Session 51 - Shopping and Shenanigans

General Summary

5th Harvest

As the morning dawned, the various members of the party woke and eventually found their way down to the common room. Both Jilken and Ranunkel woke up thinking about those Dreamweaver cookies they had tried yesterday. The craving was hard to shake, but seemed to vanish after each had consumed another cookie.
Denye looked a bit concerned at this, but got distracted when Ell said, "I heard back from my sister. She wants to meet at the Greedy Cookie in about an hour or so." Rubbing his face he added, "I also had a really odd dream last night that I wanted to share with everyone, but I don't know if we have time right now."
Cocking her head to side and eyeing Ell, Denye asked, "What does your sister want with US?"
"Well, I sent her a note last night," said the young man with a shrug, "If we want to use this temporary talent of Janora's, we want to make sure that we're talking to right people. Linira knows quite a bit about what is going on with the upper crust here in Haven and I was hoping she could point out a couple of useful leads."
"That," began Denye, "sounds like the kind of fun where I end up becoming an accomplice. Unless you absolutely need me to come with, I'm going to head over to Aubergine's and see if I can beg some workshop space. Give me a call if anything comes up?"
As Denye pushed away from the table, Vellikar asked, "Mind if I tag along with you, Denye? I would love to learn more about the way you manage your magic. If nothing else, I can be a useful pair of hands."
"Of course," said Denye with a beak-grin, "actually, it would be a good idea to have you along. I was planning on starting on some darkvision goggles for you and having you there for fittings would be helpful." With that, the pair headed out and towards the Celestial Dragon.
Turning back to the table, Ell asked, "Anyone else have things they want to do, or shall we go see my sister?"
Janora made a face, "I'll let you get on with your scheming, just let know me when you have something for me to do. I am going to head over to the library and see if I can get some practical research done." Excusing themself, the witch headed back up to their room to meditate a bit and get their notes in order. The rest of group decided to go with Ell and with the time for the meeting getting closer, the young noble led them all out into the bustling streets of Haven under a heavy overcast sky.
As the group neared the appointed cafe, Jilken realized that they were just around the corner from Top of the Mind. It was still a few minutes before they were due to meet Linira so the Aiel took a moment to run over and pick up her new hellhound cloak. Jhaan Hatter was quite happy to see the elf and proudly displayed his wife's work. Black leather with red lines showing through some of the cracks, and Alayce had even managed to keep the face of one of the hellhounds and incorporate it into the hood.
Quite pleased, Jilken slipped it onto her shoulders and let it fall into place. It was heavier than expected, but it still allowed good freedom of movement. Thanking the half-elf, Jilken headed back and found her friends window shopping outside. Together they headed back over to the Greedy Cookie.
Opening the door, the smell of fresh bread and cookies wafted out, inviting the party to step inside. The shop was quite inventing as well, brightly polished wooden walls and floors shone under a number of lamps. A half dozen small tables with cushioned chairs lay scattered around the room and near the back a counter with a large glass case with a variety of baked goods.
Glancing around there were only two patrons at the moment, a non-descript fellow in leathers at a table near the window and Linira at a table in the back. Today her hair was a mass of deep red curls and she was wearing a pair of large sunglasses sipping from a teacup. Linira was wearing a crisp white button down, with a popped collar under a black silk jacket and pants. The jacket was covered in silver embroidery of spiderwebs with onyx and garnets chips. To finish the outfit she had a string of drop shaped garnets and rose gold hung around her neck.
As Ell led the group over to the table, a cheerful halfling with flour on her cheeks came out from a back room. As they took seats at the table, Linira said, "Lidnys dear, would you get my friends some of these delicious scones. And a pot of tea of course." Turning to Ell, she smiled and said, "Hello brother dear, it is quite good to see you. Your missive promised some interesting things, I am curious to hear more. But first, introduce me to your friends."
"Lin, my dear," said Ell with a smile, "you are looking lovely as always." As Ell made introductions, the baker Lidnys brought over a tea service for the four of them as well as a platter of steaming scones and a crock of a greenish jam. After distributing the treats the cheerful halfling disappeared into the back. Taking a few minutes to address the table and get food settled. The scones were extremely sweet with some sort of fruit, while the jam added a more sour/sweet flavor. The tea on the other hand was quite dry and astringent. They proved to be a rather pleasing combinations with the tea balancing the scones.
Picking up her refilled teacup, Linira leaned back and said, "So dear brother, tell me of what you have been up to and what you have in mind. And then I have some news for you as well."
As Ell began to describe a bit about the ruin they had explored and the way magic had sometimes strange effects. After a couple of sentances, his elder sister pulled an inch and a half flatish ruby with a sigil carved into it. Setting it at the center of the table, she spoke a work and it flashed, sending a wave of energy out into a circle around the table.
Jilken stiffened and Ell looked confused. "Don't worry," assured Linira, "this is only an illusion and a sound barrier. We look like a stack of barrels at the moment. Don't worry, Lidnys is a good friend. Anyway, back to your explanations."
Ell nodded, "So the short of it is that Janora can't get drunk at the moment. I know that in a lot of the upper crust parties the drink tends to flow quite freely. Also as freely as the gossip and the secrets...the problem is that no one is sober enough to remember or act on them. I'm thinking that we have an opportunity to gather some valuable intelligence." Flashing his brightest smile Ell added, "And you always know the best parties."
"Well," replied Linira, "you are correct, being able to remain sober around some of the nobility has it's benefits. So my brother wants to take a turn in the great game. Oh yes, I have just the thing. Guildmaster Panelen Faelran is hosting a masquerade on the 8th. I believe it's to celebrate his eldest son getting his mastery or something. I could get you on the guest list, if you would be willing to look into something for me?"
Ell narrowed his eyes in suspicion, "And who is it that you think needs looking into?"
Laying her hands on the table, Linira leaned forward and said, "Quinras Longdew, he's a halfing, a count over in Uplor. He has been buying up sheep all over Paxtopa and I want to know why!"
Ell considered it for a few moments and shurgged, "If you have any particular insights or specifics you want, that would be helpful, otherwise we can see what he has to say about sheep."
"Thank you," said Linira with a smile and a nod. "Give me a day or two and I'll have the invitation delivered to that charming inn you are staying in. Now, I have some interesting news for you, I've had a look at Gorscha's books...If I haven't seen it with my own eyes I wouldn't have believed Father would have allowed such a thing."
Ell looked confused once more, "What do you mean?"
"Half of the entries are only single words, but more importantly, he's been losing the family money for years...FOR YEARS! Dying was the best thing that he ever did."
"What," said Ell looking aghast, "How did he manage that?"
Linira sighed, "Well if I'm correct, most of these mysterious debits are probably gambling debts...but how Father let him get away with it, I have no idea. The only thing I can think of is that as the perfect eldest son, Father never bothered to check. But my guess is that it was the gambling that introduced Gorscha to the Shado."
Ell groaned, "Are they still a problem or has the family cut ties?"
Linira shook her head, "I convinced Father that drug running is not a long-term strategy and we’ve cut those ties with the family business. Father handled it, I believe his contact was a Balork Undertow in Dreford. I do have names of some of the distributors if you would be interested...although I do believe quite a few of them have vanished in the last fortnight."
"Quite unfortunate that," Ell replied sardonically, "but yes, I'll take those names."
Linira ignored the tone and pulled out a piece of paper from her handbag and handed it over. "I suppose," she said, "if you want to find out more about the Shado and Gorscha's dealings, you could try speaking with that group of friends of his, I haven't had time to follow up on that."
"Which friends are those?" asked Ell, "I didn't pay a lot of attention."
"Actually, Guildmaster Faelran's party might be a good for that as well, now that I think of it. Xoni is his second son, he used to follow Gorscha and the others around. He'll probably be at the party and you should be able to talk to him. As for the others, Tolvan hasn't been seen in weeks, but I believe both Engnas Payra and Vinmin Nightbough are still in the city. You could try looking for them either at the Copper Candle or Vulgar Palm."
Jilken leaned in and asked, "Did you happen to find anything about a Grol Evenoak?"
Linira thought for a moment, "I recognize the name from the ledgers, but I don't think I've ever met the person. Nothing like an address either, I'm afraid."
Ell shared a look with Jilken but turned back to his sister, "Thank you Lin, it was lovely to see you as always. I will look forward to the invitation and will let you know what we discover."
"Of course," replied Linira, "and just a fair warning, I would stay away from the Manor if I were you. Father is still fuming and won't listen to Mother or me."
Ell snorted, "Don't worry about that. I don't think the Manor is going to be home for a while." Rising from the table, he turned and headed towards the door.
As the others rose to follow, Linira said, "Jilken was it, let me know if you are ever interested in a change in profession."
The elf shrugged, "Depends on what the job was and what it paid."
Ell's sister smiled, "Well the Darnet famliy is always looking for useful bodyguards. You look like a quite capable warrior."
Jilken shuddered, "I don't think you can pay me enough to do a job that boring. But let me know if you have anything interesting come up."
"Fair enough," said Linira with a laugh, "well, you have done well thus far keeping my brother alive."
With a nod, Jilken followed her friends back out into the street. As the four of them began heading back through the city, the sky opened up with a crack of lighting and a peel of thunder. As a cold, heavy rain began to fall, Ell pulled up his hood and began to grumble as they headed back to Three Sheets. The others followed, Jilken occasionally stopping to simply stare at the sky, where water literally fell from the sky.

---

Back at the Celestial Dragon, Denye and Vellikar found Aubergine, supervising a pair of animate towels that were currently cleaning displays. The copper dragonborn was quite happy to see them, "Denye, my dear, my heart is cheered as always to see you. You as well, Vellikar wasn't it."
The firbolg gave a shy nod as Denye said, "I was hoping that I could impose on you for a bit of workshop space. We're going to be in town for a bit I think and I'd really like to get some work done on a couple of these projects that just keep piling up. It's so hard to get anything done when we are travelling all over the place."
"Of course, of course," replied Aubergine laughed, "Oh yes I know what that can be like. And research and planning never quite hits the same itch. The workshop you used is still as you left it, I believe. Let me know if there is anything I can do to help."
Denye chirped a thank you and gratefully accepted two pendants, passing one over to Vellikar. Together they slipped behind the counter and into the central workshop area. There were shelves of baskets, jars, and boxes as well as a couple of tables, but the Corva wizard headed for a door in one wall. Punching a four digit code into a keypad she waited for light above the door to glow green and ushered Vellikar inside.
The pair spent the next few hours working on a set of googles of night for the druid. As Denye worked she explained everything, with Vellikar asking lots of questions as he wanted to understand this vastly different way of accessing the arcane. It was an enjoyable day, but perhaps more of Denye's mind was on the conversation rather than her crafting. The googles functioned, but they were heavy and bulky and required several head straps.
Satisfied that they had at least a functional prototype, Denye said, "These should work for now, give me some time to practice and I should be able to refine it a bit."
"No, no," replied Vellikar excitedly, "these are amazing. You are an excellent teacher, I'm glad I got to spend the day with you. I think I prefer my nature magics to all those diagrams and complicated words, but isn't it great how all of us are different?" Packing up for the day, they said goodbye to Aubergine and headed back to the inn to meet the others for dinner.

---

Janora had spent the day at the Wayfinders Library digging into the past, trying to understand more about about the Bells, but also about the Bright Shiners themselves and the general history predating the war of the undead. There were several texts on the Bells and how they functioned in the Lost Kingdom, including a couple of conversations with members of the Custos Mortis, the Deathwardens who helped the living to cope with living in a land so much closer to death. Nothing was said about how the Bells worn by the Custos Mortis were created, nor for that matter, the Bells used by necromancers to gain power.
The real stroke of luck came when Dor found a copy of a earlier Second Age historian who spent quite some time examining the run-up to the war and the destruction. His thesis was that the true root of the problem began when the kingdom of Belegiria decided to expel all non-humans. This in turn led to a reliance on the undead for labor when the aristos were inconvicnced by the lack of food or other goods and supplies. As the government began to rely more and more on these undead for labor, the necromancers who supplied it became even more important in the mageocracy.
The rest of the Tamed Lands, at that time really only what is now Caisia, absorbed the non-humans who had been exiled. Some stayed within the five great cities or settled in quiet villages, but quite a few decided to keep pushing, heading out into the west to start somewhere anew. Those proved to be prescient as within five years of that ban, a charismatic leader named Ollamaas rose to power and overthrew the mage council, installing himself and his so-called Death Tyrants as the new rulers of Belegria. For almost a year after, little else seemed to change, save that all crimes became capital crimes, as the Death Tyrants began to build armies of undead. Ollamaas also used this time to seed agents within the Cities, softening them up, attempting to get them to submit to this empire of death that was the dream of the Death Tyrant.
There is little information about the appearance or origins of the Bright Shiners. From what records have been found, the first to appear was Molkem, shortly after the war began with the destruction of the city of Gredale. He was the one who called the others and together they helped to lead the collected defense of the Tamed Lands. Each of the nine had different abilities and talents, with skills unknown since the gods walked the earth, but all would glow with divine light when channeling that power, hence the name Bright Shiners. All were vastly more powerful that any of the Death Tyrants or their minions, save for Ollamaas himself. It seemed that he had found someway to connect to Tharizdun and take in a portion of the Chained Oblivion's power. When not even their combined force could overwhelm him, the Shiners began to design the ritual that would destroy the evil creature he had become, and purge his corruption from the land.
That plan was shattered when Ninsidra argued and abandoned the other Bright Shiners. The others did what they could, recrafting the spell to break and bind Ollamaas and push the peninsula of Belegria into it's own demi plane, with only the Wall to tether it for the sake of the living in that lost kingdom. No records exist of the details of this rite, but when it was completed, the peninsula was gone as were Ollamaas and all the Bright Shiners.
Realizing how late it getting, Janora packed up their notes and after saying goodbye to Dor headed back to the inn to find out what others had discovered and found that it was still raining, although not currently as hard as it had when the storm broke. Arriving back at the Three Sheets, the witch found the party gathered at one of the tables near the roaring fireplace.
Over dinner, Ell told the others of the conversation with Linira and the offer for tickets to a masquerade as well as her request regarding Longdew. He also warned them that he wasn't sure why exactly she wants to know about sheep, but he could almost guarantee that it wasn't as simple as wanting as keeping tabs on this count.
Denye shook her head a couple of times before asking, "Ell, what is with your family, are all of them manipulative and power-hungry?"
The young man chuckled awkwardly, "About that, pretty much yes. But there is sort of a reason for it. Remember this morning when I said I wanted to tell you all about my dream. I met the Voice last night and she simultaneously threatened me...but also, maybe, hinted at a path I should explore. The subject of hope came up and she scoffed at the concept, but then she told me to keep the hope alive. So maybe I am supposed to hope for something and I am choosing to trust my friends and tell you about the Voice and the familial pact."
Over then next 30-40 minutes he explained about his family of warlocks and how the Voice granted them power and charisma in exchange for causing suffering and misery in her name. "But I have never killed anyone, I would only cause mischief when the Voice gave me a name, set a fire or something like that." That elicited a grunt of disproval from Janora, but Ell ignored them and went on, "But lately I've been asking questions about why this power came to us, like why it and not something else? And where the Voice came from....I've never found anything that referenced her outside the family libraries."
Denye sighed and waved her wings a bit, "That does certainly put your past concerns with the healer last time we were here, in a new...a..perspective."
"That sounds like a rough deal for you," said Ranunkel quaffing his beer, "So are you going to keep doing what the Voice, was it, tells you to do?"
"I'm not really sure how much choice I have," said Ell slowly, "like, I didn't kill the guy that I was told to, so yay me, but then my magic has been all wonky for the past week or two. And she did kinda threaten to kill me if I disobeyed her again.....so I guess we'll see."
"I hope you know we'll do everything we can to keep that from happening," said Denye, and I am glad you told us...I'm really not sure what else to say but I have a lot more research to do tomorrow."
Ell chuckled, "I don't really know what to do with it either, I just didn't want to hide it from folks anymore. If it is any comfort, such orders are rare, so we probably don't have anything to worry about for a while."
Denye nodded slowly, "I'm glad you told us, but maybe telling us all of this after you just made a deal with your sister to go on a drunken barhop to squeeze people for information might not have been the best timing. Still at least we know...and knowing we can prepare."
Jilken shrugged, "It's not like the rest of us haven't occasionally done strange things to get where we are and his magic has saved our butts on more than one occasion." With a wink she added, "Just let me know if the Voice puts out a hit on me."
"You're right of course," said Denye seriously, "But now I have more research projects to investigate."
"When don't you have research projects?" asked Jilken with a laugh.
"Yes, but these are new," replied Denye, "and important. I'm going to have to wait on the earrings and go to the Library tomorrow."
"How many," asked Janora, "how many people in your family have this Pact?"
"A handful, but probably not more than two," replied Ell casually, "Both my father, Lord Byron, and mother, Elise Horlung-Darnet. Gorscha, Linira and I. I think a few of the first cousins on the Darnet side have trothed, but they are all older."
Denye asked, "Can we trust your sister?"
"No, of course not," Ell snapped. But then his tone softened and he added, "Like everyone in my family, we can trust my sister to do what will best benefit for Linira. Right now she has a desire to have something from us and she knows that getting us into the party establishes a relationship and may ingratiated herself a bit so when she comes back later and asks for another favor, we'll be more likely to help." Ell flashed another bright smile, "But we can always tell her no if it's not something we want to do."
"Oh boy," said Denye with a long exhale, "that sounds like it will be lots of fun. Yeah I need to get started on this research. I'm going to have a cider and head up to my room."
Vellikar looked concerned, "You don't want to go with us tonight?"
Denye shook her head, "I've got enough balls to juggle, but you all have fun."
On that note, Ell asked, "Janora, we should go practice and see if we can find out anything interesting at the Vulgar Palm."
Janora groaned, "It better not be too vulgar...I can't get drunk enough to enjoy it."
With that the party left the Three Sheets and headed up and around the palace to one of the more nuevo-rich neighborhood where they found the tavern. Built around an open courtyard a large palm tree stood in the center. It did indeed have a humorous growth on one side and with luck Ell spotted Vinmin Nightbough sitting at the bar and headed in that direction. Ovarall it proved to be a very interesting evening, Ell, after buying a few rounds for Vinmin and a pair of his friends, convinced them into a drinking contest with Jilken, Ranunkel, and Janora. The others enjoyed drinks and listened to the various conversations around them, except for Vellikar who kept getting distracted by the various girls who were dancing on-stage...many with fans or veils.

6th Harvest

The next morning Denye was up early and out before most of the others. She headed directly over to the Conclave Hall and managed to talk the clerk into letting her into the records rooms. The wizard spent the next several hours combing through records looking to get an idea of the Darnet family's business holds. It proved to be a daunting task both with the scope of the holdings and the number of shell companies and middle-men that were involved. Giving it up as a bad job, she thanked the clerk and headed over to the Wayfinders Library.
Dor was happy to see Denye and more than happy to help with the Corva wizard's research. Here she ran into a similar problem. There were a great many tomes on warlocks, their patrons, and the pacts that they swore. Those pacts were as varied as the patrons, which it seemed could be almost any kind of powerful being, usually from one of the other planes. Strangely almost all patrons seemed to be able to bestow a version of Eldritch Blast. 
It was possible to break a warlock pact by renouncing a patron, although the consequences for such an act seemed to vary depending on the disposition of the patron. At minimum, all power bestowed on the warlock is withdrawn, but warlocks have been known to go mad or even die as a result. It was also possible for it to be broken but a more powerful being claiming a warlock as one of their chosen. Again, the consequences vary by patron, but now the former warlock likely has some other powers to draw on.
Although there were whole books of demon or devil patrons, many of whom enjoyed causing pain and suffering to others, or demanded deaths as offering, none truly fit the way Ell had described the Voice. Among the books that the bookwyrm brought were also a stack of books about various cults and it was within one of the them that she found a few echoes. Many cults worshipped beings that loved pain, misery, and death...quite a few of them the same devils and demon patrons. One however caught her eye, a unnamed cult that sprung up in the early days of the Third Age that claimed to worship a fallen angel who sought to fill the world with anguish and despair.
Curious, but without a name, there wasn't much to more to find. Stomach growling, she let out a squawk of annoyance, and muttered to herself, "Well that was a day wasted, too much noise, not enough signal." Thanking Dor, Denye headed back over to the Three Sheets and her dinner.

---

Back at the inn that morning, the others gathered over breakfast and discussed what to do with the day. As it was a clear morning, Jilken wanted to give Ironheart some exercise so she headed out of the city to do some hunting. Ranunkel had a lot of questions for Ell about this 'masquerade' that they had been invited to. The young man spent the morning answering the dwarf's questions as he could. Eventually the dwarven druid was satisfied and headed out to see more of the city. No longer occupied Ell took some time to write several letters, which Tear was more than happy to take to a courier.
Janora was feeling closed in by the city and found one of the large parks where they could touch grass. Finding a grove of trees that blocked sight of the city, the witch settled down and spent most of the morning meditating on their connection to nature and witchcraft. Feeling much more themselves, Janora headed over to Thistle Do Nicely for a cup or two of tea and an afternoon spent in the company of other witches.
After the hard rain the day before, Vellikar didn't want to waste the day inside either and headed out to see more of the city. As he walked he thought about what Ell had told them all about the Voice. Wanting to help his new friend, but unsure of what to do, the firbolg looked around and this enormous city and thought that surely in a city this large someone would of heard of this Voice. All he need do is ask around and so Vellikar began to do just that. 
Reactions varied; some were amused, others hostile, many confused. After a couple of minutes of this, one beggar sitting in the morning sun, said, "Oh yeah, I speak to plenty of voices. Are you looking for one in particular?"
Vellikar nodded excitedly, "Yes actually, I don't exactly want to call her evil, but she's not a very nice Voice. I know that it is very persuasive and kind of needy, I want to say. Does that ring any bells?"
The old man thought for a few moments before saying, "Well, Eunice does like stab people quite a bit, but I won't say she is evil. Arlota likes to pout and often needs soothing, and both she and Filandrian can be quite persuasive if you know what I mean."
"No, no," replied Vellikar, realizing that this man was most likely not right in the head, "I don't think...I don't any of those sound right. I'm pretty sure this is some kind of deity, not a stabby woman. I'm quite sorry to have bothered you." Ducking his head he pulled a platinum piece in the beggars bowl before backing away slowly. Embarrassed now, Vellikar ducked into an alley and changed his appearance to a human and spent the rest of the day exploring of Haven and window-shopping.
Jilken came back mid-afternoon. Ironheart had gotten a good run in and the Aiel had even managed to catch a brace of rabbits. She proudly presented them to Leaph Puddlebloom, the innkeeper and requested that they be prepared as dinner for the troupe. He was more than happy to comply...even happier when he saw that the warrior had already cleaned and skinned the beasts. Satisfied Jilken headed up to her room to get cleaned up.
As dusk began to fall the party gathered in the common room for dinner, a savory and spicey rabbit stew, large crusty rolls hot from the oven with butter and a creamy spreadable cheese. Jilken proudly regaled them with the tale of catching the rabbits which lead into other tales and the team enjoyed a relaxing dinner. 
After dinner, Ell suggested they visit Gorscha's other haunt, the Copper Candle and even Denye, annoyed and frustrated at the lack of success on today's research, decided she wanted to go along. This tavern proved to be very unlike the last, with a half flight of stairs leading down to a garden-level common room. The interior was done in a dark reddish wood with carved and polished booths, upholstered in a soft black leather. A dozen or so tables were scattered around the surprisingly large room and many of them were filled with people drinking and playing cards or rolling dice. 
Ell didn't spot any of Gorscha's friends, but he did recognize several from Court or other gatherings and smiling began to work the room. No stages in this bar, the main attractions here were gambling and the excellent beer that Brewmaster Thongal Barleycrusher, a halfling/dwarf, brewed himself in the building above. Most of the party found a table  near the middle of the space where they could see and hear, although Jilken soon drifted off and found a card game to join. The beer flowed freely, especially after Ell starting buying rounds. While he did not instigate any drinking contests, he did manage to get several people deep into their cups and heard a great many interesting things. 
After sorting through the unimportant and petty things that were learned between the two nights of bar-crawling, the team managed to learn:

• About Dreford
  • Hard to believe that they have an open thieves guild. “I swear, I got held up one night by a footpad…he only took 50gp and gave me a receipt!” It’s almost a more forward city, with everyone looking to get ahead.
  • They say you can find anything for sale in Dreford, a very mercantile city.
• About the Shado
  • Anbul Conlus (halfling) is the leader who sits on the Guild Council as the head of the Shado.
  • Rumor is the Shado have been reaching out to local gangs in both Haven and Wexwood offering.
  • While only claiming to represent the thieves, fences, and smugglers, the Shado had long been thought to control several of the other guilds of Dreford.
  • The Shado are rumored to have an island. Sometimes someone will disappear and the only word was that they returned to the Hand
• About Gorscha
  • *Gorscha and Tolvan had a fight, something business or another that one was poaching from the other. I don’t recall what it was, but Master Trar was involved. Caravan Master Trar Hazecutter of the Dreford Drovers Guild.
• Other Interesting bits
  • The Casian Theocracy has been reaching out to market factors in Wexwood, Haven, and Dreford. Haven’t been able to confirm myself, but most of their requests have been grain and other foodstuffs.
  • Some new wizard, Everoim the Athling has raised a tower not far from Dreford.
  • You heard about Mardale? He took a group over to Thaolin’s Wood. Swore he was going to find the estate and the Starlight Violet. Wanted me to go, but I told him I ain’t going on no suicide run.
  • If you were looking for some sort of drug, Esin Glitsk (human), is your man; runs an herbalist store down off of Whuk Plaza. Place called the Shaded Grotto. Tell him, “I have lost sight of the horizon.”

7th Harvest

The next morning, as the team was finished breakfast, the promised invitation was delivered along with a note from Linira. Scanning both the note and the gilded invitation careful he nodded and said, "Looks like we are all set, but my sister did remind me that this is a to be a masquerade and we still need to get masks. Luckily my sister was also gracious enough to name a couple of shops where we should be able to get masks and party clothes." 
That seemed to be the order of the day and so folks headed out. As they got near Crafter's Row, Denye spoke up, "I've already got something to disguise myself and I need to get back to work. I'm going to head over to Aubergine's and start working on the new earrings. I'll see you this evening." With a wave of a wing she was off, heading for the local entrance to the Celestial Dragon. 
The rest of the team followed Ell as he found the shop Linira had suggested, a place called Faces and Fancies. The owner, an middle-aged half-elf named Emilrue Waesrora was quite happy to see them and more than willing to help each of them pick out a mask. With an odd chuckle that was almost a cackle she explained, "Choosing a mask is a delicate task, for while they may hide your face, they can reveal a hidden piece of your soul. Take a look around and see if any of my creations call to you, if not I will be happy to craft something to suit you."
Indeed, the small shop was full of various masks on display, hanging from the walls AND the ceiling with more set out on tables and counters. From simple half masks that covered the eyes to large headpieces that completely concealed. The party spent almost two hours sorting through the various masks and making their choices. Emilrue was quite happy to make adjustments as needed and thanking her, the party headed back out into the street.
From there Ell led the group over to Sew Bee It, a upscale tailor run by Ariyra Bramblebeam, an older halfling woman. She had a number of garments available and was more than happy to help the team craft costumes or party clothes as desired. It took a fair bit of time even with Ariyra's two helpers but only an hour or two after luncheon the party was measured as needed. The seamstress promised that the alterations and such would not take long and she would have them delivered to the Three Sheets by noon tomorrow.
Satisfied, the party headed back outside and both Janora and Jilken split off from the others to pursue other things. Janora headed over to the Candlewicks again while Jilken went looking for an archery range to spend a few hours practicing with the crossbow. With nothing else to do, Ell took Vellikar, Ranunkel, and Tear on a tour of the city, making sure to introduce them to all of the important bookstores.

Report Date

01 Jul 2022

Primary Location

Haven