Conjunction of Planes

7^th day of the 3^rd ride, month 6 , 1262

After the ritual at the Royal Water-gardens I retired to the Sacred Baths of Sedna to recuperate, while my compatriots pursued more errands. Along the way we ran into James strutting about as if nothing had happened. I missed much of the details, but it seems the scoundrel has rejoined our group and will assist in our endeavor to find Lord Dustin.
James himself is uncertain about what had occurred at the estate and the ancient crypts beneath. All he remembers is slinking of in the dead of night in order to ‘investigate’ some private areas of the estate, before blacking out entirely. I can’t say this inspires much confidence, nor does the sinister arcane marking that has since appeared on the palm of his hand. I have no idea what it is, but it can’t be right, can it?
Best be careful around this one. If not for his own endeavors, then for the potentially sinister outside influences.

I picked up the platinum rings on the way back to the Careless Wanderer, where I hoped to rejoin my compatriots for dinner. Reunited with my friends we found James eager to placate us with fancy chilled drinks. Soon after he started to ask the details about the accursed portal in the ancient tunnels. I recalled the horrid thing with a shudder, but we were all willing to indulge our returned friend.
I doled out the rings and Astrid handed hers to James instead, who wears it on his thumb. Well, at least I can assist most of my fellows. Perhaps Astrid needs it the least anyway.

We agreed to depart around sunrise the next day, so as to make good time in the cooler part of the day before the sweltering heat of summer would strike at us in full force, as it was now at the Careless Wanderer.
I also suggested that we take our spending money to Luca’s room since Emrys was expecting guests for the night,. I later learned that this suggestion was only accepted out of politeness but not acted upon.
After dinner I retired to the common room and James departed to his own abode elsewhere in the city. The others made merry.

8^th day of the 3^rd ride, month 6, 1262

I started the day early and helped the stable-hand to prepare the cart and the horses. James was punctual. The others not so much. Astrid needed a few minutes to shake off the worst of her cups from the night before. We found Luca near catatonic on his bed with his door broken. He admitted to sleeping poorly and night-terrors, which supposedly awoke much of the Careless Wanderer, including Emrys, who was responsible for demolishing the door.

This is why one shouldn’t drink to excess.

We had to knock rather hard to wake Emrys, but awaken he did. He was in quite a bewildered state. He indeed entertained guests the night before, judging by the half-finished bottle of wine. Luckily, our treasury was still here. James and I promptly brought it to the cart.
After needless delays we departed a little after sunrise. We made our way out of the Eastern Gate and onto the Silesian Road. James procured some snacks for the two of us at a bakery he was familiar with, which I appreciated.

Upon the recommendations of Lorynn and Durham we would aim to make it to the Inn at the Crossroads, a place with a fine reputation. It is located approximately halfway between Kingsport and Bournemouth at a junction with the northerly road to Whitefork. Despite our delay, we should make it there without trouble.
We also planned for a longer break during the hottest part of the day, which we were planning to do at the Seat of Friendship, which we were expected to find half the way towards the Inn on the Crossroads.

James and I shared the reins, for James explained that he was interested to learn how to control a cart and horses. I patiently instructed him and hoped to explain that rapport with the animals is key. I think he is picking it up well enough. Luckily our team of horses is well-mannered and docile enough.

We found the sacred grove called the Seat of Friendship without trouble a little after noon. The grove was pleasantly cool and there were all manner of folk there. A number of druids tended the primordial oak that grew there, one of which joined our group for a pleasant conversation. A conversation that Emrys took the lead in. Luca showed interest in a weedy looking man who was openly peddling in fear. I paid them little to no heed.

There were also Szygani here. Much like me they travel the lands, but following the roads and tracks of the world instead of the streams. They are poorly understood and mistrusted by most people. I have had little interactions with them before, but have heard that they can have insights and understanding that most common folk would not value. For that reason I approached them and brought one of the mysterious ruby-like crystals with me. Their leader, Vadema, examined the stone with great interest and discussed it in an unfamiliar tongue with one of her impressively mustachioed companions. After a while she offered the same appraisal as Eryka.
She wanted to trade with me for the stone. I offered to simply gift it, but she refused. I admitted a poor interest and skill in the art of barter to Vadema and explained that I live a life of service instead. This led to an unexpected theological detour. She was interested to know which of the ‘New’ Gods I serve and I happily explained about Sedna. In return I inquired about the ‘Old’ Gods and she explained that the Szygani worship the moons and Mashkar, the Bloodmoon, in particular. I am intrigued, perhaps even envious of their seemingly ancient customs and their close link to nature.

Ultimately Vadema offered a small silver pendant for the stone with the symbol of Mashkar. I inquired if the pendant would secure a certain rapport with other Szygani I might meet, and she assured me it would. I considered this a fair trade and accepted.
At this point James rudely interrupted and demanded from Vadema what she ‘truly’ knew about the stone. She stayed calm and declined to know anything more than she shared with me. James is certainly truthful about one thing: he is a Kingsport native and a real city-slicker. I don’t think that Vadema and I were merely ‘trading commodities’ but a little more than that. Friendship and respect perhaps? Not all things are purely transactional my dear James.

Admittedly, I could be wrong about this and I was cheated by Vadema. But somehow the ‘transaction’ feels right. That must be worth something, mustn’t it?

Also, we all noted that Astrid’s eyes have taken a rather … lupine … character. We didn’t press the matter too hard.

After a good deal of leisure time I prepared the cart and signaled our departure. We left the Seat of  Friendship in fairly good spirits. We are bound to arrive at the Inn at the Crossroads rather late.

While on the road James and I were alerted by a panicked scream in the forest. James immediately dashed for cover in the thicket while I roused the others of our company.
We soon discovered a couple of gentlemen beset by well-armed and armored louts. I approached them and demanded that they stand down, but to no avail. Violence would follow.

The struggle was quick and brutal and we were victorious. Despite my bold approach I came out of it unscathed! Astrid drew much attention with her enormous sword, a price she paid in blood many times over. James was swift and lethal, running all over the place, being nearly everywhere at once. Emrys covered one flank fairly effectively until the poor soul was struck by two arrows in the back. He dropped like a sack of bricks.

I performed a grand prayer to Sedna that restored much vitality to both Emrys and Astrid.

Luca … Luca’s talents appear to expand and become ever more terrifying.  The dark blasts of raw magical power he conjures seem to grow in lethality and feel ever more grim and disturbing. In addition he now wields deadly fire.

I fear for the young man.

Two of the armed assailants fled after our display of power, while four of the assailants perished. The two gentlemen were most grateful. They explained that they were merchants on their way to Kingsport, when their guard turned on them with demands for gold. When the guard found the offers insufficient they turned to violence.

I offered the merchants to join us on the road to the Inn at the Crossroads but they were still contemplating to press on to Kingsport. They relented however when James painted a rather bleak picture for them and their survival should they continue.
This was perhaps a bit excessive, but thankfully it serves a benign purpose. Oliver and Trent now join our merry little gang until we reach the Inn at the Crossroads.

It will probably be dark before we get there.

6^th day of the 3^rd ride, month 6, 1262

We departed the Sheridan Estate in the early evening. I took the reins and guided the horses and the cart at a slow pace back to Kingsport, The trip was a quiet affair. Undoubtedly the day’s events were weighing on all of us in some way.
We came upon the Kingsport gates just before they would close for the night. We could make out Lady Ravensbourne on her griffin overhead. We were ushered through the gate and continued to the Careless Wanderer.

We were greeted quite friendly at the Wanderer. The Silesian stable-hand, Durham, and Lauryn all shared a curiosity in our dealing in Lynnecombe-upon-Lynn. Emrys pledged to reveal much of it later in the evening, after we had settled in. Astrid and I were comfortable sharing the common room, while Luca craved more privacy, and Emrys opted for luxury. We used Emrys’ lodgings to store our belongings. In particular the treasure chest in spending money the Sheridans had provided.

I shared a bottle of Erveluce with the group, which we enjoyed with the last bits of food from the kitchens. Luca toasted to a job well done. All things considered, the job was well done after all and I shared in the toast.

Emrys then took the stage with some musical performances and songs. The songs narrated much of our adventures upstream and seemed to impress the patrons of the Wanderer. Not to diminish Emrys’ abilities as a performer, but I think the consumption of Durham’s homebrew liquors must have lubricated the impressionability of quite a few of the patrons.
Some of the patrons reacted negatively to the name De Courtenay, calling them ‘traitors’. Dame Julie Lewisham on the other hand is a bit of a local hero and inspired enthusiastic much cheering from the patrons.

I lingered in the back of the room soaking up the many feelings and impressions of the people inside, without bothering to become personally involved. I just let the tide of emotions come over me. Luca later left me and Astrid to act all conspiratorially with a troop of travelling traders. Astrid had her cups.

We picked up some rumors. First of all the conflicts on the Plains of Strife seem to be picking up again. Secondly, it seems that Farcorner is struggling with wild tribes. So much so, that they have taken the dramatic step of declaring rebellion in order to attract attention from the crown. More disturbingly, there are reports from a variety of places throughout Lyria of sightings of rat-like creatures. Always in connection with ancient ruins.

7^th day of the 3^rd ride, month 6, 1262

The next day we convened at breakfast and decided that we would need the entire day to sort through a collection of chores in Kingsport. We also decided to do these together. Since we all had things to purchase, make or barter, we decided to head for the markets first. Later we would visit the Bard’s College in order to appraise the strange coins from the tunnels. That could be interesting.
On the way out the door we were accosted by Magda, the blind owner of the Wanderer. She told me to go and see Dagmær at the Baths of Sedna. I was planning to visit and make a donation anyway, but it was good to be reminded. Supposedly Dagmær had an important matter to discuss.

At the markets Astrid and Emrys went their own way to purchase weapons and a scabbard. Toruviel and Emrys quickly drew a crowd, allowing Luca and I to approach a jeweler in relative quiet. The man was an apprentice and carefully watched by his senior guild-members. We agreed that he would make four platinum ring with a simple droplet design on each of them. He would fashion one in about an hour so that we might inspect the craftsmanship and take sizes for the other members of our group. The total cost was four platinum dragons for raw material, eighty crowns  in my personal coin, and eighty crowns from our spending treasury Luca then asked the jeweler to have a look at the chest of rubies. He deferred to a specialist, a lady by the name of Eryka. She led us to her workshop and examined the rubies with great interest. Eventually she declared that these were not rubies but some manner of crystal of unknown provenance and nature. When she asked another for his opinion, he too was at a loss. Since the stones were of a mysterious nature there was no price to negotiate and we kept the stones. We did allow Eryka to take one for further examinations.

When we returned to the market, Emrys and Astrid were also done and we proceeded to the Baths of Sedna. There we split the group across gender-lines.
Astrid and I enjoyed the baths and I got a chance to speak to Dagmær. She had been visited by a most generous donor and was hoping that I would ‘grace’ the donor with a visit in order to bless their well. She indicated that the donors are from the house Germaine. I reluctantly conceded and waited for her runner to return.
I also donated fifty crowns to the baths.

The group gathered at the entrance of the baths and made our way back to the main road, where we were greeted by a luxurious carriage and a handsome young man who introduced himself as William. I insisted that my entire company would be allowed to join and so we entered the carriage as a group. Neither the carriage nor William bore any noticeable sigils or emblems.

The carriage carried us up to Garamond Hill and actually into the Royal grounds. Was it a ruse and are we summoned to the royal palace? That turned out to be the case.  For a few minutes I supposed that we had been summoned by some official in the court, but it was actually the Queen Isabella de Valois herself who had summoned us!

I wonder what Olkin would say if he could see me here.

We were brought into a spectacularly gorgeous garden with an abundance of running water. A truly beautiful pleasure-garden. The others joined the Queen’s entourage and enjoyed their company (and food). The Queen took my arm and guided me across the garden, all the while inquiring about my background and our recent adventures. I indulged her curiosity and spoke frankly and truthfully.
Ultimately she revealed why she had summoned us. She wanted me to bless the spring that feeds the garden. I was happy to do so and performed an exhaustive and complex ritual of consecration at the site of the spring, named Bláthnaid or flower. The spring reveled in the attention and I believe the consecration was successful, despite my inexperience with the practice. Her Grace certainly seemed content.

We were then to depart the gardens to return to our chores. Upon our departure the Queen impressed upon me that her house is devoted to both Chauntea and Sedna, and that this is the reason why the lily is their sigil.

Praise Sedna for the honor bestowed upon us! Surely we are following the right stream!