A Reading of the Crimson Pen Part 2

When we last left our heroes, they were investigating several books of the famed bodice-ripper, 'the Crimson Pen'. One book, acquired from Akorinil Belvade's office, is the sole one of its kind known to exist, while others are thought to've had certain patterns and phrases that repeat. Previously, this was thought just to be part of the Pen's repetoire, as one might expect of someone so prolific, but now it is thought that may well be spelling out some kind of code, a code that the sole copy Akorinil possessed might well be the key to.

The code. That code. A code that had the mute mul'neissa woman thrown into a hacking, coughing fit of giggles, the bottle of rum she had brought having a sizable dent in it by this point. "Okay, so far we have 'bouncing braids', sentences between 'heaving bosom' and 'manly shaft'," she gestures to all, a tinge sloppy but still focused as she waves one of the books around. "What else we got?" <Handspeech/Tongues>

Aya continues to turn pages and skim. Rapidly at times and more slowly at others. There are key phrases to locate, not to mention the .. more interesting parts of the tales. In this case, those two tend to coincide. "... Moaned in his neck... bit her ear... Ah..." She pauses and peers. "... heaving bosom slithered itself firmly around his manly-" She halts and frowns. "Slithered? How..." She shifts ahead a dozen pages. "Is this the tale where the mul'niessan was a shapeshifter in disguise?" How did she not notice this absurdity before?

"Bodice ripping, and phrases to that effect.", Murder offers, tossing a book back into the pile. "Also, quite a few mentions of starry orbs, or other silly means to describe eyes." Murder's eyes go wide, staring for effect.

"Seldan appears to be a favourite. Icy blue eyes, steely resolve, only his military discipline keeping... the raging love... from having it's way... with people. Also, apparently he's a blonde, brunette and red-head, depending on the setting."

"Well, I'm not sure what the connection between the three is. Do the letters mean anything, or adjectives?" The artificer suggest, taking a look at the books again. "Do Eluna's twin moons mean anything, or are they only the adjectives? They came up in several of the books, including 'Silver Unguarded', and some of the others mentioned."

Meanwhile, somewhere in all this, Seldan's head has sunk into his hands amid this discussion, and he has covered his face entirely, giving up all pretense of reading in favor of a deep, embarrassed flush.

He's still listening, though, as much as he'd like to block it out, and finally he speaks up from between his hands. "It is the sounds within the words, rather than the words alone. Do you continue, I may be able to read the pattern." Nope. Not talking about the way his manly attributes are the subject of the entire bawdy discussion.

Aryia snickers as the others give their insights, but gives a quirked brow at Aya. "... how does... they need a healer, not a..." She shakes her head at that, grinning at all those directed towards Seldan, but she doesn't put any further pressure on him, lest he explode. "Sounds in the words. Hrm. Little hard for me, someone else might have to repeat them aloud." A challenge, if there ever was one.

The mute reads. Reads... Squints. "'With the sun cascading over her form, she donned a tunic, heaving bosom'- there it is again- 'greeting the new day before she skulked abreast boobily and tittered down the stairs.'"

She puts the book down. Stares at nothing. "Who the fuck wrote this shit?" <Handspeech/Tongues>

"Uhm, sounds between..." The Goblin's eyes flick back and forth as she reads, squinting occasionally. "His long, heady sighs? Delicate moans? Slur.. no, not going to finish that one." She glances to Aryia.

"I find it difficult to believe it was all one person. This has to be several people, all trying to out-do each other on whom can come up with juicier words."

Murder shrugs. "Show me how to titter, honestly, DOWN the stairs?"

Aya turns to glare at Aryia after her statement. "I would accuse you of making that up yourself, sister, but of all the words you have shared with me, 'boobily' was never one." She looks back the the book she skim, brushing ahead towards the end. More skimming, eye-darting, brow-raising. "This is odd... 'For what she lacked in heavying bosom, she more than amply accounted for in the girth of her hips. Their sway could topple kings, foes, and even cities alike..." Aya pauses and looks up. "Who is Lady Dansriel?"

From between Seldan's hands covering his face, a snort emerges, but he says nothing.

GAME: Seldan rolls linguistics: (19)+5: 24

"What's so difficult about that? You just have to laugh, don't you?" The elf asks of Murder with a tilted head. "Though I guess it is a bit dangerous, you might trip and fall if you're laughing too hard, I guess. But I'm lost on the rest of it."

"They are definitely different writers, that much is obvious from the writing style changes." They note, reaching for another book. "How the words sound? I'm not sure what that means, but I'll try my best."

There's a long, exhaled, suffering sigh from Seldan, and he lowers his hands from his face to reveal even features, deeply pink, lips pressed thinly together. He doesn't even bother looking impassive. "My lady, do I find you alive, I shall have words of wisdom for you." The statement is deceptively mild, but the tone reads clearly, _I am going to kill you_.

"It is an incantation," he explains, standing and walking over to the table where the key book lies, and placing a hand on it. "The pulse of his seed flowed into her, until he-" He lowers his eyes, and steels himself. "Had emptied of himself."

"I don't fucking know, man," Aryia gestures to both Murder and Aya. "I jus tknow if I find out who wrote this I'm making them eat the page."

She can't help but cough at Aya's reading, a laugh caught in her throat. "Yes, different writers, it's why I like some books better than the others."

Her brows flick up as Seldan mentions it is an incantation. That makes quite a lot of sense. And higher they rise as he too elaborates a passage. The mul'neissa stares at him. And as stone faced as she can, a hand cuts through the air, points to Seldan, brushes a finger of her head and wobbles her hands apart. "I never took you for a cunning linguist."

Her lip twitches up. "... so we use these phrases to cobble together some incantation?" <Handspeech/Tongues>

...the book, the key-book, suddenly glows brightly. It's pages flip open of its own accord and it speaks!

The book speaks. A magic mouth.

... /of course it's a magic mouth/.

"Take from my pages the key, and beyond the wards, a gate will open to a treasure most dear to my maker, one that will assist you in your tasks."

The GOblin has fallen silent, only grinning at the situation as it moves back and forth.

Then the book speaks. Murder can only stare. "We should burn the whole bloody lot when we're done."

She lets out a lengthy sigh. "A treasure most dear to its maker... one that would assist us in our tasks. The pen is mightier? It's going to be a pen, isn't it?"

"The magic mouth catches Seldan off guard, and he re-adopts that impassivity, taking on the cast of an alabaster pillar. he pointedly ignores Aryia's quip, staring instead at the book itself. "Take from my pages the key - and beyond the wards." His gaze settles into sobriety, thinking and examining again the pages of the book in search of a physical key.

"Why wouldn't you?" Schara asks of the mul'niessa. "I never thought Seldan was unintelligent, and he's good at speaking usually, today isn't a good example since something is bothering him though."

Whatever further notes were to be made were cut off by curiosity about the talking book. They grab a pen out of their shirt with their teeth, and begin quickly jotting down everything that was said.

Aryia is about to have more quips and crass things to say, but then the book animates and starts talking! She blinks. "No," she shoots down Murder's suggestion. Some of these books /were/ going to make it to her collection!

She grins at Seldan's lack of reaction from her joke, but shakes her head and ponders. "It's a joke, Schara. I think Seldan is rather smart. But, beyond the wards, must mean outside the city to open a portal to some place. Prepared from before when they were erected, so..."

She searches the pile of books. "Maybe its hidden in there like one of those bags of holding? Can you use some magic finding stuff? Or... maybe its a diagram of the key? Kind of how some of these have fan art."

She opens one book to the back, and a thickly folded back unravels one after another. Aryia points to it. "Like this?"

It's nothing but scantily clad figures. <Handspeech/Tongues>

It does not take Seldan long to find it, once he sets about the search of the book. Within moments, hefinds the appropriate page to reveal a hollow. From this, he draws a bronze road approximately six inches long, marked top to bottom with Taaran divine arcana. He stares at it, lips pressed tightly together, and turns it over in his hand. "I might have known that that was coming," he deadpans.

Murder raises an eyebrow, and stares. "That's a really strange looking ... pen. Are you sure you want to be holding it in your hands?" She wrinkles her nose. "NOw. Where do we put it, Seldan?"

"Oh, that looks important! Especially if she hid it away like that, it must be really important to them. Maybe it will help find where they are?" The elf wonders when they see the what was hidden in the book.

"Oh, maybe there are pictures that will help? Perhaps linked to the runes on that wand?"

Aryia folds the book back up before blinking at the bronze rod being produced. She raises her hands. Lowers them. Glances to Murder, cheeks puff out from stifling a giggle. "I think we just have to take it out of the city and activate it to open the door."

She taps her cheek. "... but now the matter of.. activation?"

The pugilist blinks, looks to Schara. Then lets out a looooong breath, and sinks into her chair as she takes a swig of her rum. "... I think I know how to activate it, and we don't need pictures for that. If any of this recent shit is any indication."

She makes a closed fist motion in the air, up and down. <Handspeech/Tongues>

"I may be able to activate it as well," Seldan remarks gravely, but turns to Aryia. "Perhaps you know the true means, where mine would but be to convince it to operate as I wish." He speaks with complete seriousness, the somber and steady mien very much returned. "We shall, then, take it outside the wards? The spot where the wards end in the mountains is known to me, and is less public than the northern gates."

-End Scene-