A Demonstration of Worth

Caeda Yvrey is a poised but politically savvy Shadar-kai (or shadow elf equivalent in your system) sorceress born into the Ashijani noble House of Yvrey. Raised from a young age to inherit and ultimately control the Yvrey house, estates, and affairs. She has one biological sister, Sakalli Cilith and one adopted brother Mavi Yvrey, however legally she only has a biological brother, as Sakalli asked to legally separate from the house and focus on her research.

What Caeda Knows

Caeda knows that the scientist whose work she sponsors, Sakalli Cilith, requires this artifact and that it gives off a powerful magical signature that can be identified (such as with the Detect Magic spell in D&D 5e or Pathfinder 2e). She already had arrangements for the artifact to be brought from Kaedessa to Gobriak, but the village ceased communications 2 weeks ago. Her brother, Mavi Yvrey, also went to investigate the town a few days ago, but she has not heard from him either.

Nadyra is, at first glance, a blue tiefling with solid, cyan eyes and typically wielding a pair of scimitars. In reality, he is a changeling given the name Agony Kane as a child and changing it upon meeting his adopted sister Caeda Yvrey. He is often deceitful, though he prefers lies by omission or speaking in half-truths as opposed to outright lies. As of the start of Ascension, he is an Initiate of the Infernal Eye Network, and unless he specifically needs to change shape (such as when he is playing the role of Caeda's brother, Mavi) he remains a blue tiefling, and only changes to the Shadar-Kai Mavi Yvrey in private once the party reaches Gobriak.

What Nadyra Knows

Nadyra knows much more than he initially lets on, hiding that he has any connections to Caeda to the point of pretending he does not know anything about Mavi beyond his name and he is nobility. Nadyra does not tell the party that he is Caeda's missing brother. If the party assists him in fighting the slimes when they arrive in Kaedessa, he offers to assist them in finding whatever it is they are searching for. He also offers to accompany them back to Gobriak, as he is headed in the same direction, though he will only disclose that he has business in the city and nothing more.

Seeing Through Nadyra's Lies

When the party is suspicious of Nadyra, you as the Game Master can choose to make them roll against him or simply roleplay the interaction entirely. For rolling, give Nadyra a notable bonus to his Deception and Persuasion (or equivalent). For example, Nadyra's 5e stat block gives him a +4 bonus to Deception and Persuasion to reflect both his affinity for lying and his skill at playing politics as a noble.

If you choose to Roleplay such a scenario entirely, remember that Nadyra's work with the Infernal Eye Network makes him a skilled liar. Consider weaving his lies with a strand of truth and writing his various stories and lies down so he can repeat them at a later date. He does not have issues keeping his various lies straight, unlike other NPCs that may attempt to lie to the party throughout the campaign.

Larulan is one of the few neutral cities in Chardovil West, nestled between where the borders of Vochal, Albyn, and Ashijan meet. Tensions run high, however Larulan's bustling port and powerful merchants keep the armies at bay for the time being.

The city's mix of travelers, traders, mercenaries, adventurers, and nobility typically creates a ripe environment for pickpockets and other petty crime, however the combination of housing an Infernal Eye Network Embassy as well as the headquarters of the Iron Hawk Mercenaries proves an effective deterrant against all but the most desperate—or conniving—of criminals. Parties in Larulan can find most essentials here—including food, shelter, supplies, arms, and armor—for most budgets. Multiple major crafting guilds have presences in the city, as well as major Obonjon academy satellite campuses. Players and parties can get creative with their reasons for being in the city.

Larulan

You're in a tavern...

Game Masters looking to get stray members of the party can find plenty of hooks to use in Larulan, though more reclusive members might prefer to join the party later in Kaedessa, which are detailed in Kaedessa's section below. For Larulan hooks, refer to or roll on the table below.

Kaedessa is a small town north of Larulan, tucked inside the southernmost point of Vochal. Despite pushing close to the Karisman Sea, same a Larulan, Kaedessa has been wracked with misfortune since its founding almost three centuries prior to the Cataclysm, preventing it from gaining any sort of notable presence beyond wary rumors.

Kaedessa is both a good spot for reclusive player characters to join the main party, and the first place the party likely travels to in Ascension, unless using the Preludes starter. The party arrives to see Nadyra wounded and outnumbered by undead in the town square. Assuming the party assists him, the encounter should contain enough undead to prove challenging but not lethal for the party, factoring in that Nadyra is approximately level 5 at this time. For helping him, Nadyra introduces himself, omitting his surname or any connection to Caeda Yvrey, offers to return the favor and help the party with whatever brought them to the cursed town in the first place. If asked why he is in Kaedessa, he simply states that most of the occupants supposedly vanished one night, and he is investigating why, but has largely come up empty-handed.

Kaedessa Map by Ynix

Kaedessa

The artifact the party searches for is the Shard of Shifting, a magical item that supposedly changes shape each time it breaks. Its current form is a glowing blue crystal skull that pulses with magic. Player characters that are at least Agents of the Infernal Eye Network or have witnessed someone be Promoted to Agent (both unlikely this early,) may recognize the magic as being of a similar form used to remove their souls in the ritual.

The Shard is believed to be able to "shift" a soul between planes, and the Infernal Eye Network uses similar magic to shift souls out of their host bodies. However, Sakalli Cilith seeks to use it for the opposite purpose: to shift a soul into a body, though Caeda does not know the specifics.

Location

The Shard of Shifting can be found anywhere in Kaedessa, and GMs can use discretion when it comes to deciding where to place it. If the party is stuck or struggling to locate it, perhaps it was left more out in the open when the residents of Kaedessa fled. By default, the shard can be found in the Kaedessa tavern called The Rusty Anvil. More specifically, it can be found in a secret hatch in the floor behind the counter used to store valuable items being smuggled to and from the town.