The Age of Worms / The Zenith Trajectory pt. 2/ Fos the 19th, 3593 CE / 4-18-21

General Summary

Things have been calm in the city of Cauldron since the Flood Season, but that has all come to an end today, when a large insectoid monster burst from the ground beneath one of the warehouses on Magma Avenue, and the adventuring team known as Not by Choice find themselves thrust once more into the thick of battle. The monster has already collapsed two buildings and now, disoriented and enraged from the pain of its mortal wounds, it slams into the support beam, causing the balcony on which a hapless onlooker stands to teeter threateningly. The owl girl Moth, just now reunited with the group after their previous adventure together fighting vampire goblins, rushes to help the woman, clambering onto the dangerously unstable balcony, but her mind has been muddled by the magical gaze of the monster, and she suddenly sees an enemy where before she saw an innocent, lashing out at the woman with her deadly claws. Milton, seeing a chance to grab some glory, shoves a fruit seller out of the way and then positions himself to catch the woman as the balcony gives way, sending her right into his waiting arms and sending Moth toppling haplessly onto the pavement. Meanwhile, city guards have reached the scene, and are aghast to see crowds of people suffering under the monster's confusion, among them Nari, Jozu, and the three-armed dwarf Harrov. Lulu, recognizing the monster from legends explains the situation to the guards, and they move to restrain those suffering from the mental effects in order to contain the situation until the madness passes, which it does moments later. Nari, fearing repercussions for Jozu after he attacked several onlookers, casts carry companion on the raptor and puts him out of sight. Likewise, Nari herself is suffering anxiety from her own transformation to her natural kitsune form, and changes into a fox to avoid the public eye and make use of her scent ability. As Lulu and Moth poke around the ruined warehouses looking for clues, Milton puts a name to the dead beast, one he remembers from his own studies of the dark places of Anoria: an umber-hulk. With the guards tacit approval, he attempts to remove one of the creature's eyes, but when that goes badly, he surreptitiously slices off a mandible instead, remembering the guards' warning that the creature's corpse would soon be confiscated by the Magical Threats Agency of Bluecrater Academy. Meanwhile, Moth and Lulu have found little of note in the warehouse, though Moth can say definitively that the monster came from underneath the earth, and Lulu notes what could have once been some runes painted on the now ruined warehouse floor. The guards inform them that the warehouses belonged to someone named Maavu Arlintal, but thankfully it appears that no one was inside, and so other than a few cuts and bruises, some of them self-inflicted, the encounter has ended without casualty. The party decides to complete their mission to speak with Ptolus the information broker at the nearby Slippery Eel. Moth, disappointed that killing the umber hulk did not culminate in her being able to feast upon it, decides to join them, as does Harrov for reasons of his own. The Slippery Eel is packed with onlookers from the combat now looking to slake their thirst and swap tales, and Not by Choice, already heroes from having fought back the flood waters, are hailed once more, and offered drinks on the house. Moth and Harrov receive a heroes welcome as well, and even Harrov's intimidating clockwork mount Sarous is celebrated once word gets around how it broke the umber-hulk's leg with its mighty bite. While inquiring after Ptolus, Not by Choice learns that he has not been at the tavern all day, but are able to get his address. As they make their way to the waterfront apartment where Ptolus lives, Moth slips away. At Ptolus's apartment, Not by Choice finds the door unlocked, but the room itself bare of all except basic furnishings. In a footlocker, Milton finds a piece of parchment with a sigil which Lulu identifies at belonging to the Last Laugh, the local thieves' guild. Their investigation is interrupted by the arrival of an odd woman named Celeste who delivers two separate invitations to the group, one for dinner that evening with Lulu's friend and associate, Elilgos the Sage, and one for dinner the following evening at the Cusp of Sunrise, a members-only club for Cauldron aristocracy, with a mysterious group of "Benefactors." The party decides to accept both, and goes shopping for the proper accouterments to be dressed appropriately for wining and dining with Cauldron's upper crust.

Character(s) interacted with

Lulu Victry, Nari Ashida, Milton Butters, Harrov Runerider, Moth, Kaduceus, Celeste, Kyria (seamstress). Beppo (fruit-seller), Velior Taizo (disguised as bartender), Jozu, Saurous, an umberhulk, city guards, Cauldron citizens

Report Date

18 Apr 2021

Primary Location

Cauldron