Chapter
36: Rumor Mill The Spy
Chapter
41: Will of Rock, knees of water
Chapter
42: How to handle ladies, and other intrusive pests
"Were they invisible?" Magnus looks briefly puzzled, "They seemed quite obvious to me. Though their general manner of skulking about in the shadows had me wondering for a moment."
Jerpip blinks taken by surprise, he quickly takes a deep drink out of his mug to hide his face. ‘Either this guy is playing with me or he has some serious magical enhancements. He has got to be a powerful player in the game. Play things coolly Jerpip, this may be your next meal ticket back into high society. Ah the good old days...’
Magnus takes another sip, enjoying the taste, however he is concentrating more on other nearby conversations than on his drink.
"The Duke is in town again!"
"Has it been a year already?"
"Yea...
poor guy. His little girl was too young to die."
.
.
.
"So
what do you think is he guilty?"
He sighs heavily, "If I hear one more word about that I'm gonna scream! I don't care, guard or no guard! He stole it! A chrono probe found him guilty he should be punished! Why are they even bothering with a trial?"
"But he looks so honest and he says he didn't do it."
“AAAAAARRRRRRRRGGGGGGHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!”
Patrons only glance in the direction of the couple and frown briefly before returning to their own affairs.
"Serves you right for screaming out like that."
He
grumbles into his drink, "Nosy good for nothing..."
.
.
.
"You
know you wanna.."
"Well... maybe... but not now it's too soon."
"Too soon, it's been three weeks. Oh I see you've got someone else..."
"No, it's just that..."
"Good! Lets go then!"
"Alright!
But I still have to call mom and tell her I'm going skiing!"
.
.
.
The
buxom waitress returns handing Magnus three coins Magnus figures are Quintas
and four Ramada's. Magnus drops a Ramada on the plate as a tip and gives her
a smile and a wink.
"Lucky
man, guv. I think she's sweet on you. But them women always fall for men with
money." Jerpip takes another drink, ‘This guy is tipping like
there’s no tommorow. Either he’s passing off fake cash or he has
got some deep pockets.’
.
.
.
(...)
(.........)
(...)
(.........)
(...)
"Alright already! You win! Bloody hypocrite!"
"That's
two rounds on you!"
.
.
.
"I
heard the council is gathering to discuss the war."
"That's all they've been discussing for months. What about the more important issues like our education crises? In three years we'll have a serious lack of trained intelligent workers."
"But this time it's different. They say the war will be over soon."
"They said that months ago. They say it every week. The problem is those barbarians are employing sneak tactics. They hit one place and vanish before they are captured."
"Or
they're helped out by traitors..."
.
.
.
Two
waitresses seem to be arguing about something quietly between themselves. They
result to hand gestures which might be a game of some sort because one of the
them is quite happy at the end and the other is sullen.
.
.
.
At
some point a minstrel appears and begins playing a tune on the large stringed
instrument. The sound coming from it is deep and rich. The tune is unlike
anything that Magnus has heard before.
Magnus takes a sip and finds regretfully that his drink is empty. No sooner does he set the mug down than the waitress is back leaning over and pouring another drink she purrs into his ear, "This one is on the house." His eyes catch a flash of moment as something drops. Instictively, he catches it and it turns out to be a strange piece of thin crisp parchment. The waitress smiles and walks away.
The parchment is extremely thin but not brittle. It is made like the pages in that orc notebook he found a long time ago. He unrolls the parchment and finds a strange symbol and a few numbers beneath it."
Jerpip looks over and smiles, "Ah you lucky man, looks like her room number it is." He takes another drink, "Ah it's spring the weather is wonderful, the economy is stable, work is plentiful, and the ladies are in heat. What a wonderful time to be a man!"
Magnus takes a draught of the lager, and then says, "Speaking of work. Jerpip, what is it that you do other than graciously escort squires such as myself to this fine establishment?"
‘Squire, eh? Which means he’s spending his lords money or they get paid a lot more where he’s from.’ Jerpip takes an extra long drink before responding. "We'll guvnor..er sir, I'm in-between jobs at the moment. So I make my living one day at a time. I used to work for Marquis Dev 'ana. But, well let's just say I happened to be the unlucky bearer of bad news." He sighs and says, "Good thing, its not the old days. I'm rather attached to my head." ‘And other body parts’, he forces a smile.
As the squire listens to Jerpip, he deliberately slows his drinking down, telling himself to make this one last a little longer. His eye wanders around the room and settles upon the buxom waitress whose room number he now possesses. As she goes about her job occasionally she flashes him a smile and a wink. He tries to decide if it's the sorcery that's affecting his thinking. He tries to image her as a human to make things easier. From the neck down he finds that even as a human she would have quite an attractive figure. From the neck up he can't quite imagine what she would look like.
As the conversation continues, Magnus changes the topic asking about the city itself. He finds that Jerpip is and excellent source of information and despite his slightly ragged clothing seems to have intimate knowledge of the so-called 'noble' sections of the city where the nobility spend their time.
Also included in his descriptions are the locations of every decent tavern in the city, including the specialty drinks. Soon Magnus has a good idea of just how large the city is. Apparently due to excellent landscaping and planned growth, from all approaches land or sky, the capitol looks like a small town. In fact, the city is filled with parks, public entertainment and announcement areas. The living areas are strictly enforced and while there are 'upper' class areas there are no 'slums' that would be common back home.
He also finds that while employment is mandatory for the non-retired, non-nobility there is still a sizeable portion of the population without 'official' jobs. When the topic turns to the current war, he finds that the general feeling is that for the most part the fervor has died down. They know they are winning and now most people simply don't care. Those that do really care are in what Jerpip calls ‘The Home Guard’, which Magnus figures to be what they call their army.
Jerpip stares down into the empty mug morosely. Taking the hint Magnus orders him another drink.
Magnus says, "I hear the Duke is back in town."
Jerpip nods sadly, "Aye. One of the main reasons this war is still going. His daughter was one of the first few casualties of this war." Jerpip berates himself, ‘Of course he knows that! Everybody knows that!’
Magnus inquires, "But didn't the war just start this spring?"
"Well technically... but one of the main causes was that barbarian raid on the abbey where his daughter was.”
‘Maybe he was away on a trip somewhere? Could have been dealing with the trolls up north..’ Jerpip explains, “Everyone there was slaughtered and he eventually lost it. He found out while giving a speech during an assembly in the noble council. I tell you he was a true gentleman. I would have lost it then and there. But he showed no sign of it. It all came out later. Since then he has been calling for the extermination of all barbarians from the valley. Kind of ironic don't you think. This was supposed to be a valley of peace, but all the barbarians think about is war. I guess there is a limit to even the gods powers."
At some point the conversation turns to education and Jerpip says, "I know its mandatory to go through at least ten years schooling but let’s face it those last five years can get expensive and most families can't afford it. And when that happens you get guys like me who could have finished school and made something of themselves but their families just didn't have the cash. I got lucky to get that job with the Marquis."
He sighs heavily, "When I have kids I'm gonna scrimp and save and that little punk is going to a university if I have to drag 'em there kicking and screaming and tie ‘em to a bunk. No way my kid is gonna be at the mercy of a few whims like me." He finishes up a little bitterly, then suddenly realizes that one of those people who send others out on whims has been treating him to several rounds of beer. “Not that it’s a bad thing mind you.” He adds quickly, “But I figure my kid should be able to do better than his old man.”
At that moment two men stand up suddenly from a table nearby, their chairs overturn and they stare at each other. The attention of many the patrons is suddenly focused on these two. The large man who got up when Jerpip entered the room, slowly stands up again. Inconspicuously he limbers up stretching a few muscles as the tension in the air rises to a near breaking point.”
"Dawn tomorrow in the park. Honor shall be satisfied!"
The other nods, "I shall not take joy in knowing that your family is about to lose another son. But since you insist on deciding the time of your death, then I shall oblige!” He leaves first and a few minutes later the other man leaves.
Jerpip falls silent and Magnus mulls over what he has heard. After a time he says, "You know I have been in the city for little more than a day, and have already gotten some propositions from the ladies."
"Women are attracted to good-looking men like moths to a flame. Your position also helps”, Jerpip mentions. ‘Lucky bastard. If I had a title there would be no end to amount of fun I’d be having. Sure noble women like dalliances with commoners, but on their term and that can usually get you killed. With a title you can have the best of both worlds on your own terms.’
Magnus smiles as he looks at the piece of parchment given to him by the waitress, "However, since I come from a much smaller place where dalliances are not looked upon too favorably, at least without the possibility of more serious relations. What seems to be the attitude around here?"
‘He’s kidding right? This has got to be some kind of test...but what and why?’ At this Jerpip looks shocked, "Really? Well you might have a hard time fitting in here. You'll need to be really careful on how you sneak out of those appointments when they arrive."
He leans close conspiratorially, "Around here everyone knows about the 'appetites' of the nobility. When the women are in heat they are particularly, lets just say ‘friendly’. Granted few people really talk about it out loud and all. But during the season the only time you can tell a couple has a serious relationship is when you don't see them for days on end.
Otherwise it's generally accepted anyone is a walking target. In your position it would be doubly so because of your station. Because you are nobility, the common women here are draw to your high station. But among noble... er... attached women they would be pick you because... don't take offense sir. Because of your low rank a dalliance with one such as you wouldn't even count as being noticeable and thus are a preference. Unless of course they see the chance to attach themselves to a greater power. Of course guys like me are never a consideration for such lucky duty."
He smiles evilly and says, "Of course I would be more than happy to offer my services to take your place in any appointments you may receive that you feel are inappropriate."
'Now let’s hope he doesn’t try and have me killed for this. The bouncer isn’t paying attention so I might be able to get to the door before he gets to me without causing too much damage, but then I won’t be welcome in this part of town again.’
The waitress brings another drink. After drinking half of that, Magnus finds that he is extremely relaxed and something smells real nice, but he can't quite figure out what it is. When he asks Jerpip he says, "Probably your masseuse."
‘Oh man what a rack on that one, she must be new I don’t remember her around here before. She really doesn’t waste any time. I wonder about the other one...hey where did she go?’
It
is then that Magnus realizes the waitress has been giving him a shoulder and
head rub since she brought him his last drink. He looks up at her and smiles.
She returns his smile and gives him a wink. ‘Mine! I got ‘em hook
line and sinker!’ Much to his regret she is called away to work shortly
after. ‘Damn it she was supposed to cover for me! Where did she go?’
.
.
.
Just outside the front door two figures meet
in the shadow, “Tell the boss, some new guy pretending to be a squire just
popped in. He might be with those Counts that showed up recently. I’ll
try an keep and eye on him tonight and figure out what’s going on. He’s
definitely from out of town. He’s using Jerpip Deseerac as his source.
Be careful, that guy has an extensive spy network. One of these days we’ll
figure out what noble he is really working for.”
One
of the shadowy figures vanishes into the night the other straighten her outfit
out, making sure plenty of cleavage shows through then sneaks back in and gets
to work.
.
.
.
Halfway
into his fourth drink, last call sounds and Magnus looks over at his companion
Jerpip, who looks as loose as a cooked noodle. But then that's understandable
considering the six drinks he's had.
Magnus asks if Jerpip might be contacted should he need him.
Jerpip smiles and says, "No problem sir. I'm easy to contact." He proceeds to give Magnus a list of places he normally is during each portion of the day and reassures him that he is available at anytime of the day for such a kind and generous employer. If you need to, send a messenger. Give any kid a quinta and they'll deliver your message without fail."
Magnus idly folds and refolds the piece of paper that the waitress gave him in one hand as he finishes off his lager. Gripped in an internal debate, he ponders the situation he is in and what to do. For one, he is a human in orc guise, surrounded by a city full of orcs who have surprised him and continue to surprise him on how advanced they are. He is in the position to have a possibly pleasurable experience with no strings attached, but then again it seems that perhaps his new body is playing tricks with him. He then rationalizes that, the mission may take several weeks if not longer and that having a friend in the nobility may help, so if a chance for a dalliance with a noble woman should occur, perhaps he had best know whether he could go through with it.
Magnus asks Jerpip, "Are these numbers for a room in this building or somewhere else....just to be sure."
Jerpip looks over and says, "I don't see any street names on there, must be this place." ‘She lives here?! With that accent I could have sworn she lived in...oh well I guess it doesn’t matter. What was her name again?’
Jerpip grins and leers at the waitress, "A fine looking lass that one. Bel-isa her name is, I think." He leans forward and says conspiratorially, "Watch out for your purse stings milord. Just because she has a pretty face doesn't seem she don't have a wicked mind. But then again that could be fun too."
Magnus nods and says, "Thanks for the advice."
As the waitress pass by again, Magnus motions her over and asks in her ear, "So when will you be done for the night?"
"I'll be done in hour. Take the door on your left."
Though the lager and hormone induced haze Magnus notes the side door she mentions.
By this time most of the patrons have already left either to their rooms or out the door.
As Magnus says goodbye to Jerpip for the night, he hands him a Ramada and says, "Try to keep yourself free tomorrow I may have need of your knowledge. At least try not to start any job that will keep you busy for more than a day or two." He smiles as he gives Jerpip a nod and adds, "Oh and do try to stay sober."
Jerpip smiles, gives Magnus a salute and says enthusiastically, "Of course milord. I'll be waiting for your call." ‘Hmmm, I’m glad I got that tip about visiting nobility. The way this guy tips and a little luck on the track and I’ll be able to set aside a nice little nest egg should I ever settle down.’
A short time later, Magnus finds himself on the third floor of the in searching for a symbol that matches the one on the paper. The search does not go easy as the drink has affected him far more than he had first expected. Finally he finds the door he is searching for. Giving the door a test he finds the door opens easily and quietly. Poking his head in he finds that the room is occupied, but not by the woman he was expecting.
"Mmmm...what have we here?" An equally buxom woman stands up. ‘Score! Now I’d better hurry before she gets here.’ Judging from the pile of clothing nearby she was getting undressed for the night.
Backing out Magnus mutters and apology and says something about having the wrong room.
He stops when he hears her words, "Let me guess you're looking for Ve'lissa? Come on in."
Intrigued he enters. His nostrils flare as he catches a whiff of that now familiar scent.
"Sit down she won't be long. Here relax a little”, she coos seductively.
She offers a chair which he gladly accepts, and the massage that follows. ‘Time to make the little bird sing.’
She engages him in some idle talk and he soon finds out that he is part of a game that the two ladies play. The object it seems is to see who can attract the "best" match. Her fingers clench involuntarily when she finds that Mag 'nus is a squire. ‘Sure you are, and I’m the princess.’
Soon after Ve'lissa enters the room. She takes in the situation with a glance and a sly smile touches her lips. She walks toward the squire in a sultry manner. Somewhere in the back of his head a voice says, that he should get out of there. But when she gets close, the scent that had been tickling his nose now hits him full force and his vision narrows to include only her.
Ve'lissa says, "The way to a man's heart may be through his stomach, but I'm not aiming that high."
Damn she finished early.’ The roommate accuses, "That's not fair you cheated."
"You didn't say I couldn't use my perfume", she laughs softly.
As
she pulls the squire close and kisses him deeply, he vaguely feels a falling
sensation, before all the higher functions in his brain shut off completely.
.
.
.
As
the clouds clear and he opens his eyes to see an unfamiliar ceiling. The young
mage feels completely relaxed. He vaguely realizes natures call and looks around.
He stumbles around and finds the little side door he was expecting and finds
the bathroom. He muses about how fast he is adapting to the surprisingly advanced
world of the orcs. He stumbles back to bed and cuddles up with the warm waiting
body. Within moments both occupants realize that he has stumbled into the wrong
bed.
As he tries to correct himself, she mutters, "Why should she have all the fun?" Incredibly strong arms wrap around him and pull him close. The last thing he remembers are those incredibly soft lips.
The morning sun peeks through the windows and shines on him. He slowly opens his eyes to find that both women are gone. As he reluctantly crawls out of the nice soft comfortable bed. He spots a piece of parchment on the table. The thing that catches his eye is the symbol at the top is a bad imitation of the rune on his cane. A quick check reveals that he still has everything he came in with. He is pleasantly surprised that there isn't the slightest hint of a hangover.
Gathering his things he puzzles over the parchment. He guesses that it was meant for him, but of the few orc symbols he was able to pick out from his studies, almost none of them are on that piece of parchment. The only symbol he can recognize is roughly equivalent to ‘down’.
He gathers his things and takes a deep breath, taking in the fading scent of her perfume. He heads back down stairs trying to remember the route he took up to get there. In his blurry memory he remembers the stairs are after a long hall, but in reality he finds the stairs are only a few short feet away.
He enters the main room to find the breakfast crowd quietly eating. Vel'issa and her roommate are chatting in one corner when they spot you. Vel'issa comes over and smiles sweetly, "She told me about last night how she tried to scare you off by telling your about our bet. I'm glad you decided to stay. The cook owes us, so breakfast will be on the house." Vel'issa takes off to serve another customer.
Her roommate soon returns with breakfast. Looking down at the plate, Magnus can guess that some of the jiggly things might be eggs. The rest he can't even remotely guess at. However he has learned to trust his nose, which says this is good food. He takes a bite and finds that once again the nose knows what it's talking about.
After a filling breakfast, Magnus says his good-byes and heads back out into the streets. After taking a moment to orient himself he heads back down the way toward where he remembers the tailors to be. As he enters the relatively small home, a bell sounds and soon he is greeted by a middle aged orc.
As he enters he leaves behind a couple of spies trailing him, “They claim to be from Noravia. Whoever they are they have a lot of cash and it’s all legal. They are debating on verifying the information, because it will takes weeks to get to Noravia by courier and back again. For now just watch them until they make their steps into noble society, if they dare and then it’s out of our jurisdiction.”
She
nods and dismisses the informant. The results of her last nights attempt to
get information out of him were inconclusive. He revealed nothing of any use
and even his actions and inexperience could easily be explained away.
.
.
.
Arrangements
are swiftly made and in a short time Magnus is on the way back to report that
the tailor will be there shortly before noon. Back at the inn, the first familiar
face he runs into is Vel'im who sniffs and says, "So that's what happened
to you last night! This morning they were arguing as to the course of action
and when they asked where you were I said you had gone off to find a tailor
again this morning."
Magnus makes sure he cleans off all traces of the perfume before joining the `Counts' in their deliberations. As he enters, Torana barely hides a smirk and says, "Ah, my hard working squire has returned."
Nahabedian stands next to one side holding a scroll. The steward runs his fingers over it lightly and says, "It seems we've been invited to a gathering this evening held by the Viscount O'cloo. If I remember correctly, he is a pompous ass. Big on ceremony, so when he says little gathering, it will probably include about three or four dozen people. I hate these things because you can't really eat before hand and do justice to the food. But on the other hand by the time all the ceremony is over. You're stomach will have practically devoured itself before you can eat."
Torana's smirk is a bit more evident, "Well my squire! It's a good thing you went out to find us a tailor this morning. Did you find what you're looking for?"
Magnus returns Torana's smirk with a lopsided grin, "Well I have made arrangements for a tailor to come here shortly before noon. I also have made the acquaintance of a local orc, who seems to know much of the city. Since he is between jobs, he is available as a guide. He goes by the name Jerpip Deseerac and I know of where to contact him should we have to."
"Excellent! That's my boy always hard at work!"
‘Knowing that idiot, he’ll probably have us all dressed up as bright pink peacocks’, Jadir grouses silently. He is mostly irritated because his normally disciplined apprentice Vel’im didn’t want to get out of bed this morning and yet Torana’s lazy apprentice was busy first thing in the morning.
The young mage turns to the professor, "Well professor how many different outfits will it be necessary for the 'lords' to have without causing a scandal? And would those same rules apply to lowly squires?"
At this he pauses then the blind orc replies, "I believe most men only have two or three general purpose suits for such occasions and they get special finery for such occasions as visiting the royal family or council or some member of the higher nobility that one wishes to impress. Women on the other hand tend to get a different dress for every occasion. Speaking of which I'm sure the ladies will be tickled to find that the first nights festivities will be with a Viscount." He turns several shades darker and says, "There is one thing I forgot to mention. You might have something similar among your people, but it's better safe than sorry. It's spring and well you will find the women a bit...forceful."
Torana nods, "We will be essentially foreign nobles. A combination most women can't resist. Even the ladies that outrank us will be paying special attention to us if only for the novelties sake."
The steward nods, "But there is another...reason." He continues, obviously uncomfortable. "It's that time of year when women's... er spirits are high and they are... well"
‘Murderous I bet. Great we pick the one time of the year when all the orc women go psycho.’ Jadir says, "Well, spit it out man, are they suddenly going to turn into a pack of raving monsters craving for our flesh or what?"
"Well in a sense yes. Let's just say the mating instinct is enhanced during this time and...."
Torana laughs, "And noble women aren't exactly known for their virtue or their fidelity." He grins evilly at Jadir, "Be careful whom you charm tonight or tomorrow your head might be on a pike."
Jadir rolls his eyes, "What worries me is what happens when one of the others tries to separate us from our escorts. Have you ever seen two women fight? It's an interesting sight, but it isn't pretty." ‘And if they do I’m out of there. It’s not worth the effort.’
"Well they won't be that far gone...we hope”, The Professor chuckles, “But there probably will be a lot of polite back biting amongst the women I'm sure. And I'm sure the perfume will be in thick tonight. I don't know how your kind handles perfumes, but if the right perfume hits your nose you'll probably going to have to fight to keep yourself from throwing yourself at her right then. Women like devious little tricks like that.”
Torana laughs and says, "Great! Not only do we have to worry about a war, and being captured we also have to worry about whether or not we will smell the woman of our dreams." He laughs fairly hard for a few seconds and stops suddenly. So suddenly that every one looks around quickly then back and him. Torana looks innocently around and says, "What? Why is everyone staring at me?"
Jadir shakes his head mumbling, "Old fool."
Magnus asks, "So how well connected is this Viscount O'cloo?"
"Connected? Oh I see. He has a large following among the lower nobility. He took his fathers position after a rather unfortunate accident and his brash youth and reckless charm has captured the affections of many of his peers both young and old. His parties always make the news. And they are the stuff of gossip for weeks." He frowns, "The young ladies in my classes always talk about him, even during class. I can't see why they obsess so much."
"Perhaps I should see if I can find out any of the local gossip to help the small talk go smoother.”
"Excellent idea. Find out about what's going on in the council particularly anything dealing with the Farsant's group. They have the ruling majority and anything about a Duke or with the Viscounts name on it. Their pet projects are bound to come up just to see which side of the fence you sit on."
Magnus muses to himself, "I wonder if those three escorts have spent all the money I gave them?" At this all three of the Count's turn sardonic gazes toward the young apprentice that scream, 'You have got to be kidding.'
After a brief uncomfortable silence, Magnus says, "Anyway, have you wise mages come any closer to planning how we are to end the war?"
As one they turn and stare out the window again. The steward shakes his head and says, "No simple answers exist here. We must make alliances and try and turn the council away from the war. If we gather support, then perhaps...just perhaps the war may stop. But the problem is that many of the younger members of the council support The Duke and he is very...very charismatic and persuasive."
Nahabidean says, "We shall begin our first steps tonight. Be careful and take every warning seriously."
‘What do I look like a simpleton?’ Jadir says, "Tonight will be a night for note taking and ally making. Try and be evasive about and questions about where we are from where we stand on certain issues unless you know they favor our host. Also watch about for those who have different views other than those of the main group. They could be useful as well. But remember insult no one at the party. You don't know who is being represented by whom and we don't need to make enemies of powerful people because of some lowly lackeys personal grudge."
‘Don’t notice me. Don’t notice me. Don’t notice me.’ Vel'im simply sits in the corner reading his scrolls. Jadir notices him and says, "Go make sure the women will be ready for inspection tonight." Vel'im nods and reluctantly heads out on for his duty. ‘YES!’
Magnus pokes his head out waves down a servant. After giving him explicit instructions and a tip the boy vanishes off to deliver a message.
Shortly afterward the tailor appears with a group of about five others. They quickly set up and begin to take measurements. One of them queries the Professor, who introduced himself as the Steward, on the type of function they will be attending. Vel'im comes back in later and is immediately set upon by some of the assistance. The tailor frowns worriedly when he finds out the function is for tonight but says nothing. And as quickly as they appeared they vanish back to the shop.
The steward says, "We will need to get a carriage for tonight's festivities. We shall be ready to leave by 8."
Jadir says, "Will that be enough time for our new outfits to be done?"
‘It had better be, we paid extra for the rush.’ The steward nods confidently, "They will be done in plenty of time. We will have to spend some time with the final fittings, but everything shall be fine."
Vel'im says, "From what I could gather the ladies will be more than ready for the party. I forgot that I can't understand a single word they said. But it was obvious what they were talking about. I heard your names mentioned several times." ‘At least until they noticed I was in the room with them getting dressed. Thanks for the cloak master!’ He surpresses a smile.
Magnus asks, "Are there any other preparations needed before this even tonight?"
"No, Everything else should already be taken care of. I've already sent a messenger back to accept the invitation. But Vel'im has a point. Only Magnus seems to speak and understand my language. And I can guarantee you will be isolated from him at multiple points during this party. We need to fix that."
Nahabedian says, "I have already taken that matter into account. I have a rune that should work for almost an entire day."
At this the other 'Counts' and the steward's ears prick up. "Perhaps you would be so kind as to show us this rune?" Jadir asks.
"Of course." Nahabidean graciously gets the rune and shows it to the others. ‘At least I’m not completely useless. I’d better find someway of helping things along. I think tonight I may try another divination. Something may give me a clue as to what help I can be.’
Magnus excuses himself and heads toward the dining room for some breakfast. He is promptly seated and a few moments later he is joined by Jerpip dressed in much finer clothing than before. Magnus is surprised by drastic change the clothing evokes in the orc. He seems much more refined and stately. "Good day, Sir Mag'nus. I received your summons and got here as fast as I could." He announces formally, even his speech seems to have changed. It's slower and more pronounced.
Jerpip again proves to be a fountain of information. It seems part of what he does is to take stock of all current events and inform his employer of those that which they might find interesting. Publicly the Viscount is well educated and an extremely popular individual. He befriends as many of the local nobles as possible and is well known for doing favors for his friends.
His parties always have magicians in them. For some reason no matter what trick they use, he always seems to find it funny. Jerpip spews dozens of facts about the Viscount's exploits in council. Magnus takes note of everything the orc says, though most of it makes no sense.
“Privately however there are rumors that the Viscount requires a steep payment for his favors. It is rumored that he is an accomplished magi, despite never having shown any magical talent. Which would explain his behavior toward the local magicians. He also has extreme disdain for those who flock around him. There is also a persistent rumor that he is looking for a certain mage. There were circumstances about his birth and it is rumored that he will be undone by a mage of uncommon power.”
Jerpip also mentions the names of a few other nobles that will definitely be at the party. “The Marquis Del'andra and her son Lord Ter'ington. THE Duke may or may not make an appearance, depending on how things went in the council meeting during the day. Viscounts Am‘ig and Tru'so, old friends of Viscount O'cloo from child hood will certainly be there. Countess De'kerr and her daughter Lady Gei’macha will also be in attendance. There will be various lords and ladies, but those are the main players.”
After lunch Jerpip shows Magnus to an appraiser in one of the "noble" sections of the city not far from the inn. After appraising quite a few gems, Magnus leaves with a dozen Pheras, two dozen Selya's nearly 30 Gintas and five Ramada's.
The
appraiser apologized profusely for not having more Pheras and Selyas and promised
to have the correct amount next time he visited. As Magnus and Jerpip leave
the appraisers business he feels something is wrong. Then he realizes he senses
something about 10 ft. ahead of him, but his eyes say no one is there. He pauses
at the doorstep to take a deep breath. A quick glance around tells him that
everyone else is visible and taking little note of him.
.
.
.
‘Looks
like my assignment is over tonight, where is my replacement?’ She watches
as they go into the appraisers, ‘Hmmm out of money already? No surprise
when you spend money like water. Lets take a look inside shall we?’
She tries to peek inside only to find the window does not allow a good view of the inside, “Damn sneaky merchant.”
She looks around and spots a man sitting down at a bench staring into the sky. ‘About time he showed up.’ She sneaks into a nearby alleyway and removes her ring. She calmly walks back out of the alleyway and walks past the bench. She trips on something in the sidewalk and drops her handkerchief.
The stranger realizes what has happened and picks it up for her and dusts it off. He frowns, “This will not do, please take mine. I insist.” He hands her a beautiful light blue handkerchief and bows deeply.”
She giggles and thanks the kind stranger and walks away. She almost glances back. ‘Oh well. I wonder if he’ll come back to the inn for dinner. I could really use the extra cash.’
Something catches Sir Mag'nus eye and he turns to study the woodwork on the doorway. He motions for Jerpip to come closer, pointing out something on the door. He presses something into his palm. Jerpip's hand closes over the object and moves closer to study the woodwork.
‘What in the world are they doing? Hmmm they think they can have a private conversation without me do they? Wait a minute they couldn’t have spotted me that quickly I haven’t even moved. Fine then I’ll just read lips...hmmm some kind of code. Very strange indeed. Come on now the designs aren’t that fascinating.’
The young squire says, "Nod if you can understand my words."
A frown quickly crosses Jerpip's face, but it vanishes quickly as he nods.
"I believe that someone is following us. It may be those hoodlums with the invisible rings from the other night." At this Jerpip stiffens slightly looking side to side without moving his head. Let's continue on our way, and don't look back or around to let him know that we are on to him. I have an idea. Do you know of any nearby place that has a lot of powder on the ground? Perhaps a bakery or mill?"
Jerpip opens his mouth to reply and Magnus says quickly, "Just nod...perhaps a stoneworker's area, just an area that has a lot of dust, soot or powder upon the ground that would show footprints."
Jerpip nods with a smile.
"Let’s head in that direction and perhaps we can catch ourselves a spy. Are you up to the challenge Jerpip?" He nods an evil grin playing over his features.
Magnus takes back his amulet and puts it back in place.
The pair finishes their investigation of the woodwork Magnus says, "After you my good man."
‘Finally! Let’s see what the squire and good Mr. Deseerac are up to.’ He smiles to himself. Good at what he does he stealthly avoids contact with others while wandering unseen several yards behind his target.
He follows them as Jerpip leads the visiting squire on a tour of the city keeping up a running conversation about the various businesses along the way.
A strange metallic sound fills the air but it is not the clang of sword on sword in battle that Magnus is familiar with. It is more like a high-pitched whining sound. Jerpip leads them past what looks like a strange type of lumber mill. Strangely shaped metal blades slice through wood kicking up wood chips and sawdust spreading them all over. Oddly enough there are only two people in sight and one of them is manipulating runes which cause the logs to move as he wishes. He leads them along a sawdust covered trail.
The spy stops dead at the entrance to the mill. ‘Don’t go in there... Damn. If I go I’m sure to be spotted. Oh well. They may have detected me already. I’d better use and alternate means and will catch up with them later.’
After a few moments they exit the mill on the other side. Magnus pauses for a moment carefully tracking the shadow. He quickly realizes that the shadow has decided not to chance being detected and quickly heads out of range.
Chapter 41: Will of Rock, knees of water
Magnus stops Jerpip and says, "It appears that the spy was cautious enough not to want to follow us. He is heading back the way we came. Lets turn the tables on him. Follow me."
‘How does he do that? I didn’t see the guy back there. I must be getting sloppy in my old age. Buck up and pay attention, old boy’ Jerpip berates himself.
The pair make their way back through the lumber yard and keeps his senses tuned upon the retreating figure. Jerpip follows slightly puzzled. The yardmaster looks at them queerly, but dares not chastise a nobleman for being an irritant.
After winding through several streets, they enter a much nicer neighborhood filled with houses larger than even the inn he is staying at!
Jerpip snorts,‘Figures it had to be the nobles. Well it could be worse it could be Duke Ora ‘sol’s men following us. Then we’d really be in trouble.’
Magnus pauses as they round a corner and gets a first good look at the figure who followed him.
He watches the tall orc, dressed in what looks like a red overcoat with some kind of symbol on it, vanish into a guarded gate. He quickly vanishes into the manicured shrubbery surrounding the place.
Magnus asks, "Where are we and who lives here?"
Jerpip looks around, "If I'm not mistaken, this looks like Viscount O'cloo home. It looks as if the Viscount or at least one of his underlings has decided to find out as much as possible about you for tonight's festivities. No doubt they will attempt to surprise you by finding out as much as possible then bringing it up in conversation to see what they can dig up."
Magnus waits a few moments longer as he tracks the man to a point where there are many people and loses track of him.
Magnus
heads back to the inn to find Vel'im bravely fending off the young ladies in
a battle he is inevitably going to lose.
.
.
.
There
is a knock at the door while the Counts are discussing random ideas about how
to handle this situation. None of the ideas seem useful or even possible.
They fall silent at the knock.
Vel’im rises to answer the door, even as nears it a dread sense of doom seems to come through it.
Vel’im nods and opens the door to find the tailor and his assistants. He graciously lets them in but no sooner do they enter than the Count’s escorts for the evening appear around the corner. Each a vision of lovliness he has enough sense to close the door before them and greet them.
“Good evening ladies, you look well...”
“We wish to see the Counts.”
“They are a tad busy at the moment...”
“Do you not think that the Counts would make time to see us? Are we not suitable for them?”
‘You keep flashing those things at me and that dress won’t be suitable to hold water in a minute.’ Vel’im clears his head, “I’m really sorry, just at this moment I can’t let you in.”
Trying a different tact one of them says cooingly, "Come now my lord, we only mean to talk to the Counts for just a moment. After all, we can't go to the party without even knowing the slightest thing about them now can we." She smiles winningly at Vel'im.
Vel’im looks at her lost in those beautiful eyes of hers, ‘Huh? Did she say something? Oh wait! You Idiot! Just think of what Jadir will do if you screw this up!’
Vel'im straightens his shoulders crosses his arms and says, "I'm sure you believe that, but the Count's do not wish to be disturbed at the moment. They are currently being fitted for this evening, something I should think that you should be doing." He gives the impression of a solid rock.
But that is only if you didn't notice that his nose has been sucking in the special perfume tailored to weaken a man’s resolve and this poor man Vel’im’s knees are slowly turning to water.
Count Naga's escort stands behind the other two. Dressed in a plain white dress. She does not look like she is ready for the ball. She is the first to spot Magnus. ‘If this fool won’t open the door perhaps our too generous benefactor will.’
She approaches him and curtsies. Magnus steels himself focusing his eyesight just to the left of her head, trying not to look into her eyes. "My Lord, we are in a quandary." She gestures to her two companions who are really working on Vel'im. "We have followed your instructions and have obtained several dresses that we believe may be appropriate for the occasion. But you see, we don't know what the esteemed Counts will be wearing, so we cannot make a final decision for this evening."
Jerpip gives a smirk that vanishes the minute she glances at him. He stands there the soul of innocence.
Chapter 42: How to handle ladies, and other intrusive pests
Magnus smiles broadly as he bows politely to the lady who returns with a crisp curtsy, "I was just wondering how you lovely ladies had fared on your shopping trip."
The other two ladies stop working on Vel'im and glance back. When they see who is there they turn around and curtsy. The look in their eyes puts him on guard. "Squire Mag'nus! So good to see you have returned!"
He walks toward them, "So you would like to know what the good lords will be wearing tonight? I will settle that matter promptly. While you wait, perhaps Jerpip here can catch you up on some of the more current rumors that have been circulating about Viscount O'cloo and the event tonight."
Before they can protest Magnus quickly slips through to the door and hurries in.
‘A
fine trio of well formed widows we have here. All beautiful and deadly, even
I wouldn’t sleep with them. At least not anymore. I kind of like my body
parts’, Jerpip grins ear to ear and says, "Oh ladies, I have the
most delicious gossip..."
.
.
.
As
Magnus enters he unobtrusively scans the room. He quickly takes in the half
dozen new orcs that have accompanied the tailor. He pauses just inside the
doorway, apparently taking in the whirlwind of activity.
After he announces his presence, Count Tor'an waves away the tailors, much to their obvious distress, and heads toward his squire. "Welcome back we shall talk later. But for now, What is all that racket going on out there?"
"My lord, your escorts tonight would like to know what they will be wearing tonight."
"Typical." He snorts, "I don't see why they want to see what we are wearing, they'll simply change their minds a dozen times before tonight anyway." He turns and gestures and the tailor runs over, "You have a keen fashion sense."
"Thank you mi'lord."
"Go outside and soothe the ladies worries by giving them ideas on what to wear for the nights ball. I'm sure you can dazzle them with some wonderful fashion tips so that they know exactly what to wear."
"Of course, mi'lord." The tailor heads out the door.
He notices several orcs staring with him with hurt hang dog looks on their faces, "Oh, all right!" Torana mutters as he returns to his previous position, where the tailors assistants begin fretting over him again.
The outfits this time are much grander than the relatively plain black outfits they wore before. These outfits are quite a bit more colorful than before. Each has a heavy over coat that hangs down the front obviously never meant to close the edges of which are fur. A length of golden colored material is wrapped around the neck and left hanging in two strips just in front of the overcoat. Under the coat are dark colored vests which are lined with gold.
Conspicuous by its absence on the others and by it's presence on Torana is a peculiar design of a golden dragon in flight between silvery clouds. In the distance is seen a much smaller figure. The tailor's assistant pulls downs the swatch of cloth with the design on it, sits himself down and continues to embroider with unbelievable speed.
Magnus rescues Vel'im who is mercifully no longer the center of attention as the tailor and the ladies chat amiably about the latest fashions.
It isn't long after that Nahabedian's clothes are ready and fitted correctly. The assistants then switch to fitting the squires. While still dyed black, the material for the squires seems much finer than before. It is also much, much thinner and seems almost shiny. Various patterns are weaving through it in gold and silver threads.
The tailor returns and reassures the Counts that the ladies will look stunning this evening. He inspects their work so far and gives a nod of approval. He checks the embroidering and after a small argument with the assistant, gets things going in a slightly different direction.
After what seems like an eternity they have finished and Magnus and Vel'im stand proud in their new clothing. Similar in design to the old clothing, but the shirt has more ruffles along the cuff.
Afterwards Magnus pays one of the assistants as the tailor makes last minute inspections.
When the tailors have left, Torana grins widely. "Nothing like a formal affair to bring out all pomp and circumstance. Though I have to admit this styles seem a bit..."
"Excessive!" Jadir snaps, "I look like a fat oaf with all this stuff on. I must have at least two or three layers of clothing on!"
"That's not the clothing...you are a fat oaf!" Torana quips.
"In your dreams, if I'm fat, you're huge and what's with that pretentious design on your back?"
"That design happens to be symbolic for me. It's something a simpleton like you would never understand."
‘Oh here they go again. This is starting to get old. What we need is a distraction.’ His eyes look around the room and lock on to the apprentice. Nahabedian says, "Magnus, you look as if something important has happened, better tell us now. We don't have much time left before we must go."
Magnus concentrates a moment more, then satisfied there is no one spying he says, "It looks like the Viscount is quite curious about us. I noticed an invisible presence spying on me and Jerpip after I exchanged some of our gems for coin. I had Jerpip bring us through a lumber mill so that the spy's footprints would show. Whoever it was, balked at showing themselves so they headed back. I followed him until he entered Viscount O'cloo's residence. It was a tall orc wearing a red overcoat with an arcane symbol upon the back. We must be extra cautious if there are invisible spies underfoot."
At this news the three magi look at each other, "Simple barrier spell should keep any prying eyes out", Jadir says.
Nahabedian volunteers. "I think I have something of that type that should do."
"No!" Torana says, "Absolutely not."
Everyone looks at him puzzled.
"This is exactly what we want. We are supposed to be nobility (well I am anyway). Our lives are a public spectacle. Simple detection spells will work quite nicely. We can then plant the information we want into important ears and get the results we want even faster. We want an audience with the council, but before we do that we need to find the faction of the council that wants peace. If we can unite and strengthen them with new allies we might have a chance. Since we are outsiders, we don't have any set alliances, therefore we can build a stronger union than any of the families here with I'm sure must be more than one old family feud."
"Is he making any sense to you?" Jadir looks at Nahabedian.
"Sort of, I can see the last part, it's the first bit that confuses me? How are spies...oh never mind. You know that might actually work."
Magnus begins sorting through his new cash reserves. Putting half in his bag he hands the rest to Torana and says, "I don't want to carry so much money on me at one time." Torana takes the bag and slips it inside his overcoat, after a little jiggling the large bulge vanishes altogether.
"Oh I suggest that we all have a sit down with Jerpip before the event this evening, he is quite informed about the current gossip and rumors on the Viscount He told me much of O'cloo's exploits, though I only caught the gist of it."
The three Counts agree, and Jerpip is shown in.
After introductions, Jerpip sits down and goes through everything he mentioned before with Magnus. But judging from the looks on the Count's faces only Torana gets any more information out of the conversation than Magnus did.
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