Game: Adventure Thread(Eco-Mono, Edward, Erte, Lok, Nordom!)

OOC-Y'know Erte, you ever consider being a haiku bard? That almost fit the bill...but as actual poetry- um, yeah, it's pretty bad.

Yeah! As soon as Gnoll Druid can find some time, today.

Master Bedroom

As morning (or what past for morning in Sigil) rolled by, Edward slowly crawled out of his bed. Maggie buzzed a little angerly when the old man disturbed her sleep. When he finally got up, he did the same thing he did every morning since he came to the City of Doors. He pulled some clean clothes out of the closet and when to the bathroom to go take his morning shower. He undressed himself and stepped into the bath tub.

"OH, BLOODLY HELL!!!" was heard all through out the entire house when Edward suddenly remembered that he had no running water.

Trying to mantain his dignity, the professor libarally applied deoderant and dressed himself in a dark-blue polo shirt and a pair of brown trousers. Half asleep, he went downstairs to the kitchen to open a tin of meat for Maggie. He put on a pot of coffee for himself and headed to the library. It was there that he spotted Rrodek reading one of the books. The old man raised one of his eyebrows and asked, "What book are you reading?"

"Erwha?"

Peter was a bit dazed by the panicked awakening, but as Edward passed through the room and Erte seemed to calm down, Peter did as well. Blinking sleepily, he stood up and looked around at the rest of the people left in the room.

"Well, that's an effective wake-up call if I ever had one..."

OOC:: Okay folks, I'm gonna be gone from now until Wednesday afternoon on a camping trip so I won't be posting. See ya later.

OOC:
It's exam week for me, so sorry about my absence.

I'll try to post something tomarrow.

Nordom looked about the room, *clicking* and *whirring* as it took note of everyone present.

"Query: Should not present heirarchy's prime directive be to locate previously discussed portal to Prime world: Earth? Should we not egress to Mechanus to locate required data for said prime directive?"

After period of inner reflection, Edward put down the book he was flipping though and turned to the Bard. "I'm afraid most of my talents are purely academic in nature. I have doctorates in both history and linguistics. I have an intimate knowledge of Earth history, which I'll admit doesn't mean much in the planes. I'm also quite fluent in many languages which include all of the Romance, Celtics and Germanics, most of the Slavic and Semitics, Tibeto-Burman types, Attics types, Turkic types, Hindi, Finnish. Not to mention some dead ones like Latin, Ancient Hebrew, Aramaic and a little bit of Coptic. I'm still a little clumsy with the last one, though. I know that those languages wouldn't mean very much in the planes either," He scratched his head and adjusted his glasses nervously. "My colleagues also liked to say I was a bit of a savant with encrypted messages and that it never took me long to learn a language completely unknown to me previously.... but that was when I was a younger and much more energenic lad."

He looked up from the ground, little more brightly than before. "I've recently taken to Rebuses well enough, so I guess this old, senile brain still has some learning to do." He turned to the others, "What about everyone else?" He glanced at Peter in a friendly teasing manner as if to say, Come on, you have some good skills. Share them with us.

Nordom nodded as Peter and the good doctor finished their summaries of themselves. Nordom blinked its eyes, and began speaking....

"Request processed. Nordom is mainly practiced in the arts of warts.....error....WAR. Crossboxes....crossbows....gear spirit crossbows are sentient beings with an approximate 78% effecient aim....elaboration....can hit critical areas of anatomy more often than not...knot?....no knots....no not I? Error....EFFICIENCY."

With Nordom's apparent malfunction, its eye piece seems to position itself over Nordom's eye of its own accord...

"Apologies. Momentary malfunction in speech patterns. Error found and corrected. Processing....designation: OPTIX. Gear spirit. Not eye lens. Null lens. Sentient being. OPTIX increases Nordom's efficiency with crossbows 15%. Further analysis: OPTIX can detect magical auras, illusions, and disruptions in planar fabric....'portals'. Efficiency: 99.967%. Processing....crossbows can produce ten bolts every solar cycle...day....OH WHAT A DIFFERENCE A DAY MAKES! TWENTY FOUR LITTLE HOURS!!!!....error....further investigation required.....bolts are capable of harming beings equal in power to greater tanar'ri and baatezu....w00t!"

Nordom shakes for a moment, but then stands perfectly still.....

"Apologies....running internal diagnostics....."

"To tell you the truth," Edward replied. "I would prefer if Peter went with us to Mechanus. It might be dangerous, but, from what I hear, it will be nothing compared to the other places we'll be visiting on our travels. I would like to see that he gets some experience dealing with the planes before we begin the trek through Hel---I mean, Baator (Sorry, Nordom.) I do not want the boy dealing with any more surprises than the rest of us."

He paused for a moment to rest his old legs on his armchair then continued, "Besides," the professor said with a chuckle. "It would be nice to have another Earther around for conversation, at the very least."

He glanced at the lich. "With all due respect Rrodek, I don't think that you should come with us to Mechanus. You know, seeing as how we are going to a universe of ultimate law and you ARE breaking a few natural axioms with your *ahem* present condition. At least we can pass Mister Nordom off as another native robot, but I am afraid you will stand out quite a bit."

Edward groaned from the stiffness that always happened in the morning and propped his legs on the chair's footstool. "But that raises another question. How are we to get to Mechanus?"

He raised his finger and scratched his nose in thought for a moment then sat bolt upright and turned to Rrodek, "Wait a minute. Didn't that Jackel-headed woman give you a note as payment for us talking to her?"

"Well, she did give it to you. I think it would be more proper if you read it."

Erte rocked back slightly as the others talked, allowing him a somewhat less-blocked view of the spear-wielding enigma. He set the part of his mind that made him a bard to monitor the conversation, filing away the important information against future need. His fingers worked the strings in silence, seemingly in a sort of half-trance.

Through his half-closed eyes, Erte tried to take the measure of the tiefling standing in the doorway. The ease with which he handles his weapon, the lack of surplus movement, the hidden grace in his movements, and reflexes undoubtedly honed sharper than the tip of his spear. Marks of a seasoned warrior, all of it. And yet, something about Lok set the bard's nerves on edge. Concerns lingered in his mind, not at all dissuaded by last night's conversations.

Edward and Rrodek's discussion about Peter dismissed his thoughts about the man still standing sentry. Fingers still caressing the lute's strings, Erte turned his attention to Peter. The day was still young, but the question remained unanswered. Would Peter choose the to go on the errand to Mechanus, or learn a set of skills with Rrodek in Sigil?

Erte fought off a shiver as his vivid imagination provided Shemeska's voice as Rrodek read the letter. His hand slipped toward the silvered dagger of its own accord.
"I know of nary a 'loth that would let slip even a shadow so cheap, much less a dark such as this." Erte said quietly, his hands still for the first time since he woke, and he turned to the gnoll. "Well, graybeard, you know the King better than any of us. You think this Handin skag is worth penning down? Or is the Marauder leading us through a cakewalk?"
His face turned thoughtful for a moment before he continued. "Not that it matters, much. It's a starting point, which is what we've been looking for. Never thought I'd say it, but my vote is to head out for the hive, and finish our business there before dark, if at all possible."

Nordom blinks once or twice as it listens to the gnoll...when Rrodek finishes, Nordom begins to speak...

"Processing.....Handin. Designation unknown. Referral by Shemeska yields a 78.34563% chance of danger, give or take
.00000000001%. Possibility falls within acceptable parameters. Suggestion: Locate designation Handin to extract desired information."

((OOC: I'm really sorry about my nonposting recently. Gonna try to be more regular from now on.))

Peter seems to be in deep thought about things, not saying anything. He finally speaks up.

"Fishy or not, it's the only lead we've got... may as well go see this 'Handin' fellow.

"And I'd like to start my training right after we get back from Mechanus, if that's alright. I'm really looking forward to it, but I want to be around for the events there."

Peter smiles. "Thanks again, Rrodek.

"So, howsabout we all get some breakfast before heading off to the Hive?"

Peter is quite unsettled by Erte's reaction. With a rather uncomfortable look on his face, he mentally goes over Erte's warning. Okay.... slums. East-LA-bad slums. With evil puddles. "Got it. Thanks for the tip," Peter responded, finishing his thought out loud. "Sounds like a very bad neighborhood... I'll be sure to keep on my toes."

As the others digest his outburst, Erte takes the time to check his gear. Now that his back is to the rest of his companions, his face has lost all expression, save for concentration. He slips his blade out of its sheath on his left hip, carefully checking the clearance.

With swift, sure hands, he uses a pair of thin leather ties to attach a dagger-filled bandolier to his armor. As he stands, it hangs low around his waist, giving him accessing to his arsenal. A belt loop-like tie on his shoulder secures Dianne to his back, and he double checks the swing that would quickly bring her to his talented hands. He leaves his shortbow and a full quiver from the floor near where he slept last night.

As he works, Erte whispers a prayer to Hermod, protector of travelers. As if in response, the palm of his hand begins to itch. Glancing at the small tattoo that decorates his hand, Erte begins to smile -- an expression totally geniune.

He turns and walks back to the table, the smile still on his face. "Do either of you need a weapon for close quarters?"

Erte smiled at the skeletal dog's arrival. He took the outstretched paw in hand with the same formality as he would a visiting dignitary. His smile widened as he envisioned the scene's absurdity. With a deeper bow, he turned back to the earth-humans.

Slipping a pair of daggers from the bandolier, Erte weighed the familiar blades' balances carefully. With a flick of his wrists, the twin daggers jumped in the air. With a small flourish, he grabbed the razor-sharp metal between his fingers.

He extended his arms, offering the daggers to the human pair. "These daggers are made of adamantine. They'll cut through just about anything; including your hand. They're balanced to be thrown, and thanks to some small enchantment, their extra sharp, and they'll fly back to where you threw them."

OOC: Peter, Edward: If you take them, have a good time with your +2 returning adamantine daggers.

Taking one of the blade between his teeth, he used the other to pick the knots attaching the now-empty sheathes to his bandolier.

After slipping the baldes into their carriers, he again offered the daggers to the humans; albiet with a sheepish grin on his face now.

OOC:
Sorry about my absence. My computer died for about two weeks, but it's fixed now.

IC:
Edward thanked Erte as he took the dagger from the bard. He set the fine blade on a nearby table and turned to a storage chest in the corner. After a few minutes of rifling through the junk inside, the professor pulled out a black-leather sheath, his pepper spray and a large box of revolver bullets (50 bullets). He slid the new dagger in the sheath and buckled it around his waist. Afterward, he tucked in his polo shirt and donned the shoulder holster for his pistol.

Finally, he pulled his trusty tweed suit jacket off the coat rack and put on his brown bow tie. He buttoned up his tweed jacket to hide his pistol and new dagger, then turned to the others. "That should be enough for a trip to the Hive," he said with a warm smile on his face. He walked to the front door and called out to the gaunt gnoll, "Rrodek. Since you are staying behind, would you be so kind as to mind the house while I am gone and feed Maggie a can of tuna every other day or so?"

With that, the old man opened the door enthusiasticly and turned back to the others. "Are you gentlemen coming?"

OOC: Awww....Maggie is so CUTE!

IC:
Nordom looked to Edward, its eyes growing wide, and nodded.

"Affirmative. Request recieved and acknowledged. Travel to commence immediately. All systems ready. Efficiency at 98.46%. Efficiency falls within acceptable parameters. Awaiting reply of other hierarchical members."

With that, the rogue began to walk towards the door....

Peter fumbled with the sheathed dagger for a few moments. Finally getting it attatched to his belt, he walked up to the door, next to Nordom. "Well, I'm ready at least. Thanks again for you guys's help with all of this."