C2 Session 22: Kidnapping Afoot!
General Summary
24th of Anarire 1545 Continued
Margaret casts sending to her friend to see if she needs or could do anything. She learns that her friend is no longer permitted to leave. No one is. She ponders on this as her watch starts at 9pm with Jamal.
At 9pm, Maragret talks to Jamal about her concerns with the conclave she came from. The highlight has apparently left the cloister to search for somewhere powerful to attempt the ritual again. They discuss fortifying Jamal to try and protect him if they can.
25th of Anarire 1545
The remaining watches are calm and without issue. They are up at 6am when Ubek informs Ana she has a sensor following her. Ana fails to dispel it, but Margaret is able to do it. Ana immediately casts Death ward on herself. They have breakfast and quickly prepare to board the boat and head out.
They start the day with Margaret, Ubek, Tarhun and Jeriam rowing while Brin steers. They settle on a rotation through everyone, adding in Jonah and Jamal as well (Brin can stay at the helm though) and have four of them at a time for 1-2 hour shifts. Ana has a brief rest after using her magic before she joins the rotations.
Unfortunately, Ana only spots the second scrying orb just as it disappears at 10am. As the river they are travelling on joins the main river, Luna notices a bird gliding over their ship for prolonged periods. But too hard to tell what type. The group stops rowing and allows the sail and current to take them. They mark it as suspicious but leave it for now. Margaret reads a little of the book from the archfey. In the time since she started reading it, she has learned:
The Book of the Void
Title: The Black Maw: Echoes of the Devouring Dark
Length: 1,376 pages
Sections: 7 major divisions, each delving deeper into the nature of the Void
Risk: The deeper one reads, the greater the chance of attracting the Void’s attention. Strange occurrences, whispers, and warping reality may manifest.
Book Description:
Bound in shadow-touched leather that seems unnaturally cold, The Black Maw is written in a shifting script that adapts to the reader’s language—but not perfectly. The words often twist and distort, requiring immense focus to understand. Some phrases appear in multiple languages, overlapping as if whispered by countless voices.
As Margaret reads, the book feels unnaturally heavy, as though something is pressing against her soul. So far Margaret has read for 13 hours and the book is frustratingly slow going due to the nature of the book. Despite the time she is only 350 pages in.
What Margaret Has Learned So Far:
The Nature of the Void (Pages 1–200)
The Void is not a force, but an absence of existence. It does not consume—it erases.
Void Seeds are fragments left when the Void touches reality. Those with seeds may become Anchors, tethering the Void to a plane.
Symptoms of Void Influence include unnatural cold, shifting shadows, an inability to dream, and a growing emotional emptiness.
Anchors and the Hollowing Curse (Pages 201–400)
Void Anchors do not simply allow the Void entry—they pull reality into the void.
If enough Anchors exist on a plane, the Void will inevitably consume it.
Previous attempts to remove void seeds often ended in failure—the subjects disappeared entirely or became unstable, existing between reality and nothingness.
There are fragmented references to a successful severance, but the details are deliberately erased from the book.
A phrase often repeats: “The void does not watch. It waits.”
As she finishes her section of reading she catches sight of her reflection in water briefly. Her reflection was a few seconds behind Margaret in her reactions. A few minutes after finishing reading the book it stopped. She sends her reflection a message to ask if it is okay. Margaret hears her own voice back but it's all wrong. "You okay there?" It comes in layers as it echoes, some soft and some loud, all distorted in some way as Margaret feels devoid of any feeling herself. After a few seconds when the reply eventually fades, feeling starts to return. Her shadow is waving and trying to get Margaret's attention.
She sends a message to her shadow to ask if she, Margaret is okay. The shadow is unsure, but for a moment the shadow didn't feel that she was there for a second which worried the shadow. Being concerned, she switches reading to her other book from Azari's library just to be safe.
The party saled until dusk. Just before they were due to stop at nearly 6pm, the party notices an upside down boat is floating down the river and has slowly caught up with the party's ship. The party are wary of this. Margaret dives into the water with magic alteration to have a closer look. She sees it looks like a perfectly ordinary boat that has capsized. No sight of any crew or anything. Margaret returns to their ship and reports this to the party.
They decide to dock and prepare for battle. The capsized boat follows them. Margaret tries to act as a diversion but the capsized boat continues to head for their boat. The party all fires ranged weapons and spells at it. The boat has a mouth that appears and roars as it surges forward at the group as battle begins.
The party is able to do a lot of damage with those ranged attacks before the boat tries to eat their own. Thankfully the magical nature of the boat makes this a hard task. Black tentacles attack from the boat and do a lot to Ana and Ubek while taking a bite out of Brin. Though Jonah takes the opportunity to kill the boat, revealing it as a mimic. It sinks into the water and sark blood starts to pollute the river. The party heals their injured and decide to make camp here for the night.
By 7pm, camp is set up. Margaret heads back to reading the book from Azari's library for a bit. At 8pm they start watches. When Maragret's watch is complete, Margaret meditates and prays briefly to the moon about the highest light’s search.
Margaret has a dream. She sees the shadow of the highlight in a location that looks like a carven but is full of crystals that she'd a purple light. Many shadows in acolyte robes surround her. A full moon is seen as they look to be doing a ritual. As the moon reaches the highest point something enters her mouth before two of her lieutenants restrain her.
The clock and the dream rewind and show the same events but without the thing entering her and she goes frustrated. The dream speeds up and shows her mediating in the space as the moon fades to a new moon before filling to become full again. It ends in the events of the first part of the dream repeating itself.
26th of Anarire 1545
Overnight is peaceful as they get up and get ready to go for 5am. Maragret pulls Jamal aside for a quick chat while the others get ready to tell him about her dream. Jamal voices that if he is taken and they have just secured passage to Tephu, that he would like them to go to the library. He knows Margaret will come for him, but he realises doing so at that point would really delay access to something they finally have the knowledge to get to.
As the party board the boat, they will row for the first part of the day before coasting.
At 7am, a smaller boat is coming up the river with a tabaxi aboard. They wave once in eyesight. They hold up a sign that says:
"Amusing's Moving Managerie of Magical Merchandice - would you like to do business?"
The party takes the opportunity to buy and sell things at the shop. Amusing's Stock:
- Crystalline Chronicle (TCoE) Very Rare 30000gp
- Boots of the Winterlands (DMG156) Uncommon 10000gp
- Scorpion Armour (ToA) Rare 2750gp
- Potion of Supreme Healing (BS) Very Rare 1350gp
- Piwafwi (Cloak of Elven Kind) (OotA) Uncommon 750gp
- Sovereign Glue (DMG200) Legendary 400gp
- Spellguard Shield (DMG201) Very Rare 50000gp
- Scroll of Protection from Fey (DMG199) Rare 180gp
- Witchlight Watch (TWBtW) Legendary 100000gp
- Stormgirdle (EGtW) Legendary 800000gp
- Bell Branch (TCoE) Rare 2000gp
- Apparatus of the Crab (DMG) Legendary 10000gp
- Universal Solvent (DMG209) Legendary 300gp
- 20 Ammunition +2 (DMG150) Rare 100gp Each
- Pipe of Rememberance (GoS) Common 50gp
- Illusionist's Bracers (GGtR) Very Rare 90000gp
- Teleportation Tablet (CR:CotN) Rare 4200gp
- Horseshoes of a Zephier (DMG175) Vary Rare 1500gp
- Tentacle Rod (DMG208) Rare 5000gp
- Ioun Stone of Religious Knowledge (LLoK) Rare 8000gp
Special Items:
The Ever-Sniffing Satchel (250 gp)
A leather satchel with a dog’s nose embossed on the flap.
When commanded, it sniffs out the closest valuable object within 30 feet (excluding attuned items).
Smells faintly of cinnamon and wet dog.
The Coin of Second Chances (500 gp)
A tarnished platinum coin, one side etched with a phoenix, the other with a crumbling skull.
Can be flipped once per day.
Heads: You gain advantage on one saving throw in the next hour.
Tails: You automatically fail your next saving throw.
“A gamble, yes? Life is gambling, my friends!”
Whispering Silk Cloak (750 gp)
A cloak woven from enchanted spider silk, constantly shifting between deep blue and violet.
Grants advantage on Stealth checks in dim light or darkness.
Whispers in an unknown tongue when worn but does not affect the wearer.
“It’s not cursed, my dear friends—it’s opinionated.”
The Lantern of Lost Souls (1,000 gp)
A black iron lantern with a dull violet flame inside.
Once per long rest, reveals ghosts, spirits, or echoes of the past within 60 feet for 10 minutes.
Using it too often may attract the attention of something else.
“Oh, don’t be shy! Light it up! Just… maybe don’t use it near graveyards.”
The Stopwatch of Suspended Time (2,200 gp)
A golden pocket watch that ticks only when moving and stops when still.
Once per day, as a reaction, the user can pause time for 1 round (6 seconds), allowing them to reposition or interact with an object.
Cannot attack or cast spells while time is stopped.
“For those precise moments where you simply must take a breath.”
The Menagerie Egg (??? gp, Negotiable)
A large, speckled egg, warm to the touch. Inside, something stirs occasionally.
Amusing has no idea what will hatch from it.
He is selling it for "a price that feels right to you, yes?"
Margaret was immediately interested in the egg and negotiates that they will sell the Gloves of Swimming to the tabaxi half price in exchange for the egg, which Amusing agrees to. The egg is strangely shaped. Margaret has a feeling that whatever is inside isn't normally born from an egg. Amusing also takes the armour for 1550g. Brin gets a healing potion and this allows Amusing to guy two gems from the party.
Afterwards the party returns to their boat and continues to sale down the river. While they sale, they discuss how much further down the river they will sale before travelling over land again. They will dock tonight at about 5:30pm and then head west in the morning.
When 5:30pm arrives and docks as planned where the boat is turned back into a box and the party prepares for camp. The party starts watches at 8pm and gets some rest. Margaret and Jonah are on first watch and have a chat about what foods his siblings like. Berries and pies their mother, his step mother, would make. The kids are doing okay, but are worried Jakob, the injured brother will die before they get to a priest. Margaret shares a little about her situation growing up.
27th of Anarire 1545
The group is awoken at 3am (1 hour shy of completing the long rest) by the heavy steps of something approaching the camp. Jamal is rousing everyone as there is a louder thump of something very heavy hitting the ground. Tarhun and Jeriam have crossbows and longbow aimed at something outside of dark vision distance for the party. Brin and Luna see shapes in the darkness. A large creature is face down in the dirt as a man jumps off the back of the creature, cleaning off the blade before putting it away and approaching the camp. He stops at Jeriam's and Tarhun's demands.
Brin goes to talk to the man and learns that the man wanted to reassure the Princess they had dispatched an approaching danger. She may rest easy tonight or rather early this morning. Brin tries to convince him the royalty that may or not be here is safe, but the man wants to speak to the Princess. Brin retreats to the group to quickly to talk the party. Ana tries to loudly declare there are no Princesses here and in response the man requests a discrete conversation about the dangers around.
The man didn't use a code word that Ana was expecting that demonstrates he is a friend and now she wants to kill him. Brin takes Ubek and Jamal to go and speak to the man. As they approach the see the large shape is a giant that has been slain surrounded by a large crew of people. They had seen it heading for the camp, likely having caught the smell of the horses. Not wanting anyone to get hurt, they killed it. The man simply asks that woman of the group hear a message from him and won't push the issue.
The message is shared with his good buddy Darry the Delightful:
A humble servant looking to be of service. Please reassure the ladies I mean no harm and merely would love a chance to talk. I might have a proposal they would be interested in hearing.
Margaret pre-emptively casts fly on Ana in case things go wrong when Brin returns. He explains the Captain Stormfang and his crew killed a giant that was outside of camp and he has a proposal for the ladies while claiming to mean no harm and just talk. With this new information Ana invites him and one crew member into the camp. The man does approach with a bird on his shoulder. There he presents his proposal to offer their services to the daughter of the Golden flame in hopes of forming an alliance. They've travelling a long way and could see her growing in her own power down here in the Southern Sea.
Ana informs him that this will discuss this further in Shoufal and that the Captain is permitted to travel with them as a sign of good faith. Afterwards, the party goes back to get a bit more sleep before starting in the morning.
At 4am the party gets up and ready to move by 4:30am. They go over to see the pirates and watch as a bullywug grows a tree from their staff and sends the crew away through the tree. This person is Hamsey, the first mate. There is a small amount of confusion about Brin's name when Ana introduces him but the group laugh it off and continue. They figure out who is walking and who is in the wagon for the walk West. By 12:30pm the party has now travelled for eight hours and it's getting very hot. They have arrived at the start of the hills area.
Found a place to rest for a while. Brin keeps cool and an eye on the Captain, while Margaret reads and Ana does patrols before chatting with the Captain now and again. The Dread Captain is often telling stories to the kids, doing magic tricks for them and just generally chatting. When no one is chatting with him he pulls out a book to read. Ana discreetly tells him the situation about her status not being widely known while asking about his ship and if they run into slavers. Stormfang tells Ana about The Silverbane, his ship and crew. They're based in the Southern sea but have been to the great bay a few times. He's run into a few slavers here and there but it's a matter of making sure they don't look like an easy mark.
At 6pm the party starts travelling again. They're able to push through the extra walking, even the horses that were tired. At 8pm just as the party is looking to stop for the day, they come across a camp of about 30 to 40 people nearby with tents, wagons, animals and a fire set up. They send Luna to have a look. The camp doesn't look too longstanding. Looks like they have maybe been here a few days. They seem nomadic in nature.
The party goes to approach and see what's going on. They're greeted by a friendly guard and seem to see this isn't a threat. Margaret uses her magic to read his mind to get an idea of what sort of stories they would want hear. The party is offered a spot to set up their camp with the nomadic people. The party takes the offer and set up their camp with the help of some of the nomads.
They join the nomads around the fire to tell stories. Margaret tells a fascinating tale of bravery and bittersweet victory. Tale:
First, the flames form into an image of Margaret, Ana, Brin, Jamal, and Ubek walking.
"It was not quite a week ago that we began our journey through the desert. A long trip ahead of us and that first day we knew not what was ahead of us."
The flames begin to shake, and a low rumbling emanates from the illusion
"When we first heard the rumblings, we did not recognize the threat, and they shortly faded into the distance. It was the next day when we heard that fated sound once more, this time louder, an insistent call that we could not ignore."
The rumbling grows louder
"We chased after the sound and were soon confronted by something... terrible."
The illusory flames die down for a moment, before suddenly bursting up into the form of a sandworm jumping out of the fire at some of the onlookers before turning away and diving back into the flames
"Luckily for us, it was not interested in us. A strong warrior was fending it off, deftly redirecting its lunges with the point of his spear and the blade of his axe."
The flames depict the form of Jonah wielding an axe in one hand and a spear in the other, fighting off the form of a sandworm with smaller bodies on the ground behind him
"Behind him, his young siblings, protected from danger. We rushed to help as we witnessed this from a distance. But then..."
A second sandworm lunges out of the ground, tossing the children in different directions. It turns and backs off before rushing at one of the children
"He was strong, but he was suddenly outnumbered. He finished off the beast in front of him, burying the head of his axe in its trunk, and turned to see the new foe."
As the illusion of Jonah turns, the illusion slows as it becomes clear that he is going to be too late to get between the monster and his sibling. But then, one of the other children lunges, pushing his sibling out of the way before the monster's maw engulfs him. There is a loud thud from the illusion as Jonah's spear is embedded deep within the sandworm's heart, and the illusion fades as Margaret speaks sombrely.
"We arrived too late to help, but we bore witness to these heroic actions. And now, we help seek healing for the most heroic of them all, who lives despite his sacrifice, but finds himself unable to move, as the beast's teeth pierced his spine."
Ana tries to match this energy but struggles with her story of Xeldarix's ascension. She is able to string together a story, but the crowd flows between disengaged to engaged in the story.
At 10pm the party starts to rest and take watches. Jonah catches up with Margaret during their watch to thank her for framing him in such a positive light in the fictional story. He isn't used to such kindness when normally someone would lie to put themselves up instead.
As Maragret goes to bed, she mediates on a question for Azari on if he wants to rewrite his fate.
That night, as Margaret falls asleep, the dream is unlike any before. No grand halls, no feasts, no whispered poetry. Only a frozen plain, stretching beneath a starless sky. The air is still. The world, silent. And then then sound of a galloping horse echoing around her. She and Azari have a discussion in her dream. It's clear Margaret had offended him by not taking the gift, but he's willing to indulge her question. In the end Margaret agrees to listen and consider helping him if he will practice listening and respect in turn. He says he will try, but makes no promise given how unstable his ability to be himself is these days. In the end Margaret accepts the feather and says his name.
28th of Anarire 1545
The party is up and will leave at 6:30am. Margaret identifies the feather before they leave.
Azari’s Feather
Wondrous Item, single-use
This long, midnight-black feather is impossibly heavy, as though burdened by fate itself. It cannot be lifted by normal means. However, if the bearer speaks Azari’s name aloud, the feather will become weightless and can be taken.
Once claimed, the feather grants one of the following effects (player’s choice upon activation):
- Flight of the Dark Court – For 1 minute, the bearer gains a flying speed of 60 feet. They leave behind a faint, shadowy afterimage as they move.
- Veil of the Forgotten – The bearer can cast Greater Invisibility on themselves (no concentration required) for 1 minute. However, their shadow remains visible.
- Echo of the Fallen – The bearer can call upon the knowledge of a past bride of Azari. They may ask one question (as Legend Lore) about an ancient secret, but the answer will be laced with a subtle compulsion to heed Azari’s wishes.
After use, the feather dissolves into a swirl of black sand and blue rose petals.
They travel without issue. In the first section, Margaret gets Jamal to message Mistress Everhand to warn her about the child and the help he'll require. After doing so Jamal goes to speak to Ana to pass on a message that a child named Raillath has been asking after Ana. Aside from that, travel is uneventful.
The take a break at 2:30pm and make camp. They will not travel again, but will start a long rest at 7pm with watches. Margaret spends the time reading.
Key Takeaways from the Book:
The Nature of Fate and the Celestial Weave
- The book argues that fate is neither rigid nor entirely mutable—instead, it is a vast cosmic tapestry woven from choices, celestial influences, and unseen forces.
- Stars do not dictate fate but instead serve as markers and guides, illuminating paths that are more probable based on past actions.
- The term "The Veil Between Stars" refers to a hidden boundary that separates what mortals can perceive from what lies beyond—the greater, more complex web of destiny that even the gods cannot fully untangle.
The Role of the Gods and Lost Knowledge
- Some celestial bodies are tied to specific gods, their movements reflecting the will or power of divine beings. The book references obscure celestial phenomena linked to gods long forgotten.
- The text speculates that even deities are bound by fate to some degree—they may be powerful enough to bend or defy it, but never to escape it entirely.
- There are scattered mentions of a time before the current pantheon, suggesting that the stars once guided a different order of beings. Some of this knowledge seems intentionally scrubbed or censored, leaving frustrating gaps.
Portents and the Shadowed Stars
- The book details specific celestial omens and their interpretations—some known, others obscure.
- One particularly ominous chapter discusses the "Shadowed Stars," celestial bodies that should not exist or that vanish from the heavens without explanation.
- These stars are associated with disruptions in fate, the rise of forgotten powers, and the influence of realms beyond mortal understanding.
- The author warns that those who seek to rewrite their fate often do so under the influence of these stars—either through divine intervention or eldritch forces beyond the gods.
- There is a veiled reference to a “Lost Star” that once guided the fate of a god who fell from the heavens.” The text does not say which god, but the descriptions eerily match Azari’s downfall.
The Influence of the Void
- While the book does not dwell heavily on the Void, it acknowledges that some celestial anomalies may be caused by entities beyond the known planes.
- A footnote in one of the final chapters suggests that some stars are not merely lights in the sky, but watchers.
- There is an unsettling passage warning that "Not all who gaze upon the heavens are meant to be seen in return."
At the very end of the book, just before the last page, there is a handwritten note, different from the author's text. It reads:
"Beware those who seek to unwrite the stars.
For even the gods must answer to what lies beyond them."
At 4pm approaches a woman's scream echoes across the plains as the party sets up its camp for the day. They send Luna up to try and find what is going on and she sees there are at least 4 medium sized creatures on 4 legs hidding in the grass where the sound came from but no sign of a woman. Just an ambush. As Luna watches she and the party hears the woman scream again and sobs of a small child from that direction. Ana uses her mask to sense ten life forms. They arrange for Jonah to stay back with the kids as everyone else advances to deal with the ambushers.
As the party approaches they catch sight of the creatures that make the noises as they start to laugh manically at the group. A human voice emanates from a lion-like hyena. As it speaks, its black tongue runs over the many teeth in its unnaturally wide mouth. The eyes of the creatures are gem stones. Jamal fires out a blast of death energy but misses. Brin takes a step forward and readies an action to attack the first predator that gets within melee range. Ana reaches out one hand and golden tendrils wrap around the closest creature, before she reaches out with her other hand to blast it until it stops moving before she retreats behind Brin and Stormfang.
One of the gem eyes creature goes to chase her, setting off Brin's held action but he misses. This causes the predator to change targets and bite him. Being close to the creatures, has a stunning effect on the party but most of them can able to resist this. To help some resist more so, Margaret gives the Moon's blessing to herself, Ana and Brin. Jeriam keeps his distance and uses his bow and manages to hit one of creatures. One of the creatures moves up to attack Stormfang but is too slow to hit the Captain while another goes to Tarhun and has much more luck in hurting him. The Captain draws his scimitar and shortsword and practically seems to dance with them as he slashes the creature.
Ubek swells in size as he moves to help Tarhun as he moves up and pierces the creature, wounding the one attacking Tarhun. Meanwhile one of the predators move up to Ana. Hamsey wants to help but becomes paralysed by the eyes. One of the predators moves up and attacks him while he's vulnerable and gets two good hits in. Another four predators go after Brin, Jamal, Margaret and Stormfang with Jamal and Stormfang suffering a hit. Tarhun and Jamal are paralysed by the gem effect of the eyes of these creatures. It almost effected Brin but Ana gave him some help to shake it off. Brin attacks two of the creatures, stunning one of them and hurting both of them.
Ana calls for the others to help Hamsey as she calls down Xeldarix's Radience on three of the creatures which hurts them all but they stay standing. She heals Hamsey a little in the hope he can throw off the paralysing effect soon. Margaret calls down moonlight on two of the creatures nearby which successfully hurts one of them. Jeriam is paralysed by the eyes as they advance towards him and manages to bring Jeriam down. Stormfang and Ubek are attacked. Stormfang dodges, seeing his first mate in need of support he hits both of the creatures in front of him, pushing them away before dancing around Margaret while offering an apology before attacking the creature attacking Hamsey. Ubek is almost critically wounded but Margaret uses her magic to change his fate and is only hit once. He tries to attack back but misses.
The predators attack Ana, getting two good hits in on her. Hamsey is able to shake off the effects of the predator before getting on his hands and knees. He ribbits once as he shakes himself. Then the ribbit turns into a howl as he changes into a direwolf. He's not able to hit the creature but looks more sturdy in this form. Brin, Hamsey and Jamal are attacked. Both Brin and Jamal are hit but Jamal is brought down by the predators, and Hamsey is missed altogether. Tarhun shakes off the paralysing effects and attacks the creature near him and Ubek. Brin grabs a bottle of greater healing from his belt and pops the cork and swigs, before absolutely laying into the predator before him.
Ana is almost caught by the effects but Brin gives her the motivation to push through and overcome it. She blasts the predator next to her before healing Jamal to help him get back up on his feet. Margaret focuses and drops one creature and distracts another with her magic. A predator runs up towards Jamal and Margaret while another attacks Tahun and Ubek, but only hits Tarhun who is looking very badly hurt. Stormfang checks in on Ana while he kills one of the creatures. He dances back around Margaret to get to Jamal, promising her a drink to make up for his rudeness. He also kills the creature that had attacked Jamal. Ubek tries to attack the one that attacked him but misses badly.
A predator attacks Ana but she raises her staff just in time to conjure a barrier to block the bite while Hamsey in direwolf form takes a chunk out of the predator that tried to attack Ana. Brin, Jamal and Ubek are all attacked but the predators all miss them. Tarhun and Jamal are paralysed and unable to take advantage of the reprieve in the fight. Brin is almost paralysed but Margaret helps him focus. Brin is able to not only hit but stun the predator in front of him. Ana telekinetically shoves a predator away from her and kills another with her blasts. Margaret tries and fails to hurt the two creatures around Ubek. One of the creature by Ubek brings down Tarhun but misses Ubek altogether. Stormfang deals a lot of damage to one of the creatures but can't quite bring it down. However Ubek is able to finish that creature off thanks to Stormfang's aide.
A predator attacks Hamsey's direwolf and does a lot of damage. Hamsey tries to retaliate but misses. Other predators attacks Brin and stormfang and only Brin is hit. He's starting to feel the drag of the battle around him. Jamal is paralysed by the gem eyes of the predators. Brin continues to hack away at the predator before him. Ana brings down another beast before trying to send some healing to Jeriam, but he doesn't react or seem to respond. Margaret is nearly paralysed but Ubek reminds her she uses her eyes too much and she is able to overcome it. She tries to blind two of the creatures with a twin spell and a change of fate to try and get them to fail. However, they seem uneffected. Stormfang tries his usual flurry of blades but misses each time and he realises this catches Ana's eye, much to his embarrassment.
Ubek stablises Tarhun while Hamsey runs up to another predator to attack it, knocking it prone. It quickly stands back up attacks Brin with the aide of another, hurting him rather badly. Another tries to attack Stormfang but misses. Jamal is finally able to resist the effects of the gem eyes, using his claws to attack the creature. He calls out words of encouragement to Brin who starts to lock up with the eyes. Brin overcomes it and slays the creature before him and injuries another. Ana drops the one that Brin injured. Margaret calls silvery light down on the last creature and injuries it further. Stormfang continues his flurry of attacks though it is unlikely Ana will overlook the failure from earlier no matter how well he works now.
Ubek tries to help but misses. Hamsey gets a bite in and makes it prone. It stands back up and tries to attack Jamal and Ubek but misses. Jamal claws at it as Brin locks up paralysed by the eyes. Ana pulls up the golden energy and blasts the last monster with a shriek of anger. She bolts over to Jeriam, confused as to why he didn't get up after the healing. She sees he was bitten in a major artery and bled out in seconds as a result. He's gone. She calls for a diamond that Jamal provides. She calls on the goddess of redemption to return his soul to his body. Brin and Margaret echo her pleas.
It's an agonising few moments before Jeriam gasps as air comes back into his lungs but he doesn't wake, but is clearly unconscious. The party is tired and relieved that Jeriam has been revived. Ana and Jamal take time to heal who they can before retreating back to the camp. Ana and Margaret return to harvest the eyes from the creatures since they could be magical or with a little work, could be a useful item. Margaret recognises that these creatures were crocotta. They mimic people and noises to lure in prey. The gemstone eyes of the crocotta hold its prey captive when the crocotta is alive. They are likely magical and could be identified.
The party rests until it is time for sleep at 8pm when their watches begin. Ana and Ubek are up first and have a peaceful watch. Margaret and Jonah take over at 10pm and also have a peaceful watch.
29th of Anarire 1545
Brin and Stormfang take over at midnight. They can smell cut onions. They look around for the cause. After a short time they find a field of wild garlic and onion nearby that has been torn up. There they see a very small figure surveying the carnage. He's such a strange little guy who... looks to be a garlic man? Who would struggle to come up to Brin's knee even if he wasn't slouching slightly with a green bean cane.
The pair approach and learn a carnivorous sod had tore through the patch. It came from the South West. He is sad, but vows to plant more children and hope the great fairy will bless them with a life like his. With any luck get a young spry knight to help him with the next harvest. They invite the onion man back to their camp for the rest of the night. Stormfang and Brin chat over the course of their shift about the fight and their fighting styles.
The party wakes up to find the small garlic man in their camp at 4am. Jeriam also wakes but is very weak. He's a little confused. They hear the tale of the garlic man and what happened. Margaret thinks on the description of plant that had attacked his field. She has heard of shambling mounds before but this sounds like a cross between that and a bulette. They also speak to Jeriam and tell him about the fact he died. He takes this information in a shocked state. They leave him to think about this as they start to head off for Shoufal at 5am after rations and breakfast.
While on the road, Ana and Stormfang have a short discussion. He is remorseful that he couldn't save the princess the heartache of a friend dying, even if it was temporary. Ana tells him all about the history of the guild as they walk.
By 9am the party finally returns to the city of Shoufal through the Eastern gate. They head straight to the guild and arrive by 9:30am. The building has been added onto and the construction looks nearly finished but the faint sound of hammering coming from a new room on the second floor.
Add new Bastian Map when finished
Oryn is very happy to see they have returned and really wants to speak to the leaders of the guild. Though Ana and Margaret want to get Jonah and his family to Mistress Everhand, so they ask for a quick rundown. The party learns Dame Uvory is missing and the guild had been sent her foot. Also a young lad named Raillath has been around being a nuisance around the guild while waiting for Ana to return. Brin decides to stay and follow up on the Dame while the others go and deal with Jonah's family needs.
Brin is handed three reports and winces at the amount of reading involved. He reflects on the positive results from Aris as he questions Oryn about the Lanterns group's location. Ustrad and Kuroom are at the temple of Khirdai while Bonsen is out looking for Uvory. He's likely at the fighting pits. Brin resolves to head to the pits to look into this extortion. Brin leaves the reports with Oryn for when the others return.
At 10am Ana, Margaret and Jonah with his family arrive at the Halls of Blessed Rebirth. They enquiry about Mistress Everhand. While talking they notice a faint vibration through the floor but can't tell what it is. A message is sent to Mistress Everhand before they are taken back to her office to wait for her. The children quickly eat biscuits left out for this and enjoy the tea as well as they wait.
As Brin goes down an alley, he hears a voice. A humanoid with tentacles on his face offers Brin help. To help him find something lost to sow seeds of friendship. Brin isn't interested but is given instructions for how Brin can contact him if he does have need. He quickly takes off and continues his travels to the fighting pits.
At 10:30am Mistress Everhand finally enters, looking a little bruised and wobbly on her feet with Ptemenib at her side with a gentle hand at her elbow. It seems Selene can forget her strength at times. Ptemenib refills the now empty biscuit tin, blaming Everhand for overindulging. As they talk, they learn Raillath never revealed why he was here and would only speak with Ana on the issue. As a result he and his family are yet to be introduced to Selene. Ana reveals Raillath and his mother are dragons before she realises what she has said in front of everyone.
They change subject to the matter at hand with Jonah and Jakob. They discuss the injury with Everhand and she will examine him before attempting to help realign and heal the broken part of the spine. They discuss what the healing process will look like and how they will stay with Auntie Anjet at the Insula Mater during this time. With the consent of Jonah and Jakob Everhand gets Jakob some medicine to knock him out for the procedure. Jonah and Margaret will stay while Ana takes the other kids out for some food.
At 11am Brin arrives at the fighting pits to find it closed. He heads to the training area and is greeted by many regulars that look happy to see him. Seems they were worried the undead invasion got him. Brin looks over and see Magha's office door is shut and also... His shadow is unnaturally dark. He asks around and seems that she's meeting with a lad who comes in for training, but the last few days he hasn't been training but comes by each morning with the look of murder in his eyes.
After waiting twenty minutes, Bonsen comes storming out of the office. Brin follows him out as he leaves the building. In the streets he gets Bonsen's attention with their standard call, which causes him to stop so they can chat. Bonsen explains Magha has been helping him getting information with her counterpart in the thieves guild. So far it hasn't been helpful, but they have their ears to the ground to find information for him.
Bonsen gives him the run down on the mission:
- They were hired by a noble to investigate something on his farm.
- They found evidence the noble was behind the sabbotage.
- They returned and reported it to the Sultana.
- The Sultana put them on the prosecution team against the noble and to work with the Khirdai Priests on this with a courtdate for the 1st.
- The noble was arrested.
- Uvory was kidnapped and her foot sent to the guild the next day.
They separate since Bonsen is banned from the Khirdai temple since he lost his temper with them given Uvory was kidnapped in their temple. Bonsen goes to look into more leads while Brin heads to the temple.
At noon, Ana and the kids return with full bellies and meet Margaret in the waiting room. They update Ana on what happened while she was with the kids and move to another room to have a private conversation about the dragons. Mistress Everhand explains how Selene is currently in the process of descaling which is painful and unnatural for dragons. Ana will go and look for Raillath after they have settled the family at the Insula Mater.
At noon Brin arrives at the temple of Khirdai. He requests to speak to the noble but is denied. However, he is permitted to visit his guild mates to check up on them. They've been able to link the noble to The Sphinx. Brin will stay with the team to become familiar with the case and get more caught up on the details.
By 12:30pm Jakob is awake, in pain and very much so feeling things again. Everhand gives him something to dull the pain and has a cart ready to take him and the family to their new temporary home for a few weeks. Afterwards the girls head to the markets to go and look for Raillath. They sell the majority of items from their travels while they're here. During this process Ana notices a black cat with a bag back leg creep into the wagon.
It climbs onto Ana's shoulders when she goes to greet it. It shifts and becomes a Khinasi child of about 8 years old who is hanging off Ana's shoulders. They use sign language to talk, their gloves allowing Ana and Margaret to actually hear the words he signs. He explains he has to check in with his parents once a day but aside from that he has free range to wander.
Ana tells Raillath about Selene. He goes with them back to the guild to arrive at 2:30 pm. Oryn is very happy to see them and less happy to see Raillath. He gives them the reports that Brin had handed them back. Margaret heads to the library as Ana gives Raillath a tour before getting some rest.
After the tour, Margaret heads to the library to check in with the hirelings. She enquires as to how they got the information about the ritual, and she learns they are educated guesses based on similar rituals. They're going to be taking a break to allow for the reinvations of the guild to be completed before they resume work on the first. This will be the same for all departments in the guild. Afterwards Margaret gets some rest.
At 4pm Brin asks to see the noble. He is allowed with supervision. Brin presents himself as a neutral third party but the noble calls bullshit on this, even more so when finds out Brin is from the guild he had hired. Brin confronts him with some of the facts of the case and the noble maintains his innocence. He doesn't have much to tell Brin, and clearly doesn't trust Brin given the fact that the last person he spoke to from the guild tried to kill him.
Brin heads back to collect his people before they head back to the guild to talk.
At 5:30pm Brin returns to the guild to find Ana sitting in the reception area with a young Khinasi lad who looked to be about 8 years old. He gives her a quick summary of his encounter with Bonsen before they go to find Margaret in her room. They want to have a private discussion and Raillath is asked to leave. He motions with his hands to speak and is clearly upset at being asked to leave. They quickly round up Jamal and Ubek for the discussion.
Maragret spots Raillath sneaking into the library above her room to spy on them. When Margaret goes back to her room, she closes the flap on the stairs that gives her privacy from the library. Raillath stomps away loudly to let his displeasure of being discovered known.
Margaret tells them of the need to head to her cloister. She explains how Hamsey could help with this. Brin is concerned how this could impact the trial but is reassured the next full moon is two weeks away. He explains what the noble told him and how he believes the noble to be innocent and how he has maybe been set up by other nobles. He is confident the Khirdai priests are actually behind it especially with Dame Uvory's kidnapping. Brin puts forward to idea of kidnapping to noble to make him an outlaw to force him to clear his own name as a last ditch effort.
Brin also reluctantly tells the group about his encounter with the tentacle man today. He mentions the deal and his concerns with it. He also mentions his shadow and it's darkened nature.
With this news shared, they go about identifying and searching through some of the things they didn't get time for before.
- Potion of healing
- Potion of superior
- 6 gems worth 10 gold each.
- 100 gold worth of coins.
- 20 crocotta gem eyes.
Oracular Eyes. The gemstone eyes of the crocotta hold its prey captive when the crocotta is alive, but they grant visions of the future after its death. If a crocotta’s eye is placed under a creature’s tongue within five days of the crocotta’s death, the creature experiences omens of the future similar to those produced by the augury spell. A creature that isn’t surprised can avert its eyes to avoid the saving throw at the start of its turn. If it does so, it can’t see the crocotta until the start of its next turn, when it can avert its eyes again. If it looks at the crocotta in the meantime, it must immediately make the save.
The party considers what needs to be done. Margaret asks Brin to continue looking into the Uvory case, she will contact Sehhosep about helping her with the eyes but also wants a meeting with the Sultana about what is happening, then finally talking with Ana, Stormfang and Hamsey about going North and what they want out of this relationship while trying to get their support.
Brin leaves to talk to Bonsen about what he has found today. Jamal leaves to arrange the meeting with the Sultana on Margaret behalf and gets approval from the others to put out a call of recruitment. Meanwhile Ana helps Margaret do a few sendings. They are all reminded of curfew which is back with the lottery over.
Maragret casts sending to Evelyne.
"I have the champion with me. The highlight might be misinformed. Has she moved to the place of power."
The reply she gets: "How did you come to have the champion, we leave in the morning. Sounds like it be a long trek."
Margaret sends another.
"Champion has been here all along. The moon has guided this. Didn't feel comfortable telling highest light as she wants power for herself."
The reply she gets: "I don't know what to do with this information. It has me worried we are not working on her side."
Margaret does one last one to Uvory. Though has a misfire first.
"We are back in Shoufal. Do you know where you are or who took you? Are you missing anything other than your foot?"
The reply she gets: "Don't know where I am. Noble connected to the Fading. Corrupt members of Khirdai. They're prepping me for mummification. Ink bad for process. Very scared."
Spurred on by this Margaret pulls at her magic resources to try again but only manages to turn herself into gas. She sadly floats back inside the bastion. Raillath turns into a cat to play with the cloud.
Bonsen arrives back at the guild, clearly unhappy. He grabs food and is very disgruntled as Brin drags him to go and talk with the rest of the party. They wait for them to return and for Margaret to solidify before Brin ushers them all into his room.
With everyone together again, Brin is very quick to interrogate Bonsen about why he thinks the noble is behind it. He explains Uvory stayed behind when they went to lunch as she felt she was onto something and was gone by the time they returned. Apparently went to lunch with her Khirdai counterpart to the operation, went to the bathroom and never came back. Specifically she was looking into his imports and exports. Margaret quietly mentions the Fading is connected to this. She reveals that they are mummifying her alive right now.
Bonsen instantly looses his cool and things start to break in Brin's room. Raillath turns into a cat and runs under the bed to hide from all the aggression in the room. Ana is able to coax him out and to see if he thinks that Fikra would do a reading for her. He nods in cat form.
Margaret needs to rest, so Brin and Ana go with Raillath to meet his mother. They get something personal of Uvory's to take with them for this (a foot). Brin is sceptical of the reading but Raillath sets Brin straight. The party splits once more.
Brin asks out loud a few questions like 'where would someone be able to mummified the body' and 'where is his folks staying'. Raillath points to the necropolis and explains his parents stay there though Brin could see it as the answer to his first question. They head to the necropolis, Raillath giving Ana shit for not being able to keep a secret.
They head out of town and to the back of the necropolis when Raillath turns into a young dragon. His back leg is more obviously deformed in this form. He flies himself and Ana over the wall while Brin climbs it. They head to the Ghoul Market. It's very lively with undead. They give Raillath a wide birth as he heads to a building and to a penthouse. Ghouls guard the door. They considered attacking but when they see Raillath, they immediately instead open the door to let him in.
Inside it's very lavish considering the location. The see a woman who looks vaguely Khinasi but at the same not quite. She greets Raillath with a hug and Ana apologises for being out of town when they arrived. Brin is surprised to learn of Fikra's husband being so interested in the necropolis but gets back on track to explain why they're here. She agrees, a little surprised by the foot but overall more curious then anything. She will do a tarot reading for them to avoid attracting attention to the necropolis with smoke coming from what should be an empty building.
Question: Where is Dame Uvory being held?
Positive: Two of Wands (Strong Presence)
Negative: Five of Cups (Sadness)
Result: Six of swords (Difficult Choice)
Advice: The Star (Hope)
You and your group are a very commanding presence. You must not get distracted at a time like this. You have the forces available to you to take her back, but things will try to distract you. Something important has been lost. You'll find this to be soul crushing with despair. Especially when it is a friend. However you must find hope at this time. Regardless of if you find her as she is now or after processes have been completed. The end is not always as it appears. A difficult choice will have to be made. An ultimatum will be made. To save her will make things hard, to make things easy is to lose her. Darkness will turn to light. The star is peaceful and content. This is the place where souls gather and where fragrances are strong. Despair will turn to hope. Wounds will heal. Scars will fade. Go to the place where souls and fragrance meet and there you have a chance to obtain your peace.
Ana briefly speaks to Fikra about Mistress Everhand and Selene and it's revealed that while Fikra has met Mistress Everhand, she didn't realise that the young dragon who needed her help was with the priestess. Ana asks Fikra to meet her tomorrow so that way she can be introduced to Selene.
Ana and Brin leave with Fikra keeping Raillath with her so he can't get into trouble with Ana. Fikra gives them a temporary token so the undead won't attack them on the way out. It will disappear after 24 hours.
Margaret finishes her short rest as Jamal returns. Not long after that the others return and Brin gathers them plus the four lanterns to quickly give them the rundown on the reading. They seperate into two groups. Bonsen, Brin, Margaret, Ana and Jamal will head into the Threshed Soul Fragrance while Oshwyt, Ubek, Worm, Kuroom and Ustrad will be nearby for back up if needed.
They head for the store and arrive at 8:30pm. They quietly head over the wall into a side garden. They look around a little and hear noises indicating someone or something is in the greenhouse. They open the door and immediately go to attack whatever is in here with surprise against the man in there, but the plants seem to be expecting them. The man has a broken nose with tape across it, indicating he has been in another altercation recently.
The party is able to take the man down without too much issue but one of the plants briefly swallows Brin. They destroy the plants as well while they are here, but they take some samples first for the case.
