The Keys of Telku / The Final Key pt. 12 / Kith the 25th through the 27th, 3593 CE / 5-9-22

General Summary

Rados of Niopus lands atop one of the rooftop terraces of the palace of House Dracus, where he is immediately intercepted by guards who grab his prisoner, Lord Namara, head of House Eichon. Rados must now wait for the return of his companions from their expedition to infiltrate House Eichon and learn more of the plot to destroy House Dracus. As time drags by, the fate of the others remains in question. Soon Night and First, the Amita K'un who accompanied the adventurers on their mission, find their way back, and eventually, so do the rest of the party, who had to flee into the sewers, though the druid Moss has seen to it they are not too unsightly thanks to some magical prestidigitation. Once the Adventurers are assembled once more, along with John, who spent the evening making friends with the serving staff, Master Sun debriefs them on their mission. They tell of the betrayal of Lord Mako, the magical earthquake caused by Rados's patron goddess, and the capture of the Lord Namara. They also mention the mysterious red samurai who rose seemingly from the dead in the crypts beneath Castle Eichon. Master Sun recalls seeing her entombed years before when he was part of the failed attack on House Eichon. Before the meeting is over, Moss is able to return the partial remains of Master Sun's father, Master Yoritomo, who sacrificed himself to guard the Amita K'un's escape those many years ago, along with Yoritomo's Ring of Fallen Leaves. Master Sun is grateful to the druid, and later Moss will leverage the debt to extract an agreement to receive training in the ways of the Amita K'un. After the debriefing, Dracus guards fetch Adrienne for an audience with Lord Kalkin, son of the Overlord. Kalkin has already heard the news that Adrienne attempted to kill his brother, the treacherous Mako. Kalkin tells Adrienne that he will keep the news quiet for the time being, as it will not do for an outsider like her to have assaulted the son of the Overlord, but that she has his blessing to "finish the job." The next day at breakfast, Rados demonstrates a new spell that he learned, eyes of the city. With it, John is able to deduce that Lord Tarrus, accompanied by his strange hooded bodyguard, had a meeting with another Lord of Pandona who he does not recognize before departing town. Rados attempts to trace Mako, but the vision goes dark after he is stabbed by Adrienne and put into the care of Ashikaga the Wolf-Walker. And Baijao attempts to glean more information on the mysterious Crimson Raven who stalks the night of Pandona fighting crime and righting wrongs. The party also learns that Marrow has left for parts unknown, but when Master Sun asks if she could have gone to Tarrus to betray them, Adrienne finds it doubtful. The party takes care of some shopping in town, where all the citizens are talking about the strange earthquake which struck the night before. Moss and Rados then volunteer to accompany Lord Kalkin and Master Sun in the interrogation of their prisoner, Lord Namara. In his cell, Lord Namara reveals that Mako is in fact his half-brother, an illegitimate bastard of Overlord Kitaya and the wife of the late Overlord Uramae. Though the lineage seems doubtful, Eichon seems determined that the Temporal Council will approve Mako's legitimacy of inheriting leadership in both Houses. However, Moss, seeing an opportunity, plies Lord Namara with the possibility to save his own skin in exchange for ending the Vendetta between Houses Eichon and Dracus. Namara seems open to the idea, showing no love lost between himself and Mako, though Kalkin is unconvinced. Moss also inquires about the mysterious undead samurai, and discovers that she is in fact the founder of House Eichon, Asharok, also known as Lady Bloodmist, and that Namara is surprised to learn of her return to life. Master Sun concludes the interrogation by inquiring why Ashikaga betrayed the Amita K'un to join forces with House Eichon, but Lord Namara simply rails once more against the arrogance of Overlord Kitaya and House Dracus. That afternoon, the party finds themselves invited to a formal luncheon hosting another visiting noble, Lord Kax of House Margrav, who holds the monopoly on the trade of liquor in Pandona. All but Stele, who makes a pilgrimage to the Temple of Accuris, attend the lunch, where they find themselves plied for information on their backgrounds by Lord Kax as his dwarven axe-men feast across the room from them. Lord Kax has promised to ally with House Dracus in their Vendetta with House Eichon, but when Kax goes to toast the venture, he keels over from poison, despite the fact that Moss has been attempting to use magic to watch for any signs of it. As the party leaps into action, so do the dwarven axe-men, accusing them of treachery and leaping to the attack.

Missions/Quests Completed

Infiltrating House Eichon

Character(s) interacted with

Adrienne Kirk, Baijo Chen, Rados, Moss Cherry-Blossom Quickroot, John, Night, First, Master Sun, Tarrus the One-Eyed, Lord Keshnin, Lord Namara, Lord Kalkin, Lord Kax, Lesym, House Dracus guards, dwarven axe-men

Report Date

10 May 2022