Previously, the heroes returned to the Careless Wanderer after discovering the Book of Woe in the library of the Newport Vault. It did not take long before Epidemius found them in their dreams while in the disguise of father Devon, as he had done before. He made another attempt to convince the heroes to return the book to him.
Seventh Day, Second Ride, Autumn Twilight, 1262
(Silvermoon is waning, Bloodmoon is in low sanction, Darkmoon is waxing)
It was just after eleventh bell when the heroes gathered in Emrys’ luxurious room to discuss their second visitation from Epidemius. In contrast to the snow that was falling on Emrys’ balcony, the room itself was warm and comfortable.
Having come up with an idea of trapping Epidemius in his own Book of Woe, Chakuq asked Luca whether Blackstar was forced into the staff. Luca checked in with Blackstar, who said he went “Willingly, gladly. It was an hour.” It quickly became clear that the knowledge of how to achieve that was known by only a precious few. Blackstar shared that the dwarves of Ard Thoradun were able to transfer a soul into an object, and Luca suggested visiting Dagran Forgewright, the unofficial ambassador to the dwarven thanedom in Kingsport.
An inspection of Maltorius’ spell book gave the heroes the insight that it was filled with variations on one particular necromantic spell. Quentin mused that it may be a spell which is tailored to different subjects, while Luca wondered whether it was not an evolution of the same spell.
The conversation became quite steeped in magical theory and Neamhan started to disassociate from it and decided she wanted to visit Lady Commander Miranda and her griffon Frostfeather. Luca seemed to disapprove of Neamhan’s lack of focus on Epidemius and flippantly pointed to the balcony and suggested she fly out to find Frostfeather. Neamhan did not feel confident enough to ask the Lady Commander for permission, and Astrid took her by the arm and marched her out the door, determined to support Neamhan’s endeavour by taking her to see Lady Commander Miranda.
While Astrid and Neamhan went to the Crownsguard garrison, Emrys, Luca, and Chakuq went to the Circle of Magi, hoping to speak to Réonan about the possibility of trapping Epidemius, and the process that the Senhandrim used to transfer their souls to objects and arms. Chakuq mentioned that the College of Bards might also be a useful source of lore, but decided to wait until later to revisit. In the meantime, Falka would use her connections at the Library of Ioun to see if she could research the rituals used by the Senhadrim from a historical perspective. And lastly, Quentin would make his way to Dr. Arkenward’s to seek guidance.
When Astrid and Neamhan arrived at the garrison they were given quick access to the inner courtyard where Lady Commander Miranda was overseeing the grooming of Frostfeather by the griffon handlers. While Astrid was talking to the commander about the state of the kingdom, Neamhan was observing Frostfeather until her attention was drawn by a woman carrying a baby. She was wearing a dark, cowled robe and sandals, had a slender face and a sickly pale complexion. The woman walked into a guard room and Neamhan followed. The child she held in filthy hands was equally sickly, with a swollen belly and strange black hair growing on the rough skin of its shoulders.
The mother rejected Neamhan’s offer of spare clothing to help keep her and the baby warm. Speaking in an archaic form of High Lyrian, she introduced herself as Virulencia and it became clear that she was the sister of Epidemius. She tried to convince Neamhan to give her the Book of Woe. She would take it away, and she would “take [her] plaguemaidens away.” Virulencia tried to appeal to Neamhan’s sense of motherhood, hugging her own, deformed child closely, suggesting that working with her would save the lives of many of Kingsport’s children. Neamhan was confused and said she had no children, which Virulencia dismissed in a way that left Neamhan somewhat shaken. Virulencia, scorned, quietly retreated and disappeared.
Once Frostfeather was fed Neamhan worked up the courage to ask whether she could hunt with him and the commander consented. Neamhan found a quiet place to transfigure into the wild shape of a peregrine falcon, and the two of them took off. They zoomed across the skies above Kingsport, chasing each other, as well as bullying some of the crownsguard griffon riders.
Luca, Emrys, and Chakuq first made their way to the Correntine ward, where they found the College of Bards. The amphitheatre in front of the large building of the college was empty, which was unusual. Even in the winter students could often be found studying and practicing there, but the weather was simply too cold and bleak for anyone to leave the comfort of the warm halls inside.
The heroes walked the halls of the college and came across students composing, practicing, and debating. When the found Lord Andrew’s luxurious chambers, they found them a mess, with a servant by the name of Mathilde, a stern, older lady who tended to Andrew, tidying up while they spoke with Andrew as he was getting ready to start his day.
Chakuq put the horse-hide book he had retrieved from the Newport library in front of Andrew, who studied it briefly before concluding that the book was written in the ancient language of celestials. The book described how all of creation was a composition of songs, each of which was either in harmony or discord with the rest, and together it made up a symphony. Andrew and Chakuq made a bargain; Andrew would be allowed to study the book, in return for organising an audience with Le Papillon, the infamous headmaster of the college. The heroes hoped that he would be able to shed more light on some of the legends of the Senhadrim.
When Quentin arrived at the Arkenward manse in Old Town, the door was opened by Darla, the curly-haired halfling servant that ran the household. Quentin was welcomed in and was greeted by Vydia in the kitchen of the manse. Vydia could explained that Dr. Arkenward had not been doing well with his recovery due to the curse that Epidemius placed on the city. Despite this, Quentin saw and spoke with Dr. Arkenward about the possibility of Epidemius being bound to an object in order to trap him, or bound to this plane in order to defeat him.