Turn over the Totem

Lupecyll-Atlon home, late afternoon

It's been a glorious day as far as weather goes. The rain has passed, leaving behind clear blue skies and sunshine pouring down like a gift from the gods. Telamon might be more of an evening person, but there's no denying the beauty during the daytime.

With Cor'lana out running errands, the elegant young half-sil is concerning himself with a heavy tome on alchemy, trying to brush up on things. A tall tankard of chilled tea at his elbow, as he sits inside the living room. The windows open to let the breeze through, as he hums a few notes to himself idly. A gnomish-constructed fan is perched in the corner, slowly rotating to keep the breeze up, as his eyes shift to the bag at his feet. "Hope he got the message," Tel murmurs.

Dirk comes riding up astride his pony Thistle, peering at a scrap of parchment in hand before looking up and around. "Think this is the place. Woah, laddie," he says, gently pulling back on the reins. He swings out of the saddle, giving a soft whistle through his teeth. "You stay out here an' keep Thistle company, lassie." Lulu hops off Dirk's shoulder and onto the saddle horn. She hop-hop-hops up Thistle's neck, coming to rest atop the pony's head. She flutters her wings, hoo-hoo'ing softly. With a chuckle, Dirk gives the owl a fond pet, then the pony, before turning and lumbering up to the door. He doffs his tricorne, tucking it under his arm, then reaches up to ring the bell.

As Dirk rings the doorbell, a gentleman in the armor of the guard hastens toward the very house which Dirk is ringing the doorbell of. Like Dirk he has a small piece of paper in hand, but he moves under his own power rather than through animal conveyance. He slows as he approaches Dirk, giving the dwarf a quick look-over and approaching the doorway at a more moderate pace now. "Greetings. You must be sir Dirk." He offers a small but clearly sincere smile.

Dirk looks up at the guard, straightening his spine a bit. "Er... aye, that's me. Though I'm not really a 'ser'. Just Dirk will do." He head tilts curiously, peering up at the man. "Did ye have business with me, sir?"

Telamon glances up suddenly at the bell, and the voices outside. His eyes narrow for a moment, and he puts down the book, rising to his feet. Reaching down to pick up his haversack, dangling it in his hand as he walks over to the window...

"Ah! Dirk, Lieutenant! Excellent timing..." He steps away to unlatch the door and open in. "Please, come in. I'm glad you're both here."

Inside, it's a tidy little place, not some sprawling mansion or foreboding wizard's domicile. There's an intriguing mix of styles, though the furniture is mostly of elven design, and small flowering plants and vines are everywhere, though not in the way or interfering with movement. The living area dominated by a couch and a slightly scarred rocking chair, while the kitchen area has a large round table and three chairs around it.

"I invited him, Dirk. This is Lieutenant Balderdan, and he is here to keep me honest, so to speak." He offers a crooked smile. Once the door is shut and the two are inside, he explains, "I went to him after Lana and I had... absconded with Zalgiman's 'good luck charm'."

Dirk perks as the door is answered, and he offers Telamon a half-bow. "Master Telamon. I got yer message." He trundles into the house once he's invited, glancing around. He moves carefully, given his thickset stature--all that delicate elven furniture would not do well if bulled over by a sturdy dwarf. He instead plants himself in the living room, resting his free hand on his belt. Mention of the totem, however, has the old snowbeard frowning dourly. "Oh... -that- bloody thing," he grumbles. "Ye still have it safe, I trust."

Balderdan was just on the verge of introducing himself when the door opened and Telamon provided one for him. He nods to the half-elf gratefully. "It's even as sir Telamon here says." He follows the dwarf inside with yet another nod for Telamon as he looks around the house a bit and stands not far from Dirk. A comfortable talking distance. "Can you tell me how Zalgiman came to take the... thing from you sir Dirk? We are here so that Telamon can return it to your possession if that is your desire, but if you could tell me about the theft that would be very helpful."

Dirk looks up at Balderdan, and shifts uncomfortably on his feet. His cheeks pink up a bit under the snowy white of his beard, and he clears his throat. "Hem! Well. See, it wasn't really -mine- tae begin with," he says, scuffing his booted foot on the floor. "I just happened tae see 'im havin' it an'... I recognized it fer what it was. It's..." He pauses, then looks up at Telamon. "Does 'e -know- what it is? What it -really- is?" he asks, nodding towards the lieutenant.

"Yes," Telamon says firmly. "And before you ask, this house has been warded and hallowed by no less than Mourner Verna. This is a safe place." His lips quirk again. "Sometimes it's a strange place, but it IS safe."

He opens his haversack, removing the small statue from it and setting it on the table. It's no longer 'ugly' but instead looks like a simple representation of Eluna.

"Dolan and I discussed it with him," Telamon says, giving Dirk a look. "The problem is that Zalgiman's been trying to drum up trouble against Cor'lana, accusing her of being a seductress, insisting she helped steal it, that sort of thing. Sooner or later, the watch would have to take notice -- so I tried to head it off by going to the lieutenant first."

He runs his fingers through his hair. Then he pauses, looking at the statue. "Then again... Lieutenant Balderdan, did Zalgiman -describe- the 'good luck charm' that had been stolen?"

Dirk nods his head. "Aye. So... I knew what the thing was. I knew I had tae get it somewhere safe. Gods only know what might become of it wi' that great yuge oaf luggin' it about. Or worse, what it might bring down in 'im, the way he was flashin' it around like that." He harrumphs. "The twit wouldnae hear of it. Now I'm nae the thievin' type, but in this case, I knew I had tae break the rules." He looks up at the two tallfolk. "This is all -my- fault," he says. "If there's any trouble tae be had, it should land on me, not Missus Cor'lana."

Balderdan blinks at Dirk then gives Telamon a rather helpless look. He scrubs a hand over his head and then shakes it. "He's been a bit vague on that end. Saying that it was made of wood and obviously magical. Said he'd know it if he saw it. But..." He looks at Telamon. "Sir Telamon if we both know that that thing is his property, how in good conscience can I not return it to him?"

He looks at Dirk. "This is none of your fault sir Dirk. Obviously one should not steal from another. You may be right to be worried what might come of someone in possession of a magical artifact, but we have many such individuals in this city - people with great power. We can not take those things merely because we fear what might be done with them."

Telamon steeples his fingers. "True. However, the werewolf infestation is wrapped up in the pursuit of these statues, Lieutenant. By returning it, you may be violating your own oaths regarding the safety of Alexandria." His starry eyes glitter. "And more to the point: I am not inclined to let this happen."

A long moment, before he continues. "I might argue, though, that it is no more Zalgiman's property than it is mine, or Dirk's. Would it not belong to its creator, ultimately? The statue has a singular purpose -- to anchor Caracoroth in his prison -- so I do not believe it has been sold or disposed of in such a way to transfer it."

Dirk tugs his beard, frowning a bit. "Aye, but it is, though," he says. "I'm the one who tried takin' it the first time I saw 'im. An' then Missus Cor'lana helped me on my say so." He gestures to Telamon. "But aye, he's nae wrong. I've been on two expeditions now, where those totems were found. Nae exactly a walk in Memorial Gardens." He shivers a bit, recalling his second foray into the mound. "It may well could be that Ziegelman claimed his totem square. He -did- mention that he'd been part of an adventurin' crew, an' that he was the only one who returned. But still... it dinnae sit right wi' me tae have one o' these totems out an' about."

Balderdan gives Telamon a steady look. "From what I understand - from what I've been told - there are several of these things. Would you have me round up the lot? I offered for this one to be held by the Temple of Eluna, but you prevailed upon me that they could not be trusted because of the Werewolf threat. Your only claim against sir Zalgiman so far is that... well you don't seem to like him. He's done nothing illegal. He's done nothing to claim this totem that is illegal. If he claimed it as spoils from an adventuring job then he's as much right to it as anyone else who has done so."

Balderdan sighs. "I'd like to help you here, but the law is clear. I can mitigate the charges against you and your fiancee if you return the object. That much I can do."

Dirk sighs heavily. "Leftenant, yer makin' a -grave- mistake," he says. "The more people we bring intae our confidence, the greater the chance that Caracoroth's creatures might get wind of it. Gods help us if they get -their- mangy paws on one o' these things."

Telamon shakes his head. "Not happening, Lieutenant." He takes a deep breath. "Alright, we're clearly at loggerheads here. You trusted me with seeking out Phyrelia, and the avatar of Eluna. Will you at least accept my word that the totem is far more than it seems?"

He continues, "And yes, the temple of Eluna has had serious issues with infiltrators. However, there are other temples here. I will surrender it to the Temple of Daeus, to be placed under the guard of their Redeemers, while the provenance and truth of the artifact is resolved. There's precedent for this -- I believe there was a similar incident a while back, involving the merchant Grinder Goldbells and an infernal artifact he possessed."

"I believe you when you say that there is more to it than meets the eye sir Telamon. I do not doubt that. I do not even doubt that giving it back to Zalgiman is unwise, but I am a man of the law. I must trust and adhere to that or else all is chaos." Balderdan's eyes are steady. They eyes of a true believer. "That you would turn it over to any temple is acceptable. If its province can be proven than it will be secured and hopefully remain out of the hands of those that would use it for ill. I will accompany you to the temple, so that there is no misunderstanding."

Dirk frowns dourly. "How many o' these damn things have we found, now?" he asks. "How many -are- there in total, do we even know? Because I've about had a gutful o' those bastard lycans runnin' about. We had tae take out a pack of 'em not long ago. They'd attacked an entire village. Was goin' tae eat the poor wee bairns tae make their parents cooperate." He growls softly under his breath. "Thank the Green Lady we were able tae stop 'em."

"Thirteen," Telamon replies to Dirk. "Seven from the gods of light. Six from the gods of darkness, minus the Nightmare. The gods of twilight don't interfere or affect them." He gives Balderdan a slightly manic grin. "Dolan and I theorized this one was crafted by Taara, or Illotha. There's a pleasant thought, eh?"

With an effort, he composes himself. "The temple of Daeus, then. Redeemer Vaughn actually approached me about the totems, and Dolan is well acquainted with them as well. I would prefer it in their hands, rather than some unknown Stormgardian who makes my hackles rise." He shrugs. "It may be, as you say, merely a personality issue. I dearly hope so. In any case... at least it will be protected." He picks up the figurine, dropping it into his haversack. "Shall we go? No time like the present."

Balderdan nods, motioning toward the door, and then smiling somewhat awkwardly upon the realization that he's a guest in Telamon's house. "Right." He heads to the door and holds it open for Dirk. Together they head out and on the table behind them, the iced tea begins to sweat.

-End