Session 57

General Summary

• The party continues discussing with Annu how to get the Turmoil box from the dragon, while still letting Annu keep tabs on them, without harming their relationship with the dragon.
• After an exceptionally long debate that seems to be going nowhere, Dazki (of all people) gets frustrated over the inaction, says (paraphrased) "We're going to start by trying to talk with the dragon. Follow us if you must.", and starts leaving. The others follow.
• Annu gets Grogery to attach a pinpoint tracking device to the Bag of Holding and follows the party to The Spire of Beasts. He waits outside while the party enters.
• Along the way to the Spire, the party put their shard pieces together to ask the voices from the Red Desert about their path. The voices seem to think that, at the minimum, all of the Manifestations of the Mirage must be destroyed to remove the threat, but there may be more to it. They do believe that The Tall Man and the Short Man should be the next step on the journey, however.
• Morn'Tharur is already agitated: Grogery had sent him a message the night before saying that the party would be around today to take his only treasure from him... and now here they are. Grogery is only able to convince the dragon to enter negotiations by a miracle of Pelor.
• Negotiations break down nonetheless, and the dragon shields Grogery while he breathes some toxic fumes onto the other three, knocking Dazki unconscious instantly.
• In one last desperate attempt to salvage the situation, Grogery offers to trade his most prized treasure: the gem that he was charged with delivering. This actually works: apparently, it reminds the dragon of the very first treasure that he had, when he was a whelp. They take the box after giving the dragon the gem.
• The party regroups with Annu, who has assembled a new caravan to take the box to the same quarry that it was destined for when they took it last time.
• Since Annu's "primary and secondary objectives" are going well, and the trek to the quarry is long enough, the party takes an opportunity to chat with Annu, recapping their major adventures in Ashport up to this point, getting his perspective on it to fill in some gaps in what they know, and assessing what's going on now:
• The box was intercepted on its way to the library from a warehouse at the docks.
• The other artifacts in the earlier caravan were confiscated from the library, which the House of Crystal had searched upon learning that this is where the box was going.
• Annu believes that the plague of the strange slugs was not Baxton's fault, per se. Someone had been sending Turmoil samples to Baxton in secret, and The Plague was a very big non-secret from the moment that the ship arrived at the docks, so it must have been a shipment gone awry before Baxton even had the chance to do his thing.
• The party explains to Annu that they believe the tall man and the short man to be the one who ordered these shipments, as they have encountered this individual speaking with Baxton about Turmoil in the past. Annu claims that this individual is outside his jurisdiction, but he sets "acquisition and elimination of this individual as a priority" anyway. Dwardazik is quick to remind him that they should try to get information from him first, since he is their only lead.
• Many of the individuals with the marks around their eyes have not been faring well since the events of the previous night, many showing symptoms of "loss or altered vision, residual pain, delusions". In terms of the law, Annu believes that they would be given favorable treatment if an emergency action is called, as they were not fully in control of their actions before.
• At the quarry, the Turmoil objects are thoroughly disposed. The process involves cataloging each item, then blasting it with a metric heckton of fire, then teleporting the ashes to an elemental plane. When Dazki starts getting ideas, Annu immediately cautions him that there's a reason why they teleport the ashes to an elemental plane, and not just some random pocket dimension filled with Turmoil objects.
• Annu believes that he and the party can find some common ground and continue working together in the future.

 

Full Recap

The session opens with the party having a conversation with Annu, right after an unintentional journey to the Red Desert and back, with seemingly no time having passed. Each is holding a shard that they weren't holding before, and the shard is disintegrating quickly. They all hide the shards from Annu in their respective bags.    

Annu: As I was just stating, seconds ago, there is a problem with that plan.   Kesmet: I just want to make one thing perfectly clear, I am not having a tracker shoved up my butt.   Dwardazik: Yeah, I don't know what's going on here, Annu, but I don't need no tracking device. I'll trust you not to blow up the Spire of Beasts, and you need to trust me to get the Turmoil device. It's a two-way street.   Annu: It is not mutual.   Kesmet: I'll say. You haven't really given us anything!   Dwardazik: Now, now, Kesmet. He's given us a rank in the city that, I suppose, isn't the lowest of the low.   Annu: Why are you under the table?   Kesmet: Because I find this carpet interesting!   Dwardazik: OK. Let's just keep going, then. To the plan, which makes complete sense. Let's go get the dragon!   Grogery: I have an idea regarding the tracking. This Bag of Holding I have on me, obviously it's very important to us. This is where we keep all of our valuable things. You know that we would not leave it somewhere if we were really intent on doing anything fishy... if we take one of these pinpoints and attach it to the bag, then:

• You would have a way of finding us, if everything goes according to plan
• We would be able to baffle the tracking in the event that your tracking method becomes compromised by someone
• You know that we would not do this unless it was extremely dire, because we would be leaving behind a ton of our stuff.
• If someone steals the bag, then we have to go back to you anyway to get all our stuff back.

  Grogery (cont'd): So it would be a mutual arrangement that would help all of us.   Dwardazik: I don't like it... I don't want anyone to just know where I am at any time, especially when I'm trying to hide from enemies!   Grogery: You wouldn't want to have a tracking mechanism in our Bag of Holding in case it gets stolen?   Dwardazik: If I knew it was us who could track it, and not our enemies, then...   Grogery: Annu is not an enemy.   Dwardazik: But this device for tracking sounds like it was used for beasts, and what not. Probably not too hard for someone else to figure out how to track it, eh? It's like waving a flag, or wearing a cape with "HI, I'M MARKED, DON'T LOOK AT ME!" written on it in big letters!   Grogery: OK, well... He turns to Annu. Annu, would just anybody actually be able to track down an individual pinpoint, or would you have to have special knowledge about that pinpoint in order to track it?   Annu: You need to know of the pinpoint, though it is not quite an attunement.   Grogery: So if nobody knew to track us through a pinpoint, then they would not be able to do so...   Roughly around this point, Annu has pulled out the journal that he used the day before to record notes during the meeting with the House leaders, along with his crystalline quill that starts recording observations.   Dazki: Is that a satisfactory compromise?   Dwardazik: I don't like it...   Kesmet: Annu doesn't care about compromises, he just cares about having a tracker on us that we can't just get rid of on a whim.   Dwardazik: Why do we even need a tracker?   Kesmet: Because Annu says he wants one on us.   Dwardazik: As far as I'm concerned, we are the heroes of the city.   Annu: I am attempting a compromise. I am not obligated to compromise in order to sustain the relationship you have with that dragon. I am behaving inefficiently as a token of my cooperation.   Kesmet: For this compromise, I am a little unclear. What are you giving us in exchange for us letting you stick those in our butts and track us wherever you want?   Annu: You wish to keep your relationship with the dragon, and the dragon itself, intact?   Grogery: Yes.   Dwardazik: That would be preferred.   Annu: In order for me to achieve my primary objective while allowing this to happen, I require your assistance. My secondary objective is to keep ward over you.   Dwardazik: Then just... follow us?   Annu: I need to go to the dragon alone.   Dwardazik: Wait, why do you need to go alone? I thought we were going together.   Grogery: Because he thinks that if we are the ones to take the box from the dragon, then that will harm our relationship with the dragon.   Dwardazik rubs his temples. Annu's quill continues writing, even when nobody is speaking.   Dwardazik: OK. Brainstorming. Dragon. We have to maintain our relationship, and get the box back. Options: steal...   Annu: As long as I can confidently know your location, I can utilize you to distract the kobolds.   Kesmet: Why does that involve sticking trackers or cursed objects in our butts? Can't we just carry them on us?   Dwardazik: Annu, don't interrupt! Options: negotiate for the box, steal the box, ask for the box back, or something else.   Grogery: I believe Annu wants to steal the box, as he does not have anything he wishes to trade for it.   Dwardazik: OK, but we don't know that Morn'Tharur won't just give it back to us if we ask for it!   Annu: It will not.   Dazki: Have you asked that question?   Kesmet: What makes you so certain?   Dwardazik: Still brainstorming options! Steal the box, even with a distraction = we get the box, Morn'Tharur thinks he's failed, he gets angry, he sends out scouts to try to figure out what happened to the box, and we have a perpetual problem on our hands. If we negotiate to trade for the box... bah, that's kind of redundant, because it implies that he's going to want to get rid of the box. OK. So what if we just ask for the box? It was originally ours, after all, and we were just asking him to protect it. If he is generous (and we have a good relationship so far, so... maybe?), then he'll just give it to us. In exchange, maybe we can tell him the story about this... nothing... that happened to all of us just now, which may be enough! Everyone's happy, there's no grudge, and we're good!   Annu: This plan will not work.   Dwardazik: Yeah, Annu, we know how you feel about it. Everyone else, what are your thoughts about it?   Dazki: Annu, why do you think this plan won't work?   Annu: A dragon is not generous. No matter your relationship with it, a dragon still has instincts.   Dwardazik: And is it in your "instincts" to act so inefficiently right now, just for our sake? Maybe this dragon can be convinced to be generous, just this once.   Kesmet: Also, he hasn't been acting like a normal dragon... he was rather downtrodden when we first met him.   Dwardazik: I vote, if there is a vote and my opinion even matters at all, that we simply talk to Morn'Tharur and ask for it back, because we no longer need him to guard it! Is that not what we originally charged him with? Protection? That implies that we will return to take it back at some point.   Kesmet: Also, Annu, not for nothing, but it's kinda been the four of us sticking our necks out trying to save this city from this Turmoil crap, and getting the job done. Meanwhile, the other three people running this city nearly shat themselves at just the sight of this crap. Give us a little bit of leeway with the planning, here, all right? Maybe we haven't been the most efficient, but it's been working. We've made it this far, and we're (mostly) alive!   Dwardazik, addressing Annu very directly: We've done things our way, and yeah, our way isn't the most efficient, but it gets results. You wanted some advisors? Let us do our thing, and let's see what happens. I don't like stealing. If I can avoid it with a normal conversation, then so be it.   Grogery: Um... something that we might want to consider... last night, before going to sleep, I did Send a message to Morn'Tharur to try to negotiate a little bit. He got the message, so he knows we're going to be there today to try to get the box back. If it goes missing at this point, he's going to suspect us anyway... come to think of it, that kinda means that even Annu's plan might not get us off the hook. I also received no answer, which is... not necessarily out of character for him, but it either means that he wants zero negotiation or that he is... incapable of negotiating because something is happening to him.   Dwardazik: Let's simply go there and scout ahead. Dazki, if you don't mind, will run ahead of us and scout ahead to make sure the situation looks safe and that Morn'Tharur is alive and not missing, or whatever would happen to a giant dragon underneath a tower, and at that point we'll gauge the situation. And I, for one, being the successful merchant that I am, would prefer to talk this out. Annu, your "method" of acquiring the box can be Plan B. If Morn'Tharur refuses to give us the box back willingly, then I will defer to you. Go ahead and take it back by force, and torch the entire tower as you seem to want to do so badly.   Grogery: That's... still not...   Annu: This is not my intent. My objective is to retrieve the receptacle safely and efficiently.   Dwardazik: "Safely"? "Efficiently"? What's more safe and efficient than going there and asking for it back? Even if you steal it, the dragon will know, because we're the ones who gave it to him. Let's head over there and get it sorted.   Kesmet: Annu, you're saying that the dragon won't relinquish it, and it's a waste of time to try anything other than take it by force or steal it... what is the downside of trying to ask for it back? Is it something more than just time? We're already being "inefficient", and if there's a chance that it just works out, then why not take the time to try it? What else do we risk, other than just time?   Annu, getting angry / frustrated / whatever you call this: I cannot collect valuable data, because the primary and secondary objectives remain incomplete!   Dazki: OK, let's make one thing clear. We are not going to steal from a friend. You don't steal from your allies. Got it? We're going to go, we're going to talk with him, we're going to see what we can negotiate, and go from there. If you're unhappy with that, you can stay here and do whatever the fuck you please. I'm done with this. We're going, and we're being friendly about it. If you don't like it, that's on you. He walks out of the room.   Dwardazik: Let's go! Finally, some decision. Let's get this damn box sorted, so that this guy can blow it up in flames. He walks out too.

   

Dwardazik: Ugh, I'm gonna have to find a local cobbler to fix the holes in these things if I keep walking around the city so much.   Grogery: Don't you do this much walking in dwarven settlements too?   Dwardazik: Yeah. And?   Grogery: ...OK.   Dazki: So, what did you talk about?   Grogery holds up the Bag of Holding to show the pinpoint attached to it.   Dazki: Ahh. Fair enough. He turns his attention to Annu. Annu, you said that you can keep up with the carriage if you're not inside of it, and that you would prefer to follow behind?   Annu: Correct.   Dazki hails a carriage.   Kesmet: Actually, Annu, do you have access to invisibility?   Annu: I have already answered this question.   Kesmet: I know, you don't have it yourself, but would you like it? Or are you just going to float behind the carriage through the city? You'll definitely attract attention.   Annu: I do not care about people seeing me.   Dwardazik: Just get in the carriage! We don't want anyone knowing where we're going.   Dazki: Dwardazik, maybe he should follow us... He uses sleight of hand to show Dwardazik, and only Dwardazik, his shard he got from the Red Desert encounter.   Dwardazik, realizing what's going on: Ehh... it might be hard for him to sit anyway. Float if you want. All right, let's get going.   Driver: Dude, what the shit are you guys into??   Dazki: Official business.   Dwardazik: It's a business relationship, don't worry about it.   Driver: Well shit, if it's official, do you guys need, like, privacy or something?   Dazki: Just close your ears, pretend like you didn't hear anything. It's not super secretive. After all, we have you-know-who just following us out in the open.   Driver: I don't get none of that magic shit anyway. I better not get fined for this!   Dazki: Don't worry about it. If you do, I'll pay your fine.   Driver: You'd better...   Grogery: So do we want to put these shards together now?   Dazki: It's probably going to be our only chance.

  The group discusses among themselves what questions they should ask the voices from the other plane. Once they settle on what to ask, and in what order, they put the shards together.   You slam your four wedges together, forming a pure glass lens. It starts glowing radiantly with starlight, before little drops of red sand start falling from it onto the floor of the carriage. Upon reaching the floor, it disintegrates as if eroded by thousands of years of time. It seems activated, but it keeps pouring sand out.

Asker	Question	Answer
Grogery	How many of the remaining extensions need to be terminated in order to end the Turmoil's thread?	Five is one
Dwardazik	Are you OK?	No
Dazki	Which of the aspects poses the greatest threat to yourself or to us?	The one
Kesmet	Where is the physically closest one of the remaining extensions on our plane?	Nearer / Uncertain
Grogery	Will pursuing the healer in the plague doctor's mask, and his smaller companion, lead us to one of the extensions?	Certainly / Probable / Most Likely

  After the final answer, the lens crumbles into clear sand before blowing away in a wind that doesn't exist.  

Dwardazik: Dazki, I told ya not to break wind in here!   Kesmet, looking at him: Seriously? "Are you OK?" It's obviously not OK...   Dwardazik: Look, if ya can't poke fun at an elf, then ya ain't a real dwarf. And frankly, I need something right now.   Kesmet: No, not about Dazki, your question. What was that about?   Dwardazik: Oh, "Are you OK?". It's a good question!   Kesmet: Obviously it wasn't OK, otherwise it wouldn't be enlisting the help of a bunch of yahoos like us!   Dwardazik: Uh... well... it's good to know if it needs our help or not, and, frankly, I felt it was polite. I figure asking if you're doing OK is a good way to start a conversation!   Grogery: We do still get some information from it. We know that the entity that did all of this has a vested interest in helping us, both for our interests and its own (their own?). If they're not OK, then it may be difficult for them to do whatever they're trying to do. Maybe getting us to the Red Desert might have taken a lot out of them, or might have been really difficult to pull off.   Dwardazik: Lots of questions coming from such a seemingly simple question, eh? See, Kesmet, Grogery's thinkin' like a dwarf!   Grogery: The one question that bothers me...   Dwardazik: Which, "five is one"?   Grogery: Well, "five is one" sounds like we need to take out all of them...   Dazki: Yeah, but then why wouldn't it just say "five"?   Grogery: Maybe there's additional stuff we have to do, but we have to take out at least those five?   Dwardazik: Or those are just five of the one that we need to take out! So there are technically six, and the sixth is the most important one. There must be a source, and the source of the Turmoil is bleeding out into these... creatures. We must find the source and destroy it.   Grogery: Something that just occurred to me now, and I wish I had asked a question about this... so we all know that Wendi was studying under Baxton, right? She seemed to have access to some weird magic?   Dazki: Yeah.   Grogery: Do we want to look into that?   Dwardazik: When we have time.   Grogery: She doesn't seem to line up with any of the entities we saw in the Red Desert.   Kesmet: They said "nearer"... what if they meant "socially nearer to us"? We're sort-of on speaking terms with her? I mean, she hates us because we kept messing up her stuff, but it's not like she hates us, the way that Baxton tried to kill us.   Dwardazik: Argh. When I find her again, I'll make sure she understands what she's done wrong.   Dazki: Maybe not in the aggressive... dwarven... way, if that is your intention.   Dwardazik: This is a matter between dwarves.   Dazki: That may only sour her relationship with her sister. Is that what you want?   Dwardazik: Of course that's not what I want.   Dazki: Then use discretion.   Kesmet: Hey guys, we can go check on Wendi later. Can we come up with a gameplan for how we're going to handle things if Morn'Tharur doesn't just give us the box?   Grogery: Last night, I sent him that message, with no response. So I don't really know how he feels about all of this. He didn't say it was... unacceptable, but he didn't express any excitement about us coming. And he's a dragon, so he probably knows the spell well enough to know that not sending a response is, in itself, a kind of response.   Dwardazik: Knowing our luck, we'll walk in there, and he'll have broken it and be all corrupted.   Grogery: Well, then we'll have Annu there to help. If I were Morn'Tharur, I would probably negotiate to have my shackles removed, but Morn'Tharur seems to believe that he doesn't deserve freedom. So having someone of Annu's skill level might give us the firepower needed to get those shackles off of him for the first time?   Dwardazik: It's a pity that such a creature wants to be in chains.   Grogery: It's not that he necessarily wants to, it's that once you've been chained up for so long, you start to believe that you deserve it, and that this is just the way that things have to be.   Dwardazik: Never thought I'd even encounter a dragon, much less one that enjoys being in prison.   Dazki: He doesn't enjoy it, he's resigned to it.   Dwardazik: I suppose that's true.   Grogery: So we can only negotiate to have those bonds removed by Annu if he actually wanted it to happen, and if we can convince Annu to do it.   Kesmet: I can hear it now: we walk in there, we go "hey can we have the box back?", and he's like "I don't want to give it back", and we're like, "what if we trade?", and he's like, "what do you have to trade?", and we're like, "what if we actually removed your chains? we might have a way", and he's like, "sure", and then we walk out to Annu and be like, "can you remove them", and he's like, "I am capable of doing it", and we're like, "will you?", and he's like, "no".   Grogery: There's also the question of, if he's free, what happens next? Does he fly out of there and abandon the kobolds? Does he just stay there? We should at least get his opinion on the matter...   Dwardazik: As much as I enjoy the conversations with that dragon (he seems quite intelligent), I do have to recognize the danger that a giant dragon would pose to the land. Nothing would be able to stop it. Probably not Annu, and certainly it would take a whole conglomerate of guards if Morn'Tharur decided that he wanted to have vengeance on the city that imprisoned him for so long. If I was Morn'Tharur, the first thing I'd want to do is torch this entire city and then move off to a land far away from any two-legged being!   Dazki: Fortunately, I don't think Morn'Tharur gives a shit.   Dwardazik: That might be the chains talking. I'd just rather not be burned to a crisp.   Kesmet: I'm sure he'd make an exception for us if he was going to burninate everything. He sort-of likes us (or at least tolerates us) because we've given him these really cool stories. My performance, if I do say so myself, has been exceptional. At least one of the times.   Dwardazik: Sigh. Are we there yet? Yep. All right, thank you lad. He tips the driver a gold piece.   Driver: Uh, sorry, I believe you accidentally gave me a gold coin instead of the usual fare!   Dwardazik: Oh, did I? He gives a slow wink.   Driver: You got something in your eye, there?   Kesmet: He's giving you a very large tip because he's being generous.   Driver: Ahh, see, I gotcha.   Kesmet: No. No you didn't. He walks away.   Dwardazik: Spread the word that Annu was good, and he didn't decide to burn down the countryside!   Driver: I'm just gonna... go... now. And then he goes... now.

 

A Morn To Remember

In the kobold section of the Spire of Beasts, the fliers are getting out of hand. The area is akindle with fliers and graffiti. You see a goblin up on a balcony. He chases a kobold off, shaking a broken broomstick with nails in it, before crumpling up a wad of paper and throwing it at it, shouting "Keep your damn dirty claws off of my property!", as he goes back into his shack, slamming the shoddy screen door behind him.  

Grogery: Hmm, I think we need to tell Morn'Tharur that the kobolds probably shouldn't be littering this much.   Kesmet: Yeah, that's a fire hazard.   Lots of chattering in this area as the kobolds noticed Annu in his radiant armor. They seem very concerned, worried about what might happen to their god king. Knights slay dragons, and this guy is covered in armor and full of magic.   Grogery: Annu, you mentioned your secondary objective. It might be a good idea for you to stay back a bit while we talk with Morn'Tharur. If you go in with us, you may damage our relationship with the kobolds, by virtue of the kobolds not letting you get closer.   Annu: How will you alert me when you fail?   Grogery: I can send you a message.   Kesmet: Well, fuck you too!   Dwardazik: Thanks for the vote of confidence!   Kesmet: You know what? When we succeed, we're not going to tell you! We'll just take the box back to our house, and maybe then, at the end of the day, we'll send to you.   Dazki: No. No we're not going to do that. Kesmet is exaggerating. We will not do that. That is a bad idea that we will not do.   Dwardazik: I want this box dealt with. I don't want to have to carry it for one second longer than I have to.   Dazki: Grogery will send you with our success, or failure, once we have attempted our negotiations.   Annu: I wish to know how to get to the dragon's lair. Even if you fail horribly and are... unable to leave the dragon's lair... I still need to acquire the Turmoil receptacle.   Dazki: You have that tracker on Grogery, right? You could just follow its movements through the Spire. I'm sure an intelligent being like yourself could recreate that path.   Annu: Fine. This is acceptable.

  On the way through the tunnels to Morn'Tharur, the kobolds all have their eyes on the party. Something's got them real spooked. In the chamber, normally there's a bunch of gambling going on and general kobold... whatever affairs, we don't know their culture. There's none of that right now.  

Dwardazik, whispering: Dazki, I think it's time for you to scout ahead. If Morn'Tharur is, in fact, corrupted by the Turmoil, then I would prefer not to go in there and just get blasted.   Dazki: My guess is that he just... doesn't want us to go in and take it from him. But sure, I will try to sneak in and scout.   Dwardazik: The signal is a loud beardling whelp-like sound. Scream out, and we will know to come in and assist you.   Dazki: Sure, I'll sound just like a dying giraffe.   Kesmet: What's a giraffe?   Dwardazik: You wouldn't know, Kesmet. They live on the surface.

  The kobolds are in little groups. They have weaponry, now, and they're just chatting to each other, nervously, in Draconic. Morn'Tharur is in his normal spot. He's not doing anything about the kobolds. He definitely has a very firm grasp on his treasure, and he seems to have accepted that if he's going to die here, then I guess that's OK. But he's not going to go down without a fight. That would be cowardice. He might be worrying about whether or not he's been betrayed. He wants to keep his treasure.   Dazki steps out of the shadows.

Dazki: Hail, friend! Good morrow to you!   Morn'Tharur, startled slightly: Good morrow.   Dazki: How are you this fine day?   Morn'Tharur: The same. What brings you down to my lair, champion?   Dazki: I understand that Grogery spoke with you yesterday about some possible negotiations that we would like to discuss?   Morn'Tharur: Your goblin friend is being manipulated.   Dazki: Oh? How is that?   Morn'Tharur: It is not like one of a follower of Pelor to rescind a gift. It is the only explanation.   Dwardazik: Is that true, Grogery?   Grogery: No.   Dazki: We do not wish to rescind this gift. That is far from the intent. Our concern is for the well-being of yourself and others. I am sure that you, of all people, know the danger of what is in that box, yes?   Morn'Tharur: I do! You've told me quite clearly.   Dazki: We have someone who might be able to negate that danger entirely.   Morn'Tharur: But then it would no longer be a treasure!   Dazki: Nor would it be a threat to yourself or others.   Dwardazik comes out as well. Presumably, the others did too, because they started participating as well.   Morn'Tharur: It's been a long while since last my talons have held actual treasure. The kobolds, they bring me trinkets. They bring me scraps. But this treasure, it's reinvigorating! I feel like a dragon again!   Dwardazik: What you hold is not a true treasure in the sense that it is good, or precious. It is a treasure because what you held was the safety of the Spire, and the safety of this entire city. By withholding that and allowing the containment in that chest to slowly wither away with time, you risk yourself and this entire city. We have a solution to get rid of the evil within that box.   Morn'Tharur: A solution is not needed.   Dazki: What could we give you in exchange, then?   Morn'Tharur: Do you have more treasures? I feel like... I would like more treasures.   Dazki: We believe the one who would be able to destroy this may also be able to destroy the chains holding you here.   Kesmet: Then you could go out and get a lot more treasures. Quite honestly, what you're holding there is no treasure. It is only death. And death is valuable to no one.   Dwardazik: Lads. Honestly, you want to release a dragon who isn't going to put the safety of the city above its own needs?   Kesmet: He's not purposely endangering everyone. He just wants to hold onto something that he perceives to be valuable.   Dwardazik: A weapon. Of mass destruction. That is Turmoil. It is evil!   Morn'Tharur: Well, who are you to decide what is or is not evil?   Dwardazik: We are the heroes! The party of... wait...   Dazki: We aren't the only ones with opinions of right or wrong, Dwardazik. It's a valid question, and it's one that deserves to be explored further.   Kesmet: Actually, whether or not Turmoil is evil, that's irrelevant. What is relevant is that it is indiscriminate. If that thing goes off, it doesn't matter who made it. We all pay the price, and Dennis just ends up laughing at us from wherever he is.   Morn'Tharur: If my treasures be the end of me, then it was by Pelor's design.   Dwardazik: Have you forgotten about the people who have suffered through this Turmoil? The people who have died? It's altogether evil! There's no negotiating that fact.   Morn'Tharur: Mere days ago, it was safe here. Now you're saying it's not? Which story do you prefer?   Morn'Tharur is getting irritated. He probably won't lash out, himself, but it's amping up the kobolds.   Grogery: Perhaps we could explain what has happened in the past few days, to give more context to why we are here today? Would you like to hear some stories so that we can all calm down and discuss this with full context? He's trying to diffuse the situation before it gets violent. It really works.   Morn'Tharur: Ahh, I don't want to speak to any of you. Little goblin. Follower of Pelor. Disciple of light. Step forward, closer. You have no reason to cower before me.   Grogery does step forward, closer. Nervously. The dragon tries to whisper his conversations to Grogery, but everyone else can still clearly hear.   Morn'Tharur: Why do you wish to rescind this gift? Why?   Grogery: Pelor wants everybody to live in a place that is safe and will not be consumed by darkness.   Morn'Tharur: It is safe! We will not be destroyed by darkness. We see the light!   Grogery: With you was the safest place it could have been, at the time. But we have found a way to fully remove this shade, rather than...   Morn'Tharur: There is no shade! The light will protect us! And if it does not protect us, then it was not for us to be protected by it. Sometimes, you must shine yourself. And I am willing to take that risk, if it means I can keep this treasure. This treasure is the only thing I have.   Grogery: When this needed to be protected, Pelor ensured that you would be there for us. And that is much appreciated, and it was a blessing...   Morn'Tharur: It sounds like you are breaking up with me.   Grogery: It is better to do what is right and what will keep people safe. I know that this is not an easy choice we are asking you to make, but just as Pelor sent you to help us keep this safe when it had nowhere else it could be, so too Pelor has sent us this opportunity to banish this darkness.   Morn'Tharur: Really? I have not heard such a call.   Grogery: I have.   Morn'Tharur: I feel it is my duty to guard this treasure. I haven't had responsibilities in ages. It feels right. Do your friends believe you?   Grogery: Regarding what?   Morn'Tharur: Are you who you say you are?   Grogery: Yes...?   Morn'Tharur glances between Grogery and his companions.   Morn'Tharur: ...if I do not relinquish this box, what will become of me?   Grogery: A powerful magician, upon hearing of our failure, will likely come in. He will think that, if there is no diplomatic way to make people safe, then violence must be used instead. I honestly do not know what sort of harm will befall you and the kobolds if that should happen. It is my greatest fear that, in the ensuing chaos, something happens to this box, and everyone in the Spire of Beasts (and a greater part of the city as well) will never see the light of the sun again.   Kesmet begins to approach, non-threateningly.   Kesmet: Morn. If I might interject?   Morn'Tharur: What do you need?   Kesmet: For you to hear us out, and to believe us. As your friends! Come on!   Morn'Tharur: I've already heard you.   Kesmet: I don't think you've listened, though. That thing that you're keeping is a) not treasure, and b) quite the opposite of Pelor's light, or whatever. It is just inky blackness! And you said earlier that you're all right with, like, dying, or whatever, if it's Pelor's will... it can't possibly be Pelor's will to have everybody in the city snuffed out by this darkness.   Morn'Tharur: It is my duty to protect this treasure.   Kesmet: And who charged you with that duty?   Morn'Tharur: You did.   Kesmet: And why do you not believe us when we say that your duty is completed?   Morn'Tharur: Little goblin. Do you trust me, and do you trust our god Pelor?   Grogery: I do.

  Morn'Tharur brings a clawed foot down around Grogery, shielding him from what he is about to do. Morn'Tharur suddenly lets out a terrifying roar. Glitter-like smoke comes from his nostrils and in-between his teeth, before eventually he exhales in a 90-foot cone in front of him. The kobolds, of course, know not to stand in front of the dragon. This immediately knocks Dazki unconscious.  

Kesmet: Morn! What the fuck! He backs away a little bit, keeping an eye on Grogery, then he goes to Dazki and wakes him up. Hey, Dazki, you OK?   Dazki: ...yeah... what was that? Right... dragon breath... sorry...   Kesmet: Man, it stinks. Morn's gone insane. He just breathed on us! And I think he crushed Grogery.   Dazki: Morn'Tharur. You are our friend. We trust you. And he just stands there... non-menacingly.   Dwardazik, yelling out: This is for Grogery! You release him right now! He runs forward to Grogery, reaching in to try to get Grogery out from under him.   Grogery: Dwardazik, I'm fine! I can get out! Is everyone else OK?   Dwardazik: We're doing fine. Morn'Tharur did something, it knocked Dazki right out!   Grogery: Dwardazik, I can get myself out. Morn'Tharur, I'm glad you didn't hurt anyone, but what are you doing?!   There's a loud scraping noise as the dragon stars dragging his claws along the floor, bringing Grogery closer to him and further away from the others.   Morn'Tharur: It must be them. They are the ones who have corrupted your thoughts! I will protect you!   Kesmet: Morn, you senile old fart!   Morn'Tharur: You will leave him alone, and you will leave me alone! I know that assassin you have outside! I will not be bullied into giving up my treasure. I am a great and powerful dragon!   Kesmet: It is not a treasure!   Morn'Tharur: If this is object is as dangerous as you say, then the best place for it is under my care! I know I can't do anything with it. I don't know what you can do!   Dazki: We have an ally who is capable of removing this danger from the world. We humbly beseech you, great Morn'Tharur, follow the wisdom of Pelor and do what is right, not what is easy.   Morn'Tharur: You speak his name, but you do not believe what you say.   Dazki: I do believe what I say. I may be skeptical of how much direct influence the gods have over our world. That much I freely admit. But I do believe in doing what is right, not what is easy.   Grogery: It wasn't easy for us to come down here, either. But we knew it was what was right. And I think you know that too.   Dazki takes some steps forward, into the dragon's reach.   Morn'Tharur releases Grogery from his grasp.   Morn'Tharur: You lot. Give me four reasons, right now, why I should stop being a dragon.   Dwardazik: A dragon is a legend. A legend that is passed down through the generations. But legends are never told about things that are easy. They are told about heroes. About people who have overcome the challenges that they face. If you, a dragon, give up your treasure to protect the city, taking a great personal loss for the safety of the city, then everyone who lives here now and into the future will be indebted and will remember the name of Morn'Tharur: the protector and savior of Ashport.   Dazki: Don't be a dragon first. Be a follower of Pelor first. Be one who does the right thing before all else. Follow the truth, follow your heart, protect others. Be faithful before being a dragon.   Kesmet: Morn. We're not trying to convince you not to be a dragon. We're trying to convince you to be more than a dragon.   Morn'Tharur: But the dwarf said that dragons are already legendary?   Kesmet: And you would settle for just "legend"? Be more than what you were yesterday!   Grogery: Dragons are often legendary because they have the capability of doing great things, not because they are inherently great. I must admit, however, that I have been a little bit of a dragon, myself. There is a treasure that I have kept very close to my heart. He pulls out the crystal of destiny, the one that he is trying really hard to believe is not worthless like everybody else thinks it is.   Grogery (cont'd): I originally started my journey to Ashport because my adopted parents gave me this crystal and an address in the Spire of Beasts and told me to deliver it. It looks like that address doesn't actually exist anymore. I've been trying my hardest to find where this belongs. I want to prove to them that I can do something and be something, and not just be around the castle. So when they gave me this mission, I...   Grogery (cont'd): Finding where this belongs is one of the most important things I've ever had to try to do in my life, and it is my greatest treasure. There is not a lot that would convince me to give this up to anybody, but it is incredibly important that we keep these people safe, and that we keep this Turmoil that you have from hurting anybody. So I am willing to trade this for the chest, in addition to anything else you may want. I know it doesn't look like much, but even something as small as this can sparkle in the right light. He casts Light on it to make it glow.   Morn'Tharur: That stone... is beautiful! Reminiscent...   Grogery: It also has a bit of a story behind it.   Morn'Tharur: A stone like this, I remember. ...As a wee whelp, it was my first treasure. ...They do not grow here. ...And yet, it lies before me now. ...It is a gift from Pelor! ...For you to be charged with bringing a rare gem to this very location... it can't be anything else but destiny!   Grogery: So, do you accept the exchange? The crystal of destiny for the chest?   Morn'Tharur: I have no choice. It... we are destined to be together.   Grogery: Truly, Pelor meant it to be so.   Dwardazik: But Grogery, your family!   Grogery: I need to do what is right. I'm sure my family will understand.   Morn'Tharur: For this stone, and for the grace of our lord, you can take all my treasure. This stone reminds me of a better time, and happiness is the best treasure of all.   Morn'Tharur delicately picks up the stone, examining it and watching all the colors. For the first time since we've met him, he genuinely seems happy, just staring at his glowing crystal.   Dwardazik: Ahh, the good ol' times. For me, the good ol' times involved movin' a bunch of heavy rocks. So we good to move this, then?   Morn'Tharur isn't responding to anything right now.   Grogery: I'm glad that we could bring you such happiness.   Dazki, putting a hand on Grogery's shoulder: Good job, Grogery. Your family would be proud. Your brother would be proud.

  The party goes to the chest and all start moving it out, as Grogery sends Annu a message: "Mission successful. Stay where you are. We need a cart." Annu replies: "Unexpected."   They make it back out to Annu. They drop the chest off next to him. Kesmet, producing a salad fork from his bag, addresses Annu first:  

Kesmet: Here is a fork, so you can eat your words!   Annu: I do not consume food.   Kesmet throws the fork at Annu's face and walks away. Annu casts shield at it.   Annu: You were successful.   Kesmet: Damn straight, we were!   Dazki: We were.   Dwardazik: It wasn't easy, and at points it seemed like we were going to fail. But we were successful! Grogery, yer a damn fine goblin!   Annu: Congratulations can come later. The primary objective is to deal with the box.   Dwardazik: You want to lift this thing?   Grogery: We got it here with a cart last time.   Dwardazik: We just carried this thing out of the Spire of Beasts. The least you can do is let us get a breather. Unless you want to help carry it?   Annu: Give me one minute and twenty-five seconds.   Dwardazik: Oh, great! "Give me one minute and twenty-five seconds", he says! Sure! Let me just get all my break, tied up in one minute! He starts breathing sarcastically.   Annu conjures an earth elemental.   Dwardazik: Oh. Well. That's mighty interesting!   Annu, addressing Dwardazik: You now have assistance in carrying the box.   Dwardazik: ..."assistance". Sigh.   With the help of the earth elemental, they start carrying it again.   Grogery: So where are we taking this?   Dwardazik, panting heavily: That's a good point...   Kesmet: Hopefully to a cart, so we can...   Annu: I have already requested a cart to retrieve the object.   Kesmet: Well that's all you had to say!   Annu: It is too dangerous for the cart to go into this area. We must move it to a more suitable location.   Dwardazik: Where?   Dazki: Outside, in Temple Row?   Annu: Yes.   Dazki: Very well.   Dwardazik: We are going to witness the destruction of this, right? I don't like leaving a story right before the ending. I'd rather know for sure, with my own eyes, that it was in fact destroyed.   Annu: You do not trust me, still?   Dazki: You do not trust us.   Dwardazik: It's not that we don't trust you, Annu. Someone could try and steal this, even now.   Kesmet: I don't trust him to keep it safe. I mean, look what happened last time! A bunch of yahoos managed to take it away from you.   Annu: Trust is not something that should be given without proper data analysis.   Kesmet: OK, well, analyze this: we just...   Dazki: Kesmet, he gets it. He's trying to give us data we can use to trust him as well. Annu, you are going to allow us to witness this destruction, correct?   Annu: It would be most convenient for you to come with me. I still have a secondary objective, after all.   Dazki: There we go.

  They make it to the cart, and travel the rest of the way. It's the same path that they intercepted it on previously, all those years months weeks days ago.  

Dwardazik: Ugh. To imagine that we thought Annu was using this path to try to sneak off with these goods.   Kesmet: We were fooled.   Dwardazik: I don't like being fooled. Makes me feel like a beardling.   Kesmet: Well, the guy who fooled us is dead.   Dwardazik: Aye. That makes me feel a little better, but that doesn't change the fact that we got fooled.   Dazki: Annu, have you heard anything about what's been happening to the others who have been influenced by Baxton?   Annu: The individuals with the marks around their eyes?   Dazki: Yes.   Annu: Not all is perfectly well.   Dazki: What is unwell?   Annu: It appears there are still some remnants of what there was before, although it is now untamed. It's causing... side-effects.   Dazki: Could you describe these side-effects for us?   Annu: I will give you a subset of what is observed, although I do not have the complete information at this time. Common problems include: loss or altered vision, residual pain, delusions.   Dazki: They are all being taken care of, though? They are not being executed or anything, yet?   Annu: They seem to have done the actions in an act of self-preservation, not in an act of malice. If an emergency action is called, it would be easy for them to get off lightly.   Dazki: Good.   Grogery: Is there a list of the people who have been taken prisoner as a result of this, that we could look at?   Annu: It is outside of my jurisdiction.   Grogery: Does such a list exist somewhere that would be accessible to outside advisors?   Annu: It is unclear at this time.   Dwardazik: I don't like walking into something I don't fully understand unless I can't help it. So, what is this process of destroying this Turmoil thing? Do you just heat it up with this enhanced fire, and it's destroyed?   Annu: Despite the inherent danger, it is actually quite a simple process. The Turmoil, once isolated, is easily disposed of using pure concentrated fire from the Plane.   Grogery: By the way, where did this particular Turmoil come from, anyway? We know it was slated for destruction in the original caravan, but where was it originally found?   Annu: This Turmoil was confiscated from a warehouse near the docks.   Grogery: Ahh... was it near a turtle, perhaps? It might have been something that Baxton was storing in secret.   Annu: Certain individuals attempted to remove the object and bring it to the library, before we acquired it. It was successfully intercepted, but not without difficulty.   Dazki: That makes sense.   Grogery: What individuals attempted to move it?   Kesmet: was it Dennis's goons?   Annu: Upon realizing that its final destination was the library, a more thorough investigation of the site took place, where a substantial quantity of contraband or otherwise illegal material was also confiscated. This is the material that you had relinquished to me earlier today.   Grogery: And where did all the slugs fit into this?   Dwardazik: I'd almost forgotten about those beasts...   Grogery: Are we to presume that Baxton was associated with those as well?   Annu: Incorrect... not fully incorrect, but incorrect.   Dwardazik: What, some kind of offshoot? Some kind of byproduct?   Annu: You are referring to what the government was calling "The Plague"?   Dazki / Grogery: Yes.   Annu: Your research was actually quite valuable to me, here. The appearance of the slugs corresponds to the disappearance of a ship that had ported. Records showed that it had "dissolved into the sea".   Grogery: And then it ended up underground, beneath the library somewhere, and then proceeded to try to attack us because it was animated by the mother of all slugs.   Dwardazik: Yes, an animated ship trying to eat us. How could I forget that happy memory?   Annu: Given that the slugs were Turmoil in origin, I suspect it was another shipment gone awry, though I do not have concrete evidence.   Grogery: So you believe that Baxton was getting Turmoil shipped in from some other place?   Annu: I do.   Dwardazik: That seems to be it. Now who in the world was Baxton receiving his orders from?   Dazki: The tall man. The traveling doctor.   Dwardazik: All right. So how do we identify them?   Dazki: He is not exactly making himself scarce. The information broker we talked to said he's going around "healing" villages. We should be able to, at the very least, find his trail rather quickly.   Dwardazik: Ahh, and here I was hoping for some time off.   Annu: I am interested in this, at an academic level.   Grogery: Of course the House of Crystal would be interested in this from an academic perspective.   Dwardazik: I'm interested in it... from a pickaxe perspective!   Dazki: What is it that you wish to inquire about?   Annu: I was looking over the notes from our meeting earlier. Your demeanor changed suddenly. I know a lot of difficult things have happened to you, but the shift was odd. It wasn't deceptive or planned, it was spontaneous.   Dwardazik: That's called "relief", Annu. It's when you realize that you don't have to fight a massive dragon.   Dazki: He's referring to what happened back at the house. And I told him exactly what happened, after it happened.   Annu: This sudden interest in this doctor-like figure. He is outside of my jurisdiction. Do you suspect he may pose a threat?   Dazki: Yes. He has been in the city, and in contact with Baxton, conversing about Turmoil-related matters. We have witnessed this.   Dwardazik: He's the target.   Annu: Then I can set acquisition and elimination of this individual as a priority.   Dwardazik: Outside of, perhaps, needing to gather information from them, so the trail doesn't go cold, I wholeheartedly agree.   Annu: I cannot do this without assistance.   Dazki: Boy, I sure hope you have some people who are willing to help you with that!   Dwardazik: I can't imagine who would want to volunteer for that kind of work.   Grogery: It would need to be people who are able to prove themselves to be cooperative and having an outside perspective and experience in dealing with matters such as this.   Dazki: Do you know of anyone like that?   Grogery: I may know a few people, but I'd need to check with them first.   Kesmet: Well, get on it quickly. I'm getting tired of working for Annu.   Annu: It is not unreasonable for you to be concerned about trusting another being at this time. However, I have also been negatively affected by recent actions of others.   Dwardazik: Oh? Baxton betrayed you?   Annu: Perhaps we can find common ground.   Dazki: I do hope so.   Dwardazik: That's the most human thing you've said all day!   Annu: I am not a human.   Dwardazik: That much is clear...   Dazki: We look forward to cooperating with you in these matters.   Kesmet: Ah shit, you guys were being coy. You meant us.

  They arrive at the quarry. The Fireguard, along with the spider pulling the cart, document each individual piece of Turmoil in the cart, before annihilating it with fire. It seems like way more artillery than what would likely be necessary for such a small object. The Turmoil has only very very brief periods of time where it is not exposed to any pure element. Being removed from the box of pure water into the hands of an elemental of pure fire, it is then thoroughly disintegrated. Any ashes that remain are actually teleported to a different plane.  

Dazki: So, Annu, I have a question about this. If we do come across more of these objects, would it conceivably be safe to put them in a Bag of Holding, or some other type of extra-dimensional space that only they were in?   Annu: Research on Turmoil in other dimensions is uncommon and hard to come by. However, I am led to believe that a pocket dimension is not safe from the Turmoil. We send ours into a different plane, but it is an elemental plane, and only after it is thoroughly destroyed here, as a precaution.   Dazki: Good to know.   Annu: Otherwise, yes, it would be beneficial to just throw it into a pocket dimension.   Dazki: I don't have a lot of experience directly managing Turmoil, so I figured it's better to ask the dumb questions and get them answered, than to try something foolish.   Annu: Having information is better than not having information.   Dazki: Exactly.   Dwardazik: If only we could replicate this kind of fire out in the field. Kesmet, can you get that hot?   Kesmet: No.

  Inspiration: 1 point to Grogery for delivering the crystal to the dragon, and 1 point to Dazki for completely out-of-game reasons.