IWoS 6: A List of Names

General Summary

Rising early the next morning to the silence of the desert, hearing nothing but the sound of shifting sand and a hollow wind blowing across the desolate landscape, the group has recovered from some of their wounds, but the aches of the previous day's battle still lingers with them. After a few quiet conversations and a somber breakfast, the group mounts their stormriders once again and make their way across the desert to Serpent's Cove. From high above, it is difficult to tell what has happened below, but as the group spirals down toward the beach, they realize that the day has been won by the captives.   They land, dismounting and sending the birds back into the sky. They survey the scene before them. The beach is littered with the bodies of the dead, and the sand is slick with blood. Captives and Hooded Eye alike are strewn across the battlefield. Those that aren't covered with gashes and teethmarks are scorched black by fire, while lizards and beasts lie on their sides nearby, riddled with bolts, arrows, and spears.   The party walks down the beach, watching as the survivors, most of whom were limping, continued the grimy work of clearing the beach and dumping the bodies of the dead all onto a pile. The group inquires about the fate of Fatima and are told that if not for the intervention of the other survivors, she would have been out on the beach, working until she dropped dead. The man that they talk to informs them that she is at the manor, which is where they go next.   Inside, the group finds a good number of folks who were clearly too injured to participate in the work outside. They see that many are bandaged up with what appear to be cut-up strips of bed linen, which appears to be the only remedy available to the ailing. As they walk around, looking for Fatima, Plays for the Stars spots two children, likely no older than twelve, sitting on a barrel, playing with a dagger. Both appear to have been involved in the battle and are cut up and bruised. Plays for the Stars heals one of them, who tells him that if he can heal, that he should save it for the others who are more injured.   The party then finds someone that can direct them to where Fatima is and they walk into the room to find her lying, rather grumpily, in bed. She sits up to greet them, and they have a brief conversation about the situation. Fatima admits that she never planned to get this far, and stubbornly refuses to acknowledge that she is now the leader of these people. However, she tells the group of the fact that the manor has a limited supply of food. She says that they can stretch it out if everyone agrees to continue eating rationed portions, but says that following such a victory, she doubts that they would be willing to do that.   The possibility of having to abandon Serpent's Cove is brought up, which Fatima says would be a last resort, and a waste. She also says that even if they could leave easily, which isn't an option with how many are injured, that these people have known only the strictures of the cove and are unlikely to integrate well into society in their current state. Izha Mostana makes a comment on how Fatima is already acting like a leader for these folk, but Fatima tells her that she is insulted Izha would say such a thing.   Heather Rowling suggests that maybe Issad and his faction of the Hooded Eye could help, to which both Fatima and Izha respond that these people are wary of the Hooded Eye and are unlikely to accept the help. But nevertheless, after a little more talking, Fatima relents and says that she'll try to convince the survivors that accepting help from Issad is a good idea. She asks Izha to do her a favor and send word to her father for her.   All of that said and done, Fatima asks the group what they are still doing there when they have bigger things to worry about. Just before they leave, she asks if they have a phial of water, which Heather provides. She blesses the water, telling the group that this is one final gift before they meet again. She tells them that she hopes they will find a use for it, and comments that she has recently come into some sort of power before telling the group to get lost, affectionately.  

A Name Off the List

On the way back to Tan'Ayya, a few minor conversations occur between the party members, but of particular note is the one that occurs between Izha and Heather, talking about potential ways to improve the design of her guns, potentially using magic, or using science alone. Although they don't arrive at anything concrete between the two of them, the conversation has at least opened up a few potential new avenues of research in the future. Izha does, however, express, that the only reason she hasn't been able to pursue the leads she has so far is the fact that she has had so little time to do so, which Heather understands.   Upon returning to Tan'Ayya, the group consults with the guards as to whether the curfew is still up and they are informed that yes, indeed, it is. They proceed to the inn that they stayed in during their first and second visits to Tan'Ayya, the Westerling, and decide to stay in for the rest of the evening following a day of travel. The mood is morose, which they gather is likely from the city's continuing mourning for the death of the Enlightened One, but Stars is not having it.   He approaches the minstrels playing the music and convinces them to play something else with him by giving them some gold. The next hour or so attracts a crowd as Stars' rowdy playing appears to enchant the audience into a boisterous celebration. However, the innkeep eventually informs the patrons that curfew is coming up and advises them that unless they mean to stay the night, they should head home. Stars ends his performance and walks back to the group, earning himself one of the better vintages of wine from the innkeep at a discount for the show.   The next day, the group heads out to stock up once again on their potions and even purchasing a potion of haste. They also inquire as to the availability of magical items to help them on their journey, purchasing a helical bowstring of frost and a circlet of intellect, but unfortunately come up empty-handed with regard to trinkets that can give them resistance to lightning. As it turns out, the guard has been buying up all such enchanted items, which the group finds inconvenient.   After their shopping trip, the group heads to the alcazar to speak with the Voice of the caliph. They speak at length about the state of things, though he confirms that the mistress of the Drybranch Estate is present in the city and is staying at the ar'Sabbin estate, last he knew. In addition, the Voice informs the group that Haarid ar'Khatib, an ally of the Ayyaneshi government in the Republic of Sibor, has been killed recently. The group is, understandably, shocked, and Izha informs the Voice that Haarid was one of the names on the list.   The Voice thanks them for the information, but tells Izha that she mustn't tell him any more of the names on the list, because it is not knowledge meant for him, and that by her telling him that Haarid is one of the names on the list, he has already betrayed his caliph's trust. Izha understands and apologizes before the Voice and the party go their separate ways, the Voice to deal with the fallout of Haarid's death, and the party to visit the ar'Sabbin estate and speak with Qirina, the mistress of the Drybranch Estate.   With Plays for the Stars deceiving the guards to gain them entry, the party makes their way into the ar'Sabbin estate without harassment. They talk to Qirina, but she insists that none of what they say is the truth, saying that her servants would never betray her by omitting such an oversight of security from their reports. She says that she trusts her servants with her life, and that frankly, she doesn't appreciate strangers sullying their good names. The party leaves mostly empty-handed, but at least with the knowledge that Qirina seems largely unaware of the events at her estate.  

Finding the Others

The group decides that the next most productive course of action is to look for the others on the list of names and split up to get as much information as possible in the shortest period of time. Heather is able to find out that the general, Satiyya ar'Nassir is in the south, holding joint military exercises with the Sibori military. Plays for the Stars is able to figure out that the bard, Mariya ar'Kasim was last seen heading to Madras to play at the Starry Concourse, while Izha figures out that the wildcard, Aabil ar'Wakim is the headmaster of the local arcane academy, and has just returned to Tan'Ayya.   Getting together, the party is very suspicious about the locations of most of the names on the list. Particularly, they are suspicious that Mariya ar'Kasim is heading to Madras, where another of the names on the list, Shiq'An ar'Alaam is saying, and they are suspicious of the fact that Satiyya ar'Nassir is in Sibor, where Haarid was stationed. However, they decide that speaking to the one that they have access to is the best course of action.   They head to the local academy to speak to Aabil, but find that he has left the premises. The woman running the administration offices suggests that they make an appointment with the headmaster, advising them that the headmaster likes to come to the academy extremely early, at around 3 in the morning, and leaving early, at around 3 in the afternoon. The party secures an appointment for 3:30 in the morning the next day, but decide that it might be worth visiting the headmaster at his own residence. They ask around, eventually encountering an alossi centhiri with dappled blue-black scales who informs them that he knows where the headmaster's residence is.   He points the party in the direction of the headmaster's house and informs them that they'll know the place when they see it, proven rather readily by the fact that when they arrive in the street that the alossi pointed out, only one house stands out for being bright blue. They attempt to knock at the door, which starts screaming "Go away!" at them, to no end, until they stop knocking. The rest of the group attempts to look for other entrances, only to find that the windows are barred with a magical membrane that prevents access. All they can do is peer inside the home, finding the place a mess except for the bedroom where they see the headmaster peacefully asleep.  

Murder in the Night

Despite their best attempts, the group is unable to rouse the headmaster from his slumber. They decide that they will stand guard over the home, with Plays for the Stars assuming the appearance of a city guard. The rest of the group take up residence in a nearby inn. In the middle of the night, the Plays for the Stars notices movement in a nearby alleyway and watches as a flash of green light streaks up from the alley to one of the windows on the blue house.   Realizing that something bad is happening, Plays for the Stars uses a spell to instantly transport him to just outside the inn where his friends are staying, screaming that something is going on. The group rushes out just as Plays for the Stars transforms into a stormrider, carrying them on his back to the headmaster's home. They enter through one of the windows which appears to have lost its protective enchantment and realize that the house beyond is deathly silent.   They rush into the headmaster's room and find him frozen on top of his bed, hand outstretched, black veins creeping up the sides of his neck and across his face, a dagger plunged into the center of his chest. They also notice the alossi that they had spoken to earlier, standing by the bed, and immediately try to attack him, but as soon as they attempt anything hostile against him, a demonic figure rises from his shadow and engages the party.