Session 88: 22nd March 2022 - not a nice guy!
“We are explorers, we’ve travelled so far, crossing vast seas. We've seen the Colossus of Pythor, the Dragon Shrine in Estoria and many Temples and Coliseums across the Cerulean Gulf and beyond.
Theo follows behind, backing up Xan’s story, “We came to see great the artefacts”
The Salamander walks off as Steros appears from the cave - still deciding whether to imprison them I suppose. But he is gone, and Steros is seemingly on side. He presents the bronze dragon egg to Xan, but clarifies it needs to be zapped with lightning every 12 hours to… keep it developing and getting bigger? He tells them he keeps it in the water to stop it growing, and zaps it to grow it. Steros wants to create but he was kept to make armour and spears - he is bored. He asks for them to leave, hurrying them along.
Theo is not convinced they have to leave but with some back and forth with a charmed Xan and the very charismatic Steros, they make tracks out of the volcano. On the way, Theo is given attention, lifted and carried. Xan pouts.
Steros asks them their names. Xan responds with Xanthia… Ornis - her real name, maybe? She is not sure how well the daughter of Acastus will be received - and would rather avoid any recognition until she is in a safer situation, even for this new friend.
…
Outside of the volcano Theo and Xan talk to Steros, and he offers a gift to Xan - still charmed. He asks her what he can make for her - she asks for a flying dog, or a dragon. Steros is frustrated, he offered some choices but she picked none of them. He pours his gold and jewels onto the ground as a gift for the party.
While he stomps off to make the trinket, Theo and Xan talk about him, complimentary at first but a few minutes pass and the Charm spell on Xan fades. A red hot heat rises in her as she realises he messed with her head. She bounds over to Steros and holds a knife to his cheek.
“Hey! You charmed me” he turns “If you charm me again I will throw you in the sea”
He raises a hand to charm her again but she is not going to fall for it. He argues back, he is generally an unpleasant cyclops and throws charm person out to the people he encounters. Theo and Xan argue with Steros about his approach to making friends which is terrible.
Theo tells Steros he needs to learn to talk more and fight less. He is resistant. He says he will charm anyone. Xan considers throwing him overboard the minute he wrongs any of her crew or party on the boat. He’s not a nice guy!