Hello Cthulhu #8

The next day, the party woke up, ate a sketchy breakfast, and took off for the civic court. Isea Roenall was sentenced to 20 years. As he was escorted out, he shouted obscene and threatening words at Hellocthul, and Nalia. Nalia pressed closer to Hellocthul, sorta like a little girl hiding behind her mommy. Nalia stiffened as she realized what she was doing. Nalia then stood up straight, and walked to the front of the group, and watched unflinchingly as Isea Roenall was taken away.

Hellocthul: How long will he actually get?

Nalia: 20 years, that's the one thing the council of six has going for it. They dare not interfere with the judiciary.

Hellocthul: Hon, can we at least avoid talking sedition until we are out of the premises? (in a low whisper)

Nalia blushed, and grabbed her girlfriend's hand..."Girlfriend", Nalia thought, "I finally have a girlfriend. I wonder what aunty will say...oooppssee...I already claimed she was my lover. But I wonder what she and daddy are talking about now."

The party picks up a license to practice magic on the streets, and a little muscle flexing by Minsc gave the party 6 small amulets, instead of the usual 3. The amulets identified the wearer as being licensed to practice magic on the streets. Everyone felt safer knowing their most powerful magic user, Hellocthul could use magic against the dangers on the streets.

As they stepped outside, they were met by three men dressed up in the puffy pants and half cloaks of the fashionable amnish nobility.

Farad Roenall: You cost me a son, you whore! I'll see you hung for this, and the De Arnise bitch too!

Hellocthul: You will do nothing. (She snaps her fingers, and mutters a low spell. A blade of the purest black, actually soaking up the light around it, appears in her right hand.) Do you know what this is, Roenall swine? This is the black blade of disaster, Roenall, and if it merely touches you, your very own soul will be sucked into the Negative Energy Plane, and be consumed there by demons and devils. Now I want you to think very clearly and very carefully about the advisability of pissing off someone who can cast Adept class spells like this one, and who wears the two swords of a master swordswoman. (The blade gave a low keening, as if it was aware that today, it will not be fed. The edge of the blade rippled like a heat mirage, as if in some way, it was actually made of fire, black fire.)

The 2 sons and the father backed away, a dark stain on their trousers.

Nalia: OH MY GOSH!!! I am going to have to write to father and aunty to tell them what just happened!!! I feel like this is the Solstice Fair and I have just been crowned Queen of the Fair!!! Mmmmmm----rrmmmmmmmmm-------mmmmm

Jaheira: Breath, children.

Jan: Excuse me there, my fine young adventuring friends! May I interest you in some fine Adventuring Gear?

After helping out the little gnome in his dealings with the local police, she looked around, and officially gave Jan the welcome speech. (and gave him the 401k application, some health insurance stuff and an amulet for spellcasting)

Jan: So we are off to raise some cash to save the lassie, eh? What a fine company to do it in, too. Well, except for the stakes being your sister, I remember the last time we raced the clock to raise a tidy sum to be sent to hopefully bail out my uncle's buisness. You see, my uncle Buford Janssen ran the family's most lucrative buisness. The Swallow Express!!! You see, there is this special rare breed of turnip that resides over the sea in Kuran-Tur. The Trufflenip!!! This rare type of turnip is so rare and so highly prized by the gnomish palate, thousands of gnomes every year make the long trip overseas to eat it the short time it grows, and the rest is pickled and sold at fabulous price here in Amn. Or anywhere gnomes are found. Now uncle Buford had a good friend, named Dr. Donothing, a human, who claimed he could talk to the animals! As mad as a hatter, but he could control swallows. A most unusual power for a human. Well, uncle Buford knew that the Athlankian Swallow heads to Kuran-Tur for the winter, and once they arrive they become the Kuran-Turian swallows until summer comes around again. Then, they get back to Athlanka, aided by the seasonal winds. So he got the bright idea of having the swallows carry Trufflenips on small packs tied to their back, and thus sell fresh trufflenips in Amn, and the sword coast. We all knew this would be a winner, so the entire family invested. I naturally joined an adventuring band to do some quick gold. Unfortunately the buisness fell through after a while....You see, it all had to do with airspeed velocity. What is the airspeed Velocity of a Trufflenip laden swallow?

Nalia: Athlankian, or Kuran-Turian?

Jan: Oh, I don't know, but it didn't matter, you see the poor dears with the extra weight couldn't outrun the seasonal typhoons...drowned, every one.

The party decided to go to the Copper Coronet to drink many many drinks.

Along the way, Nalia becomes Minsc's witch.

Jan: Oh my, Nalia, you are now officially a witch!

Nalia: I am not exactly sure what it does mean, Jan. Do you know?

Jan: Well, I am not sure, but my little niece, Betty Janssen became a witch at the age of nine. You see, their family lives in Rashomon, and if you are a female with magical talent, you become a witch after a while. It was a title of honor, you see. But normally you don't become one until fairly late in life. However, in the valley little Betty lived in was rather isolated and hard to reach for most of the year. Now their resident witch died, so until a new witch got sent to the valley by the Society of Wicca, that all witches belonged to, they had to climb 2 mountains and ford a lake to get to the witch of the next valley. Being hearty mountain folks the physical excersize was no strain. But it did take time, and being Rashmoni, these folks don't like to waste time. So, since little Betty had the most magical talent in the valley, she became a witch until the following year, when a new one was sent by the society. They got tired of wasting all that time climbing and fording a cold lake in order to get a simple curse done. So a witch at nine saves time.

Hellocthul: JAN!!! Only one Janssen story per episode!!! We got more trolls to kill!!!