Session 22: Road to Orzhov Report
General Summary
-------------------------
DATE: Vamendour 6/625
-------------------------
The party had started off for Orzhov just after lunch for their three day journey. Normally the journey between gwillith and Orzhov is uneventful, but a day into their jouney they encounter a strange site. A group of pilgrims, literally frozen in place just along the roadside, with one of the out of place statues just barely starting to melt after it had been severed in half at the waist.
Ayame peers at the group of statues and steps out of her carriage to observe closer. Looking at the pilgrims, they look to have been frozen solid in place, looking both down the path and some of them upwards. One of them looks like they had fallen trying to run back towards the woods. In total there are about 6 and a half human popsicles. Ayame calls back to Naomi, "Can you tell if they are still alive in there?"
Eleanor looks around and hums. "That's not a sign of some monster that can freeze people is it? That seems like a sign that there's some sorta monster that can freeze people to me."
Lacy shivvers looking at the scene, looking up to the sky with suspicion. "Just be quick, Something must have ambushed them and I've got the feeling that we're out in the open."
"i can thaw them out to ask them." Ragia offers.
"They're dead Dont bother to thaw them unless you want to bury them I suppose..." Naomi says with a sigh, reaching the rest of the group.
Eleanor hums in thought, "Ayame don't you do stuff with dead people? Ya think you can get info off em'? I don't know how your..." she looks Ayame up and down, "stuff works"
Ayame looks blankly at Eleanor. "Eh...Unfortunatly I can't question them...I can only do that to sebastian."
"I could question them, unfortunately I don't have that Divine Magic readied this day...Plus it seems disrespectful..." Naomi says, deep in thought. as she does so, her stave glows with divine power and she looks towards it. "W-wait!! I'm feeling a surge of divine energy -- Rhamnasia allow me to commune with those who've passed; Speak with the Dead!"
While waiting for the spell to activate fully, Ragia takes a quick look at the bodies, and finds that all of them are carying letters with the seal of Atrum Caedes upon it. "These are apprentice wizard, or at least we're chosen to be..."
A frozen mist exhales out of the corpse that Naomi cast her spell on, and it stands before naomi with blank eyes, forming a facsimilie of the newly dead man before her. "Oh it worked!!!" Naomi exclaims.
The party watches as Naomi begins to question the creature. "Forgive this humble servant of Rhamnasia for waking you from the eternal peace of death, but I must question you. Who are you.?"
"I am Samuel, a noblemans son from the endless hills and chosen to attend study in Orzhov due to my gifts of understanding the arcane."
"What happened here, Samuel?"
"A creature I only heard of in books attacked us in two waves. It was large, with wings that could carry away a full grown man in a single swipe. Three heads of three creatures of the world. A goat, a lion, and a white dragon in its center. Its body was that of a lion, and my death comes at surprise to no one... Twas a Chimera. We were attacked in two waves, but since our apprenticeship had barely begun, it was enough to kill us all."
The party mutters to each other, save for Naomi, who stays in thought.
"Do you have anymore questions for me?" Samuel Asks.
"Do you have any ideas where this foul beast was heading after it attacked you? I would head to vanquish it to put your soul to rest." Naomi says with a respectful nod.
"I only know the moment until I died. It did come from the hills to the south. And thank you." He says as the mist disperses from around his glacial prison.
Naomi kneels to the ground and makes a small prayer over Samuels body before rising. "It came from the south. Mayhaps it continued north? Lacy, how good are you at tracking?"
Ayame blinks "D-Do you intend to go after it?" She asks, trying to get to pry one of the acceptance letters the students were carrying.
Lacy, her hands full of sheets and rope, having been making a trap the entire time, looks to Rea with a shrug. "It's literally my job but... why would I want to go closer? It seems like this even is unrelated to our main questline."
"For the moment, I have no idea if we're strong enough. But knowing where it is heading is important for our safety." Naomi retorts.
Lacy looks up to the sky, thinking for a moment before having a sudden realization, looking back to Naomi. "You know I can't track things in the air right?"
Lacy ponders for a few moments, resting a foot on the lip of her chariot. "If we can't come to it, maybe we can trick it into coming to us."
Eleanor turns to Lacy "You hunt monsters for a livin or somethin?"
Lacy snorts "Only the ones that talk"
"WELL...we're telling the next authority we see. My conscious wont let me sleep otherwise." Naomi says.
"That's a broad net being cast Lace" she says with a chuckle, walking up to Naomi and nodding to her "Sounds like a plan, though focus on the us not dying to the same thing first"
"let's get going for now, don't want to risk an ambush by staying near her latest dinner" Ragia says, hopping into the carriage with Ayame.
"Yeah, Let me just finish setting up this smoke screen... You can help by getting a nice long stick and rubbing it with oil" Lacy says, quickly untangling herself from the wierd mess she has been making.
Eleanor hops off the carriage and walks off for a bit, looking around and ripping one off the ground, holding out her hand "Hey Lacy, you got whatever oil you're plannin on using?"
Lacy uses a pole to scrap leaves together in a pile. She places some branches on top. "OH that's perfect, I could use that to fight this thing if I wanted to.. Luckily she finds some dung and sets it a few feet away from the pile. She starts a small fire on the dung and dried leaves. Finally she lays Eleanor's stick, coated in oil further from the pile.
The party leaves and the spark made by Lacy's chain dragging behind her ignites the makeshift flare as they make their way to the river crossing. About thirty minutes later, the party sees something large fly overhead when they have no cover, but it ignores them and makes its way to the plume of smoke they had left behind.
Only thirty minutes later, Lacy manages to spot something in the brush with her keen eyesight. A small pile of gold left in the middle of the woods. With a bright smile, the party splits the gold and makes their way to the Orzhov Docks, where a barge is ready for customers.
Ayame steps out of the carriage to greet the bargemaster, who invites them all aboard. "no checks for magic today. The magelord has declared a holiday celebration, and all are invited to the kingdom. After the celebration pay mind that you will need to know spells, or pay the toll."
Ayame smiles and nods in thanks "What is the occasion?"
"Im afraid that it hasn't been anounced yet, but tomorrow during the anouncement ceremony, she is sure to explain."
Ayame smiles and nods her head "Well, thank you, and I hope you enjoy the occassion, whatever it may be" she says, bowing gently
Naomi pouts and aherms at the bargemaster "Pardon me goodsir, who is the magelord?"
The bargemaster helps get the last of the preparations done for the barge, as he smiles to Naomi. "Our honorary Magelord, The Velvet Lady, The immortal mind, slayer of the consumption... Violet Shadowdirk."
Naomi gets a...confused look on her face. "I...See...Thank you for answering..." she mumbles to herself as she walks away. "Is that what they're calling her now...?"
"I always meant to ask Naomi... How come you know all these heroes, but bards aren't swarming over us to get the next big legend." Lacy says, hopping out of her carriage.
"W-what do you mean asking that?" Naomi says, flustered.
Eleanor hums in thought, listening into Lacy's question, "pretty sure that's cause she was home taught, your face don't get famous when you're inside all the time"
"Fair enough." Says lacy.
"I...I wasn't stuck inside ALL the time!!...Just......sometimes...most of the time.." Naomi says with a pout.
-------------------------
DATE: Vamendour 7/625
-------------------------
It takes the majority of the day to get across the river, and to the main gates of Atrum Caedes. They find tall walls and standing structures greeting them. The party finds mages casually walking around the city, and blaze notices that even the usual barier that would keep her out is down. The streets are lined with vast, beautiful structures and shops for food and supplies can be found all throughout the main road. currently, flying wizards and sorcerers are hanging up large cloth banners by hand, while carts are wheeled in and out of the city carying a variety of goods.
Naomi remembers talking to Violet about the city at one point. "The first year was hell trying to get my college up and running, but after that, it became a paradise of knowledge for all who wanted to learn it."
The city of Atrum Caedes is an impressive and imposing sight. The city lays upon the coast, with a large outer wall protecting the city, adorned with runes and magical gems. Inside the city is seemingly split into four districts, each one seperated from the others by another wall, 4 in total. The feeling of magic seems to fill the air the closer you get to the city, and a mix of common looking citizens and those in the robes of the school mingling freely together. The view of the city is dominated by a huge complex of beautiful gilded buildings and gardens, with a huge and imposing tower at the center
Eleanor pokes her head out of the carriage to look around, "Real active place considerin it seemed like every holy power was shaken up just a week or so ago"
"Maybe she's excited her more mundane enemies tipped their hand early when the magic was replaced." Lacy ponders aloud.
"Clerics don't count as magic users?" Eleanor says scratching her head.
"It's a philosophical question, Eleanor. I consider myself a magic user, however. But that's besides the point -- this city is amazing! Look at it!~" Naomi says in awe.
Ayame grins and nods excitedly "I-Its everything I dreamed of!"
"Its everything we ever dreamed of making." The party hears an unfamiliar voice from somewhere around them.
A few of the party members look around for the disembodied voice, when A cloaked figure drops their invisibility spell before the party, a Dark elf wearing specialized goggles and nearly pure white hair appears before them. Naomi, doesn't remember meeting this person, but there is only one person in the town that she knows of that has this sort of feeling of power about her. "Had to convince my wife not to come after you." She says holding up a spork and looking to lacy. "But it was dropped on the shore on your way in." The dark elf says with a smile.
"Wait...You're...Violet's Missus, aren't you?" Naomi says.
"And you are the Dai'Gishkin child. Don't worry, I promise you no special accomodation during your visit. All are equal here so long as they enter in persuit of knowledge." The elf says, eying Naomis horn but saying nothing.
Naomi pouts "Speaking of my family name, can you not mention that I was here to my mom? She thinks Violet is a bad influence on me sometimes."
Ayame giggles a little bit at this, then shyly steps up "I-Its an honour to meet you! I'm hoping to join the university..if I can"
"Lacy-!" Lacy spouts, but dispite that nonsense she adorns the face of an innocent man found guilty. That is confused and frustrated. "You couldn't get the other 4?"
"Exactly why you get no special accomodations." The elf says with a smile to Naomi. "I am Espeaux Shadowdirk." She says looking to the rest of the party. "I need remind you that there are restrictions to the utensils that you bring about our borders. Sporks..." She says as the metal instantly vaporizes in her hand. She didn't even make a motion or say a word in arcane. "Are a violation of those restrictions."
Eleanor thinks for a moment and points to the spork vapour, "Now that's one thing I did hear about."
Ayame smiles and nods "O-Of course! Well uhm..." she says, stammering a little bit "I-Ill save it for the entrance exam...or..demonstration..or whatever it is..."
Eleanor stands up straight, not seeming to register the important figure in front of her like the rest are, looking down to Ayame, "Is that why you wanted us to come here Ayame?"
Ayame nods sheepishly "Y-Yeah!"
"She wants access to the advanced spells that comes with membership." Espeaux says blankly as she takes off her glasses as the sun finally begins to set, revealing her blood red eyes.
Ayame pouts "Welll...of course I do! But I come from a really really close knit community...a small shrine...I like belonging to something like that...and I hear thats what its like..well..there" she says, pointing to the tower.
Espeaux sighs and holds up a hand. "Don't bother giving me your life story, its not something I care about."
Eleanor thinks for a moment about something, "If there's a buncha info here I guess I might want to ask about stuff too..."
"All people are equal in the persuit of knowledge. Pass the test, and you can gain access to the college. I reccomend since night is upon us that you rent out a home for the night and figure out what you want in the morning." Espeaux says, looking specifically to Ayame. "However..." she shrugs. "There is a celebration in my honor tomorrow, and It would be a shame if the Dai'gishkin family was not involved." She says looking to Naomi. "You know I can force you to attend child... You know my power."
"I guess we're goin to a celebration tomorrow then?" Eleanor asks, looking to Naomi, "Will there be drinks? Wait- are there taverns in this city? It's like.. a school city so I'm scared the answer is no."
Espeaux sighs. "Im not a hundred percent certain... violet wanted it to be a surprise for everything- Wait a moment, I don't need to tell you this." She shakes her head.
"Yeah no need to tell me anythin, Nao's the one you care about. I was just askin the group here." Eleanor says with a chuckle.
"Look, child" Espeaux says turning back to Naomi. "Tomorrow is a celebration for my capacity in magic keeping me alive as long as Violet can. Its basically our vow renewal. It would mean a lot to Violet if you were there. You are basically the closest thing she can have to a child."
Rewards Granted
1750GP Chaimera Horde.
