Previously, the Heroes of the White Eye attended a soiree at the College of Bards, witnessed Andrew Selkirk trade barbs with a crowd as he was locked in a pillory, met a Novice of Echoes from Beauclair named Aubrey who got herself in some hot water by unwittingly take sides with House Morvrayne, and listened to a mesmerising song performed by Rigoletta, a szygani bard who filled Neamhan with a sense of foreboding. The climax came when the heroes who had stayed late fought off an undead monstrosity that was collecting a corpse.
Eighth Day, Second Ride, Autumn Twilight, 1262
(Silvermoon is waning, Bloodmoon is waxing, Darkmoon is in high sanction)
The Careless Wanderer was busier than the previous few days. The worsening weather had locked the few travellers that still called at Kingsport locked down. The snow of the past few days had turned to icy, and the wind had picked up.
The heroes were in the tavern going about their business; Luca was finalising the ritual he had been designing, Falka was reading in front of the hearth, and Quentin was discussing a visit to cardinal Roark to discuss the undead monstrosity the heroes had faced the previous night. Chakuq was unwrapping the beautifully carved talismans he had commissioned from Eustace. He had brought a tooth – a tusk more like – of Epidemius’ mount to the jeweller and had asked for some specific carvings, one for each of his newfound companions.
To Astrid he gifted a talisman of a falcon in flight, the symbol of Freya, one of the Æsir, and the goddess of love, fertility, and motherhood. Astrid wore it on a necklace of teeth she had collected over time. Inspired by Astrid, Chakuq had one made for himself as well. Emrys was gifted a talisman of a crescent moon, the symbol of Sehanine Moonbow, the elven mistress of dreams, death, and travel. Emrys promised to wear the talisman. Quentin got a swan volant, the symbol of his family. Luca got a sword across a triangle, the symbol for Saint Aurius the Golden One. And Neamhan got a twig of mistletoe, to represent her nature. Chakuq explained that he had them made as a token of his appreciation, and symbolising their friendship.
While the heroes were thanking Chakuq for the thoughtful gifts, Quentin noticed a group of guards, on horseback, sporting the colours of House Lys, making their way through the terrible weather towards Steward’s Square. One of the horses pulled a cart along through the icy snow. Feeling weary, Quentin decided to ignore the guards and stay with his companions in the tavern. When Chakuq offered to follow the guards, Quentin declined, not wanting to have anything to do with them. He reckoned he would have enough interaction with them at the feast which was organised in his honour in three days time, on the First Day, Third Ride, Autumn Twilight, 1262.
Luca decided he would visit the Circle in order to progress his work on the ritual, Emrys decided he would go to the College to check on Aubrey and possibly look for a drum, and Chakuq would return to Eustace to see if he could acquire a silver tuning fork.
Neamhan raised the topic of the ghost orchid with Luca, saying that upon reflection the flower might be a good substitute for the sacrifice which will be necessary to power the ritual. She also believes that lyrium crystals could be used. The conversation turned to the crystals that the heroes had, and how valuable they were. A memory returned of watching the dwarves of Ard Thoradun outbid the elves of the Worthwild at the Landsdowne auction house in Bournemouth. The dwarves paid a kingly sum of sixteenhundredandfifty gold crowns for one lyrium crystals, which they would use to “seal their gates” in time for the next Age of Fear to arrive. Luca noted that each time the heroes used to go into one of the Senhadrim vaults they required a lyrium crystal which then was spent. Falka showed a crystal that she had used in such a way whose inner radiance had gone dull after it was spent.
Emrys and Chakuq departed and headed towards Steward’s Square through the terrible snow. Once at the square they noticed there was a commotion coming from behind the Cathedral of the Platinum Father, from the clinic at the Temple of Light. They saw several horses and a cart in front of the clinic, and the horses, which were bread for war, seemed uneasy and stratled. Emrys and Chakuq neared the clinic and went inside only to stand face to face with the hulking monstrosity the heroes had already defeated the night before. It was holding its oversized shovel in one hand and a deceased guard in another, having been run through with a sabre. Behind the brute stood the Beauclair guards, one of which foolishly tried to intervene and paid for it by having his leg crushed by a blow from the shovel.
Chakuq and Emrys drew the monsterous brute outside and managed to defeat it, again, but not before Emrys’ completely lost control of his magic and became a conduit for all the tension that had been building in the air, shooting lightning in many directions. Afterwards, father Devon tended to Emrys’ wounds while Chakuq searched for and retrieved the frightened horses.
Back at the Careless Wanderer the conversation about lyrium crystals continued. Neamhan was keen on understanding the different colours, which she understood to correspond to schools of magic. She inquired about whether there were black crystals, since she recalled seeing one, and Luca said that besides black there were also golden crystals, shadow and radiance. He knew this from Blackstar, who had become more talkative since they reached an understanding. Neamhan wanted to understand the nature of the black crystal, and Quentin suggested that perhaps it could indicate good or evil intent. When Neamhan suggested it could be like the seelie and unseelie courts of the shidhe Blackstar whispered to Luca that she had the right of it.
Chakuq continued from Steward’s Square to Eustace, but the jeweller said he could not help him with an instrument that delicate and precisely callibrated. He suggested that Chakuq might have more luck at the Forgewright Arms in getting a steel tuning fork.
When Luca plowed his way through the snow to get to the Circle and bumped into Emrys at Steward’s Square, they were just in time to see the undead monstrosity once again step out into the square, smashing aside a group of crownsguard and custodians that were standing in its way. How many times would the heroes have to defeat the monster before it stayed dead!?