GHD&D #2 (Pt. 1)

Our adventurers have just arrived at Kirk Ronan Station. It's twilight, but the station and town are well lit, and the bright Moon is rising in the east. The town is bustling with people walking home from their jobs and getting to their homes. The town is rather old, largely made of cobblestone and brick, with some wooden structures and homes. From the station the harbor is visible, and one can tell that it's low tide. The bustling chuffing and clanking of a little steam engine shunting some trucks around the yard nearby the station breaks up the seagulls and waves. Raloris smells the sea, recalling her years of travel by sail on sleek elven schooners. Baz remembers the time he found a lobster.

Gaemon went to the beach to "work some stuff out," while the rest of the group explore the town. Raloris and Baz are both fairly hungry at this point from their journey into Rolf's Castle to meet Csill--and none of them ate at the pub. Csill spots a coffee shop called Trekker's Side, with a large painting of a coffee mug and various food items, and a seafood restaurant next door. Raloris notes that it is a quaint, old family place, and she leads into the coffee place.

The coffeeshop has the smell of roasted coffee beans. The barista cheerfully says, "hello, welcome to Trekker's Side Coffee and Breakfast. I'm Beans McLean, and we're all out of breakfast foods except for eggs," she says. Baz laughs at her name, and Csill chuckles as well. No one except for the adventurers and the barista seem to be in the restaurant.

"Only eggs?" Baz says.

"Yes, something seems to have... eaten... everything else," Beans says.

"What could possibly have eaten everything?" Csill says.

The sounds of struggling, pots and pans banging, and an angry man shouting "stupid fucking egg, get over here," are heard from the kitchen. The chef peeks his head out of the door to the kitchen and whispers to the Barista, "hey Beans, we got a situation back he--"

he is jerked back into the kitchen, and there's more ruckus.

"heeeeellllp!"

Raloris and Baz do nothing.

"Uh, I think we should investigate," Csill says.

"Just one moment, I'm sure everything is--" Beans says, peeking into the kitchen, "OH MY GOD!"

Csill walks into the kitchen and unsheaths his dagger.

The kitchen is a mess. Dishes on the floor, pots and pans strewn everywhere, eggs cracked on the floor, and a lot of steak, ham, bacon, and a single egg, standing on top of the chef with a needle at his throat.

"is that an... egg?" Csill says, astounded.

"Alright alright! let me go!" The chef says.

"this idiot was trying to cook me," egg says.

"well, you are an egg," says Baz.

Raloris eyes the meat on the floor. Beans notices and says, "oh that? Well look at that, he he he, new shipment of meat."

"Meats at a coffee shop?" Baz says.

Suddenly Gaemon bursts through the doors, observing the comical situation.

"Now, to reiterate, I am here to have breakfast, not to be part of one," egg says as he descends from the chef. He slips and rolls down, but picks himself up and brushes himself off.

"What in the everloving hell is going on!?" Gaemon says, pointing his rifle threateningly. The chef and barista step back and raise their hands up. "Now, is anyone hurt?"

Seeing no threat, Gaemon puts the rifle down. The shopkeepers put their hands down but do not relax.

"What are you even doing here in Kirk Ronan?" Asks the terrified barista.

"We're on a quest," Csill says.

"I came here to find food and answers, in that order," Raloris says, flipping a steak she was now attempting to cook on one of the skillets in the kitchen.

"These are my friends. I mean no harm, but I was frightened when I saw the chaos," Gaemon said.

"I went in for an espresso, not to get poached!" egg said.

"Why is the egg speaking?" Gaemon says.

Csill whispers to Gaemon, "I think it's a construct."

"Why would I not?" egg asks, "I think you would be complaining too had someone tried to cook you!"

Raloris, glaring disapprovingly at her now-burnt steak and the poor quality skillet, listens to the absurdity.

Beans took control of the situation--"Now that we're all settled, why don't I make you all a proper breakfast?" She glares at Raloris' bad cooking. Raloris is flustered.

"Right, let's get out of this hellish kitchen," egg says.

As they all sit down, Gaemon is staring at Beans McLean. She's short, a little chubby, and she smells even more strongly of coffee than the rest of the shop. She has brown hair and a small scar above her eyebrow. She's not armed, save for a pen, which as Gaemon can deduce from the quote written on her apron, is mightier than the sword. She's a little disconcerted due to all the fuss--and being stared at by a drow. He considers her a non-threat. The group sits round a table.

Baz orders a bowl of coffee beans with milk. Egg gets out a pen and paper from a crack in his eggshell. Raloris attempts to detect magic within the egg, and figures out that the egg is in fact a magical construct of mathematical bent. He is furiously scribbling something resembling an egg.

Attempting to make polite conversation, Beans turns to Csill, "so uh, what was your quest?"

Csill hadn't noticed and just said, "so uh, what do you guys serve?"

Beans hands each of them a menu. Egg stops writing and walks across his menu.

"I'll have the buttermilk pancakes, and a cup of coffee," Gaemon says, handing over a coin of gold. Raloris points to the Blue Chicken on the menu.

"Sure thing," she says, and holds the gold coin with her index finger and thumb as if she doesn't want... drow... on her hands.

"Please ma'am, I'm not a contagious disease," Gaemon says. Beans is embarassed and holds the gold coin properly.

"I'll have the Classic, with scrambled eggs, and a glass of orange juice," Csill says, handing over one and a half gold coins. Beans writes down the other orders and looks at egg.

"Yours is uh, on us," she says.

"I'll have a coffee; hopefully I don't look like a coffee bean," egg says.

"erm uh, yes," and Beans leaves to take the orders.

Egg mutters, "Apparently I may increase the risk of foodborne illness." and he waddles back across the menu, only to notice that his paper is hidden under the menu. He sighs, stops, and glances at the surrounding table.

"Who are you anyway, and what are you doing around here? I suppose rescuing eggs is not your primary occupation?"

"It's a complicated story," says Gaemon.

"I made a bet!" Baz says dramatically.

"I was cast out from my home among the clouds, and blamed for the disappearance of Mask," Gaemon says, "I seek to prove my innocence, by returning Mask"

Egg walks across the table to Baz. "A bet? what for? at what odds?" Egg says. Snails scoots back in his chair slightly.

"I made a bet that I'd solve at least ONE grand mystery of the decade," Baz says.

"I'm just taggin' along mostly, but I have something to prove as well..." Csill says. Egg walks over to Csill and notices his bag, with the telescope in it.

"I suppose you're an experimentalist," egg says.

"I guess you can say that," Csill says, still visibly shocked by the talking egg. Egg waddles back to his spot on the table.

"You know, I could use some observational data," egg says, "I have, on occasion, dabbled in the theory of motion. Did you know, for instance, that every solid moves as if it were some suitably shaped egg?" and egg spins in place to demonstrate.

"Well, I mean, it should in theory," Csill says.

"Impossible," Baz says.

"But that doesn't seem to be the case," Csill continued, "Everything is moving around the Sun in a perfect circle, and us astronomers have no idea why."

"No, see, I believe this is an oversimplification," egg says, "Instead they follow egg shaped paths."

Raloris' eyebrow raises subtly.

"I'm telling you, it's not the case here," Csill says.

"It's merely the case that, if you get lucky, an egg can seem very round," Egg says.

"Everything is moving in a perfectly round, non-inclined orbit around the Sun. I came up with a theory that not only explains this odd occurence, but it also explains other oddities as well."

"Tis the work of the almighty," Baz says, "The big G in the sky. Gre--err--God."

"This may sound silly," says Csill, ignoring Baz, "but I believe that the solar system obeys mechanical laws, rather than those of gravitation."

"It does sound silly," egg says, "how would you go about disproving it?"

"Well I've seen... things," Csill says. "Things that might prove it."

"*Prove* it? Surely that's the wrong way to see that; you can merely fail to disprove it, but you have to try hard enough." Egg rebuts.

"I guess you could spin it that way," Csill concedes. Egg spins on the table.

Their food arrives. Baz is just going to town cronchin his coffee.

"Anyway, every solid, your rifle, your dagger, etc., all spin like a suitably shaped egg--not the orbits of the planets, but the inertia of all objects."

Gaemon takes out his dagger and spins it on its point. Egg pours coffee through the opening in his shell, and then begins furiously scribbling on his menu.

"I see your point, young egg," Gaemon says.

Egg stops the scribbling, and illustrates a dagger, and superimposed upon it, a very lengthy oval. Gaemon eyes the drawing while wolfing down his meal. Egg draws increasingly mysterious symbols on his sheet.

Egg begins mumbling, psi of tee equals gee over eye three tee plus gee eye thirty one over lambda eye one eye three pi aye em lambda tee minus vee...

Csill didn't enjoy his food at all, egg wasn't impressed with his coffee, and he made a sign error again.

"If only I had some paprika," Csill said.

"HOW COME MY COFFEE BEANS IN MILK DIDN'T TASTE GOOD!" Baz shouts, "You're a terrible chef."

"anyway if the egg rolls on its second-smallest side, it will flip!" Egg says. He grabs the scribbled menu and the sheet below it and shoves them into his eggshell. "you with the telescope, do you mind if I come with you?" Egg says to Csill, "your theories seem unsound, but to formulate them you must be a reasonably decent observer. Also, do you have a name? Do any of you have names?"

"Sure," Csill says.

"it is a pleasure to meet you, 'Sure'," egg says. "Mind if I travel in your pocket? Waddling isn't very fast."

"I don't mind it," Csill says. Baz takes his time licking his bowl of coffee beans and milk clean.

Raloris leaves an extra coin on the table, walks over to the window, and surveys the nightscape of Kirk Ronan. It's bright inside the restaurant, so it's difficult to see out the window. The streets are deserted, but she can make out a man lying on the ground in the road. She steps outside to investigate.

"Raloris, where are you going?" Gaemon asks. Raloris doesn't respond.

Raloris can see that the man is wearing a suit, his hat's on the ground, and a stab wound has pierced his back. She sneaks towards the man, and determines that he is in fact dead. She sees no evidence of an assailant nearby.

Gaemon pulls out his shortsword.

"Raloris, what's happening?" Gaemon asks. Raloris is startled, and rises from a half-crouch with alarming quickness. She relaxes when she realizes it's only Gaemon. She never thought she'd be relieved to see a drow.

Raloris can tell that the man died from a stab wound in the back, that seems to have come from a blade that is specially twisted. She vaguely recalls some specific group of assassins that use that kind of weapon, but doesn't remember the specifics. Raloris checks the man's coat, which has a photograph of the Moon and some planets, and a very fancy pocket watch. Raloris takes the watch, and dashes inside to investigate it.

"yes, it has been cold outside at night lately," egg says to Raloris.

The watch is decorated with embossed/engraved planets and moons and stars (cartoons) but the watchface itself is conventional and shows the inner gears and cogs. "There is a dead man in the street.  Murdered," Raloris says.

Gaemon brings the body in and lays him on the table.

"Oh come on don't bring that in here," Beans McLean says.

"Shut up," Csill says to her. "Can't you have sympathy for the dead?"

"If I looked at the body outside they would think I killed them," Gaemon says.

"Wait! That's Chuck Barney!" Beans says. Raloris puts a delicate hand on Beans' shoulder as a calming gesture. Gaemon strips the coat off the body to look for clues.

"Who is Ch--who *was* Chuck Barney?"

"He owns an antiques and curiosities shop! He was arrested a few years ago for stealing valuables from sacred sites. He spent only a few months in jail. I guess someone either really wanted something he had, or they wanted back something he stole," Beans says.

"They left his watch," Raloris says, showing her the watch.

"I've never seen the watch before. Doesn't look antique." Raloris gazes into the clockwork.

"Looks fancy. Think he was wealthy?" Baz says.

"He mostly kept to himself, I don't know him that well. I guess he had to be with his business," Beans said.

"He could have been well off, but I wouldn't say wealthy," Csill says.

"Is his shop nearby?" Raloris asks, still staring into the clockwork, angling the watch.

"You know I heard he once went to some kind of haunted planetarium or something, maybe that's where he got the watch," Beans says.

"Where do the police keep their records? We could look in those for hints."

"No offence," Beans says to Gaemon, "But I don't think *you* want to go *looking* for the *police* in this town."

"Fair, fair," Gaemon says, "Should I go and look through his shop?"

"Let's have a look then," Raloris says, getting up without waiting for agreement, stepping out, and surveying the street. Csill (with egg in pocket), Baz, and Gaemon follow.

They find the antiques shop, but the shop is locked. Gaemon fiddles with his theive's tools, and cracks the lock while Raloris was searching for a back entrance. It's dark inside the shop.

"Someone cast the light thing," Baz says. The innate magic from Gaemon's drow ancestry brings glowing orbs of cool light to being, and they fill the shop. Raloris was confused at first until she remembered humans have poor night vision. She is however visibly bothered by the dazzling display of burglary.

Raloris peers through the window for interesting relics, then leans against the door arch, reluctant to enter. Baz steps inside, trying not to knock any of the stacks of trinkets over, shutting the door behind him. Many antiques, vases, brass clockwork doo-dads, tin clockwork toys, and magical focii are on shelves and in boxes strewn around the shop.

Csill looks around muttering "I wonder if there's an orrery around here..." to himself. Egg mentions something about an armillary sphere, and Raloris considers the possibility of finding an astrolabe. Csill finds no orrery, but there is a collection of various painted planet balls, and an empty glass case with "Mask--No More" inscribed on a small plaque below, written in common.

Raloris whispers through the door, "Gaemon, have you a spell of darkness?"

"Yes, why do you ask?"

The bottom of the glass case has a word inscribed on it that Csill can't read, that he saw, which Gaemon hadn't noticed.

"This is quite a light show we're putting on during an... armed robbery. Perhaps you could make it look closed from the street?"

"You won't be able to see through my darkness though," Gaemon says.

"Neither will a wandering Guardsman," Raloris says. Gaemon reluctantly casts darkness emanating from the door, engulfing a 15 foot sphere around the door in magical darkness.

Raloris, content that the store now looks reasonably closed, enters. The store now looks like it is dark from the outside only, but appears as bright as before inside. Raloris holds out her focus and searches for any objects of celestial import. She finds a globe of the Moon, but which has no far side painted. She compares the two curiously.

"We have ten minutes before I can not hold the darkness any longer. Csill, you were looking at the bottom of the case, what is it?"

Csill doesn't recognize the script. "This globe must have been painted by a non-druid or wizard," he says.

"May I look at that? I see you cannot read it," Gaemon says, inspecting the writing. "That's celestial. It says 'place of planets.' But that could mean 'planetarium'," Gaemon says. "I recommend we go to the haunted planetarium. We will have to be sneaky, as we all look kinda suspicious"

Csill says, "That's where we were headed anyways"

Raloris keeps browsing the shop, finding nothing else of note.

"does anyone know where the planetarium is?" Gaemon asks?

"I think it's around here somewhere," Csill said.

"It's on a new rail branch, isn't it?" Raloris says, stepping out into the night, once again uncomfortable with the very unstealthy break-and-enter on the night of the murder.

The adventurers go to the railway station. The yard is empty, at first, until the group hears the puffing of a steam engine. A goods train pulls into the station. Raloris looks around, then her eyebrows raise as she remembers her comrades left that poor woman Beans McLean with a cadaver. "She has no reason not to suspect us," she says. 'unlikely she blames me,' she thinks to herself, 'but she sees a drow enter from the dark with a body?'

"Will this train take us where we want to go?" Raloris says out loud, assuming someone who knows more about trains here will answer.

From the station, they can see the crew of the engine get out and uncouple the goods trucks. They then walk into the station. The engine hears you. "Pssst! Hey!" She says.

"No sense waiting for a passenger train," Baz says, "none runnin at this hour of night." Raloris sneaks over to the engine, slightly perplexed and alarmed.

"What are you all doing out at this time of night?" She asks.

"It's a long story," Gaemon says. Raloris begins to speak, but doesn't.

"Have you seen that new rail line?" the tank engine says.

"That is where we need to go," Gaemon says.

"I haven't seen any rail lines," Raloris says.

"You're not gonna have any luck getting on the branch line, they've closed it. There's all sorts of warning signs and danger signs and "do not cross" signs. You know what I think?" The engine says.

"I know exactly what u think," Baz says.

"What's that?" The engine says.

"Let's fuckin goooooooooooooo"

Raloris looks at baz.

"I think there's *something up* with that new branch line. None of the other engines have gone there, and my driver won't let me go either. But I have to investigate it!"

"Hell ya bro!" Baz says.

"Sure would be a shame if you were to bring us...," Gaemon says.

"My driver would never let me-- and they're coming back any moment now to bring me to the shed... BUT!" She says, "If you come by the engine sheds at 7:30 tomorrow morning, just after the firelighter comes to light our fires, I'll see if I can take you to the new branch line!"

The station door opens and the engine crew comes back out.

"Oi! What're you doing with Kitty?" Says the fireman a few dozen feet away, waving his shovel at Gaemon and Raloris.

The driver says, "calm down Joe, I'm sure they're just making conversation"

"Be on your way," the fireman says, and grumbling, he steps inside of the engine--Kitty--'s cab.

"we were discussing the intricacies of... the railway goods infrastructure," Baz says.

"Kitty? Is this engine fluffy and soft?" Egg ponders.

Kitty mouths the word "Tomorrow," to Raloris, as she steams out of the station and makes her way to the engine shed, which is a few hundred feet away near some industrial-looking buildings.

Gaemon remembered seeing an inn near the coast: "I have an idea of where we can sleep. Follow me," He says, and leads the group to the inn.

The front desk has one person at it, who is sleeping.

"Ahem," Gaemon says.

"Oh? Oh yes, sorry, I dozed off," says the gnome, unstartled by Gaemon.

"We'd like to buy a room," Csill says.

Raloris finds a cozy chair in the lobby and sits down, entering a semiconscious trance.

"Err, a few rooms," Csill clarifies.

"A single room," Baz says, "All of us together."

"This inn sucks," says the innkeeper, "I just found bees in one of the rooms. I'll give you each a room for 2 gold total."

Gaemon hands over the coin, and the innkeeper hands over the keys.

Raloris remains in the lobby, while the rest go up to their rooms. Egg is set down on a table in Csill's room, in a nest made out of a towel. Egg uses the menu from earlier as a cover.

Baz lies in bed awake for hours because of the coffee.

Gaemon enters a trance.

Csill changes into some night clothes and falls asleep in the bed.