Behind the Gilded Curtain - Angier - 15/06/21
Jun 16, 2021 21:37:15 GMT
WillJ, Celina Zabinski, and 2 more like this
Post by Angier Shantarathil on Jun 16, 2021 21:37:15 GMT
I followed Leocanto into the Gilded Mirror casino with trepidation. I was so far beyond my comfort zone it was a faint glimmer past the horizon. A scent of distant rain on a hot day.
Besides me stood my temporary party, an eclectic group of half-elf, human, halfling, tiefling and a fiery matchstick of a genasi. Goodness knows what such a bizarre group would be capable of, but fortunately, as laid out by Leocanto, our mission was a simple one. Find and recover a lost customer. A red dragonborn by the name of Steef, an archer in training. A drunk who had wandered into the feywild portal. Not the most noble of task but one that suited my skillset well, aimlessly wandering around looking for things. One must wonder why a casino has need for a portal to a different dimension, but that is a question for another day.
We unceremoniously filtered through the blinding portal. As the light dimmed, what came into view was a world of beauty. The grass felt real to touch, the air refreshed my lungs, the sounds of chattering birds and insects affirming in their normality. But all seemed brighter, healthier, more vibrant.
After a quick chat with the local tourist-watchers lounging around, we headed on down the hill towards a forest. Ah! What joys a forest can bring! Such relief from the oppressive ostentatiousness of the Gilded Mirror. Soon within we came upon a market teeming with sellers of tat and buyers of gullibility. I would not be tempted by such nonsense.
From hat stand to mask stand we bumbled around, following a series of clues from recalcitrant fey. Some of the party decided it would be wise to open cursed boxes in exchange for gold. One appeared to only get even more joyful, a worrying sign, and the other appeared drunk himself, repeatedly walking into poor Alonso the human. Nobody died though, so a fair exchange perhaps. These entirely trustworthy shopkeepers told us that Steef was now a lizard, having pissed off a pixie.
But there I saw before me a place of prophecies given and futures told. Stepping in to the cramped tent, seated on a box an eladrin, a colourful creature of the seasons. I needed to know, I must know, my future. My purpose for which I have spent eight decades searching. If the forests of Faerun provided me with no such answers, then perhaps the magical forests of the feywild itself would. In exchange for my sense of fashion I could have the answer. The teller spent a moment seeking and explained I would be a saviour, maybe even for the world. Surely this was it. Surely I am that one. I will have to meditate on this for a while. The diviner eladrin was suddenly quite bland looking.
Our next stop, Vicky the pixie at The Friendship. A ship-shaped shop in anything but tip-top form. Small creatures squawked and scurried around their cages from floor to ceiling. While our half-elf and tiefling went off looking for our hopefully temporarily lizardy quarry, I enquired the pixie as to what creature would best suit a saviour of the world. Apparently a hawk, and for only four inches of my height, this creature, Regis, could be mine. Regis took a perch on my shoulder, while the now weirdly tall pixie fluttered away.
After a quick jaunt back to the casino, with what we assumed was the correct lizard, we collected our rewards.
I will need to train this entirely wild bird and meditate on what I have learned this day.
Besides me stood my temporary party, an eclectic group of half-elf, human, halfling, tiefling and a fiery matchstick of a genasi. Goodness knows what such a bizarre group would be capable of, but fortunately, as laid out by Leocanto, our mission was a simple one. Find and recover a lost customer. A red dragonborn by the name of Steef, an archer in training. A drunk who had wandered into the feywild portal. Not the most noble of task but one that suited my skillset well, aimlessly wandering around looking for things. One must wonder why a casino has need for a portal to a different dimension, but that is a question for another day.
We unceremoniously filtered through the blinding portal. As the light dimmed, what came into view was a world of beauty. The grass felt real to touch, the air refreshed my lungs, the sounds of chattering birds and insects affirming in their normality. But all seemed brighter, healthier, more vibrant.
After a quick chat with the local tourist-watchers lounging around, we headed on down the hill towards a forest. Ah! What joys a forest can bring! Such relief from the oppressive ostentatiousness of the Gilded Mirror. Soon within we came upon a market teeming with sellers of tat and buyers of gullibility. I would not be tempted by such nonsense.
From hat stand to mask stand we bumbled around, following a series of clues from recalcitrant fey. Some of the party decided it would be wise to open cursed boxes in exchange for gold. One appeared to only get even more joyful, a worrying sign, and the other appeared drunk himself, repeatedly walking into poor Alonso the human. Nobody died though, so a fair exchange perhaps. These entirely trustworthy shopkeepers told us that Steef was now a lizard, having pissed off a pixie.
But there I saw before me a place of prophecies given and futures told. Stepping in to the cramped tent, seated on a box an eladrin, a colourful creature of the seasons. I needed to know, I must know, my future. My purpose for which I have spent eight decades searching. If the forests of Faerun provided me with no such answers, then perhaps the magical forests of the feywild itself would. In exchange for my sense of fashion I could have the answer. The teller spent a moment seeking and explained I would be a saviour, maybe even for the world. Surely this was it. Surely I am that one. I will have to meditate on this for a while. The diviner eladrin was suddenly quite bland looking.
Our next stop, Vicky the pixie at The Friendship. A ship-shaped shop in anything but tip-top form. Small creatures squawked and scurried around their cages from floor to ceiling. While our half-elf and tiefling went off looking for our hopefully temporarily lizardy quarry, I enquired the pixie as to what creature would best suit a saviour of the world. Apparently a hawk, and for only four inches of my height, this creature, Regis, could be mine. Regis took a perch on my shoulder, while the now weirdly tall pixie fluttered away.
After a quick jaunt back to the casino, with what we assumed was the correct lizard, we collected our rewards.
I will need to train this entirely wild bird and meditate on what I have learned this day.
