Aria shuddered at Rose's mention of the Underdark, and murmured condolences for her mother's fake, while giving a shining-eyed nod as if it say it was all too believable a fate. Her mind flashed back to the dreadful beholder battle in her own past, and she rubbed her eyes self-consciously.<br/><br/>After Rose spoke, she said, "Truly, I am sorry, I've seen too many orphans or partial orphans...'tis sadly perhaps expected for extended clan, or whomever does take them in, never to treat them too well at all. Even among my relatively pampered childhood friends, I knew all too many disfavored by their own stepparents, especially versus their half-siblings. I can understand why you left the Bedine. I'm glad you were accepted by your father's people. I think back now, to the half-elves I've known, and there was even one half-orc....some fine acceptance on one side or the other, some both, and all too many neither."<br/><br/>"Actually, Rose, maybe sometime...if you plan to visit your mother's people again, or even the subsumed tribe of your father's...I grow curious to see your past too. Both because it's your past, that which forged who you are, and because Faerun is such a wide wide world of lands and things I've not yet seen."<br/><br/>She gnawed her own lower lip, feeling somehow like many she owed Rose a mention of a wrinkle in her own lineage (not knowing the mindflayer had hinted as much to the shifter already, which perhaps would've made a proper explanation seem even more owed), yet on the other hand not sure how germane it even was. The matter lay several generations back, and had had much less effect in her own life than had the unique union of Rose's parents.<br/><br/>Aria chewed her lip thoughtfully while glancing at the back wall of the narrow but chock-full tome- and scroll- store, where behind flat framing panes of glass a few scrolls were stretched. She felt a bit self-conscious having to ask the current proprietor, a corseted wizardess with a Tymoran holy symbol nestled in admittedly rather attractive cleavage, what spells the scrolls even were. Throughout her career, Aria had tried fiddling with scrolls and wands now and then, hence her willingness to keep some of those from the  pirates, but was rather self conscious about the (to her) difficulty.<br/><br/>Laying a light hand across the tiefling's back, the shopkeep mentioned how, even for most wizards, a particular divination cantrip was necessary for scrolls; some, herself included, even used yet other magic to render such magic-reading-magic permanent among themselves. She even tried to sell Aria on the idea for herself, which got the tiefling to thinking...<br/><br/>She murmured to Rose that she'd been thinking on a way to help detect things of magic to expedite their looting, and this might be it - cast such a spell on herself, and then another to seal its otherwise-transient duration.<br/><br/>The wizardess, naturally, then proceeded to upsell Aria on other known possibilities, such as a way to see the invisible. This, as it happened, had always been a bane of Aria's, moreso than to most adventurers, as such foes were not only difficult to hit, but nearly impossible to do so with precision. The wizardess even had suggestions about how to accomplish this without true knowledge of the spells involved, if one had familiarity with triggering the right items. When Aria professed relative ineptitude, several solutions were given - one, in fact, involved divine hire-casting the wizardess knew of, from none other than the nearest Tymoran temple, the very same where Rose and Aria had received help and made donations.<br/><br/>Hmm, Aria thought, luck indeed...<br/><br/>She told Rose, "There are even certain spells I could permanency upon you as well, like the magic you use to enlarge yourself....though I imagine you might not prefer being 'stuck' that way, and since you already have the Art to do so when needed, well..."<br/><br/>She purchased and donned a circlet which clarified one's insight into such items, as well as a bit of the wizardess's time and use of a stave and several wands the lady kept in a back chamber for precisely this sort of customer; they were easier to activate than scrolls and, in truth, cheaper in the longrun for a professional establishment which could expect to be able to 'sell' the charges piecemeal over time.<br/><br/>On the jaunt to the temple, Aria mentioned to Rose, in a voice suggesting it'd been on her mind for a few minutes, "I'm reminded by your life of a tale I was told of my great-grandfather's time. He was just arrived in one of the towns of Icewand Dale, shopping about for profitable adventure in that wild north utter, and found more than he bargained for. He signed up with several score of mercenaries, an expedition organized by the town's mayor,setting out against ill tidings yet further north. Frost giants ambushed their march through a pass with an engineered avalanche; he and only a few others survived. Yet the investigation continued, and, as I recall, one of his partymates became his, well, uh, mate."<br/><br/>Rose and Aria were welcomed, warmly indeed, back at the temple, where the wizardess spoke with a handsome brunette Auspician, similarly garbed to Haledan (it was apparently common for those who offered either arcane or divine casting services to have contacts on the other side, likely collecting some referral fee in the doing). The priest referred and led them to a silver-haired temple harpist, who in turn led the way to a blinding-white marble chamber in the temple's bowels.<br/><br/>Concentric rings and runes etched the floor; Aria suspected the clergy used this chamber for calling and interaction with divine beings who were not in this celestial plane of Brightwater already, or at least not close at hand. She slung the wizardess's wand case over one shoulder, and took the long staff in hand, feeling a little silly, like she were playing at being a sage such as Sarda. She stood quietly for a moment, focusing her mind for the precise sequence of steps ahead. Then she nodded.<br/><br/>The priest and bardess cast spells upon her in succession, each meant to enhance her insight and spirits to the task at hand. Aria smiled, drew one of the wands, and triggered it. "So far so good!" she whispered, slid the wand back in the case, and grinned at Rose.  "I can see the auras of all the things of magic you wear...it's beautiful, in a strange way." Next, the tiefling took the firmer grip of the staff, focused, and carefully uttered a different arcane word.<br/><br/>After a moment of quiet, heart-fluttery breathing, she drew a different wand, triggered it, replaced it, and triggered the same staff a second time.<br/><br/>"I think it worked!" she gasped, her voice the exhilarated relief of one just coming down from an adrenaline high. "When enough time has gone by, we'll know for sure..."<br/><br/>The silver-haired bardess smiled softly. "Magic, lady, you'll find a delight all it's own. 'Tis always a joy simply to see another find it so."<br/><br/>"Thank you, I suppose," Aria smiled back. She then turned to Rose with a grin. "Try the blink ring...I should still be able to see you, ethereal or no. "<br/><br/><br/><br/>Aria purchases:<br/>A silver circlet which confers a +10 competence bonus on Use Magic Device checks (10000) (stylistically similar in appearance to a circlet of persuasion, which is +3 competence on all Charisma-based checks)<br/>two used charges of staff of Permanency, CL 30th, with 1500 XP per charge (19500 = 2x(15x5x30 + 5x1500) )<br/>used charge of wand of Arcane Sight, CL 30th (1350 = 15x3x30)<br/>used charge of wand of See Invisibility, CL 30th (900 = 15x2x30)<br/>Spellcasting services (to do as additional donation in upcoming post):<br/>Eagle's Splendor, CL 3rd (60 = 10x2x3)<br/>Good Hope, CL 7th (210 = 10x3x7)<br/>= 32020 gp total<br/><br/>What's going on:<br/>Circlet raises Aria's Use Magic Device modifier from +5 to +15.<br/>Eagle's Splendor (+4 charisma) and Good Hope (+2 morale to skill/ability checks, saves, attacks) cast on Aria, raising her Use Magic Device modifier to +19, for reliability on wands (DC 20).<br/>Aria uses wand of Arcane Sight.<br/>Aria uses staff of Permanency (also DC 20).<br/>Aria uses wand of See Invisibility.<br/>Aria uses staff of Permanency.