He Says (Part 2)

GAME: Sabina rolls spellcraft: (14)+14: 28

The elder frowns at Sabina but smiles at Thoth. "Sure, try a pie. Even one like you should be able to appreciate it!" He motions for the innkeeper to pull out a slice for Thoth and the innkeeper does so. "You guys planning to stay the night? This here's a right good inn!"

Thoth stares down at the pie being offered to it. It already analyzed the pie. There is nothing special about the pie, as far as it can tell. Not that it's felt the need to communicate this to anyone who might be a bit more of the paranoid type. It takes the plate being offered to it more out of default than out of any other reason, and just continues to stare at the pie for a while.

"This one does not require rest at this time." The Warforged presses. "Neither does it have the ability to consume this type of sustenance." But it keeps holding the plate in its little clawed fingers.

It then turns to Sabina, then the Merchants who are getting cheated(?) out of their money.

And decides to ponder if there is maybe a cheat at play. Watching the game from afar. Doing math in its head as cards are being played.

GAME: Thoth rolls Knowledge/Engineering: (5)+9: 14

Sabina's prayer of magical detection causes her eyes to water as it takes effect, blinking rapidly at her surroundings. She tries not to shade her eyes as she whispers another (non-magical prayer) under her breath.

She turns and looks at the elder with her smile slowly returning. "Um.. no. No thank you. Considering everything in her has been.. altered by magic. I dare not try one of the pies even though I'm sure they're very tasty."

She calls to the others without taking her eyes off the elder. "I think we should step out of here for a moment you two."

The elder gives Sabina a somewhat suspicious look, but returns to his game of cards. The merchants seem to be winding down. It will not be long before they head to bed for the evening. Maybe sooner rather than later if they keep losing.

Unless the others resist she leads them outside and starts to explain what she saw.

"I cast a prayer to detect magics and I think I'm going to have a migraine shortly. Everything..and I mean everything in there seems coated with magics. It's as if someone cast a wish spell in there. Unless I'm completely misreading what I saw and it's some type of illusion. All I know is the luck here is not natural. Makes me scared to eat the pies and I won't be gambling here if I can help it."

Thoth chirps, while moving outside with Sabina; "A spell of magical detection. This one knows this spell." Thoth notes. "This one is now glad it did not cast the same."

"This one asks, what about the rest of the town? Or is it centered upon this-here place?" Clearly believing Sabina might still have the spell going.

Sabina takes this moment to look around and try to get a feeling since Thoth asked about the rest of the place. She braces herself to squint should the magic be overwhelming like it was inside the inn.

Tlanexhuani was about to accept some pie, if just out of politeness and to soothe over abraded scales (so to speak). He does not get the chance before Sabina excuses them outside, and he is much less eager after she explains. A long blink. "Such powerful magicks? Here? This one wonders how, why?" He glances back to to the building, then around at the other buildings, as if sharing Thoth's curiosity on the remaining village.

GAME: Sabina rolls will: (9)+12: 21

Sabina takes her time and looks around the village proper. The people, animals and structures.

She goes back over the view again and then gets an intense look on her face for a moment before turning back to the others.

"There are magics on random people and things. Even animals. But it's not on everyone and everything. Yet it's the same magic. Universal type of magics. Like.. as if a wish had gone off like an explosion but only those people and animals and things that were near were affected. And I'm reasonably sure this isn't an illusion of some sort."

GAME: Thoth casts Detect Magic. Caster Level: 7 DC: 15
GAME: Thoth rolls Knowledge/Arcana: (17)+15: 32
GAME: Thoth rolls Knowledge/The Planes: (14)+14: 28

Thoth considers Sabina with some concern, and notes that intense look. But it seems like they can at least make things out. So Thoth starts to step back from the Inn. In its head, literally doing math to figure out how far it is from the Inn in that moment, until it feels safe...

And then starts motioning its fingers, and chirps a few tones that sound disharmonious, before its eyes begin to glow, and it starts to take a look around. A magic like Wish, why would that be used all the way out here? Did some kind of Efreet get involved? Some kind of monkey-paw magics, or a Genie in a lamp? But surely not on that many people...

Yet...

This feels individual. But such things never go without downsides. Creatures such as that don't play at giving wishes for funsies.

"This one sees the same thing." Thoth chirps at Sabina. "This one worries its source is a creature of great power. But... this one doesn't understand. Things here are too peaceful." It pauses, continuing to scan. It already knows the inn is the place most filled with this magic, so it might be the source, but...

"This one suggest we lean on the weaker members of this community. Exploit the child to receive an answer from the mother through some sort of plea." It blinks, not realizing that while such statements may be valid at their source... you don't just say that!

Tlanexhuani's tail flicks as Thoth scans things. "This one think maybe magic from pie. Powerful pie? But if animals have..." He makes a vague gesture with one set of claws before looking to Sabina. "What animals? Some maybe eat pie?" A pause and a thoughtful sound. "If pie, younglings all have magic, this one thinks..."

On the matter of younglings, he turns and blinks at Thoth. Then he stares a long moment, unsure of the finer points of what it might mean with those words. He then makes a very measured statement. "Youngling not tool, not weapon. Is youngling."

Sabina winces at Thoth's use of language. She steps in closer and in a quiet tone explains to the machine being.

"Thoth. Please don't say you're going to lean on weak people or exploit a child ever again. I'm reasonably sure you did not mean it to be taken badly but must flesh beings do not seek to ever 'exploit' a child. And a good being tries to never lean on weaker people unless it's to save someone or overcome some sort of evil. That's a generalization though. Perhaps say.. We should see if we can learn something from the others in the village starting with the young girl we met."

Speaking of which she looks around for the girl and her floof dog.

At that exact moment, the girl Lexi and Pookie walk by. They seem to be headed home somewhat dejectedly.

GAME: Thoth rolls Perception: (8)+8: 16

Thoth tilts its head. "Magic from pie?" It sounds like it can't possibly believe that could be true. Why would the Merchant even offer it to them, if they annoyed the man? Or perhaps they should have accepted the hospitality. Yet, Thoth is still concerned that there's no negative effect here. It knows the cost of a Wish Spell, even if it cannot cast it itself.

"This one understands. Child is child. This one will adjust language parameters." It notes, ever learning. "The child seems to be appreciative of us however. So this one believes it is indeed the best terminal to what we need to know." Agreeing with Sabina.

It then notes the girl nearby, and wiggles its fingers at her. "Greetings, small one. This one has a weak capability of detecting emotions, but this one has detected a lowering of the corners of your lips by an appropriate twenty degrees. This one feels 97.3% confident this means you are feeling... 'sad'."

Thoth kneels down, and puts Ra down on the ground besides it. "What is wrong?"

Tlanexhuani becomes more relaxed in posture and tail as Thoth kneels and addresses the girl. He steps towards her, and crouches, but doesn't add to the questions just yet. No reason to overwhelm the wee one.

Sabina watches with worry she tries not to express. The Sith and warforged both kneeling in front of the girl striking a funny bone in her but she worries about the girl's reaction. She waits to hear the girl's answers though.

The girl scuffs her shoe in the ground. "The Elder said I'd be old enough for a job soon. But I don't wanna! He said I should be some big long word I don't even know!" She frowns unhappily and scuffs her shoe again, her fake dog sniffing at the turned up dirt. "I'm going to be grown up soon and I don't wanna. I just wanna play with Pookie." Seems that it may be ordinary childish fears after all.

As the child begins to speak on the Elder telling her that she'd soon be old enough to take a job. On growing up and wanting to play with her dog... it doesn't really know what to say. At best, it might equate this to changing from its former chassis to this one, and the change that came with it. From a simple life without a worry to... a Warforged with PTSD and Anxiety.

It doesn't know how to best answer this.

Sabina moves around the kneeling pair and hmms softly. "Well, I don't know what job he thinks you'll be able to do. Did he say? Some big long word, you said. What did it sound like? And doesn't your mother have a say in what you will or won't be doing as well? Perhaps we can go speak with her about it and you can explain how you feel to her. But.. sadly we must all choose to work some day. But that day may not be close for you yet. Let's go find out, hmm?"

The girl shrugs, still disheartened. "Mommy sent me to ask the elder for ideas. I don't know what an ice-officer is." She sighs. "But I can take you to mommy if you want. It's getting late though. You might want to stay at the inn."

"Ice-Officer?" Thoth chirps. It isn't too familiar with the culinary experimentation of this land. So it isn't certain what that could mean. There are two kinds of people. Those who can extrapolate from incomplete data.

Either way, it raises back up and chirps; "This one is uncertain it wishes to stay at the Inn. How doth thine mother feel about house-guests?"

Tlanexhuani listens attentively to the girl, though he isn't sure what an 'ice officer' might be. Then again, he doesn't know much about vocations around Alessandria, either. "Sound important work. Is old enough be helper, also? Always many things need helping. Is also important work." He then leans a bit more and his voice lowers conspiratorial. "Helper is much fun."

He glances to the others, though there is no insight at the moment on youngling labor opportunities. "Ssa, maybe best share words with mother." Possibly for accommodations, too, it looks like.

Sabina looks at the others and then the inn..with all the magic in it and on it and around it.

"Lexi. Can we just go meet your mom? Make sure you get home safe and sound. I'm not sure I'm comfortable with the inn right now. Perhaps she can explain to me why that is. Would you be willing to lead us?"

The girl smiles and nods. "Okay! I can do that!" She leads you happily further into the village. Her mother is not as it turns out a master artificer, but seemingly an ordinary mother of four who is somewhat less than happy to welcome guests but does so politely just the same.

Thus, the mystery thickens. (Even if the cots are thin.)

-TBC