The Tentacle Diadem
Log Info
- Title: The Tentacle Diadem
- Emitter: Faranmidahn
- Characters: Donna, Delilah, Ashes, Elyanna
- Place: Underground: Magus Ectra Na'Garra's Manse
- Time: Monday, July 05, 2021, 8:28 PM
- Summary: Elyanna's careful application of acid ruins the safe enough to get it open. Inside are two items, a fetching tentacle diadem tiara, and a letter. Everyone is careful not to touch the diadem and warns against doing so. The letter is read, its from Veren's mother congratulating her on her studies and letting her know they'll be able to afford her tuition under Extra. Ashes wonders who delivers mail to Illithids, and Donna and Delilah concur that there's only one likely candidate. The looter -rrr- salvaging merchant in the other room. Letting the diadem sit for the moment, the gang confronts Lerethil who reluctantly agrees to say who the source was, as Ashes returns to the prisoner's room to continue packing up the bones. She's especially careful with Abbey, Poppy's best friend. These events are interrupted by a pounding from the Laboratory. It's ALIVE! --rr-- It's awake. Still bad!
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Appearing -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Donna 5'4" 106 Lb Human Female A black-haired human girl in black robes. Delilah 5'4" 106 Lb Human Female A golden haired human girl in white robes. Ashes 5'11" 177 Lb Hobgoblin Female A somber arvec in grey clothes with a skull face Elyanna 5'11" 153 Lb Half-Orc Female A grim, Arvek-blooded woman in raven feathers. -=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--= -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= NPCs of Note =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Lerethil Half-elf Female A trader with questionable connections. Poppy Human Female A ghost, daughter of the body that became Ectra. -=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--= -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= As the GM =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Delilah 5'4" 106 Lb Human Female A golden haired human girl in white robes. -=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=
There is a safe. Under the floor. Well, not under the floor anymore, since Elyanna has unearthed it (or untiled it, as the case may be). Finding a safe is good. Surely! It must be good.
Of course, getting it open is another matter.
Lerethil has been kind enough to supply a vial of acid, that will reportedly dissolve any metal but only metal. Glass, cloth, plants, paper, and the next door neighbor's cat are all completely safe. The question now seems to be how best to go about applying it. A syringe has been offered, but the materials making up the pointy end of it might cause a problem.
Delilah, meanwhile, has left the room, and is out in the main hall, nursing her frazzled nerves by talking to Lerethil, and probably also making sure the merchant isn't getting into undue amounts of trouble -- like pocketing something to do with necromancy, for example. One can never be too careful.
Ashlee has stepped back, is crouched and sitting on her ankles. She watches Elyanna, and looks at the safe. "You can see how fast it works by how quickly it dissolves the needle part."
The Keeper considers the syringe for a moment or two, setting the vial down gently before taking a moment to gingerly try to remove the metal bit from the vial. She doesn't put a lot of force into it in case it's been glued, rather than screwed, but stops as Ashes steers her thinking toward the usefulness of damaging the tool. She gives a nod, then and, "Here we go." Diiiiiiiip-sluuuurrrp....!
As the efficacy of the needle is gauged, Donna takes a couple slow, careful steps back. Perhaps it won't be a *spectacular* dissolving of the needle, but, metal armor is expensive and it doesn't do to take chances.
Ashlee watches as the needle of the syringe starts smoking, but it isn't instantly dissolved. She is keeping back, concerned about her armour as well. "That's promising."
Elyanna tips the syringe up as the barrel is drawn full and the hobkin slowly rises with her eyes on the needle to see how things proceed.
She looks askance at the others, gauging placement, then walks with as smooth a stride as she can manage back toward the hole. Deep breath, annnnd out..... and the red woman takes a knee and moves the tip of the needle toward one of the hinges and presses out a few drops onto it.
Another breath.... then the other hinge.
"I wonder if I should use more?"
Applying the acid to the hinges is fairly simple, all things considered. It's how must things tend to be when there isn't a giant spider trying to liquefy your insides. Even feeling the effects of the poison still in her system, the safe isn't trying to escape. Eventually, the needle does crumble (or at least the metal part of it does) which necessitates holding it off to the side so the remaining bit of acid can drain somewhere that isn't harmful.
The acid on the hinges, meanwhile, uses itself up on destroying those parts of the safe; it takes some time for it to stop smoking, but what's left of them afterwards is easily broken. Wiggling the door free takes some figuring out, but fortunately the lock was designed with the idea that the hinges would be there, and not that they'd be dissolved by acid.
The safe contains exactly two objects. The first is a crown, or perhaps a diadem is a better term. This headgear is nothing beautiful; it depicts a series of tentacles, all intertwined with each other to form an unbroken circlet.
The second is a letter, a bit smudged with time.
- Dearest Veren.
- Hoping you are well. Your father has completed his business dealings, and everything has gone very well. We'll be able to pay for your tutelage with Ectra for at least three more years. I hope your studies are going well; we're both very proud of you and hoping we can see you soon.
- Love, Mom.
"Don't touch that." Ashlee states the obvious, pointing at the diadem. If it isn't Ectra's vessel it's still likely to mess up a mind. She moves closer and leans over Elyanna's shoulder to read the letter.
"Who dares deliver mail to Illithids?" The ashen Arvec wonders. "Don't... touch that too much. If we can divine a family name, it would be really helpful."
"Hey D," Donna says, nudging her sister. "Dinner an' a beer says that's the vessel the bitch's been yammering on about."
Peering at the letter from afar, Donna purses her lips. "Can't imagine as it'd be many people, Ash," she says, as much to herself as the Arvek. "...In fact, th' only one comes ready to mind is sortin' baubles in the livin' room."
Elyanna holds the syringe up to one side like a lady of quality babying a smoke and looks to the contents of the safe with some quiet discontent. She glances at Ashes as she warns them of making contact with the diadem, "Do we use a fish hook and twine to put it in a bag?" she wonders. A glance to Donna on her observation and she nods, "She may know more than we had previously thought to ask."
"You should ask her." Ashlee glances in the direction of the living room. "I stil have bones to gather."
Nothing much changes, without any input besides talking. The remains of the needle and the remnants of hinges eventually stop smoldering; the air has taken on a rather sharp quality, but doesn't seem to have become harmful. At least, nobody is keeling over.
The diadem and the letter both behave themselves, at least so far. Especially the crown, that nobody thus far has touched. It just sits there, looking tentacly.
Eventually, Delilahs' curiosity gets the better of her, and the sorceress leans in, wringing her hands with deep concern. "Did you manage it?" she asks. "What was in the safe? Was in weird? Ugly? Did it try to eat anyone?"
"Yes, Yes, an' no," Donna replies, "In that order. Silver tentacle crown, an' a letter from Veren's ma. We're just tryna figure out how to get the crown outta there so's we can figure out what it is, an' what to do with it."
"Yes. That. Yes. Yes. Not yet." Ashlee answers carefully. She's searching through her satchel for something hook-ish or string-like.
"Roping it into a pillow-case and then the bag might be best." She pulls out some twine. She stares at the Diadem, glances at Elyanna, "She does have an aesthetic, doesn't she?"
"Can you imagine your lips and tusks on everything?"
"The slug likes to accessorize." Elyanna replies, ignoring the vague similarities in Ectra's path to immortality, and the red woman's own fashion affectation. She pushes to her feet and gives Donna, then Ashes a shrug and roll of a shoulder, then glances at the syringe in her hand.
Hmm.
"I will, a moment." and with that, the Keeper makes her way over toward the doorway whence the merchant plunders the joint, eyeing the elf's covetous mores as she does.
High iron content, perhaps a bonus.
Back over her shoulder, Elyanna ammends, "Remind me to tell you of Blahn'gagh, sometime. Before we've eaten." <goblin-talk>
Delilah leans over Donna's shoulder, peering into the safe, and hunhs softly. "...OKay, that's weird," she acknowledges. "I mean, is it just me, or are we finding a lot of tentacle... stuff, lately? Tentacle face. Tentacle whip. Tentacle crown. Veren likes tentacles, apparently. I'm going to call her squid-girl from now on."
Lerethil appears to have finished plundering; at least for now. She's got everything she's been able to lay hands on assembled, organized, and categorized. In the main hall she's busy studying her handiwork, with one chin cradled in her palm and her fingers on her lips.
"The paintings have potential," she muses, entirely to herself. "To the right market. They won't fetch anything at auction, but the right collector would pay handsomely for Illithid art. The utensils are silver, which is valuable but they are otherwise unremarkable. ...The literature might be interesting. Hmmm." She looks up as Elyanna, then Ashes enters, sizing up the Keeper and the Mourner. "When will we be entering the laboratory? I am certain that it will contain the greatest valuables. We can have Reginald carry things, if we can work out how to give him-- Err, her, instructions."
Ashlee follows Elyanna, if only to get out of the acrid air.
Arriving in the room, the ashen Arvec glances at the organized piles. She is impressed. Hobgoblins do like things orderly, and while she has no particular attachment to the ideal she appreciates the aesthetic.
She looks at the half-elf, who does not seem physically suited to carrying things. She is more substantial than a skeleton. Which comes to her musing: use the reanimated remains of an innocent person to complete menial tasks, like a perfect, uncomplaining slave.
Some arguments must be presented, and some arguments will fly uncomprehendingly over another's head. As if a finger was pointed at the moon, they would be the dog staring at the finger, waiting for a cookie and completely miss the moon. This would definitely be a case of seeing only the finger.
Ashlee refrains from giving her that, saying only, "Soon. I have things to get." She vanishes to continue her work.
"I do not suppose you missed anything." Elyanna notes absently, then, with more focus turns the conversation in another direction, "Have your deliveries ever invlved correspondence?" She folds her arms slowly, still holding the point of the syringe skyward so none of it's ravenous contents dribble over the floor, or the assorted Precious.
"Ash asked the same thing," Donna says to her sister with a shrug. "It's weird, but... Makes sense to me, in a way. Remember how she was biggin' up her people, talkin' like we was just farm animals to them? Well... let's be honest, the wiggly bits're about all that *really* separates them from us. So... 'parently that's what they wanna show off most." Lifting a shoulder, Donna nods her head to the living room. "Prolly best as we listen in on what Elyanna's askin'. Three sets o' ears hear better'n one."
"yeah, that's... probably a good plan." Delilah follows her sister out into the main room, leaving the crown where it is for the time being, with Poppy guarding it just in case it decides to get out of line, and a promise to raise the alarm if anything unexpected happens. (One would really just expect it to sit there.)
The twins arrive back in the hall, just in time to hear the tail end of Elyanna's question to Lerethil. "Correspondence?" The elf shrugs, cupping her chin with one hand. "Well... often, certainly. Illithids don't tend to get otu much. Something about adventurers trying to kill them too often, I think someone told me once. If they want to talk to anyone outside their immediate vicinity, they usually use magic, or... Well, letters for anyone they didn't consider to be worth wasting a spell on. There were occasional letters from her apprentice too."
Lerethil pauses, and draws herself up sharply, almost in expectation of being insulted. "I didn't read them," she adds. "I always handled letters honorably, from anyone who asked me to deliver. Part of the fee was privacy."
Ashlee is out of sight, it not out of range of hearing for large goblinoid ears. It's a decent distraction, listening to the woman who would use undead speak about honour. She is an elf. The have a different perspective.
A very different perspective...
The Mourner works quietly, continuing to clean and pack up Poppy's friends. It's straightforward enough. Prayers to the Feiu of the Tears are murmured as she works, even if she must occasionally pause to eavesdrop on the other room. The deceased will understand. The Grey Lady will also. Life is so busy.
Donna peers at Lerethil, then casts a slow, long look at the pile of stuff, the presumably-bolted decorations that remain, then back at the merchant. "...Okay first *that's* your line inna sand? Second, not even *kinda* what we're wantin' to ask about. *I'm* kinda curious though; you remember where her apprentice's mom was, since you delivered mail?"
Elyanna hmmm's, "Like a trollop stuffing her bodice." she observes, glancing at Donna as she notes a reasonable explanation to Ectra's tentacular tastes.
She then arches an eyebrow as Lerethil draws up and takes in the woman's replies with a certain steady expression, "The apprentice. Where you acquired those letters is of some interest to us." she returns. Whether that's an insult or not is entirely up to the merchant to decide.
Lerethil heaves her shoulders, and sighs audibly. "Letters are private. So are their recipients. However, since it is for an investigation into a murder, I suppose I could be persuaded to make an exception to my usual practices, as long as I am adequately compensated." She glances sideways at the paintings, and hrmms softly, before looking back to the three talking to her and arching an eyebrow expectantly.
In the gruesome slaves' chamber, aside from the persistent stench, the mood has become increasingly peaceful. Poppy has even given up her watch on the diadem (it's been good) and is standing over Ashes' shoulder, hands clasped as she watches the Mourner work on the remains of her friends. "Those are Abby's bones," she murmurs, when Ashes turns to a particular skeleton. "She was my best friend."
In the main hall, Delilah folds her arms and sighs audibly. "Why's everything always gotta be hard," she complains, with a sideways glance to her sister. "Up to you and Elyanna then, if you wanna let--"
Delilah stops short at that moment, at the sound of a muffled thump. And then a louder thump. It comes from behind the one door that the four adventurers haven't opened yet.
It comes from the Laboratory.
"Oh no," whispers Poppy. "It's awake."
