Session 5: Books, Bees, and Bars

General Summary

Upon arrival in Isadell, PCs decide they want to start at El'Tudiam University. Neela and Menkomi offer to walk them to the University, since they have to coordinate with the Administrative Offices about selling their parchment, ink, etc.

• Neela and Menkomi will then likely feel out some business at The Twelve Fiddles Inn, a frequent place where they hold business meetings with people in Isadell, then plan to meet the PCs for dinner and drinks at Chilly Pigeon's

At El'Tudiam Archives

• Upon entry, PCs showed their note from Lord Vardas to Finare Lithtaur, who went to go confirm the the dean
• While waiting, Abe looked around and saw the assigned reading lists for classes posted and saw:
  • Colloquial Gnomish (with Prof. Hollthea Balkein) reading list was insanely long
  • Marine Biology had no reading just "Come see me!" with the name of the professor: Zileus Igreth and the location of the El'Tudiam Marine Biology Research Outpost
• If seeking info about the pendant, direct towards religious texts

No success in the Anthros tower, success in the Ethos tower! Found a book debating ancient religions and learned that their pendant had the symbol of Kir-Joath, also learned in theory about the The Ipare Pantheon -- book was skeptical of the validity.

After this, stopped back and asked Finare who they might be able to see about magical artifacts (looking for help with the orb) -- directed them to Professor Tathviel Finethil, a Cosmos professor that teaches principles of magic, researches the origins and powers of magical artifacts

At Prof. Finethil's office

• Showed her this orb, told her that they found it in a Kir-Joath temple (she doesn’t know who this is), and that it causes strange effects to those who handle it
• Prof. Finethil got very excited to see and research it, wanted to publish if she found something but PCs said no to publishing, but can write a white paper and TBD publishing until they know more
• Immediately cast detect magic, confirmed that the orb is not magical in the sense that it hasn’t been imbued with magic from any of the known schools/types of magic
• PCs left the orb with her for her more in-depth research and will come back on Monday
• While they're gone, she'll cast the Identify spell will tell them that it is powerful but the origin is neither celestial ethereal astral fiend fae, etc. nothing known, the orb seems to be made up entirely of some energy that is not defined/known in the typical schools of magic, might suggest that its power originates from beyond the outer planes

At the El'Tudiam Marine Biology Research Outpost

• Meet Bel Shezzek the research assistant & Professor Zileus Igreth
• Told them about the orb and everything that happened in Ahrensport, octopus fight, that the other Prof has the orb
• Professor Igreth tells them:
• This area is a wealth of biodiversity! He’s noticed that this biodiversity extends to the waters near Ahrensport and the Mitterdens, but not far beyond the Tri-Hold. He thinks that it’s because the waters here are highly irregular -- strange current and weather patterns driven by a highly irregular ocean floor, from what he’s been able to map, some parts of the waters nearby are shallow and rocky, then quickly get quite deep, other areas are filled with vegetation, other areas coral -- a truly spectacular place for research!
• Octopus, especially giant octopus, tend to remain in the depths of the sea -- he’s only been able to see them by shifting form himself and going for a deep dive. Octopuses are quite intelligent as far as marine creatures go -- likely has the intelligence to understand basic concepts
• A few weeks ago, he’s noticed that many aquatic plants and animals appeared to be mutating, and he attempted to catch some for study -- the strange mutations are fading from the smaller creatures faster, but still has a large crab that’s covered in shifting multicolored spikes
• This did not come up: The storm ~3 weeks ago was uncharacteristic in how quickly it came on, and that it blew from west to east (normally storms come from the open seas in the east). The storm itself did not appear imbued with magic, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that it was natural in origin

After the daytime search, went to Chilly Pigeon's

• Bel ordered ceviche, Abe ordered a burger, Zoran ordered hearty stew of nameless meat. Abe tried honey for the first time (his woods didn't have honey bees) and loved it.
• Overheard a research assistant (Thilenwa Garaitinu) complaining about how their research is stalled because of some shipment delays for their alchemical supplies, and the professor blames him -- "How are deranged mountain trolls my fault?!"
• Mountain trolls disrupting trade through the mountain passes between Vuhn and Halkilde
• People that have fought the trolls are having strange things happen to them, so people are afraid to trade
• Neela and Menkomi showed up, gt introduced to Bel, made plans for sleeping arrangements

After dinner, went to The Weathered Brush

• Bel recommended this to Abe & Zoran as a cool speakeasy where people talk about their research, and on Thursday nights an old bard known as The Teller shares stories (today is Thursday, yay!)
• If they go here after hours, have to say the name of the book on sale that day (today: Defending Divinity)
• All got drinks -- Abe loves honey now and thus got Honey Pine Dew, an expensive mead shipped from Eyrievale
• The Teller will tell a few stories, and the last one of the night will be requested to be “one we haven’t heard before”: The Lost People  
  • With a DC12 insight check, Zoran will remember seeing the name Orile-ede in the little red travelers journal from Vardas’ library
  • Tells The Teller about EVERYTHING that they know about the existence of the temple and amulet and religious book from the archives (not the orb, not the journal), also tell him about how they slayed an octopus
  PCs head to bed -- Abe & Zoran on The Endeavor, Bel at his studio apartment. They plan to meet on campus at the Bios building.

         

Notes

Up next:

• Want to find out about the supply issue from administration
• Get the results from the professor with the orb on Monday
• Want to find out more about the shapeshifters