Ildan returns...

Ildan returns hungover to the manor in the wee hours of the morning, after days of drinking and gambling. He knows nothing of "the talk" that occurred just the night before. All he knows is he lost 20g on a "sure bet" and he is missing his new buddy, Brindleboor, a stereotypical wizard type who is just as terrible at gambling as Ildan. He is still amazed at how Brindleboor never seemed to need to pay for a drink the whole time they were together. He falls asleep musing on this...

Some of the TIP get up bright and early. J and Dorian disappear to town for some business, Bird Girl flies off to wherever she goes and Vani goes back to the comfort of her pond. Narcel'Uss gets up and sees evidence of Ildan's return. She grabs Ren and asks for backup. Together they go up to the master bedroom to get answers from Ildan.

Ren shakes him awake vigorously. Ildan wakes up confused, "Not so hard Ren!". Narcel'Uss immediately begins questioning him about the ring, telling him, "I told you that ring was important!". Ildan answers sheepishly, "I was on a winning streak. I couldn't lose!... I was going to get it back". Narcel'Uss is unimpressed, "We are in trouble because of you. What you have done might not be undone". Ren is more concerned about the key and questions Ildan about it as well, afraid he may have also gambled it away. Ildan had completely forgotten it was in his possession and hands it over. Ren takes the key and notices it is cold to the touch even though the room is very warm. This unsettles her and she turns to Narcel'Uss for magical insight. She knows that they key is from the Tamir area, the site of forbidden magic and unexploded magical mines. The key is made from cold iron. They speak of this and of Ren's experience of the key unlocking dragons, while Ildan falls asleep again, unnoticed by his companions who are busy discussing the implications of the key. Narcel'Uss wonders if they could summon dragons and kill them, selling their parts for a high price. Ren thinks this is a terrible idea. Narcel'Uss decides to further inspect the key. It is not magical, but it is desecrated... perhaps cursed or from hell itself. Another evil object jumps into her awareness... the very bed that Ildan is sleeping on. She shares this information with Ren. In order to further inspect it, Ren flips it over, knocking a disgruntled Ildan over to the floor. They notice the underside had a strange arrangement of nails and teeth embedded in some dark gluey substance. Ren decides the bed is a corrupt object and should be destroyed so she leaves, comes back with her anchor, and takes a mighty hack at it. It gets somewhat damaged but she can feel that it is resisting her somehow. Her next blow does nothing. Ildan is very upset that everyone seems to be trying to wreck his bed and watches in disbelief. Ren hits it again and does little damage. In this moment, Ren realizes that her strength is abnormally sapped from her and decides to stop, apologizing for her inability to finish the job. They decide to pursue finding the ring instead, though Ildan insists they put the somewhat broken bed back before leaving. Ren happens to cut her hand on the sharp underside but wraps it herself and insists that she doesn't need any healing for such a minor wound.

All the noise summons Vani to them, curious about what everyone is up to. She sees that they are talking about getting the ring back and immediately wants in. Ren and Vani want to pay Lucien a visit which makes Narcel'Uss put on a dour expression, showing what she thinks of their plan. However, it is too late, Vani is already getting out her disguise kit, singing "Makeover, maaakeover, makeover, maaakeover!". In moments, they have perfect disguises, indistinguishable from their former selves. Ildan is covered in soot, Ren has extra feathers and braids and Vani herself has donned an extra floppy hat. They go off to town, leaving Narcel'Uss to unexpectedly and reluctantly seek Jeremiah's help with a task.

Team "Incognito"...

With nothing left to hide, Vani openly seeks out contacts from her thieving days. She leaves a mark and soon Kaulin the Goblin finds them while they sit and drink at a bar. He seems to be doing well for himself after he starting running with the Tong. Ren seems upset by the mention of the Tong and glares at Vani but holds her tongue and says nothing. Ildan has given Vani a description of the ring previously, so she describes it to Kaulin. It is an onyx ring inlaid with sapphires. It has both the symbol of Nurzhan and the symbol of house Tanorhal entwined on the top. It is somewhat dangerous to speak of onyx, as it has been banned due to its use to raise the dead, so Vani speaks quietly and carefully about it. Kaulin knows that it is in the hands of Lucien, a somewhat influential man in the area. He does not generally like to due business with him, as he says "us honest thieves" stay away from his type. Ren looks angered again at this remark and bites her lip, and Ildan smirks at her discomfort as he downs his drink (he is still a bit pissed that she tried to destroy his bed). Kaulin seems to notice Ren finally and says he could get her work down at the Crimson Sail (a well known Tong bar). Ren declines. Kaulin shrugs and tells them that he saw Lucien before at a bookstore. With this lead, they make their way out. Vani hugs Kaulin and Ren purposely bumps into them both on her way past, knocking Vani over. On the way over to the bookstore, Ren questions Vani about what she knows about Kaulin. "He is a slaver. He is not a friend. I don't like any of them...". She also remarks that she may need to go to the Crimson Sail due to unfinished business (aka killing everyone).

Lucien's Bookstore...

They walk in and Vani engages with Lucien. Ildan finds a book with pretty pictures while Ren engages herself with some maps and books on cartography. Vani pulls something out of her bag... a magic mine! When did she steal that? Either way, she uses it to get Lucien's attention. He is happy to do business with her and says he will look for a buyer. They leave the shop and decide to stake it out. Ren decides to head back to the manor to update Narcel'Uss on their progress.

Team "Zero Inhibitions"...

Alone, without anyone to tell them no, Vani scales the wall of the bookstore. She is surprised to see Ildan right behind her. They peer through the upper window and see an assistant come into the shop, a young dwarf girl who can't be more than fourteen. She runs out and Ildan jumps down in pursuit. He eventually corners her in an alley...

Meanwhile, Back at the Ranch...

Ren finds Narcel'Uss doing something strange, but there is no time for that... as soon as Narcel'Uss gets filled in and finds out that Vani and Ildan were left alone on stakeout, she demands that they go back before those two do something "irreversible".

Back to Ildan (Who is about to do something irreversible)...

They are both trying to stare each other down, which is no great feat for a dwarf who only stands about 3 feet tall. Ildan attempts to bluff at being tough and fails miserably. She is not having any of it. He switches tactics and tries to appeal to her good nature. He wants to talk about her boss and that he has something that doesn't belong to him, something they need back. "We can do this the easy way, or the hard way". During this encounter, Vani has not left the shop. She continues to watch Lucien, waiting for some bit of information that might help them. She sees a halfling cop enter the shop and make pleasantries with Lucien. She knows this cop from down by the docks, when the TIP delivered Elayne to her family. She continues to watch intently. This leaves Ildan to fend by himself with the dwarf girl. He finally tries a new tactic. "Look, I'll buy you a drink". She remarks, "You have ash on your face". "I'm in disguise", replies Ildan. He talks about the ring... she is unmoved. He says he has gold... she seems intrigued. They finally go down to the bar "The Lonely Hero", run by Sven the goblin. They agree he will give her some gold now and some later if she gets information about the ring, as right now she can only tell him that Lucien likes to keep his things on people. She agrees to this exchange and runs off. Ildan continues to drink.

The Empty Bookstore...

From her vantage point, Vani sees the wizard Brindleboor and a Tong thug come into the shop for more business. Ren and Narcel'Uss run into town. Narcel'Uss first spots Vani up on the wall and grips Ren's shoulder hard and points. They try to think of a way to get her attention. Vani sees that Lucien is leaving the desk and about to lock up shop but does not notice that Ren and Narcel'Uss are on the street behind her, in plain sight. As the door opens, Narcel'Uss realizes Lucien is leaving and tries to slip around a corner. There is not enough time and it is pretty obvious that he sees her there with Ren. However, he does not seem to care and continues across the street to a restaurant to have lunch. Vani takes this opportunity to try to pick the lock of the window and fails. She smashes the window and goes inside. In disbelief, Narcel'Uss watches this and then also sees Ren slip off after Lucien and sit down beside him.

And Everything Goes to Hell...

Narcel'Uss is frozen, not sure whether to go after Vani or Ren, who both seem to have lost their minds. She knows if Lucien feels any threat, he will give the ring to the Chosen. Ren meanwhile begins questioning Lucien, having enough of this sneaky business. She asks openly about the ring, expecting open answers as well. Lucien goes into a condescending speech about how he knows the ring belonged to Narcel'Uss' mother who was tragically murdered. He says that orcs don't know much of those societies that live in the dark and that have cannibalistic tendencies. He then turns the questions on Ren, "Does the absence of the ring pain Narcel'Uss greatly? Does she watch the dark corners of the room in the night? Does she worry?". "Yes," answers Ren earnestly. "Good," says Lucien smugly. Ren is upset and says that no one should feel that way and he should give the ring back. Lucien declines. Ren then tries to throw Kaulin under the bus, saying he led them right to Lucien's shop. Lucien is unconcerned, saying he will probably be selling the magical mine to this goblin contact. Ren bristles, "It is an evil device". "I enjoy your quaint compassion", he says loftily. "Watch your tone," Ren threatens. She continues, "There are things I do not understand-" to which Lucien interjects, "I can see that". Ren doesn't miss a beat "-but I DO understand pain". She winds back and punches him in the face. Narcel'Uss sees this and goes weak in the knees. What is happening?! Has everyone gone insane today?! Lucien gets back up and a waiter immediately comes and begins dusting him off and righting the table. Lucien grins, "I encourage you to hurt me. If something happens to me the ring will find its way to the Chosen. The things in the dark, those things fear the Chosen. They will find the ring, they will find Narcel'Uss and dead or alive I will laugh". Ren holds back on another punch while Lucien seethes, "The Tanorhals ruined me and it pleases me to see one suffer".

Inside the quiet shop...

Vani finds a locked safe and picks it, unaware what Ren is getting into outside. She finds 30g, a rare book about Tamir's history from around 200 years ago and an odd looking metal stencil. She takes it all, then for fun throws a few more books out of the windows, breaking more glass. She breaks the windows opposite Lucien, so he can't see it happening while he eats lunch. Narcel'Uss is completely stunned by everyone's actions. 

Back home...

"What happened to stealth?!" Narcel'Uss almost shrieks at everyone. Ildan reveals his deal with the dwarf and this seems to subdue her somewhat. They plan to meet up tomorrow, same time and same place, so the whereabouts of the ring may not be lost to them. Vani shows her findings. Narcel'Uss flips through the pages of the book then drops it on the ground, uninterested. The stencil she recognizes. She explains that Grue codemasters use it for creating and deciphering code. They all split up, tired out from today's events. Vani however finds a dead baby deer on the lawn and takes the opportunity to cook and prepare its meat while she flips through the book and plays with the stencil in the kitchen. She suddenly gets the odd feeling she is not alone. She calls out, which summons Jeremiah, though he was not the presence she felt. She asks him about the history book and he seems to know a bit about it. It details the legends from 200 years ago of heroes, demons and devils of the dark. Vani sees that it even has a chapter on the Sorrows. The story is about the Knight of Sorrows whose family had a curse... he got the girl but it ended poorly. The story seems to be more about the folly of dealing with dark power. Vani, somewhat satisfied with her snack and the book, goes to bed.

The Next Day...

Ildan finds he had soothing dreams. He goes off to find the dwarf girl at the bar. She says she has some news. Lucien has lunch at the same spot everyday, and some "shithead orphan" comes to him with messages often during this time. Ildan says if the lead pans out, he will pay her more later. Ren goes off to the Crimson Sail for her "unfinished business". Somewhat sobered by what happened yesterday, she does not seem to be interesting in solving this with physical aggression. Instead she approaches the doorkeepers, and ogre and a goblin. She speaks of Kaulin's name and says that if he comes by, let him know that Lucien has put out a hit on him. An interesting maneuver. Vani leaves the manor and sees Jeremiah leading some animal back to the house but thinks nothing much of it. She asks him if he needs help but he says he can do it alone, that he has some special butchering technique to perform. She shrugs and continues along her way to visit the B-S house and share some deer meat with Olma. She learns how to cure and prepare meat from the other aquatic halfling. She also shows John the book and he seems baffled that she knows a bit of his family history. Coming back home, Ren comes to an unlikely agreement with Narcel'Uss. Vani finds a dead baby cow on the lawn, looking somewhat chewed up on one side. What good fortune! She begins hacking at it to take pieces to the kitchen to cook. She is happy to have meat delivered to her doorstep, if only she knew who to thank. Ildan comes in to the house to meet Ren and Narcel'Uss and says, "I may have a lead on your ring..."

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