<div class="floatright">(https://i.imgur.com/VjfvTWw.png)</div><strong>Taris Vannel</strong>(https://elliquiy.com/forums/index.php?topic=293833.msg14533999#msg14533999)<br/><strong>HP:</strong>46 / 46<strong>AC:</strong>18<strong>CMD:</strong>21<strong>Arcane Pool:</strong>3 / 6<strong>Arrows:</strong>43<strong>Posts:</strong>45<br/><strong>Location:</strong>Road to Valenland --> The Tower --> Citystate of Senval<br/><strong>Tagging:</strong>Lust, Mez, Xara<hr/>"Hmn.  Sounds like you have to work around a lot of big personalities." Taris admitted stooping down to scoop up the amulet tuned to Wrath as she returned to the clearing, making certain to keep clear of the squat riding lizard that seemed to be casually sunning itself under the noon-day sun.  "My condolences."<br/><br/>"Ah, presumptions." Taris sighed, "If that were<em>true</em>, I'd present myself all done up in ribbons.  Unfortunately, there's at least an even chance that they think they can bend this prophecy to their favor.  Since they're based in Senval, that could be disastrous for Hawken."  she casually worked, tying the cord of the amulet to one of her arrows.  Tucking it under her arm, she got to work on the second amulet.<br/><br/>"Hmph.  No one respects the mask these days." she said sourly, "Velvet Dawn Club, hmn?  I'll take it under advisement." she channeled a bit more energy into her bow, a simple enchantment to increase the range of her shots, drew the string back  tight, angling her shot high to soar over the treeline on the opposite side of the clearing.  Then, with a thrum, she let the string go, watching the amulet flicker as it caught the light on its flight, disappearing off in the distance.  She'd have preferred to throw it in a stream, but better not to give Lust any more of a lead on her destination than she had to.<br/><br/>"Bitch." she spat sourly, repeating the process with the other amulet, turning a bit so that they'd land far apart from one another.  She huffed in annoyance, "Enjoy burning fifth circle spells trying to direct her to<em>that</em>twenty four words at a time."<br/><br/>Tracking down her horse took a bit more time, but fortunately the horse shoes made deep impressions on the ground that she could follow.  Soon enough, she was back on track.<hr/>The Tower was ... not exactly what Taris had been hoping for.  The Beholderkin caretaker was easily the biggest shock of the whole thing.  For a moment, Taris thought that the worst had befallen the High Wizard and the aberration had moved into her tower.  Fortunately, a brief conversation in Undercommon from the protection of cover had convinced Taris that everything was, indeed, on the level.  She tended not to let Mez out of her peripheral vision, as if half expecting him to try and turn her to stone at any moment.<br/><br/>Still, it seemed he was the only one present to help her.<br/><br/>She quickly scrawled out her own notes, arranging everything she'd discovered about the Reamer Queen and Sins for whoever might come to this place next.  Then she copied for herself everything that had been written about Senval.  When Mez offered her the crystal, she regarded it for a long moment.  It was, indeed, full of aether under the Sight, and seemed tuned towards recovery.  So, she swallowed the crystal, washing it down with a deep pull from the healing potion to get her back in fighting shape.<br/><br/>She took some time to meditate, breaking apart and rebuilding her Mandala using the infusion of Aether from the crystal.  She didn't have time to shop for new armor, as much as what she currently wore had proven insufficient in recent days.  Instead, she cash Mend to restore it slowly.  Furthermore, she "borrowed" a spell component from the High Wizard's stores.  Nothing particularly expensive, a small ball of clay with a pinch of iron fillings.  Her brief fight with Wrath had her considering new methods, spells swirling just barely out of reach of her mind during her meditations, but this one in particular she'd managed to grasp well enough to implement.  It should give her some more staying power, at least.<br/><br/>Penning a letter of warning (and assurance that she hadn't died in the carnage near the road) to Xara, she cautioned the Captain to be wary and keep a few guardsmen she trusted on hand, as she might be targeted.  From there, she rode on to Senval. As she had no knowledge of other Soulless in the city limits, she had to rely on herself.  Still, she had no intention of walking blithely into the Velvet Dawn like a lamb to the slaughter.  She took advantage of the afternoon crowds to ask around the usual haunts, partly for directions, and partly to gather gossip about the place.  Her first hour got her nothing for her troubles though, her Hawken heritage leading to people brushing her off or avoiding her for the most part.  So, she changed tacts, using old Academy channels to try and get a line on magical suppliers, particularly someone who could get her a potion of nondetection.  That, at least, she knew how to look for.<br/><br/><div class="spoiler_container"><div class="spoiler_header" onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button">Gather Information</div><div class="spoiler_body">Search for the Velvet Dawn:     At 2019-01-31 01:01:10, Taris (uid: 52581) rolls: 1d20a5 Result: 7 (https://elliquiy.com/forums/dicebot.php?r=130148)<br/>Time to Gather Information:     At 2019-01-31 01:06:35, Taris (uid: 52581) rolls: 1d4 Result: 1 (https://elliquiy.com/forums/dicebot.php?r=130151)<br/><br/>Search for Magical Item Shop:  At 2019-01-31 01:01:31, Taris (uid: 52581) rolls: 1d20a5 Result: 22 (https://elliquiy.com/forums/dicebot.php?r=130149)<br/>Time to Gather Information:  At 2019-01-31 01:06:51, Taris (uid: 52581) rolls: 1d4 Result: 1 (https://elliquiy.com/forums/dicebot.php?r=130152)</div></div><br/><br/>Feeling like she had a better feel for the city's rhythms at this point, (and, assuming she hadn't tipped her hand far enough to provoke someone to come and try to collect her), she changed out of her operations outfit and into a dress that'd allow her to pass for a fairly affluent merchant's daughter.  She had to use a somewhat more round-about method, but moving to a more affluent crowd bore some fruit.  With the afternoon dragging on into evening, she started to hear tales from those who claimed to have visited the club before.<br/><br/><div class="spoiler_container"><div class="spoiler_header" onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button">One Last Gather Information Check</div><div class="spoiler_body">Looking for the Velvet Dawn <em>Again</em>:  At 2019-01-31 01:01:56, Taris (uid: 52581) rolls: 1d20a5 Result: 24 (https://elliquiy.com/forums/dicebot.php?r=130150)<br/>Time to Gather Information:  At 2019-01-31 01:14:46, Taris (uid: 52581) rolls: 1d4 Result: 2 (https://elliquiy.com/forums/dicebot.php?r=130154)</div></div><hr/><div class="floatleft">(https://i.imgur.com/WLVeGed.png)</div><div class="spoiler_container"><div class="spoiler_header" onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button">Memorized Spells</div><div class="spoiler_body">Cantrips:  Detect Magic, Light, Mend, Mage Hand<br/>1st Level:  Expeditious Retreat, Grease, Magic Missile, Obscuring Mist, Shield<br/>2nd Level:  Force Sword, Mirror Image, Scorching Ray, Web<br/>3rd Level:  Clay Skin, Haste</div></div>