to come back and pick up the troll in the morning, but were then told to fill out some paperwork and were led into the left tower. They emerged a few minutes later and Grogg was brought out as well. Grogg of course decided to ruin the charade by handing a gold coin over to one of the guards. Hopefully, the bench apeoids were not able to see the material of the coin. Trolls are assumed to be slaves here and should not have such wealth. After the others had left, I waited ten minutes to make sure they were not followed and then caught up with the others.

Back at the complex, one of the Ashtarites sitting in the hallway outside the chapel commented that we had been out in the night. However, they kept silent when they did not get much of a response. In Grogg's room, Nuur-Karif explained that the guards had been Ashtarites and the bench apeoids were there to monitor the Ashtarites. Nuur-Karif did not know who the bench apeoids were or why they were there, but Nuur-Karif had received instructions to go to a place called The Cracked Pot two hours before Ajaw reaches the horizon. This would make it possible to gain access somewhere.

The fact that one could see Ajaw reach the horizon from the northern gate might be significant according to Nuur-Karif. The Ashtarites do believe that the day dies when night falls. Grogg confirmed that there was a very large basement under the tower, but they had only seen one other prisoner. Yana left the room, but returned almost immediately. They had found a note under their door with a warning that there were parts of the city one did not enter and a very rough map of Byblos were the temple district was smudged out.

We returned to our rooms and I studied the stars while Wolfram went straight to bed. It looked more or less unchanged from the night before, with the lead stars continuing on their journeys. However, it looked like they might have slowed down a bit. I prepared a cup of star water and placed it under the window to the north. After about ten minutes, the water had settled sufficiently for me to see the stars in it. A section of the northern sky, including the cold sign, had appeared. However, it was slightly blurred. I believe there were slight vibrations in the building since we were in the third floor of a wooden, apeoid building. It was not a big problem, but it made the reflection a bit fuzzy and I did not learn anything new. Leaving the shimmer coin on the stool next to the cup, I went to bed.
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Old 06-01-2021, 02:11 PM   #80
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Join Date: Jun 2020
Default Day 202 since leaving The Homeland

I woke several hours before the others, so I decided to spend some time in the chapel. Before heading down, I checked the cup with star water, but it seemed unchanged from the night before.

The chapel was calm and empty, and I spent maybe an hour enjoying the silence. After an hour, I heard voices approaching, but I was wearing my disguise, so I simply waited. Lero and an Ashtarite I had seen the first night entered speaking in hushed voices with each other. They looked surprised when they saw the chapel was not empty, but made sure I could not overhear and continued their discussion. After a few minutes, the unknown Ashtarite sat down right next to me, looking very nervous. For some strange reason I found it unpleasant and tried to withdraw, but they followed and told me they had something personal they wanted to share with me and my companions. However, they could not meet us in the chapel, but proposed to meet us at the caravan market after two hours and said I had to bring the troll. I agreed and to my relief, they left.

The snake that had talked to me was lying next to the altar and looked a bit wan. However, it did not protest when I gently lifted it up and I let it curl around my arm. I showed it to Lero, but they could not tell me were it had come from. It had been there longer than them. I was just about to set the snake back on the ground when Nuur-Karif and Yana showed up, and sat down with them and prayed. After half an hour, we went upstairs to find the others and breakfast.

We found a secluded booth in the back to eat and I told the others what the Ashtarite had told me. Grogg is hostile to the Ashtarites, but was delighted when they heard the Ashtarite was afraid and wanted to see it for themselves. This lead to the usual theological dispute on snakes and dragons, but this time Grogg appeared unusually aggravated. They were visibly twitching and started scratching their dead arm when I tried to change the discussion by asking if they could pretend to be a slave. Luckily, Hylda and Kra managed to sooth their temper with their ususal ministrations and Grogg agreed to the plan. Wolfram, however, was not willing to risk the crowds of the marked and insisted on staying in their room.

Yana pointed out that it was strange we could not meet in the chapel and I agreed. The Ashtarite had said that nobody at the chapel could know about the meeting. Nuur-Karif supplied that Lero had wanted to keep their investigation away from the chapel. Our discussion was cut short by steps approaching our booth. I signaled for the others to be silent and for Nuur-Karif to see who was approaching. From outside, I could hear the old Ashtarite guarding the chapel discuss if there were any birds in there, which the guard referred to as lying dastards. Grogg did not react to this unflattering description of their beloved Kra, but Wolfram was not able to keep their mouth shut. I do not think the old guard heard them though. Nuur-Karif dispatched of the old guard and we returned to our rooms to get dressed for the marked. On my way out of the room, I met Hylda who wanted to stay with Wolfram They claimed Grogg had asked them to, but it was quite obvious that was not entirely true. I feared for the bed.

The rest of us wandered to the market and reached it in good time. Nuur-Karif was dressed as a noble elf and the traders in their stalls tried their best to entice Biskutello with their wares. Nuur-Karif did not buy anything, but I picked up writing supplies and a book with myths from northern Arland. I believe it is mostly propaganda about the Furkan family, but there might be a kernel of truth in some of the stories and it is useful to know how your opponent wish to present themselves. If I am lucky, it might even mention the name of the cold sign.

At the far end of the market, we found the street from the Ashtarite's instruction. Wandering in, I spotted the Ashtarite lurking in a side street and discreetly pointed them out to Nuur-Karif. When we neared, the Ashtarite backed away into the side street, but responded to Nuur-Karif waving their hand in an Ashtarite greeting. I made sure nobody was watching while the rest piled into the side street. Initially, there was some confusion as the Ashtarite did not see through Nuur-Karif's disguise, but they calmed down when Nuur-Karif revealed themselves. They had been told to look for Grogg and Biskutello and the Ashtarite believed they were in great danger. The Ashtarites in the city were in conflict with each other and anyone seen to be taking sides would draw the ire of the others. This conflict gripped the entire city, including the palace. Having told us what they knew, the Ashtarite hurried off.

Back at the complex, we discussed the new information. Someone, presumably the bench apeoids, had noted down Grogg and Biscutello's likeness the night before. For some reason they had ignored Wolfram and Yana, or at least not spread their information, which I found odd. Nuur-Karif, however, thought it was perfectly reasonable since only Biscutello and Grogg had talked to the guards. Sloppy apeoids.

Wolfram was not very interested in the whole affair, but Nuur-Karif wanted to resolve the conflict among their beloved Ashtarites. We decided that Yana and I would go out to find what and where The Cracked Pot was while Nuur-Karif would talk to the old chapel guard. It was clear they had something they wanted to say.

Yana had prepared a large piece of cloth (called a shawl) to wrap around my head as well as a new cloak they told me were in the style favoured by Amrosh. This might look less suspicious than a hooded figure. They had also prepared new makeup and clothes for themselves. By changing a few notable details, they believed it would be much harder to recognize us. We left the house in our old clothing, but found an empty alleyway and changed, making sure nobody was watching or following us. Yana had an idea that would be expensive, but should make it possible to move around the city unseen. There are places in Byblos were one can rent anonymous coaches, as well as decoys coaches and other tricks, for gold. These services are popular among murderers and other disturbing elements and the fact that they exist speaks volumes of the lack of control the authorities have. We found one of these places just fifteen minutes from the complex and arranged instructed them to be ready in the evening. They also told us that The Cracked Pot was somewhere in the east of Byblos.
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