Session XXXV: Red Wizard from Where?

On the road to Vindova, some within the party decided to undertake some leisurely activities as they travelled. Del'Gado trained with the elegant longbow looted from the eternal corridor dimension, hoping to find someone in Vindova who could teach him the ways of the Yumi Bow. Caerlin informed, or boasted, about his books-in-writing and journal entries to Tropam. The harengon Harper later decided to contact his mysterious benefactor, and managed to avoid becoming mad in the process. The benefactor offered an in-person meeting, which Tropam accepted. Jacqualine discerned the spell Tropam had cast, but before managing to intervene he had already disappeared. She quickly cast commune in an effort to receive answers.   Tropam found himself in an opulent library, standing between two rows of shelves. Several dozen feet in front of him stood a dark man dressed in dark, formal clothes. With his hands clasped behind his back, he serenely regarded a painting. After a few seconds Tropam broke the ice, and the man introduced himself as Mr. Hatch, though remarked that this was just one of many names he was known as. He knew where Tropam's parents were, but would not directly interfere in the search. Indeed, he did not care about them per se. His interest was firmly on a higher scale: they were located in a place they really should not be in. Mr. Hatch gave him a singular piece of advice: to "follow his friend's obsession," referring to Caerlin's strong pull towards Hazred and his estate. He also suggested that the last piece of the puzzle would be different. Naturally, Tropam wished to know what Mr. Hatch actually did, to which he performed a visual metaphor. He spilled a carafe of water, but before the water touched the carpeted floor, it instead stopped in mid-air. Lastly, since Mr. Hatch knew where his parents were, Tropam asked him for the name. He was warned that simply hearing it could have adverse effects on the mind, such as shattering his sanity. However, Tropam believed himself mentally strong enough to handle it. Mr. Hatch did not speak, but Tropam heard "the Plateau of Leng" in his mind. Afterwards, he was returned to the Material Plane, just as Jacqualine finished casting her commune.   Jacqualine also sought answers, and after Tropam gave a very cursory overview of this Mr. Hatch, she asked her deity for knowledge about this figure. In stark contrast to all other instances of Jacqualine's communions, her deity took on a serious tone and curtly refused to give an answer. She then asked if she would know about Mr. Hatch, such as by a different name. The answer was no. Whilst Del'Gado talked with Tropam in a conciliatory manner, Jacqualine nearly exploded in fury. It even went so far as Tropam accusing Jacqualine's deity of being an impostor since it appeared to be weaker than this Mr. Hatch. However, Jacqualine steered the discussion towards names, and requested that Tropam ask Mr. Hatch for his other names and if he was a god. Tropam did so, and Mr. Hatch gave Mr. Door as an alternative name, and he had never really considered himself to be some form of divine being, instead preferring to define himself as someone in-between. After hearing the answers, Jacqualine remained upset. Del'Gado turned Jacqualine's question about names against her, asking for the name of her deity, but this was declared "not relevant" and an answer was not given.   A day later, the party encountered a merchant caravan in the process of making camp. It was an elven enterprise, led by an eladrin, which was enough to attract Jacqualine's attention. After a brief discussion with Gastonq (the caravan leader), he changed the subject to that of a concerning rumour he had picked up a month or two ago, about a fellow eladrin who had given up several of her innate abilities in a pact with evil forces. Jacqualine's sudden desire to leave the conversation caused the merchant to become suspicious, and after some light questioning she revealed that she had lost her ability to change seasons as well as her trance. However, she pointed out that she had not entered into a covenant with evil, but was rather a victim of it. Gastonq was persuaded to show some sympathy, but he still felt obliged to inform the Perennial Council that the rumour was at least partly true. But who was it who came to them in the first place? Jacqualine convinced the man to reveal that it was a shadowy envoy from Akkon who had visited several months ago. After this, the party left.   The following day the party came upon a small hamlet, Hearthstead. Although the hamlet was clearly in some kind of trouble: smoke was rising from some buildings, and flaming figures could be seen loitering about. Upon closer inspection, the party saw that both fire and water elementals were attacking the hamlet. They moved to destroy the nearest grouping of them, which was done in short order. Jacqualine even banished some of them back to the Planes of Fire and Water. Thereafter, the party headed for the hamlet's centre, where sounds of combat could be heard, though it was clearly about to end; the last fire elemental engaged in combat with the local militia was, too, banished by Jacqualine.   Much like their Tarentian counterparts, the Hearthstead militia wore tied blue armbands as their identifying mark. But unlike their Tarentian counterparts, these were not simply ripped pieces from an Akkonian royal banner. Also, they were joined by a priest of Abadar, whose symbol only Caerlin could identify. Perhaps being a cross-continental, seafaring despoiler has some added benefits to one's general knowledge? The priest began tending to the wounded, and used revivify on one of the fallen; Jacqualine also raised one of the deceased militia members. Once the most pressing wounds were taken care of, the priest, Nillamir, thanked the party for intervening (and consequently, saving lives) and he directed them to Drenk, the Speaker's deputy, for a more substantial reward. This reward came in the form of free drinks, food, and lodgings at Forestview, Hearthstead's only inn (which Drenk also happened to run). Although Jacqualine had passed through this hamlet before in her travels, neither Nillamir nor Drenk were familiar. The social upheaval caused by the Starbanner Uprising likely had to do with this.   The deputy was clearly unaccustomed to friendly conversation with strangers, though he tried his best. Asked about the elementals' summoner, he gave an account of a red-robed man who had arrived just a few minutes prior. He had an argument with the militia captain, and shouted something about a thief. Eventually, his patience ran out; the red-robed wizard shot a beam of green energy at the captain, which disintegrated her. Immediately after the elementals appeared, and the wizard started to run away, cackling in the process. However, he did seemingly recall that he could teleport, and so the wizard vanished from sight afterwards. The description of the red-robed man caught Tropam's attention, since it closely resembled a man he was familiar with. Furthermore, the harengon was in possession of an amulet; some would classify the acquisition of said amulet as "a robbery" or some such. Before Tropam had said anything too incriminating in front of Drenk, Jacqualine took him to a room, where he gave some additional context. The wizard, Edwin, though not a stand-up fellow, was a powerful spellcaster hailing from Tropam's world. And following the spirit of the Harpers, Tropam had managed to repossess this amulet in order to deprive an evil individual of a powerful artifact. The amulet also had the benefit of making him feel really mighty. Lastly, it was because of Edwin's imminent arrival that Tropam's parents decided to hastily teleport away (with Tropam in tow) but something went wrong and a wave of wild magic sent them across dimensions instead.