Damiane in Blackspell

[drpete]

Date: 23 Crocodile
Weather: Cool, Raining

Irritated by the "fool's errand" of the crab hunt, Damiane has sent Ludwig and four of her mercenaries off. She and the two remaining mercenaries remain in Blackspell.

Once the group heads out, she is left to her own devices in the village to take care of business.

[post here for Damiane and the thieves, at least until the party returns]

[Rodriguez]

Damiane Xiphilinos uses the day to explore the village and do some shopping wearing the black silk chiton, long silk gloves and black veil. She doesn't really expect to find any interesting books but maybe some curious odds and ends that sailors brought from far away and sold here to pay for women and wine.
Her two guards won't leave her side.

[drpete]

Damiane explores the village, visiting various craftsmen and trinket sellers. Today is not a market day, so things are relatively quiet, though she does see a Chandler with gear for outfitting ship voyages (and by extension, most adventuring needs), a baker, butcher and such things. I'd imagine she avoids the smelly side of town with various craftsmen doing things that smell (dyeing, animal slaughter, etc), but she finds a seamstress that is able to repair the inevitable wear and tear on her delicate clothes (to maintain a noble appearance will require a regular "upkeep" cost depending on how finely she wishes to appear. This would include updating to local fashion, and general display of wealth)

As she expected, there's nothing like a bookseller here... Literacy is uncommon, and books are too precious. She does find that little frog statues seem to be fairly common, and many of the houses have large dried sea stars on their doors.

Add she is making her way through the relatively quiet market square, she sees a blind man being tormented by halfling children, who run up to him, and poke him, then run away laughing. He is busy trying to shoo them away. As you approach, he stands erect, and seems to stare at you with his milky eyes. Ignoring the boys for a moment, he hisses "Xiphilinos! She waits for you behind a curtain of water!"

[Rodriguez]

Being somewhat of a sucker for signs and portents Damiane cant help but grin. She gets a gold coin out of her pockets asking:The red lady? What does she want of me?

[drpete]

The blind seer reaches a hand out for a coin. On getting it, he continues "It is not the Red Lady that seeks you. She will find you soon enough! No, I hear another, who holds the dark wisdom you seek. She calls for you to release her, your sister!"

[Rodriguez]

"My... sister?" ponders Damiane, getting two more gold coins for the blind man. "If your vision are true and helpful... I will reward you and make sure that your begging days are over blind man." she says while handing over the gold before adding: "So if there is anything else, better speak up now."

[drpete]

"Just this... A warning. There are things man was not meant to know. Be sure before you look too deeply!"

The children are gone, and the seer seems somewhat deflated... A blind man, he hunches down and begins fingering the coins to get a sense of what they are.

[Rodriguez]

Damiane nods with a little smile while heading off to continue her exploration trip of Blackspell. She doesn't really care about the warning but she will have to take care of her clothing sooner or later so she plans to visit the seamstress again before dinner time.

[drpete]

Damiane visits the seamstress, and has her clothes looked after.
How fancy is she intended to be dressed? Is this sort of "minor noble" garb, as you see it? That might be 4 gp/week to maintain in good quality, with prices going up for fancier duds.

As she is preparing to go home, a tall, muscular woman with black hair approaches her. She is dressed in worn leather and has a large sword strapped to her back. She rushes up to you, smiling "Ana! What are you doing in Blackspell?"

[Rodriguez]

Minor Noble sounds good for starterd. Damiane will make the upkeep 5 gp per week. Cant have her running around in rags...

The guards eye the woman with caution as Damiane considers her options.
She tries "honesty" this time and says with a smile
Currently some shopping... Though I fear I am not the Ana you are looking for warrior woman.My name is Damiane Xiphilinos.
Then she offers her hand for a greeting.

[drpete]

ok with the clothes. Dressed nicely like this, you effectively negate your charisma penalty when interacting with new people... Until they get to know you, that is...

The warrior woman looks surprised when you reveal that you are not Ana. "I'm sorry, Milady. I thought you were someone else" She looks over your guards briefly, her face taking on a more serious cast. "No, of course you're not her. I'm so sorry." She thinks for a moment, then asks "I'm at my wits' end. I'm looking for a girl, about 16, blonde hair... Have you seen her here in town, Milady?"

[Rodriguez]

Yea, then it gets tough...

Damiane nods and smiles, not the least bit surprised that this womans wits are rather lacking... Getting mistaken for a 16 year old certainly puts Damiane in a good mood though and she does her best to actually sound comforting when she says:
"Oh, it must be terrible to lose someone dear in times like this! Come, tell me more about your friend over a hot meal and drink. I know a few people here, I am sure we can find her together.
Damiane then ushers the warrior woman towards her inn pondering with joy how usefull it would be to have a double of her own.

[drpete]

The warrior woman follows Damiane to the inn, introducing herself as Killian Silverdagger. She spins a story for Damiane about the girl, Leena, who she expected to see arriving on a boat a few days ago. It seems that Killian has been in this area for the winter, and has been waiting for the girl to arrive since the weather warmed up, but no boat had come. They are both from a village named "Norgood" where Ana is a priestess. Killian is clearly irritated by the presence of your guards...

[Rodriguez]

Damiane certainly was hoping for more of a sob story, a love triangle gone bad or a long lost sister thing, but obviously one cant be to picky when it comes to entertainment in the outback...
She asks a few questions in between to get some, hopefully juicy, details out of her: Why is such a young girl travelling alone? Is she already an ordained priest? Is Leena maybe embarking on a spiritual journey? What gods are worshiped in Norgood? Do they have any enemies who might be the cause of her disappearance?

When the irritation with her guards become too aparent Damiane will say:
Does my Honor Guard irritate you? I am so sorry, they certainly look grim and imitating at times... My lady mother insisted on them! But what do I tell you... You probably have absolutely no need for protection and can go on your own whereveryou want with no fear of getting bothered by hoodlums of any kind.

[drpete]

The warrior woman doesn't seem to notice Damiane's scorn. She explains that the girl Leena is her companion, and should have been traveling with a boat crew and a number of other warrior women. Ana is a priestess of Mitra, but Leena is a warrior. Their village is under threat from a tribe of orcs, and they are in the area to get horses to improve their ability to fight back.

Regarding the guard, Killian dismisses Damiane's explanation. "Don't sell yourself short. I'm sure you don't need a bunch of men to protect you, whatever your mother says... But to each her own..."

[Rodriguez]

Damiane finds this person more and more irritating though she still would like to get Ana...
Well, guess there is not much to do besides waiting for the ship. Where can I find you if I got news? Where are you sleeping?
says Damiane, wondering if she could find an opportunity to curse this oaf unnoticed.

[drpete]

Killian let's Damiane thanks Damiane for her concern, oblivious to the irritation she's caused, and tells her that she is staying in the home of an old widow weaver. She promises to introduce the young girl to Damiane "when" she arrives, and takes her leave.

[Rodriguez]

The night before Damiane leaves Blackspell in the search for the tomb she will make sure that her three business associates receive a message that they should keep a close eye on the old seer, making sure no harm befalls him.

[drpete]

Damiane's "associates" leave her a sign that they have gotten the message.