Castien Valmaris

Session 20 catch-up A criminal organization is behind the conglomerate front

There is seaside access indicating a potential entrance or drop-off point.

There is a large underground waterway system that could connect to an underground entrance. Would need a map or guide to navigate properly. (Also the favor of Poseidon) local guards/peacekeepers

Could possibly have them wrapped around their finger.

Merchant guild. “Hummingshade Merchant Co.” Intake cleric is named Seal Lurasse

This could be a positive or negative relationship so more investigation is wise.

Buy directly from merchant ships and then sell to other merchant ships that are further along. They operate as a “storehouse” where merchants can offload goods or stock up to take to other markets.

3 total market hubs in town, some are locals some are exotic

Rasetgeg Market

- Southern market Nothing remarkable about it, just facilitates markets for the southern portion of town

Tedwict Center

- a higher-quality market near the castle Higher prices for higher-quality goods, More likely to find a skilled craftsman or artisan here.

Gittog square

- Has the adventurers' guild - More temporary traders there - More exotic/rare equipment is found here. The dragon has intentionally tried to create a monopoly as it is easier to maintain and govern. Any other major means of transportation of goods are likely outlawed and considered the black market.

Any factions other than Hummingshade are likely in cahoots to stay under the radar.

Independent merchants exist but their goods must be inspected on the docks by the brine kobolds but as of recently, Hummingshade has been contracted to inspect freight. The Purple Sun shipping company does get its goods inspected by the brine guard, indicating they are either smuggling in goods by night or have the guards paid off.

Their current operational manager is a dwarf by the name of Iongard Blazehide.

- He doesn’t follow a strict schedule and is known to disappear for extended periods of time. There is a disgraced ratfolk by the name of Tronket who used to work for them and is still in the area. There is an Ilfrit named Hidru who is Iongard's lieutenant and is frequently in the area.   Underground black markets exist in the town to distribute any black market goods being smuggled but we need an insider to their black market goods. Would need to quickly gain reputation or validity as a buyer to gain insider knowledge or evidence regarding the conglomerate.   Possible Ideas: Infiltrate secretly (difficult)

Water entrance

Underground entrance.

Other….

Infiltrate under noble guise or as guards

Requires removing some of their guards so we can potentially be hired.

Requires some level of pre-coordination and flexibility when things inevitably go south.

Only completed a day and a half, the rest is ongoing and Tim might have the results of that for next session, if not assume I'm busy over the course of however many days you complete.

The past week has been a blur of scenery. After nearly succumbing to our wounds against the Shambler, we made our way to Lakecrest to collect our reward. After being given an old wizarding hat and a healthy amount of Gold we made the multi-day journey to Amberlight through Bearrun. The trip was very uneventful save for the rumblings of a far-off earthquake that shook the ground around us. Amberlight was majestic against its ocean backdrop with large walls and many large vessels in the harbour. It reminded me of the great elven cities back across the sea. Within the city, the earthquake had caused superficial damage to several streets so I volunteered my abilities to help clean up the debris. A kind innkeeper gave me lodging for free--a much-appreciated gift after the long travel. We stayed for several days which I spent studying scrolls in the collegium. We discovered that the Tomb of Transcendance could change the race of an individual. How, we do not know, but if possible it could be a very interesting place to find. We learned of a secretive group in the city that called themselves Leviathan but were unable to find any concrete information about them. Myricaecea found information about a great tree that resided in an Elven city in the high northern forests so we made another multiday trek to find it. We found the Elven city of Everglen but hardly spent enough time there to explore or take the splendour of it in. We hired a guide, an elf-maiden by the name of Taren Zhol to take us to the tree. We made off into the woods and it was not long before we came across a line of growing stone markers pointing away from the forest we were venturing into. We inspected the markings and found that they were ancient druidic warnings to venture no further and leave the area. Naturally, we continued and soon found ourselves at the foot of the tree. It sat in a large lake with its roots tangling in and out of the water. We were tired so we rested before attempting to investigate the tree but the atmosphere is different than the bustling forest we had just walked through.

After our fight with the Ghouls, we continued on our path toward Lakecrest. Around midday, a violent storm came upon us so we took shelter in an abandoned barn until it blew over. I took the first watch by the fire and listened to the storm as it raged around us. The Storm's song was odd, and I had the feeling that I wasn't the only thing listening to its melodies that night. The dream came to me again as I fell asleep gazing at the dancing fire. The flames became swirling shapes, the beating of hail on the walls became yelling and the sounds of things being broken before it all finally ended with a scream.     The rest of the night was uneventful and we took off bright and early. The storm had destroyed the surrounding crops and damaged some of the trees; the party was glad that we had taken shelter. After about a half-days walk we finally made it to Lakecrest. Our welcome was hardly warm, the first house we came upon had been decimated. Fresh blood had been splattered all over the walls and floors. There was nothing left of the poor souls who had lived there. It was a grisly sight. We moved into the city proper where we spend the night. Myricaecea and Frilsk spent the night sleeping outside where they were approached by several Kobold guards and enquired about the beast that had razed the house. The Kobolds asked for our help to slay it and gave us a rough location to find it, as well as promising a reward once we reach Amberlight. The party decided to spend a day prepping for the coming fight and I used the day to scout out the old wizard tower that sat forlornly overlooking the city. To my surprise, the tower was locked. A passerby noticed me trying to open the door and informed me that the wizard who kept the tower had not been seen in 15 years. I spent some time analyzing the tower for a significant magical presence and found one, a level 9 Aberation spell over the entire tower. I spent the rest of the night working and then rested for the fight to come.   The creature we found was terrible and nothing like what we expected. The creature was a carnivorous plant the size of a bear, which explained the destroyed house and missing corpses. Frilsk wasn't the brightest and chose to run straight for the creature but was forced to retreat after getting trucked immediately. Moonshadow and I chose to deal with the smaller plants so that we could then turn our attention to the big one. The little ones were nasty with barbed vines that rent flesh open causing significant bleeding. One lashed out at me and tore open my arm pretty badly but I had no time to deal with it. We all took turns attempting to hit the creature but it was well-armored and shrugged off a lot of our attacks. Fortunately, Moonshadow managed to deal it a massive killing blow ending the fight--leaving our group badly wounded but alive. I couldn't tell if it was from my blood loss or from how hard the beast had hit me, but as The plant fell my vision blurred and the voices returned as a wave of fatigue almost knocked me over. Just as quickly as it had come it passed, and we began the process of dealing with the mess of vines that we had slain. I anor awakens na a siniath aur  

The fight began and our chosen fighter started poorly, quickly becoming bested by her foe. The party and I devised a plan to attempt to assist her. I turned the leshy invisible and, masking my throw by a spectacular fall, threw the leshy as far as I could. The Guards seemed to notice the leshy landing in the arena but couldn't determine what was happening. Myricaecea cast a valiant healing spell but unfortunately, our chosen warrior fell unconscious right as the healing hit her. After exiting the arena we were approached by a sleepy cat-folk named Asren who had seen my tumble during the match. He was curious about any potential tampering I had done but I did my best to mislead him. I believed it to be working until Myricaecea suddenly appeared tugging on my sword in an attempt to remove it. It was very well that Myricaecea did not injure himself on the blade for who knows what the curse may have done to him. Any chance I had to fool Asren vanished as he noticed the plant beside me. He was looking for some action so he joined us. We traveled to the Dwarven citadel in the west where we learned about the existence of 5 more obelisks and the elements to which they pertained. After doing this we then decided to investigate the magical bear being that had been attacking Lakecrest. Unfortunately, as we traveled through the forest we were ambushed by several Ghouls and Skeletal dogs, but easily dispatched them in a well-coordinated effort. Moonshadow managed to one punch both skeletal dogs with exceptional skill and luck. I anor arises na a siniath aur

Upon reaching the shore, we came across a small fishing village by the name of Windrest. We found an obelisk that contained a gem much like the one Moonshadow was carrying. Unfortunately in the chaos of the battle the gem has now disappeared and we do not know where it is. We did learn that there was another obelisk at Amberlight however we are too far away to travel there. We instead moved to the next town--with the stupid lizard making bad jokes and hissing in pleasure at the sound of his own voice the entire way. The plant was cordial enough but kept looking at my arm and wilting as if a cloud had suddenly covered it. Understandable given the nature of my arm but also expected from such a noble leshy druid. Perhaps I can win him over in the future. At Knightrock we spent several days earning coin and then decided to watch a gladiator fight which Frilsk and I both bet on. I anor arises na a siniath aur

After my presence in Lelrenluna became... difficult, I set out to find a charter to the Isle of Leumadaria. The unfortunate syndicate grunt who paid me a visit in the middle of the night would not be able to report my absence to his superiors. I will be in the clear until someone finds him down the well I dumped him in. The Captain of the charter, who goes by the name of Rihz, is a nice enough fellow but I can't help but be on edge after finding Dú lilui in my ale from the cheerful barkeep at the rolling barrel a fortnight passed. The day was largely uneventful till the afternoon, among the other passengers there was a Lizard Folk merchant, a Half-elf named Moonshadow, and a decendent of ancient forest spirits sung about long ago from the Southern Isles. I have not seen one since before the fall of House Iellonil and I could not help but ponder what might have brought such a rare creature out from its kingdom. Around mid-afternoon, an unnatural fog rolled in, unusual due to the warm air radiating the timbers of the vessel we sailed on. The captain was on edge, from his experience the land had been ill recently. The song of the waves spoke of troubled waters ahead which cast an eerie shadow upon the mists we sailed into. The sound of cannon fire and yelling soon sprung from the mists, and a fusillade of steel flew around us catching several unlucky crew members and vaporizing them instantly. Rihz reacted instantly and his surviving crew was quick with damage control measures and return fire. The pirate ship quickly closed the distance and we were boarded by several half-orcs, not unlike the kinds found in the mountains to the west of my beloved Iellonil. The Lizard turned out to be proficient with a blade, less proficient with his tongue, however, but he stirred the orcs into a frenzy drawing several of them to him at once. The Leshy took the brunt of the initial attack but with a timely healing spell it kept its cool. Moonshadow the half-elf struggled to land his punches but I faired no better having a difficult time adjusting to combat on the rolling waves of the sea while standing on a boat shuddering under cannon fire. Moonshadow and the lizard counter-boarded the enemy ship just as the pirate captain speared the Leshy nearing killing it then and there. The Leshy undeterred spawned some form of water spirit on the pirate boat with the intent to sacrifice it in an attempt to destroy it. Realizing the pirate captain was about to swing over on top of our badly wounded Leshy I ran over and placed invisibility on the Leshy in the hope that I might engage the captain instead. This happened and the Pirate ship was destroyed by a massive explosion as the water spirit's sacrifice ignited the gunpowder stored on the lower decks. By some miracle, neither Moon Shadow nor the lizard was killed by the blast but they were ejected into the ocean. The pirate captain survived as well and swung over onto our vessel, slamming into me and throwing me into the ocean along with the captain. The Leshy managed to loot some key items from our vessel before joining us in the water as the Telepse eccaia-morco sailed away having been commandeered by the pirate captain and his surviving half-orcs. The winds were favorable and the song of the sea friendly, and after many nights of drifting on the wreckage of the pirate ship, we drifted in on a tiny fishing town made up of shabby houses and a weathered boardwalk. I anor awakens na a siniath aur