5.0 - Mirrored Meetings

Plot points/Scenes

Travel

Day 5
Travel to Isjorbe. Describe that to the south as they travel (to their right) is a lake of ice. Yasmah will note how once the height of Flame Cycle kicks in, the ice melts just enough that it beings to lap with the slightest ripples and the ice chunks on top clink and rattle like thousands of wine glasses toasting. Right now however, the lake is frozen and ice harvesters are seen off in the distance. The sun will glint on sections of the ice, but good amounts of it are covered in snow, making it hard to see where the tundra ends and the water begins. Only the occasional shrubs and clusters of grass give a good idea of that.
To their left (north) are the tall, rocky, and ice covered Issen Mountains. Yasmah speaks only about rumors of the most desperate outcasts and criminals that try to hide there, but it's a safer bet to join up with the bandits in the forest east of Lyston. The Issen Mountains harbor little food, but plenty of large monsters. And... a witch. Rish tells Yasmah to hush on the matter. Yasmah winks at the group and tells them locals in Isjorbe can tell them more. They're almost there anyway.
Generally, despite the frozen lake, the temperature increases a bit. probably sitting at about 35-40. They will be passed by quick-moving caravans of ice carvers, loads being pulled by (). The caravans give nods, but don't stop.

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Arrival

The group makes it to Isjorbe by nightfall. (Isjorbe description here). The merchants try to book themselves at a decent in near the center of the city, but the owner refuses to serve the scoundrel that still owes him from last time. The party will pass the pillar/statue on the way to the inn. The merchants have to go back to a more crummy inn at the edge of town (not exactly the direction they came in).
Morning Day 6
The people with the highest total sanity scores will hear whispering, calling to them. As will Kallista. It calls them back to that statue. Party investigates. DC 15-ish will discover faint scrape marks on the ground. A very high roll will reveal some etchings that seem touched more than others. Other discovery would be the plinth and large stones in the ground having faint writing on it. The large stones are very worn, and some don't seem to have anything at all. In fact, it doesn't seem the square here is very level.
Most of the writing is in Script, but the plinth has scratched out Script with new lines of Old Common. It's not a direct translation, but the words for "Preservation guide Chaos" in Script seem like they've been re-carved; "Preservation" and "guide" on the plinth, "Chaos" on the stone.
Plinth reads "And pushed nearer, Chaos quelled, did Vira to Preservation. Conviction of hers guide to balance, maintaining we do." ("And so Vira, Chaos quelled, pushed nearer to Preservation. Her conviction the guide to balance, that we maintain").
"Preservation guide Chaos" is the answer that must be unlocked in order. Preferably, freezing water inside the slots to fit the shape, but also thieves tools would probably do it.

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Tunnels

Door opens and slants down toward the plinth, creating a ramp down. At first the tunnel is rough stone, but quickly turns to reflective ice, like looking in a mirror. It's not very roomy in here either. Tunnels head generally north, into the Issen Mountains. If sanity checks are made, players see something of a shadows of the other world. people bustling to and from, different style of clothes (Edwardian/Victorian).
They follow the whispering call through the maze of ice tunnels. Eventually the whispering turns to actual chatter as they catch up to Desna Shesh and 3 others. 1 is Desna's brother Miki, 1 is another "guard" (), and the last is a little tiefling boy (pink skin, small horns sprouting from his forehead, purple irises breaking into the rest of his eyes).
Desna is holding the boy's hand, guards stand between them and the party. But Desna waves the guards down. She recognizes that some of the party heard her whispers and that some are castaways like herself.
Conversation. Desna is regal in some ways, but very giggly/bubbly too. "You knew the code. Do you know the Cloister?" "Then you seek to break the madness?" She saves those of unfortunate blood, and those who go insane. A sparse settlement in the mountains.
That feeling of being watched rises. And then the reflections of the party turn to a shadow of a tabaxi, one hand out.
Desna exclaims, the guards stand at attention. "You are being watched. Hunted." Desna gets very defensive. "Leave this place. Don't lead them to us." She lifts her hand in a gesture and the ice of the tunnels shifts, separating them from the party.

Relations

Neutrals/Bystanders

Miki Shesh: male Triton. A darker blue, fading to an aqua. Dark silver hair, side cut. Purple eyes. 116 years old. Quiet and reserved. Reads and draws. A little emo.
Desna Shesh: female Triton. Pale blue, fading to white. Pure white hair. Ice blue eyes. 105 years old. She always looks just a little frosty, can especially tell in her hair where there's the ever-so-slight presence of frost clinging. She loves the snow and ice and doesn't seem bothered by the cold at all.

Protagonists

• Kilith
• Atani
• Sil'Ferrous
• Holg
• Kallista

Related Locations

• Isjorbe

Key Items

• Atani's Cloister Code

Ataxia

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