Sailing to Wallsard Report

General Summary

Battling the Beast

  Answering the call of battle, members of Shades of Blue fought valiantly against the great kraken that had laid siege to The Aurore. Many were wounded in the melee, but the crew emerged victorious and none were mortally wounded. Magnus showed no fear in grappling the creature, and Blue had dove into the water to try to save him, however Magnus was able to teleport and brought himself back the ship. Blue had to resort to more manual means.       For a firsthand and well written account of the great battle, readers are encouraged to review Twisting Tentacles & Torrential Tides - a journal entry by Anduro Taeri.    

Celebrations and Arrival

Captain Bonapardt broke into a barrel of grog available for the crew to celebrate the victory over the Kraken and invited their guests to celebrate with them. Randuraas Thombo took it upon himself to instead break into a cask of rum, much to the dismay of Xinyi Dadan who requested that the group not open anymore casks, which were being transported for sale. She agreed to write one off as damaged during shipment, and looked the other way.   The crew and guests enjoyed drink and story late into the night, toasting their victory.   A couple of days later, the vessel arrived at Wallsard, nestled into the towering walls of the fjord. The city bustled with activity as the group made their way back to the tavern, now renamed The Laughing Sprite. Brangian Laughingsteel greeted the familiar faces, happy to state that Jorund Tokisson had written her into his will as the inheritor of the establishment, and renamed it in honor of her as a gift for her 18th birthday. Jorund laughed from behind the bar that he wasn't going anywhere soon.

 

Branigan Laughingsteel

   

Old Faces and New Leads

As the group ordered a hearty breakfast and drinks, a familiar face sat at the table. The rogue, Spade, informed Anduro that he had been chasing down leads regarding Issica around Wallsard during their time away. Spade mentioned a person named "Two-Tricks" that had sent Issica to find out about the shards of the Aethermirror. During her time in town, Issica had stayed and operated out of a place called "The Hovel". She worked pickpocketing with a local named Benni the Purse, thieving and picking pockets to keep the cash coming in while she performed other reconnaissance.   Spade tracked down Benni to learn more about her operations in town. He said she had spent time at The Forlorn Lover, a brothel and bar where she would seduce men to get information before turning them out to the cold, port air. He also mentioned Laila Hilless, another operative who showed up looking for Issica. Apparently, Two-Tricks had sent Laila to follow up on Issica, ensuring she either got information about the shards or actually got a shard, then actually made her way back to Two-Tricks to return it. He had information that Laila was laying low in Wallsard and could be found observing the fights at night by the docks in an underground fighting ring called The Pit of Fools.   Spade said he would be sticking around Wallsard should the party ever need a contact in the underground, and would never be returning to Gyte, saying he had lost everything when Issica died. Shortly after his departure, Blue entered the tavern behind a rambling older human woman, who pointed at Anduro and said "You!".

 

Muriel Boulderdown

  Muriel accosted Anduro, claiming that Maribelle Fenwick and her companions had been making false claims against the Von Cuthburth clan of Gilsa. She produced a letter that Maribelle had sent to the family, kindly informing the family that their ancient home had resurfaced in the Torstable Mire, and she could provide more information should the family desire. Muriel was furious, stating the Von Cuthburts of Gilsa are a proud and noble family, and any relation to distant, long dead peoples who made unholy dealings was coincidental and they wanted nothing to do with them.   Eikellan Von Cuthburt, overhearing the argument, interjected that Muriel, while a good and faithful servant to the house, was out of line accosting his saviors. He apologized for her rudeness, stating that he or his brother may be interested in one day revisiting the family ruins. Anduro pointed out that Muriel had referred to him as "Lord Eikellan", to which Eikellan retorted that "his mother and older brother were still alive, and I am hardly a lord of the Von Cuthburts". He instructed Muriel to retrieve young Guinevere to be brought on as a ward to the family, and that she be prepared for travel. Neoon took a brief moment with the young girl, tore a piece of fabric from her garment and wrapped it around Guinevere's wrist. A teary-eyed Guinevere looked back as she departed to Gilsa with the Von Cuthburts.    

Old Curses and Dying Trees

Jorund took a moment to sit with the group, explaining to them that he would not deal with the Von Cuthburts. He claimed rumors had been circulating since Maribelle had dug up secrets on the clan from Brosster Hollow. The family is rumored to have made a deal with Qolijo, a demigod, and the family had failed to hold up their end of the bargain. In retaliation, the deity cursed the family and sunk their keep into the Torstable Mire. He did not know if there was any truth to the matter, but investigation into Qolijo was warranted should the group continue to investigate.   A commotion had started outside during this conversation, enough to draw the attention of the patrons inside. The party went to investigate and found Blue keeling in the street sobbing uncontrollably. He clutched his chest and cried out, "The trees, they are screaming!". Gavin Bolbec, covered in sweat, grime, and blood came running down the road to the group and collapsed at Blue's feet.

Blue! We were attacked! Horrible, scaled creature! Mother... HE KILLED HER. He attacked out of nowhere. The creature said horrible things, something about harvesting the soul of the forest... Oh, gods, mother...

— Gavin Bolbec