Session Report 70 - Francisco's Return
General Summary
"Fernan was his brother by blood. Pixchaxla was the man who would give anything for his dream. Though he may not act like it, this loss has hit him hard. But, even knowing that... I find it hard to know what to think of him. It's tough."
-Nora
Knowledge of Gravitas
The scholar who administered the taking of the vows unmasks himself and introduces himself as the de facto leader of Gravitas - Longdaw. He is the one who uncovered Graviturgy from the Ancients and, despite being human, has been a scholar for over 400 years. He gives the four new scholars - Locke, Laire, Gunther, and Ramone, a brief tour of the island. There are residences separate from the main citadel, which magically fabricate a limited amount of food and supplies daily. The main citadel, which is primarily a library and a place of study, is the main point of interest on the island. Amassed there are tens of thousands of tomes of highly specific knowledge and, of course, a few dozen masked scholars each with their own fields of expertise.After asking some basic questions about the establishment, the group splits off. Ramone goes off to study magics which control the wind. Locke begins to learn the fundamentals of Graviturgy. Gunther goes off to learn about The Dread Sea, while Laire ends up speaking to a scholar about the great curses. Later, Ramone goes to research counteracting the effects of dead magic, and Locke goes to research Valsepthei.
Qvalicils & Dread Lords
Gunther's foray into the library puts him face to face with one of the scholars with a pile of 60 or 70 books. Unable to withhold his curiosity, Gunther asks what he's studying. The scholar explains he's studying the ghoul behaviour in relation to ghasts and introduces himself as Nyquil, a humble lich undergoing 300 years of study on the Dread Sea. Gunther is surprised, but the lich assures him that he's fullon souls and won't be a threat to the living for at least another 200 years. Gunther then inquires about Qvalicils, to which the lich happily guides the dwarf to see Gravitas' very own. He explains that, while the precise ritual to create one how not yet be reverse-engineered, it likely requires the sacrifice of a handful of children on top of the high cost of material components. Gunther questions the ethics of not using it to rid the seas of a Dread Lord, but the lich points out that, with enough time, the order may find a way to create them, which would lead to the deaths of a whole lot more Dread Lords. In addition, he assures Gunther that only about 2 dread lords are created every century.On the topic of Dread Lords, Gunther looks for a list of them. There are a little over 40, and their names include Thrazmohk, Kaldenbar, Ssnalbathar, Mikey, Okaznak, The Crow, Shag Grak, The Sanguine Lord, Matsumoto The Vagabond, Fetid Widgren, Oblau, and several others. Of particular interest is the fact that the order views Kaldenbar as separate from Thrazmohk. Gunther thanks the lich for his time and leaves slightly confused, but with more knowledge.
The Three Great Curses & The Ancients
Laire meets a dwome (half dwarf half gnome) scholar who seems to be obsessing over The Curses of the Six Seas, and their potential connection to the Ancients. The scholar seems convinced that the destruction of The Ancient Civilization could be considered a curse ("the 0th curse!"), especially considering the state of The Primordian deep, which she is convinced is where the capital was. Laire inquires, and the scholar explains that the working theory among the other scholars is that the ancients knew too much Chronomancy and were punished by the goddesses for it. She doesn't personally believe all of it - after all, there is not a good understanding as to why the goddesses would allow so many eldritch monstrosities to roam free in the sea.Laire then inquires about the other curses, and the scholar eagerly explains the intricacies of them. The first curse does what it is known to do, but one lesser-known fact about it is that the souls of the elves killed by it are fed to the Guardians of The Deep. Laire is not too happy to find this out. The scholar also knows that the Bodari cast the third curse such that Captain Rose and any of his successors would meet their ultimate end at sea, resting evermore at the bottom of the ocean.
Dead Magic and Chronurgy
Ramone, having looked at the wind enough, begins to look into ways to reverse the effects of dead magic on a person. He is led to two simple yet impossible answers - direct divine intervention, or chronurgy. Those are the only two known ways to restore an individual to their status before the effects of dead magic. Ramone then begins to burrow himself in books on chronurgy - though the library has made an effort not to include books which provide specific instructions on how to perform chronurgy. A scholar approaches Ramone and tries to open a conversation, warning Ramone that such practices always come at a cost. He speaks of the fact that, in his experience, dealing with such matters only leads to the appearance of aberrations and curses. Ramone hears him, though does not fully listen to what he says. He walks away to read other things. The scholar - Josef, Calmer of Storms, also walks away, still behind the mask.Josef and Velsepthei
Locke looks for books on Valsepthei and finds that the only book explicitly dedicated to it is in the hands of another scholar. They exchange a few words, at which point the scholar mentions he's actually been. So has Locke, who says as much. The two decide to exchange names. Locke introduces himself. Josef, The King of The Ancient Sea, introduces himself in turn. Josef apologizes for their last encounter and says some kind words. He asks Locke if the two of them are here for the same reason and, not knowing what he's talking about, Locke thinks not. The two then compare notes on Valsepthei. The working theory is that Valsepthei exists in the time directly before the death of The Ancients, and The Goddesses saw fit to preserve the memory of this group of Ancients for some reason or another. The moon crying is the beginning of the end.Josef mentions he managed to find Thaler of The Low Tides in Valsepthei. Before he can continue much, he looks off into the distance and then rights himself. He tells Locke to gather the crew he has up here because a guest is arriving soon.
Enter The Jack of Pirates
Over the horizon, the four Drifters on Gravitas and Locke see an approaching ship - The Sweet Summer Kiss, Francisco's ship. The group descends to sea level, floating down in a bubble in the stream which normally flows up to the island. Josef tells them to head over to the Summer Kiss once they're ready, as Francisco is looking to have a chat.Getting onto the deck of The Driftwood, the group finds Grov dressed in Locke's clothes and waving around Scarlet Herring's hook hand. He stumbles over himself explaining that it was so the crew could have something familiar in their leader, then mentions something about fairies and acorns. The group elects not to think about it right now, and prepare for the meeting. Nora asks to join in this one. She and the rest of the senior crew (Fazili included) row over to The Sweet Summer Kiss.
The Plan for The Obsidian Chest
Francisco starts by welcoming everybody, shaking a couple of hands, and stating his thankfulness for everybody be willing to hear him out. He explains that The Obsidian Chest - the key to the Pirate King's Treasure - currently lies in the hands of Thrazmohk. Pixchaxla is now undead, but for now, he has retained his willpower enough to keep passing information to Francisco. Thrazmohk managed to open the first three layers of the chest in no more than 4 days after obtaining it, and now seeks to open the final layer, but may only do so in a specific location in The King's Sea. He is sending a force of three Dread Lords to escort and open the chest in 12 days' time.The plan is simple: defeat the Dread Lords with the armada remaining from The Great Sailing - 17 highly capable ships. Combined with The Driftwood and Josef's Stormbreaker, 19 ships of high quality and crews to boot. Francisco reasons that there is at least a 70% likelihood that the group will be able to succeed and claim the chest and, in short order, the treasure. Around 4/5 of it will go to the resurrection of Sin Oro, and the rest will be distributed in completely even shares to the contributors. Francisco will get as much as The Drifters.
Josef isn't too keen on the plan but agrees that the battle is too important to sit out on, so opts in. The Drifters ask for an opportunity to speak to their crew and amongst themselves before deciding but indicate some sort of willingness.
Nora asks Francisco about Pixchaxla and Fernan. The Jack looks to the side and simply shakes his head. Nora is saddened.
The meeting is dismissed and Francisco begins a party - to which The Drifters are invited. The senior crew retreats to the captain's quarters to discuss.
The Intricacies of Dealing with Rivals
The idea is simple: The Drifters wish to take the chest for themselves. The only way they can do this is to snatch the chest during the battle, then make a break for it or lie through their teeth. They have one distinct advantage that Francisco doesn't know about - Captain Rose's journals, and the compass within. They should be able to find out which Dread Lord has the chest and take it. There rests only one problem: how much of their information should they let Francisco have such that they don't tell him too much, but don't put the operation at risk by telling him too little. They agree to tell him as little as they can afford and to hide the good majority of their knowledge from him, even if there are slightly greater risks associated with the approach.A Heart to Heart with Nora
Nora is a final point of concern. She knows Francisco, or at least has met him. She was employed by him too, under The Banderos. Locke and Gunther pull her aside to talk about if she'd like to sail with Francisco. She tells them no. He means well, but she wouldn't be able to do it. Francisco was the brother of Fernan, and she knows that being close to him would only cause her more pain. She doesn't want to have to deal with that, especially if she doesn't know if she should hold him responsible for the deaths of her friends. She asks to be left alone for the night and promises she'll be less distant in the morning.
Report Date
14 Nov 2023
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