Umber

Umber

Soulstuff

December 13th, 2005

While attempting to penetrate Imperagon’s stronghold in Acheron, Vayel is stricken with a mysterious geas that drives her toward a confrontation with the leader of the fortress’ mechanical feline guards.

On the third floor of the Grey Pelican Inn Klavicus Starton the Third, scholar and balor with a fondness for rare books and fine brandy, set a tray of eggs, toast and orange juice in front of his house guest and clapped his claw-like hands loudly. “Rise and shine!” His guest, a man with distinctly tigerish features who lay sprawled on a sofa in the sitting room with his arm thrown over his eyes, groaned. This had been their morning routine for the past several days, as Svengali took his first faltering steps toward recovering his health. Klavicus might have found serving daily breakfast less engaging save for two mitigating factors: the cheery greeting clearly annoyed Svengali, and Klavicus strongly suspected, although Svengali seemed unaware of it, that the shapeshifter had no need for the breakfast, or any other food, at all, giving the ritual a certain amusing, perverse superfluity.
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