B.T.V. -- Session 05 Epilogue: Working the Adrilankha Beat
Report of Simon Balazs to the Circle of Beldom, third
My partner Selador and I continue to work from our headquarters at the Coal Fires and Red Hot Pokers. This report will cover recent activity as we continue to investigate the city.
When I took my Lyorn partner, Bamboo, out for a morning stretch, I was approached by one Nomes, who wanted to buy the animal. He offered first 100 marks, then 125. Or was it orbs? Either case, I wasn’t about to sell Bamboo out. I told him to return in three days to hear my decision, setting up another interview. He seems the sort of character with his finger on the pulse of at least one section of society. I have tentatively designated him a person of interest.
Selador and I were served breakfast by an Eastern waiter named Monish Monish. I designated him a person of no interest.
While eating, we were approached by one Ghair Kahn, claiming he was an itinerant artist of some kind, freshly arrived in the city by some means of transportation known as a locacobra. He seemed unwilling to explain what that was. Suspicious behaviour. He did admit the terminus was in Nightmarket. Selador purchased a painting for five marks and “two” breakfasts. He overpaid by five marks and two breakfasts.
A spirit warden then arrived in the tavern and then arrived at our table. He wore a mask. Again, suspicious behaviour for one who supposedly is a city official with considerable power. He wanted to talk about the death of the Jenoine. Said other deaths have occurred as a result, including one Lyshka, aka “The Nutcracker,” a Jhereg crew leader who I referenced in my previous report. A Morganti weapon had been used, ending The Nutcracker’s career, his life and his hope of reaching the Halls of Judgement.
Noxter, female Jhereg, see previous report for particulars, then arrived at the tavern but, seeing the warden, made herself inconspicuous until he left. She came straight over to us when he did. She looked alarmed.
She confirmed The Nutcracker had died by a Morganti weapon. He had gone after the Jenoine weapon that Selador had traded to Firebrand for safe passage over a contested bridge out of the Dockyards.
Firebrand objected, killing several of The Nutcracker’s crew and possibly making it no longer viable, given that it had already been contesting control of the Crowfoot area with other crews. Auntie Maim, true name unknown, The Nutcracker’s lieutenant, survived.
Selador and I decided to go to the foundry we had visited the previous night, to see if any clues remained as to what had happened there, beyond what had occurred to us. On arrival, we found two Imperial soldiers waiting, dressed in black, probably Dragonlords, one with light hair and one with dark hair.
Designated as persons of interest, possible future allies. They questioned us about the previous night’s events. They were investigating the use of a spirit jar the previous night. I recalled a voice from an unseen suspect telling me to “get out,” followed by the breaking of a container and indications that a ghost was forming just before I departed the scene.
Venogar, the dark-haired soldier, turned out to be from the west, and had an Arylle accent. He had studied calligraphy under Aldemir and affected some Easterner accessories to his uniform. The light-haired soldier said the verdosau we had encountered was unlikely to have used the spirit jar. They also revealed the verdosau came from the Far West.
A female Major of the Imperial Army arrived to take charge. She detected my accent was that of Arylle, suggesting she had served there. She could prove very useful.
Selador and I then proceeded to the Jhereg safehouse in Crowsfoot where we had encountered The Nutcracker the previous night, again to search for clues. We encountered a female Special Tasks Group operative, armed with an axe, on guard. Before we could enter the house, one Raykak Ascilla, another spirit warden, emerged, and demanded that we accompany him to the Crematory. On arrival, we met with his commander, who was also the spirit warden we had encountered earlier at the tavern. The commander offered to revivify one Dray, the Jhereg who had tried to kill Selador the previous night. A revivification had been paid for by The Nutcracker but after the latter’s death, the money had been returned to the crew. The commander offered to revivify Dray for questioning if Selador covered the 250-mark fee. Selador had only 75 marks on him, which the commander accepted as a down-payment.
We were excluded from the morgue for perhaps 30 seconds while Dray was revivified. Dray, on reviving, said he didn’t know who had ordered him and Noxter to kill Selador and I. He offered to talk to us further if we would take him to a tavern in the Dockyards, The Imperial Mistake.
On arrival in a private booth, Dray offered information, yet to be verified, of an imposter in the STG. He said he had seen a Dzurlord STG talking to the verdosau we encountered before we met him. The imposter had red hair, identifying him as the STG captain. Dray offered no corroborating evidence. He claimed that the captain, who appeared to be an Athyra, must have pursued his deception for centuries to earn his place as captain of the STG. Dray also revealed that Auntie Maim had given up on her own son so that The Nutcracker could become leader of their Jhereg crew. Dray left, arranging for us to meet with him again in the same tavern booth in 30 hours.
Selador and I then went to a nearby bank where, with the help of an employee named Ramico, we each drew some marks from the salary that Calcitrant was paying us.
We then returned to the Jhereg crew house, where the STG operative, was still on guard duty. Lyra, the STG operative that Selador had interacted with the previous night, then arrived, saying she would take us to her captain. We moved some distance away, out of sight of the guard.
Selador informed Lyra of the suspicions regarding her captain. She refused to believe this allegation at first, but then seemed to be persuaded by Selador’s words. Lyra said she would have to sleep on the information before deciding what steps to take next. We parted from her.
Walking back in the direction of the Coal Fires and Red Hot Pokers, we both noted that we had become surrounded by a substance that I will call shadow-stuff. A figure emerged, saying his name was Strayhorn. He had a helm with his face mask up, but shadow obscured his features. Suspicious. He was almost seven feet tall and asserted he was Draegeran. He addressed Selador as “The Journeyer,” and made other cryptic comments, including having been a “spire,” and speaking as if he had come from somewhere outside of Axildusk. He claimed Selador and I were joined in some fashion, while other “Journeyers” worked alone.
Strayhorn labelled Selador as “sacrament and profane” in one. Selador in turn claimed he worked for a “dragon.”
Strayhorn reported he had met with “Sax,” another Journeyer also trying to learn more about Adrilankha or Axildusk.
Strayhorn then said he “knows colour no more” but “shadow” offered other resources. Other “spires” might also have returned to Axildusk.
Axildusk must be cherished, so it can rise and stand against things from beyond, he alleged, so the “world of conflict” wouldn’t represent the final ending. Strayhorn alleged that Selador’s sword was or would be the 28th Great Weapon, even though it wasn’t Morganti.
Strayhorn inquired if we had been to Six Towers yet. We have not. He also claimed Selador would need help from (left blank) in order to succeed.
Strayhorn also believed that the STG captain might have been involved in the attempted killing of us. He also claimed that “vestiges of law” must remain in the city, that Selador could make use of. He concluded, “Shadow is not an end to its own,” “But you must determine your purpose in.
Investigations continue. Additional reports to follow
Simon Balazs
Balazs's words compiled by R. Perry
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