Recap

Hot Pursuit!

by Dennis••0•Posted inConjunction of Planes

Previously, the heroes finalised their plan to go and find Kalina, who was supposedly robbing and stealing around the Avondale woods with her crew of bandits. They decided to pass by the Sheridan estate first to pick up their reward, as it was close to their area of destination. Astrid found the heroes passage upriver on a barge, belonging to Aram, a boatsman they had travelled with before. When they arrived in Lynnecombe they found a crude map of the trails and paths around Avondale wood accompanying several warnings to steer clear.

Third Day, First Ride, Autumn Red, 1262

(Silvermoon in high sanction. Bloodmoon in high sanction. Darkmoon is waning.)

Arriving in the little rivertown of Lynnecombe-upon-Lyn, having just discovered the notice board and the troubling messages regarding bandits around the Avondale woods, the heroes travelled up the path leading from the village to the road that would take them to the Sheridan estate. It was in the early afternoon and the air was wet and fresh with autumn.

As they entered the forest that surrounded the estate, the trees ranging from bright yellow to red so dark as to border on purple, they saw a large caravan of six ox-drawn carts on the road ahead of them. When they got closer they could see that a few of the carts were laden with masonry tools covered in tarps, while the rest were carrying large limestones.

The carts were driven by teamsters of all stripes; Lyrians, Beauclairois, dwarves and a half-elf. The people who accompanied them were all humans, strong of limbs and dressed like masons. The one to lead them was an exceptional specimen by the name of Barnes, who sported a thick head of brown hair and a large bushy moustache. He explained he was on his way to the Sheridan estate to finish up some work to the dépendance. He seemed a bit uncomfortable, which the heroes wrote up to the large numbers of bandits that had been reported in the area.

After squeezing their way past the carts that were taking up the road, the heroes said goodbye to the masons and teamsters and travelled ahead. Soon, they came upon the stone, tall-pillared bridge across Raven’s Craig glen, a small valley that ran along the southern end of the Sheridan estate which sported a small tributary that lead to the river Lyn in the east. This was the bridge that was the scene of the conflict between them and the Sheridan house guard as the heroes tried to save the Kaedwyni orcs from being hung just for being orcs.

On the far end of the bridge the heroes saw a squad of well-armed Sheridan guards. They recognised them as such by their house colours (purple and black) and the strange sidearm they carried. They were greeted as they walked across the bridge and spoke to sergeant Rhalek of Darkhollow. He asked the heroes to state their business, and was delighted to hear that they came to visit the estate to pick up the reward that was promised to them for saving Lord Destan. He went on to explain that there was a celebration planned to commemorate Lady Gwynn, Lord John’s late wife.

The heroes continued on and noticed a travelling merchant carrying a stuffed pack of goods on his back further up the road who, upon seeing them, turned around and returned from where he came. Just at that moment, James noticed an observer in the treeline upstream along the bank of the tributary, but decided to continue walking.

Once out of earshot of the guards he informed the rest of the group, and they decided to go back and investigate. They felt it important not to alert the guards just yet, so James decided to sneak past the guards along the bottom of the glen, through the river and up the bank. At the same time Emrys used some of his newfound arcane gifts to turn the rest of the group invisible.

With some difficulty the rest of the group managed to get used to being invisible and managed to sneak past the guards and get across the bridge to the opposite bank of the tributary. As a result of different people travelling with different ease, the group was quite spread out, with Astrid and James taking up the front, while Luca and Quentin (who was forced to remove his armour in order to keep from making too much noise) were squarely in the back.

As the group came closer, despite all their precaution, they managed to alert the observer, who they had now confirmed was a tall female orc who had been observing the Sheridan estate; being able to watch a large part of the manor and front as well as backyard and everything that went on there. She became suspicious and despite the attempts the heroes made to deceive her, she wanted to depart.

That’s when a chase started. Astrid ran up to her, breaking cover and dropping the invisibility spell, and attempted to grab hold of her and wrestle her to the ground. Unfortunately the powerful orc shrugged her off. James came up and successfully managed to disarm her of one of her weapons, at which point she started running. Surprisingly fleet of foot, the heroes set in pursuit.

Emrys called upon his ever increasing array of arcane abilities and attempted to hypnotise the orc. She unfortunately shrugged off the scintillating effects of the spell while both Astrid and James were caught in it. To add insult to injury, Emrys felt a surge of arcane energy well up inside of him which he couldn’t contain. He found himself unable to speak as the arcane energy streamed out of his eyes and mouth; the same that happened to him when they were in Bournemouth.

The orc got a head start but the heroes continued in pursuit anyway. She was surprisingly swift and it took everything in the heroes to keep up with her. She warned James to back off as she slashed at him with her remaining weapon in fluent Lyrian. The heroes ignored her warning and continued pursuit.

In Preparation for Departure

by Dennis••0•Posted inConjunction of Planes

Previously, the heroes spent the day in Kingsport trying to find a trace of Kalina, the rogue who had driven James’ mother to attempt to assassinate the day master, a powerful guild member of the Steady Hand, by letting her believe that he was responsible for James’ death. They managed to find out that Kalina had lost her precious, jewelled dagger in a game of demon dice to none other than Bran; the dwarf they had rescued from the clutches of the skaven underneath the Sheridan estate. They also managed to catch rumours that Kalina and her crew were stealing horses around the Powderham estate, north of Kingsport.

Second Day, First Ride, Autumn Red, 1262

(Silvermoon in high sanction. Bloodmoon is waxing. Darkmoon is waning.)

It was the late on a rainy afternoon when the Heroes were at the Careless Wanderer, talking about the possibility that it was an impostor who duped Jeanne, James’ mother, into making an attempt on the life of the day master. The heroes were unable to reconcile Kalina having lost the dagger in a game of demon dice with the fact that she had also given it to Jeanne. They knew that there were many more such daggers being used by shadowy assassins, but there was something not quite right about the way that Kalina had behaved that they couldn’t ignore.

James decided to pay another visit to the butcher shop where the day master could be found. He was hoping to convince the day master to allow him another few minutes to talk to his mother so that he could learn something from his mother that could confirm or dispel his suspicions about Kalina. Having learned that Luca could be trusted on expeditions to the Fleet Street butcher shop, he asked him along. Emrys tagged along party-way so that he could visit with Lyandra Windrunner, the renowned leatherworker who had a workshop outside of the city walls.

After Emrys went his separate way, James and Luca found themselves on Fleet Street, in front of the butcher shop. It was softly raining and Luca took shelter across the street, under an awning of a closed shop while James went inside. L’eau Célestes, the wine shop that Luca had entered the previous evening was closed, leaving him without a dry place to stay. Luca held on to Blackstar and used the staff to extend his senses outward, detecting a multitude of different people around him, all observing him and the comings and goings on the street.

Meanwhile, James sat opposite the still injured day master amongst pigs carcasses hanging from hooks and chains. James informed the day master about acquiring the dagger that Kalina lost and showed both it and his own. The day master pulled the dagger that Jeanne had used from a hidden sheath and put it down on the table next to the other two; all three of them looked almost identical to one another.

James laid out the theory that Kalina may well be innocent and that it was an impostor that duped his mother. It became quite clear that the day master was unforgiving in his anger towards Jeanne when he refused to let James speak to her again, saying that it took all of his discipline not to have her murdered. Perhaps realising that he should not count on too much help from the day master if he wanted to keep his mother safe, James decided not to press his luck.

Just north of the Brown Gate, amidst the huts of tanners, trappers and hunters, Emrys found Lyandra Windrunner’s workshop; a small shack surrounded by workbenches, stacks of prepared leather and boxes of tools. Lyandra turned out to be pleasantly surprised at Emrys’ visit and invited him in. They shook hands and Emrys noticed the many scars on Lyandra’s forearms; burn marks from working with hot tools and oils all day. Emrys explained that he had admired Lyandra’s work on the scabbard that now held Toruviel, and that he was eager to have her decorate the scabbard further, commemorating some of the adventures that he had been on in the recent past.

The work that Emrys commissioned was to adorn the already spectacular scabbard with silver filigree, with a gemstone embedded in the centre of it. When Lyandra asked him what gemstone he had in mind, Emrys wasn’t certain yet. Lyandra suggested that it should be a moonstone because it would be appropriate for a moonblade. Emrys liked the idea, since it also symbolised Sehanine, the Moonmaiden. Perhaps it also reminded him of Lauriel, the founder of his people in the Riverlands, who he was engaged to have married in an alternate reality.

Lyandra asked Emrys whether he had named his blade yet. He intimated to her that the blade already had a name; Toruviel. Emrys saw a look cross her face that he did not recognise. He let it slide and agreed upon thirty crowns for the commission, with a down payment of ten crowns for materials. She had to gather and prepare the materials she would need, and in turn Emrys promised he would return to her with a suitable moonstone. They agreed that the execution of the work would happen when he would return to Kingsport.

On his way back to the Careless Wanderer, Emrys managed to talk his way into a few stores that had technically already closed. He picked up a few components that he would need to fuel his spells. Some of the more crucial ones he missed and hoped to collect the next day.

As Luca and James made their way back to the Careless Wanderer, James confided everything that he had seen, heard and learned when talking to the day master, further strengthening the bond between the two. When they arrived at the inn around the same time that Emrys returned, they found that Quentin was chatting with some travellers from Beauclair, while Astrid was enjoying a friendly game of arm wrestling.

During dinner the plan was formed to head to the Powderham estate, by way of Lynnecombe to pay a visit to House Sheridan and see about the reward that was promised them. A conversation was had regarding the purchase of mounts, possibly through Mirek, but when Quentin shared the likely cost of mounts, the heroes decided to hold off until after they had been paid. Instead, they would finish off their shopping by going by the Circle of Mages for the last spell components that Emrys was in need of, while Astrid arranged for a barge to take the heroes up-river to Lynnecombe-upon-Lyn.

Third Day, First Ride, Autumn Red, 1262

(Silvermoon in high sanction. Bloodmoon in high sanction. Darkmoon is waning.)

Early in the morning, Astrid went out to the docks to arrange for transport, while the rest of the heroes went to visit Emma at the Sacred Baths of Sedna to ask her whether she would like to join them on their trip to the Sheridan estate. They found that Emma was reluctant to join them, saying that she would prefer to spend her time in leading the followers of Sedna in the difficult time ahead and that she intended to forego claiming her reward; knowing that they had saved Lord Destan was enough of a reward for her. Was asked about her intentions to care for the queen, she said that she would visit with the queen later that day.

The heroes made their way from the Sacred Baths to Ravensbourne where the Circle of Mages had their college. There they found that a large crowd of protesters had gathered in front of the main gate. Shakeslock, the demagogue who had been preaching on Steward Square the day before, was leading the crowd together with a handful of red-robed monks, and was demanding that they be allowed entry to investigate the college for dangerous artifacts and corruption among the staff and students.

The man standing in opposition of the crowd was a broad shouldered man with a grizzly beard wearing fur-trimmed robes. The man had an unconcerned expression on his face as he addressed Shakeslock, explaining that as an alumnus of the college, he could be given entry, but not with his angry mob in tow.

The heroes pushed their way past the protesters and Emrys couldn’t help but release the stench of rotten eggs again, like he had done the previous day. Luca was identified as an obvious threat and Shakeslock used him as an example why he and his monks should confiscate the dangerous artifacts and root out the demonic corruption that he claimed was rife inside the college.

After a short conversation with the grizzled man, they learned his name was Ólafur, and he was from Miðgarður. He was the custodian of the college and, among other things, made sure that there was a healthy supply of curious components, ingredients and materials. He explained that in his position, he would be interested in the more obscure components that were not as easily found; hydra scales, wyvern stingers and the like. James, ever the entrepreneur said that he would keep his eyes open.

When Emrys explained why he had come to the circle, Olafur invited the heroes into the building to take a seat in the hallway while he went to look for the components that Emrys was looking for. While searching, he asked what magical education Luca and Emrys had enjoyed. Luca explained that he had been educated by crones, witches and pellars, while Emrys said that he was self-educated. The different backgrounds became apparent, when Ólafur asked Emrys which circle of magic he needed the obsidian for, indicating that it mattered to which samples of obsidian he would give him. Emrys was a bit lost for words, since he did not quite understand what was meant by “circle.” James noticed Emrys’ confusion and jumped in to play the layman, asking all the questions Emrys probably had, saving Emrys from embarrassment. The “circle” that Ólafur referred to was the college’s term for the school (or type) of magic, and Emrys explained that it was meant for a transmutation spell. Ólafur supplied Emrys with three pieces of obsidian and a handful of caterpillar chrysalises Emrys was after for another spell.

A last stop at the Temple of Light was made in order for James to speak to father Devon, and elderly cleric who James was very close with. The heroes got to see the modest temple from inside, as well as the clinic where they took care of many of Kingsport’s less fortunate. James gifted father Devon the holy symbol that brother Connal had carried into battle against Atilesceon; a golden caduceus. Father Devon was astonished at the gift and very thankful. While he couldn’t provide the heroes with any healing potions, he did gift them three ceramic jars with a buttery ointment which would help in the healing process.

When the heroes returned to the Careless Wanderer, they settled their outstanding debt and Emrys made sure that in six days time they would claim one of the more spacious and luxurious rooms as their own. Astrid had gotten reacquainted with Aram, the boatsman who had brought the heroes upriver the first time they went to the Sheridan estate, and said he would be willing to do so again for a small fee.

The trip to Lynnecombe-upon-Lyn took several hours with the weather being considerably more miserable than it was the first time around. Luca and Emrys entertained themselves by investigating a new ability that Luca had discovered about Blackstar; the ability for spells to be stored inside the staff for later use; even if they were cast by another arcanist, like Emrys! The rest of the travel was uneventful, as they past by the many small estates of Northshire on Aram’s boat, with his son riding the ox that dragged the boat along the bank of the river Lyn.

When they arrived in Lynnecombe-upon-Lyn, they each paid a silver stag to Aram for the journey and James, ever generous with children, gave Aram’s son three copper pennies for his trouble. The village was much less hospitable now that the summer had come and gone. No more fruit vendors; no more curious children. The heroes decided to make their way west, towards the road that lead through the woods towards the Sheridan estate when they came upon a notice board. There, they found several messages that proved insightful;

Warning!

If you plan on traversing Avondale Wood, the one near the abandoned Scatterfoot farm – forget about it. Best add on half a league and go around. It’s for your own good, for nor you nor no man else’ll meet anything good in that place.

(A crude drawing of the area, including the public footpaths and trails leading through and around the Avondale woods.)

Beware of Robbers with Black Masks!

A plague’s descended on our lands of late, an infestation more vile than that of any vermin. Horse rustling robbers have chosen to make our fair terrain their devilish stomping grounds. Now no man can feel safe here. These are common highway bandits. They steal men’s cattle and mounts and befoul any lasses worth their trouble. We’ve sent writs of complaint to the crownsguard, but til they comes with an army to clear off these mongrels, best avoid these parts if at all possible.

Death to the Invaders!

Hark, fair folk of Northshire. If you’re yearning for freedom, if you’re prepared to take up arms, if you’re prepared to help the kingdom and rescue its inhabitants in besieged Elder Foothills and Tiverton Glades, come and find me at the magisterium on Independence Square in Kingsport. Pay will depend on your experience and skill at arms.

– Ser Ademar of Woodbury, Knight-Errant, former Knight Commander in the Order of the Lance, Vassal of House Grey, Veteran of the Battle against the Eighth Daerlan Brigade on the Plains of Strife

Travelers, Beware!

If you aim to travel, avoid the road through Avondale. The Reaverhaunt Caves have become infested with crooks led by a shady individual known as Glasya. Bypassing that area is strongly advised, unless accompanied by a well-armed escort.

Meeting an Old Friend While Tracking Down an Enemy

by Dennis••0•Posted inConjunction of Planes

Previously, the heroes each went about trying to find out more about the person who had duped James’ mother into an assassination attempt on the day master, an influential leader for the Steady Hand, the guild that James was a member of. The person in question, Kalina, was a Silesian, just like James’ mother, and a successful horse thief. Each of the heroes did their best to find out about her whereabouts before the patience of the day master ran out and James’ mother would have to pay for her actions with her life.

Second Day, First Ride, Autumn Red, 1262

(Silvermoon in high sanction. Bloodmoon is waxing. Darkmoon is waning.)

After having visited different acquaintances in Kingsport to find out more about Kalina, the heroes came back to the Careless Wanderer, unsure on how to proceed. In a moment of kindness, albeit one inspired by the desire for some privacy, Luca decided that the group should gather at one of the tables outside of the inn. The benches and table were still moist from previous night’s storm, but it would be away from the angling visitors and it would allow Astrid to sit under the open sky; something Luca knew she preferred.

After Durham brought cups of mulled wine filled with spices and berries, the conversation turned to how Kalina’s jewelled dagger got to be in Jeanne’s possession if Kalina had lost it in a game of dice. James had verified that the dagger with which his mother had attacked the day master was indeed the spitting image of his own; a dagger he had started wearing out of sight ever since it caused such a problem in Blackbridge. The possibility was raised that Kalina had made a big spectacle out of losing the dagger so that she could deny having given it to Jeanne.

Not being familiar with the situation in Kingsport, Quentin wondered aloud who might benefit from the day master’s death. James mused that it was likely a great number of people and groups that could benefit from destabilising existing power structures, and immediately the question was raised whether the illness of the queen might be tied to the attempt on the day master’s life. The queen fell ill about a ride ago; around the same time as Jeanne’s failed assassination attempt. Was someone trying to sow chaos in both the upper- and under-classes of Kingsport society?

The conversation fell flat and it was at that time that James discovered that an elderly, veiled woman was observing the group through a window from the inside of the inn. He let Luca know, using the Lauriel’s Earing of Whispers, which both of them still wore an equal part of. Despite that, it was Emrys who made a move to go inside, order more drinks and approach the woman, asking if she would be interested in joining the group.

Magda, for that was her name, was delighted and join the heroes at the table outside. She was the owner of the Careless Wanderer and despite her being blind and wearing a blindfold underneath her veil said that she had observed that each one of the heroes was touched by the seidhe and that she herself had been exposed to the fey in her younger years. Overall, she had fond memories of those times, but she did give the heroes a casual warning that the customs, expectations and etiquette of the realm of the seidhe were curious and that it was easy to run afoul of them.

James decided he would look for Wojciech, the Silesian stable master at the Careless Wanderer he understood to have regularly met his mother and Kalina at the bend in the river outside the Brown Gate. He found the man tending to the horses at the stables behind the inn. He introduced himself to Wojciech and explained he was looking for Kalina. Wojciech told James many of the same things that Mirek had also shared with him; Kalina had an unpleasant temperament and that he would occasionally meet her together with other Silesians. He could also tell James that he had tended to her horse only half a ride ago and that she was on her way out of Kingsport. When James confirmed that he knew about Kalina’s occupation as a horse rustler, Wojciech told him that recently she had run afoul of the House Courtenay guards around the Powderham estate. He heard they had been seen at the ruins of the Scatterfoot farm near the Avondale woods.

The next stop for the heroes was The Hoxton, the well known tavern at the bottom of the Serrated Street in the middle of Lewisham. As they made their way there, they crossed over Steward Square and saw a familiar face proselytising in front of an audience of two dozen people; Prementhine Shakeslock. He was once again warning people of the danger of corruption and doom spread by warlocks and those that consort with demons. He was wearing a red tabard, and was surrounded by several people dressed in red robes. He also referred to himself as “Brother Prementhine” and said that he would demand the Circle of Mages submit themselves to an inquisition to weed out corruption and hand over dangerous artifacts.

The heroes didn’t linger and made their way to The Hoxton. They found the taproom crowded and the second floor balconies filled with people of all ilk. Several tables held card and dice games with people gambling on the outcome. After some investigations, a gambler by the name of Edna, an older woman with crooked fingers filled with silver rings, recounted the story of Kalina’s demon dice game against a dwarf called Bran who lived in a shack in the Grimsdown ward. Kalina had lost her dagger and had to be tossed out of The Hoxton by Lenny, the proprietor of the establishment and the Kingsport bare-knuckle boxing champion.

On the way back to the Careless Wanderer the heroes crossed Steward Square again and saw that the crowd listening to Brother Prementhine had swelled even further. The heroes decided to play a prank and simultaneously try to get the crowd to disperse by displaying a little magic and making the area smell of rotten eggs. Luca was the one who came up with the idea, but he couldn’t make it work without being noticed, but Emrys, with a wealth of stage trickery had learned how to hide his sorcery and picked up where Luca’s idea left off. It was a small success and they managed to divert some of the crowd due to the bad smell that they conjured up.

When they got back to the inn, the heroes came to the conclusion that with dwarves being a rare sight in Kingsport it might be worth talking to Durham about where Bran was staying in Grimsdown. As luck would have it, the two were acquainted and he could give directions to his shack. But before their visit to Grimsdown, Luca decided that it was high time he visted Eustace the gemcutter and get his Lyrium crystal back. Quentin decided to join him.

The pair made their way to the Southside ward and quickly found Eustace’s little workshop. Upon entering the portly man set down his tools and took off the strange spectacles he wore while working and upon recognising Luca his face turned frightful. He began apologising profusely and explained that in Luca’s long absence the custodian from the Circle of Mages had been by as he often does to purchase materials for the college. He had also bought the crystal and paid 45 gold crowns for it. Luca quickly turned the disappointment into an opportunity to acquire more pearls for his divination spells. The pearl that Luca wanted was worth over 100 crowns and the gemcutter would not be browbeaten into giving that much of a discount, so Quentin put down a writ to cover the remaining value that Eustace could recover at the Sheridan Trading Company. The gemcutter relented and a deal was struck.

On the way back to the Careless Wanderer Luca decided to explain in detail just how valuable the Lyrium crystals were and why it was important that they recover the crystal which now was in the possession of the Circle of Mages.

Eventually, the heroes walked to Grimsdown, the unremarkable ward in the north-east of Kingsport known only for the falconry set up in the shadows of the Bastion of Restraint and the falconers who took their birds onto the bastion in order to train them. When the arrived in the right area James once again showed how effective an agent he was inside the city by paying a group of street urchins a silver piece to let them know which shack was the dwarf’s. A few knocks on a warped wooden door and they stood face to face with Brandomiir; the mohawked, foul-mouthed rogue who was in the employ of the Sheridans and helped the heroes free the Kaedwyni orcs.

He was happy to see the heroes and invited them into his small abode. He had been at work at the Sheridan estate, not just to restore the water supply, but later also to explore and secure the underground catacombs that the Sheridan were looking to exploit. He left the employ as soon as he was able, since Hallis, the captain of the Sheridan house guards, never trusted the dwarf after she suspected his involvement in the orc escape. He took his coin and acquired the shack in order to ride out the winter. The various tools around the shack showed that he was in the process of fixing it up. Quentin also noticed a rare arquebus hanging above the mantle in the shack.

When the conversation turned to Kalina and her dagger, he recounted the story on how he won it from her in a game of demon dice. When James asked if he still had the dagger he produced it from a chest and said that he had not found anyone to sell it to. After a bit of haggling Bran agreed to sell the dagger for the small fortune of 350 gold crowns, which Bran claimed would cover the cost of the individual gemstones and craftsmanship. He seemed happy with the trade. After the sale, the group stayed on a little longer to talk and reminisce about the orcs, after which the heroes departed back to the Careless Wanderer.

On the Silesian Trail

by Dennis••0•Posted inConjunction of Planes

Previously, the heroes found themselves in Kingsport and where James’ mother Jeanne had been tricked into an assassination attempt on the day master, a powerful member of the Steady Hand, the Kingsport guild of thieves. James was tasked to find out why his mother had done what she did if he had any hope of saving her life.

As the heroes secured one of the last remaining rooms at the crowded Careless Wanderer, some people came to visit with some requests. Dame Miranda was concerned with the invasion of orcs in the north-west, asking Quentin to investigate on his way back to Beauclair, while Lady Annabella approached Emrys with a request to help her with a young lord who had been bothering her as she had been asked to officiate the annual royal angling competition.

And last, Luca was visited by his otherworldly patron in the middle of the night. His patron congratulated Luca with Atilesceon’s defeat and reminded him that the goal was to find the Mad God. He was promised the answer to one question, and he chose to learn that his patron’s name was Aurion.

Second Day, First Ride, Autumn Red, 1262

(Silvermoon in high sanction. Bloodmoon is waxing. Darkmoon is waning.)

Luca was the first one to wake up, hearing the muffled chatter of different guests at the inn getting ready for breakfast downstairs. He decided to head downstairs make sure that breakfast was arranged for everyone before Ramsey ran out of food.

The topic of James’ predicament came up again, and it was decided that it would be best to prioritise the safety of Jeanne over any other requests that the heroes had received since arriving back at Kingsport. Quentin made an elaborate vow to stand by James and his mother, which went to illustrate the different worlds the two men had been raised in.

A recurring question was how Jeanne had gotten a hold of a jewelled dagger, much like the one that James was carrying, and who had provided it to her. James explained that it was a woman that his mother had befriended, a fellow Silesian by the name of Kalina, who was also a member of the guild James belonged to.

As Durham brought a cart of food up to the room and Astrid finally could be arsed to raise her head up from her pillow, the conversation turned to finding out more information about Kalina. James and Emrys would visit one of James’ childhood friends who was also affiliated with the guild, while Luca and Astrid would visit The Ship’s Head, a bar in The Salt where Luca was familiar with a gossip of a bartender named Coraline who might know a few things.

Quentin was a stranger in the city and therefore could not tap into any of his connections to find out more about this Kalina, and so he decided to go and talk to the representative of the Sheridan Trading Company in order to take care of a few personal matters.

After breakfast James and Emrys headed towards Chiselton, the western part of the Northside ward where Dick, James’ childhood friend and fellow guild member, lived in a loft above a small establishment that cooked food for the workers in that area. They found the kitchen was open, with two cooks slaving away while the two heroes made their way up to the loft, which they found locked.

Upon investigation, James found that the lock was trapped with a small needle, which he disabled. He easily opened the lock to find that Dick had likely not been there for a few days. One of the cooks managed to confirm that he had been absent, and that before his departure Dick had been practising horseback riding.

In the meantime, Luca and Astrid made their way to the Ship’s Head where the found more anglers getting together to prepare for the upcoming competition. The weathered bar was dark and already full of people drinking from mugs of foamy beer. The two heroes took a seat at the bar and patiently waited for the red-headed bartender to notice them.

Coraline was a woman with a sharp tongue and an eagerness for news and gossip. Luca asked her whether she knew a Silesian woman by the name of Kalina and if there was anything Coraline could share about her. Coraline said she wanted to trade information, and Luca ended up telling her about a representative of House Blackwood bullying the handmaid to the queen in order to get an advantage on the other competitors in the annual angling competition.

Coraline seemed satisfied with the payment and shared that Kalina was a dangerous person consorting with dangerous people, stealing cattle and horses. Another thing she had heard was that Kalina had lost an expensive, bejewelled dagger in a game of demon dice at The Hoxton when she ran out of coin a few rides ago.

Quentin’s first stop was the Library of Ioun in Ravensbourne, which he found to be closed. A well-heeled gentleman informed him that Lord Caedmon Bromley held services every last day of each ride and that the library was open to the public then. Quentin decided to make his way to the office of the Sheridan Trading Company in the hopes of getting some help in his endeavour.

When Quentin arrived at the small office in the western part of the docks he found a soberly dressed, well-groomed man in his middle years named Caius of Lynnecombe who surprised Quentin by being fluent in Beauclairois. They spoke about Quentin’s stay at the Careless Wanderer and his desire to gain access to the library. Caius promised to pay for Quentin’s stay in the inn, and wrote him a letter of recommendation in order to gain access to the library, to be handed to the librarian, a half-elf named Raedelus.

The conversation turned to Lord Gabriel Valois-Antille, the Steward of Kingsport. Quentin learned that the Lord Steward was Beauclairois, from a small house in the eastern part of his homeland who had married into the royal family. He also learned that the Lord Steward had been rubbing many of the noble houses the wrong way and that it was causing some political unrest.

When the conversation came to an end, Quentin walked back to the Careless Wanderer, bumping into Luca and Astrid on their return from The Ship’s Head.

Emrys and James walked from Chiselton to The Bridle, an area of the Northside ward dedicated to the Kingsport Manège, a market dedicated to buying and selling cattle and mounts. There they hoped to bump into Silesians, who were well known to be valued for their knowledge of horses and mounts.

They struck up a conversation with a jovial, mustachioed Silesian named Mirek, a horse trader who did a lot of business at the Manège. Quickly it was revealed that he knew both Jeanne and Kalina. Mirek knew James’ mother close enough to have heard of James and seemed genuinely pleased to meet him.

Mirek explained that he met Jeanne and Kalina on one of the regular get-togethers that they held with other Silesians, on the fields in the river bend outside the Brown Gate. Silesians would regularly spend time together to speak in their native tongue, share a drink and tales of their home. As he lead the two heroes out to the field, he described Kalina as a tall, strong woman with a pointed nose and brown, half long hair. Kalina didn’t always make it to the gatherings, but Jeanne was a regular attendee.

Mirek never liked Kalina much, describing her as a gambling junkie with a vicious streak. He also described the jewelled dagger she owned. He didn’t know where Kalina was, but offered to find out more, seemingly genuinely concerned with Jeanne’s well-being. When he asked James where he could find him, he suggested talking to Wojciech, the stable hand at the Careless Wanderer, who also occasionally attended the meetings.

A Kingsport Homecoming

by Dennis••0•Posted inConjunction of Planes

Previously, the heroes brought Lord Destan back to Kingsport, escorted by a group of once doomed crusaders. Upon their return, they were greeted by a city familiar, yet changed. Prior Benedict was hailed as a saint by the followers of Paladine. Dame Josephine was not received well at court, where a regent now spoke for the queen while she was afflicted by illness. And James found that much has happened to his guild in his absence and his mother was in danger.

First Day, First Ride, Autumn Red, 1262

(Silvermoon is waxing. Bloodmoon is waxing. Darkmoon is waning.)

James quickly made his way through the darkening streets of Kingsport after having visited the Silver Cross and speaking to Samuel. The long time bartender of the establishment he used to call home told him that his mother had been held captive by the daymaster, one of the two leaders of his guild.

He caught up with the rest of the heroes as they had just reached the Careless Wanderer. The tavern room of the inn was completely filled with visitors and it was warm inside, despite the weather turning colder. They made their way to the bar and found Durham tending the bar, happy to see their faces.

There were no tables available for them, so the dwarf arranged for some stools and allowed them to take sanctuary from the crowd behind the bar. Quentin was introduced and quickly fell into a conversation about the different wines that the Wanderer had in stock.

Lauryn, the elven counter to Durham came to say hello and talks Emrys into performing later that evening. She also arranges for some food with Ramsey, the chef. She explains to the heroes that the tavern is so crowded due to the upcoming Royal Master Angler competition organised by the Kingsport Anglers Association, an annual competition backed by the crown. Besides a hefty sum of gold crowns to the first, second and third place, it also comes with a lot of prestige. Looking across the room, the heroes notice that there’s quite a few fishing poles secured against the wall.

After having finished their food, James asks Luca to have a walk through the streets of Kingsport with him. James explained a few things about the guild he was involved with and that he needed to speak to one of his associates and that it could potentially get ugly. He asked if Luca was willing to stay close by, using Lauriel’s Earrings of Whispers to stay in touch with one another. Luca agreed and the two made their way to the Southside ward.

There Luca entered L’eau Célestes, a shop run by a radiant woman selling wines. She had organised a tasting for a group of people who all were people of varying levels of importance and they welcomed Luca with open arms. He pretended to be a young mage in Kingsport for study, something which none in attendance took into question.

In the meantime, James entered the butcher shop a little further down the street. There he found out that the daymaster knew of his arrival back in Kingsport and was somewhat surprised to see him. The man was grievously injured, judging by the way way in which he grimaced as he moved and the bandages on his torso. He was also surrounded by more guards than usually; all of them cold eyes and fast knives.

The daymaster asked him if he came to finish what his mother started. Genuinely surprised, James claimed not to know what his guild master was talking about. He seemed to have struck the right chord and the daymaster explained that he had regularly enjoyed his mother’s services over the last few months, and that during James’ absence she had tried to assassinate him while in bed together.

Since then, he had her bound and locked up, trying to force her to reveal why she had tried to kill him. Her mother had so far withstood all interrogation. The daymaster claimed he had not allowed for James’ mother to come to real harm yet, but that his patience was running out. He claimed that she came at him with a jewelled dagger just like the one that James was carrying, a dagger he knew to have belonged to a lieutenant working for his guild rival; the nightmaster, a man by the name of John Sharpe. The lieutenant was a Silesian, just like James’ mother, by the name of Kalina.

James convinced the daymaster to allow him to see his mother and talk to her. He wanted to see what state she was in and perhaps he could learn the reason why she had made an attempt on the daymaster’s life. He was brought down to the basement of the butcher’s shop, where found that his mother had been bound to a chair. She was in a bad state, mostly due to neglect. He took the gag off her face and loosened the binds and spoke with her.

He learned that she had been convinced that the butcher had sent James to his death and became enraged. A friend she had met through a group of Silesians who regularly met up in Kingsport had given her a knife to use. The butcher seemed satisfied with what he heard and ordered Jeanne to be bound up again. He charged James with finding out what the truth behind the situation was. He was especially concerned with the nightmaster coming after him. James offered information on the strange cult the heroes had learned about who were causing chaos in Fairfields and in the Riverlands and said that the same might be happening here.

James parted with the books he had retrieved and a fair some of gold crowns he had earned so far and he was allowed to hold on to the magical bag for the time being. He dreaded leaving his mother behind, but his best bet was to uncover the truth behind his mother’s attempt on the daymaster’s life.

In the meantime, back in the Careless Wanderer, Astrid spent her evening enjoying the comforts of the inn and arm wrestling some of the tough men in the tavern. Quentin had Durham open a good bottle of wine from Beauclair and engaged in a chat with a countryman named Remy who had come to Kingsport to hire himself out to a team participating in the angling competition.

Emrys was getting acquainted with people in the tavern and was trying to find out what the rumours are around the arrival of the crusaders; their arrival did not go unnoticed but was mistaken for the arrival of a group of Lyrian knights, likely arriving to offer their protection to the queen. The knights had previously protected the queen during the Courtenay rebellion when she was only twelve years old. Emrys also learned that it is widely believed that the queen’s illness is one caused by black magic and that most people in the capital believe the accusations made against the Farcorner rebels.

When Emrys graced the tavern with a performance, Dame Miranda and Lady Annabella entered the Careless Wanderer, both “out of uniform” and dressed as inconspicuously as they could. Lady Annabella admired Emrys while he played, while Dame Miranda approached Quentin and asked him if he could accompany her for a walk.

Dame Miranda took a stroll together with Quentin toward Steward Square. She spoke about her family, House Ravensbourne, and their wardenship of the Tiverton Glades. She explained that a host of invading orcs were making their way across the border from the Daerlan Empire and heading south-east, through the Elder Foothills to the Tiverton Glades but that the Lord Steward wasn’t committing any forces to stop the invasion, instead relying on the noble houses to provide aid. The noble houses were weary of the Lord Steward and she believed that perhaps aid might be too late to arrive. She hoped that Quentin could investigate the rumour that the orcs had been sent across the border by the Daerlanians, since that might help in getting both the Lord Steward as well as the noble houses to act more swiftly.

The two arrived in front of the Cathedral of the Platinum Father on Steward Square and Dame Miranda invited Quentin inside. He hesitated, saying that he was not a man of god, but followed the knight in. He asked her why she had chosen to talk to him about this particular problem. She said that she had hoped that if he were to return to Beauclair he could travel past the Tiverton Glades. She also said that he came highly recommended. When Quentin asked by who, she motioned to a gathering of followers of Paladine surrounding Prior Benedict in reverence. Quentin asked whether he could give her a reply in the morning, something the Lady Commander of the Crownsguard understood and accepted.

After James and Luca found one another and made their way back to the Careless Wanderer, James explained everything about the situation he and his mother found themselves in to Luca. As their cross the Lyn at the Queensbridge they found crier Goodman, the portly man who was a well known figure in the city, helping the Crownsguard light the braziers along the bridge for the night. James knew him to be a good source of news, and also, for the right coin, a source of gossip and rumours.

The crier explained that the Lord Steward had taken direct control of the Crownsguard, drawing the ire of House Ravensbourne for by-passing Dame Miranda, claiming it was an overreach of power. He also could tell James and Luca that  the fetish that was found in the queen’s bedchambers was a tarred head of a goat with nails driven into its eyes and that it was sent to the Circle of Diviners for study. A man by the name of Callum the Diviner had been sent for from Blackbridge. Also, a host of over five thousand orcs was threatening the Elder Foothills and Tiverton Glades, while at the same time the markets in White Fork, south of the Fields of Strife had been flooded by cheaper goods from Daerlan and that the Daerlan florin was now the coin of choice throughout the area. And that Madam Brecourt had “stopped shopping for meat on Fleet Street” over an ongoing dispute with the butcher, something the crier said James probably knew all about.

Back in the Careless Wanderer, Lady Annabella came to speak with Emrys after his performance had concluded. The exchanged pleasantries and chatted a little until Lady Annabella explained that she had been asked to fulfil the queen’s duties for the annual Royal Master Angler Competition, something that was a great honour to her and her family. She found that she had stepped into a viper’s nest of competing teams backed by ambitious nobility with a vicious drive to win, who would not stop at anything to gain the upper hand.

One such noble, an arrogant young man by the name of Lord Peregrine Blackwell, had approached her with the intention of convincing her to release the information on the catches, the fish who were the target of each competition, to him. Each year the catches were kept a close secret until the day of the start of the competition, to not give any team a head start or a competitive advantage. He seemed so insistent that Lady Annabella asked Emrys if he’d be interested in deceiving the young lord.

While Emrys didn’t know the young Peregrine himself, he was very well acquainted with house Blackwell, and partly the reason why he had moved from the Riverlands to Kingsport.

The inn became quieter as the night progressed and arrangements were made in the tavern room to accommodate the many visitors who had been unable to secure a night to sleep. Cots, bedrolls and sleeping bags were put all over the floor and slowly people retired for the night. The heroes had arranged for the last of the rooms to be assigned to them, and they were able to squeeze in together. Before everyone settled in, James asked everyone for their help with his predicament. He was certain that it should rise to the top of the list of priorities, even before leaving the city to retrieve their well-earned reward from house Sheridan.

Second Day, First Ride, Autumn Red, 1262

(Silvermoon in high sanction. Bloodmoon is waxing. Darkmoon is waning.)

People fell asleep as Luca sat in a comfortable chair, reading by the dim light of a candle. He startled awake at the sound of a storm raging outside. He looked around only to find that his companions were nowhere to be found. He went downstairs only to find the same; an empty tavern room.

Eventually he stepped out into the stormy night and went to the river. He walked downstream, up the hill towards the Bastion of Illumination which was standing vigil atop Quayhill. Not a soul in sight. He used Blackstar to detect any life around him, but he could detect none. He concluded that it must be a dream and used a dagger to make a mark in one of the limestones of a nearby building. Tomorrow he would check to see if the mark was there.

He walked upriver, back toward the Careless Wanderer and passed the House of the Raven Queen. Nobody to be seen. Then he walked towards Steward Square, and there, in front of the Cathedral of the Platinum Father, standing on the steps before the great carved doors, stood his master in all their grotesque glory.

Luca approached and his master congratulated him on a successful mission into the Crimson Tower. They reminded Luca that the goal had always been and will always be to get closer to Tharizdun and to find where the Mad God slumbered.

In return, Luca was to receive his reward; one question, answered truthfully. “What is your name?” Luca asked with great hesitation. “Oh Luca, so predictable. I have many names. But I suppose my name now is Aurion.”

Aurion bade Luca a farewell, turned around and opened the double doors to the cathedral, emanating a radiant, silver light. When the doors had closed behind Aurion, Luca returned to the Careless Wanderer, dissatisfied. He sat back down in his chair and fell asleep.