The two adventurers were a pair of elves. Twins, by the look of it. Both had perfect black hair that stretched down their backs, and eyes that glittered like emeralds. Both of them had curves that even a woman could appreciate, and the men, no doubt, hounded them. And they were perfectly identical, down to the way they had their hair, and the gear they wore, with matching breastplates and clothes, so far as I could see. The only way I could tell the two of them apart was their weaponry, with one carrying a morningstar and shield, while the other had a rapier at her side.
Forcing myself to start thinking again, I smiled at the closer of the two women, and motioned to the empty seats at the table across from us. “Please, sit, and tell us more about yourselves, and this job. Understand that we’ll not be agreeing to anything until we know more. Perhaps you should start with who are you, and why you might be wanting us to join you in your endeavors?”
The one sporting a rapier, who had been the one to speak to us, smiled at her twin, and said, “I like her already.” As the twins sat down, she turned her smile on us, and said, “Very well, then. Introductions first. I am Siora Faydark, and this is my sister, Vestele. Now, obviously I won’t tell you our whole lives’ story. Any adventurer, to say nothing of any woman, must have a few secrets, until trust is earned, no? But we both know it is impossible to get there without a place to start, so I shall just say that I practice a form of arcane magic dealing primarily with enchantments and illusions, though I have some skills with locks and traps as well.”
The second sister nodded, and said, “As Siora said, I am Vestele. I’m not nearly so eloquent as my sister, even though I like to think I am a very cunning linguist,” she smirked at the naughty joke. “Suffice to say that I walk the path of the devout, and can channel spells and power from my Lady to aid myself and my allies.” As she spoke, she pulled on a chain round her neck, and from her bosom emerged a silver pendant.
Melinda’s Knowledge (Religion) check: 1d20+3 = 22
Looking at the symbol, I saw a pair of ruby lips, obviously a woman’s, but with a thorn, probably iron, piercing the lower one in the corner, drawing blood. I actually knew this symbol! One of the tavern wenches in Sleetmouth that made some extra coin on her back carried that symbol, and she’d told me who it represented when I asked. It was the symbol of Malcanthet, the Demon Queen of the Succubi, and patron of harlots, prostitutes, and women who sought power, among other things.
Looking up at the two ladies, I smiled, and said, “Well, I guess introductions on our part are in order.” But, instead of starting my introduction, I turned to my companion. I needed a moment to consider what a servant of a demon queen might want with us. And what could this job be? “Frostmane, would you like to go first?”
The wolf chuffed. “Hmph. About time you recognize who they are here to see.” He drew himself up, and looked at the two ladies. “I am Frostmane, and if you haven’t noticed that I am a winter wolf, then there is no reason for us to continue this conversation. But I will say that, even amongst my kind, I follow a warrior’s path.”
I took a breath, and said, “And I am Melinda Eriksdaughter, Twice-born servant of the Frostmaiden, though I do not channel her power. In one part, I am infused with arcane powers that may not be as varied as a spellcaster’s, but I can continue on long past the point they’ve exhausted their spells for the day, and in the other part I am a fighter who dances into combat, and can channel magic through my body to increase the power of my strikes.”
I paused, and said, “So, what caused a pair of ladies like yourselves to get the idea of heading out into the wider world, looking for adventure? From what little I know, would not your… patron be happier if you stayed in a more populated area, to spread her message? I am not one to complain about people’s methods, but what I know of her would suggest she’d be more pleased if you opened up a brothel or some similar venture to draw in prey.”
Vestele chuckled. “Well, there are many ways to serve the Lady that don’t involve spreading our legs, or getting someone to bend us over. There are many ways to spread her truths, if you look for them. Even if it is simply denying another force the opportunity to move.”
Siora giggled. “Though, if there’s any chance of solving the problems in ways that don’t involve outright death and destruction, the Lady wouldn’t fault us for taking them. Sometimes you can accomplish as many deeds with your ankles by your ears as you can with a rapier. But, to answer your question, the reason we are looking to expand our horizons is because of politics. A nasty intersection of divine and mortal politics.”
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I frowned. “Is there some kind of problem going on? I didn’t notice any trouble at the gate, beyond what you’d expect for people unused to seeing Frostmane.”
Siora leaned back in her chair, and said, “Well, as a Twice-born, I’m sure you’re more… wise to the ways of the world than your looks suggest, so I won’t beat around the bush too much. In any village larger than just a few farming huts put together, there will be those who engage in the trading of sex for coin. It is a simple fact of the world. The fact that there are, in areas more prone to follow the gods of ‘light’ and service to others, laws in place to restrict that trade, and others, and even where there aren’t, there’s a constant demand for the trade, and, therefore, constant coin to be made, encourages people of a less than savory sort to try and step in and control the profession, if they aren’t trying to stamp it out for moral reasons.”
Vestele sighed. “In this case, there are several different forces at play, at least so far as the higher powers are concerned. Naturally, our Lady, Malcanthet, has an interest in the affairs of the trade, but so, too, does the Goddess Sharess. The two are not enemies, but neither are they friends, and you could say that they are focused on different aspects of the trade, one seeking power and a chance to indulge in pleasure and corruption of the so-called righteous, and the other more invested in spreading pleasure and sensation to all, engaging in the task to simply bring sensual pleasure to others.”
“This would not be enough to cause conflict, naturally, as the two sides are close enough together that they can usually overlook the other’s existence, for the most part. No, the problem comes from the other entrants into the divine tug of war. Because there was money to be made, and secrets to uncover, agents of both Mask, God of Thieves, and Graz’zt, Prince of Lies, have taken controlling interest in the criminal elements of the city. As they jockey for position, they seek to bring other enterprises under their control, to bolster their power, while weakening their foes. On the other hand, the city guard has become reinforced by paladins of Tyr Even-Handed, and the nobles, many of whom pay homage to Siamorphe of the Divine Right, have begun layering on more restrictions, attempting to crush those who might rise to power from the trade, and perhaps unseat them.”
Siora nodded as she picked up where her sister left off. “All of this is not limited to the trade in paid companionship, of course, but is a part of a larger battle being waged in the shadows and on the streets of the city. At present, things are sliding towards a stalemate, but it would only take a breath at the wrong moment to unsettle it and have everything come crashing down into chaos and ruin. Everyone who is paying attention to the city knows this.”
“Seeing this, and knowing that the Lady’s adherents in the city are less geared towards martial pursuits than some of the other groups vying for control, we came together, and came to a conclusion about the methods to use to advance our cause. I won’t bore you with the details, but suffice to say others are seeking to gain power through other means, while my sister and I are attempting to gain some recognition outside our normal work. If we can get a name for ourselves, and people link the Lady to our works, then we might be able to sway a few more of the sheep, and make things difficult for those who would attack us, whether out of principle or pragmatism. So, we started frequenting the taverns, checking the boards for things that might bring us both coin and recognition.”
I leaned forward, looking from one sister to the other. “Let us say for the moment that is all true, as I have no way of knowing one way or the other. What brought you to us? It isn’t like you know us, or knew our abilities before we told you.”
Siora chuckled, and said, “We are followers of the Queen of the Succubi. Not all groups would be accommodating of us. Some would even try to eliminate us, due to some silly moral obligation to smite those viewed as evil. This would, you could say, be an inopportune occurrence, which would negatively impact our plans.”
Vestele nodded. “In addition, I’m sure you’ve noticed that we’re far from plain in our appearance. If we just joined a group of random scoundrels, there’s no telling what might happen in the wilds. While neither of us are opposed to a roll in the hay, there are too many who would see nothing wrong with attempting to bind us, whether physically or magically, and make us into slaves for their lust. Working our way free of that would be a long, and likely arduous, affair.”
Siora continued. “So, when we started looking for people to accompany us, we had to look for certain things. First, we needed to find someone who was tolerant of the darker nature of people in the world, to avoid issues further on. And second, we needed to find those that were not so degenerate that we would have to be as on guard against our comrades as we would be against our enemies.”
“Now, how does this lead us to you? The first part is simple.” Siora smiled at Frostmane. “A Winter Wolf is a proud and lovely creature, even without armor on, but they are known for wicked hearts and bloodthirsty ways. The chances of finding one that would be in a Paladin’s party are as low as that of finding a good drow, or an evil celestial. It can happen, but it is far from likely. So that suggested the two of you would be open to who and what we are.”
Frostmane nodded serenely. “Yes, anyone who could be accepted into my presence is a worthy companion. It was good of you to recognize my splendor.”
Siora giggled at the wolf’s antics, and said, “That encouraged us to come and speak to you. And, through this conversation, you’ve shown yourselves to be creatures we can work alongside, if you’d join us. We can’t promise wealth or comfort, but together we cover the basics of any team, with some redundancies.”
I nodded slowly, and said, “This is all well and good, but I’ve still heard nothing of the nature of this job. So far, it sounds like your group is the kind we were looking for when we were trying to find adventurers to join. But, I won’t commit us to anything before we find out what you’ve signed on to do.”
Vestele nodded. She reached into a pouch, and pulled out a folded piece of parchment and unfolded it upon the table. “As well you shouldn’t. Here, take a look at this posting we pulled from the job board just the other day, and tell us what you think.”