Episode 14: A Telling of Things to Come
General Summary
(These summaries are separated by individual characters rather than chronological occurrence for ease of reading and clarification of events)
Groft
Having accompanied Shaushka and Giselle Winchester on their errand of mercy at the Nomad Encampment, Groft had the opportunity to ingest the dizzying array of sights and sounds of the busy streets of the Village of Chesterrath. So far removed from his quiet and humble Hamlet and Farm, he was disquieted by the thoughts of the potential suffering of his father and longed to return home. The possibility of an undead menace in Chesterrath, challenged his divine calling, but only fortified his resolve to go home as it reminded him that the Necromancer threat there still remained.
Silent and in deep contemplation Groft followed, occasionally stepping forth to offer a response, as they first went to Giselle’s home then out the village to the Nomad encampment. As they crossed the worn wooden bridge, its cracks and warped planks reminded him of the Abandoned Church of Lathander that he grew up visiting. As he neared the encampment Groft smelled the BBQ’d rat and reminisced on the Hamlet’s Inn. Groft then caught the sight and scent of the burning pyre which further reminded him of a simpler time, just before the Diseased Caravan arrived which would set into motion the current path that he was on.
After some time, Groft decided he could best aid the needy by gathering plants and herbs in the grasslands to craft a delicious organic feast fit for 40.
Along wish Shaushka’s generosity and divine care, the poor and infirm folk of the encampment were buoyant with cheer by the afternoon.
During the feast, Groft overheard rumours from some of the folk that spoke of a hidden treasure horde accessible by way of Chesterrath River.
Before leaving for the day, Groft was approached by a woman, Eileen Greycastle. After she spoke of her sad tale of woe, Groft learned that she was in a semi-intimate relationship once with the leader of the Goblin raiders, the Half-Orc Mord Walcott, and that she has a secret for Groft.
Shaushka
Reminding Giselle that an undead plague may be imminently plaguing the Nomad Encampment and possibly the Village of Chesterrath itself, Shaushka convinced her to return home and retrieve an emergency holy water. While there, Shaushka noticed that Giselle seemed to have fallen on hard times since Shaushka was last in Chesterrath, so is the lot in life for those who embrace the Broken Lord, but was somewhat pleased to see that Giselle’s son William was still around at least.
As they arrived at the Nomad Encampment, Shaushka was swarmed by a group of beggar children who she quickly appeased with gifts of copper.
One particularly thankful orphaned girl, Hanna, shared a tale about a Fat Halfling with a pink feather boa who wanted to “recruit” the young and needy into his Chesterrathian household. The Halfling’s promised gifts to the children, included an opportunity to see wealth and goods beyond their imagining and Hanna was offered to take some for herself.
Not particularly interested in Hanna’s story, Shaushka focused in on Hanna’s predicament and offered her an opportunity to learn a thing or two from her. Shadowed by Hanna, Shaushka proceeded to lob cure spells to heal and rejuvenate the infirm.
One particular man, Istan, who by his accent looked to hail from Shaushka’s homeland, was grateful for the healing, but longed for his missing leg that was removed by his house’s Majordomo before his was expelled to the streets of Chesterrath. Examining further, Shaushka noticed that the man showed signs of having the same affliction as the man whom she condemned to death the day before, but this time she found that the affliction may in fact be a disease of blood infection. Being now more one with the Broken Lord’s divine blessing than the previous day, Shaushka employed her new found power to call for divine power and cure the disease from Istan.
Hanna was fascinated. Shaushka wanting not to be judged reconciled with the man she killed the previous day and Groft was nonplussed by the revelation that there may not have been any undead at all.
Shaushka engaged with the enamoured Hanna with promises of further learning and food and together with Hanna’s crew of fellow orphans, Little Frankie & Big Tom, Shaushka headed back to the village of Chesterrath with her new entourage of “Interns” in tow.
Violet
Having woke later than the rest of The Party, for breakfast Violet polished off the remainder of the previous night’s, spoiled, but purified food.
Violet wondered what may have happened to her friends and decided to brave the busy streets of the Village of Chesterrath on her own, only to find that her hermitic life ill prepared her for the deliriously busy street and alleyways of the cosmopolitan settlement.
Violet kept to quiet alcoves as much as possible and slowly traversed the village until she arrived at Yardith’s only to find the exhausted and distraught Bashlandaar who advised that her friends had already had brunch and left some time ago for Chesterrath Square. Being advised that it could take up to 20 minutes as the “crow flies”, Violet again kept to side streets to avoid the busy avenues which caused much delay by her estimation.
Violet arrived at Chesterrath Square with her friends nowhere to be found and finally decided to wild shape into her peregrine form in order to fly high above the chaos and scan for them. Violet spied some keen Gnolls that eyed her as she circled and as she avoided them, Violet found Penterax below facing two Gnoll guardsmen with their glaives in hand.
Violet landed and found Penterax about to be arrested, and returned to her elven form to protest that Penterax was in her charge and was to be released. Before waiting to see if the Gnolls could be persuaded, she leapt into the fray in order to remove the guard’s hands from holding Penterax and called on the goblin to run for his life.
Weapons were drawn, spells were cast, and blood began to be spilt. As the altercation escalated, passers by disappeared into doorways or opposite directions fearing possible association by proximity. As the people parted, Felix, Jun, and Lunafreya emerged to see what had transpired.
Jun Alpha
In the midst of walking amongst the magical items and trinkets of the Scar Power, Jun found himself looking at his mirror doppelgänger engaged in trying to convince his compatriots that he (Mirror Jun) was the real Jun, and that he (Jun Alpha) was an imposter.
After the odd encounter with the Worshipper in Black the previous day and having sensed that his quested quarry, an imposter Jun, was in Chesterrath to be found, Jun wanted Mirror Jun to be vanquished.
Jun tried to convince Lunafreya and Felix that Mirror Jun was lying, he attempted to retell moments that the group have shared together, but Mirror Jun seemed to have the same knowledge, though suspiciously unwilling to recount where he had been the past day and half.
Jun would find Lunafreya not inclined to choose sides and Felix largely exasperated by what was occurring and calling for Elizabeth Browning to return. Jun decided to not act too hastily and debate his doppelgänger instead.
With a soft pulsating glow, Felix’s Zip had finally charged and Jun suddenly found himself standing in his original position looking over Lunafreya who had fallen to the ground. Within the mirror, a reflection of Jun looked back, as if challengingly. A whisper crossed Jun’s mind, “Come find me bro”.
Mirror Jun
Having picked himself up after falling through the mirror, Jun (Mirror Jun) attempted to alert his friends to the imposter Jun (Jun Alpha). Jun pleaded with his friends and recounted the experiences they shared within the Hamlet, but he suspiciously omitted what had happened to him the past day and a half.
Despite Jun’s anger at having watched his quested quarry, Jun Alpha, pretending to be him, after Jun drew his quarterstaff he was unwilling to openly attack Jun Alpha. Instead, Jun and Jun Alpha debated as to who was the real one until the soft pulsing glow of Felix’s Zip signalled that it was fully charged.
In a blink, Jun suddenly found himself in front of the mirror again within the prison of a dark and shadowy realm. Within the mirror, past a prone Lunafreya, stood Jun Alpha looking back seemingly mocking him in challenge. A whisper crossed Jun’s mind, “Come find me bro”.
Felix
Felix waited patiently for Zip to fully charge. Placing it on a desk, a gust of wind drew his attention to Lunafreya who stood in front of the magic mirror but reflected within, his dear friend Freya.
Felix rushed over to investigate and found not Lunafreya in front of the mirror, but as she turned it was Freya as he last saw her. As Felix gushed at having finally found her after the previous days long searches that felt as if months had passed, Freya was given the opportunity to explain her disappearance.
Freya described having travelled to find an easier crossing of Chesterrath River as a series of progressively more nightmarish dreams haunted her like a maleficent presence dogging her steps. Unable to rest and having felt cursed, Freya tried to return to the Village of Chesterrath, but was slowly wasting away when suddenly attacked by a giant lizard. Moments from being torn apart, she was rescued by a haggard and twisted looking hooded man who floated down from the skies hurling motes of energy at the lizard until it lay dead.
As the creature of a man stood over Freya menacingly, he promised to help her before she fell into unconsciousness. When she awoke, Freya dazed and confused as if in dream, realized she was a disembodied spirit amongst many others swirling within a container within what seemed like a stone cavern.
Taking it all in, Felix, unsure of what had happened to Lunafreya tasked Jun with looking for her. Felix then began to describe every moment that had transpired in the last three days since Freya’s disappearance, when Zip began to glow softly signalling it was fully charged.
As Felix looked back towards her, Freya’s visage and clothes had shifted to a wraith-like horrific version of her. Floating through the air, the horrific Freya grasped Felix by the shoulders and screamed, “Don’t Sleep!! The dreams! The dreams is where they get you!!!” before falling to the ground in a heap. Felix closed his eyes and staved off the madness threatening to overwhelm him and then opened them to find himself standing by Zip, fully charged, with Jun standing nearby staring at the mirror, and Lunafreya lying on the ground in front of the mirror.
In horror, Felix stumbled backwards and knocked into a grandfather clock that rang ominously.
Lunafreya
As Lunafreya approached the magic mirror before her, the shadowy figure within slowly coalesced into a young halfling female with laurels braided in her light brown hair, somewhat reminiscent of Lunafreya’s companion, Violet. In a cheerful demeanour, the halfling declared herself to be the Wizened Acolyte Corrie Wellcraft of Beacon’s Hold, seeker of dragonshards. As she promoted her magical bag and family shop, Corrie recounted that she believed herself to have been spirited by Folgrit, a dwarven god, to a strange astral realm in which to deliver a message to Lunafreya. Should Lunafreya be willing to find Corrie within the Village of Chesterrath, dependent on a sizeable fee that could be paid, Corrie would be able to receive information as to what happened to Z’karaia.
Doubtful that anyone could be of help to her, Lunafreya watched as the image of Corrie became still and a second image coalesced within the mirror, that of a young human female. The second female, head covered with an exotic scarf inlaid and dangling with coins, had a nurturing aura about her, somewhat reminiscent of Lunafreya’s companion, Shaushka, but declared herself to be Priestess Chrys of Beacon’s Hold, follower of Folgrit. She explained that by Folgrit’s blessing that Chrys must have been gathered by the Watchful Mother to stand within some blessed realm to deliver a message to Lunafreya. Should Lunafreya turn her worship to Folgrit, then if worthy, Folgrit would deliver unto her the knowledge of what had happened to Z’Karaia.
Corrie and Chrys then debated as to the authenticity of Folgrit’s power and offerings. Lunafreya listened for as long as she could before she decided that neither prospect was worth entertaining and turned to leave when both images became silent and still, and a new obscured image towered like a shadow behind them. The third image was that of a dwarf with shapely features, its large shadowy arms appeared to embrace the other two images, and then a booming voice filled the room and echoed off the stone walls demanding that Lunafreya choose a path. Lunafreya attempted to ignore the voice and as she turned and took a step away, divine energy blasted forth from the mirror and was absorbed by her.
Lunafreya succumbed to the holy power and found herself feeling more friendly towards Folgrit and filled with a sense that should she steer in any way from her chosen quest to find Z’karaia it would be to her detriment. Despite that, Lunafreya reasoned that ignoring both options of potentially furthering if not fulfilling her quest, would in some way not be ignoring it and as the soft glow of Felix’s Zip pulsed to show it was fully charged, the holy power seemed to disagree as it pulsed within her erupting her heart, seeming to have killed her.
Felix, Jun, Lunafreya
Felix and Jun rushed over to the fallen Lunafreya. Felix grabbed a nearby blanket and covered the mirror. Lunafreya then awoke.
As the three of them “reflected” on their individual experiences, Elizabeth Browning reentered the room.
Felix protested about the safety of the mirror.
All three described their experiences to various extents and learned the following from Elizabeth:
- The Mirror shouldn’t have been dangerous, it is a magical scrying device of great value with portent powers connected to it.
- The Mirror was commissioned by Priestess Keyleth of the Church of Istus. It was to be delivered shortly to the Abbey of All Gods.
- Perhaps the “visions” each of them experienced were a foretelling sign of things to come.
- The death of Freya and her story of a captured soul may be connected to the Witches of Chesterrath - Eldon, Siffress, and Theodara, who Elizabeth are familiar with.
- Elizabeth would be grateful if the Party were to deal with the witches, including providing a reward.
- The Witches are likely in the nearby Falgrim Mountains. The Party will need to search for their cave. Elizabeth suggested that although treacherous, a night hunt may be easiest.
- Elizabeth is particular to being sold magical trinkets and items (or given them under the right circumstances).
Jun gave chase followed by Felix and Lunafreya through the crowd who seemed to quickly give way, but as they entered the alleyway they came across an ensuing battle between Gnolls, a protesting Violet and a confused Penterax.
Jun detected a strange shadowy darkness within a nearby entryway and reached in with his hands.
