Part I.i. - The Last Will and Testament...

[logan]

Fin was taken off guard by the grab from behind. Turning quickly, on edge from all of the goings-on, Fin looks noticably bothered by the contact.

"My name is Fin. Who are you? You don't say much."

[Juniper]

Calaera also runs over the party in her head, but while she is sure her friend is assessing characters, she can't help but try to assess their combat skills. The gnome seems a bit of a lightweight in that department but the value of someone who actually believes someoen is hearing their prayers in combat is unquantifiable. The Tien woman - almost girl - seems naive at first glance: no armor, no visible weapons, but her body moves with supple grace and she carries that fluffy beast without ever trying to shift the weight. The elf is covered with scars and burns, but he doesn't move like a fighter. Calaera taps a finger against her chin as she watches him, then runs her gaze by habit around the street. He is an elf, after all. He's probably one of those always fiddling with magic - insane, but useful. The other man, ox-strong and densely muscled, well, his value is obvious.

Calaera pays attention with half her mind to Navene's idle conversation, sure her friend is doing much the same thing as she is: scanning the street and their companions. After the interruption before the funeral, she can't shake a nervous feeling.

Perception: [dice=20]+7[rand=623939037380920851666675914198874293630791344024766918326796632]

[Veritas]

Though the people of Ravengro you see level a weary eye upon you, no further mobs or interruptions occur as Kendra leads you back towards the home she shared with her father. It is not the largest of houses in the village, but it is not a simple hovel, either. It is the modest residence of a man who had a modest income over the years. Kendra seems grateful for the company of Solaz as they walk forward, but she only smiles slightly when Solaz speaks, nodding in agreement.

Kendra opens the door to the house, and inside is a large main room; a hearth with a half-dozen comfortable chairs scattered about, a table between them. Over the mantle are mounted interesting curio - a vial, its contents long-since gone. The hilt of a broken sword. The cover of a book. A small black box which is closed. Other than that, the only content of this house is books. Bookshelves line the walls, save for where walls or an occasional portrait linger, and each bookshelf is stacked to capacity, sometimes books layered atop other books.

Sweeping before you, Kendra turns and smiles a faint smile. "Make yourself comfortable. Father would have loved to have you here. I will bring out some food and drinks in a moment; the Councilman will, no doubt, be on time, so take a moment to speak amongst yourselves. I know very little of who you are, but Father had friends from all over; I doubt you've met each other."

With that, she turns and slips out a door, towards the kitchen.

[`Nessa]

Chouko nodded and mumbled her thanks to Kendra, then turns her attention to the room. It was a fitting room for the professor, and she could picture him sitting comfortably in a chair by the fire with one of the many books open in his hands. She nodded her approval to herself, and turned her attention to the room at large. The black box immediately piqued her curiosity, but she knew better than to go rooting. Legends whispered at the monastery were not forgiving to those who opened boxes for the sake of seeing what was in them, and she had no desire to add to them. Likewise, her training had taught her that introductions were to be made, not given, and so she held her peace with the others in the room. She was certainly curious about all of them, and wondered what they were all here for, but time would have to be her teacher.

So instead, Chouko contented herself by examining the shelves of books. Her fingers ran lightly along some of the spines, sending little shivers of pleasure through her; they had only had scrolls. But the Professor had come with books, and they were wonders indeed. And here was a room full of them! She read the titles, most of them meaning very little to her, but they were interesting nonetheless.

[joviality]

Navene drops her pack in an unoccupied corner, relieved to be free from its weight. Though her armor would be uncomfortable through dinner, she didn't see any easy way to rid herself of it. After a moment of looking through her pack, she found what she was looking for - the bottle of wine she had brought from Ardis as a token of respect for any of Professor Lorrimor's surviving kin. Gently removing the cloth that had been wrapped around the bottle to protect it, Navene rubbed any dust that was left on the glass off, bringing the bottle to a shine.

Navene then took a quick moment to see that she was presentable; ensuring that her hair was out of her eyes and that she had no grime on her face. Stepping through the door to the kitchen after Kendra, she quickly caught sight of the woman. She then spoke softly:

"Excuse me, I don't mean to interrupt - I just wanted to apologize for being so... vociferous earlier, when the villagers interrupted the procession. I am just... there are just certain things which make me lose my temper, and disrespect for the dead is one of them. I hope you won't hold it against me - your father was a kind man, and I couldn't bear to see them react as they did."

Pausing a moment, Navene holds the bottle of wine out toward Kendra, proffering it to her.

"We - Calaera and I - brought this for you as well, as a token of our condolences. It's a good vintage. 4698. The vineyards around Ardis were quite abundant that year."

Navene waits for Kendra to take the bottle, a small smile taking its place on her lips.

[logan]

Fin sits down in one of the chairs, making sure to choose one that was positioned back-to-the-wall so he could see those in the room, a selection which should ensure that no one will touch him from behind again. Already on edge from the strange goings-on, he had no interest in being surprised.

Watching Navene carry the bottle of wine across the room, Fin was reminded of his unsatiated thirst, which he was attempting to cure earlier, at the Laughing Demon.

Fin had always been one to keep a low profile... so being left to introduce himself to a group of strangers was not what he was not something he found appealing. Glancing at each of the remaining strangers in the room, he was happy to see that no one had yet made eye contact.

[Veritas]

The books on the shelves are thoroughly scattered in topics, though they tend to be clustered in groups. Titles stand out: The Complete History of Ravengro is one. Of the Whispering Tyrant is another. The one that Chouko comes closer to is named The Worship of Pharasma in Ustalav. History and religion seem to be the popular topic on that shelf, though that is not always the same.

Other titles boast The Unknowable Beasts of the Dark Curtain, or Cults of the Old Gods in the North. One suggests that there is The Undying History of the Serpents and another Spirits Manifest For A Reason. Here and there a space is left between books, where one has been removed; likely to be placed elsewhere on these shelves. Some look recently perused, and others have a layer of dust atop their pages.

As Navene speaks, Kendra pauses and reaches out for the bottle, lifting it from Navene's hands. She studies it, though it is rather clear she is not a wine connoisseur. That little smile spills over her lips. "If it pleases you, then, I would open this now. It would be a fitting tribute to my father, I think, if his friends shared this."

[joviality]

Navene smiles broadly at Kendra's suggestion. "I should like that very much. Here, allow me to help you."

Navene helps Kendra get out several glasses, and pours a measure of wine into each one. She leaves one glass in the kitchen for Kendra, and carries the rest out to the common room on a small platter, leaving Kendra to continue with her preparations. Once back in the main room, Navene sets the platter down on the table and places a glass in front of each chair, handing one to the elf who was already seated. She then returns the platter to the kitchen, and seeing no obvious place to help Kendra prepare the meal, returns to the common room and seats herself at the table. 

She takes a small sip of the wine, savoring its taste while not drinking much. It must be saved for toasts, after all. After tasting, a look of content passes Navene's countenance, and she is ready to begin introductions. She first turns to the elf seated near her, and introduces herself quietly, offering her hand to shake. 

"Navene Dahlanthe. A pleasure to meet you, sir. I was touched by your kind words for the professor."

She gives him a small smile as she waits for his response. 

[comicsans12pt]

Solaz walks to one of the book encased walls and takes a deep whiff. She's always loved the smell of books and being in a room like this was a delightful treat not to be taken for granted. How she would have loved to spend time in this room with the Professor.

She hums a tune to herself as she picks up Cults of the Old Gods of the North and peruses it. Paper dust erupts as she moves from page to page. Even this is a treat and she closes hers eyes for a long smell. The leather is slightly rough under her fingertips but not uncomfortable.

She hears Navene introduce herself to the elf named Fin. She waits to hear his intorduction to see how the introduction will go. Kendra was wrong in thinking we all knew each other although the two-Navene and the other one seem to know each other.

She wonders how much to introduce. Certainly, once the Councilman speaks, we will share a meal and go on our ways. She'd nothing against any of them but she found the one person a little harsh in her defense of getting the dead to Pharasma. Personally, she felt that it was enough to let the sun shine on the living. Soon enough she would be travelling back to the Temple, spinning her wool and singing her little songs. Years of errands for her Lady Serenrae had given her a particular fondness for solitude. It would be good to be on the road again.

Lady, let this be a simple meal.

[Juniper]

Calaera smiles as she takes a glass of wine and watches her companion begin to be, well, companionable. She supposes it is only fair that she introduce herself, but she is not sure what the reaction will be to her name, meaningless as it has always been. Best do it quickly, and in a way that doesn't invite comment.

She sketches a brief, if indubitably courtly, to the room at large and then speaks, keeping her tone deliberately formal. "I am Calaera Ordranti, late of Ardis. Dragon knight to Navene Dahlanthe."

(Diplomacy or Bluff, whichever you feel is more appropriate, to seem boring. Bonus is the same. [dice=20]+7.)

She turns away with an abstracted air that invites no comment and begins to examine the broken blade on the mantlepiece as though fascinated by it. (Perception [dice=20]+7 to see anything interesting or unusual about it.)

It is possible that Navene will scold her later for being standoffish and over-cautious, but then Navene is probably the only person in Ustalev who knows Calaera is capable of real friendliness. She is also probably the only one in Ardis who didn't know Calaera well as manipulative...or at least Calaera doesn't think Navene is aware of that facet of her personality. The woman is terrifically perceptive at times, and the gods - even Navene's deathly Lady - know how cutthroat the noble families can be, in the most civilized manner possible.[rand=622601441281935642927846754615699776707215587583596586643993751]

[logan]

Fin looked at Navene and did his best to smile. His scarred face changing from a slight scowl to an attempted smile, which mostly made him look only slightly less ugly.

"My name is Fin."

Fin takes a generous sip of the wine, tasting it carefully before swallowing.

"This is very nice wine. Where is it from? Finding a wine as fine as this in Iadara is a privilege reserved for only the most well connected citizens." Fin took another drink of the wine. Becoming obvious to the others in the room, Fin has not considered that he should save some of his wine for any upcoming toasts.

"The professor's library, it is quite impressive." spoke Fin to the group, as he stands up and walks over to one of the shelves. He begins scanning the shelves for any rare or valuable books about Alchemy.

Perception check looking for rare/valuable Alchemy books. [dice=20] + 8.[rand=11334426646068433533845112707666425351498614186518817919721826093]

[Veritas]

The blade on the mantlepiece is the broken hilt and tang of what looks like a longsword, scarred with use. The pommel is not present, having fallen off or rotted away years ago. An inscription in a language Calaera does not recognize runs over the centre of the blade, ending abruptly at the break after a foot.

From the mantle, Fin finds a book entitled Alchemikal Adamants and Myxtures of Olde Thassilon, written in a very archaic dialect of Taldane. The pages are faded with age, and the ink appears to have run off the pages on more than one page; the formula themselves use terms older even than the elves of Kyonin, and at this time, little information can be gleamed from it, save for the curio of the diagrams that yet remain within.

[logan]

Fin doesn't understand all that is in the book, but was very interested in what the value of such a work would be.

Fin has the book off the shelf, looking it over, thumbing through a few pages to look at the content and quality.

Appraise check
[dice=20]+8[rand=652588025611895331208552553696234316138994162637471581952848267335]

[joviality]

"The wine is from a vineyard outside my hometown of Ardis. This was a particularly good year, and I'd been saving it for a special occasion. This one seemed quite appropriate."

Fin gets up from the table, beginning to look through the bookshelves.

"Yes, he always spoke fondly of his personal collection."

Navene looks into her wine glass for a moment, and decides to continue with the introductions. She nods to the Tien woman, the tall blonde man, and the gnome. "I don't believe we've been properly introduced. Please, have some wine with me. As I said to Fin here, I am Navene."

She sees the wary expressions on some of their faces; perhaps she had startled them earlier during the procession. "Do forgive me for my... outburst... at the gravesite earlier. There are just certain things for which I have no patience for, disrespect for the dead being one of them. I hope you understand."

[logan]

Fin closes the book and returns it to its proper spot on the shelf.

Returning to his chair, Fin awaits the others to respond to Navene's greeting. Fin picks up his wine and drinks the remaining volume.

"This wine is fine, indeed."

Fin sets the glass down, silently hoping that a refill maybe offered.