CH. 15 - Before the Dawn

[JadedDM]

Two months have passed. It is now Winter Night the 4th, the dead of winter. The nights are shorter, and it's been snowing nearly everyday. As a result, the roads into and out of Haven are closed and travel is all but impossible unless on dragonback. Luckily, the soldiers keep the city streets plowed, so people aren't snowed in completely.

Haahqae (Steel Tankard Inn)
Haahqae wakes up that morning shivering. The window of his room never shuts perfectly, the wood around it being slightly warped. So a great deal of the cold winter air gets in, leaving his room freezing. Miracle huddles for warmth on top of his head.

It had been two months since Ismene escaped to the Tower. There has been no official word from the occupation about her escape, but then again, there was no official record of her imprisonment, either.

After getting up and getting dressed, Haahqae spots an envelope sitting on the floor, just near the door to his room. It looks as if someone must have slipped it under the doorframe at some point in the night.

(OOC: Haahqae may pick out new spells for the day.)

Kendra Synclair (Prefect's Mansion)
Kendra wakes up in her private room in the mansion, warm and refreshed from a good night's sleep. She has not seen Norris since he was released, two months ago. Even when the prefect annulled their marriage, a letter was sent to Norris to sign and a messenger brought it back. Of course, she could have gone to visit him after his release, but she's been kept pretty busy with a new training regiment and new duties. She stopped training Camilla, but the girl had stopped showing up for training long before Kendra moved into the mansion. She had not visited her family in months, either, but has been assured they are well taken care of.

She had not even changed out of her nightgown yet, when there's a rap at the door.

Tulbas Erogund (Mageware Shop)
Tulbas wakes up in his little room in the attic of the mageware shop. He always gets up earlier than Magnus so he can prepare breakfast in time. The past two months have marked a change in his life. For one, he's realized that his power actually wanes and waxes with the black moon, and that when it aligns with the other two moons, he gets a boost of power, as well. There's been a change in how people react to him, as well. Before he was largely ignored in his simple brown robes. But now when he goes out in his black robes, people give him plenty of space. He receives a mix of fear and respect from the locals. His scarred face and missing ear really add to the effect.

But beyond that, things have been quiet. With winter setting in, the war has paused and not much has been happening lately. Tulbas has used that time to study and learn.

(OOC: Tulbas may pick out new spells for the day. Because Nuitari is waxing, he gets an extra spell slot per level today. Also, because Nuitari is aligned with Solinari, he gets a +1 to all saves today.)

Gobax (High Hand Inn)
Gobax wakes up in his room at the High Hand groggily. The last two months have been spent in a deep depression since his mentor was executed. Most days he would not even leave his room. His face is covered in stubble and he reeks to high heaven.

To his surprise, however, he finds an envelope sitting on the floor near his door. It would appear that someone must have slipped it under the door frame some time during the night.

(OOC: Gobax may choose new spells for the day.)

Shima Longfoot (High Hand Inn)
Shima wakes up in his room at the High Hand Inn. Nothing much has happened to him in the past two months, although that vague feeling of vulnerability he has possessed since the curse was laid upon him has only grown. At this point, it's sometimes hard to sleep. It's nothing he can really put his finger on exactly. Just a general foreboding feeling, a pervasive feeling of doom that never seems to leave.

(OOC: Shima is now fully healed again.)

[Haahque]

You would think that with all the money he was paying them; the innkeeper could get around to fixing the window so that it could close. Like really; it’s just a little warp in the wood; how hard could that be to fix? A mage of Haahqae’s obvious caliber could fix that blindfolded! (Or could he? Hmm… maybe that was an idea. But where would he get the blindfold? Bah, never mind.)

Good morning Miracle.

Haahqae gets up and stretches, straightening out his jacket. It sure was a lifesaver in a winter like this; but even with a good jacket; Haahqae still felt cold. Perhaps he should try and find a scarf somewhere; lots of people are wearing those these days. All the cool kids and all that.

There’s the mystery of a note on the ground. One might assume that it was slipped under the door during the night; the placement suggests it probably didn’t slip in the window. But the important part is that someone put it there; it couldn’t have been there by accident.
In an effort to solve the mystery of the note; Haahqae picks it up, opens it up and reads the contents.

OoC: For spells, Haahqae will take a pair of spider climbs; an alter self, invisibility and a scare. Although… is it possible to pick the spells after reading the note? Depending on the contents; it might change what I want.

OoC2: Would Haahqae be able to use an alteration cantrip to fix the window frame?

[HorizonsDream]

Kendra sighs for a moment after hearing the rap on her door before she finally stands up and opens the door for whoever is knocking on her door. "Yes?" she asks. She still appears to be a bit groggy as she is finding it harder and harder to get out of bed every morning.

[JadedDM]

Haahqae (Steel Tankard Inn)
Good morning, Haahqae, Miracle responds. She had been a bit sluggish since winter began. Normally this time of year she would have made herself a nice nest indoors and stocked up on food to survive on until spring arrived. But due to her magical connection to the gnome, she feels more comfortable being around him instead.

Haahqae picks up the envelope and opens it. Inside is a note addressed to him specifically, written in Common. It reads, "We've been told you are no friend to the Empire. If you wish to strike back at them, come to the Masked Dragon today. Come alone and tell no one of this."

(OOC: Yeah, you can wait to pick your spells after. And no, a cantrip might fix the frame, but it wouldn't be permanent. Maybe for a minute before it would warp back.)

Kendra Synclair (Prefect's Mansion)
"Good morning." Kendra does not recognize the man standing before her, yet he seems familiar somehow. Especially his voice. He's a good looking man, perhaps in his 30s, with dark, short hair, blue eyes and fair skin. He pauses and looks down at Kendra's nightgown, then looks back up to her face with a raised brow. "Ah, did I wake you then?" He pushes the door fully open and steps inside, walking to the window to look out it. Then he turns back to her and gestures to himself. "Well, what do you think?"

[HorizonsDream]

Kendra seems confused when she sees the strange man with the familiar voice standing before her. She looks even more confused when the man just pushes himself into her room without even introducing himself aside from mentioning that she must have just woken up. She crosses her arms over her chest as she looks over the man now standing in her room, when it finally dawns on her that she isn't actually speaking to some strange man. "...Tethys?" she asks in surprise. She isn't sure how to handle the fact that he is human and a very handsome human at that. She cautiously approaches him, and even walks a slow circle around him. "If it wasn't for your voice, I wouldn't have even known it was you. I was very confused as to why some random stranger was suddenly barging into my room. Though, why are you human?" she asks curiously.

[Haahque]

(OoC: A temporary solution that will probably backfire due to lack of foresight? Haahqae’s never done that before. I think I'll keep the spells I have.)

Well there’s no use in freezing without at least trying to make things easier on yourself. Haahqae ponders as he tries a little alteration cantrip to even out the window; allowing him to close it properly. There, good as new. Wish I had thought of that last night.

Well that note seems entirely suspicious. I mean who could have figured I wasn't a friend of the empire? Wouldn't people usually suspect I was a friend because I performed a show for the troops? Maybe this is about how I stopped doing performances for them... I should probably tell Tulbas. Or maybe Kendra. What's happened to her recently anyways? Public execution? Maybe she's in league with the empire even more then I thought. Maybe it was her that tipped them off that I wasn't a friend of the empire. Now they're trying to frame me for rescuing Ismene while not actually telling people that Ismene had been inhumanely held against her will in the first place? But what if it's actually true? Certainly any mismatched band of misfits in this dunghole of a city couldn't do anything against the empire without my brilliant... or useless schemes. Maybe they're better off without me. Everything I try to make right just seems to get worse and worse. You'd think a note like this would have some sort of safety mechanism on it; like even if it is what it says it is; if any of the notes got misplaced or the messenger got waylaid while delivering them or any of the notes happened to go to the wrong person or someone decided to cash in instead of fight the occupation this meeting would be no more then a trap for anyone the army thinks could possibly be opposing them in any way. I can't go, but I also can't not go. Oh Miracle, what should I do?

One thing was clear. No matter what Haahqae did; he had to destroy the evidence; so he shreds the note as he goes for breakfast.

[JadedDM]

Haahqae (Steel Tankard Inn)
Haahqae descends the stairs after shredding the note and walks up to the bar and orders some breakfast. As he does so, Miracle muses on the situation.

If it is a trap, you can claim you only went to find out their names and faces so you could tell the soldiers, she suggests. But if it's real, it might be worth looking into. At the very least, find out how capable they are. The little mouse had learned much in her time with sapience, even picking up on things like intrigue and deception.

Kendra Synclair (Prefect's Mansion)
"Not bad, yes?" he says. "I worked quite a bit to get this spell just right. I figure it would be a good idea to not stand out so much, especially since those rebels are still out there." Tethys is likely speaking of a recent jailbreak. A gnomish woman had broken into the vault and stolen from it. They had caught her and imprisoned her, but somehow she managed to escape. "Now I can walk among the townsfolk without drawing attention." He takes her hand and holds it up to his cheek. "Here, feel." His face feels human--like warm and soft flesh, not hard scales.

[HorizonsDream]

Kendra opens her mouth to say something about the rebels, but decides against it in the end. "You're still going to draw a fair amount of attention," she admits as she runs her hand along his cheek. She finds it amazing that he was able to create a spell that would allow him to look and feel like a human. "This is extremely impressive. How long does the spell last?" she asks.

[Haahque]

Hmm, I suppose that makes sense. But anyone else could betray the group just as easily if they wanted to. We’re going to have to be very careful. The dragonarmy’s not known for being logical, rational or forgiving.

Freaking dragonarmy makes everything so difficult. Things were so much easier in the old days when Haahqae could just make a plan and it would work, now he has to meticulously cover his tracks whenever he did anything.

Possibly the most suspicious part of the note is that it doesn’t mention a time on it. ‘Today’ is rather vague. If it wasn’t a trap you’d think they’d mention a time and be prepared to abandon the building with no evidence if anything went wrong.

Despite his suspicions about the event; Haahqae decides to make his way to the Masked Dragon soon after he’s done his breakfast. But he makes sure to circle the inn and try to find anything suspicious looking before he goes in.

[JadedDM]

Haahqae (Masked Dragon Inn)
Haahqae finishes breakfast and heads for the Masked Dragon. The cold air is biting, but the streets have been shoveled so he can walk around easily enough. It is still snowing, though, and likely the streets will need shoveling again within a few hours, at this rate.

Arriving at the inn, he circles around the exterior, looking for anything suspicious. Nothing in particular catches his eye, however. Stepping inside the courtyard, he finds it empty. It is far too cold for people to eat outside, after all. Stepping inside, he finds it much warmer. A roaring fire is going in the hearth, keeping the place nice and toasty. A number of people are sitting at tables, eating breakfast. Haahqae does not recognize any of them, though.

Kendra Synclair (Prefect's Mansion)
"Ah, that's the one downside. It only lasts for around ten or twenty minutes, at best. I'll have to wear a hood the rest of the time, but it is enough for me to make appearances." He reaches up and touches her hand on his cheek. "Do you find this form pleasing then?"

[HorizonsDream]

Kendra feels her heart flutter as he covers his very human hand over her own, and she mentally tells herself that she is completely insane. She looks at their hands, not daring to suddenly pull away because the last thing she wants to do is actually upset this obviously powerful draconian (after all he can turn himself into a human! He is not someone to mess with). Though, she is having a hard time grasping the fact that Tethys might very well be hitting on her. "Uh, well," she says, awkwardly smiling as if she was suddenly very shy. She pulls her gaze away from their hands so that she can look him in the eyes. "You do make a very handsome human," she admits as she gently pulls her hand away from his cheek and hand.

[JadedDM]

Kendra Synclair (Prefect's Mansion)
"I'm glad to hear you say so," Tethys says. "Because I have a proposition for you, should you be successful in the next mission I am about to give you."

[HorizonsDream]

Kendra isn't sure which to respond to first, the proposition or the mission. She raises her eyebrows a bit as she looks to Tethys curiously. "What type of proposition has to deal with me finding you pleasing as a human and requires me to be successful on a mission?" she asks. There were other questions that Kendra wants to ask, but she decides that it best to stick with the question she just posed. It is possible that with him answering this one question, her other questions will be answered.

[BishGada]

While preparing breakfast, Tulbas ponders on the revelations he made during these months. Of course he read about the alignment of the moons and the mages powers, but feeling in on his own flesh is something different. The emptiness when the moon wanes, and the vigor when the moon waxes are impossible to describe.
He also thinks about the way people treats him now. At first he felt awkward being noticed in the crowd, but he grown to like it. Of course he was not ignorant of the danger being spot in the crowd. Luckily he has Magnus protection and occasionally they are seen in the streets together.
The memories of his family and of course Raetmal, comes to his mind here and there. He remembers he talks when Magnus first showed in Haven of how rude he is to walk bluntly with his black robes exposed in the streets... and now he does the same. He still mourn his uncle, and still hates Magnus, but time wears out the edge of the pain. He hates Magnus a little bit less and starts to accept Raetmal's murder as misfortune.

Anyway... A new day, Nuitari is waxing and he was quite satisfied with the studies he accomplished in the last two months.

Once breakfast is ready he makes the table and waits for Magnus to join. After eating some he asks his almost usual question since they returned to town. "Do you have any tasks for me Master?"

======================================================
(OOC: I assume during these months he has cast Armor on himself.
1st level: Replace protection from evil with another magic missile, and fill the black with Sleep.
2nd: fill the black with Web.
Thanks.
)

[TristenC]

Gobax stumbles still drowsily out of bed to retrieve the note. Numb to the core, he stares at it for over a minute before finally opening the missive.

[I'll choose spells after]