24-01-2025: Preparations and tinkering

This session started in the morning after The Order of Adamant had traveled to The Keep of Adamant . Knowing that Ornn and his group of Buckbears and Alban Farrow will be arriving today they agreed on a few things.   First, they agreed that they still didn't know if Alban could be trusted. After all, they had learned from Lady Aenysiel letter that binding souls to soul gems was a forceful process. Second, they acknowledged that Ornn had no real assets to defend The Keep from anyone who might try to reach Tacton. Third, if they wanted Ornn and his group to pay only a low fee for their stay, they had to offer something in return.   The party decided to make some upgrades to The Keep. They asked Walter for options, and he provided them with possible expansions, telling them they would need to visit the Mason's Guild in Thalaniel to make it happen. Additionally, they decided that Walter would pick up Ornn and his group at the teleportation circle of Thalaniel, allowing the party to run some errands.   After breakfast, Aerith, Gotrick, Jaina, Mind, and Leo traveled to Thalaniel, while Mae and Ieghi stayed behind to take care of their own matters. The group first visited a well-known jeweler, where the owner, an older lady helped them identify the magic within the ring that the Jolly Phoeinx had gifted them. She informed them that the ring granted its owner an increased skill in their attacks and performing their skills (mechanically +1 in attack and skill checks). Since they already knew the value of the emerald and ruby, they also sold those to the jeweler, accepting that she needed to make a small profit as well.   Up next was the Mason's guild. A Gnome called Edglen, who behind the counter recognized them instantly. Around him dozens of Dwarves were helping around with projects of his. The party haggled their way through the conversation, making sure that The Keep got a new floor, four guard towers and a stable. The new floor was for Ornn and his buddies to have a place to rest, the guard towers will aid them in their defence of The Keep and the stables for all of the party's pets. Edglen told them that he was going to be building these upgrades in two days and that they would take a few weeks to be build.   Aerith was convinced that it would be useful to obtain a book about the inventor of the Warforged, Fenwickle Shimmerforge, before they traveled to Illumé. So, they all headed to the library. Aerith borrowed The Uprising of Warforged, while Leo borrowed an encyclopedia of Aberrations and Mind borrowed the History of Illumé. They had one week to return them.   The last stop was the Mages' Guild. Mind had expected to be able to buy some spell scrolls there, but the woman in charge, Firisashe, explained that they didn’t sell such items. The scrolls they possessed were meant for educational purposes. However, the store next to it sold potions, so the party restocked their supplies, distributing them to Leo, Gotrick, and Jaina.   Meanwhile, Mae wandered through the city of Thalaniel, ever in search of her sister. She showed her portrait to several people, but, unfortunately, she didn’t get far. She eventually ventured to the docks, where she spoke with a Sea Elf. The Elf had never seen anyone like her before, which considerably dampened Mae’s spirits. After a few more unsuccessful attempts and feeling disheartened, Mae decided to return to The Keep.   Once everyone had returned, they saw that Ornn and his group of Bugbears had arrived. Among them was Throkk, a male with unusually long arms who wielded a javelin and was taller than Ornn. He didn’t speak much, only grunting when introduced. Bevor, smaller than Ornn, wielded a sword and greeted them in a sly manner, which caused the party to exchange looks. The third Bugbear, surprisingly to some, was a female—Grasha, Ornn's girlfriend. Ornn was very protective of her. She had a sweet demeanor and carried a quarterstaff. She wasn’t much of a fighter but would use her staff if necessary. The last Bugbear was also female, Shagrith, though it was nearly impossible to tell. She was incredibly muscular and wielded a massive two-handed sword. Some of the Bugbears stayed at The Keep, where Walter welcomed them with a few ales. The rest of the group headed back to Thalaniel to meet Alban. Along the way, Mae and Ornn had a playful exchange about their lack of understanding of magic, finding it uninteresting. Mind, unimpressed, gave them a disapproving look and continued walking.   The group didn’t even need to reach the magic circle—when they arrived at the city center, they found a scene of chaos. Floating objects hovered in the air, and a stone golem stood in the square. The sharper-eyed members of the group spotted Alban Farrow sitting on top of one of the floating objects, looking utterly confused as to why everyone was staring in fear.   The people of Thalaniel had likely never seen anything like this before, let alone a stone golem. Guards, including their captain, began encircling Alban, much to his frustration. Before the situation escalated, Mind Misty Stepped into the circle and calmed everyone down, explaining who Alban was and why he was in Thalaniel. The guard captain recognized him, and as the rest of the party joined Mind inside the circle, the tension dissipated. With the situation resolved, they resumed their journey back to The Keep   Upon welcoming Alban into The Keep, the party was ready to question him. Casually, Aerith mentioned that binding a soul to a gem was a forceful process. Alban confirmed this but assured them that he conducted his work ethically—the souls are bound during missions to deal with threats to the peace. He explained that anyone with a license could obtain soul gems and practice this form of magic, though the licensing process was rigorous. Only the Order of Aezezias had the authority to issue such licenses. They are also the ones selling the soul gems they acquire to wizards such as Alban. Alban needs a special licence provided by the Order of Aezezias to buy them. This ensures after a screening process, that the soul gems are not acquired by necromancers or other dark wizards. To Aerith’s disappointment, Alban knew nothing about Tiefling souls or whether their binding process was any different or if there was anything special about their souls. These revelations significantly lowered their suspicions of him.   After this discussion, Alban began assessing Tacton. He examined him closely, from every angle, even from above. He determined that Tacton was made from Eog, also known as Emerald Steel. Gotrick, immediately intrigued, asked where it came from. Alban explained that he had a small supply himself and that it originated from the Egea Kingdom, the country where Gotrick was born—though not from his actual birthplace, Karaz-a-Karak.   Drajag then asked Alban to inspect the work he had already done on Tacton’s leg. Impressed by Drajag's work, Alban revealed that the wires were made of electrum, a rare material. Mind then inquired about the soul gem. Alban sighed as he examined it, admitting that he knew little about it—it was unlike anything he had ever encountered. What fascinated him most was that the gem seemed to be alive. Aerith whispered to Jaina that this likely meant Tacton was truly unique. Alban also noted that Tacton’s body contained numerous enchantments. The party decided to leave Drajag and Alban to continue their examination.   The rest of them retreated to the common room were everyone did their own thing. Jaina trained with Kiwi and made some good progress on it. Mind, Aerith, and Leo sat together in a corner, reading their newly borrowed books. Gotrick, Grim, and Mae shared a few ales and laughed with Ornn. Suddenly, Barrick flew toward Mind, interrupting the gathering with urgent news. Their visas to enter Illumé had arrived, displaying their names, occupations, races, affiliations and the areas they are allowed to access. Leo also received a personal message. He read it silently before sharing its contents: his order had reported that someone with descriptions similar to Zenatosh had been spotted near the Karoshi Islands, gathering followers. This revelation put everyone on edge. Not only was Zenatosh dangerous, but the Karoshi Islands were in the complete opposite direction of their planned journey. Uneasy, they decided that the party would stay for one more day before departing for Illumé.   Deep in the night, when everyone was asleep, Jaina woke to find Ieghi standing before her. Concerned, she asked what was going on and why the girl was awake and fully dressed. Ieghi seemed determined, yet she hesitated, struggling to tell Jaina the truth—she was leaving the group. Jaina frowned and asked why. Ieghi was honest: traveling to Illumé wouldn’t help her find her mother. The last clue they had obtained was that Jaina’s brother had taken her mother, and they were likely somewhere in the Paeri Woods. Ieghi had decided to head there—immediately.   Jaina thought this was a terrible idea. It was dark, and though Ieghi was older now than when she had first joined the Order, she was still a child. But Ieghi reassured her, reminding her that she had found the party on her own, and she could just as easily travel to the Paeri Woods alone. Knowing how stubborn Ieghi could be, Jaina realized there was no point in arguing. Instead, she told her to stay in contact and to always be aware of her surroundings. Ieghi nodded, wished her goodbye, and then vanished into thin air.   Jaina's voice broke as she whispered a farewell into the darkness of the room.