//------------------------------//
// Session 03: Demons Are Calling 
// Story: Adventures in Valatorium 
// by X3n0heart 
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	Sitting around the table the girls chatted with each other as they doubled checked their sheets and character information making sure everything is in order before Sunset starts tonight's session. Everyone showed up a little earlier to go over a few things and one or two of them had a question for Sunset as they got settled in.
"Okay, is everyone ready?" Sunset asked as the girls gave her nods and "mhmm's".  Taking a look at her notes Sunset waited a few moments as the silence filled the room, increasing the waiting tension as she slowly looked up at her friends. "Last week you girls saved some villagers from a mad mage who just seemed to vanish as quickly as he appeared. You learned that it was Rystion the Mad as you questioned the elder, learning all you could before being handed a small coin purse as a reward for helping them. Quickly snatching it from his grasp, Thandra opened it to see how much was in there but instantly tossed it aside sensing it was a trap and saving the party from damage. When your vision cleared you appeared in the middle of a forest, unknown to all of you. Making your way through you then found yourselves among many rolling hills. Turning towards the North you decided to head that way and made camp between two hills as the sun set behind the distant horizon."
Sunset looked back down at her notes before continuing on. "You were then almost ambushed in the middle of the night but thanks to Jeana's quick action in waking the rest of the party, you over came the small band of kobolds. The rest of the night goes on without incident. The following day passed on as you continued to traverse the rolling hills before coming to a walled city as dusk settled in the sky. You were pointed to the Spider's Nest and were told that was the only place to find lodgings this time of night. Entering the busy tavern you traded enough coin to stay for three nights." Sunset then looked around the table at each of them before saying, "So, morning comes and you all find yourselves waking early and heading downstairs one by one as one of the bar maids walks up and asks if you'd like anything breakfast."
"I go ahead and order for everyone as we should discuss about what we're going to do today," Rarity says as she looks around the table.
"Good idea. Ah think we should find out where we are first and then go from there. What do y'all think?" Applejack asked her friends.
"I take a look around the tavern. How busy does it look?" Rainbow asked Sunset.
"There aren't to many people around in the early morning. You see maybe one or two that are still passed out from last night's drinking, you see the day time bar keep behind the counter setting things up as well as the bar maid who came up to your table."
"I'll be right back guys," Thandra said as she got up from the table and headed over to the bar. Taking a seat on one of the stools the bar keep gave her a smile and walked over to her.
"What can I get for ya, missy?" He asked as he continuously wiped the dark wooden counter top.
"We're pretty new in town, could you tell me what it's called and which region we are in?" Thandra questioned as she pushed a few gold coins subtly over to him. Quietly wiping the coins away with his cloth he continued to clean as he answered the half elf.
"Well you are in the city of Whitestar, known famously for it's fish export and other sea related items. I'm not sure what you mean by region though," he paused as if to think of an answer that best suited the question, "if ya mean by who's in charge well that would be his highness Lord Amarith. His keep is towards the southeastern end of town over looking the port."
"Thanks," Thandra said as he nodded a reply. Walking back to the table and sitting with her friends she relayed the information she had been told to them. "So, what's the plan guys?"
"Perhaps we should seek an audience with the person in charge?" Jeana asked.
"Yes, that might be the best course of action at the moment. We could even probably get more information there as well." Lady Lavanya agreed with her.
"Let's be cautious about it though," Roxanna chipped in. "We are still in an unknown land and who knows what rules and regulations they have here." The rest of them all nodded in agreement, keeping their wits about them as the morning went on.
"As all of you finish your food and walk out into the morning sunlight, you notice the street somewhat busy for this hour. All kinds of people rushing back and forth, most of them heading in an eastwardly direction. What would you like to do?" Sunset explained, followed with the question.
"We'll make our way to the castle or keep, which ever it is that Lord Amarith resides in," Twilight said.
"Okay. So you follow some of the crowd down the cobblestone road and it is now, with the rising of the sun, you get your first scents of the sea drifting on a slight breeze. Rounding a corner you can see a large palace type building which sits slightly higher than the rest of Whitestar. You can also tell that most of the roads that lead down to the port are at a slight decline for the city proper is roughly  thirty or forty feet higher than the port itself. You come to an intersection which is crowed with people moving in all sorts of directions. There are four ways to choose from here and in the center of it stands a giant statue of a man. At the base of the statue is a small pool which has a sitting area around that for people to rest on. The man seems to be looking off into the great distance over the vast sea, one hand shielding his eyes from the sun the other resting on the handle of a long sword."
"Are there any signs around? Like direction signs pointing to where things are?" Fluttershy asked Sunset.
"Make a perception check."
"Thirteen."
"Heading over to one of the corners you see a few signs on a post pointing in various directions. To the east is the port. Back west, where you guys came from, looks like the trade district of the city. To the south leads towards the palace as well as some weapons and armor shops. There doesn't seem to be any sign pointing towards the northern part of the city even though there is a road leading off in that direction. Do you guys stop here or continue on towards the palace?"
"I think we should keep going," Rarity said to her friends.
"Yeah, let's get some more info then we can explore the city some more," Rainbow agreed.
"Ohhh, we can go shopping later!" Pinkie smiled brightly as the girls giggled.
"So you head down the southern road a bit before making a left following another path that rises lightly upwards. As the palace comes more into view you can tell this place is very ornately designed. There are marble pillars surrounding the main doors which have gold and silver flakes melted into them. There is a solid fifteen foot wall surrounding the entire estate which has iron spikes set into the top of the wall all the way around it. The building itself looks to be three or four stories high with multiple balconies and very large windows set every twenty feet along it's walls. Coming up to the gate you are stopped by two well armed guards."
"Halt! What business do you have here?" One of the guards calls out to them, his hand resting on the handle of his sword.
"Good morning. I am Roxanna Mourneblack, a paladin of Bahamut. We seek an audience with his Lordship."
"No one sees the Lord without a summons."
"Listen, darling, we have important news which must be delivered to him personally," Lady Lavanya said as she stepped closer to him.
"Roll persuasion," Sunset said.
"Sixteen."
"Well I rolled a natural one," Sunset said as the girls giggled, turning to Rarity. "So the guard eyes you for a moment then turns to his friend and tells him to give word to the Lord as he lets you through the front gate into the courtyard. As you step onto the small stone path which leads to the main doors you can see that the place is very well kept. There are a few servants tending to the multitude of trees, bushes, flowers, and other various flora that has been placed there. The other guard has disappeared into the palace as you guys continue to walk through the courtyard. There is also two matching fountains which stand about twelve feet high, one of an angel and the other of a devil. Both of the fountains looks well crafted and very expensive. Would anyone like to do anything while you wait for him to return?"
"I wanna get some fruit!" Pinkie called out.
"Alright. You see a couple of fruit trees not to far from the path."
"I go over to them. Which kind is it?"
"There are two in bloom from what you can tell. A red apple tree, which some of the servants have been collecting apples in baskets, and a smaller cherry tree."
"Can I pluck some of the fruit off the trees?" Pinkie asked.
"You sure can. The servants don't seem to pay you any mind as you grab a couple of apples and some cherries. Is anyone else doing anything?" Sunset asked them.
"Can I go take a look at the fountains?" Rarity questioned.
"Sure, which one?"
"I'll start with the devil one."
"Alright. You step onto the soft grass and head over to the fountain and as you approach it the first thing you notice is how clear the water looks. Its so clear that if it wasn't from the sound of it running you could swear that it was almost invisible. There is no dirt or coins in the base of the fountain and as you stare at your reflection there is barely any ripple in the water. I need a perception check." Sunset told her.
"Eight," Rarity told her as she looked at her sheet.
"A moment of silence goes by and you could swear you heard a very soft voice in the back of you mind but shake it off just as quickly as it came. The rest of the statue is in extreme detail and if it wasn't stone you could swear that it was alive."
"Okay, that's kind of creepy. What about the other one?" Rarity wondered.
"The angel statue is in just the same detail as the devil and the water is just as clear as the other fountain as well. I need another perception check please."
"Twenty-two!" Rarity beamed as the girls cheered.
"There is another quiet voice in the back of your mind and this time you are sure of it. Where it is coming from you are uncertain but it vanished just as quickly as the first one. Just then there is a call from the door way for the first guard returned, beckoning all of you inside."
"His Lordship will see you now about this 'information' you speak of." As the party headed over to the two massive front doors of the palace, they could see that they were roughly eight inches of solid steel and stood ten feet high. As each one stepped over the threshold they were then led into a nearby waiting room and were told that someone will be along shortly.
"What a place!" Thandra said in amazement as a slow smile spread across her lips. "I bet there's all kinds of treasure here."
"We're not here to steal from him, Thandra, we just want some more information." Roxanna said in a hushed tone. Not having to wait for long there was a small knock upon the door as a well dressed servant stepped in.
"Please, follow me," he said as he turned around not waiting to see if they followed or not. The party was lead through a series of hallways and doors before finally coming to a stop in front of another set of massive but well decorated wooden doors. "Behave yourselves in front of his Lordship and refrain from any unnecessary," he paused for a moment as he looked over the group, "behavior." With that he opened one of the doors, motioned them through then stepped back out closing it quietly behind him.
"So my guests have finally arrived. Please come closer, let me have a look at you." A well spoken voice called out to them from the other side of the room.
"Is this the throne room?" Fluttershy asked.
"It would appear so," Sunset replied.
"I'd like to make a perception check and look around the room as we walk up to him," Rainbow told Sunset.
"Okay, roll."
Rainbow rolled her die then looked at her sheet. "Eighteen."
"The room looks fairly huge, I'd say maybe thirty by twenty feet in size. As you guys walk closer you notice there are six statues, three on the right and three on the left, all set almost up to either side of the walls. They are evenly spaced out between them, all in different poses and seem to be made with the extreme care like the ones you saw out in the courtyard."
"Do they look just like the ones I saw earlier?" Rarity asked.
"Yes. As you pass by them you notice that they are a mixture of angels and devils. Along the left wall are a series of large stain glass windows which almost span floor to roof of different pictures, staining the floor and opposite wall with bright colors. Coming closer to Lord Amarith you can tell he's fairly young and also elven. He has long yellow hair which is braided and looped over one shoulder. The color of his sea green eyes, even from the distance that you guys are shown brightly with curiosity and caution. He is wearing a chain shirt, much to shiny for it to be iron or steel. He has two rings on his left hand, one has a large ruby in it, the other you can't recognize the stone. As you approach the steps which lead up to his throne you also notice four heavily armed guards standing in the shadows waiting for his command."
"I stop the group and then take a step forward to introduce myself," Applejack said.
"Good morning, your Highness. I am Roxanna Mourneblack, holy warrior of Bahamut," she says with a respectful bow before standing straight and meeting his eyes. "These are my companions and we are a bit lost. You see we are new to this area and are unsure of exactly where we are in the world. We come seeking information as well as the knowledge of any rules we should know in your wonderful city."
Amarith shifts ever so slightly as his eyes flicker from one to another, taking a few seconds on each of them before finally resting on Roxanna. "Welcome, Roxanna and friends, to Whitestar. Where do you hail from?" he asked, his voice echoing around the chamber.
"We are from all over Valatorium," Roxanna replied as she watched him closely.
"I do not know of such a place and I have seen most of the world," the tone in Amarith's response shifts slightly as his eyes narrowed. "And what is this information you come bringing me? One of my guards says it's highly important."
"I must apologize for that. You see we thought the best way to get to speak with you was to tell a little fib," Lady Lavanya said with a sheepish half smile and a small bow. "We are only trying to figure out where we are."
"Or perhaps one of you is an assassin sent to kill me," Amarith's words cut sharply through the air as his guards unsheathed their weapons and started to surround the group.
"We're not here to kill anybody, I swear!" Lohen called out slight fear showing in her eyes.
"Make a persuasion check, Lohen," Sunset said.
"A four," Fluttershy said quietly as a couple of her friends moaned.
"You see Amarith stand from his throne as the rest of his guards form a complete circle around you not believing a word you said he points a finger towards the group."
"Lucky for you I am quite busy today so I will have to deal with you another time. Take them to the dungeon and lock them in separate cells!" As the guards relieved them of their equipment and put them in shackles they began to escort the group out of the throne room and down a few flight of stairs.
"As each of you are put into your own cell to await what fate has in store for you we will call it there for the night," Sunset said as the girls groaned and begged to go on longer.
"You can't just leave it there!" Rainbow called out.
"Yeah what's going to happen to us now?" Twilight asked.
"Don't worry, I'm sure it'll be okay," Fluttershy said as she put her things away. As the rest of the girls gathered their things and said their goodbyes, Sunset told them they did a good job rping this session and they each get 250 experience points tonight.
"Make sure to look over any new skills and spells you might acquire and have it all ready for next week." The girls thanked her for the session and as Sunset closed the door behind the last one she smiled to herself and with a sparkle in her eye she headed back to the table to clear it off and to start working on next week's game.