C2 Session 13: Wavemother's Favour Report
General Summary
6th of Anarire 1545 Continued
As the grove's protection, keeping Jamal and Junk out, falls the pair run forward to help the others. Jamal shoots out a spell to hurt Ankhest and prevent him from healing himself. Ankheset's curiosity is peaked by Jamal and him being unable to access the grove before, but doesn't hang around to talk about it. He throws up his arms as a wall of thorns bursts out of the ground to seperate the group from him. This catches Brin and Ana, causing Brin to pass out from the pain. Ubek and Margaret are stuck in the ground and can't get out. Ana steps back out the wall, telekinetically pulling Brin out of the wall before healing him with a wand. She orders Junk to chase the druid. He seems conflicted as there is so much blood to clean, but does give chase. Ankheset makes this difficult by changing into a bird and flying away. Jamal helps Margaret out of the dirt while Ana runs over to Tiedisu, who is very dead. She pulls out a pouch of diamonds and raises them up to the sky while chanting. “Goddess of redemption, golden angel, please help me return this town’s leader to her people!” when the golden magic coalesces around her hands, Ana will sprinkle the diamonds over Tiedisu and then touch the woman’s forehead with the golden glow. For a few moments there is nothing. Then Ana sees wings out the corners of her eyes wings coming around her shoulders. A warmth rings down the arm of the hand Ana is touching the body with. The woman convulses as she tries to draw breath with a mouth full of blood. Ana hears some angelic whispers as this happens. Ana turns Tiedisu on her side and clears her mouth. When Margaret gets free, she comes over to look Tiedisu over. Margaret gets the woman stable and breathing normally. Her eyes flittered open briefly before they rolled into the back of her head. Dying has clearly had a toil on her. She's very exhausted. Jamal gives a little healing and look around the grove for a moment. While they do this, Margaret tells them what she learned in the druid's thoughts. The altar is covered in a blanket. Beneath is blood and runes. Looking over it, Margaret can see it's dedicated to a snake and these runes are of corruption and transfer of power from below to above. Including some other ones to exert influence on people who eat the food grown here. Even if it's not eaten here. Margaret explains this to the group. Afterwards the group heads back to the inn with Junk and Tiedisu. When they arrive there is a flurry of people running around, asking questions about what happened and panic. Ana uses thaumaturgy to tell everyone to sit down and listen, plus order a round of drinks for everyone. There is a debate over the drinks, as the party had been given free drinks as thanks for defeating the crab folk. In the end it gets sorted and Tiedisu settled to privately rest. The party tells the villagers what happened. There is a lot of concern as to what the magic was doing to the food and speculation about it. Margaret tells them of her plan to offer Tiedisiu a party from their guild to look into this more since the group can't stay to look into this more. The group will stay until she wakes up to arrange this. Glim and Glam arrange rooms for the party so they can get some rest. The inn is in low and nervous spirits, but Junk incidentally keeps them distracted. Junk has moved to stand awkwardly in corner as he cleans up the bit of sand that came with them in the storm. Every time he tries to leave more comes in and more cleaning has to be done. This steals ana's attention. Everyone in the room doesn't know if they should laugh or help the poor guy. Brin brings up privately with the group that he doesn't want to wait for Tiedisu to wake up. The group discusses how long they are willing to wait. They agree to wait until tomorrow and reassess if they should wait or go. They have their own rations for dinner, while afterwards Ana gets some fruit or vegetables from Glim and Glam that were grown locally. She gives instruction for Glim and Glam to wake her when Tiedisu wakes up. At 6:30pm Brin and Margaret heads to bed.Once in her room, Ana ritually casts identification on the food. She learns that these crops are magically induced to make those of Masesian descent want to travel to the isle of the serpent. They need to be eaten over a long period of time to do anything but slowly they will become paranoid and feel unsafe in their home but feel that the Serpent could protect them. It will also induce dreams about this. Ana internally panics over this but settles herself to get some rest.
As Margaret rests, she sends thanks to Xeldarix for helping Ana to dispel the grove. It seems that Xeldarix has deemed Margaret worthy of a meeting. She dreams of a beautiful rainforest. In the dream she never fully sees Xeldarix, but they talk. After official introductions, Margaret tells Xeldarix a story about how she and a friend as children find a secret passage that helps them sneak extra snacks out of the kitchen. It ends with a brief discussion about the moon and how is seems to have a different set of rules to the standard Gods of Cerilia.
7th of Anarire 1545
Just after midnight Ana is woken up by Glam to tell her Mayor Tiedisu is awake. She gets up to go and speak with her. Tiedisu is propped up in bed and Glim is there bringing charcoal and paper to her. It seems that she can no longer hear anything. They communicate by Ana writing and Tiedisu doing her best to speak clearly. Ana does try to heal her, but a standard Lessor Restoration does not help. Ana takes the time to write down a shortened version of what happened. Tiedisu is worried about retaliation from the crab folk. She is confident if war started between the villages that Junk would defend them, but he can't protect everyone. Tiedisu asks a favour of Ana to speak to the crab folk before they leave to arrange a wait period so she may recover before having talks with their leaders about has happened and the fall out of that. Ana agrees to do this and Tiedisu gets directions on how to get to the village. Afterwards Ana heads back to her room to draw a little before going back to sleep.At 3am Brin is the first one up. After getting dressed, he checks on the status of the storm before waiting for the others to wait. At 5am Ana and Margaret wake up. When Ana checks her sketch book, she can see some colour has been added to the drawing she did. Ana updates the group on Tiedisu and the discussion they had. When speaking to Glam, they learn that Tiedisu was the one who could speak the crab folk language and did most of the communicating with them. However their leader has passing Khinasi, so they should be able to talk. The group considers who they might ask from their guild to come and deal with this before getting back on task. Ana tells the group about the enchantment on the food. Now reassured they are okay, they arrange for some breakfast while Margaret goes to see Tiedisu. Tiedisu is asleep, so Margaret just leaves her a note of a basic offer for someone from their guild to look into what happened here. She returns to the group and offers to cast Tongues on herself to be able to communicate with the Crab folk. Ana ritually casts Water Breathing on the group. After breakfast they head off to go to the Crab Folk Village. Margaret alters herself to be able to swim better. There is a water tunnel in the river that heads down 80 ft before going 60 ft back to village at that lower elevation and they arrive to an opening to the caravan the village is in. Two guards block the way out of the tunnel. Margaret casts Tongues on herself with Ana's help through her gloves. They speak with the guards and things are tense, but they convince them to allow the party to speak to their leader. Any issues and they will go in a giant crab trap. They are taken to the leader's hut but have to leave all weapons outside. The Leader of the village is understanding but grieving. His son was one of the attackers. There has been much unrest in his village over the past year as their crops fail, their citizens getting sick and starting to go mad. The party explains what the druid did and how this has led to the death of his people. This has caused his people to call for blood, but the leader will keep his people contained while this investigation plays out. His assistant also knows some Khinasi and will be part of the investigation to represent the village. If the group to investigate doesn't arrive after 5 days, he recommends the village above leave for their own safety as his people's rage will not be contained. After this agreement is reached, the group leaves and heads back after collecting their stuff. When they get back to the shore, Margaret fully explains to the group what she organised as the others could not understand part of the conversation. They head back to the inn, discussing the possibility of searching the druid's home before they leave properly. When they arrive at the inn, they see people having breakfast around the fire pit. Margaret goes straight to see if Tiedisu awake. Seeing she isn't, she wakes her with magical lights. They communicate with writing and yelling. Margaret updates her on the discussion she had with the Crab Folk. They confirm that the town will hire the Adventures Forged guild to do the investigation and she gets permission to go to the druid's home to search it. Afterwards Margaret leaves to re-join the others. Margaret writes down the details of the arrangement with the crab folk to give to Glim and shared with the townfolk as required. Then they head to the druid's home. However, they don't find much. He didn't leave much behind and the house looks barely lived in. They discuss who to send from the guild and Jamal sends off a Sending spell them Oryn. The Scorched Hand and one of the Sunrise Fellows are to be sent. Then they head back to the inn to get their camels and leave. At 7:30am they leave the village. It's a nice morning, the dunes have shifted with the storm, but no other sign of the storm remains as you start to head South. While they ride, Ana and Margaret have a discussion about Lily Wulfsdotter and sending a message to her on Ana's behalf. They end talking about some of the members of the guild named Flux and Molly.
At 11:30am, the party has travelled peacefully for four hours. They are starting to enter the outer section of a city and approach the city walls proper. There are guards at the gate but they're not stopping or talking to anyone. Just standing guard. The road the party entered on split three different ways as they entered the farm lands and goes to various gates on the East side of the city. On the side of the city they're entering from they can see the sea past the city. They come down the most Eastern road to enter in the outer city and then through the gate and the city proper. The city is busy, but not overly so. A good flow of traffic and people but without being pushed too close together. They ask a Halfling guard for directions to the harbour and to return their camels. Without any issues, they return the camels and head into the city proper. As they move through the area, Brin picks up that this districts name is New Rock and he spots a delightful inn called The Hydra's Inn near some office looking buildings. It's adjacent to a traveller's shrine. Down a small Alley Margaret spots a Blacksmith shop named the Exalted Arsenal. There's a small garden and pond out from with a warning sign against feeding or attempting to harm the koi fish. Ana spots an oddity store nearby the same area. It's called Lanta and Eror's Vault. The road joins with another are a triangle shaped town square style area before heading more South instead of just SW. The party is excited about their options but decide to get a room and see about a ship before exploring the town too much. They head into the inn. Inside there is a collection of fine tapestries hung on the walls around the inn. The tables and chairs seem finely crafted and match the bar with a deep red mahogany in colour. Behind the bar is an old looking male elf. He's grumbling to himself as he cleans glasses and mugs. As they talk with him, it becomes very obvious the elf is a dragon-phobic grump. His name is Elemmad and he blames dragons for all his misfortunes. The rooms are split with Ubek and Brin sharing, Jamal and Ana sharing, while Margaret takes a single room. Afterwards they get directions to the Harbour and are directed to the Harbour Master's office near a temple to Neria. Inside there is a desk with a Tritan woman stamping a document a little harder then necessary. There are maps and charts on the walls. On one wall is a very large chalk board with names, dates and times on them. Ana looks over the board to see if ships have been arriving from Aftane, but sees the last one arrived 2 weeks ago and is still in harbour with no departure date. Ana asks about it and learns The Rake and The Ghoul had a clash, so the river hasn't been safe to travel until it is sorted. Margaret enquires about a ship going to Djafra. The Tritan confirms Wavemother's Favor is heading that way in three days. Directions are given to the ship to see if they're willing to take on passengers. Heading for what could be their ride to their next location, they see the Wavemother's Favor is a sailing ship which is on the smaller end of things. On the deck is a crew of water and air genasi who are cleaning the deck, applying tar to key locations and checking the ropes. There is an extravagantly dressed Brecht man talking to sea elf by the ship's wheel. As they approach and wave in greeting the sea elf looks up and smiles but doesn't wave back, but it's enough to alert the Brecht man. He's overweight and is wearing too much gold in jewellery. The sea elf by comparison is wearing very simple and more appropriate clothing for sailing. The party offers gold and protection and the Brecht man, Lord Urvel is delighted by this. He leaves due to having a prior engagement but leaves the group with Captain Lady Tide to make the arrangements. Margaret has Luna follow him. The party is invited to a meeting room on the ship. While this happens, Margaret subtly detects thoughts as they talk. They reach an agreement but learn some interesting and disturbing facts:
- The Captains full name is Adelaide Tide.
- She has a daughter named Shanua. She is used to keep the Captain in line.
- Lord Urvel owns the boat but isn't a sailor.
- The Genasi and their Captain are slaves on the ship. They all have the slave symbol on their foreheads that are covered by illusions.
- Lady is very quick to convince the group to drop this issue as things get discovered.
- 1 day trip for the large room is normally 40 gold but a 10 gold discount is given when they offer protection.
With Margaret gone, Ana listens in on the crew to try and get some gossip while Brin goes round to talk to other patrons to try and learn about their boat. Ubek and Jamal just enjoy themselves during this time. The group Brin talks to doesn't really know much about it. They just have a patron that travels with them. Probably some with a desire to be a sailor but lacked any real skill so probably paid for the skill. Ana hears the crew debating if they should save some of the coin that remains for their next port when they are have their turn off the boat or allow for the extra copper they would get each for the journey to add to the next time they are allowed off. They lament how long it takes them to save for things like this. One reminds them that it's only thanks to the Captain they even get their copper a day instead of nothing. Ana and Brin discuss what they have learned. Ana tells Brin that most sailors earn a silver or two a day. So they are being grossly underpaid, but their Captain continues to try and do her best by them given she is stuck in the same situation as them under their lord/master. Afterwards the group heads back to the inn.
Margaret heads to the inn Luna had followed the ship owner to. It's a high class inn which includes a bouncer out the front. She looks around the area. This is more business and high class area. Expensive boutiques and fancy signage. Nothing odd about the area. Though more commonly dressed people seem to get turned away from some places at the door. Afterwards Margaret heads back to the Inn.
The group reunites at their inn at 7:30pm. Margaret obviously arriving earlier then the rest. When they arrive, Margaret talks to Ana about helping her send some messages. She's sending two. A message to Lily Wulfsdotter and a more personal one for Margaret. Jamal is happy to send messages to the guild to check in about the investigation team they requested earlier in the day for Aris. Margaret's first message was to Captain Tide. She explains they don't want to risk Shanua and asks where she is being held and if there are others. She is being held on the Isle of Ghosts. The crew were bought in sibling sets. If one misbehaves, the other is punished. Margaret explains this to Ana. Ana is aware that slavery in the Khinasi lands is frowned on and illegal in some regions but not all. Margaret's second message is to Lily Wulfdotter. She informs Lily of the scrying on Ana from her dad and if he could stop, and they also found slavers in the South. Lily responds that many care about Ana and are tasked with watching over her. The messages will be passed along. The last message Margaret sends is to a friend of hers named Evelyn. She asks how things are and mentions they have a void problem. Evelyn replies that the Highest Light's mood gets better and better as they get closer and closer to the full moon. Margaret knows the full moon is in ten days. Meanwhile Jamal convinces Brin is it not worth contacting the investigation team and would be better off just checking in with the guild or the Four Lanterns to see how they are doing with the task he had set for them. Jamal contacts Kurooom to see how things are doing. They are well and have been to watch a few fights at the pit. The investigation team left at lunch on the Aris mission. The town seems to be back to normal. Afterwards both groups come together to discuss their sending messages and what they have learned. They mainly talk about the Isle of Ghosts and about Shauna. After this mission, if they have time, it might be worth looking into. Before discussions on this get too far, Margaret and Jamal disappear to have a private conversation.
Jamal and Margaret go into her room. She explains what happened when she reached out to Evelyn. The group Margaret is apart of is going to try the ritual again and she isn't sure how that will effect Jamal. Margaret is sure if they told the group about Jamal, they would stop and respect what his mission from the moon is. Jamal will take a day to think about it and consider revealing himself. Afterwards she excuses herself to bed.
At 8pm Jamal returns to inform the group Margaret has gone to bed. Ana and Brin also head to bed hearing this.
Margaret meditates before bed, praying to the moon for guidance had before sleep. The dreams she has doesn't give her a positive outlook.
8th of Anarire 1545
Ana and Margaret are up early at 6am. They meet one another downstairs for breakfast. They discuss the possibility of finding a library in town and ask the racist elf, Elemmad, about it. He's distrusted of a place called "Magickal Mischief" or something in the Dark Ward outside the West gate since it is run by a Dragonborn. Teaching magic is restricted in the area. This guild claims to solve magic problems and Elemmad believes they are actively teaching magic under the table. It seems mages are as bad as dragons in his eyes. The girls order breakfast. When breakfast arrives, the girls ask the old elf about Tephu. It's a familiar name but can't place it. The girls tell him it's a lost city, which starts him off on another slightly rascit rant about humans and their memories/short life spans. Since it was a human settlement he believes that they just forgot where they left it. The girls start to stir the elf a little, conspiratorially wondering if a shadow dragon ate it. Elemmad is horrified of one of Azari's dragons still being around. They're pure evil. Probably a creation from Azari himself. They're crueller then a black dragon if you can even fathom it. Through the conversation they find out it was a black dragon is the type that took out his village. They tell Jamal where they are going before they leave and head off to find this library. They also leave a note under Brin's door about where they are going.Brin wakes up at 8am to find he's alone. Ubek is not present and he finds the note the girls left for him. He goes and finds Jamal and has a brief chat with him before getting some breakfast. After breakfast he heads off to the library after getting directions.
On the way to the library Margaret sees a shop called Spectacular Alchemical Artifacts, but it isn't open yet. Margaret points it out to Ana to go and see later. At 8am they arrive in the Dark Ward and find a place called Magickal Mysteries at 8am. They enter inside to a reception space, where the walls are an ever changing scope of images of people working on magical things, researching or adventuring. A male gnome is behind the desk. They ask about using the library. They have a range of services here and the library is just one of them. They pay to research until noon. Ana looks into Tephu while Margaret looks into the ritual her moon sect is trying to repeat for Jamal. An Orc named Luga is assigned to help Ana while the Brecht man named Revvyn is assigned to help Margaret. After a brief pleasant exchange, everyone gets to work.
At 10am, when Brin arrives in the Dark Ward he can't find Magickal Mischief but there is a place called Magickal Mysteries. He looks around the outside of the building and finds a susicious amount of red stains on the cobbles stones down the side alley of the building. After making sure no one is watching, he goes to have a closer look. There are broken crates nearby. Must have been a mighty fight. Deciding this isn't something he should look into alone, he heads inside the building.
Just after 10, the gnome reception worker comes out to see the girls and ask if they have a male half elf friend. After being reassured he is indeed a friend, he takes them out to the reception to see Brin. Brin looks oddly surprised and relieved at the sight of them. Brin asks after Ubek and is shocked to learn he isn't here. After a brief discussion he resolves to tracking Ubek down. The girls say they will be research until noon at least, if not longer. Afterwards Brin leaves and the girls go back to their research.
At 11am Brin has arrived back at the inn. He looks around and does not find Ubek. In fact Jamal is also gone, but he left a note for Brin saying he would be back at noon. He asks the inn keeper and learns that Ubek was actually up really early. He went for a morning run and to go see Blacksmiths around the city. Brin is sure the girls will be back at noon, so he thinks of how to fill an hour of free time. When asking the inn keeper about trading or sport, it becomes very obvious he's a bit of a shut in. Brin leaves everyone a note to say he'll be back at 1:30pm and he's scouting caravan companies. He slips the note under Ana's door. He heads to the gate to get a tavern recommendation for lunch. They sadly recommend the tavern he's staying in. Brin changes subject and asks about caravan companies. Caravan of Ithar the Thin is recommended since it's close by. Apparently the guild master has a secret swamp in the desert. It's where he gets some one of a kind dyes he has. The guard and Brin both agree with how silly it sounds. However, it does peak his interest and he heads off to find it. The building is distinctive with it's red metallic door. After a bit of confusion on if he could walk in or knock, Brin is invited inside. Inside are many wonderful garments made of a unique red dye. It even seems to be on some weapons and other metal adornments around the show room. This is their head office for their route and business. They deal in dyes with their trade, but do trade other things along their route. They're open to hiring people as Brin expresses interest in this upon their return from their mission. The receptionist is happy to book the group in for an interview with the guild master. Brin promises to return when they come back through. Afterwards Brin heads back to the inn and arrives at noon. Jamal is also back at that time, so Brin takes the time to chill and wait for the girls who should be back any minute now in his mind...
When noon comes round, the girls finish their current lot of research. Margaret has found out:
- This ritual has been around since before the old gods died.
- It is said to have originated with the Masesians and has witchcraft themes.
- The relationship between the summoned creature and the moon seems to be special but the exact nature is unknown at this stage.
- Tephu was located in Rafr, the Tarvan Waste right by the river. Or so some say.
- Some historians dispute the location in Rafr as there is no missing land, aside from the buildings and such.
- There are some records of missing family from Tephu turning up at other cities after the city disappeared, but they were very tight lipped and looked haunted about where they had been.
- Revvyn was born in Mecas, but his parents were sailors who settled here when they were done with a sailor's life. Mum was a rigging rat and dad was a navigator.
- Revvyn studies magic linked to the mind.
- Luga works with elemental energy and magic, specifically the water plane. He's even been to the water plane.
By 1pm, Ubek has returned to the inn where Brin waits, but the girls have not. He and Brin talk briefly about his excursion out to the blacksmiths before Brin and Jamal head out to explore the docks after Jamal comments that they are interesting. It seems when he left the inn, that's where he went. Jamal wasn't able to find out too much about the Wavemother's Favour. Just that it's not Port a lot and doesn't have set routes. Just picks up jobs here and there. They discuss ways to try and keep track of things but don't resolve to put anything into action. They head back to the inn for lunch. By 2:30pm the ladies have still not shown up. Jamal sends a message to Ana to check in on them.
At 2:30pm Ana gets a message from Jamal. "Brin is worried about you. He would like to know where you are and how much longer you will be. He doesn't understand libraries." Ana reassures Jamal they are still at the library. She doesn't mention when she will be done, much to Jamal's frustration.
Jamal shares the answers he got with Brin and Brin is annoyed at the idea of reading as it makes his head hurt. He resolves to take a nap until dinner.
By 4:30pm Ana and Margaret finish up in the library. Margaret learns:
- The ritual for Jamal is similar to other planar summons but doesn't have a designated time, and depending on method will depend on the level of control over the shade. Which can be changed mid summon with a ritual.
- The shade is here until it perishes and then it goes back to where it came from, able to be summoned again.
- The shade cannot go back to it's origins until it perishes, is banished, or an undoing ritual is completed.
- They dug out a cannel to get water flowing through the city due to having so many reeds on the bank.
- The library and temples are in the centre of the city, walled off from the rest of the city.
- There is no large structure for the nobles of the city as it was run by the temple/library.
At 5pm the pair arrive back at the inn and head up to find Brin by knocking at his door. They gather to head down to dinner but Margaret takes Jamal off to the side to talk privately first. When they are alone Margaret shares her dream the previous night and what she learned at the library. She believes that the moon group wants to command Jamal. It disappoints Jamal as he was building himself up to be more open with people. He resolves to spending time over the next few days writing what he knows about the Red Kinds in case he is pulled away against his will. Jamal is suddenly looking tired and feeling defeated. Margaret comforts him. After a short chat Margaret gives Jamal some time alone to process while she heads downstairs.
While waiting downstairs Brin tells Ana about the weird red stain he saw in the alley near the library they were working in today. However, he left it alone when he saw she and Margaret were okay. Ana shares what she learned at the library today. As Ana explains, Margaret comes out to join them. They quickly order dinner and continue talking. When the food comes they wrap up their discuss and focus on the meal. Jamal comes down as they finish. They discuss with him about selling off some of the items they have, but are worried they can't afford them outright. Jamal suggests a payment plan or something but the group never really confirms this as what they will go with. Brin wants to head off to the docks with Ana. Margaret will relax before heading to bed in her own time.
Brin and Ana find a bar without much issue. There is a band playing sea shanties nearby. Brin tries to get information about possible places for people to crash. Some advise you are in a tavern with rooms, a few recommend brothel's for naps with happy endings but one or two recommend talking to the harbour master. She knows a few places for people to crash at if they're struggling. After wards Ana tries to hear about Bounty Hunting while Brin tries to look for people doing deals. Ana hear about a bounty hunting board available at the guard house. It's encouraged to speak to the guards for the latest intell on targets. At the end of the bar there is a Kuo-toa that apparently only takes dead or alive bounties with most of them not coming back alive. Brin sees what looks to be a deal happening at a back table between some Khinasi men. An exchange of gold for a book. Brin buys the man a drink and gets invited to his table. At first he thinks this could be for pleasure but Brin quickly says it's business and they start talking about trade. Brin is informed about how to arrange a meeting with the man under the code of a "high tea". Ana walks over to talk with the Kuo-Toa and connects with her peer over the similar line of work that they do. Ana tries to see if he knows anything about Lord Uvrel, but he doesn't. He does know that those who own slaves work boats or islands off the mainland. The Island of Ghosts is a big slave point and should be avoided at all cost. Ana buys him a pot of tea and learns his name is Claw. Afterwards the pair meet up to discuss who they met before heading back to the inn. They arrive back at 9pm and head to bed.
9th of Anarire 1545
At 6am Ana and Brin are the first up. Ubek is also just getting up, but Jamal isn't in the room with Ana. Brin asks Ubek to join him for breakfast and he agrees as long as its quick as he wants to go for his morning run as a part of his training. Afterwards he will continue going round to see Blacksmiths. Brin asks him about that as they order breakfast with Ana. At 7am as the group finishes breakfast, Margaret comes downstairs. They arrange what they will do for the day, which is mostly trying to sell things on. They head off and arrive at the library at 9am. They speak with the gnome in the reception area and he looks over their items for sale. Due to the large price for the ring, he will need to meet with the leadership team as he cannot approve such a sale. The group will see him on their way back through on return from their mission which will give this guild time to consider and get the funds together. They buy the potion and scrolls from the group without issue. Ana asks about a speaking stone. A shop in Fenhill had one last week. They head that way. Brin notices that the area seem to be between middle class and rich. Doesn't seem to be a place of permanent residence as places are marketed with posters for renters. Shops with adventuring gear. This area is clearly set up for those who come and go from the city rather then living here. Ana sees an inn called The Crossed Spears. They arrive at the shop called The Enigmatic Emporium. The exterior of the shop is quaint and somewhat mysterious, with ivy creeping up the stone walls and a few colorful potted plants flanking the doorway. A large, circular window allows passersby a glimpse of the wonders within, displaying a rotating selection of the store’s most intriguing items. Upon entering, customers are greeted by a cozy, dimly lit space filled with shelves and display cases brimming with curious artifacts, peculiar trinkets, and arcane oddities. The air is thick with the scent of old parchment, exotic spices, and a faint hint of ozone. There is soft, ambient music playing in the background and the occasional flicker of candlelight casting dancing shadows across the room. The walls are adorned with tapestries depicting fantastical scenes, and various artifacts hang from the ceiling, adding to the sense of wonder. A large, intricately carved wooden counter stands at the back of the shop where a wood elf stands. They talk with the shop owner and inspect the wares of the shop. Brin buys an insignia of claws +1. Margaret buys a rare book worth 800 gold. The group also sells some of the minor jewellery and items. Afterwards they head back to the inn and arrive at 11am. Upon arriving at the inn, Brin asks Elemmad about Ubek. He learns Ubek has not been back since he left this morning. Ana and Brin head up for a nap while Margaret reads her book.Margaret looks over her book to find she has five sections in total:
- Desert Spells and Rituals: Detailed descriptions of unique spells and rituals specifically designed for survival and power in the harsh desert environment. These include spells for finding water, summoning sand elementals, and creating protective sandstorms.
- Herbal Remedies and Poisons: A section devoted to the flora of the desert, detailing various plants and their uses, both medicinal and toxic.
- Ancient Histories: Accounts of long-forgotten desert kingdoms, their rise and fall, and the legendary figures who ruled them. These histories are interspersed with myths and legends that could hold kernels of truth.
- Arcane Diagrams and Glyphs: Complex diagrams and glyphs that may be used in the creation of magical items, wards, or other arcane constructs. Some of these are believed to enhance desert survival or to manipulate the desert's magical energies.
- Bestiary of Desert Creatures: Detailed entries on various desert-dwelling creatures, including their behaviors, weaknesses, and any magical properties they might possess.
After an hour of napping, Ana wakes to find Jamal quietly writing in a book on his own bed. They have a small chat before Ana starts to scribe a scroll of Detect Magic.
At 6pm the group orders dinner together. They discuss their plans for tomorrow and arrange for a bread and cheese breakfast early in the morning before they go. As they discuss their plans for the boat and how involved they want to get, Ubek drops the word "Mole" as a sign to Brin they are being watched. This is lost on the group. Brin excuses himself from the table when he sees conversation continuing too openly and the sensor follows him. When they leave Ubek explains the new codeword to the group. Ana and Margaret discuss scrying and Ana mentions a spell her father used to attack the scryer. Not long everyone heads up to bed.
10th of Anarire 1545
The group gets up at 3:30am. Ana wakes up to see a figure made of silver light carding a hand through Jamal's hair. As soon as Ana sees this the figure disappears and there is only Jamal's Familiar scorpion, Nyla, on his head. Everyone heads downstairs for their cheese and bread. Ana ritually casts water breathing on the group. Then they head for the docks.They arrive at 5am to see the ship a buzz of activity. The water and air genasi are loading up the boat and the Captain Lady Tide is helping her crew. The group is shown to their bunk room and given the tour of the ship. The cook's name is Mitch. She is very deliberate with not looking at Ana the entire time.
At 6am the ship leaves. As the ship sails Margaret heads into the bunk room to read about spells while Ana and Brin stay on deck. Brin heads over to question Lady Tide. However she doesn't give him much. They have no routes and they go where the lord directs them. Brin tries to gauge the mood of the
Margaret learns the books has instructions on learning the following spells: Spells From the Book:
- blur
- silence
- create food and water
- protection from energy
- blight
- hallucinatory terrain
- insect plague
- wall of stone
- Fireball
- Stoneskin
- Gust of wind
- Investiture of Stone
- Shape Sand
At 11am Ana and Luna spot a glimmer under the water. Upon further investigation reveals it is the very top of a huge underwater statue made of gold. The Captain does this by swimming out to this statue. It seems to be caught in a reef. The Lord is very happy to hear about gold nearby. Luna sees the Captain turns into a large blue ringed octopus. The crew takes two hours to get the statue onboard while the party watches on. Brin talks with the Lord and gets invited to a feast tonight. He convinces the Lord that he can help the Captain with appraising. He agrees that the Captain can ask Brin to help if she likes.
At 2pm Lady Tide goes to look over and appraise the statue. Brin follows. He inspects it, but Lady Tide never asks him for help. He's not super sure about it in general anyway. Brin looks around the hull to see crates are tied down and netting in groups. She dismisses Brin to enjoy the time on boat and ushers them both out of the hull. Brin goes back up to the deck.
At 6pm the party is invited to a feast in the meeting room with the Lord of the ship. As they eat, Margaret deliberately uses magic to make the Lord soil his shirt. He excuses himself to clean himself up. Brin looks over the maps on the walls while the Lord is gone to look for signs of trade routes, but they are unmarked by pins or drawings. However, he does spy ink smudged fingerprints. These appear around the Isle of Ghosts, Isle of the Serpent and a sweeping point between the two but it's very faint. Margaret takes the time to pocket what food she can without mess. When the Lord returns with the help of Lady Tide, Ana looks and spots some keys on his person. Margaret casts Detect Thoughts Subtly while Brin talks to him about the ships movements. As the Lord talks about deciding the next destination only at the previous, Margaret catches him thinking poorly of half breeds and how if his ship goes down, everyone will suffer as he has checks to ensure bad things happen to hostages. Brin directs the conversation to be about the cook and Margaret learns he is not a slave, but an extra set of eyes for him on the ship. The Lord is the Seventh Son of the Seventh Son from somewhere in the Northern Bay. As the dinner ends, Ana steals his keys with her mage hand. He stumbles out the door and falls over, landing on Lady Tide who is annoyed by all this but still polite. The party heads back to their bunk room. There Margaret traces the shape of the keys. They share the little titbits they picked up during dinner with one another. Margaret casts Sending to Lily Wulfdotter. "Hello, this is Margaret again. Update on slavers, there is a possible connection to the Serpent." Lily replies: "We appreciate the information, please continue to send any you find. Tell Ana I hope she's well." The group mostly heads to bed. Margaret casts alter self and changes her voice to sound like a generic Brecht male. Every five minutes for the next hour she sends him a message that says: "The Pirate King has come to get you." "The Pirate King does not appreciate slavery." This is said over and over again for the hour. The first 20 minutes Margaret gets drunk mumbles back, but that it is like he's extremely sober. The series of replies are: "He's in the bay and I left the bay." "He has no derestriction here, the Serpent looks forward to meeting him." "You will die when I find you." "The Serpent will murder the Pirate King." "Maybe I'll enslave you and the Pirate King." And so on.
11th of Anarire 1545
At 4am the party is woken up as the ship is in a storm and Ubek is heaving into a bucket. Everyone can hear the following song being played in their heads. Almost a mournful sea shanty:The king and his men stole the queen from her bed And bound her in her bones The seas be ours and by the powers Where we will, we'll roam (x3) Yo-ho, all together Hoist the colors high Heave ho, thieves and beggars Never shall we dieThere is a heavy storm going on as the party gets up to see what is going on. Brin heads up to the deck, while Margaret summons a phantom steed and Ana puts on her mask before laying down. The Water Genasi are redirecting water that is going below deck to above deck again. After speaking with the Water Genasi and learn about strange clouds before heading back to bed. Margaret casts Identify on the voice in her head. Margaret learns this is a telepathy storm. It is a one way telepathy link with the source. It has a range of one mile that could do mental damage to their actual targets instead of those just caught in the storm, but that can change. Margaret lets the Captain know magically about this. After an hour the storm is lessening and the song is fading. After another hour everything is back to normal.
At 6am Margaret heads on deck to speak to the Captain about how the crew is feed and gives her the food she stole. She stays on deck until she sees the Lord come up. Which happens just before 8am when breakfast is due to have food. She casts Detect Thoughts subtly and speaks with the Lord about the storm and he is displeased that Lady Tidy didn't get them out of it quicker. He thinks of the crew as products and is weighing up a punishment that won't hider the Captains Duties when he needs her. He thinks about the Pirate King and could the storm be from him? He doesn't think so as it doesn't match him MO but he has doubts. Brin catches up with the Lord to return the keys and gets a gold for his efforts. Afterwards everyone heads to breakfast. Margaret takes the breakfast before making a key copy and make herself invisible to look around...
