New Friends, New Enemies Report

General Summary

The session began with Guinivere and Imza on the journey from the Woodland Wisdom logging camp to Navarre. The two of them shared stories of their upbringing, the different things seen on their travels, and their goals for the future. The young girl revealed to Gwen that she had never seen the ocean or a large city before and didn't intend to stay long, citing a need to return to the Spine Mountains in the center of the island and return a totem to the Goliath stronghold, informing them of the passing of Nalla Keen-eye. Once at the gates of Navarre, the pair set off towards the Wolf and Waif, following the lead from Olafur's letter and assuming they'd find Vondal on the way.   The didn't have to wait long, as Vondal and Raro had just finished their work at the Plaza of All Faiths and were standing on the main street, determining what was next for them. The newly-formed quartet had a moment to collect themselves and catch up, and stopped in at Raro's former place of employ for a quick drink before the Obsidian Laurel's card made itself known yet again. The group had a few hours to kill before heading to Frostborne Pier, during which Guinevere and Imza made time to purchase a pair of sending stones from the Raven's Hoard so the young Damaran could stay in contact with the party. She left shortly afterwards, promising to stay in touch whenever she could.   Arriving at Frostborne Pier later that evening, Elanis Morningdew made himself known to the group and explained why they had been called. Julius, leader of the Obsidian Laurel and previous benefactor to Raro, had decided to collect on an outstanding debt. The group was charged to infiltrate the Blackwood Manor under the guise of Julius's representatives and acquire a set of items from the Count's secure building somewhere on the premises. Julius explained that the Count is a suspected member of the Hidden Hand, an ancient secret organization who had recently experienced a sudden surge of power in Timere. Elanis took requests from the group for tools they felt may be useful and left, but not before mentioning that the Midnight Market would be in Timere around their arrival, and could be a worthwile stop.   Chartering a ride with Captain Threri Flaskbender, our trio made good time to Timere, the southern hub for travel and trade in Nardoth. The three-walled city sprawled outwards, a tapestry of time and wealth radiating from the center of the city outwards. Almost immediately after landing, a shifty man caught Raro's attention and told him to meet the man at the Snapping Line, a sailor's bar close by. Raro elected to test the barkeep, a woman named Hanna Rist, to see if she was a member of the Obsidial Laurel as well with limited success.   The man found the trio sitting at a table and delivered a duffle bag full of the requested items, as well as a map of the secure building and manor layout. He warned them that the task would be difficult, and specificually requested that they did not mmention his involvement at all, as doing so would lose him his job and the Obsidian Laurel their inside man. Agreeing to these terms, the group inquired as to where they could find the Midnight Market. After following a long, almost impossibly convoluted series of instructions, the group came to an allyway that seemed to strech into the warehouses on all sides and had an air of permanent twilight around it. Peering inside revealed a bustling bazaar, with a chaotic display of colors and smells before them.   The two places that caught our groups eye most immediately were Lola's Apothecary and a dark building with a simple sign indicating it belonged to Thalia the Artist, the tattooer that Olafur had mentioned to Vondal previously. The group decided it would be best to split up and cover more ground, Vondal choosing to visit Thalia while Raro and Guinevere went to Lola's. The two of them picked up a number of potions, both to heal and to harm, before making their way to meet up with Vondal. Arriving at the outside of the glass windows, they saw Vondal seated in the client's chair while a woman worked on an intricate design. As soon as they approached the exterior, she turned to look at them and revealed that she wore a scarf covering her eyes.   While Gwen and Raro acquired substances, Vondal entered the domain of Thalia the artist. An unlit shop, sparsely decorated with drawings and miscellaneous artefacts, and a filing cabinet filled with parchments behind a worn-out desk. Behind the desk sat a woman. Pale skin, raven-black hair flecked with greys, a grey fabric scarf wrapped around her head, and hands rapidly drawing with quill on parchment. Before Vondal introduced himself, she called out and welcomed him inside, asking what he was hoping to find. The two of them spoke a bit of Olafur's work and Thalia's skills, during which she confimed that she could not "see" in the traditional sense. Shortly thereafter her attention twisted to the door, where Vondal saw his companions standing outside.   The two members of the group entered and were introduced in short order, Thalia's attentioned almost unwaveringly focused on Guinevere. Thalia explained that the tattoos are a form of old magic from when the world was young and the Veil (the separation between the physical and magical world) not as heavy. She told the group that she had been doing this for a while and had hoped to find an apprentice, but hadn't seen someone with the right "vision" in a long long time. The three party members all elected to get tattoo work done, the cost of which Thalia left nebulous, as she claimed that she never knew what work a person would get until her hands had made it, and price would be settled afterwards. The work took the rest of the night, and the party paid in both gold and "gifts," as Thalia called them. The two gentlemen paid and left, leaving Thalia and Guinevere along for a moment. Guinevere's gift was a soft kiss on the cheek, and in response she felt a presence in her mind, not agressive but inquizitive. Cautiously, she let the mind in.   [The following takes place only in Guinevere's mind] Memories began flooding Gwen's mind. Images of the archipelago before settlers first arrived, the first camp that would eventually become Timere, darkness that swept across all land, a burst of light, the city rising and falling and rising again over generations. She saw creatures that looked like the wendigo at Gulgrove but bigger, healthier, more animalistic. Finally, she saw herself standing in front of Thalia. Not as Guinevere Lindenshield, the blonde haired swordfighter, but the undisguised her, the changeling without features or name. Just as much as Gwen felt new memories entering her, she felt the prescense looking at her own. Growing up in Kolvakhas, playing with Ava and Taejo, the night of the break-in. The other mind left, and Gwen felt almost empty in her own mind, not realizing how vast the mind that had pushed into hers was until it was gone. [Back to reality] Almost brought to tears, Gwen asked Thalia who or what she was, to which Thalia chuckled. She claimed to be a traveler, a storyteller, a teacher, an artist, older than most and bearing the weight of all those years. She thanked Gwen for the trust and asserted they'd meet again.   The group left the Midnight Market just as the sun began shining over the buildings, and when they turned around, there was no trace of the scene they saw last night. After a rest in the Snapping Line, the group headed to Captain Threri and had her head inland towards the Golden Cove, where the Blackwood estate loomed on the edge of a cliffside in the distance. Disembarking with the longboat, the party arranged for Threri to return in two days time, giving them an extra day before the party to search the grounds, blend in, and gather information about the Count's involvement in the Hidden Hand. They stowed their gear in the boat and scaled the massive, cliffside stairs. Arriving at the top, they could see the towering walls and posted patrols of the Blackwood estate, with a procession of carriages heading into one of the massive gates, the objects of their mission locked solidly behind them.

Rewards Granted

Raro:   Needle (Elanis Morningdew, via the Obsidial Laurel)
Opera glasses (Elanis Morningdew, via the Obsidial Laurel)
Hallucinogenic powder (Elanis Morningdew, via the Obsidial Laurel)
Sneezing powder (Elanis Morningdew, via the Obsidial Laurel)
Madness poison, vial (Lola's Apothecary, purchased)
Confusion poison, vial (Lola's Apothecary, purchased)
Concertina (picked up from the Ghost of Spider-Man)
Coiling Grasp tattoo (Thalia the Blind, purchased, owe a gift)   Gwen:   2x Scrolls of Pass Without Trace (Elanis Morningdew, via the Obsidial Laurel)
1x Locate Object (Elanis Morningdew, via the Obsidial Laurel)
Eversmoking Bottle (Elanis Morningdew, via the Obsidial Laurel)
Regular Thieves' Tools (Elanis Morningdew, via the Obsidial Laurel)
Advanced Thieves' Tools (Elanis Morningdew, via the Obsidial Laurel)
4x Greater Healing Potions (Lola's Apothecary, purchased)
Paired Sending Stones (Raven's Hoard, purchased)
Rough-cut sapphire (Raven's Hoard, gift)
Shadowfell Brand tattoo (Thalia the Blind, purchased)   Vondal:   Monacle (Elanis Morningdew, via the Obsidial Laurel)
Suit (Elanis Morningdew, via the Obsidial Laurel)
Eldritch Claw tattoo (Thalia the Blind, purchased)

Missions/Quests Completed

Imza: Saved from the wendigo and brought to Navarre before leaving on her own for the Spine Mountains to deliver word of Nalla's passing to the Goliath stronghold.

Character(s) interacted with

Elanis Morningdew: Mover in the Obsidian Laurel. Tall, thin, Flynn Ryder-esque features. Olive skin and shoulder-length auburn hair. Whereabouts currently unknown, but last interaction was taking the party's shopping list for the Blackwood heist and leaving.   Kreek Cratehoarder: owner of Raven's Hoard. Kenku woman, older, shimmering black feathers and pinprick yellow eyes. Very excitable and happy when she gets customers. Currently working at the Midnight Market.   Thalia the Blind: magical tattoo artist. Human, appears mid-40s. Raven-black hair with streaks of grey, pale skin. Speaks with a tone of quiet certainty. Shared memories with Guinevere suggesting that Thalia is much older than she appears. Currently working at the Midnight Market.   Lola Sicalis: owner of Lola's Apothecary. Human or half-elven, mid to late 30s. Dark golden skin, curly brown hair. Charming and practical. Makes most of the products in-house using mushrooms, plants, etc. Not the kind of person to ask too many questions about why people need certain concoctions. Currently working at the Midnight Market.   "The Contact": dockworker in Timere, member of the Obsidian Laurel. Human, short cut hair, intentionally nondescript appearance. Delivered the party's requested items upon their arrival. Whereabouts currently unknown, but supposedly is an inside man to the Blackwood estate.   Hanna Rist: bartender at the Snapping Line in Timere. Human, mid-20s, shoulder-length straight black hair, light skin, thinner build. Used to dealing with sailors and dockworkers with a smile. Family owns the Snapping line. Currently working at the Snapping Line.