6th Session- The Jord Escape

General Summary

20th of Melora's Gift, 1436

Hunk of Junk

Euphoria couldn't help but dwell on the ancient corpse and rusted breastplate she had found on the ground. Calling Phuc Her back for more information, he reluctantly relayed that the armor was at least 600 years old. The style and remaining patterns indicated that it was from the losing side of the last Jordish Civil War. Mending and Prestidigitation were useless against the overwhelming age of the metal, but all the same Euphoria felt it could be useful if the opportunity came to restore it. And so the crumbling breastplate was stored away in a bag for later. Scarlet, meanwhile, sent her owl Cassima circling over the area. First the owl scanned the area for books, then for zinc or other metal ores, but neither endeavor came to any avail.
The party thought back to the relatively recent tracks on the road and how it was unlikely very much might remain in such a desolate place after being picked over for centuries. And so with nothing else to hold them there, they continued following the road and tracks leading north. They began to enter the mountain foothills in earnest, moving through steady rises and plateaus of the volcanic land. After a few hours of travel the party found a conjunction of trails with the road they were on. Aided by Scarlet's familiar, Euphoria scouted ahead to the place the paths met and found a piece of burlap that still had the smell of fresh vegetables on it. Knowing that the trail must be fresh given such evidence, she scaled a tree for greater vantage. Not far off, behind some large boulders, there was a group of armed men and a cart of goods. Euphoria sent Cassima down to the party where she relayed the revelation to Scarlet.
Regrouping, there was a hasty discussion over how to handle the situation. In the end it was decided not to be quick to violence unless the men ahead reacted with hostility first. Utilizing cover, everyone stood aside as Euphoria disguised herself with magic to look like a human man to make contact and Phuc Her moved into the rocks to take point as backup. However, in scaling the boulders Phuc Her stumbled and sent several rocks falling. The noise was enough to draw the band's attention and the Tabaxi prepared as she heard a call for someone from the band to check it out.
The young man that appeared in front of Euphoria looked surprised to see someone else and clumsily went for his weapon, asking whether the man before him had hostile intentions, further stating that he had allies nearby. Asking him where they were going, he stated that they were a group of traders moving towards a prearranged meeting area. She was quick to say she meant no harm and said she was from a trading party similar to the young man's. He was asking where her wagon and friends were when the apparent leader walked onto the scene wondering what was taking his underling so long. Once again Euphoria seemingly pulled off the deception that she was part of a trading group but had moved ahead of her fellows. However, he did not believe the claim that Euphoria was alone. He motioned for his guards to fan out and search. Euphoria loudly called that there was no need as a signal to the party. While everyone else got the message and hunkered down, Scarlet was distracted by a pattern of rocks in the mud. Sasimay went to pull her sister down only to reveal the presence of the party to the guards. Euphoria regrouped on her ploy by saying they must've only just arrived and asked if they had managed to fix the wagon. They claimed to have been unable to fix it and lost their cargo in the process.

Pal O'zel

The caravan leader, now introducing himself to the whole party as Pal O'zel of the Free Cities, greeted everyone. His grandiose demeanor threw off some of the party but he was sincere in his welcome. He was sure at the very least Udoud would have heard of him, to which the Gnoll whispered to the lot of them that he had no idea who the man was. Pal then regaled them with his story of being a crooked merchant in the Free Cities. His fame, as he told it, originated in how he had inflated prices of goods by adding stones to baskets and the like as most commerce in the Cities is based in weight of the goods. He had been found out and sent to Jord for his widespread racket of price gouging.
Moving the conversation back to the supposed lost cargo story of the party, Pal said if they had been traveling with goods worth trading that they wouldn't have been left behind and the group before him was obviously traveling very light. Having succeeded in finding them out, they at least admitted to be making their way north due to ruckus in the south, referring to the shelling of Oberth's Town the previous day without admitting to their being the cause. Pal had heard the shelling while travelling and believed this version of events more readily. The party also stated that they were looking for certain goods and Pal invited them to travel with him. However, there was still a slight air of tension and before any agreement could be struck, Euphoria convinced Pal O'zel to step aside with her to speak privately.
Alone, Euphoria asked what the nature of the meeting place truly was. Pal described to her how many traders traveled the interior of Jord bartering for spare goods until they received messages by varying means to meet in specific locations at particular times. No one knew the one masterminding the operation, but there were boundless rumors that couldn't be proven one way or the other. When asked why there was such secrecy around a mere trading ring, Pal replied that it was in the best interest of the operation because of the chance violence or corruption if a leader were openly known. Fairness was maintained by the secrecy of the power behind the ring and advantage gained through honesty in everything else. The point made, Euphoria agreed to travel with Pal and his men. In the said spirit of honesty, Euphoria dropped her disguise and laid groundwork to make Pal pliable with a little flirtation. If he could get them to the meeting place and help them get good deals on some trades, she said, she would repay him in very pleasing ways.
Rejoining their fellows, both Euphoria and Pal informed everyone of the mutual agreement to travel together and answered the questions of the Swaysons and Phuc Her about their destination. Once everyone was sufficiently informed they arranged themselves in and around Pal's wagon and continued their northward trek together. For a while Euphoria walked alongside Pal, but could feel the eyes of the young human that she had initially met watching her. She caught him glancing away whenever she looked back at him and could only guess that perhaps the man was upset over having been fooled. She leaned over to Pal and asked about him and he informed her that Walter, as he recalled the man being named, was the youngest of his party this trip and had been with the trading group for three or four years. She fell back slightly and addressed Walter, asking if he liked the view of her walking ahead of him. He ignored the flirty question and said that when she had a moment he needed to speak with her. Changing her attitude at this, she silently agreed and moved back up to Pal at the lead.

The Trader's Gathering

After about a half hour of travel, the caravan crested over a hill to find a tower at the foot of a steep cliff with a collection of quickly assembled tents and carts arranged around the base. Entering the compound, Pal informed the party about the layout of the meeting place and where they could find what they might be looking for. He also made an attempt at being sultry towards Euphoria, claiming he would work towards arranging all the traders giving them good deals. She thanked him and said that in the meantime she wanted Walter. Pal agreed and everyone looked on with no surprise whatsoever as she grabbed Walter by the arm and ran off into the trees with him.
Launching into the the cover of the trees and bushes, Euphoria pushed Walter to the ground, asserting herself. Walter resisted and finally announced that he knew her. The altercation paused as he dropped his own magical disguise, revealing himself to be a former Air Genasi companion, Wisp, that had worked with her in the Glass Family. He questioned whether she was there to kill him. When she said no, he asked why she was on Jord. She explained that she was looking for her brother and asked in return why he thought she was going to kill him. Wisp replied that he hadn't seen her brother in his time there and further that crossing Mr. Glass by drawing any attention him or his organization was essentially a death sentence. Being sent to Jord had saved Wisp, but he'd still taken precautions. Euphoria proceeded to tell Wisp that she would need his help looking for her brother and also a means to get into the tower and whoever was in charge within.
Meanwhile, the rest of the party meandered the market. Both Swaysons looked in on the mobile smithy, Scarlet for bronze or its component metals and Sasimay for another weapon as she was still put out at having lost her trusty pike in Oberth's Town. The pair found nothing of use as most of the metal was merely scrap. The smith became more obstinate and apprehensive upon noticing Niks and said he would only work if they provided metal for him. Given this option, the party had to move on. Sasimay distracted herself away from her frustration by making a deal with an elderly female vender butchering animals by offering to unload carcasses in exchange for some food supplies. Scarlet continued browsing around with Phuc Her while covertly casting Detect Magic for anything interesting. The largest, and seemingly only, source of magical energy was coming from the tower itself.
It was about this time that Euphoria reappeared to everyone while Wisp resumed his guise as Walter, splitting off to question some of the guards. Pal O'zel attempted to call on Euphoria, but she deterred him by saying that she was weary from the road and expected a fine bed before making good on her end of the bargain. Scarlet informed Euphoria about the magical nature of the tower as they were coming to the end of the circle. The party found a middle-aged human looking over a book. Inquiring about his wares, he explained that he had various odds and ends. The party asked if he had anything of a magical nature in his possession, but he explained he had no magical inclinations whatsoever. Showing his book, it was revealed to be filled with notes on plants and curative recipes as his vocation was being an apothecary. Scarlet quickly copied some of the notes for healing potions. The man explained that he did his best to make potions and help people, but the cold climate and lack of familiar plants meant that he had little to work with. Phuc Her offered to help and proceeded to Druidcraft seedlings of healing plants. Filled with elation, the apothecary gave all of them small healing potions and Phuc Her a pound of salt and enough supplies for a makeshift herbalist kit.
As the group wondered what their next move should be, Pal appeared yet again, telling Euphoria that he had arranged to get a lot of soft furs and cloth to make a comfortable bed. The Tabaxi immediately protested, saying she wouldn't settle for anything less than a proper bed. In fact, she pointed at the tower and said she wanted "that bed". Pal became frantic, trying to accomplish the impossible. After a moment he began calling up to the guards at the top of the tower, begging that they let him in or give him a bed. They threatened to fire arrows at him if he didn't retreat, but he refused. The guards on the ground also began to close in on the group and Wisp appeared in a panic telling Euphoria that she was drawing too much attention. In the heat of the moment, one tower guard disappeared and Pal seemed to be thoroughly broken at this point, pleading for Euphoria to forgive him for being unable to get what she had asked.
Finally, after a few minutes, the smooth walls at the base of the tower opened. The guard that had been on the roof walked out and approached the party. He announced that, to his surprise, they had been invited into the tower after making quite the impression on the Master. The Swaysons, Phuc Her, Udoud, Niks, Wisp, and Euphoria all began walking towards the entrance, with the Tabaxi making one last torturous remark towards Pal that she would tell him all about the orgy later.

Master of the Tower

Within the tower, once the walls had closed again, the party found themselves in what almost looked like a small town's warehouse, stocked with all manner of food and supplies. But the guard left no time to gaze at array of crates and sacks, gesturing for them to follow him up the stone staircase. The second floor revealed itself to be a lavishly appointed lounge, complete with velvet couches, carved wood tables and chairs, rugs, drapes, and a warm fireplace. But still, the guard led them up yet another set of stairs to the third floor, a space sharing the roles of bedroom and office, just as richly furnished as the floor below.
As Scarlet topped the last of the stairs, a bell chimed. The apparent master of the tower, a relatively young human man with long blonde hair and light beard, asked from his position behind the desk which of them was using magic. Scarlet admitted that she was indeed using magic, still plying her Detect Magic spell. The man nodded and dismissed the guard. Once they were all alone, he looked the group over and stated that he saw no need in keeping up pretenses in light of present company, then took off a ring. He began transforming before them all; fur appearing over his body, ears growing pointed, face turning cat-like. With the illusion gone, the dark Tabaxi kicked his feet up on his desk and looked to Euphoria saying, "It's been a long time, Sister."
Euphoria indignantly greeted her brother for his dramatic reveal. He likewise congratulated her on the spectacle she'd caused outside to catch his attention. The two quickly slipped into a sibling banter that had been paused for over half a decade. The party interrupted, being understandably thrown off by this revelation. Admiral questioned the others if they actually knew anything about his sister, which everyone now agreed they knew essentially nothing.
Euphoria decided to come clean, revealing that her real name was Lapis. Admiral was indeed her brother, and that they were associates to a criminal organization of Asada, the Glass Family. Admiral had been sent to Jord six years ago and now the family inheritance was at risk of being given to their conniving sister unless it could be proven Admiral was alive or that he had designated another heir. Lapis had taken the fall for another Tabaxi on behalf of Mr. Glass with the intention that she'd have a chance to hopefully find her lost brother and either escape with him or at least bring back a note that named her as the inheritor. Still, now that she had found him, she stated her intention to include him in the group's plan of escape. Admiral asked how the group intended to escape the inescapable prison and the companions presented a few theories. The most amazing came from their Kobold friend presenting his own plan for an airship based off the Dwarven zeppelins that regularly crossed the island. When Admiral pointed out that their number would never be able to build something of the scale he'd envisioned, Niks merely grabbed a quill and ink and walked to a corner to revise his design.
In the background, the rest of the group had little recourse but to accept Lapis's backstory and Wisp, in the spirit of truth-telling that had taken hold, interrupted to drop his human disguise to reveal his actual identity as well. Everyone merely stared as he awkwardly excused himself during the resulting silence. Turning back the conversation, Lapis, who insisted that everyone still refer to her as Euphoria, questioned how Admiral had gained this tower and everything that came with it. Admiral explained that someone had given it all to him, though he had no idea who it might be behind it all. She chided him for becoming indebted to someone without knowing what their identity and motives might be. Admiral replied that he had tried, but every day he would have notes appearing in his pockets telling him to use the tower and providing him with food. He had only been able to resist the safety it offered for so long before giving in. However no demands ever came, but supplies continued to fill the bottom floor, and more than he would ever be able to use. He had started to form a secret connections with groups of trader's that he would distribute supplies and eventually evolved into the organization today.
Everyone looked around the interior of the room, studying the style of the architecture and furnishings for clues of any sort. There was nothing overtly religious to suggest a deity was granting divine gifts, but Phuc Her was able to point out that the decor and style of the rooms was very similar to Darellon, over 3,000 miles away. Admiral could think of no one with such power that would be remotely interested in him, much less anyone that would even know of him that far away. Euphoria and Sasimay looked over the shelves of books in Admiral's office to see if there was a particular slant in the topics of the books; the hope being that there was an obsession for Tabaxi. While he had never received anything relating to current events in the larger world for the past five years, he had been given a wide variety of books on all manner of subjects. Sure enough, Euphoria pulled what turned out to be a romance novel and began to read it. Meanwhile, as Sasimay continued scanning the titles, the noise of a man wailing began to pick up from the nearby window. Looking out, sure enough, Pal O'zel could be seen below still broken from Euphoria's tricks. The Genasi grabbed another smutty book and hurled it out the window, beaning Pal on the head. The man immediately collapsed to the ground unconscious from the impact.
Admiral began to muse aloud that whoever had the power to do all this and put so much investment into him probably wouldn't just give all that he'd received freely. There must be a price, though he couldn't imagine what it would be. His benefactor, whoever it may be, must've done it all specifically for him. That would mean that someone had to have been watching him to measure his character. And, most unsettling of all, he could only guess that he was still being watched just as surely as he was directed on where and when to travel or distribute his goods. The thought made Admiral more certain that he wanted to leave, but he wasn't sure if he would be allowed given everything he was beginning to realize.

Memories

With the night well set in, there was nothing more that could reasonably be accomplished. Admiral invited the party to settle into the tower wherever they pleased for the night and they could discuss further plans in the morning. Everyone began to disperse to find their sleeping places. Phuc Her, not requiring sleep, was put on a watch on the bottom floor to see if more goods appeared in the night. He also started working on restoring the rusted breastplate. Scarlet excused herself to the roof of the tower to take in the stars. Sasimay took one of Admiral's bottles of brandy to drink downstairs in the lounge, finding it to be much better than the stuff she'd claimed from Oberth's hoard. Before going downstairs herself, Euphoria checked on Niks, who had fallen asleep on the floor where he'd been working on new blueprints, so she picked him up and placed him in Admiral's large bed.
In the lounge, Wisp had claimed one of the couches, stretched out and enjoying resting his head on a pillow. Udoud had claimed a spot on the floor in front of Wisp, curled up on the ornate rug. Euphoria looked over the group and felt a pang of maternal instinct hit. It was so sudden and against her normal character that she couldn't believe it had happened. Sasimay, however, had enjoyed her brandy a little too much and was beginning to become emotional. The Genasi dismissed Euphoria's attempts to comfort her, going back upstairs in a huff. With everyone else bedded down, Euphoria silently tailed the drunken Sasimay as the Genasi made her way further up to the roof to speak with Scarlet.
Listening from the base of the ladder under the hatch, Euphoria listened as the sisters lamented their time apart and reminisced about the past: their father always looking for one more big score and their mother's frustration with moving around in the search for it. Their parents had eventually separated from the irreconcilable differences, each taking a daughter. Sasimay vented her feelings of anger, which in turn prompted Scarlet to talk about how wondrous it really was that they should be reunited like they had been and that they were still together even then. She thanked Celestian for their paths crossing despite all the innumerable possibilities that could have happened. The sisters curled up and began to drift off together. Having heard all of this, Euphoria found herself emotional and shaken as long-forgotten memories began to surface. Within her mind's eye, she saw the father she barely remembered, picking her up and holding her close. Then the voice of her mother reached her. She couldn't make out what was being said, but the voice was comforting and familiar. The overwhelming feelings of this vision made her silently break down at the base of the ladder, crying herself to sleep.

Rewards Granted

Party: Refuge in the Instant Fortress
Euphoria/Lapis: A potion of healing, romance novel: The Emerald Veil
Phuc Her: A potion of healing, herbalist kit, 1 lb of salt
Scarlet Swayson: Two potions of healing
Sasimay Swayson: A potion of healing, bag with 1.5 lbs of dried meat, bottle of fine brandy (now half-full)

Missions/Quests Completed

Days survived on Inner Jord: 3
Lapis (Euphoria) located her lost brother, her real reason for coming to Jord, and revealed her true identity to the party. The party then started considering new plots for escape utilizing Admiral's resources.

Character(s) interacted with

Admiral- Tabaxi, older brother of Lapis and the secret de facto leader of a trading organization that traverses the central areas of Inner Jord.
Apothecary- A kindly middle-aged human man that was trying to continue plying his trade as a healer. He eagerly gave the group potions and other useful goods after Phuc Her grew healing plants for him.
Elderly Butcher- A old human woman that could expertly dress and butcher carcasses. Sasimay helped her in exchange for some dried meats.  
Pal O'zel- Human and former merchant of the Free Cities, sent to Jord for price-gouging his goods by inflating their weight.
Wisp- Male Genasi and an ally to Lapis in the past, initially masqueraded as the Human "Walter".

Related Reports

5th Session- The Jord Escape

Notes

Report Date

10 Aug 2020