Session 24. - Confrontation & Aftermath
General Summary
9th of Icegrip, 1440 A.P.
Suljurn woke first, his body cramped and uncomfortable in a chair not designed to fit his frame. It hadn't helped that he, along with everyone else, had slept in their armour. Collapsing exhausted in the tower's small living space after the banshee had been dispatched the night before. It took him a minute to reorient himself and remember where he was. He glanced around at the others and saw that they too were beginning to stir. A clatter of firewood being dropped by the hearth drew his attention. Mawrdrynn, their host, was awake and tending to breakfast. He noticed Suljurn and the others stir and said. "Ahhh, you're awake now. Care for breakfast?" while offering them a bowl of steaming warm porridge.
Urith declined -- If it wasn't bacon, it wasn't food! -- but Angrar had three bowls on principle, just to irritate the prickly ranger. Suljurn was going to decline as well but the fight had taken a lot out of him and he needed something. The porridge was warm and filling and the maple flavoured syrup Mawrdrynn had added definitely made up for the lack of bacon, almost making the thick porridge palatable. Arbor, Deadeye and Oorr each had a bowl as well. Silently eating as they let the last of their sleepiness fade away.
When they were halfway through their meal, Arbor jolted fully awake. He realised that Lady Aliana, was not there. He looked at their host who had noticed his reaction.
"Yes. Her ladyship has gone. She was up hours ago before the sun even rose. She asked me about the bracelet and I did my best. Nothing I tried could break the spell. The weavings that I detected on that bracelet were finer than gossamer but stronger than adamant. I told her that the only way short of a wish would be to remove the paired ring. I even told her that killing the other person might not even work.
"Still, she seemed determined. Grabbed one of your swords there," he nodded at Oorr, "and set off with a pretty good head of steam. She bade me not to wake you. Sorry." He seemed apologetic and went back to tending the fire, his demeanour fully changed from the night before. Gone was the haggard looking wizard pushed beyond exhaustion. It was replaced by a mix of what could only be described as relaxed melancholia.
The party didn't have that luxury and jumped into action. At the word that Lady Aliana had taken one of his swords, Oorr panickedly checked his scabbards but both his regular blades were accounted for. He was confused at first but then vaguely remembered he'd still been carrying one of his old spare blades. A quick check confirmed that one was indeed missing. The others quickly finished their meals and hastily packed their gear. Arbor questioned the mage about Aliana's departure and they estimated she'd had at least an hour on them, possibly two. Deadeye lamented sardonically that it sure would've been nice to have had the horses but the others ignored him.
Mawrdrynn saw them off, thanking them once again for the return of his book. Arbor hastily apologised for the mess they were leaving and hoped that the banshee was gone for good. Mawrdrynn sighed, and said that he doubted she was truly gone, but was hopefully that there would be enough of a respite for him to reset the outer wards and regain his full strength. He told them that they were welcome to come back any time.
Once they'd said their goodbyes, the party headed off down the trail. Deadeye hadn't seen any indication that Lady Aliana had gone cross country so they assumed that heading back along the road would be the fastest route. They set out at a rapid pace and quickly hit the main road. Not long after, Urith was grumbling that they should maybe stop in Taveren Mill, to "check if anyone had seen Aliana/Vera go through. The others were unconvinced though and knew he was just pining for some bacon. Angrar chided him like a mother hen that he should've just eaten breakfast and that it was his own fault if he had the grumpies. This garnered a laugh from the others but did absolutely nothing to improve Urith's mood and by the time they actually reached Taveren Mill, he'd stopped talking to them altogether.
They jogged through the town, not bothering to stop and see if "fake" Vera had been through, assuming every second spent chatting with the villagers was another second she was getting ahead of them. The pace they set was starting to wear on them but they pressed on. They crossed over the river and were soon into the somewhat familiar fields of Aldergrove. About an hour past Taveren Mill, they spotted her. She'd just hopped a fence and was about to cross one of the fields making a beeline towards the distant manor house. They quickly caught up to her and she spun on them, sword drawn, when they tried to detain her.
Lady Aliana was beyond livid. "You said your mage friend could remove the bracelet! But No! I wasted a whole day while that... that.. hag does who knows what to my husband!" She spat the words at them and they let her vent. Arbor apologised profusely for the error. They had assumed that Mawrdrynn would be able to solve the problem. At first Lady Aliana wasn't having any of it. She called them out on just dragging her along because it was convenient. They'd had an errand to run and figured why not kill two birds with one stone.
Angrar sputtered a response but the truth was none of them could deny her accusations. Arbor apologised again and admitted that yes, they'd assumed the mage could solve her problems. It hadn't worked out they way they'd hoped, but running off half-cocked like she was wasn't going to solve anything either and would likely get them all killed. They needed to come up with a plan. Arbor thought he'd finally gotten through to her when she lowered her sword and leaned forward, hands on her thighs, and started breathing heavily, but a strangled cry escaped her lips and she said "Shes... in... my head. I.... can feel her rummaging around. Get! Out.... Bitch!"
When she stood up her face was a blotchy red from the strain and tears streamed down her face. The party looked around but it didn't look like any of the farmers had made it to the fields this far north, so her outburst went unseen. Angrar spoke and tried to talk further sense into her. Eventually they managed to calm her down. She slumped down against the stone fence and asked quietly. "What's the plan then? It's not as if you can parade me through town."
They paused as that had actually been one of the things they'd talked about doing while they'd been chasing her. They'd discarded the idea, along with Urith's "plan" of just letting her go and get herself get killed and that way they could be done with the whole mess. Again, they worried about this darker side of Urith, but chalked it up this time to him just being hangry and bacon deficient.
In fact they'd discarded all the plans they'd come up with on the way down. None of them seemed feasible. Aliana/Vera stood there waiting for them to respond. Arbor spoke hesitantly, choosing his words carefully. "No, we can't send you through town. The townsfolk will just see Vera back and it will just cause problems. Our best bet is to head straight to the manor and confront her in front of your husband. If you can talk to him and convince him that you're his real wife perhaps she'll come clean and give up. I'm sure you know something that only you and your husband share a secret that could convince him. But if she's rummaging around in your head like you say, she knows your coming, so we need to hurry."
Aliana started to speak. It was as if she was about to say "That's what I was doing!" but Arbor talked over her and reassured her. "She may know that you're coming, but she doesn't know that we're coming too and hopefully that will give us an edge".
Aliana seemed mollified by the plan. "Well then. Let's get on with it."
They made their way across the fields, still fairly muddy from the rain the day before. It slowed them down some but they still managed to make good time, arriving at the manor just after mid-day.
When they arrived, the plan originally had been to sneak in a side entrance but Aliana threw a wrench in that plan by throwing open the main doors and waltzing loudly into the house screaming Vera's name. The others sighed resignedly and followed along, slipping into familiar roles as they were used to these antics from Oorr. Oorr himself paused in the entryway. He was feeling very odd. It was a surreal experience to be on the other side of his own shenanigans. No sir. He didn't like it.
Oorr caught up with the others just in time to see a maid spy "fake" Vera storming through the house and bolt in the other direction. Aliana/Vera strode through the house towards the garden while the others hurried along after her.
Once in the garden, their Aliana/'Fake Vera' spotted her "twin" standing in front of the statue that they'd delivered. Fake Aliana was referencing a small book in her hands, occasionally taking notes, and giving directions to two burly servants assisting her in moving the giant statue. She was seemingly oblivious to the oncoming storm. Aliana bore down on her ready to do murder. Angrar caught up with her just in time and Vera/'Fake Aliana' turned to face them. "Oh my word! You found her!, exclaimed Fake Aliana. "How are you my dear? You look peaked. Are you all right?" She continued rattling off questions, barely giving Aliana time to answer and just when she started to respond, Fake Aliana turned to Angrar and continued the barrage of questions.
The others moved up close by, expecting trouble, if not from the ladies then from the many armed statue that loomed in the near distance. Urith even went so far as to climb up on top of the fountain so as he could continue his "Overwatch", the water soaking his legs to the knees.
Aliana shouted loudly at her fake counterpart to stop, breaking her concentration and stopping the verbal assault. She accused Fake Aliana of actually being Vera and trying to steal her life. The fake Lady of the manor was shocked and confused and turned to the party for clarity, concerned that "Vera" had taken a blow to the head and wasn't talking sense. Arbor stepped up and delicately danced around the accusation and asked if Lord Davram was around as he might be able to help verify things. Fake Aliana said that he'd just left and was heading back to town to continue the search for Vera here and that she'd sent someone to fetch him. Hopefully they'd catch him before he left.
Arbor and the others did their best to keep things calm between them while they waited for Davram to hopefully appear. Everyone was subtly examining the Fake Aliana, looking for a ring that matched their Aliana's bracelet or something that would give her away as the imposter, but they could not see anything. The only jewellery she wore was a simple silver necklace adorned with a single sapphire. The lack of a matching ring started to plant a seed of doubt about their Aliana's story. They needed to find out the truth.
Their Aliana alternated between glaring hatefully at the imposter and verbally sparring with her while 'Fake Aliana' refused to be baited and continued to maintain a serene and calm countenance. She maintained that 'Lady Vera' was sun-addled and she needed rest. Her continued calm demeanour and belief in her truth watered that seed of doubt and the party realised that they had no way to discern which of them was spouting truth or fabrication. They needed a touchstone that would help gauge the truth. Where was Lord Davram?!
Thankfully, they didn't have long to wait as Davram, his chamberlain, and an unnamed servant hurried into the garden from the far direction. Davram immediately raced to his wife's side, pausing briefly to yell at Urith to get down from his fountain this instant and turned to the rest of the party, thanking them for rescuing Vera and asking what in the blazes was going on. Angrar stepped up and said that actually, they hadn't found Vera, they'd found Aliana and that she'd been transformed by magic to look like Vera while the real Vera posed as his wife.
Fake Aliana scoffed at this "tall tale" and challenged her husband to ask her anything about their lives and she confidently stated that it would prove that she was the real Lady Prestor. The party looked at their Aliana and she too was confident that she'd be able to answer all her husband's questions. Lord Davram was a little confused and taken aback by the situation. He stumbled hesitantly over the first couple of questions that he asked the women. Both were able to answer in detail exactly what he'd asked. The questioning continued for some time with both women answering every question correctly.
The party watched the duel with rapt attention. While they were still pretty certain that their Aliana was the real one, the ability of the imposter to answer some of the questions and the detail in which she did was impressive and definitely gave them pause. The only difference in the responses was that Fake Aliana occasionally paused before responding, like she was searching for the answer, whereas their Aliana responded almost instantly.
The questioning continued until Lord Davram stopped the affair and spoke, "Enough! If you really are my wife, you've answered enough questions that Lady Vera should not know." It was uncertain which of the two ladies he was referring to but before anyone could ask for clarification he continued. "There has to be a better way. Now you lot say that 'Vera' here is actually the Lady Aliana and our 'Lady Aliana' is in fact Vera Alder. You say some magic is involved. Explain yourself." He turned to the party, looking for an answer.
Urith, who'd gotten down from the fountain immediately and had the good grace to look embarrassed about being called out about it, uncharacteristically spoke up first. He said that he'd been the one to identify the bracelet and that it was part of a set. It was paired with a ring that completed the set and that the 'Fake Aliana' was wearing it and all she had to do was remove it and the link would be broken. 'Fake Aliana' laughed heartily at hearing this. "Ring? What Ring? I'm not wearing a ring." She held up her hands for everyone to see. "Obviously you can see now that I'm really me and dear sweet Vera here has finally succumbed to her dotage".
When Lord Davram and Marryk turned to the party for a rebuttal, Arbor and the others didn't have a response. They desperately spitballed that she'd hidden the ring close by. Deadeye pointed at the book that 'Fake Aliana' had been holding and idly tapping against her thigh since the confrontation started, and said. "It's in the book!"
The chamberlain unceremoniously grabbed at the book, attempting to grab it out of 'Fake Aliana's' grasp, but her reaction was faster than he expected and she managed to hold on. A brief tug of war ensued, followed by the distinct sound of tearing paper. 'Fake Aliana' and the chamberlain both stumbled backwards, each holding a portion of the small chapbook in their hands with a few pages fluttering loose, falling like leaves in the garden.
'Fake Aliana' let out a panicked gasp, "Oh. Shit!"
That response quickly erased any doubts the party had had about which was the real Lady Aliana. They looked around, immediately looking for danger but the garden was silent and still with everyone in shock over Marryk's actions.
'Fake Aliana' tried to recover her composure and wore an equally shocked and upset expression on her face, but her eyes also had a hint of fear that only the party noticed (because they'd been looking for it). Lord Davram looked quizzically at his chamberlain and was about to ask him what was going on when there was a grinding sound of stone on stone and the multi-armed statue slowly came to life.
Oh Shit indeed.
The statue immediately lashed out at the humans around it. It clipped one of the servants who'd been working the crane with one of its stone fists, sending him flying across the garden and landing with a sickening thud into a statue on the far side. He did not get up. The other servant ducked, dodged, dipped, dove and dodged into the bushes in the other direction and escaped unharmed. The golem then pointed at the crowd in front of it and cast a slow spell, before wading in swinging the wicked stone blades at the paralysed party.
Urith, as was his wont, had hung back and fell outside the spell's range. He fired several arrows at the golem as it waded in to the melee, thinking himself safe. The arrows struck, but ended up drawing the creature's attention. It threw one of its swords like a spear at Urith in return. The shot went slightly wide though. He was eternally thankful that it had missed because the blade had shattered the stone planter and hedge he'd been using for cover.
Suljurn had shrugged off the spell's effects almost instantly and moved into range with the golem. He swung at it several times and most of his blows just glanced off the chiselled stone. He did manage to land one heavier blow, but with the others moving as if they were swimming through molasses, it was going to take a long time if he had to do it by himself.
Thankfully, though, Angrar was able to shake off the spell shortly after and started chipping away at the golem as well. Shortly after Angrar broke free, 'Fake Aliana' slowly started to move away from the fight. At first it looked like she was going to attack Aliana and/or Lord Davram but she continued to run past them, albeit in slow motion. Urith swore he heard a slow motion metallic clanging noise when she ran but it could have just been an echo off of one of Suljurn's or Angrar's hits. Her slow motion trajectory looked like she was running towards the house and as far away from the fight as possible. Urith tried get in her way but he was on the other side of the fight and was pinned down by the golem who kept throwing blasts his way to keep him there. Thankfully all but one had missed and the one that had hit, had just clipped his shoulder.
Deadeye saw 'Fake Aliana' escaping and started a slow motion chase with her. He matched her pace but could not gain any ground with the spell slowing everything.
Meanwhile, Arbor had shaken off the spell and started firing off some spells of his own, unfortunately the golem proved very resistant to many of them so the results were mixed. The golem ignored the spellwork and continued to swing it's wicked blades at Suljurn and Angrar, landing several blows that cut deep. Suljurn wasn't sure how many more hits he could take and stay standing.
Oorr (along with Lord Davram and their Aliana) remained trapped by the spell. This irritated the faun to no end because not only was he so used to being able to flit around the battlefield, he was also usually much more resistant to spells. He moved up and attacked, but felt open and exposed when he couldn't back away. To his relief, the golem remained focused on Suljurn, Angrar and Urith for the time being. he'd seen the hits it had made and was certain he wouldn't survive if one hit him.
'Fake Aliana' managed to free herself from the spell and continued running. Now that she was out of the spells effect she moved like the wind. Thankfully Deadeye was able to also break free and he manoeuvred to intercept her. He took a shot from his hip as he moved, hoping to slow her down but it didn't matter, either due to the after effects of the spell, or just poor aim, he missed and the arrow went wide.
Angrar had managed to hack into the golem enough that one of it's arms was useless. He internally celebrated a small victory which quickly ended when the golem attempted to return the favour and slice off his arm. The cuts weren't deep enough to make his arm useless, but he'd now amassed quite a few of them and collectively was starting to feel their sting. Suljurn was in the same boat. He hadn't taken as many hits, but he was starting to feel each and every one of them. Urith had also been relatively unlucky with the duck and weave game that he was playing and had several more cuts and bruises to show for it. They needed to bring this thing down, soon.
After missing his last shot, Deadeye was determined not to miss again. He centred himself and drew another arrow. Time seemed to slow as he drew a deep breath, sighted his target, released his breath and let the arrow fly all in one fluid motion. It leapt from the bow, flying straight and true. It hit 'Fake Aliana' square in the back, piercing her heart from behind. The impact spun her as she collapsed soundlessly on the crushed rock pathway. Blood instantly started pooling luridly around the body, staining the white path crimson. Deadeye instantly slipped out of his zone when he realised what he'd done and the doubt set in. "Oh crap. Did I kill the wrong one?"
The others heard the kenku say "Oh crap." but in the heat of the fight none of them had seen what he'd done so they had no frame of reference. All their attention was focused on the golem. Oorr had been struggling with the effects of the slow spell, finally managing to break free (ironically seconds before the spell ended on it's own). He leapt forward, finally capable of doing some damage but his light rapiers were barely able to scratch the stone skin of the golem. Dammit! At least he was free to dodge away out of the golem's deadly reach and promptly did so.
With the slow spell ending, Lord Davram, the chamberlain and Lady Aliana (theirs) all started moving again. The spell had hit them hardest it seemed as they hadn't moved once since it had been cast. Lady Aliana screamed in joy when she realised that she looked like herself once more but the scream quickly turned to horror when she saw Vera's body laying lifeless on the path, a black feathered arrow protruding from her back.
The golem took a few more vicious swings at Suljurn, taking him to the ground and started moving towards Urith, whose arrows had been whittling away at it for the whole fight. It seemed like it was going to make things personal. Angrar wasn't having it though and stepped in to prevent the surly ranger from becoming a surly pancake. The golem looked like it was going to cast another spell, but the combined efforts of the group did enough damage to it to render it inoperable before it could. With a crash, the statue tumbled to pieces and the party collapsed beside it in near exhaustion.
Once the golem was down and the group had caught their breath, they saw what Lady Aliana had screamed about and what Deadeye had said oh crap about. Lady Vera Aldergrove dead in the garden. Lord Davram hugged his wife close as his people collected the body. Once that was taken care of he said a few private words to his chamberlain and then asked that the party join him in his study.
Once there, he personally poured each of them a drink the colour of smoked amber and motioned them to sit. He prompted them to tell their tale. They sipped their drinks politely (well, Urith pretended to sip his, having slammed the whole thing seconds after being served -- as was proper in the Jotunlands) and brought him up to speed on their search for the sword, the chamber under the tree (and it's twin under the keep) . They mentioned the mayor's death and the other merchant, Viggo. Oorr was very insistent to mention that Viggo had been dealing in stolen goods for some reason. They mentioned Moloch in passing and his relationship to the swords but the Lord made no indication of recognition beyond it being part of the story. They spoke of their trip north to Mawrdrynn and how his wife had been so singularly minded about returning to save him -- that garnered a sharp laugh from him. They then moved on from fact to speculation. They touched on the riders. They said that they felt that with Vera dead, they'd likely be gone as well. They hadn't any proof directly connecting her to them but they were certain they were connected. They also spoke on what they thought Vera's involvement in everything was and what her ultimate motives may have been but they hedged and said that they couldn't be sure. At that point Lord Davram interrupted them, saying he'd instructed Marryk to have her place searched and if there was anything there that tied her to this mess, they'd find it.
Almost on cue, there was a knock at the door and Danyel, the courtier that had been close to Vera, came in to report the findings from her house. He said that they had searched from the cellar to the attic and found very little as the place had been searched already several times since her "disappearance". The only thing they'd managed to find this time was a heavy sack in a room just off the foyer filled with several dark robes. Danyel pulled one of the robes out of the sack to show Lord Davram just as Arbor and the others shouted "Nooooooo!".
They were too slow however and a familiar fine blue powder filled the air, glittering and sparkling in the sunlight as it showered down on Danyel and Lord Davram before swirling across the room ominously towards the rest of them. While Danyel and Davram started having a horrible coughing fit as the powder coated them, Arbor, reacting instinctively, used his prestidigitation spell to contain the powder, rapidly bringing it down to earth and directing it into the hearth, where he promptly started a fire before Lord Davram could protest. He then rifled through his pack and quickly dug out two of the vials of cure and handed them to Oorr, before turning to inspect the others to ensure he hadn't missed any of the dust.
Oorr walked over to Lord Davram and handed him the vials. Telling him very clearly that if either himself or the kid starts losing sensation in their extremities or feeling perpetually cold, regardless of the heat, they need to drink that right away. If they wait even a day, it may be too late and they could become an statue of ice. Lord Davram paled and asked what that stuff was and Arbor responded before Oorr could. He called it Frigid Woe and said it was a nasty poison that they'd come across before but he was very vague as to where. He then suggested that they should probably be the ones to finish the search of Lady Vera's house in case she'd left any further traps. The lord agreed and after a final check to ensure none of the stuff had gotten on them, they headed off to Lady Vera's house once more.
Once they got there, they spent the afternoon rifling through the house from top to bottom. It soon became very apparent that they weren't going to find anything. It was the same conclusion that Danyel had had: there wasn't much there that they hadn't already discovered or known about. Vera had been an independent woman of means. Her wealth was visible but tastefully muted. Nothing was ostentatious or stood out as being out of place. She was also a neat freak and everything, from the spoons in the kitchen drawers to the linens in the guest baths were folded and stored with precise care. About the only thing out of place was when Oorr had been searching her closet, he'd discovered a hat box stuffed underneath a shelf where the corsets were. When he opened it, he discovered a rakishly good-looking hat with a brightly coloured feather adorning the top. Oorr decided that it did not suit Vera at all, so he casually swapped out his battered, crushed and stained one for this new one while no one was looking (he was THAT type of Rogue after all). He stuffed his old hat back into the box and put it back onto the corset shelf before casually striding back out to the sitting room saying nothing.
If the others noticed the change in hats, (and how could they not, the feather alone in his new one was bright pink and twice as large as his last one), they didn't say anything. They had all but decided that there wasn't anything else to be found in the Manor house, when Arbor casually bumped part of a writing desk and accidentally discovered a secret compartment. At first it looked empty but Angrar's sense of depth and perception kicked in and he suggested that there might be a secret bottom. Sure enough, there was a second, secret compartment hidden within the first. Inside that they found what could only be described as a master plan. It had a sketch of the region with arrows and, notes and numbers all over it. They quickly deciphered that the numbers coincided with days of the Rider's attacks as well as meeting times that probably lined up with the events in Aran Dhabar and Shadymist Cove. They debated taking the information back to the manor house right then but it was late, it had been a very long couple of days, and they were hungry. So they retired back to the inn for the evening, figuring that there would be plenty of time to finish up their investigation and chat with Lord Davram tomorrow.
When they got back to the inn, Urith quickly flagged down the innkeeper and ordered food and some drinks while the others ensconced themselves in their private room. While they waited for the meal, Arbor pulled out the letter he'd found in the cryptex and started reading it again. Something about it had been nagging at him ever since he first read it. He just hadn't had the time to figure it out yet. Oorr was admiring his new hat, picking at imaginary nits and bits of fluff while Urith, Suljurn and Deadeye broke out a deck of cards and started playing a game of Three Dragon Ante. The small kenku said he'd never played before, but was soon handily trouncing the other two hand after hand. Angrar was studying the papers they'd uncovered at Vera's but quickly realised there wasn't much more to them that he could interpret and so shifted over beside Arbor and assisted him in deciphering the letter.
Their food arrived. A thick and hearty stew with thick slabs of warm bread and salted butter. Simple fare, but filling. The innkeeper left pitchers of wine, water and beer to wash down the meal and then excused himself. With the food's arrival, the card game was abandoned as was the unnecessary hat maintenance, but Arbor and Angrar kept puzzling over the letter, ignoring their meals. Eventually they noticed the odd capitalisation of the letters. Piecing together the capitals, they realised that they formed a hidden message.
LOOK TO THAROS FOR BLADE
When they told the others, both Deadeye and Urith simultaneously asked "Who's Tharos?". Oorr cleared his throat and in his "knowitall" voice, proceeded to inform them that Tharos was the evil empire that the Baraquellan Prince defeated in his favourite book. When the others still had a slightly confused look, Suljurn piped up. "It's the country to the south of us."
Oorr was already pledging that they needed to head south and an argument was fixing to break out over his assumptions when there was a brief knock on the door that interrupted the conversation.
When they opened the door, they were met by the saurial bard, Terazmisci. She was shifting nervously from one foot to the other while she waited. When the door opened, she smiled. "Ah. Gentlemen. I was hoping we could speak."
Seeing no way to politely avoid the conversation, and as Angrar had been half-heartedly trying to speak with her for days now, they motioned her inside. Urith caught the eye of the innkeeper who'd been lurking at the far side of the hall and nodded his head at their new guest, as if to say, I'm sure she needs food as well. The innkeeper nodded back and quickly disappeared into the kitchen.
Once they got settled back down, the bard wasted no time. "Do you have the sword? Can I see it?" The others were somewhat confused but nodded to Suljurn who handed it over. Terazmisci motioned for him to set in on the table, seemingly not wanting to handle it herself, and grabbed a glass lens and a pair of thin, white silk gloves from a pouch at her belt. She waited while they first cleared a space of their dinner plates and once that was cleared, she inspected every inch of the blade from the tip to the pommel before reverently turning the blade over and continuing her search. Occasionally she'd hrrm or make another subvocalisation of curiosity. This went on for several long minutes before she seemed to be satisfied and handed the blade back. Once Suljurn had sheathed the blade, she asked what they knew about it. They were about to answer when they were interrupted briefly by the innkeeper delivering her dinner.
When he was gone, Arbor said that they knew the sword belonged to the temple of Rayah in Aran Dhabar and that it was good at smiting the undead but not much more beyond that. They expected her to add more, or correct them but instead she asked another question. "What did they know about the smith Wayreth?" Urith piped up between mouthfuls of food (he'd gotten seconds at the same time), having recently become an adherent of Phaestos, the god of smiths, "He's one of Phaestos' chosen." to which she responded, "They'd have you believe that." but wouldn't elaborate further.
The group was getting a little irritated at the cryptic nature of the conversation, but at the same time, they hung on her every word. Oorr and Arbor both noted that she definitely knew how to work a crowd, and that she probably didn't even realise she was doing it. They waited. She seemed to be gathering her thoughts, or perhaps deciding what to tell them. After a few moments she spoke.
"Right, so everything you know is wrong and filled with half-truths and misinformation. Wayreth, or Wyreth if you will (we're not sure which is the correct spelling), was a smith. That much is true, but he's never been an adherent of Phaestos despite their claims. Wayreth was a former Knight of the Blade. He served during the Plaguewar that stemmed from Dhamoc's Plague. We know he served with Khiale and witnessed his betrayal and the death of The Mage-Priest that ended the war."
"Records after the war are spotty at best -- the world was in a shambles after all -- but we do know that he retired to blacksmithing at some point. He became very well regarded in his field, initially due to his association with Khiale, but ultimately because his work was the finest the world had ever seen (or may ever see, if I'm honest). He became a master weaponsmith, ultimately known for his swords, though he was known to make many different weapons throughout his career."
"Like I said, common tales say he is a champion of Phaestos, and I don't doubt that he paid tribute to him at some point, but the truth that many scholars (myself included) believe is that he never ceased his loyalty to his Bladeknight brethren and he was an early adherent of Khiale and central to his deification. Regardless of who he worshipped though, it was known that he was a champion against evil. While he may never have fought another battle, he ensured that those that did were well armed and prepared for victory."
"After the war he travelled widely. He became something of a celebrity and made many weapons for various royal families and lordly houses. Eventually he settled in Cor Caroli and took on apprentices. The blades he created during his Carolinian period are considered by many to be his best works. Even a simple footman's dagger from that period has been known to fetch several hundred gold, if not platinum."
"There was a controversial subset of this period. It was a seemingly unrelated set of pieces known as the Magdalinian Set. We don't know a lot about it other than it was done near the end of his career. Some of my peers even question whether they were even made by him or an unnamed apprentice utilising his name. It was an unknown number of pieces with little consistency or theme beyond they were all swords done as a commission for a "Lady Magdaline". No, before you ask. We don't know who she is. Her identity is one of history's greatest mysteries, as is what all she commissioned from Wayreth or why."
"Now what does all of this have to do with your sword there? I honestly don't quite know. I was hoping that I'd examine it and everything would all make sense. Or that it would be a missing Magdalinian piece. I really don't know. I've been a scholar of the blades for as long as I can remember. I'd heard a rumour of the 'Sword of the Grave' from a trader in Joshua, half a world away, and came looking. On the very day I arrived, I found out that the sword had been stolen. It had to mean something. So I've been chasing after it ever since... and now that I've found it, it looks like it's not even his work." she paused, "Definitely one of his apprentices or sons. The maker's mark is worn but if I were to guess, it looks like Welland's work. A solid smith in his own right but a candle to his master's forge fire."
"There are tales surrounding The Seven Swords of Wayreth. Some say that they were forged to fight a great evil. Others say that they Wayreth was duped or corrupted into making them and they are in fact evil. No one knows exactly which are the seven swords. Rumours abound and facts are scarce. Some say the tales refer to the Magdalinian blades and others refer to earlier known pieces. It's hard to say when the man was so prolific and made far more than seven blades in his lifetime."
The party had sat enraptured in silence as she told her tale. Even Oorr, who was notorious for interrupting and trying to redirect the tale around himself, had sat quietly. When she finished, they had a million and one questions which she tried her best to answer. Arbor asked about some of the famous weapons he'd made. She laughed and said it might be easier to name all the stars in the sky. She did know of a few and their whereabouts. There was the Royal Spear of Ilsara currently used as a symbol of the office of the queen and royal house. Likely it was still in Caithness. It was known that he'd made a pair of twin swords for an Akkadian noble. Terazmisci was pretty certain that he'd made a blade that became a gift to the Sael and An'Sael as part of a treaty. She was also certain that the Shiaren Proconsul had one in his possession as did several prominent noble families in and around Cor Caroli.
The bard paused and said, there were probably a few others. She said she'd review her notes and get back to them. Terazmisci then enquired if they'd be sticking around tomorrow. The group said they weren't sure yet. They had business to finish with Lord Davram and then their plan was return to in the capital. So if they weren't here, they'd be heading to the Temple of Rayah there. She nodded and thanked them for their time, getting up to leave. Before she left though, Angrar asked if any of Wayreth's blades had ever been associated with Tharos.
She paused at this and was slow to answer. "Depends if you believe in children’s stories or not." She pointedly looked at Oorr as she said this but then continued. "To my knowledge, no. Tharos wasn't even a country back then. Just an unsupervised and forgotten bunch of the Meradassian military who spent their time fending off the Ophidians. For there to be a Wayrethi blade there would be unlikely, but the world spins ever on, so who knows what has washed up on those shores since."
Angrar pressed about the children's story comment and Terazmisci ruefully laughed, "Your friend probably could tell you about it himself. Probably could quote you the stanzas verbatim if you asked," nodding again at Oorr, who blinked in surprised ignorance that he was being included in the conversation and perked up when he realised that they were discussing The Baraquellan Cycle. Before he could join the conversation though, the bard continued. "In his precious stories, they say the boy king found a magic sword in a lake in the middle of Baraquelle and then it to help defeat his father's Tharan fleet that threatened his adopted home. If I recall correctly, they called the blade... what was it again? Albatross?.... no. Abattoir? No, too dark even for a children's tale. Ah yes. It was Albios. But it's just a story. No one believes a word old Marcav wrote. He was tabaxi for Ogham's sake and an inveterate drunkard and thief to boot. He lied as well as you and I breathe. Come now. Next you'll be telling me that the Rhûn Men are real too." She scoffed and rolled her eyes as she left, calling back over her shoulder that she'd get those names for them soon.
With the bard's departure, Oorr was vibrating with barely unconstrained glee. He argued that Tharos was the logical choice now. The others, not wanting the faun to immediately get his way, also floated Cor Caroli as an option as it was close to the Shiaren blade the bard had mentioned as well as that spear in Ilsara. And it was where Wayreth had spent most of his time. Angrar felt it might be a good place to start. They would've argued more but Arbor pointed at Urith, who was already asleep in his chair. They decided sleep was not a bad idea. All of them quickly realising how tired they really were. They'd finish their business with Lord Davram in the morning and then decide from there.
Morning came far earlier than they'd hoped. Despite having no immediately pressing matters and having a strong desire to sleep in, they were all up early. Oorr was practically vibrating, knowing that he was going to be one step closer to fabled Baraquelle. He came down to earth quite quickly though, when Suljurn pointed out that they still had to go back to the capital and return the sword before they could go anywhere, and last he'd checked, Aran Dhabar, and Cor Caroli for that matter, were north, not south.
They all packed up their gear with a fond melancholy and headed down for their last breakfast in the inn. Aldergrove wasn't that bad of a place all things considered. Maybe they'd come back here and retire some day. They continued these idle daydreams through breakfast. Urith made a point of ordering as much bacon as possible and stuffing every pocket, bag and pouch that he owned as full of the stuff as he could. The others laughed at this. Saying that at the rate he was going, there's a strong likelihood he'd end up finding bacon hidden behind his ears next year during his annual bath. For the first time in days, Urith laughed back. Maybe the darker mood that had been haunting him for days had finally passed.
With breakfast over, they went searching for Lord Davram. They found him just as he was leaving the town hall, apparently to come and see them. They chuckled at the coincidence and he ushered them back inside. Once there, he again thanked them profusely for all their efforts. For rescuing his wife, uncovering Vera's betrayal and dealing with the Riders. He was eternally grateful for everything. He handed over several large sacks of gold along with the bracelet his wife had been wearing (and the matching ring). When they enquired about it, he said that his wife wanted it as far away from her as possible. He considered it a bonus for their exemplary performance.
With payment complete, Lord Davram chatted socially for a time, asking if they had plans to stick around. He seemed a little disappointed when they told him they had to return the sword to the capital, almost as if he had more work planned for them. He wished them luck and told them that they would always be welcome in his demesne. He bade them a good day and said he had to rush, he was late for a meeting with his chamberlain and the town leaders. Something about appointing a new mayor.
After he departed, the group were left to their own devices. They hung around the inn only for as long as it took to pack their gear on the horses and wagon. Terazmisci did not appear by the time they were ready to leave and feeling no particular compunction to wait around longer, they headed out back on the road.
They headed straight back to Aran Dhabar, stopping only twice. First as they passed Morwen's Tower to check on Mawrdrynn. No one responded when they knocked on the newly repaired door and there wasn't anyone in his studio either, though smoke could be seen from the chimney so they assumed he was just out.
They had intended to stop in Riverrun but the village looked abandoned as they passed through. Only a few husks of buildings remained and not a soul was seen. Their second stop ended up being at an inn called The Prancing Pony in Graelin's Cross run by an gnomic innkeeper named Underhill. The meal there was mediocre and Urith supplemented it with a large chunk of his bacon hoard but the beds were clean. They kept to themselves in the common room, not really wanting to get involved in anything. They did hear snippets of a couple of conversations that piqued their interests though. First was that the repairs in Cìrdan after the recent floods were progressing. Apparently the master of The Sinspire had donated a large sum of coin to ensure the the repair efforts were executed quickly. The second snippet that they noted, or rather didn't note due to its absence, was the lack of talk of the Spectral Riders. Whoever, or whatever they had been, their rampages seemed to have stopped. The party shared a knowing look at the part they played. They quietly discussed what the plan was after they returned the sword, but still hadn't come to any decisions.
The next day brought them back to Aran Dhabar, returning to the city for the first time in two weeks. They'd only been in the city a few days the last time and had never taken the time to appreciate the size or beauty of it. As the approached the southern gate, the city rose gracefully above them over several rolling hills. The elven architecture and craftsmanship stood out everywhere, accentuated occasionally by complimentary Dhabaran styles. It truly was a city in sync with it's dual natures and history.
Their first stop was the stable to return the horses. The stable master briefly complained about the modifications they'd made to the cart, but Arbor quickly reminded him that he could now charge more for it, which seemed to mollify him. After the horses were returned, they headed back to the same inn that they had used last time and were easily able to secure rooms now that the year end celebrations had passed. Arbor resisted the urge to splurge for the fancier room despite being far richer than he'd been during his last visit.
Once they'd dumped their travelling gear, they wasted no time and headed back to the temple. A quick conversation with one of the priests had them waiting for a bit, but soon they had gained an audience with the Arch-Deacon. With little aplomb, they handed over the sword, earning them the priest's praise. He said that they'd heard rumours of things happening in the south and he hoped that they were unrelated.
Arbor sadly said that they had been related. They then spun an abbreviated version of their adventures, simply saying that cultists of Moloch had stolen the sword in an attempt to contact or release their master. The priest was suitably shocked and grateful that they had stopped them. He thanked them for returning the blade. After inspecting it to ensure it hadn't been harmed during its adventures, he summoned an underpriest who delivered a large chest of coin as their payment. He also told them that for their efforts, he would allow them to peruse the library and select a single book of their liking if they so wished. They told him that they would return the next day and take him up on his offer.
With their business attended to and all their immediate loose ends tied up, they bade the priest a good day and returned to the inn with celebration on their mind. They ordered a massive feast and spared no extravagance. It may not have been on the same level as the food from the Alder Arms, but it was far better than they were used to and fit for a Lord, if not a Prince.
When dinner was over and they were all deep in their cups, Angrar broached the subject of what next? Oorr was still adamant about heading to Baraquelle, errr... Tharos rather. Deadeye and Urith leaned towards Cor Caroli while Angrar and Arbor were torn as both seemed valid options. Suljurn was unsurprisingly taciturn and didn't voice an opinion at all. In fact he seemed somewhat uncomfortable at the whole conversation, as if he had something he wanted to say, but didn't know how to. Sadly the others were too invested in the conversation and/or drunk to notice and paid him no mind.
Finally after many drinks and arguing back and forth, they decided on Tharos, more to shut Oorr up than anything if they were being truly honest. Before they could raise another tankard in celebration an unexpected guest unceremoniously joined them at the table, sitting next to Arbor with a graceful bounce.
"Well hello boys," greeted Lea. She was dressed in an flowing white blouse under a night blue corset and matching leather breeches. She radiated equal amounts of sex appeal and danger that sobered everyone up right quick as the blood in their bodies couldn't quite decide where it wanted to be. "Sorry to interrupt your little chinwag, but I have need of dearest Nox here," she patted the goblin casually on the cheek. He had the good grace not to flinch too visibly.
Oorr tried to be genteel and said, perhaps foolishly, "He is yours to command M'lady."
"Indeed he is," she smiled ominously and extricated the goblin from the group. They stepped aside and held a conversation that, despite only being only five feet away, was impossible for the group to eavesdrop on. Based on the body language though, it looked like Lea was requesting something from Arbor that he wasn't fully willing to accede to. The only change to Lea's body language that the party could see was that after Arbor was done arguing, was that she tilted her head ever so slightly and looked at him sternly, as if she was a parent catching a child in a lie. Arbor seemed to relent and Lea was all smiles again.
They rejoined the group, with Lea's arm possessively wrapped around Arbor's shoulders. "Gentlemen," she said. "I regret to inform you that Arbor will unfortunately be unable to travel with you for the forseeable future. I have need of his special talents and we must away tonight. We have a long journey ahead of us. Do not worry though. I would never leave you ill equipped for your journey for it holds a great interest to me. I will make sure an adequate replacement joins you anon."
With that, she and Arbor exited the inn leaving the rest of the party wondering what exactly had just happenned. As they left the inn, Angrar overheard Lea ask Arbor what he thought about hounds. He never heard the goblin's response before they were out of sight.
After Arbor's sudden departure, the celebratory mood ended and the others headed to their rooms wondering what the following day would bring and what it meant for the rest of them.
Rewards Granted
- 1042 xp
- 4500 gold
- A Feat
- Second half of the Bracelet of Twin Souls
- Barabonsa's Hat
Missions/Quests Completed
- Returned the Sword of the Grave
- Rescued Lady Vera Aldergrove
Character(s) interacted with
- Lord Davram Prestor
- Lady Aliana Prestor
- Lady Elvera Aldergrove
- Marryk Graesin, Lord Davram's Chamberlain
- Terazmisci
- Lea
Notes
Congratulations! You have achieved a Critical Success on your Perception Check!
Contact the GM privately and mention nutmeg prior to next game for an xp reward.
</FNORD!>
Deadeye Cliffhanger
Oorr Rosetta del Hilltopple
Rogue 4
Sorcerer 1
10
18
12
8
12
16
Urith Thane
Suljurn sah-Ghad
Arbor Nox
