The first thing Kybele will notice when she wakes up is almost certainly the enormous pain in her chest. It's not that there's a shortage of things to notice, in the middle of a busy market square mid festival, but that's the kind of thing that really tends to grab the attention. Wherever she fell asleep, she certainly isn't there now.
"Only yesterday I fell down a chasm struck across the curve of the city at least fifty feet deep! I tumbled down, miraculously unhurt, and with my brother and some similar unfortunates we fought our way through bugs that outweighed me by half again. Deeper in the passages we found curious natives, looking like collages of humans with all sorts of other creatures, no two alike - neathers, they call themselves, and they were looking for a hopeful omen in the aftermath of the quaking and chaos. I helped them dig up this very sword," she pats and draws the angel sword, "which glowed with radiant light as soon as I laid a hand on it, and then they gathered up all their neighbors, and as soon as it's safe aboveground they will be climbing up the ladder I myself used to settle among everyone else up here, lest their roofs otherwise collapse on them." She resheathes the sword and makes a replica paper ladder, which she presents to the Count with a flourish.
He claps, delightedly, and accepts it with a flourish.
"Now that's what I'm talking about. The story is interesting enough on its own, but the special effects really bring it to life for the listener; after being regaled with a tale like that, I hardly have a choice but to hang it upon my wall and be reminded of it every time I walk by. Are all your days so exciting?"
"That one certainly stands out among the events of the month. At least so far. I hope to top myself tomorrow!"
"Ohoh? Tell me more - what wonders should we expect to see from you next? I'm warning you now, if it's even half so exciting as that, I shall be dreadfully disappointed if I must miss out, but don't let that dissuade you; I would never forgive myself for preventing someone like you from achieving something extraordinary simply for my own ego. I assure you, it is fed more than enough as it is."
"Oh, do you want to join me on my romp of derring-do? I could find a use for you. Today I found - tied up in a library and about to be put to the torch by a cell of cultists, if you can believe that - a man called the Storyteller, who believes that I alone of all the people he's looked over can repair the failing wardstone. But I will need some help covering my approach, as it's not working nearly well enough to have prevented some demons from setting up in its environs."
"I would hardly be so foolish as to refuse such an invitation from a lady as lovely as yourself. A dashing young heroine, selected by an ancient elf to be the only one that can repair an artifact of the inheritor herself - the ballads practically write themselves, though of course I'll still have them commissioned. Where and when should I offer my attendance to this matinee?"
"Delightful! I'm expecting to collect Ramien, who recommended you, at his temple come dawn. Can I expect you, and perhaps a houseguest he may have recommended to you in the past?"
"I'm afraid I can't volunteer my guests on their behalf, but there's certainly no way I'll miss it - all the more so if I can expect musical accompaniment."
"Not for a performer like the young lady of my and Ramien's mutual acquaintance. I assure you, her playing is simply magical."
When Daeran flags down a server, it's to make a completely unrelated request to bring out another bottle of kyonin berry wine, but at the next break in the song one of the performers will set down their instrument and head over.
"Hello there! I'm Kybele the Curator, or Gazette if you like. In the morning I'm going to be meeting some folks at the temple of Desna and from there we're going in to the garrison so as to fix the wardstone, which I'm given to understand will solve many of our present difficulties."
"Oh, good, I was afraid nobody was going to deal with it and we would waste the warning. Of course I'll help you with that - what do you need?"
"Cover, healing, stealth maybe, so I can approach the stone and poke it with a particular object."
"I can help you those, though with some caveats; most demons can see through invisibility if they get close enough, so it's more useful for sneaking past cultists and dretches rather than a complete solution, and my healing isn't nearly as good as a cleric's. I dare say I can make a particularly noticeable distraction though."
"Hopefully once the wardstone is fixed it'll do a lot of the rest of the work for us, so a distraction might be just the thing."
"We can only hope. Have you found a solution for getting past Hulrun? He had us arrested when we tried."
"Past him? I wasn't expecting him to be in the area, but if he's liable to make trouble I can have a word with him today."
"Hmm? If not him, who's stopping you then? We managed to get nearly to the same room as it when we made a go at it yesterday morning, he just caught us at the last stretch."
"Ah, I was advised to take a run at it when fresh - an attempt this morning left us at something of a draw with a lilitu."
Aranka clearly wasn't expecting that answer; the shock is visible on her face.
"And you're still alive? Thank the gods. That makes this a lot more nervewracking, but I think the strategic priority works out to be the same. Who else have you recruited so far?"
"Today I had with me Irabeth Tirabade and a number of her ilk, Anevia, and a woman by the name of Camellia, who I met when I fell into a chasm beneath the earth. Tomorrow I mean to add Ramien and the very Count whose hospitality we are presently enjoying."
"Well, that's definitely a start. I'm not sure I can buff someone enough to fight a Lilitu, Paladin or no, but with Ramien's assistance I'd be willing to give it a try. If you're still recruiting help, I recommend you see about asking Thall for assistance. Wizards get different buffs than Bards and Clerics, so it'll add a bit more to our ability to act as a distraction, and I can't imagine he'd back down here. I'm not sure if he'll be willing to take you at your word, though; if you show him my scarf, he'll know I'm saying to trust you. Last I heard from him he was northeast of here, wearing a helmet with a stupid plume to go with his paladin ensemble."