Session 11: The Ardent Archives Report

General Summary

After leaving the Sharktooth Inn, the group made their way down to the docks to search for the Winged Doubloon, the ship they would soon be sailing upon. As they searched for it, they caught sight of a small sloop with a sail bearing an amateur drawing of a cat's face with gold coins over its eyes. They noticed the ship was being loaded by a pair of Kha'stali men, and suspected that their merchant friend Jo'barjo Mahoor might be present onboard. They approached and learned that Jo'barjo was the owner of this boat. He introduced himself to Dane and Marnie, who he had not yet met, and they discussed business. With Nahar's help, Marnie managed to purchase a flask of Bottled Darkness at a reasonable price. The group then also learned of Jo'barjo's true passion as a chronicler, and that he has been creating encyclopedia's of the realm. He admitted that he was inspired by their goal to go into the The Shrouded Sea, and that he too would be heading there. He then warned them of the pirates that have been rumored to be circling the Auroban Isles, in exchange for all the information Marnie knew about her summoner powers. Finally, he shared all he knew of the Children of Cinder ruffian that Dane was searching for, explaining the boat trip the man took at night down the river and out of the bay.   When they finished discussing with him, they continued down the docks until they found the Winged Doubloon. There they began to meet some of the crew, starting with the ship's quartermaster Bentley Evershod. He greeted them with excitement and said to feel free to introduce themselves to others as it came up, and that they had plenty of time to meet everyone. He then directed them to the kitchens to meet Puk Bonechopper. There, they confronted Puk to explain the addition of Nahar's raptor aboard the ship. Puk was unhappy to hear about this at first, until Nahar agreed to pay for and acquire the food for the beast himself. Puk directed him to find a butcher shop run by Gingrin Madmallet, who is known to ride Rhamrok and hunt big game with his musket.   The group departed the galleon and made plans to meet at the Aerdaren Archives in two hours time. Dane walked back to the Temple District to have some quiet time in prayer, and to do some more research on the Tear of Selindria. Marnie made her way to the Market District to find the alchemical store which she placed an order with, and Nahar headed the same way to find the butcher. After a short search, Nahar headed inside and spoke with Gingrin. He agreed to supply the meat Nahar needed and even shared information with him about a group of druids he had met in the Eldermoors that referred to themselves as "primal order" druids. He also warned Nahar of poachers that might try to steal his small dinosaur because of its rarity.   At the agreed upon time, the group all met at the entrance of the Aerdaren Archives and made their way inside. They quickly met Qrianthi Highfeather at the front desk of the archives, who was happy to direct them to the location in the library where they would find books on the subject of arnradishes. As the group made their way in that direction, they stumbled upon a bronze Kobold with a stack of books on ocean travel. Marnie spoke with him for a few minutes and learned he was Kemzuld , another member of the crew and would be serving as the loremaster and chronicler of the journey.   Marnie continued searching for her book with the help of Vallis, and eventually found a book titled "The Complete History of the Arnradish". It was written by Theadrel Ethylseer, a fictitious named used by The Order of the Scarlet Dragoon as code to denote a book has a hidden message. Inside the book, Marnie found a letter from Provendinaurox instructing her to break into the archives of the Ardent Order and to find a book entitled the Chronicle of the Flame. He also left behind a feather token for her and her companions should they find it useful.   When she finished doing this, Omar decided he wanted to get access to the archives of the Ardent Order. He approached Qrianthi and began demanding entry into the restricted section of the archives, claiming to have an active writ from the Ardent Lord but without producing any such documentation. His lies and pushy attitude upset Qrianthi, and Nahar had to come and talk him down to a more moderate state of mind. Omar finally produced the now expired writ, and used it to deceive Qrianthi into allowing them entry.   Once inside this restricted section the group split up. Marnie summoned Ralphie and used her magic to disguise him as herself, and sent him off to make a distraction. Dane walked over to the one sage inside this private library and began speaking to him and distracting him. He learned the sage was documenting the recent happenings in the Temple District, and decided to help give him more information, in hopes that he would learn more about the Children of Cinder in the process. Meanwhile, Nahar and Vallis starting looking for relevant information, while Omar cased the room looking for something he could steal without getting caught.   After a few minutes, Marnie managed to find the Chronicle of the Flame behind a glass case with a large padlock. As her friends distracted the sage, she attempted to pick the lock. She was unsuccessful in her first attempt, triggering a trap inside that launched a needle from the lock's core that injected her with some sort of paralytic poison. Luckily, she was able to overcome its affects. She attempted to pick the lock again and was successful. She began leafing through the massive tome and found small magical sigils left behind by Provendinaurox to indicate pages of interest. She learned of Aerdaris' founding, the Time of the Torn Flame, the later attempts to harness the magic of the Ardent Flame, and finally that the Ardent Lord had documented the recent prophecy with concern about its implications given the recent rise of the Children of Cinder in the city.   After learning all she could, she placed the book back how she found it, locked up the case, and returned back to her friends to determine how to proceed.

Rewards Granted

• Marnie purchased a flask of Bottled Darkness from Jo'barjo Mahoor 
• Nahar was promised by Jo'barjo Mahoor that he would ask his associates in Aerdaris in attempts to acquire an item that would improve his druid abilities.

Missions/Quests Completed

• Marnie found the Chronicle of the Flame and learned the information that Provendinaurox and wanted her to find
• Nahar gathered more information about the druid tribe from the Eldermoors which he had been trying to track down. He learned they were nomads in search of lost primal lands.
• Dane gathered a it more information on the Children of Cinder ruffian from Jo'barjo Mahoor, learning about his late night boat trip into the bay.

Character(s) interacted with

• Jo'barjo Mahoor, the traveling merchant
• Bentley Evershod, the quartermaster of their crew
• Puk Bonechopper, the cook of their crew
• Gingrin Madmallet, a dwarven big game hunter
• Qrianthi Highfeather, the lorekeeper of the Aerdaren Archives
• Kemzuld, the loremaster and chronicler of their crew
• Provendinaurox (via a letter), Marnie's dragon patron she is searching for