Session 8: Making it to the Mournlands

Bearsday, 22 Seeding, 998 Y.K.   After a day and a half in Breland's empty countryside, Starilaskur was a welcome sight. As the car pulled into the station, the announcer mentioned a mandatory two-day layover to change crew. The city proclaimed itself “Breland’s Watchtower for the World” on the rail platform, and from the number of obvious soldiers around, they weren't kidding. Military recruitment posters hung on the welcome signs saying “Strength In Numbers” in a variety of languages, depicting an integrated motley of ancestries, genders, dress, and roles, all unified by the Bear-on-blue insignia along with names, ranks, and pithy quotations. Nearby, a crowd had gathered around the city's Bounties board, where several posters had been defaced. Blue paint had been spattered over their faces, and a crude sword and key had been painted in the same color beside. The city had a cleaning crew removing the paint, but the crowd had still been stirred.   Bell asked a nearby guard about the graffiti, and she asked if Bell read the Ledger. The paper had published a story about a Swords of Liberty raid on Fort Drum in which three civilians were killed. Bell thanked her for her time. Leali mentioned heading to the University hostel to save some money, but she didn't advise the players join her. Rakela told the group she'd meet up with them in two days, as she needed to report in, get the official report on the Fort Drum incident, and report the attempted heist in Hatheril. She then caught Relic's eye and gave the forged a shake of her head before leaving.   Relic returned Rakela's gesture with a slight bow, then told the rest of the group he needed to replace his tunic. Zer mentioned wanting to find a crystal shop, and Relic said a small talisman to hold wouldn't feel out of place. Spark mentioned a desire to find a new crystal for her forehead mount, and Milli went to look at the local arts and crafts scene. Relic found a shop at which he got fitted for a new tunic that both fit and looked better, and then went wandering. He and the rest of the group who went to market found a tent from which a number of brightly carved gems hung, such that when the sun hit them, they made the canvas seem to glitter. A painted sign hanging outside said “Nebik Del Davandi: Prospecting and Carvery.” As soon as the party peered inside, a sharp voice called out, "Come in or close the flap!"   Inside the tent behind a pair of low tables covered in felt sat a gnome on a small stool. They looked to be a little over three feet, with white hair peppered with brilliant orange tied back in a tight braid. Their skin was weathered and veined, and they clutched a tiny chisel in one hand and a stone in the other. As the party looked around, they sat tapping rapidly with the chisel, feeling across the stone with a thumb rather than watching their work. One table held small canvas bags of stones, full of unfinished gems sorted by color, material, and size. Near the one edge, past the lodestone, sat two bags: “Pretty” and “Interesting”. Pretty was full of marbled stones, veins, and polished inclusions. “Interesting” had small broken geodes, rough metal deposits, and the occasional piece of pyrite. On the second table sat two row upon row of stones carved in exquisite detail. There were animals, figurines, abstract designs and the occasional concrete object. Near the center was a lapis lazuli that had been carved into a bear's head, obviously a symbol of support for Breland. Everything on the tables felt faintly of magic, as though simply by passing through their hands, Nebik had imbued them with a faint aura.   Most of the group perused the bags of unfinished gems. Spark asked about a triangular crystal to imitate to fit into the pattern on her forehead, and Zer inquired about larger crystals that hadn't been touched by magic. The gnome nodded at the last and offered a bag from behind the table full of larger "empty" crystals Nebik knew would sell. In it, Zer found a pair of fingerling quartzes and a smaller amethyst which would suit his needs. The gnome then recovered a garnet from its bag and told Spark to come back tomorrow.   Milli found a number of broad slivers of quartz that looked to be about right for Medya's wings. When the unicorn went to pay for them, however, Nebik twitched their hand under Milli's horngrip as the coin fell into their grasp. "Do that again. Take my hand," the gnome insisted, and after some hesitation, Milli put her hoof in Nebik's touch. The gnome held very still for a moment, then said quietly, "You're very far from home, aren't you? Take the crystals; Thelanis looks after its own." The words so stunned Milli that she for a moment stood agape before thanking Nebik for their generosity and bowing.   Relic, meanwhile, found his attention drawn to a dragon with wings spread, faintly reminiscent of Bell's scalework, in banded jade. One of its fists was raised, and a hole carved through the grip to permit a string to pass. When he went to buy it, Nebik passed over a cord on which to thread it, then also handed him a carved clear crystal in the form of a flame. Its inside was hollow, and when held to the light, the scratches on the inside seemed to flicker. "For your sister," the gnome said, and then laughed at Relic's quizzical expression.   Outside, Relic and Spark mused on what the gnome meant, but both of them shrugged. Relic offered the gem to Spark, who said she thought that it was nice to think of the forged as siblings. Relic agreed, and the group made their way towards the inn that Medya had found for them. It was then they ran into Bell, who was on her way back from an Elvish meadhall. She had gone in search of native practice with her Elvish, only to run into Siege Seventeen and their new "um-friend" Ballista Four, another juggernaut they'd met on the work crew assembling the new Town Hall. Ballista gave Siege a nudge, and Siege pulled out a tailspade they'd been trying to forge for Bell as a thank-you gift for helping them out of Sharn. Bell was deeply touched by the gesture and invited Siege and Ballista to come hang out at the inn, to which the "um-friends" agreed.   Getting to Tavern Way required the group to pass through Preacher's Row, and Zer began to take note of the way the local temples advertised their faith-services as a shop might offer their wares: healing, clothing drive, communing with the deceased, et cetera. They reminded the monk of the military posters, earnest attempts to showcase how the deeds of the supplicants matched the words of the gods. That was why the picture of a violet crystal emanating waves of golden light was such a shock. Starilaskur now had a Temple of Inspiration offering free food with both dusk and dawn services, and ‘dreams of peace’ in their short-term shelter for the displaced. The poster was faintly psionic, lacking any compulsion but definitely intended to catch the eye.   Zer immediately took leave of the group to take the holy symbol the party had liberated in Hatheril Junction back to its rightful temple and inform them of what had happened, passing on his suspicion that the paladin had been touched by something dark. The priestess at the temple seemed skeptical, but she admitted she'd heard rumors about a lot of the zealots. She also said she was bothered by how many homeless had started sleeping in the Temple of Inspiration. She thanked for the return of the symbol of the faithful, and he returned to the group.   The party spent the next day wandering the town, recovering their various purchases and taking in local culture; Starilaskur had never seen combat during the war, partially because of its heavy military presence, and the town felt eerily safe despite that fact. It was quiet, at least, which was a welcome change from the days prior, and soon everyone met back up at the platform for a dawn departure. On the train to Vathirond, Rakela relayed much from her report. She'd learned that the person that they'd “killed” in Wroat was allegedly a bodyguard for a priestess from the Temple of Inspiration in Galethspyre, and that the temple had lodged a formal complaint. However, with her testimony, it was a clear case of self-defense and the local watch considered the matter closed as far as the group was concerned. Rakela said the temple would work to rebut her report, but that they were already in trouble. One of their priests had said in a sermon that the forged weren’t part of the cycle of reincarnation, and the Missing Pieces had challenged whether that stance could get them barred as a recognized faith after the Treaty of Thronehold.   In Vathirond, unfortunately, the air was decidedly more tense than in Starilaskur. Thranian and Brelish military groups were at armed stand-off with each other on the platform, and the town was equally divided. Thranian guards had taken up post around the cart station holding the inspector carts, and a representative from House Orien told Leali that they weren't prepared to take on a dispute with Thrane on the party's behalf. They did, however, state that they consider the Morgrave University contract still valid and suggested they reach out to the Council of Cardinals. The group briefly discussed abandoning their current plan in favor of a carriage, but Leali was adamant that they get the inspector car, as part of the funds for the trip were coming from House Cannith getting field data on their new mana reservoirs.   Based on that, Rakela suggested the party simply commandeer one of the carts, but with the imperative that they not be identified. That night, Medya flew up to one of the window and sung a lullaby that put most of the guards within the railhouse to sleep. Bell improvised a small flashbang from a shatter spell, which Spark threw to distract the guards. Zer made the party inconspicuous, and they snuck rapidly aboard the car. Once inside, the group slammed home one of the reservoirs into the inspector cart's power system, and the cart rattled its way out of Vathirond, zipping east towards the Mournlands.   The Grey Wall of Mist became first visible just after dawn, a thin slice of white across the sky that rose as the cart grew closer and closer. A hundred feet tall it hung in the air, and as the cart grew close, a sense of unease loomed in the air with it. Leali switched out the mana reservoir for a fresh one as a test to see how far it would get on a single charge, and then she started up the cart again. As it passed through the mist, however, the power sputtered and stalled. It began to flicker a little as the generator struggled to catch up. The rail itself had gone silent, as had the world outside. Only the steady triple-thud of the conductor stones as the car forced rail through them could be heard, rattling inside the car and echoing for miles in the stillness.   Milli had a panic attack, which she navigated very well while Medya crooned at her quietly at the back. The inspector cart was cramped, comparatively, barely a third the width and half the length of the luxury of Morgrave University's private accommodations. Four bunks were the only sleeping space, and a full third of the front occupied with controls. Bell could barely stand upright and filled the aisle. Everyone felt uncomfortable, regardless of their sensitivity to magic or not. Even Rakela seemed uneasy, her eyes constantly scanning the horizon.   In the distance, flashes of white and yellow light started to approach the train, until out of the light fog rolled a cluster of magic missile swarms, their caster long since lost and their target forgotten, fighting a living lightning bolt in much the same. The war was over, but this fight lived on, the spells fighting like a bear fending off a pack of wolves for a meal. The spells descended on the cart as it passed through their territory, the beings within mere cover for the endless battle.   As the missile swarms shot through the windows, Milli rapidly crafted a disruptive enhancement for her bolts to harmlessly discharge the spells into the aether, while Zer focused on holding the swarms at bay. Relic brought a column of air down on the lightning bolt, and Spark threw rays of sunlight into the fog, releasing the pent-up magic holding the spells together. Bell, meanwhile, worked furiously to repair the damage the fight was doing to the cart, while the lightning bolt slammed against it and sent power careening through the cart's controls. The overload made the vessel buck and shudder, but the alchemist worked overtime to keep the cart together.   When the last swarm was dispatched, an eerie emptiness settled into the air. Despite the frantic moments, when was all was done, there were no bodies, no blood. There was no sign of a fight, save in the exhaustion of the people. The sameness of the Mournlands seemed to pour in from the windows in that moment. Had the struggle even happened? What could even cause such things to manifest, and what else could lie in store for them, here in this timeless land beyond even death? Relic gripped his jade figurine tightly as he mused, and that's when he noticed the faint dark spot in one of the bands, one that hadn't been there when he'd bought it. It was just the tiniest prick, but its presence felt worrisome, just as everything else did as the inspector cart rolled on into the grey.