Session 24: Fair Trade

Bearsday, 16 Sunfall, 998 Y.K.   A House Sivis courier stopped by after Milli's morning run with three pieces of mail. One, addressed to Bell, contained an invitation for herself and "appropriate parties" to come meet d'Cannith Merrix today at noon at the administrative offices in Ashblack, in the Cogs. That left two pieces for the unicorn: a thick brown envelope covered in official seals from the Arcane Congress, and a smaller letter from Morran Decannith. The letter from Morran said only, Soon would be good, with a hastily scribbled signature. Inside the larger envelope were three copies of Milli's paper: "Renew, Mesh, Partial Self-Harmonize: Three Steps to Bring the Forged Component and the Grown Body Together (Arcane Congress #998.341-1804.130-1)." Each bore an arcane mark with the college's seal, accompanied by the reviewer's sigil. Also inside the larger envelope was a bill from the school for 375 silver for the presentation copies, remittance due by Offering 15.   Relic and Milli went with the courier back to the House Sivis Sending Station, with Zer tagging along for company. The monk needed to thank Kalphan Riak for his generous job offer, but also to decline it, citing his other obligations. Once done with the letter, the three proceeded to the remains of 6T2, where Councilmage Sava Kharisa stood among the wreckage of gallery, talking with a dwarven architect who was busily taking notes. As the party approached the burned-out remains, Sava waved them back from the wreckage, gave a few last comments to the dwarf, then approached. She thanked the party profusely for saving her life, and saving what they could of the gallery. The contents were lost, clearly, but the building's frame was still sound, and rebuilding would take time but she had the coin to make it happen.   Sadly, the forged artist's work she had been displaying had fared less well. Sava could only find three pieces that were likely to survive restoration, from among the dozens of drawings in the show. She asked the group, if they happened to run into the artist formerly known as Mattock Nineteen, to please ask her to come by the 6T2 to make arrangements for the surviving art. King Boranel had offered Cost of Repairs a place in the Enduring Gallery, her pointed critiques of his indelicacies aside, and she still had pieces worth showing. Their attempted destruction would become part of their history, and others deserved to see what some had tried to censure.   On that topic, Sava asked the group what news they had of the arsonist. Milli and Zer recounted what they'd learned from talking with Beren Lonn, and then Relic described the halfling with the scar on her cheek that he'd seen standing in the crowd watching the flames with grim delight. Sava groaned in response and said she recognized that face all too well: Badberry Janat, sister to Goodberry Janas — the halfling missing half a finger — and overeager member of the Boromar Clan.   The Boromars, Sava went on to explain, were a criminal gang originally from the Talenta Plains but now with members that spanned Khorvaire. They'd been in a turf war with Daask here in Sharn for some time, fighting over secrets, protection rackets, and on rare occasions the right to exist. A few times, their duels had spilled into the streets, threatening the lives of innocent bystanders. The two sides had been evenly matched, while most members of the Watch took their bribes and looked the other way, leaving a few lone heroes to fight not only the gangs but their own colleagues.   If Badberry Janat and her brother were involved, then the fire almost certainly had nothing to do with Beren Lonn or Cost of Repairs. She'd first encountered the pair when they were picking pockets in Upper Menthis and fencing goods through the Bazaar of Dura. She'd worked with Captain Iyanna to get them arrested twice, out of the dozens of scams she suspected they'd run. However, both times, some unnamed benefactor had put in a good word at the Watch and a few talents towards the Council's coffers, and their sentences had been reduced from a few years at the workfarms to fines and probation. Ever since, she'd wondered when and how they would decide to bring themselves to her attention again. With them involved, Sava had every reason to pursue Beren Lonn's safety herself, as a witness who could testify against the pair.   Meanwhile, Medya had gone to market for ingredients to bake longbreads and other supplies for the trip, as well as maintenance on her crossbow. Spark had chosen to accompany the gryphon, who was happy to chat about anything and everything. Once, Medya had helped Spark compose a melody for a song for Dowser, and the two talked of composition and rhyme until Medya returned home to prepare, and Spark went to meet up with Relic, and then Bell.   That morning, as the others went about their tasks and Transom set up the day's repairs, the dragon-forged had gone to visit Crucible at the Red Hammer. With Merrix's invitation in hand, she came to see if Crucible was free to join, but when she arrived, the bar's owner was deep in conversation with the artist once known as Mattock Nineteen. She'd been animatedly tapping the cloudy diamond that had once set her art ablaze as she talked, passionately and at length, about the need for the forged to build a community. The forged needed art, music, literature. They needed a culture that wasn't defined by what the grown had seen in them, but one that they built for themselves.   In the process, they would need to build private spaces, safe spaces where they could look after one another. And that meant, one day, they would need a way to defend the spaces they'd built, or at least to be ready to do so. The conversation hung there for a few moments, and then the artist turned to Bell and nodded hello. "I've got my new name," she said, holding up the diamond. "It was given to me, but I can work with it. I hereby call myself Chromatic. When you've got time, I want to talk with you about getting a body to match it. Something in polished steel and glass, with this mounted over my core so I can project my glow through it."   Bell's eyes lit up in response to Chromatic's description of self, and the artist had sketches at the ready, but after a few eager minutes of sharing ideas, Bell remembered that she'd come for another reason. She committed to Chromatic to start gathering supplies as soon as she returned from Fairhaven, then turned to Crucible and asked if he could be free by lunchtime. The bartender said they could get Blue to keep an eye on the place for a while and asked if the invitation had come through. Bell said it had, leading Chromatic to ask if she could be let in on things. Crucible quickly filled in the artist on how a strung-out priest named Foreman Metrol had presented her with the keys to the bar and a deed after Merrix had laid them off from working for House Cannith. The sheer absurdity of the story, coupled with the lingering disdain for all things related to House Cannith among the forged, had kept him from wanting to run for office, even though others had encouraged it. Bell had kindly set up a meeting with Merrix to discuss releasing a joint statement on the matter just to get the information into the public eye so it couldn't be used against her.   Chromatic said she was glad not to have to deal with that situation, but wished the pair well in their efforts. She said she'd book time with Transom after Bell's return, then offered a last wave before departing, about the time that Relic and Spark arrived. The four of them then went to visit the priest of Onatar, Smith, to invite him along. The priest eagerly said yes, and the group crossed the Cogs together, heading towards Ashblack. Relic and Spark both felt eyes upon them all the way across Khyber's Gate, while most kith gave the party a wide berth. The feeling of being watched only passed as they left behind Khyber's Gate and stepped into Ashblack, the industrialists' district in the Cogs.   Bell had the address of Cannith's administrative building, an imposing tower of glass and stone, its windows visibly lit with everbright lanterns. Inside, a member of Cannith's private security detail did his best to look down his nose up at the dragon-forged and ask her if she had an appointment. Bell smugly passed over the invitation and said that d'Cannith Merrix II was expecting them. That name made the guard stand up a little straighter, and he hastily directed the group to a meeting room and said he'd send word that they'd arrived. As Relic and Spark moved to take up watch outside the building, Crucible, Bell, and Smith proceeded to the conference room. The space was lavishly appointed, dominated in the center by a massive desk covered in small crystal facets for projecting complex illusions. The chairs surrounding it were plush, and even Bell found them comfortable, if difficult to exit.   A few minutes later, a man looking very much like the one who had introduced himself as Fortune Marin Metrol entered, seeming not at all strung out or distracted. In fact, he seemed quite lucid and cogent, reiterating that his official title as a priest of Onatar was "Foreman" and apologizing for his employer being late. He also said he recognized the irony of inviting forged for a lunchtime meeting. It was the only time Merrix II had on their calendar for weeks, and this did seem rather urgent. He asked if anyone would care for mineral spirits or other refreshments while they waited, but the group demurred, saying they didn't want to take up too much of Merrix's time.   d'Cannith Merrix II arrived a few minutes later, paper sack in one hand and wand in the other. Dressed in a smock and apron, the magewright looked to be nearing fifty and in good health, but they carried themself with a bearing suggesting some primal discomfort, from their hesitant steps to their downcast eyes. They met everyone's gaze when they sat down, at least, and introduced themself between bites of a bread roll stuffed with shellfish and pickled vegetables. Once introductions were done, Merrix asked the group for more information about this bar and the issue, leaving Crucible to somewhat awkwardly explain that she thought Merrix had bought her a bar with no proof of purchase.   Merrix then turned to "Foreman Metrol" and said, in a tone suggesting bored disdain, "Care to explain, Vex?"   The person called Vex let out a very un-priestly titter, then visibly transformed, releasing the appearance of Marin Metrol as their skin faded to grey translucence, revealing their changeling ancestry. The shapeshifter revealed that they'd been called to serve as the house-priest under the Elder Merrix, and that Foreman Marin Metrol had been their public persona back in Eston. They'd been sent to Sharn just before the Day of Mourning, and afterwards Merrix II had let them stay and continue to perform in the role. That in turn had enabled certain mutual benefits for House Cannith and other likeminded groups, including the Temple of Onatar. Merrix had told them to go take care of Crucible's problem, Crucible's problem looked like they had nothing to do with their time after being laid off, and House Cannith had plenty of gold in reserve, didn't it? This was Vex's best attempt at helping everyone.   After a few moments of uncomfortable silence, Bell asked what the group could do to work with that awkward turn of events, and Vex quickly offered that, as a priest of Onatar, Foreman Metrol could find paperwork in the temple's files suggesting a community block grant and some funds matched by a few anonymous donors. That would give the bar a history, and Crucible would receive an official certificate recognizing him as the proper owner, all taxes and title paid in full. Both Crucible and Smith leaped to their feet, the former to pump his fist in gratitude while the latter stormed out of the building, muttering under his breath the whole time that this "Foreman Metrol" was some kind of impostor, even if he didn't understand how. He just knew, in the pit of his stomach, that Metrol or Vex or whatever their name was no priest of Onatar.   Soon, however, the real priest of Onatar's anger ran dry, and the others had had enough celebration in the moment. Vex agreed to send the paperwork as soon as they could get back into character and back to the temple of Onatar, and Merrix had long since finished their sandwich and needed to get back to work. Afterwards, the party made their way quickly out of Ashblack and back towards friendlier environs. As they crossed Khyber's Gate again, Relic got that familiar tingle of being followed, and this time he stopped and turned to look as a shape dropped with near-silence to the ground just behind them. Relic, Spark, and Bell all recognized Zhakil, the bard who had assumed leadership over the Daask in Sharn from Cazha, after the latter had gotten herself killed. She approach quietly, her palms raised in a gesture of peace, and said only two sentences: "We have not spoken. The ash comes not from us." Then she withdrew, ducking back into the shadows of an alleyway before disappearing.   After the mysterious declaration, Bell announced that she'd had quite enough of sobriety and proposed to tap into her stash of dust for whomever wanted some once they returned to the Heart and Hammer. They called ahead so that Transom could get the oil-bath heated, and so Chromatic could join them for the debriefing and afterparty. The artist arrived once the party was full in session, but she eagerly joined the others in the oil-bath, and even Milli was persuaded to soak her forehooves.   Relic at first seemed hesitant to join in the relaxation; the old monk was unused to the idea of relaxing. He had memories from his previous life of his traveling companions partaking of a hot spring, but he himself had never really experienced such pleasures. The others continued to invite him to join them, however, and soon he had disrobed and was sliding into the oil-bath himself. Smith had never seen the dragonmark on Relic's chest, and he proclaimed the monk's mark a miracle, a sign from the gods that the forged were part of the divine plan, even if they hadn't figured out what it was, yet. The assembled talked of philosophy and religion, of community and organizing, until late in the afternoon when the House Sivis courier, Tayla, returned with an ornate scrollcase addressed to "Crucible, care of the Heart and Hammer." Inside it was the paperwork that Vex had promised, with a letter from Foreman Metrol himself, apologizing for the paperwork's lateness. With forms in hand, Crucible announced that she would run for office in the Cogs.   Almost immediately afterwards, Crucible slumped in his seat and said this was a huge undertaking, and they weren't sure if they even could. Bell, however, said that she would introduce Crucible to Sava Kharisa, who had volunteered to help cut red tape and explain legal dealings as best as she could. She told the group that she and the others from the Heart and Hammer would be returning to Fairhaven to deal with some last business, but then they'd come back and help make the election happen. She then gave Transom a hundred gold talents and told them to spend those in service to the community, or however they thought was a good idea towards supporting the forged community. The party then finished their preparation in order to travel in the morning.  

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Crownsday, 17 Sunfall, 998 Y.K.   The University of Wynarn admissions center in Fairhaven was familiar, in the way that all teleportation circles are reminiscent of one another. As they left, the party remarked that the university campus seemed more sedate than either the Arcane Congress or Morgrave University, but they didn't get too many steps beyond that before several members of the local Watch approached the group and demanded they surrender. They were wanted on multiple charges, and Arcane Knight Senna Redeker had asked to be notified personally when the party had been captured. Though there were protests and muttering, the group stood down, and a few too many constables escorted the group to the local Watch station.   Inside, the captain read them their rights as prisoners of Aundair, then put them in a holding cell for a few hours, to sit in awkward silence until Senna Redeker arrived and brought them from their cell to a meeting room. There, she demanded explanations for the party's presence at d'Cannith Jorlanna's meeting with a wanted war criminal, at which point Milli passed her commendation from Commissioner Mitelemnamaril explaining their actions. Knight Redeker read the letter several times, then folded it in half and returned it. "I know Gerthi Lanarak, by reputation if nothing else. If she's vouching for you, then I'm inclined to believe you. Consider yourselves chastened for not coordinating with local authorities first. In the meantime, you're free to go."   As the party gathered their belongings to leave, Senna Redeker held up a different slip of paper. "By any chance, do you know the whereabouts of Dowser, or any of his crew?"   Spark's eyes flashed and her hair brightened. "Is Dowser in trouble?"   Redeker hesitated, then shook her head. "I don't think so, but... one of his known associates, one of the others present at that party, Gwyr Calailaimë, had been murdered, their body obviously a component in some kind of fiendish sacrifice. The room in which they'd been staying had been ransacked, and the following note had been found on a desk in their room:  

Dowser, It’s so thoughtful of you to slip such a gift out from under my brother’s nose. And with an elf! I didn’t know you remembered. I’m touched! I’ve given it to Kreelo at the abandoned Flamist temple. They'll get it where it needs to go from there. I'd take it myself but I have to go to Sigilstar to deal with Luka again. Some people don't know how to play by the rules.   Kkressed won’t be happy with you, of course. You’ve interrupted his plans, and I hear Palor’s really strict. I suppose those meddling friends of yours will have to deal with him. You’re always leaving messes for others to clean up. In that way, you’re just like your father.   This really is his fault, you know. You can’t protect him forever. Neither can {Crystal Sings With Lightning}. Aaren must face what he’s done.   The world is going to end. He has to play his part.   R.

  While Zer committed the letter's contents to memory, Milli explained to Senna Redeker that the "R" was almost certainly short for Raelvan Surimandëlma. If that were true, then nothing in that letter could be taken at face value; even in just a short time together, the elf had demonstrated a knack for lying without saying anything false.   With that final exchange, Redeker had the party released and sent them on their way, and they hastily made their way to Cannith West's stronghold, where Morran had been anxiously awaiting their return for days. The artificer was even more unkempt than before, telling the party he'd slept very little since Palor's new "guests" had arrived and taken over one of the downstairs laboratories. Ever since then, Jorlanna had been acting even more erratically, angry at the slightest things, then crying and apologizing, then acting as though nothing were amiss! Mentioning Palor in her presence made her visibly twitch, but then she would leap to his defense, regardless of how he'd been introduced, and proclaim that she was deeply in love with him and he was looking out for their future together. This... this wasn't like her. She might have been capricious and prone to snapping at others, but these outbursts were unprecedented.   With that introduction finished, Morran brought the party to Jorlanna's office, where the head of Cannith West bellowed at him through the door to leave her alone. He knocked, and again, insisting that they needed to talk, that it was about Palor and his friends, and how they weren't welcome here any more. Jorlanna yanked open the door and scowled at her cousin, telling him that he had no right to dictate Palor's comings and goings, but the wide-eyed stare and pasty complexion spoke of terror that she couldn't voice. Bell approached and asked Jorlanna if she recognized the name Kkressd, and suddenly her demeanor changed. Rigid, haughty, the human magewright stood to her full height and snarled she'd never heard the name before, but then managed the barest of nods at the end. With that suggestion planted, Zer studied her aura and found her in the thrall of a being of great power, her actions clearly being manipulated. The fiends had geased her, and strongly enough that the psion couldn't even guess at the strength of her psychic bonds.   Gently, Bell asked if she and the others should help her with her friends in the lab downstairs, and Jorlanna managed that barest nod again. At that, the forged artificer said that she needed to go find Meledri Corus, if she was still in town. She might know how to banish the fiends and rescue Jorlanna.