8th Session- The Jord Escape
General Summary
23rd of Melora's Gift, 1436
Biding Time
The party was forced to play a waiting game for a few additional days while waiting for the other traders to head out on their way so that the tower and its responsibilities could be passed on to the well-meaning Bosem Pyrefall. To fill the time, the companions began working on sections of the planned airship in earnest. Niks was a tough foreman to those working on these pieces, taking any lapse in the quality as a slight against his design. Sure that they were likely always being watched, it was also during this waiting game that several of the party members made secret entreaties to the unknown master of the tower in the hopes that Admiral would be allowed to leave and they would face no reprisals given that they were providing a replacement in the form of Bosem.Night Hours
During the night, Phuc Her continued his work at restoring the breastplate, putting his frustration into scrubbing the rust away as he still saw little point in the thing. He resolved that in the future he would work on training or other meaningful tasks during his downtime. One thing in he favor was that the base of the tower was at least far away from the Tabaxi that had pushed the busy work on him. Sasimay was once again mentally assailed and occupied by Derzeth as midnight came and went. Meanwhile, Euphoria settled down for the night by reading the end of her erotic novel. It was all the more satisfying to her that it ended on a love scene, riling her up as she drifted to sleep. Her dreams brought her back to the magnificently appointed bed and chambers of her goddess, Sharess. Propped up on one elbow, the goddess asked her devotee if she had learned anything useful in her reading. Euphoria replied that she had found the book informative. She also couldn't help asking if there was a larger meaning to be found in the book apart from the erotic as she had been mulling over all the contents of Admiral's library. Sharess, whilst caressing Euphoria's body throughout, told her that she couldn't reveal everything Euphoria was looking for, but that there was larger meaning and she was well on her way to discovering it if she remained attentive. Euphoria accepted the answer and moved to roam her hands over her patron in return, but Sharess expressed no pleasure in return as she had before. As the vision faded, Euphoria was struck with the realization that this was a mirror to how she had treated Pal O'zel and that Sharess was giving a mild punishment of the same treatment in kind. Scarlet found herself once again walking the starry plane with her god, Celestian. Though he continued to walk at a steady pace he seemed weary and leaned into his staff with each step. He greeted her once again and congratulated her on her continuing journey. He asked is she was certain about the path that she had elected to take. When she stated that she was, he merely nodded and reaffirmed that while she may get the outcome she was seeking, there were things that she would still have to face. And that when the time came, she might have to make terrible decisions. Her sister, especially, would come into play with things to come and she would have to try to account for Sasimay as she moved forward. She replied that she understood. Celestian silently peeled away as though he were taking a fork in a trail progressing up into the cosmos. Scarlet noticed that his starry cloak seemed to shine with fewer lights than before. The feeling hit her hard that whatever was happening in Asada was gradually sapping the power of her patron deity.Dawn of Departure
As morning arrived, everyone in the tower awakened to find that all the remaining traders had left with the first light of day. Scarlet, having slept on the roof of the tower to be under the stars to receive her vision, scanned the surrounding area to check that they were truly alone. Below, all the tents and carts tat had been arranged on the rocky ground at the base of the tower had disappeared, leaving only gaps in the snow and trails leading away. But not all was as it should have been. Near the edge of the clearing, where Pal O'zel's wagon had been arranged, a shattered wagon now sat. She began calling for Euphoria and sent her owl to scan the surroundings for anything amiss. Through Cassima's eyes, Scarlet relayed that the entire area seemed devoid of people. Lapis was eager to investigate and rounded up Phuc Her and Sasimay to join her on an excursion from the tower to check out the situation. Opting for stealth, she made a quick dash to the remains of the wagon and began to survey all she could. From the looks of it, she was indeed seeing O'zel's wagon, now smashed and stripped of all the goods it had been carrying. Though the scene showed clear foul play, there was no blood or real sign of a struggle between parties. Pal was certainly nowhere to be seen. Scarlet confirmed that the man was not anywhere to be seen, but Cassima caught sight of birds being disturbed from the tree line in the distance. The bows of the trees obscured whatever it was coming towards them and everyone prepared for a fight, taking position around the base of the tower. Sound began to filter in and heavy footsteps and rumbling coming their way only made the tension heavier. But suddenly, coming from the last of the trees into the open, a cart drawn by rams appeared, guided by Bosem Pyrefall. A collective sigh of relief echoed from the party. He waved a greating and announced that he had done as asked, leaving early and circling back once he was certain everyone was gone while he made his final approach.Unintended Consequences
Everyone met Bosem at the door of the tower, welcoming him back. He disembarked from his cart and approached, amiable as he usually was. He was still somewhat nervous about his assumed position, but spoke about how he intended to make the best use of his abilities now that he would have more control. The party interrupted him to ask what happened to Pal O'zel, indicating the wreck not far off. The man shrugged, taking a deep breath to figure out how he would explain. Carefully, he replied that he had apparently been inadvertently been placed in an extremely positive light by all the other traders after seeing him welcomed into the tower and granted a gem that many had noticed from the failed covert exchange to give it to him. On the other hand, the remaining traders had taken the events of the past few days as a sign that O'zel was in disfavor with the master of the tower. Even at the beginning, the tower had welcomed everyone in the party but Pal. He had made a spectacle of himself into the night until being knocked out in the icy mud. Some had apparently even noticed Lapis visiting him in the night and quickly returning to the tower within minutes. And so, some time after all the lights of the tower had gone dark, the traders had rose up to destroy Pal's livelihood, seizing his goods, and running him off into the wilderness. The party asked if he'd taken part in the act, to which he replied that he had not. If anything, he would've moved to stop it if he'd been able, but with everyone in such a frenzy he had been unable to do anything. Seeking to give them all a measure of comfort he did tell them that Pal had at least fled uninjured.Passing the Keys
Setting aside the worry for Pal O'zel, Admiral arrived to meet with Bosem, only now he removed his ring to reveal his true self. As the others began to pack up the sections of the airship and their selections of provisions from the tower storeroom, Admiral once again went over the responsibilities of the tower and explained that in this position there was a need for caution. He also passed along the secret words to control the tower and the next destination he was expected to reach before wishing him well and stepping aside. Everyone else lined up to extend their sentiments as well. When Sasimay's turn came, she told Bosem to be careful about what he did and said because someone was always watching the tower. Phuc Her somewhat reinforced the point by mentioning how things could appear and disappear inside. This left Bosem nervously looking around as he finally stepped within, not knowing what to expect and now wondering what he had stepped into. Goodbyes said, the party loaded up their piecemeal airship onto a wagon emptied from the tower's bottom floor. They began hauling their way up a winding series of switch-back ledges forming a trail up the cliffs the merchant camp had been backed against. The incline was gradual enough that the trek wasn't difficult but definitely long. It took the bulk of the afternoon to find a level spot at the top of the cliff where they would be able to launch. When they reached the top, Lapis looked down below the mists clinging to the mountain side to find that the tower was gone and Bosem was nowhere to be be seen.Trial and Error and Lift
Finally reaching the crest of the precipice, the party began to assemble the segments of the airship into a single craft. It took a while, but the boat-like craft turned out to be a decent size, with a small hatch at the bow for some of their goods to be stored, and a small cabin at the rear that, in a pinch, could fit all of them inside. They loaded the fuel and supplies they would be taking with them and then began the long process of attaching the balloon and inflating it. It took hours for the balloon to get filled with hot air and begin lifting off the ground. The ship was still moored to the ground and it was now that they realized they had no means to direct the craft. They would be at the mercy of the winds. Looking to Niks, the party asked him to fix this error. Looking about, he directed them to take spare planks and the longest, straightest branches they could possibly find. With that done, he also had several of them sacrifice their bedrolls, and Phuc Her give up his wolf pelf, to fashion sails and struts for maneuvering. Running ropes to cable the sails and struts for better control didn't take long. After ensuring that everything would indeed hold together, at least for a while, everyone loaded onto the small craft. Phuc Her was chosen to helm the craft as he would be able to The wind was in their favor and, discarding their tether to the ground, the party lifted off and began advancing to the north as night fell swiftly.Rewards Granted
Party: Lift-off, flying northward towards the Broken Citadel.
Euphoria/Lapis: Secured, to the best of her knowledge, the freedom of her brother Admiral.
Phuc Her: Somewhat forced captaincy of a cobbled together airship.
Scarlet Swayson: A new vision of Celestian, giving her a sense for extra haste in returning home.
Sasimay Swayson: A pilfered sack of sweet potatoes and beans/rice to provision the journey.
Missions/Quests Completed
Days survived in Inner Jord: 6
Character(s) interacted with
Admiral- Unofficially joined in with the party's plan to leave Jord and aided in on a plot to find a replacement for himself that "E" would approve. His continuing proximity triggers a change in Lapis towards using her given name rather than the alias, Euphoria.
Bosem Pyrefall- The human apothecary and potential replacement for Admiral
"E"- Mysterious benefactor to Admiral and apparent mastermind of the wandering trade organization. Makes their wishes known by a complex network of magical and traditional messages relayed to others. Motives and purposes unknown.
Niks- Provided a revised airship design to the party and took part in the ploy of traveling north to the Broken Citadel at a faster pace.
Wisp- Maintained his Genasi form to masquerade as a boss for Bosem Pyrefall
Related Reports
Report Date
20 Sep 2020
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