🕶️83. false appearances
session 83 • june 20 2023 • 1,127 words
🌑 DAY 27 • 📅 MARPENOTH 17
Ilvara Mizzrym?
As the group watches, horrified, Ilvara taunts the party and threatens to cause Extreme Agony when she gets us back to Velkynvelve.
Hugh attacks her, but sees his weapon phase through her as though it's an illusion. Facing away from Jakoth, "Ilvara" puts a finger to her lips; the party realizes that something more was going on here, and cautiously stay their hand for the time being.
Nezznar straight up tries to make a RUN for it, holy shit. "Ilvara" notices Nezznar try to escape, and scathingly commands him to "come to heel" like the dog he is. Nezznar freezes.
Jakoth, recognizing "Ilvara" and her house, is terrified and offers his assistance. "Ilvara" demands his name, and chides him for his impoliteness when Jakoth offers his full name: Jakoth Elec'thil--noting that she doesn't care about his house (your name means nothing to me).
"Ilvara" continues to nitpick at Jakoth's every response, finding fault in everything, and eventually accuses him of trying to aid the escapees. Jakoth denies this; when pushed, he admits that he sold to the party, but didn't know of their connection to her. "Ilvara" correctly calls this out as a lie, which further terrifies Jakoth.
At this point, however, one of Jakoth's demons notices "Ilvara"'s form flicker, and slams its greatsword into "Ilvara" (despite Jakoth's increasingly horrified pleas for it to stand down).
The attack instantly knocks "Ilvara" out, revealing it to be Soren using Illusion magic.
Soren "Bad Decisions" Catanzaro
(Soren is covered in a fine blue powder.)
Will runs forward to heal the badly injured Soren. After he manages to get a spell off, Jakoth—recovering from his shock and understandably NOT HAPPY—tells Will to get out of the way so that he can interrogate Soren.
Will tries to come to Soren's defence, but when he refuses to back off at Jakoth's command, Jakoth orders his demon to put its claws under Will throat, holding Will hostage while Soren slowly comes back to consciousness.
Seeing Will being threatened by the demon, Soren immediately goes into "submissive and breedable mode", baring his throat to Jakoth. He cites Jakoth's earlier conversations with the party, pleading that Jakoth seems like a fair merchant, and that to punish Will for Soren's wrongdoings is not "fair".
Will just keeps trying to defend Soren while being pushed / dragged away by the demon "he's a GOOD PERSON he's not usually like this" LMAOOO BABBYEE THANK YOUU
Jakoth tells Soren to stfu and only answer his questions, starting off with "what the fuck was that". Soren tries to beat around the bush, explaining his illusion magic, but Jakoth is NOT here to play. Eventually, Soren admits that he was trying to scare Jakoth off so that the party could steal his supplies.
He also admits truthfully that he wouldn't have taken everything--"I once hunted in these lands, and I know to be without supplies is a death sentence as much as any. I would not have condemned you to that."
Believing him, Jakoth (still salty) calls his demons off and allows Soren to stand back up--"ugh. I can't find it in me to punish you". We stan this merchant boy, adoptable.
Sorry For Trying To Kill You, Let's Talk
To make up for Soren's dumbfuck move, Jakoth demands that Soren repay him in information. Soren truthfully answers all of his questions, explaining his history with the Xorlarrins.
Jakoth seems to have a vested interest in the sociopolitics of Menzoberranzan, and questions the fall of the House in greater detail--Soren, who doesn't really know much, ventures his best guess that the Xorlarrins fell out of favor with the Baenres.
Jakoth seems bitter about this, and snaps at Soren when Soren tries to call him "Mr. Elec'thil", seemingly implying that his family had fallen in a similar manner for offending a higher house. Still, he notes that it was a blessing in disguise, shunning the tiresome politics of the city.
When Soren questions his company, Jakoth defends the demons' honor, saying that they are simple and loyal, unlike the drow. He seems to consider them his family. He has little bedrolls that are way too small for them oh my god.
When Jakoth asks about Ilvara, Soren balks, noting that the less Jakoth knows, the better for everyone. Jakoth remarks that if they met, Ilvara would kill him regardless due to his knowledge of the party as it is, but does not push further.
Sorry For Trying To Kill You, Let's Trade
Soren bargains with Jakoth and does a marginally better job that Will's "couldn't you offer us a litlte more" "well now I am going to offer you less" debacle from last session. WE LOVE YOU WILL YOU TRIED YOUR BEST.
He trades for a hammer to replace the one Hugh threw at the draegloth, which restores our all-purpose tool to usable status, yay! He also mix-and-matches some herbs with Jakoth, obtaining some dark-vision ones for potion purposes.
Despite the rocky start, Jakoth gradually grows more comfortable conversing with the party, and even teases Will for his interesting bargaining skills.
Sensing Jakoth softing, Soren deliberately wonders out loud if we'd be in Jakoth's way if we camped here; Jakoth goes full tsundere and is like ".... i guess it wouldnt be TOOOOOOOOOOoOOOO bad ;/ if yall stayed,,, and kept me company".
Jakoth does point out, however, that he wants "the drider" to stay 238409827382 feet away from him, calling him a "mindless creature". Feeling bad for outing Nezznar's whole wig to Jakoth earlier, Will points out that Nezznar is quite intelligent.
Surprisingly, Soren bristles at this, pointing out that "that mindless creature" used to be one of the most respected nobles of Menzoberranzan. Jakoth still ain't happy, but begrudgingly allows Nezznar to stay in his cave.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY WILL
Soren asks Jakoth if he's heard of "birthday cake"; as only noble female drow have their birthdays celebrated typically, Jakoth is like "uuehhhhh heard of em".
Soren reaches into his interdimensional pocket ring space thing and pulls out a whole ass, misshapen and lumpy, birthday cake. He did his BEST OKAY we only had lizard eggs and mushroom flour. 🥺
He admits to have been foraging for eggs these past few days, grinded for bluecap (to grind into flour, thus the blue powder on him), and used fat from the Alchemy Jug to try and make Will a belated cake. He was trying to finish the cake in the ring, and that's why he didn't come out before.
Will, whose birthday had passed (seemingly) unnoticed a week ago when the party was being marched to Velkynvelve, goes through 37483 stages of grief.
Soren invites Jakoth to join them in the birthday celebration. Jakoth accepts.
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