Session Thirty: A Professor on Sebatical

General Summary

- 15 of Solas -

The Thornspur Manor was woken to the sound of Lady Thornspur screaming. Lunestra and Cyrus jumped up at the sound and made their way to the source. Alabaster woke up and hearing that it was coming from Yarrow's room shrugged and slowly woke himself up. As Cyrus and Lunestra got to the scene they saw Lady Thornspur backing away from a large mountain rabbit, Rose. Cyrus grabbed Rose and tried to lift her while Lunestra pulled Lady Thornspur to the side.
Cyrus asked Lunestra her name once more and then said that he would wake Yarrow. After the two had left Cyrus went over and shook Yarrow but he did not wake. Then he rolled his eyes and dropped Rose onto him waking him up. Yarrow groaned and burrowed underneath the covers. A bit annoyed Cyrus asked Yarrow about the animals out and about to which Yarrow said that he needed sleep.
Soon after Baldwin, Alabaster, and Sir Thornspur came to the room. Yarrow argued with Baldwin, Gregor, Lunestra, and Cyrus for a while before he was eventually berated into standing up. The group looked at him a bit surprised, except for Alabaster, at his antlers which were now covered in bark. Lazily Yarrow put Rose and Peatmoss away and took out Starshine and Levant.
The group made their way downstairs and waiting for them was Lady Thornspur and some people hired to help with cleaning and cooking. They were holding boxes filled with different breakfast foods for the group. The group then made their way to the Council Plaza up above.

---

The Perch of the Council Plaza wasn't as large as other perches but it was well decorated. This is where all judicial and government buildings related to the oversight of Alderheart and Humblewood could be found. The Council Chambers, large domed structure nestled within the branches, was at the north end of the perch. Next to it, there was a courthouse, a jailhouse, and the Perch Guard Headquarters.
They made their way to the Council Chambers. At the base of each pillar on the front of the chambers was a different Perch Guard. Alabaster scanned the crowd of guards and saw one with a silver ring to the right. As they settled in front of the door a tall older Gruis came out. She had a long beak and bright blue feathers and looked a bit panicked.
She thanked them for coming and asked them to be respectful to the council. Once she asked this Alabaster started talking about leaving. Bita was a bit worried about this and asked that everyone come inside but they convinced her that it was for the best. Alabaster was going to climb to the top of the tree which worried everyone. The bard asked to borrow Cyrus's shoes but Cyrus refused and cast Fly on him and Alabaster flew away.
Bita continued to panic for a bit but quickly collected herself and asked if the group was ready to see the council. Yarrow began knitting and Cyrus nodded that he was ready.

---

Bita brought Cyrus, Yarrow, and Lunestra into the Council Chambers. The room was large and open and atop a stage were five chairs standing tall. To the right of the chairs was a smaller stage and another chair that was empty. Bita stood in the center of the room and introduced people.

"These are the heroes of Brackenmill! Yarrow Fermata, a druid from Meadowfern who is not aligned with the Tenders. Cyrus, a foreigner from the West. Lunestra..." Bita whispered to Lunestra to get her last name and looked at her holy symbol, "Figgins, a local paladin from the Following of Gaspard. Captain Baldwin, The commanding officer of Brackenmill's Perch Guard. Lord Thornspur, The Bureaucratic head of the Perch Guard Barracks in Alderheart." Bita then turned to face the group and introduced the bird council behind her.
She pointed to a lithe looking Corvum with black feathers and a nervous look about him. "Professor Corvax Revayne, The head of Divination at the Avium and speaker for the Corvum of Humblewood."
Next was a tall boxy Strig with orange feathers and a scar across his face. "Sir Troy Copperfeather, Old commander of the Perch Guard and speaker for the Strig of Humblewood."
At the center of the chairs was a tall white Luma in flowing robes and jewelry holding a scepter. "Queen Silvertail, of the Silvertail royal line of Humblewood. She speaks for the Luma of Humblewood."
A tall raptor in fine clothing and also adorned with jewelry sit beside her. "Lord Helasar Bloodbeak, of the Bloodbeak trading company. He speaks for the Raptors of Humblewood."
Beside him and at the end of the stage was a tall brown Gallus in white and gold robes. "Lord Nina Walsch, Head of the Church of Ardea in Alderheart. She speaks for the Gallus of Humblewood."
Bita bowed her head and addressed herself. "I am Bita, the council speaker. The heroes of Brackenmill have news of the great crash in the Scorched Grove." Bita then bowed to the Queen and went to her seat on her stage.
Queen Silvertail raised her scepter and spoke to the group below her. "Let us start with the most pressing matter. There was a great earthquake and shockwave of cold. Then the sky filled with ash and has been darkened for many days. You have news of this?"
Yarrow was still knitting and the group looked to Cyrus to answer the question. Cyrus stood forward and nervously began to recount their adventures so far. He told them of Yarrow's quest to restore balance to the forces of nature and the grove and their dealings with the Tenders. As Cyrus got to the part of their adventure where they recovered the 'staff of ice' he mentioned their meeting with Gifu and how he attacked them and was ultimately defeated.
The council stood aghast at the accusations. Cyrus picking up on this asked them what was wrong.
"Continue to speak. The council wishes to hear what you have to say."
"Well," Cyrus continued, "Gifu was evil. He was part of a group of individuals who all wear rings. Many people were betrayed by Gifu. After dealing with him and the Tenders we went to the heart of the grove and fought an elemental there. We won but before we could fully restore the grove a member of our party betrayed us, released an ice elemental, and ran away with the core of the fire elemental." Cyrus turned to Professor Corvax, "Do you know Aldous Brackshaw?"
The Corvum was a bit taken back by the question. "Uh yes, a minor professor of history I believe?" Cyrus nodded.
"Exactly, he betrayed us and made many problems for us and everyone here. Aldous Braaaackshaaaaw. Traitor. Coward. Brackshaw." Cyrus took a few moments to emphasize the betrayal.
"Oh dear, maybe Professor Clara was right. She charged him with stealing her notes but when her own misdeeds came to light we assumed that perhaps he was innocent of such actions." Cyrus shook his head.
"Once Aldous, Aldous Brackshaw, betrayed us all he summoned an ice elemental. Then we fought it for a while, turned it into a badger, and flew it to the top of the sky and dropped it. It crashed into the Scorched Grove and caused the earthquake and the ash." The council grew quiet. Cyrus looked around and saw the mixed faces of the council.
"I'll send to my friend for some more details." Cyrus went to cast magic but was quickly stopped by Lunestra. Lunestra pointed out the crystal alarms that went off for magic. Cyrus frowned but complied and looked to the quiet council before him.
"Well? Did I offend you? What's wrong?" Lord Walsch stood up from her chair obviously upset.
"Yes you did! To imply that Gifu is anything but a saint is a sacrilegious act! The man helped countless people and I have known him personally for over twenty years! You cannot just come in here and tell us that he was evil and that the Tenders are no more!" Her voice carried across the room to a stubborn Vulpin.
"He had people hanging on pikes lady! Go talk to the Tenders of Ashbarrow if you want more people to tell you about him! Maybe he only took advantage of the people he didn't care about!" Queen Silvertail raised her scepter and motioned for Lord Walsch to sit down.
"What of the bandits? You have encountered them in Brackenmill and elsewhere and according to reports you have news of them as well correct?" The council looked to Yarrow this time as he had been the person telling the most people about the bandits. Lunestra motioned to Yarrow to keep it succinct and not to meander.
Yarrow took a deep breath and began to tell them everything he knew about the bandits. He went over the undead soldiers and the necromancers, how the bandits are working with the assassins and Gifu, how Odwald was not only a necromancer but involved with the bandits. He recounted the events that occurred at Brackenmill and talked about the bandits that had changed their ways.
"Hold on," Professor Corvax interjected, "Professor Odwald is very well known in the Avium and a very good professor. Are you suggesting that he too is part of this organization?" Yarrow nodded.
"Yes, you don't hire very good people as professors at the Avium." Yarrow turned to the Queen and pointed at Cyrus. "I swear on the Fermata name that Cyrus and I are speaking the truth." Sir Troy sat up in his chair.
"I've heard of you and your family. You supply an abundance of crops year round. Rumor has it that you and your family made some sort of devil's bargain to get such things. Why should we trust you?" Yarrow ignored him and focused on the Queen.
"Oh also there is a large Treant outside of town. Keep woodcutters away from them and maybe have some hunters leave some game for them." The council fell silent once more and Lunestra stepped forward.
"Forgive me but I think we should focus on one thing at a time. What about the bandits to the east in the Crest Mountains? Surely with all that has been said of them we should deal with them justly." The Queen shook her head.
"No. We will not be sending any troops to the bandits just yet. We need to verify this collection of information and decide what course of action is best. For now we need troops at our border and in our capitol." The Queen paused for a moment, "While we verify what you have said we would like it if your group stayed in town." Cyrus and Yarrow looked concerned.
"Oakheart will protect Alderheart if they know the folk of Alderheart aren't a threat. If you help them they may even help you." Lunestra looked to Yarrow confused.
"Like leaving him tributes?" Yarrow frowned at the word, "More like tokens of friendship. They need blood." Queen Silvertail raised her scepter.
"Blood? Why would a tree want blood." She asked causing a small stir amongst the council. Yarrow smiled.
"Because they were born of blood." Professor Corvax in particular began to panic at this. Yarrow thought for a moment and then pulled purple flowers out from his bag.
"Also these are bad and growing in Alderheart. They can kill people or mutate them and are really bad in general. If you see them you should kill them. Also they are resistant to fire." Lord Bloodbeak sat forward.
"We have seen many sick people within the city as of late." The council looked to Bloodbeak and then to Yarrow.
"I can find them with my music." Yarrow held up his flute. Queen Silvertail looked at him.
"How does that work? Are there any repercussions?"
"Well its magic and it might be a little different now but it should make people glow if they've been infected or are sick." The council looked at each other and the queen.
"For now I would like you to refrain. We would like to keep the panic to a minimum if we can." Yarrow nodded. Lunestra seemed restless and a bit upset. "We will look into things as I have said. For now if you could travel to the Temple of Gesme in the Bright Hollows and report to them about the Scorched Grove incident I would appreciate it. As compensation for staying in Alderheart your lodging will be taken care of as long as Lord Thornspur is alright with it and you will each be given 150gp per day you stay here until we verify the information we need. Then when we have a plan we may ask you for your assistance. In the meantime please enjoy the city and do not tell others what you have told us. As I said we do not want a panic to ensue. Thank you for your time." The queen motioned to Bita who stood up and went to group and ushered them out of the council chambers.

---

Alabaster meanwhile was making his way to the top of Alderheart. He quickly rose to the top of the Bird Council Perch and started to climb through the branches. At a blinding pace he rose until he perched at the top of the tree.
Looking around Alabaster could see the general layout of the land before him. The Scorched Grove looked to be covered in mist now, no doubt due to the White Stag. To the south was that massive caravan clearly now headed for Alderheart. Alabaster looked through his crystal ball to try and see more clearly so far away but to no avail. The hedge shrugged and looked to the east. The Crest mountains blocked most of the skyline and to the north he could see a massive bird there. To the south he could see the port and many ships out in the distance.
The bard was still a bit concerned about his god and decided to pray to Gesme while he was here alone. He set up a ritual close to what he remembered his father doing and tried his hardest to focus. After some time meditating and focusing the Hedge could feel a presence around him, a malevolent one. Pushing past it he could feel nodes of energy and focusing on one he could hear something.
He prayed to Gesme for answers, for clarification. Instead of Gesme a male voice echoed in his mind briefly. It spoke a language he did not know and the words eluded him. Then just as soon as he heard them it was all gone and the prayer was over. Alabaster, frustrated, looked to the edge of the tree. The magic that kept him aloft had run out and he would need to get down on his own.
With a smirk Alabaster ran from branch to branch and lept from the edge of the tree, screaming in defiance and celebration. The whole tree heard his descent as he readied Feather Fall.

---

As the group made their way out of the chambers Cyrus bowed to the Queen. Queen Silvertail smiled and bowed back to the young Vulpin. Bita, hurriedly, ushered them out of the chamber. Bita thanked them for their time and said that each day their stipend would be made available to them via either mail or the at the Perch Guard Headquarters. As Bita was speaking they heard a scream. It was Alabaster falling from outside. Bita began to panic but the group all seemed calm and walked away from her except for Gregor who stayed to chat about paperwork.
Lunestra seemed upset as did Baldwin. Cyrus picked up on this and began to question her.

"Why are you upset?" Cyrus was focused on his own business and was concerned as to why this random paladin was so angry. Lunestra scowled but caught herself.
"I was hoping that once the council heard from you they would want to take action. Direct Action! Instead they're going to pay us off in order to feel good about themselves and do nothing." Cyrus rolled his eyes and put a hand on his hip.
"What are you some justice warrior? What stakes do you have in this?" Lunestra looked at him with anger and confusion in her eyes and then turned to Baldwin.
"What are we to do now? The council wants the Perch Guard to remain here and let the bandits have their way. More people will get hurt." Baldwin looked away from her, lost in thought.
"Well," Yarrow chimed in, "I could have my family stop providing food to the capitol until they deal with the bandits." Lunestra shook her head.
"That'll hurt the common folk more than the bandits. We need to take action ourselves." Baldwin looked to Lunestra with a plan in mind.
"For now we'll wait. I'll gather what Perch Guard I can and we'll defect. I won't let the bandits get away. In the meantime watch these ones and don't let them cause too much chaos." Baldwin nodded at Lunestra and walked off to the Perch Guard Headquarters.

Gregor returned and asked Yarrow if he would like to finish resting at his place. Yarrow accepted and the two went off. Cyrus and Lunestra agreed to go to the temple of Gesme for now and tell them what happened in the Scorched Grove.
As they walked Lunestra began to question why Cyrus was here and what she could do to help him. He told her of the Luma dancers and they made a tentative agreement to help each other with their goals. Lunestra seemed dead set on going to the mountains and dealing with the bandits.

---

Yarrow was exhausted from his escapades last night. As the two of them walked together they passed a group of nobles in the Boughs. Among them a Vulpin, Cora, the assassin from Brackenmill. Cora tipped his hat to Yarrow and smiled then waved to Gregor. Gregor waved back and Yarrow began to worry. He asked Gregor who that was and Gregor told him that it was Sir Manhana of the Manhana Manor.
Yarrow frowned and asked Gregor to send a letter to the temple of Gesme for Cyrus.
"You know the person you too the daggers off of? Their partner is here and is a well known noble. Be careful. ~Yarrow"
After giving the message to Gregor Yarrow slumped himself to his room. Lady Thornspur told him that she had put bowls of food in his room for his pets. Yarrow smiled and said that there would be no need as his pets didn't eat. Then he entered his room and quickly fell asleep.

---

Alabaster landed gently outside of Alderheart. As he did so his bag of holding rumbled and Maneba came out. They had climbed into his bag in the middle of the night as they were scared of the goings on and felt safer there. Also the lack of air made it easier to sleep and the floating was good for their back. Maneba looked around and asked Alabaster about the council. Alabaster told them that he was banned from going as to not insult the council. Maneba nodded and the two walked towards Alderheart.
They were quickly met by guards who saw Alabaster fall. They were astonished to see him unscathed. Alabaster brushed them off and then told them of the large caravan of people coming this way. The guards looked in the distance and then went to inform the chain of command of the incoming people.
Alabaster went back to the temple of Gesme. Maneba bid him farewell and made their way to the Tenders in the Bright Hollow to tell them more about Gifu. Alabaster went inside and talked with Jyotati about his experience praying. Apparently Jyotati has had similar experiences in his own prayers that have gotten past the overwhelming sense of malevolence. Jyotati believes that he is hearing other praisers of Gesme praying to the god and not the god themselves. The head priest was impressed with Alabaster being able to get through the prayers and rituals by himself and asked if he was a cleric. Alabaster denied it and backed out of the church playing his violin.

---

As Cyrus and Lunestra made their way down the tree towards the Trunk Market they ran into Alabaster. They informed him of the meeting with the council and Alabaster told them of the caravan coming. The group agreed to go to the temple of Gesme to tell them of the Scorched Grove.
As they got to the church Alabaster just started to walk in. A humblefolk in the crowd told him to wait his turn to which Alabaster told him to fuck off. They went inside and explained things, briefly, to Jyotati. Jyotati thanked them for the information and the group quickly made their way out.
The doors to the church of Gesme shot open and Jyotati stood before the crowd. In a booming voice he declared that there was a great battle in the Scorched Grove and that during that fight the heroes used powerful magics to defeat a beast of elements. The crowd listened to Jyotati and many of them seemed appeased by this explanation.

---

Lunestra began talking to Alabaster explaining her need to go defeat the bandits in the mountains. She would help them with what they needed to do in exchange for their help with the bandits. Alabaster ignored her as a mail deliverer came up to the group. A letter was handed to Cyrus, written in Vulpin.
"You and your group are greeted to the Manhana residence for a lovely afternoon tea. We expect to see you soon.
~ Lord Manhana"
Alabaster read over his shoulder and chuckled. "Should we go change?" Alabaster joked with a now sweating Cyrus. Lunestra didn't understand the invitation and ultimately they decided to ignore it and to go and find the Luma dancers.
Lunestra went to different clerics in the main courtyard and asked them what they knew about praisers of Chluran, the fickle. Many of the clerics didn't know of any church in Alderheart dedicated to the trickster gods. A cleric of Ardea did however see pairs of twins of different races dancing in the Underfall.

---

As they entered one of the tunnels down into the Underfall cool air hit their faces along with the smell of wet earth. Cyrus in the transition activated his hat and took the appearance of Aiden Lastname back in Meadowfern. They passed by houses and shops along the narrow tunnels. The shops had no names on them but instead they had coloured banners and nothing else. Some kind of code for the people here.
They kept walking until they heard music down the tunnel. Approaching they saw a small crowd gathered around a bard. Alabaster gleefully joined in and took the spotlight. His expertise shining through and overshadowing the bard behind him. Cyrus moved in front of the bards and began to dance, in hopes of drawing attention. The crowd grew in size as people exited their houses and joined in the revelry.
Lunestra kept her eyes peeled for trouble. People with cups of wine started to approach Cyrus. They seemed intent on dancing with the Mapach. She intercepted them and continued to scan. Among the crowd was a figure in a hooded cloak. It looked like the person was crouching amongst the crowd, they must be a birdfolk. Lunestra readied herself for battle.
In the middle of the song the figure rose and opened her cloak. It was Professor Clara. Her cloak was full of daggers in scabbards and she wore a hateful expression on her face directed at Alabaster.
"You!" She cried out, "Where is the other one! You ruined everything!" Alabaster scowled back.
"He's not here and I didn't do anything!" This only made her angrier. Magic flashed in her eyes and the daggers shot out over the crowd. Alabaster dodged the first one but was caught off guard by the next one, and the next one, and the next one. Each dagger sunk into him and a burning pain dug into him. Poison.
The crowd began to scream and run in all different directions. Lunestra charged forward and held her holy symbol in the air. "Calm yourselves!" She screamed causing the people around her listen and to stop pushing each other. Daggers clinked off of Lunestra's armor and Cyrus moved to Alabaster to heal him.
Clara looked to Lunestra and narrowed her eyes. "Move Paladin!" She moved her talons in arcane motions and a torrent of flame came forth from them. The fires burned Lunestra and the people beside her. Meanwhile the daggers behind floated in the air and attacked Alabaster and Cyrus relentlessly.
Lunestra drew her swords and charged them with energy. Then in a series of blows she struck Clara over and over. In a blaze of speed and steel Clara couldn't dodge the Paladin and the last one struck her with a shockwave of radiant energy. The daggers around the tunnel fell to the ground as Clara lost her concentration on the spell.
Cyrus moved up in between the crowd and began to cast a spell of his own. Clara sneered and with a flick of her wrist countered the spell making it fizzle before him. The dancer looked at her in shock. "Excuse Me!"
"Learn how to counterspell! You worthless Cretin!" Alabaster took the opportunity and cast Cloud of Daggers centered on her location. Clara looked around at the group and in a panic cast Darkness blinding everyone in the tunnel. The cloud of daggers struck her and Lunestra swung wildly in the dark. They heard running from all around and then Alabaster cast Dispel Magic. Clara was no where to be seen.
Cyrus quickly cast Locate Creature and was pointed to a nearby home. The group barged in and a cowering family pointed them to the back bedroom. Alabaster opened the door and they looked but saw no one. Then out of the corner of his eye Alabaster saw a rat wearing an arcane looking belt. Alabaster lifted his violin to strike it but Lunestra stopped him. Cyrus fell to the ground and caught the rat and then snapped it in half. Clara quickly changed back into her avian form and Lunestra took manacles from her pack and cuffed her.
Alabaster argued with Lunestra about killing her but the Paladin wouldn't budge. They would arrest the professor and bring her to the authorities. Angrily Alabaster gagged Clara and took her belongings while Cyrus explained their history to Lunestra. She had a necklace, a wand, a magic belt, many daggers, and a key. The key looked ornate and like it went somewhere specific.
Lunestra went to the audience members who were hurt in the fight and cast Cure Wounds on each of them to help them recover. The people thanked her and gave her their names.

---

They took Clara up to the Perch Guard Barracks in the Boughs and handed her over to Gregor. They explained what happened and made a report. As she left Lunestra told her the names of the people she almost burned to death.

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Yarrow woke from his sleep. It was the afternoon now. While his joints felt a little stiff he was ready for action. The Tola hopped out of bed and started to get ready.

Report Date

24 Aug 2020