Day 10 (continued)
The bustling of the cavern continues. In one area, a number of gambling events are taking place. The gambling uses items of value, as opposed to currency. There is a general feeling of revelry and enjoyment. Bromelia herself is ensconced in the war room after her early morning training. She is a different person from when the party last saw her – she has increased her muscle mass considerably.
Temerity finds the whole place rather suspicious, however. In the search for more information, he heads to the gambling dens. He seeks to learn of their intentions and how genuine they are.
The first den he enters in playing a dice game. The overseer of the game – a goblin – asks Temerity if he wishes to join the game. Temerity agrees and the goblin asks if he should explain the rules. Temerity flippantly replies that he has no need of rules because he makes the rules.
The goblin is unimpressed with the reply and asks what the wager is. Temerity bets some candles from his pack. They each roll one die. Temerity’s low roll wins, to his surprise. The goblin states that Temerity doesn’t know what the rules are, but that his low roll wins, and then asks if he will go double or nothing. Temerity pulls out a necrotic resistance potion. He rolls his die, but the goblin sweeps the potion and candles off the table, stating that the dealer has won this time.
Temerity spots a nice dagger on his neighbour’s belt and deftly swaps it for his own. He bets his new dagger and rolls. The goblin sweeps the dagger off the table, exclaiming that the house always wins.
During the game, Temerity has been listening in on the conversations around him. He learns that this is a community built on sharing ideas and skills. The established members of the community seem to be genuine in their search for a place to belong. Some of the newer members seem to be focused on the idea of revenge. Some of the orcs, half-orcs and tieflings are discussing their persecution. Even though they are a little wary of their leaders, they do trust them.
Temerity, satisfied with what he has heard, stands to leave. The goblin offers him another game. Temerity presents Korako to him, as he is wont to do when meeting new people. The goblin tells him that Korako is a fine companion and that, as he is on the table, he is now wagered. The two argue and glare at each other, neither willing to back down. The goblin climbs up onto the table and gets right up into Temerity’s face. He facetiously asks if the goblin has bet himself. The goblin grins and asks why not. Temerity then implies that the goblin is worth much less than Korako. The goblin insists that the bet happens.
Temerity sweeps Korako from the table and declines, walking away from the table and resisting the urge to headbutt the goblin. The goblin simply narrows his eyes. Temerity feels good about his perceived character growth.
Korako asks Temerity dolefully why his father bet him. Chikatika is busy smacking Temerity on the head and berating him. Eventually, she hops down and strokes Korako’s head to calm him. Temerity whispers sweet nothings to Korako and supplies him with treats. Chikatika climbs back onto Temerity’s head and chunters angrily. Temerity informs her that she didn’t help him. Chikatika pulls his hair and continues chuntering.
Temerity now finds that he has completed a wide circuit of the cavern and is now behind the goblin, who has started a new game. Temerity makes eyes at the goblin’s new mark – a huge half-orc woman who frowns but otherwise does not react. Temerity, forgetting that Chikatika is on his head, headbutts the goblin from behind. Her large presence squashes the goblin into the table, lessening the impact of the attack. The goblin is outraged.
Temerity ignores the goblin and speaks to the half-orc, claiming that he only hit the goblin because he was showing deference to her. She snarls out of the side of her mouth, grasps her longsword and implies that merely saying hello was showing proper respect. Temerity bows again, very hard, with the incensed goblin still in the way. The goblin rants and raves, telling Temerity to get lost. Temerity tells him to roll for it. The goblin grabs all of his things in an improvised bundle and drags them off.
The half-orc snarls again, annoyed at the interruption and the loss of her game. Temerity seats himself and offers to play instead. She smirks and tells him to bet.
Theren storms off from Lavender’s training session in no particular direction, seething inwardly. He reaches an astronomy lab, where a small gap in the rock lets light in. There are telescopes here, and many books lining the walls. No-one is occupying the area when he arrives. He selects a book and starts to read, but it is in a very strange dialect of abyssal. He looks around, sees no-one and places it in his bag for later. He peruses the rest of the books – mostly on astrology, astronomy, theology. There are some research notes, too, but the handwriting is so unusual that he can make no sense of them.
Lavender follows Theren through the bustling crowds, but people keep speaking to her and she loses him. Eventually she catches up to him whilst he is attempting to decipher the research notes. She reaches the top of the stares and he senses her there, tensing. She stares. She is upset with him and asks if he wants to talk. They argue about the training session – she sees only his petulance; he sees only that she set him up to fail. Lavender turns her back on him and stares out at the community. He in turn ignores her. They begin to discuss his lack of belonging. Theren admits that he doesn’t understand what keeps them together. He tried belonging to the party, but Lavender is always so aloof and Temerity is a dick. She is frustrated that he cannot see his mistakes. He is annoyed that she presented him with water elementals without telling him what he needed to know to defeat them.
He shouts at her that he tried to impress her with his strategy. He confesses that he cannot swim and that when they enveloped him, he panicked and his strategizing evaporated. Lavender apologises and leaves.
Temerity is pinned to the table, straddled by the half-orc. Several items of clothing have been lost, as have all of his belongings, apart from his menagerie. Lavender sees this. The half-orc asks what Temerity will take off next to pay his debts. Temerity replies that he will take off the shackles of his lust. She grabs him by the scruff and snogs him hard. Lavender leaves as the two make out.
Bromelia finds Lavender and wonders what is going on in the crowd to cause such commotion. Lavender tries to lead her away but Bromelia thinks it is a fight and insists on investigating. When she sees, Temerity asks her to join in. She quickly leaves, telling them to get a room, and the two women head to her war office. Temerity and the half-orc go to another room and engage in hanky-panky. The half-orc is very dominating. Temerity is having a great time, as is she.
In Bromelia’s office, Lavender states that she cannot join Bromelia’s cause but that she won’t resist it. She wants to know about her brother, in exchange for her silence on the existence of the Displaced. Bromelia replies that he was contacted by his current tutor. It is unclear if he is acting willingly or not. Whilst magic to modify memory does exist, they cannot tell if it is in use in this case or not. After meeting this new tutor about a year ago, he began training in necromancy. Bromelia asks how long ago it was that Lavender’s incident occurred with her family. Lavender replies that it was about eighteen months ago and that she has not heard from her brother since. Bromelia and Lavender’s mothers are still friends and talk together. Bromelia knows what Lavender did and what her brother did. She explains that he didn’t intervene just to help Lavender’s sister. All she knows is that after Lavender was kicked out, he was contacted by his tutor and left the family about six months later. They haven’t heard from him much since. He sends them things occasionally to quell their worry but the people he spends his time with are very secretive – full loyalty and full secrecy and coming from a noble family, that’s difficult to maintain. Bromelia refers to her elaborate escape plot with the invisible griffins.
Lavender asks where the secret society is that her brother belongs to. Bromelia replies that they are in Arcadia. Lavender asks about their goals. Bromelia is unsure. Their infiltration has been unsuccessful – they’re too observant. Lavender is worried about spies within the Displaced. Bromelia does not want to consider this. Bromelia does not want to put Lavender in a difficult situation, but does feel that her connection to her brother would make it easier to infiltrate the Necromancers. Lavender was planning on doing this anyway, but does not want to throw in her lot with the Displaced. Bromelia knows that Lavender would not stay with them, but proposes an alliance, rather than Lavender joining them.
Bromelia comments that something about Lavender seems different – almost divine. Lavender worries that the necromancers would spot this divinity in her. Lavender’s brother has moved up the ranks quickly, being a gifted wizard, and his mentor is high up too. He has the ear of the leader. Bromelia offers Lavender the resources of the Displaced, since she will be doing them a favour. Bromelia advises her to take her companions with her. Lavender disagrees. Bromelia insists that she does not go in alone and offers to go along instead. Lavender is not convinced.
A knock at the door occurs. It is Theren. He is surprised to see Lavender there. He doesn’t want to interrupt them. He tells Bromelia quickly that he wishes to join the Displaced. He also tells Lavender that he is sorry too, then leaves.
Bromelia reasserts that she does not think Lavender should go alone, but that she won’t tell her what to do. Lavender considers this as she leaves and wanders through the market, restocking with food, although all of the vendors refuse her money.