1st Session- The Asadan Intrigue
General Summary
5th-8th of Phyton's Planting, 1436
Days of Dunes
The sparse tropical foliage and scrublands quickly faded as the party ventured away from the coast, leaving behind the carnage of the pirate refuge. When they reached the start of the shifting sands the party had refitted the cart Udoud was towing into a sled by using barrel ribs to make runners. Scarlet had brought up her wizard's tower each night for them all to sleep through the night in comfort. The fire Genasi would send nightly send messages to her sister, telling her of their journey's progress. Kumi, still getting used to being part of a group like this one, was amazed by the tower's sudden appearance amongst the dunes every evening. Inside she would usually spend her time on one of the lounge couches, keeping a bit of distance from the others. The Kobold brothers would at times sit beside her, keeping to themselves as well.At the top of the tower Phuc Her was mentored further by Scarlet on the stars. She even allowed him use of her collection of astronomical books and charts as he crafted his own star chart suited to his chosen druidic path. Cassima provided adept aide to the Half-Elf, giving him exactly the right materials needed at the appropriate times in furtherance of his efforts. Also within the safety of the magical domicile, Lapis had made use of the new third floor study to attempt cracking the complex code "E" had used in his journal. With consummate effort, and a little assistance from Scarlet to piece together the last gaps in her understanding of the great puzzle, suddenly the key became apparent. The phrase "by salvation" formed the basis of the rotating code. And so, with time and effort, Lapis began to painstakingly transcribe the true text of each page.
What she found in the span of a half dozen pages was enough to shock her. While she hadn't paid much attention to the context of the words in the moment, glancing back to read the clear pages not only confirmed the notes she'd found before but expanded on the apparent conspiracy. The criminal underworld of Asada was a sham, carefully orchestrated to move goods from one place to another through syndicates by feeding them all different information. It was robbing one hand to feed the other on a grand scale. Further, there were plots at work within the Imperium's heart of Brovia. A sect of the large ring of Grinner information gatherers and smugglers was actually being tapped into these plots as well. Double agents were misguiding or subverting the efforts of their recent acquaintance Jai's organization. As the journal seemed to be alphabetically arranged by regions and nations Lapis decided that whenever she had time she would continue to work at uncovering the breadth of this seemingly global conspiracy.
And so, the party had been traveling northeast in the seemingly endless desert three days at that point. It was midmorning and Kumi was looking slightly more purple than when she'd met the party. As was the Half-Elf Phuc Her in some places, even with the white cloth's added protection over most of his body. The others were less bothered by the sun, but traversing the sand sea was becoming trying for them all the more they walked. The party had at first been able to overcome the dunes easily. However, the further they went into the Restless Dunes the more the name proved true. After trying to go around the more imposing dunes, risking losing time and their way, the party had given up the zigzagging path in favor of just climbing them and sliding down the other side to keep the straightest course.
Desert... Skiing?
The party was finally surmounting the highest dune they had yet encountered during their time in the desert. Reaching the crest, they found that the slope downwards was higher than the side they had just scaled at nearly 600 feet in height. While the descent looked like it might take a bit to work out, they took advantage of the great vantage provided to scan the horizon. In the distance and running somewhat parallel to their direction of travel was a massive wall of rock rising up out of the sands. Phuc Her and Lapis deduced that there might be some shelter from the sun and potentially fresh water within too. The alchemy jug Lapis had provided them with plenty of fresh water to make it through the days, but lest much to be desired when it came to taste.The group was immediately split over the wisdom of going near the rock plateau. While shelter and more refreshing water had appeal, there was also the very real risk that unsavory characters were in the vicinity for the exact same reason. Being exposed in the open desert was dangerous enough without adding other beings into the mix. All the same there were other benefits that could be gleaned through the vantage the high rocks presented. If they didn't see the city indicated on their map soon or things seemed suspicious, they would be able to use of the rock formation for deciding what their path would be. Regardless of all the debate they would have to get to he bottom of this enormous dune first. The slope of the sand was steep and a careful climb would take hours. Looking over their collection of goods, Lapis looked at the sled they had made of the old cart and propositioned Phuc Her to use his carpentry skills to provide the group with something similar: sets of skis.
Coming from a more frigid climate Phuc Her was indeed familiar with skis and their construction while growing up among the mountains of Glayswen. Disassembling one of the barrels on the cart, the Half-Elf took some time to alter them into serviceable skis for all the party that could be secured to their feet with segments of rope. Once made, most everyone suddenly became hesitant to use them, but Lapis was first of to don a pair and prove the viability of her idea. She maneuvered herself to the edge of the dune and leapt over right after teasing everyone for not being more quick to head down. Everyone peered down the slope, watching and fully expecting her to tumble down the majority of the dune face. But, surprisingly, Lapis took to weaving down the sandy face of the dune as though she had been skiing all her life. With such unexpected skill it was only a minute or so before the Tabaxi reached the bottom and waved up to the party that all was well.
Not wanting his work to go to waste and certainly not wanting to be shown up by "the cat" Phuc Her strapped on his skis next and went over the side. Following in roughly the same tracks left by Lapis, he found his descent to be pretty smooth. It was only when he was in the last third of his trip that he suddenly lost his balance in one of the furrows left by Lapis. It was just enough, combined with the difference of feel between the sand and his more native familiarity with snow, that sent him tumbling and ass over teakettle to a stop at the bottom of the dune. Lapis rushed over to help him up. He was uninjured, but some of his scant gear had been thrown across the sand. While the pair collected his belongings back up the ones still at the top of the dune were more trepidatious. Wisp simply scoffed and walked right off the sandy ledge. But rather than fall, he hovered a few feet above the surface of the slope and levitated at a casual pace all the way down to the Half-Elf and Tabaxi. He touched down with a smirk and Lapis dismissively named him a show-off.
Udoud, perhaps inspired by Lapis or wanting to impress her, secured a pair of skis to his paw-ish feet and propelled himself down the face of the dune. It quickly went south. Within the first hundred feet of his descent the front of his skis dug into the sand and sent him into a series of flips, unable to stop. Scarlet took action by polymorphing herself into a giant owl, taking to the sky and, with expert predatory grace, she was able to scoop up the tumbling Gnoll. Unfortunately, suddenly being in the air within the grasp of a massive bird was more frightening to him than merely flipping through the sand. But within moments Scarlet was placing Udoud safe and sound right next to Lapis. The Gnoll immediately latched onto his lover while she tried to relax him from the stresses of his ordeal. Scarlet swooped back up to assist the remaining fellows still at the top of the dune. Wisp made a show of just stepping over the ledge a allowing himself to glide some few feet over the sand the entire way down until he came to a stop beside the party members already at the base, dismissively quipping about the ease of the task.
Flight of the Scarlet
After dropping off Admiral and the Kobolds safely on the ground with the rest of the party, Scarlet almost immediately lifted off again to scout ahead. She still had a long time remaining on her polymorphed form, so there was no point letting it go to waste. Soaring high into the air, she went towards the plateau flying high to hopefully avoid drawing the attention of any unfriendly folk. Scanning from the great altitude, she saw crags and crevices within the plateau that would allow the group to continue. Furthermore, she even saw a stretch where it seemed to widen further into something of a canyon. And within the canyon, she saw signs of activity, what looked like a camp. It presented them with a possible challenge, but it was the only pathway they could take. She looped back to the party and informed her of what her scouting had uncovered. While they were all wary of fighting within the confines of the crags, they could also do with having some shelter from the sun and baking winds. And there were no other paths available that wouldn't take them many miles further into the desert and off their path. In the end, there was nothing for it but pushing forward and dealing with whatever and whoever was lurking within the rocks if it came to it.Excavation Encounter
The party drew closer to the plateau and started to follow along its edge where it met the sand. As they went wide of a cluster of rocks, still wary and on the lookout for those individuals Scarlet had spied during her scout in owl form, several of them suddenly noticed a glint in the distance. Lapis squinted and shaded her eyes for a better look at what would be making such a flash. Focusing in, she saw the shape of a humanoid individual clad in flowing clothes to protect them from the heat scanning the horizon of the sand sea with a spyglass. Sure enough, as this individual panned the implement around again, they caught sight of the Tabaxi and other party members emerging from the desert, heading in their direction. At first this sight was met with a moment of confusion. Then the realization of potential threat apparently surged into their mind as Lapis watched them dart back towards a gap in the rocks. Lapis relayed what she had seen to the others. It hadn't seemed like person she'd seen was armed or sounding a call to battle, but the panic made her question again what the motives of the group working amongst the rocks really was. They could be walking into some operation that wanted no strangers seeing them at work. Phuc Her was quick to respond to the fact that they were coming from a desolate direction and that alone was probably enough to put a scout on edge. They were a somewhat rough looking group when someone really thought about it- they might look like bandits themselves from a distance. Lapis decided that they would need a likely cover story for why they were in the desert and declared that they should say they were traveling merchants with dried fruits from the coast. She and Udoud, in particular, were looking to earn enough coin to finance a honeymoon. While Phuc Her and Scarlet were dubious over the need for such a backstory, all resumed the journey. With three quarters of an hour, the party was passing an outcrop of rock near where they had seen the person with the spyglass. Moving more cautiously, the party rounded the corner to find an entire line of people facing them. Some were armed and standing at the ready, but before the chance of violence could appear, a feminine-framed figure obscured by a veil stepped forward and asked the party's intention. Lapis quickly stepped forward to say that they were mere travelers, merchants as she'd proposed to the party earlier. With the cart in tow full of barrels and supplies the ruse was enough to defuse the situation. The woman removed her veil, revealing herself to be a lovely human, and happily introduced herself as Madelyn Raler, and indicated a larger Half-Orc male behind her as Ollerim. They were the heads of an expedition sent to dig funerary tombs hidden in the Restless Dunes.Beats of a Heart
Escorted into the excavation site, Madelyn explained that her team was in the midst of uncovering what seemed to be a pharaonic tomb. She indicated a pavilion where teams of scholars were studying and cataloguing all the finds thus far along with some awnings covering stores of food and water which she offered for their use to continue their travels. Leading them into her tent, they encountered a new individual, a Tabaxi clad in robes not too different from the ones Scarlet wore. Madelyn invited them all to sit and talk while offering water. The Tabaxi introduced himself as Curate Beats of a Heart, the local Celestian representative in charge of the nearby town of Anmedos. The town had been providing the rations and workers for the dig team. When asked whether she was working on behalf of the Theocracy, Madelyn replied that she was actually there on behalf of the Confederacy.The Theocracy had little interest in the remnants of the Miropan Empire that had brought Asada to the brink of collapse centuries ago. Beats agreed, stating that the decadent past of the empire that had tred to close itself off from the world had caused the Anarchy. The rise of the Theocracy had been born out of moving away from Asada's dark past. As such, universities and museums from the Confederacy had petitioned for the right to uncover antiquities. The Theocracy had allowed for a dig season over the past few years as a result. While all of this was being explained, Scarlet was keeping a watchful eye on Beats. Part of her was unsure if she might be recognized somehow and part of was wondering how strictly he adhered to the teachings of the Archbishop; the teachings she would like to overthrow.
When the party adjourned outside to debate what their next course of action would be, Scarlet hung back and asked to speak to Beats of a Heart privately. He obliged and the two sat for a moment regarding each other. The Tabaxi was now able to take note of how worn Scarlet's robes were.
Anmedos
Having chosen to take up Beats' offer of a place to rest from their travels, he led the party along with part of the dig team a few hours away from the crags and through the dune until the came to a small town as the sun was fully dipping below the horizon. A large portion of the town was taken up by what Beats informed them was his compound that he held Celestian worship services within the courtyard as well as functioning as an orphanage for children from the Stormbreaker Coast.The party was given free run of the town and told of the only points of interest, namely the general store and oasis itself. Scarlet was quick to make an excursion to the general store in search of replacement supplies. Meanwhile, several of the party members interacted with the orphans of the compound and aided Beats' wife, a beautiful Earth Genasi named Carnelian, in preparing dinner. Lapis and Udoud became very taken with the children, especially considering the prospect that they might be in a family way.
Seated at a large table, the adults were all served a share of stew and fresh bread. Unfortunately, Carnelian's Earth Genasi nature had the unsavory consequence of every bite of food containing some degree of grit. Whether it was out of religious fervor or attempting to be courteous of his wife, Beats purified the food by exclaiming through Thaumaturgy, "Praise Celectian's light!" making the food palatable for everyone and all the more delicious.
After dinner, the party members were all shown to rooms for the night. Scarlet used her magic to inspect her surroundings, worried that they might still be watched, she used detect magic and scans for any strange auras. At the same time, Lapis made to look out her room window before settling to bed. Both women caught sight of what seemed to be clusters of vines with eyes moving around the edges of compound windows, when they had the frames encircled, shimmering portals formed and echoed ghastly noises.
Rewards Granted
Party:
Jai Skysden: N/A
Kumi: N/A
Lapis: N/A
Phuc Her: Created a formula for a skin protecting paste, mostly for his and Kumi's use during the remainder of their desert travels.
Sasimay Swayson: N/A
Scarlet Swayson: Bought a pair of spell scrolls, 25 sheets of fine paper, 3 ounces of high quality ink, a reinforced metal chest, a smooth river stone, and a bolt of purple cloth from a general goods merchant in Anmedos. From there she began to transcribe her new spells into her spellbook.
Character(s) interacted with
Acre: One of the oprhan children of Anmedos. A young human of dark complexion with short dreads. When Lapis first enountered him he was crying after being teased by some of the other children.
Dig Engineer Ollerim: A stout-bodied and square-faced Half-Orc, Ollerim was an engineer overseeing much of the dig. His duties included the safety of the scaffolding rigs the team were using as well as the technical issues of uncovering the tomb structure and ensuring it was stable enough for Madelyn and the other scholars to work. He didn't speak much, but was always direct with others and would eagerly work on any task Madelyn requested of him. He also seemingly took it as an unwritten part of his job to act tough in defense of his team when the Bad Luck Blitzkrieg party unexpected appeared in their midst.
Lead Scholar Madelyn Raler: A Human woman representing the archaeological community of the Glayswen Confederacy, Madelyn was a cordial and welcoming person. She was eager to interact with the party and offered them what supplies she could spare
Beats of a Heart: The Curate for Anmedos and its surrounding region, Beats was loving and dutiful in his work as a representative of Celestian. He was more concerned with the wellbeing of others than what might be uncovered at the excavation site at the fringes of the sand sea, but still insured that the dig was supplied with food and workers to keep the endeavor going. Within Anmedos, the administrative compound he lived in served as townhall, temple, orphanage, school, and even as an inn to weary travelers.
Carnelian: A beautiful earth Genasi and wife to Beats of a Heart. She was usually tending after the children and the domestic issues of maintaining the compound.
Passor Chien: A grizzled man in his middle years who owned the general store of Anmedos. He was very protective of his inventory, going so far as to keep items locked in individual chests, or even layered chests and crates, under lock and key.
Related Reports
16th Session- The Jord Escape
2nd Session- The Asadan Intrigue
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