Game: Blades of Git'riban : Primal State

No.

However, the nondetection is a localized effect, probably from an item. Ya'shenn can make clairvoyant sweep of the other tunnels and large pipes in the area, and see if the 'thids have other escape holes, which it sounds like they do. Also, she can follow a manhole back to the surface and get a layout of the streets directly above their location, matching it with their initial sweep of the area.]

well, make a search roll

Ya'shenn manages to pinpoint where the ghaik must be. She uses her clairvoyance to search the tunnels in the vacinity. There is a similar pipe in a perpendicular tunnel that, when she investigates it, runs into the nondetection effect.

There is a storefront selling planar wines about a hundred yards up the street from Void Keys. The ghaik are probably in a hidden space below the basement, judging by where Daraz is. She runs into the edjes of the nondetection effect when she tries to peer into the shop's wine cellar.

[DM - After a more careful reading of of nondetection , Ya'shenn's clairvoyance should have simply failed at the edge of the effect, unless you pass a manifester check (d20 + psion level). Evil DM says the DC is 31, and Ya'shenn "failed her check" when she first looked up the pipe. To make it up to you, GoodDM'll give you a little more intel.{Edit - You have cairaudiance up too, right?}]

Ya'shenn 'looks' at the street above. There is a wine shop above, with a wide alleyway and a loading dock on the side. The alley continues around the back of the building to link up with other alleys in the mixed-race residences around Revel Road. There is a narrow (about as wide as a large barrel is tall) steep ramp down to a thick wooden door next to the loading dock, leading down into the wine cellar.

Before Ya'shenn can 'look' down the ramp, she notices someone coming down the alleyway from Sigil proper. There are two grath, a human and a shady-looking dwarf in a large, loose cloak. They case the area quickly, and chucklingly discuss coming back sometime to lift some wine. The human then decides to set up in the shadows in the back of the loading dock, while the dwarf waits in the mouth of the alley, keeping an eye on the street.

Whatever the pair is up to, Ya'shenn decides to quickly look down into the wine cellar above the 'ghaik hole'. There are the usual casks, bottle racks, even several large metal vats. In one corner, not far from the ramp, actually, there is a drain.

***

The other 4' pipe seems to be heading in a direction to intersect the one Vivec and Daraz are in. It does not, however have any water trickling through it.

[DM - If Ya'shenn passes a DC 31 check, she can beat the nondetection and peer deeper ... ]

[I figured you've got 3x a day on the clairvoyance as a racial ability. You would not lose the scry until you 'look' into the nondetection affected area, but the only way to know where the edge of the effect is, is to be affected by it.

And yes, you saw the graith before looking into the wine cellar.]

{Edit} So, since you failed the check, Ya'shenn lost 2 of her 3. 1 in the initial look up the first pipe, and 1 more. NiceDM says you can choose which one fizzled you out, the second pipe or the wine cellar, and that you can choose if you want to risk the 3rd per day, or keep a watch. EvilDM suggests you choose to fizzle at the pipe and keep an eye on the two rogues upstairs. I don't know why he's being so helpful, but I don't trust it.

The Temple of Tiamat

Lind kneels down and prays to Tiamat in draconic. She thanks the Dark Queen for the opportunity to sacrifice her own body.

The gnome eventually gathers himself enough to flee up the stairs (the only exit, other than the portal) and shortly thereafter a small gang of kobolds comes down to see what's going on.

When Lind is done, she leaves the arm on the altar and graciously accepts Ar'dru's offer to see her home. In fact she orders the kobolds not to aid or follow them. The walk is fairly far, and Lind is weak from blood loss, but Ar'dru knows she will refuse any offer of aid. She leans heavily on a staff that she retrieves from near the door. The staff is wood carved in the image of a dragon climbing a rock, with the dragon's head the tip of the staff. In the dragon's jaws is a large red gemstone that shines with a deep fire of its own.

When they reach Lind's door on Newgate Road, she invites him inside.

Lind discourages displaying the head openly [head-bags were comman practice for samurai, I assume the same is true for githyanki] and asks instead that Ar'dru dump the bodies through the portal instead.

The place is not over-large, the second and third stories of a five-story stone building, but it is opulent. Tapestries and fine art grace the rooms. Lind lies on a satin couch in the den, and Ar'dru sees that in an adjoining room are many plants under a magical light source, making the air clean and fragrent.

Lind asks Ar'dru to fetch a particular bag from an upstais room. It is full of healing potions and bandages, and she treats herself on the couch. Lind relaxes then, and bids Ar'dru make himself at home. There are jugs of fresh, clean water on a table near the archway into the adjoining room, and fresh fruit growing on the plants in said room.

"You are a being of honor, Son of Fire. I admit I know only a little about your other half, and the culture in which you were raised. What I do know has impressed me, and what I see in you impresses me even more. You deserve to know the details of what drew you in, why the assassins struck at me, for you likely have made enemies by helping me."

"The reason, is rooted in in the origins of my people. I am a draconian, my ancesters arose on a world called Krynn half a dozen generations ago. The eggs of many metallic dragons were stolen from throughout the multiverse. The unborn souls were devoured by Her Dark Majesty, and the spirits of abashai entered into the bodies. The result was a great army of beings much like Boz and myself."

"I admit that I know little more than this about the history of my race, for though the draconian armies conquored in their initial onslaught, they also met with many defeats, and were eventually broken and scattered. Portals to the planes are very rare and precious things on Krynn, but there was one door to the City of Doors, and a small, ragged band of survivors came through. They had learned even before this that we were fecund, and have raised clans here in Sigil ever since."

"Those of my own bloodline make strong sorcerers, as I am, just as those of Boz's bloodline make powerful warriors. We revere the Dark Queen of Dragons, and I was honored by decree of Her high priest of all Her temples in Sigil. It is my duty as Theopolitan to act as a political ambassidor to the communities which include worshipers of Her Dark Majesty, in order to defend their rights among nonbelievers."

"Of course, the position was a trap. I had insulted the the high priest, somehow or other. I don't really know how, he's a piker. Probably jelous of my skills, or he didn't think I was tithing enough, whatever. By making me part of the temple heirarchy, he sacrificed the ability to move against me himself by making me a target for certain orthidox elements who hate me and my kind. We later generations have our own souls, though where we're getting them is unclear. It does mean we have to work to make it into Her embrace, unlike the first generation whose souls were hell-born to begin with. Some our number have abandoned Her Dark Majesty and, so they say, are harkening back to their metallic dragon origins. We who remain true will not act against those few lost brethrin in any way, for our race is young and can scarce afford to loose a single one, least of all breeding females."

"Not that I ... uh ... well ... " Lind looks away, and asks Ar'dru to fetch her some more water.

"So ... I have many enemies in the temple clergy, those that lust for my position, those that do not but wish to see me fail, and those that simply object to the fact that a non-priest was granted this honor. Not that it hasn't had some rewards, the high priest isn't as smart as he thinks."

"The priests cannot move against me directly, of course, but I have fended off several attempts to disgrace me, and other plots by third parties. This was the first physical attack. Tell me, do you know who those assassins were working for? Were they followers of Amduscias? Malphas? Bel? Kurtulmak?"

Swans Way, street level.

Ya'shenn looks around the wineshop's cellar, but does not peer too close to the drain she suspects leads to the ghaiks' hidey-hole, for fear of losing her last feat of clairvoyance. Instead she keeps watch. When she goes back to check on the pair of barbarians, she notices that the dwarf coninues to wait, while the human has set up to cover him with a crossbow from the shadows.

Soon, another figure approaches, coming from Git'riban. A githyanki with red hair strides up to the dwarf and asks to see what he's got. The dwarf responds that he wants to see the jink.

Swans Way, street level

The githyanki wears ornate leather armor with a few studs, small plates, and bracers [masterwork studded leather]. Ya'shenn sees that his armor has obviously seen action. A closer look reveals that the design incorporates bloodstones.

The Band of Bloodstone is large, but not so large as many warbands. They have a reputation for trying hard to honor the "blood" part of their moniker, being especially brutal and ruthless, even for githyanki, by comitting attrocities and scorched-earth tactics to break their enemies' psychology. Ya'shenn, from her knowlege of the situation on the Astral, knows that they are one of several bands that were trapped on the Incursion worlds in their entirity. The Band of Bloodstone's Astral holdings are now mostly occupied by other bands from various power blocs, except for their primary fortress, The Bloodstone Tiers, to which the skeleton staffs of their other holdings fled.

This particular githyanki is wearing the light armor of a sorcerer or psion. His hair is a flaming red, and he is bulky for a githyanki (though not as large as Du'minh). He bears a hand-and-a-half sword, though he carries it by the scabbard rather than wearing it.

"You'll not see one coin until I see you have what I need, graith."

"What'd you call me? Look, I got what you asked for, 'yank, but I don't like comin' down here. You bashers are known to be shiv-happy, so just gimme my jink and I can get back to civilization, right?"

"Heh heh, right, graith, right. So you've got it? How much?"

"Enough yank, enough." The dwarf opens his volumous robe. What appeared to be a pot-belly turns out to be a large leather satchel.

The githyanki, however, holds up his hand quickly. He looks around the scene. The dwarf is cool as stone despite his hidden companion. The githyanki looks around, and his eyes are drawn to the point at which Ya'shenn's clairvoyance manifests. They 'lock gazes' and Ya'shenn sees that the githyanki's eyes are amber-colored.

Then he manifests nondetection.

[DC 27. EvilDM is baaaack]

~Indeed? In that case, thank you sister. I was wondering if this graith was truly enough of a fool to meet me alone. Ah yes, I see him now. {amusement} Imbiciles.