It is a room elegantly appointed by the nature of its clean lines and natural materials, walls of virgin pine lending a fresh scent. An entire wall is devoted to the display of what at first appear to be odds and ends — scraps of paper, a suit of armor, replicas in miniature — but each is painstakingly framed and labeled with its relation to an event in recent history. Dominating over them all is a large painting of the regal Ulf'Hara Keep.
A human man in a longcoat leans back fluidly on the rich black cashmere sofa, one arm draped over the frame while the other holds a burning finger to the cigarillo dangling from his lips. He tips his hat back from his forehead, regarding the woman across the room with piercing blue eyes. "So," he drawls. "Fill me in?"
The woman stands perfectly still, arms folded, as she gazes out the window, her incredible height almost matched by the large proportions of the room. She turns briskly to regard the man, calculating black eyes flickering in thought.
"He lost the first piece to Necromancers. I told you that much already. The fool thought that the proper thing to do with an artifact of that potential import was to shout about it and then reveal it on a common street corner." She sighs heavily, rolling her eyes. "Ambushed and taken easily.
"He claims that the gem set within it, or perhaps the entire circlet, is an artifact against Necromancy, that it may be able to mitigate the power of the profane aegis. It could let us kill Necromancers for good."
The man raises one eyebrow thoughtfully, exhaling a line of smoke.
"Obviously," the woman continues, "it may be nothing. It's not like we can really trust his word. But the possibility is too important not to pursue, even for a small chance."
"Wouldn't the Necromancers have destroyed it by now?"
"He claims that he has spies watching them, and reason to believe they haven't. He thinks they may intend to use it in some foul ritual."
"And the other pieces?"
"He says there are three in all, that Lasika found the original circlet but split it in her madness, reshaping each piece into a small crown. The one with the gem he found by decoding enough of Lasika's journal to find it in her hiding spot — it's in the possession of the Necromancers now. The second was gifted to Mazrian, after a group tracked down an Olvi woman Lasika spent some time with at the mental hospital. Apparently she had given it to her for safekeeping."
The man leans forward now, resting his elbows on his knees. "And the third one has something to do with that note you have."
The woman smirks slightly, nodding. "A gift from Miss Poppy. Her snooping around Lasika's cave paid off. You know, I had it decoded before the messenger left the room. It feels good to be an investigator again."
The man grins back at her. "What does it say?"
"It doesn't matter what it says. It matters where it led." With that, she reaches down, wrapping her hand around the edge of the silverbirch table next to her. With a small click, a drawer opens, and she withdraws a tiny crown, the silver piece shining brightly in the low light.
"Now all that's left," she says, "is to get the stolen piece back so that we can discover its true meaning. Maybe even put it to good use." She twirls the crown idly in one hand. Her smile broadens.
The man rises then, snuffing his cigarillo and striding over to her, a different sort of burning in his eyes. He removes his hat, flinging it back to the sofa, and grabs her firmly by the waist.
"Not in front of the window," she says, laughing a little. She draws the curtains closed.
OOC Note: The above story is intended to bring you up to speed in The Circlet of Zoluren plot. The final battle will take place Saturday, September 8th, at 9pm EST. Pre-battle Meeting TBD. Contact Tirost if interested, or discuss it on the roleplaying channel in the DR Discord.
