A'kin stands up again, and offers the patch to Ian.
"To activate it, you need to wear the patch - either on your skin or on your garments -, focus on it and speak out loud its symbol. The sound of this one is Sal Athaum."
When Ian takes the patch, A'kin turns to Ophelia and the others again, waiting for an answer.
[OOC: So, just to get things straight, the situation is like this, right?
You're going to take the healing scrolls for 4.000 gold. Blackthornes gives 1.000 gold, all others don't give any money for it. So, Ophelia, do you have / give the remaining 3.000 gold, or do you skip the offer?
If you take it, which scroll do you choose as the free offer from A'kin?]
"I'll take the Emergency Regeneration and two Cure Friends scrolls, thank you A'kin," Ophelia whispers as she puts the whole 4000 gp on the shop counter.
OOC: Sorry it took so long to write back, been a little busy.
A'kin takes the gold and puts it into a drawer of his counter.
"Glad to please my customers," he says with a bow. "So then, let's get the scrolls for you..."
He walks over to the chest, opens it and looks for the scrolls. It takes a bit for him to find all the scrolls, but finally he stands up and gives Ophelia the promised items.
"There we go: Emergency Regeneration, three times on the scroll, as the free gift. One Cure Friends scroll - that is, you said you wanted two? I'm afraid I have only this one currently, but I can get another one for you within... three days. This scroll here, with two Cure Friends spells on it, was part of my big gift to you, anyway."
He gives Ophelia the two scrolls, then opens the others to check them. After a few seconds, he nods with a satisfied look. "Yes, the bundle's complete. That should get you out of most life-threatening situations, I assume."
He takes a look around, then takes a deep breath. "Sounds like we've finished business for today, or are there any wishes left?"
((OOC: Joyblood, would you say I might possibly get a bonus to a spellcraft on the patch if it's language is close to mine? I'd like to see if I can't discern what effect it might have. I'm rolling a Spellcraft first, then a Knowledge:Arcana, but count the knwledge as one lower than it will roll, since i have a +19 to that skill instead of +20 
))
The Illumian walks to Ian and extends a gloved hand, assumedly for the patch. "If it is so close to my make-up, I'd like to have a look if you don't mind..."
((OOC: Ugh, dice roller. Ignore the third roll of 2d20. that's not right.)
A guy rigged up corpses to sing? Somehow, I'm not surprised. There are a lot of sick little puppies in the world. In any case, it probably sounds like that because it's a floating, talking skull. As for the changes in the recordings... are you sure you're recording everything? It might be inducing something in the brains of the listeners directly, and no, you can't use mine as a recording instrument.
[OOC: Does Ian give her the patch?]
At first glance already, Lorevail sees a couple of similarities to her own language in this sign. She is quite sure she can find out what effect the tattoo has; although it might very well take more than half an hour to find out all details.
Duke Charper chuckles slightly as he hears Ohalian's words.
We aren't even capable of doing that. All we can do is influence your cyberware, and even for that, we need our interface to you - the man in leather, as you call it. As for our recordings, we receive everything that your hearing cyberware is capable of receiving - no more, and no less. We... GODDAMN! Hang in there.
A few seconds of silence follow, then Duke speaks again.
Okay, quick. Two guys in black coats just came in, looks like government. Heavily armed and with serious faces. I have no idea what's going on here, but they just paralyzed a couple of our guards. If anything goes wrong, I have a secret method of contacting you. My codename is Snake. I won't let this project go down the drain just because some government crap appears. Hang in, gotta delete these records before they're here.
OOC: Yes Ian gives her the Patch
Ian takes a quick look in the pouch, then looks away. If there was not anything that seemed to happen by him looking at it, he will gently dump the contents of the pouch on the floor and spread them around with the end of the pole, making sure to avoid all direct contact.
Ian points at the ring. "Do you know what this is?"
As Ian moves his arms to point, he starts the frown. after asking the question to A'kin, he reaches inside his sleeve, rummages around and produces a bag of coins.
"Oh, wow. I forgot about these." He says. "I try not to keep all my gold in one place, so It's harder to steal it all at once. I forgot about this bag." He looks through it and smiles. "Hey Ophelia, looks like I can chip in some more jink after all. How much you need?"
He looks around. "Did we ever choose a scroll of invisibility sphere?"
OOC: Sorry Ophelia. I forgot how much money I had left.
(OOC: Loreviel Akdavnel will take as long as needed to decipher this, even if it means walking around with her nose in it.)
[OOC: @Fidrikon: Well done 
@pb: Okay, we'll try letting the next 30 minutes pass fast 
]
"No," A'kin answers to Ian, "you focussed on the healing scrolls so far."
"Thanks Ian, 1000 gp should be enough. Then I will pay 2000 gp and the deal is done, I think." Ophelia looks quizically at Ian and A'kin, looking like she is not too used to this buying scrolls from a fiend, type thing, and not sure that she got all of the scrolls she should get for 4000 gp if the other two were gifts.
-Ophelia
"Very well then." He pulls out the thousand gold and hands to it A'kin.
"So we still need a scroll of Invisibility sphere. You said you had one with... 5, was it? castings on it for 3500? I'll help pay for that, but I'd rather not dip into my personal supply too much, especially when we still have equipment money that has to be given back if we don't use it." Ian says, looking at Blackthornes.
OOC: How much money do I have from that contract? I dont even remember.
OOC: we each got 10,000 gold for equipment, which has to be returned if we dont use it, and 2000 payement, with the promise of another 2000 later.
*to Ian*
"Ok, I suppose I could put up a few gold pieces for it, though I would like to take a poke around before we leave, I almost forgot I had all that money to spend."
*hands Ian 1500gp. To Akin*
"Akin, would you happen to have any magic items I could possibly use to help my jumping abilities? I am rather weak in that department."
Ian looks at Blackthornes like he has an extra head. "Baator isn't exactly known for it's bottomless pits and chasms, Blackthornes. Besides, If we need to get across something like that, I can give you a hand." Ian says, tapping his ring.
*To Ian*
"All though that situation makes sense, I have to take in account what might happen if I get sepperated from the rest of you guys. And besides, almost everyplace has its ledges, and Im sure that this is also true for baator."
*To Akin*
"So, ignoring what my friend just said, I think I would still like to inquire your answer."
"Yes indeed," A'kin says, "I have three pairs of Boots of Striding and Springing, and one of them is even a special creation where the wizard attempted to make them even more powerful. That is, besides the normal abilities, they can also make you jump five hundred feet up into the air, once a day. Problem is, there's no solution for the fall so far - so I only recommend them if you have some way of flying or levitating."
"Oh, the prices: The normal ones cost 3.000 gold pieces, the special ones 6.000 - they're unique, so far..."
Mr. Smith? Sorry for the interruption... we had some... technical problems here. All solved now. The team... as it was... is still at your service. We're still collecting data from your hearing sensors, but my chief is convinced we can install the vision software, too, if you have no... objections.
The man in leather, who just stood there for quite a while now showing no further reaction, suddenly turns towards Ohalian, observing him with something like - curiosity?
This is the first time that Ohalian has seen a change of emotion in the man's face.
*To Akin*
"thank you akin, ill take a pair for 3,000 gold, if you dont mind."
*Thinking to himself*
Good, at least now i will be able to fend for myself if I get seperated, and I will have a few extra gold pieces laying in my pocket for later.
A'kin walks over to a nearby shelf, and takes two pairs of boots off of it.
Both are similar except in colour: They are made from soft leather, and each boot has a wing on each side. The boots look noble, yet maybe a bit too playful for some tastes. A'kin holds up one red-coloured pair and one natural-looking pair of light brown colour.
"So, which one's it going to be?"
"yeah......I think Ill take the brown ones."
A'kin hands Blackthornes the brown boots, bowing slightly. "At your service, as always."
He takes another look around the group. "Anything else?"
[OOC: So, what do you say - do we manage to get back to Charrdh now and start the actual trip down the Pit? ]
[OOC: Almost forgot: Fidrikon, Ian has found the illithid's pouch and opened it. Does he also take a closer look as to the contents of the pouch, or do you want to wait with this?]
Ian points at the ring. "Do you know what this is?"
OOC: I guess you missed it the first time. No problem. And yea, I'll do that here. Might as well do that now, where A'kin can help if something goes wrong
[OOC: Yes, totally missed it - SORRY! Here we go...]
As Ian emptied the pouch on the floor, a couple of items fell out.
The most obvious is a stack of papers, each one folded and all of them bound together with a thin hemp yarn. It's probably about seven papers altogether.
Besides the bundle of papers, three little gemstones fall out of the pouch, as well as a small box, slightly smaller than the folded papers, and crafted from stone. A symbol is engraved into the box's top side, but Ian doesn't recognize it.
((OOC: Spellcraft and Decipher Script checks! Add 2 to the first roll, since i have different modifiers ))
[OOC: @pb: This is for the tattoo? Yes, Decipher Script makes sense. ]
((OOC: For the box, or the tattoo...or both. ))
Lorevail looks up from the tattoo, and takes a quick look at the box.
The symbol is completely unknown to her, but at least she can say that it doesn't seem to be an arcane rune.
Ohalian walks up and picks up the ring, putting it on.
"I'll be taking this as my share, unless someone has a problem with it."
It looks to be worth a pretty penny.
Sure... just make sure that I can kill it at will, okay? I don't want you folks knowing where I live, and I sure as heck don't want you lot recording me getting intimate with my girlfreind. I'm not going to be making porn for you.
It takes a few seconds before Duke Charper replies.
Sure... we're no government guys, after all. he says with a slightly trembling voice.
Ina tunrs away from the items on the ground and see's the ring on Ohalian's finger.
Shit.
In a calm, clear voice, Ian says. "Ohalian? I need you to not think about anything for a moment and take off that ring. I'll explain why when you do."
Powers above, I hope that thing doesn't launch fireballs or something, cause we'll all die.
At first, Ohalian didn't notice it, but now he realizes that he is moving... or rather, the world around him is moving. The shop stretches, becoming longer and higher, until it resembles a tunnel... and from one end of the tunnel, Ohalian hears a voice.
No, not precisely; rather, he feels it. It is inside him, looking for him...
We are here, brother, we are waiting for you. Brother... brother... So, he is dead. Who are you? What is your name? Ohalian... Tigerfury... I feel you... I see your thoughts... Baator... Charrdh... show me your life... your entire life...
When Ohalian doesn't move, Ian uses his own ring.
{Insert telekinesis. Does Ohalian still get a will save, or is he too distracted?}
[OOC: Sorry, should have given a better description. Ohalian is still capable of acting. His perceptions have changed; I imagined it somewhat like Frodo in LOTR when he put on the one ring and got his ethereal (or whatever) vision, but is still able to act normal.]
OOC: Okay then. Nick, make yerself a will save, unless you dont want to resist.
*As soon as Ohalian puts on the ring Ophelia ducks behind one of A'kin's chests of scrolls.*
-Ophelia
((OOC: Going on a camping trip this weekend! I won't be back until Sunday...so until then, if anything crazy happens, the Illumian will stay out of it and take evasive actions..and if you decide to leave, she follows.))
[OOC: Wish you lots of fun on your camping trip! And always remember to cast those orc-banishing spells before you go to sleep at night ]
*To ohalian*
"are you daft? why would you put on a magic item you know nothing about?"
*To everyone else*
"I wonder if it fried his brains yet?"
The Masked gnoll wanders over to Ohalian and pokes him sternly in the face and asks: "Are you okay?"
Then he pokes him again. "Are you okay?"
And again.
And again...
OOC: Rinse, Lather, REPEAT
Umm... did you guys just activate the recorder? I'm getting visual distortions here... what the frag? Are you guys hearing that voice? I don't know whether you've patched yourselves into my ears direcly or their interface with the hearing part of my brain, but I'm definately hearing a voice.
No. I'm not going to tell you anything. Nothing.
He'll then start repeating a looping children's song from his world over and over in his head. It's a trick he learned to protect his mind from people prying where they shouldn't technologically.
No, everything normal here. The only voice I can hear is asking you whether everything is okay, over and over again. Is it that what you mean?
Love..., the voice continues. I can see your world... you... everyth...
Ohalian feels like being hit by a dwarf's hammer as the world around him turns back to normal. The voice disappears, and he notices the ring slipping from his finger and falling on the ground.
He stands in shock for a second or two, then he is able to act again.
When the ring slips off, Ohalian staggers from the abrupt change. He then gets poked by the Masked Gnoll, and swats away the hand.
"I'm fine, now. Frag, that was weird. I think he must have been using this ring to contact with his compatriots. I think they read my mind, and I'm pretty sure they know where we're going."
Wow. A mission FUBARed before it even really starts. I think this one's a new record. Once this is all over, and Rose gets back, I think we're going to have to move.
A'kin, who observed the situation silently, approaches Ohalian slowly.
"You're not very used to magic, right? Maybe you should ask one of your companions for a quick lesson of the basic rules on how to deal with magic."
He looks around, sniffing in the air like a dog.
"Fortunately, whoever it is you contacted, they found their way into your mind, but not into this shop. On the other hand, depending on what they read in your mind, I might be in trouble now, too."
Ohalian winces.
"Sorry. That said... any of you magical folks want to do any magical stuff with this ring, to figure out what it can do? If not, we're standing in a magic shop right now, so fencing it shouldn't be much of an issue, right? Regardless, we should get moving as soon as possible, lest the compatriots of our tentacled freind there decide to oppose us. What the frag was he, anyway?"
"As for me," A'kin replies to Ohalian's question, "I'd prefer the ring taken out of my shop as quick as possible. If the one on the other side hasn't read enough of your thoughts to know about me, he might find out by looking for the ring - psionically, magically, whatever. So, as much as I hate it, but I have to ask you to leave my shop as quickly as possible."
A'kin grabs for the patch, pulls on it, and with a loud SCRUTCH he tears it out of the robe.
"Safe to remove, I assume," he says with a smile. "The illithids I have known so far wouldn't have used magic, no matter how powerful. It's like asking if a deva would use magic that burns the souls of innocents."
He ponders for a moment, then adds, "Unless our friend here was on his way to become an illithid lich, but he seemed not powerful enough for that. Maybe he was just at the beginning of his path."