Serpent's Tooth

[Belinda35]

"I think he isn't that bad either. He's ugly, but he is cool somehow. I like his answers and his tone." said the gorgon.

 

[Cherubian]

Verialyn nodded. "That for sure. And you would also like his ..."

"But enough of these idle musings" for some reason she was a little reluctant to discuss her thoughts on Quomor in detail right now, but Phyliss would probably notice that anyways. To distract herself, she demonstratively grabbed the next piece of paper in the pile, and began to read it.

She whistled immediately. "Now, that might be some real value. If I am not completely mistaken this is the deed to some house or complex in old town."

 

[Belinda35]

Phyliss looked at it "Even better. I just feel like exploring such a place, to get my mind clear. I will change clothes first, but this one could be exciting."

 

[Cherubian]

"Well, you know, it might still be inhabited. By some affiliates of house Mercurius."

 

[Belinda35]

"That makes it even more thrilling. I will reactivate my shield then, and properley dressed, it should just be the exciting thing I look for." Phyliss looked down at her bellydancer outfit and made some flowing dancing moves. "And I will wear something else then."

 

[Cherubian]

Verialyn's face turned into a mock frown "Awww, after all the effort I put into it."

Getting up from the bed, she stretched and said with a grin "Well, let's go and claim our new home then. I will probably wear what you have selected for me on the market today. Do you think we should take the deed with us right now, or better keep it here where it will probably be safer?"

 

[Belinda35]

"I think I will deposit most of it here, but we will take some along. And when we have spent everything, you might have to sell me as slave. You can regain me later, and we share the prize." She went up, to get changed again.

 

[Cherubian]

Verialyn shook her head "No, I am not talking about the gold, I am talking about this deed here". As she spoke this she held up the document that theoretically granted them the ownership of the estate in old town.

 

[Belinda35]

"Oh, yes I understood. We are going to get that house, and explore it first. But we take some of our money along. We might have to spent som of it on the way." said Phyliss.

 

[Cherubian]

"Ah, o.k. Well, we better leave the deed here then. We still can produce it on demand that way, and do not expose it to unnecessary hazards. Just let me memorize the address, so we can go and check out our new residence."

Verialyn quickly scanned the document, and then, satisfied, began to dress.

 

[Belinda35]

"Very well." Phyliss went into her room and stripped the costume off, then she put on some black lingerie. She also choose a black dress, that was long but gave her enough room to move. She choose green boots, but not the new ones in the outstanding color, but less spectacular, but still very pretty green velour boots. She completed the outfit with a very light, transparent green sheer, that could be used as light cape, shawl or veil. And of course she restored her second magic shield and checked her makeup. She got a light bag, that could be fixed to her belt, and put some money in it. Maybe she should buy herself a weapon for all cases, if her magic or poison would fail. But what? Best would be a crossbow, but it was impossible to hide and not a very common thing to carry around. Maybe a light dagger, but it would only be useful if poisoned. And still, it would not suit her look and outfit very well. Better a small knife that could be hid.

 

[Cherubian]

As Phyliss had left and Verialyn was alone in the room, she quickly moved to pick up the varios pieces of clothing that had been discarded in her previous encounter with Quomor: The low-heeled light brown boots, the knee-length gypsy style skirt, the cream colored blouse and the black bodice. Finishing things up she wrapped the broad belt around her hips, but for now did not put on the scarf.

Once she was finished she walked over to her friends room and entered withou thesitation. Once inside she asked "Are you ready to go?"

 

[Belinda35]

Phyliss looked at her friend and on her on reflection in the mirror. "Allready to go and jump right into adventure, whatever may come."

 

[Cherubian]

Verialyn hooked her arm into her friends, and out she went and down the stairs

"Yes, let's hope this will be interesting. Or, failing this, that at least we get a nice new place of our own to live in. We might have to invest in some household servants, though."

 

[Belinda35]

Phyliss walked along with her friend, not caring for the staring of the lesser polite people. She was used to it, and this town was rather safe in that way. As they got closer, they came in a really old part of the town, that was now a bit eerie, dark and a bid decadent. Certainly not a slum, but a once rich part of the town with many large and phantastic palaces which were now in a decaying state. It was beautiful in his way, though, and more a place for rich weirdos hiding for some reason, seedy places of sin, where people would go in inkognita to find strange bars and things like that. She knew such places well; often they were the only parts of a town where a creature like here could stay and move freely. There weren't as many poor and beggars as outsiders would expect, a good sign in her eyes. This meant that the masters of that part of town wanted to keep their place "tidy" in their own way, keeping out the common scum, but letting in all the fallen angels, artists, poets, gentleman-criminals, necromants, dark mages and sometimes even some "Monsters" like her. An evil, bad place, but a place of style.
"I guess we didn't stay unnoticed here, but I do not worry to much. This reminds me of places that gave me refuge many times. I wonder if our house is some eerie, creepy palace, where the creatures of the night may meet."

 

[Cherubian]

Verialyn also noticed that this was not one of the glamorous quarters where the extremely rich had their citiy palaces on vast expanses of land. It was the oldest part of the town, and the passage of time showed in many details, large and small, from gaps in the plaster to whole parts of walls having collapsed.

Finally they reached what was supposed to be their destination. The estate, if one could call it that, was in a part of the quarter where the houses stood close to each other, with no open space between them other than the roads necessary to navigat this labyrinth of stone. The front of her target was a rather nondescript brich wall, two stories high and almost twenty meters wide, with similar albeit smaller buildings flanking it at both sides. In the center there was a large and massive, albeit plain wooden door, and a few unadorned windows interrupted its monotony. From the outside it did not look like much.

But Verialyn guessed that this was just an intended act of understatement. Judging by the size of the building it had most certainly an interior courtyard, maybe even with a small cultivated garden. And she would have bet the furnishings of the various rooms were more exquisite than the exterior would hint at. She had seen similar estates often in her travels, usually inhabited by rich men who were reluctatnt to outwardly show off with their wealth. A pearl in the rough. Of course she could also be wrong, and the interior was just as run down as it looked from the outside. Only one way to find out.

So, pointing at the door, she smiled towards her friend and asked "Ahh, this is it. At least it looks interesting. Shall we walk up straight to it and knock on the door, or would you prefer to face it with some sneaking around?"

 

[Belinda35]

"If a gorgon knocks at your door, most people would not open or just slam the door quicker then you can say a word. In both cases any inhabitants would be warned of. I think we should do some sneaking."

 

[Cherubian]

"True, but then where should we sneak to? Can't get around the building on either side. And after all, we are here completely legally..."

 

[Belinda35]

"Are you sure there is no way to the other side? But if you knock, I will stand some yards beside, so that they don't shut the door at once at us." the gorgon checked carefully if there was any place to hide for her, in that case, or for any other way to sneak around.
"I could melt with the ground here, but maybe that is not necessary."

 

[Cherubian]

Verialyn chuckled "Now you are a little paranoid. Hasn't it been quite some time that someone in this city attacked you because you are a gorgon?"

"But of course, if you want to I can knock. If the welcome is not friendly you can still blast the door away, this is our house after all" she added with a wicked grin.

 

[Belinda35]

Phyliss moved a bit out of sight. She wasn't really afraid, but she could just imagine the reaction of somebody answering the door and standing face to face to a bundle of snakes on a gorgons head.

 

[Cherubian]

"That is an answer as well" One last encouraging smile, and Verialyn stepped up to the door, raised her hand and knocked at it once. She had to admit she was curious who or what would open it, and what was awaiting them inside.

 

[Belinda35]

Phyliss waited, but nobody opened the door. Was the house empty? Or didn't the owners, or rather ex-owners, want to open? She moved silently to the door and pressed her ear against it. She would find a way in.

 

[LordLuck]

Ghor was tired today. He had been sent around by the Master constantly, doing the same menial labours he had ever done. But finally, in the last hour, he was allowed some 'resting' time, taking his place by the large, ornated doorway into the Master's home.

http://www.wizards.com/dnd/images/DrowUnderdark_Gallery/104471.jpg

Wearing fine silken cloths, it was almost a bizarre vision to witness such a savage, furred creature in such fine garbs. But Master had teached Ghor well, and now Ghor was capable of speaking plainly to other people, so unlike most of the other bugbears in the Master's Household. It was filled with pride that Ghor wore the purple robes and the dark-iron necklace of servitude, a ruby jewel under his chin. His hairy chest, still, stood plain to anyone who saw himself, a scimitar hanging wickedly from his belt.

He had heard the door knock. Opening the eyeslit, he watched outside with his beady, yellow eyes.

"Who's there?", he asked in a gruff monotone.

 

[Cherubian]

Verialyn was definitely surprised at the sight of a bugbear answering her knock, and she instinctively took a step back. Shooting her friend a glance she commented "I doubt you will be kicked out of that house because of your snakes" before her attention was focused on the unusual gatekeeper again.

Trying to be as friendly as possible she smiled at him, and replied "My name is Verialyn, and my friend and I need to speak the owner of this house in some urgent matter regarding its ownership status." Sometimes plainly telling the truth was the best approach.