Dragonfall

So I spent the afternoon looking into what was in my cart while the others reappropriated. From what I could tell it was a scrying sensor behind Eval. I haven’t noticed it when I’m here and it could have been for Skrel or him, but dunno. If it’s not after me I’m not particularly worried. I kept working on getting a device to try to cure Leo. I can get a proof that the curse can be reversed if we need, and at least look like I am helping this group. Skrel came buy at one point to unload a large gathering of arms and such. He asked to store around 371lbs of various arms and armors and such. Too bad none of it was magical. Could have really used the boost of supplies to keep this group alive. Shortly after the drop off Skrel, Lilly, Leo, and I traveled back to where we had left Bjorn and Kniana’s cart. I think they all had a talk, but I just kept working to get Remove Curse running through the night. Come morning and after my nap and routine, I used my newly rebuilt ring to cast Remove Curse on Leo. He started writhing on the ground sounding like he was in excruciating pain. It looked like some of the vines grew deeper, while a few looked like they dried out and died. It looked like it had enough of effect and I noticed a smudged icon, so I tried again with better results. The vines wiggled free from his body like worms sprouting from the ground. Quite gross, but they seemed to be purged. I was pleased with the results even if he is passes out and likely wounded. Serves a cutpurse right.
I went back into my cart to look into exposing the rats I caught to the flowers. When exposed to a living one, the rat stayed away as much as possible. The one I exposed to the crushed up flower stayed away as much as it could, but died after succumbing to it. I will have to watch the corpse until it starts to rot to see if the flower affects it like the fey group described.
 
Later around 9am, Kniana and Eval returned with a severed hand and a letter. The necklaces had arrived, and the one from Morkai still had a hand on it… A letter from RRRoshin had come accompanying it. It was written in terran and said,”To whom it may concern, related to the ritual to take place in several days times. The eyeless are ever watching. You are being mislead, stick to the task at hand. -Roshin” Skrel and I agree that we needed to get this necklace to Naan as soon as we could. Kniana was adamant about wanting to speak to the counsel of nine at the site 2 days from here near the ritual site. She was also incredibly concerned about finding the still missing Lady Rene and the fact that the Deep Lords are searching the area. Lilly questioned the feasibility but Kniana is certain that the Circle of Nine know. I piped up about the line of “The eyeless are ever watching.” I told them of what I saw in my cart the other day. A skry sensor behind Eval. Skrel said “So that’s what’s been spying on me” also mentioning how he believes that we should head RRRoshin’s warning. Eval is saying that he wants to help Kniana with their noble things and that they can’t leave without helping. Kniana was getting mad saying that she MUST see the Circle of Nine and the Glyphkin and that WE had to help her. “We??” I’m sorry but my only real beholden to this group is free protection. I didn’t say this out loud, but I think she assumed that we had similar morals or something. The part of talking with the Glyphkin is tempting, but I’d rather go looking at what RRRoshin had to offer first.
At the time Eval wanted to speak with and take the necklaces to the nine. Him and Skrel did agree with me that the mayor was suspicious the other day with the whole task he gave us. I offered to transfer the necklace to Maki using the safety of the bank rings. That brought up the question of their safety. Luckily, I helped the GOW forge a set a few years ago so I know how they worked. I explained that it was more on the sender’s safety rather than the recipients for what happened with the hand. Kniana made mention that one of her contacts discovered that the Azure Spider Silk was being manufactured in Baldir and refined in Valerin. I had to remind Lilly that the crystal dust is very intentionally made and that there couldn’t be a knockoff, just dilution. Eval says it was probably the dwarves in Baldir as only they could produce such fine dust. AS IF, The dwarves of Baldir, IF they even exist, could only hope to match AT BEST with the fine works of the SNAGGLETOOTH BROTHERHOOD. Just because I don’t know their methods doesn’t mean they can’t be done or outdone by our members! I WILL find some after dealing with this necklace debacle and learn their methods to give back to our crafters!
Kniana took the hand off the necklace during this chat and had me look at it. I could sense faint fading traces of magic from the necklace and after looking a little closer I determined that it was a prop, a fake, costume jewelry if you would. After saying this and snapping the chain Skrel called into question the validity of the letter saying that it was manufactured. Eval replied with saying that the letter looks like the servants’ from the library. From there everyone started proposing theories as to what was going on.
I ended up offering to take the necklace back to Naan as per the original deal, but Kniana said that someone was watching us. I said that I could hide it amongst other business I have to send to Maki, inside the loan and advance for Kniana and whatnot. They still questioned the safety so I had to explain that the rings are like windows, there is no “in between” the items are either on one side or the other. The current theory is that someone switched out the necklace on our end. I also informed them that a small person CAN go through, but to do so would be a gross abuse of Brotherhood confidentiality and my connections. Skrel wanted to be buttered up and sent through. At this point Kniana’s annoyance with all of us blew up, but before she could chew us out a voice pierced the fog and the clouds.
 
“They are in proximity. I can no longer hide your presence. Your winds have drawn their attraction.” The booming voice said this as a 200 foot line of the fog parted to the north. At the other end stood a mighty beast, a Cloud Dragon. “RUN” he boomed and I didn’t have to be told twice by my elderkin. He seemed to literally consume the cloud around himself as over a dozen shrouded figures come against a barrier of force around us. We made haste down this path as brambled figures started to surround the walls barely an inch away and closing behind us. The figures gave chase but we managed to outpace them. What felt like only a bit later Bessy was tired and struggling with the same happening to the other beasts of burden. We managed to make it into a clearing as a large creature bust through the barrier between us and the Dragon. A tree ent covered in black brambles, black moss, and dripping black liquid got ready to slam us, only to be picked up by what would be its scruff by the Dragon and slammed somewhere in the fog. We could hear the clash of battle in the churning fog. In front of us stood 60+ fey all armed and looking ready to fight the bramble creatures the pursued us. This all inside a dome with a group of three fey controlling the wind to let us see. Then three large earth elementals use their earthen magic to pull up a massive wall and I think a trench to keep the bramblers out. With all the battle noises from outside the wall one of the nine was there. Bessy ended up collapsing after that run and a few dryads give her a bowl with crystalline water. She seemed refreshed. I looked back to try to watch the Dragon fight. I think the Lady of the nine approached the others with flasks of water and said that we unwillingly just traveled through time or something. A giant rumble shook the ground as a time Dragon landed near the cloud Dragon to help. It might have been Nethys himself! The Dragons talked for a second and the time one disappeared with a shimmer. The three performing the wind ritual dropped to the ground exhausted as the cloud Dragon started to control the wind in their stead. It then dawned on me that we were then in a stone coliseum camp with the weaponized fey and a lady of the nine offering us beverages. The others drank and passed out as I jumped up to go to the Dragon. The last thing I heard before passing out myself was,” thank you Zaltharian.”