Vruhafen Never Sleeps

Shanuku having been taken temporarily by their patron of loneliness, it is up to Iski and Fayna to finish their business in the city of Vruhafen. What evils lurk in the shady alleys of the great port - and what do they have in store for our brave adventurers?

Research Time!

First thing is first: Iski and Fayna wanted to investigate their leads on the Chimera and the other Tieflings, as well as pop by the druids of the city. Both could be found in the Autumn Court, the grand judiciary and druidic center of Hain on the outskirts of Vruhafen city. Great hedges and rows of flowers directed visitors and pilgrims into the Court, and many arrived seeking blessings and wisdom. In front of the Court stood a great statue of Ustav, to which Iski gave a small tribute. He also suspected that the statue was magical, but was unable to investigate closer given the swarming pilgrims. Iski also placed some of Vruhafen's rainbow river algae in the pristine ponds of the gardens. 
Passing by a very weird ornate performance of the Kofalin Stories, the group went to see the archives. They were greeted by a druidic assistant, Iteska of Many Fingers, who was very friendly outside of a few insensitive comments. The group focused in on the Tieflings, following up that lead, and found tales of a "Dark Spirit" that saved the first Tiefling from death by Ederstone for some destined fate. The descendants of this Tiefling created the Temple of Vigilance in the Azilatzi Wastes - though the Dark Spirit left this place not long after. Apparently, there were reports of an insidious presence moving from the Temple to the Deverkel Waste Tieflings - the Wildheart Sanctum. This may be this Tiefling, or the 'Chimera'. 
A few notes

• The Temple of Vigilance Tieflings are the oldest and most dedicated to the original spirit, but don't seem to be doing this corruption stuff
• The Wildheart Sanctum is the closest to the Boiling Sea and mixes druidism with wild magic, with the goal of exploring and harnessing the power of the Sea itself. Seem to be doing this corruption stuff
• The Underhorns rejected the Wildheart's magical ambitions and went underground, and are apparently quite reasonable
• The Midnight Dancers reside outside Sanctuary of Uvasten and apparently do shapeshifting fey dances around the valley during double full moons
• Starwatching Point, near the Nightmare Kingdom of Kazel-Karn, is an observatory full of scientific tieflings
• The Ramsmen are a group of mysterious isolationist Tieflings who refuse to interact with the rest of the world in the Cursed Rurateg Mountains 
• The Dream Home Tieflings are Kivish Tieflings and mystics in the Rukohst Wastes 

The Chimera meanwhile is an ancient Godlike being that created Ederstone for some unknown purpose. 

The Ruse

So, back to Old Mosswren's Place, to regroup and plan. Duzreg returned with his trading loot: 500 gold pieces profit. Each party member agreed to take 100 gp, with 100 remaining as a supply-and-trading fund to provide necessary supplies and possibly help turn future profits. With the night closing in, the group decided to investigate the dropoff point that Duzreg had been given, which was in a shady tavern known as the Wandering Spirits. They asked Mosswren about the place, and apparently it was under the control of a gang known as the Daybreak Boys. 
The group approached the tavern, but before entering, Iski asked a local raven about who entered and exited. The raven described a woman who had many shiny things, and many cruel people who guarded the tavern. The group entered, fake Eye of the Chimera in hand. The Daybreak Boys, with their signature yellow and black, were obviously a major presence in the bar - at least five were obviously present and carousing when the group entered. The barkeep, a Vesper with a Daybreak tattoo, informed the party that they were expected and directed them to a hooded and armored woman and an armored man in yellow and black. The woman told them that the reward was in the back of the tavern, protected by the Boys - and immediately the party knew that this was a trap.
Fayna and Duzreg went out to collect "the reward", while Iski remained behind with the woman. Duzreg caught that the chest was trapped, but didn't notice the crossbowman on the rooftop - and quickly took a bolt to the chest. Fayna was rushed by brigands, who she fought off while the crossbowman nearly killed Duzreg for good. 
The shouting outside was noisy, and Iski realized that the woman wanted to spare Fayna and kill Duzreg as an apocalypse cultist. Iski quickly revealed that the amulet was fake and talked the woman into letting them go. The woman apparently believed that her employer would sanctify and possibly destroy the amulet, and seemed satisfied that it was already gone. The fight outside continued for a bit despite the de-escalation, due to wounds and tempers, but Fayna ended it with a little intimidation. The group abandoned the reward money to the brigands, and almost got in a fight with the hooded woman, but ultimately left without further combat. 

Tracking the Blade

The next day, Fayna decided to try and figure out who this woman was who tried to kill them. Duzreg offered a description of the man who he saw in his vision (who was not this woman): handsome, with a horned helmet. This could either be a Spring Knight or a Horned Knight - a holy warrior of Uvara - and either way it seemed bad. 
First to the Spring Knights. Their small chapterhouse welcomed Fayna as a squire of Ser Tedrig of the Spring Knights, though they seemed saddened and shocked by Fayna's peasant look. They offered Fayna and Iski both longswords and wished them luck in a condescending but genuine way. 
Then, to the Horned Knights. Their chapterhouse was larger and more vibrant. They welcomed Fayna as an acolyte (while criticizing her for being insufficiently Hainish), and helped Fayna find the woman from the night before. Rather than be a knight, as Fayna expected, this woman was a man-at-arms; a common soldier sworn to a knight. Her name was Jova and she seemed deeply upset, and none too happy to see Fayna and Iski appear at the chapterhouse. Apparently Jova's master was upset about last night, and Jova shooed them away before he arrived. Fayna and Iski agreed to leave that lead to another day - for now, the amulet was denied to this person. 

Final Touches

There were a few more things to do in the city, now that the time-sensitive matter was settled. First, Fayna visited the Questing Chapel to seek the guidance of Haru regarding the Dark Spirit and Tiefling stuff. Haru reacted more than expected, giving a brief vision of an ethereal being standing before a great chaos-filled ravine, which Haru was beckoning away from. The being slowly moved towards Haru before the vision ended. Haru asked Fayna to keep an open mind and seek to redeem all that she could. 
Iski asked Duzreg to find him a place where he could sell the severed fingers he was collecting. Duzreg guided him to an apothecary in a muddy alley by the ports, unlabeled and hard to find. The alley was devoid of all life except bugs, and the bugs seemed to exist in fear. The shop itself offered poisons, healing potions, and other luxury items in its dirty and obscure corners. The man attending the desk was extremely tall, blonde, and may have been handsome if he wasn't incredibly creepy. He bought the fingers for 30 gp and then asked Iski if he'd like to purchase any services. Iski asked to purchase knowledge of this Dark Spirit - the man agreed, for 25 gold. He told Iski that Dark Spirits are the shadow of the Chimera, moving across the world as the God slumbers - and that now, the shadow has conjured the God's terrible dreams.
The pair also did some shopping for better arms and armaments. They plotted their next course: to go back across the Wasteland, to the Empire of Eketen, and eventually to the Azilatzi Wastes to gather more power, wealth, and knowledge before visiting the Tiefling cult of the Dark Spirit.

Components

Goals

GOALS:

• Learn about the Chimera 
• Learn more about the Dark Spirit at the Temple of Vigilance
• Deal with the Izena the Witch of the Crags
• Find more about the Eyes of the Chimera
• Find out more about the amulet's destination in Vruhafen (Done)

Relations

Protagonists

Fayna the Gennoran: A Half-Dryad in her early twenties, Fayna is a girl with a dream: to become a Spring Knight and hero of Uvara! The only problem is that she was born to a peasant family that ran a small inn at the remote village of Rukadov in the Kingdom of Gennorholn . For a normal person, Fayna's birth would doom her dreams to certain death, but through stubbornness and a can-do attitude, she's going for it anyways. She was able to become a paladin of Haru , and a patron knight within the Order has promised her a chance at knighthood if she can prove herself Questing. (Half dryad, Ancestor paladin, acolyte)
Iski of Tidewatch: Iski is a Tiefling - a kind of unusual Starspawn , or so everyone believes. He has spent much of his life in the tranquility of Tidewatch Grove, a druid sanctuary run by his family devoted to the study and principles of "homeostasis". He is devoted to his family's beliefs, but has ventured out beyond the traditional world of the Tidewatch Druids to understand Stildane more broadly. He is in his early 30s, is of the Circle of the Coast, and is quite sheltered and academic. Parents are "more tree than person" now. (Tiefling, Land Druid, Sage)
Shanuku the Wanderer: Shanuku is a selkie warlock in her early 30s, a foreigner from a distant land who has only recently arrived in Stildane. She was originally born in the Khilaian Isles and worked as a merchant and sailor, until a bad stroke of luck led to her ship being swept out to Desmian waters. Things went bad, the ship fled to Stildane, and then was taken by the Elder Leviathan known as The Vile Mass. Whether it is the Vile Mass or the Ederstone, Shanuku no longer remembers the faces or names of those she once knew - her last life has been polluted, and she is now isolated and alone. Her pelt has also been taken from her, and she hopes that if she can find it she can restore her old life. (Selkie, Great Old One Warlock, Sailor)

Allies

Duzreg the Wanderer: A coward turned minor merchant who has survived the worst of the Deverkel wastes through apathy, luck, and fast legs. Was doing the bidding of a terrible being that captured him, in exchange for money and power to move himself and his family away from the wasteland. A jerk and a blowhard at times. Horribly hobbled by the witch of the crags, who he personally offended; was healed by Iski's druidic allies. Finally turning himself around.

Neutrals/Bystanders

Jova of Vruhafen: A man-at-arms for the Horned Knights of Hain, Jova aspires to join the ranks of these sacred warriors of Uvara but is forever stuck in limbo by her common blood. Despite this, she has a fierce sense of honor and zeal

Plot type

QUEST

Parent Plot

Hearth and Home

Related Characters

• Haru

Related Organizations

• The Kingdom of Hain
• Uvara

Related Locations

• Vruhafen