"We still have work to do, my love. The Scions still have a mark to make on the world before we burn it all down."
Urstul Floxin
The party came across Beyard at the Flaming Anvil Headquarters, who was trying to get some of the Flaming Anvil to accompany him on his hunt for the vampire. Connie took the opportunity to gloat over his brother by revealing they had beat him to the punch. Beyard at first refused to believe it, but eventually came to believe Contrast got his companions to take the lead. However, after seeing that the vampire had clearly been beheaded with a flame blade, he knew that Connie had scored the killing blow. Beyard warned Connie that his path in life would get him killed, but Connie insisted that he was quite content with his chosen path, happy to not be trying to one-up someone like Beyard's quest to surpass their eldest brother Eldigan. Beyard left, furious, though he assured he wouldn't rat Connie out regardless, clearly wanting to save face.
The party turned in Arbane's head to Jalester Silvermane and was rewarded with 750 gold pieces for their trouble. Connie asked for Jalester to keep his name off the record, and Vesper offered "The Moonlighters" as a replacement name. Jalester agreed, though he couldn't guarantee word wouldn't get out in Revelmoore of all places. Connie also informed Jalester that Arbane was spawned by Viscardi, the vampire that his own mother, Vaida Sundever, had killed two decades prior.
They then got to work looking for what they would need for the trip to the city of Apothasalos. Connie booked passage with an architectural expedition caravan (and arranged a discount in exchange for the party acting as guards), Makoto secured a boat to make the pass across the Legions Bay, and Vesper acquired horses for the party;
- Vesper: A pitch black stallion named Zaraxle
- Makoto: A white-and-brown spotted stallion named Jin
- Contrast: A grey dapple pinto stallion named Van Gogh
Three weeks soon passed. During this time, Connie got in touch with his sister Altena and acquired some of her experimental potions (after signing a detailed waiver), and Makoto finally pawned the drow leather armor she had been hoarding, the proceeds to which she gave to several orphanages. News also began to spread of the an ongoing,
rising conflict in the
Kingdom of Oceanus to the south, in which disgraced former Open Lord
Dagult Ambermantle rose an army to overthrow the current reigning king.
The day of the expedition soon arrived and the party boarded their boat in the earliest days of winter. The two-day trip was largely uneventful, with many of the piratical forces in the south to take advantage of the war in Oceanus.
Makoto, Connie, and Vesper had a talk one starry night where they got Vesper to open up a little. She spoke about her past with Urstul Floxin, who had been her lover for a time. She talked about how she found kinship with his hatred for the world, and how she drew inspiration to survive from his burning desire to take back what he believed he was owed. Makoto shared her familiarity with struggling to survive, while Connie warned about the dangers of living purely for one strong emotion; he explained his feelings on the importance of choices as well. During this time he also sketched a scene of Makoto and Vesper talking on the ship's railing against the starlit sky.
Once the party made landfall, they took point ahead of the scholarly caravan to ward it from danger. They made good time on the Pass of Hummaemidon, and their only notable encounter was with a fairly bland traveling entertainment troupe known as
Cirque d'Avion, to whom Makoto gave her
Coin of Decisionry for use as a small side-show.
Eventually the caravan came to the Legionnaire Bridge, an ancient Hyperborean bridge widely believed to be haunted due to the resonating sounds of sobbing, screams, and other terrors surrounding it, as well as tales of it being a common destination for suicides. The massive bridge spanned several miles, and would take the better part of the day to cross. Vesper seemed uncommonly agitated by the bridge, and the smell of ash hung heavily on the air.
The bridge lived up to its fearsome reputation, and the unnerving sounds in the air assailed the caravan at regular intervals. However, at sunset, a true threat showed itself as the ash in the air coalesced into the form of a man; Urstul Floxin, who had risen in undeath as a deadly revenant made entirely of ash.
Urstul stated his intent to finish what he started; his mission to 'burn it all down', and that he wanted to take Vesper with him on this quest, willingly or not. When the grief-stricken elf refused, he rushed at the party to strike down Vesper's companions.
The battle was intense, with Makoto being grievously wounded by Urstul's extremely deadly scimitar of sharpness; which he did not bring to bear against Vesper, only aiming at her with unarmed strikes. Vesper used this to her advantage to protect Connie during the fight. With clever use of magic and diversionary tactics, the party was able to weather the storm, and after taking a great amount of damage, Urstul declared that his goal was not one to be rushed, and took his leave by scattering into ash on the wind.
Connie took the moment to drive home his point from the ship about the futility of hatred, with Urstul being his cited example. Vesper, vulnerable in her renewed grief and not amenable to what she perceived as a lecture, angrily rebuked him and warned him not to speak to her again until she said otherwise, departing with great sadness in her eyes. Exhausted and wounded, the party and the rest of the caravan pulled to a stop after crossing the bridge to rest for the remainder of the night.
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