Session Fourteen: Standing up
General Summary
The Arcanix Airship Dock Cissa ushers most the group to follow the soldiers to meet with Prince Wrogar and Captain Conrad. She, however, takes Malak aside. Corvus, who was the last to disembark, finishes a Message that he is sending to Cygnus. Cissa hears him say “thank you, Cygnus” and gets annoyed, loudly asking why Corvus is contacting her mother. She also has Corvus join her and Malak. She explains that she and Jurian were in trouble with Prince Wrogar. As a cover up, Cissa explained to Wrogar that Corvus had told her of the mission and she suggested the bracelets in order to keep in contact to alert Jurian when he was in trouble. Wrogar is annoyed that Corvus told Cissa without checking with him if sharing this information with someone else is OK. Cissa tells Corvus and Malak to stick with this story. Because if Wrogar finds out about Jurian and Corvus, it can be quite dire for them both. As the group head through the exit of the Spire of Knowledge, Molly says goodbye to each of them by name, referring to Vence as Thaen. Mia tells Vence that perhaps he should go and correct Molly but Silmer laughs, saying that Vence is messing with Molly. After everyone meets outside, they head to the palace. The Palace As agreed, Malak speaks for the group. He tells Wrogar and Captain Conrad the basic story about what happened in Windshire, omitting Corvus burning a man to death and Nesza’s arrow ending a ceasefire. It is emphasised that the Sicklemen were being manipulated by a group of elves. The moment the elves were out of the picture, the Sicklemen worked alongside the party to save the town. Corvus presents the eye sigil, the double bladded scimitar and a moon-touched dagger to Wrogar and Conrad as evidence of the Elves. Neither the Prince or the Captain recognises any of this but Cissa identifies the weaponry as Valenar. It is explained that at least one elf escaped via teleportation circle and Corvus mentions that the owner of Cherry Pie might be an accomplice. On the subject of the teleportation circle, it is established that the party was able to draw a copy of it but they do not know where it leads nor know how to use it. They would need to get someone reliable to figure it out. Corvus mentions that Cissa knows how to use teleportation circles. Seeing as she’s here right now, it might be wise to involve her instead of another person. This triggers Wrogar and he tells Corvus that she was not supposed to be here. The only reason for her continued involvement was because Corvus told her about the mission. Lucky for him, Cissa has been helpful. But Wrogar is currently calling his trust in Corvus into question. Corvus explains that he wanted her to ensure Jurian’s safety and continued studies. He trusts her. But Wrogar is still not happy with that explanation. However, he and Conrad agree to use her help. Vence states that, all in all, the mission was a success. The town has been secured. No one suspected the involvement of the crown and the military was welcomed as heroes to the town upon arrival. When discussing the Island and the binding of the demon, Nesza explains that he has contacted the Wardens of the Woods, namely his father: Dreas Greenthorn. Wrogar has heard of Dreas and thinks his own father, Sasik d’Vadalis, might know him. House Vadalis and the Wardens of the Woods have very good ties. Wrogar will look into this with his father and will await word from Dreas via Nesza. Based on what Dreas suggests, next steps can be taken. It is also established that the people who know the location of the island are Ethan, Jenny, Valarie, April and Silmer. Silmer also mentions that some of the crew members from the ship were unaccounted for. He does not know if they are missing, dead or turned coat. But they also know the location of the island. It’s something to keep in mind. On the subject of the reward, Worgar explains they each will receive 700 SP and 300 GP. The amount will be sent to their rooms at the Gold Dragon Inn. Nesza chimes in and says that he wishes to donate the money towards rebuilding Windshire. Touched by the gesture, Wrogar asks if there is anything else he’d wish to get instead. Nesza then asks to ensure that his Big Goliath friend gets enough food. Upon mentioning Goliath, Conrad interrupts saying “Oh yes, he was a very tall human, Hahahaha”. Vence gestures to Nesza not to talk about Goliaths. Wrogar agrees to feed George for four months. The group approve of Nesza’s charity. Corvus says he has no need for money and would rather be able to go to the highly restricted section of the library. Wrogar explains that the section has highly sensitive information. As Wrogar thinks Corvus told Cissa about the mission to Windshire, he does not quite trust this information with him right now. Corvus then requests this favour be granted to Malak as he has always been trustworthy. Wrogar agrees and says he’ll escort Malak to the Spire of Knowledge’s restricted section in two days time. Wrogar asks the group to stay in Fairhaven while they are trying to figure out what the next steps are. In the meantime, the transportation circle needs to be looked into and they are awaiting word from Dreas. After the meeting ends, the group agree to meet in front of the inn for dinner. And so they go in different directions: Mia heads out to find a seedy printing company Silmer goes to the Inn Nesza goes to the Spire of Knowledge Malak and April head to Juliona Godfried’s house Corvus asks Cissa to head to Jurian’s quarters. He needs to talk to her but he first needs to check something. As she leaves, Corvus confronts Vence one more time about the prank. He tells Vence that he’s about to talk to Cissa about it but that Vence can still come clean before he does so. Vence explains that trust needs to be built before one exposes ones self like that. As a result, Vence brings up the torture again. Corvus, getting frustrated, waves the conversation away saying, “People die all the time”. Vence leaves without another word to join April and Malak. Corvus then heads upstairs and is greeted by an embrace from Jurian. After a hug and a kiss, Cissa interrupts and asks what Corvus wanted to talk about. She’s tired and a bit done right now. Corvus first thanks her for all her help. He then tells her about the prank and asks if she told anyone about Jurian. She, taken aback, says no but she did, in a moment of frustration, tell someone that Corvus left his “puppy” with her (Jurian is offended by this). Corvus says he thinks it’s Vence, but that’s not possible because then she’d be lowering her standards. This infuriates Cissa. Corvus presses on who she told but Cissa simply says “I’ll handle it” and storms out without another word. The Gold Dragon Inn Silmer goes to the inn. The lack of instructions from Wrogar has him standing outside for an extended period of time. Almentash finally comes and ushers him inside, exclaiming that they were expecting Silmer. So Almetash shows Silmer his newly upgraded room, where Silmer remained meditating for the rest of the day. The Godfried’s house April and Malak are joined by Vence as they head towards the house of Juliona Godfried. But when April knocks on the door, she is instead greeted by a man with greying red hair and beard. He immediately hugs her (in true April fashion, as she hugs back she says: “I hope that you’re my grandfather. Otherwise this is very awkward”). Over her shoulder, the man smiles at Vence. The man introduces himself as Kleris Godfried. He leads the group into the living room where Juliona is sipping tea. She is delighted to see April. April pointedly mentions that Malak has kept his promise and watched over her. Juliona thanks him for all of his help. Malak then bows and heads to the Spire of Words. As Juliona makes tea, Vence asks if she has had any further breakthroughs with the stories that he left with her. She says that the story about the elves still eludes her. But the story about the giants’ souls seem to have been hinting at what House Cannith was doing to the Goliaths. This is information that Kleris only recently shared with her. Vence facepalmed himself for not putting those two clues together before. Meanwhile, Kleris is trying to bond with April by making small talk about dumb things. Her eyes glaze over a little until he mentions stuff about mechanics. As Vence and Juliona join them, April starts talking along excitedly. At first, Kleris enjoys the exchange but he is quickly alarmed by just how much April knows. He tells April that she needs to be careful to not show her skills around humans in particular. Being a female of a prominent human family and also skilled artificer will make her a target for House Cannith. They often seek out candidates to carry over the name and skills of the Dragon Marked House. April fits the bill 100%. In general, she needs a license to be an artificer. April asks about ways in which she could get a license while on the road. Kleris says that she’d need a tutor. Vence also offers to forge documents otherwise. Juliona clutches her pearls at the thought of forging documents (context: she forged a license for April before she left for Windshire….). Vence picks up on her very bad lie. The rest of the visit continues without much incident. Meanwhile, Malak heads to the Spire of Words and send his a wife a message to have a talk at “the usual time” tomorrow. He then heads to the Inn. Spire of Knowledge Nesza heads to the Spire of Knowledge. He asks Molly if she has any other book on the demon, Comedor Infantil. She explains that he has already asked her that before and he has no authorisation to get further details. He then asks about whether there is a book about House Cannith turning Goliaths into Warforged. Molly says no. He then asks if there is a book about House Cannith in general and a book about fey dogs. Molly gives him directions to two different books The book on House Cannith is too thick and uses very technical/mechanical jargon. Nesza cannot follow any of it. The most he gets out of it is the word “Cyre”. The book “Fauna of the Fey”, however, is very much up his alley. He finds information about Valenar Hounds. It’s a type of fey dog that binds telepathically to another being that garners its respect. It understands its owners thoughts and can communicate with them up to 100 meters. Although it’s uncommon for these hounds to bond with anyone other than Valenar elves, it is not unheard of. He then returns to the Inn and meditates by casting Silence in his room in order to concentrate. In his mediation, the Silver Flame is burning brighter but the shadows being cast by it are increasingly darker. He can hear two voices whispering. He couldn’t hear what was being said. However, he was able to determine an urgent tone. And that there were two voices: A man and a woman. The Beer Bowels Mia goes on a fruitless search for a seedy printer. All of Fairhaven is high class and high quality and it’s NOT what she was looking for. So she decides to go have a drink. Description of the Beer Bowels Location: Edge of the trading district, down an otherwise anonymous alley. How to Get In: Next to where the rubbish from the local traders is stored, you’ll spot what looks to be a dead cat. A dead animal lying on the street? In Fairhaven?! Rest assured for the state of the world; standards have not gone to pot, this is the marker that you’re in the right place. Give the tail a tug (go on!) and you’ll hear a soft chiming sound before one of the large paving slabs lift up, supported by two Gnomes. Give them the secret wink (left, right, left) and they’ll allow you to descend the ladder to the bar. The Pub: the atmosphere is thick, the seating is dense and compact but my word, they brew the finest hoppy goodness known to the mortal world. In the pub, Mia encounters Cissa, who seems lost in thought. When Mia comes over to join her, Cissa plasters her smile back on and they have a friendly chat. Mia makes a point for Cissa to notice her new hairstyle and the feather that she is adorning. Cissa praises her and says she loves what Mia did. Mia tells Cissa that she’s been meaning to talk with her for a while. She was wondering if the bard would be interested in hearing her sing. Cissa takes her hand and says that she’d love to but they are currently in public. Perhaps Mia would like to join her after dinner in her room. Mia agrees and they start making their way to the inn. Corvus and Jurian Corvus and Jurian have a lovely afternoon together. Corvus first fills him in on what happened and then they train. Corvus had given Jurian the Double Bladed Scimitar and the other moon-touched dagger as gifts and Jurian wanted to try them out (also, Corvus wanted to check that his student has been “applying himself” while he was gone). Jurian was not very good at wielding the double bladed scimitar but was delighted with the gift none the less. Gifts from Corvus always have a deep meaning. He decides to mount it on his bedroom wall. Corvus loses track of time and misses dinner with the group. When he realises this, he and Jurian decide to have dinner in the bedroom, where they spent the rest of the evening together. Just before going to sleep, Corvus asks Jurian what he should do about Cissa. He’s concerned that he can no longer trust her as she gave information away that would put Jurian in danger. However, the way she responded indicated that she had told someone whom she truly cares about because she would not easily hide something from Corvus. Jurian tells Corvus that, in the time that he was in Windshire, Cissa was really his only comfort. Corvus had told him before that she is trustworthy but Jurian didn’t believe him at first… until Corvus took the bracelet off. Cissa never left his side after that. She was there to calm him down, try to make him smile and liaised with Conrad and Wrogar when information needed to be exchanged. Basically, what Corvus had told him before about Cissa was completely true. If she told someone else, Jurian might be inclined to be more open to trusting that person too. Corvus hopes that too. But he’s not very good at sitting by idly. He has one more thing he’d like to try at the library in the early hours. Jurian says that, if Corvus does not find what he’s looking for, he has a suggestion for a book that he found about “Unsung Heroes”. He recalls that Malak said Myranna belonged to the Flameless. In that book, it mentions a Firbolg General named Keya. It might be interesting for Corvus to have a look at. Just before turning in, Corvus examines the pebble that he picked up in Windshire one more time and then places on the windowsill. Roks Fall, Everyone Fries The rest of the group (including Cissa) meet in front of the Inn for dinner. They first think Corvus is fashionably late but then realise that Mia is already present and they would always arrive together. They assume he’s busy and head to dinner together. Mia has a suggestion where to eat. _Roks Fall, Everyone Fries Presenting Fairhaven’s most popular place for wings! Having initially started out as a hugely popular street trader, the team behind “Roks Fall” decided to set up in an official restaurant to help meet demand for their most popular Rok Wings (you can’t fit too many of those on a cart). Now a thriving and lively spot near the Spire of Inspiration, this is a great place to meet up with friends and enjoy sharing one of their staggeringly huge platters. If you want to make a night of it, be sure to order some Fireball shots to wash down your food (just remember to put the flames out first)_ During dinner, Vence notices that Cissa does not seem herself and asks if she’s OK. She mentions that she needs to think a few things through about what she has done to her friend… or friends… She gets up to leave. Malak walks her out and tells her that he appreciates her help. And that she should know that, if she was doubting it, he’s a friend too. She gives him a hug and then finger guns as she leaves. Back at the dinner table, Malak tells Nesza he is very impressed with Nesza’s suggestion to give his reward away. It was very selfless and it shows him that Nesza isn’t broken. Nesza mentions to April about the book on House Cannith that he found. April freezes at the mention of this house. He tells her that he was not able to read it but perhaps she might be able to understand it. April agrees to have a look soon. Mia and Cissa Mia leaves dinner a bit earlier than the rest, explaining to Vence that they’ll have to postpone their “research” for the next day. She goes to the Spire of Inspiration, to Cissa‘s apartment. Cissa welcomes Mia in. She seems a bit calmer again. They flirt a little and then the conversation turns to Mia explaining that she’s looking for her mother. That the key to finding her seems to lead to Cissa. Cissa asks Mia to sing for her. Mia, at first tries to find ways around it as she’s a little embarrassed. But the bard encourages her. In the end, Mia starts to sing “”/wikis/flight-of-the-silver-bird" class=“wiki-page-link”> Flight of the Silverbird". The real version of the song. Cissa replies by singing a new verse of the song. She explains that Mia has been selected by Luscinia to follow her trail. Luscinia is an elven bard who is a good friend of Mia’s mother. Cissa doesn’t know Mia’s mother but she thinks that if Mia follows this trail, she’ll find Luscinia.In turn, also find her own mother. Cissa then goes on to explain the feather that Mia is now wearing. It represents what Luscinia stands for. Peace and the end of suffering. Mia should realise wearing that feather can make her a target to those who oppose Luscinia. It is what has caused Cissa so much trouble over the years. The trail seems to be dangerous as some who have started on it have disappeared. Mia’s reply to that is ensuring that the feather is even more visible. Cissa then explains that the song is the key to finding Luscinia. Different Birds hold different parts of the key. But not all Birds. The person who holds the next part of the key is a Bird named Atratus. He and his partner, Cygnus, are the court Birds of Thrane. She should sing BOTH verses to Atratus. But she should NEVER do so around Cygnus. After she has explained all she could, Cissa asks Mia if there is anything else she’d like. Mia starts talking about a business venture but Cissa interrupts her and, with a smile, says that wasn’t what she meant. Mia thought about it for a moment, then smiled back and things faded to black. Malak and Vence Back at the restaurant, Malak approaches Vence as he’s about to leave. Vence was kinda anxious to go but decides to hear Malak out. Malak asks if he’s sorted things out with Corvus and Vence exclaims that he was offended by how Corvus perceives human lives as meaningless (pointing at the comment “everyone dies at one point”). Malak patiently listens and says that it’s true Corvus perceives life differently from others. But if one has a reasonable conversation with him on subjects like these, he reflects, studies and learns. What he said was insensitive. But no one is explaining to him why. Malak suggests the three of them have a good conversation soon to clear up the air. Vence agrees and then takes his leave Emir Kaarde Vence heads to the Inn and shifts form into Emir Kaarde, a persona of his that is a famous bard. He dons his green cloak and goes to the Spire of Inspiration. Molly greets him as Thaen but there’s no one around to actually notice it and he doesn’t respond. He heads to Cissa‘s apartment and sends a message through the door to her, asking if it’s a bad time. She is a bit busy and tells Emir to hold on a moment. She stops Mia and asks her if she’s interested in meeting another famous bard. He is currently at her door. Mia has heard of Emir but not sure if she’s ever seen him. She doesn’t mind meeting someone new. Cissa opens the door in an open robe. But before Emir can properly respond, she remembers that she’s actually a bit angry at Emir. So she closes her robe, tells Mia she’ll be right back, and drags Emir into a music room meant for practicing instruments. She tells Emir that she knows why he’s here so to not beat around the bush. What did he do, how and why. Emir explains that Corvus was frustrating him, based on his actions during the mission. And, the last time Emir had seen Cissa, Corvus had made her cry. Cissa is both confused and touched. She tells Emir that the information she gave him was sensitive and it was in a moment of weakness, which is a side of her that she usually would not show him. To use it against her friend, in HIS moment of weakness… Also, it was a very bad prank. Really. Really. Bad. Prank. If he wants to prank Corvus he should check HOW with her first. She is flattered Emir was doing it for HER but he needs to realise that he doesn’t need to fight her fights. She’s got that covered. Especially with someone she’s close with. She then mentions that Emir was never mentioned by the group. Why? Emir tries to talk around it but Cissa refuses to listen to it. So he “takes his lumps” and explains that there is a reason why his fans never see him come and go from towns. It’s because he travels in a disguise. Vence is that disguise. Emir promises never to do something like that again. He didn’t mean to put Cissa in this position. Emir then hands her a sealed letter. To prove to her that he puts his trust in her and she can put her trust in him. The letter is to his parents in case he dies. It has an address and money. Basically, he’s giving Cissa incredibly personal information that no one else has and trusts that she won’t misuse it. He says he doesn’t know how future missions will go. So this is just a form of security. Afterwards, the two start chatting normally again, eventually flirting. Cissa then tells him that there is a lovely half-elf waiting in her room right now and she’d love to meet him. He asks for her name and Cissa says “Mia d’Lyrandar”. Emir asks if this is the same Mia that Cissa had suggested he meet not too long ago. He then hesitates for a moment and asks if Mia would be OK with this. The bard says that Mia already gave consent before Cissa answered the door. So the two head back to the room and both are welcomed by Mia. It fades to black again. April Everyone else has gone back to the Inn. Except April, who decided to stay with her grandparents. April stays up with her grandfather, Kleris, and talks about mechanics and stuff. All goes well until she asks about an equation of her mother that she discovered in her mother’s room. She shows it to her grandfather, proudly mentioning that she knows it’s an equation for something cold. In horror, her grandfather walks to the fireplace and burns the equation. April is mortified and says that he had no right to do that. It was her property. He tells her that it was found in HIS house. It was his property. This was for her own good. She then whips out her forged license saying she has every right to that piece of paper. Kleris then gets angry because that document has his signature on it and HE never signed it. So confiscates it and tries to send April to her room. April stands her ground and Kleris eventually just gives up and heads to bed, taking the license with him. April stealthily follows and, through the slit in the door, sees her grandfather put the document on a shelf in a cupboard before he locks it. While he is sleeping, April is able to sneak in, pick the lock and grab her forged license. Under the license, she sees a document with five very strange-looking names on it. She decides to take that too. However, she does leave a letter of apology in their place. April then runs to the Inn and tries to find the room in which Silmer is sleeping. She stands in front of each door “WILLING” Silmer to sense that she’s there. Malak happens to be going to the bathroom when he finds April wondering around, making strange gestures at random doors. When he asks her what happened she says she’s looking for Silmer. They head to Silmer’s room and wake him up. Malak then “leaves it to them” and goes back to bed mildly confused. April (loudly) tells Silmer everything and that she does not know what to do. She thinks that she’ll never be welcome with her grandparents again and that now she has no where to sleep. Almetash, the Kalashtar receptionist, knocks on the door telling Silmer that he’s getting noise complaints and to perhaps lower the volume on whatever… whomever… he’s doing. Silmer apologises and Almentash leaves. Silmer offers to have April stay in his room so April grabs her bedroll out of her bag of holding and sets up. That’s where the session ended.
