Arrival at Fjanhort

2nd Blossomtrove
 
Never in my LIFE have I regretted a decision this much!! My moment of altruism in rescuing that child from Cicero’s grasp has already come back to HAUNT ME!!!!!!
 
This morning, Percy shot awake after we slept in that peculiar magical cave Garmili summoned into the mountain face. He managed to wake all of us up with a yell, clearly having had a bad dream, but didn’t really talk about it. He just went to the kitchen (is there such a thing as a kitchen in a cave?) and started working on breakfast. Atlas tried starting his morning like he usually did, with a prayer for the Raven Queen, but ended up making the blunder to trump one thousand blunders- he dropped the kid we rescued on the floor (who had slept in his lap), which promptly woke him. The little bastard proceeded to attempt to steal Atlas’s ceremonial knife (failing of course) and run further into the cave. This sent everyone running after him, he is, after all, a key witness. Garmili, Percy, and Key all gave chase, leaving Caspian and I in charge of the omelettes. I heard them arguing through the cave system, and followed them in as well. There was no way Atlas or Caspian were going to fit anyways, so he could take care of breakfast. The kid said something about being put in chains last time someone said they were going to help him, so naturally I asked him if he was a slave. He tried to tell me he was a “nonya”, which meant nothing to me, and he refused to explain himself!!
 
The kid was balancing in the stalactites above a chasm, and Percy gave him his coat and a rope to get down from the precarious position he stupidly got himself into. He had the AUDACITY to say he wasn’t going anywhere with us but would take our food. Clearly Percy has some sort of COMPLEX about adopting idiot children… if he wasn’t such an important witness to the case I would’ve told him to just leave him hanging in that stupid cave.
 
We gave him food and Atlas even healed him, but when we explained what was going on he wasn’t even grateful for the fact that I expanded my arcane energy to specifically rescue HIM from being consumed by a flesh monster! Ungrateful, petulant child! He seems to have some sort of kinship with Key (gross), and refused to tell us his name. Therefore, I pitched the appropriate moniker “Stinky Poo Poo Head” as he indeed did stink. Atlas seemed to agree. Stinky accused ME of being immature, when HE was the one that refused to show even a semblance of politeness to the people who rescued him from certain doom. I also discovered he is thirteen years old, and I am suddenly appreciative of the lack of children I encountered during my upbringing. I would much rather be faced with loneliness than this immature and ungrateful little bastard. Garmili gave him a hideous yellow coat because of course he didn’t even have decent clothes on.
 
I retract my previous accusation of Atlas committing the biggest blunder of the day. That title in fact belongs to Percy, who decided to give this complete stranger a KNIFE!! Percy said it was for him to defend himself, and got mad at ME when I pointed out the extremely valid concern that Stinky could try to use the knife against us instead (although I’d like to see him try). Anyways, we got ready to leave and Garmili pressed a button in one of his various devices which magically shrunk the furniture down to a minuscule size (note: look into the magic required for this...). We headed out into the snow and were faced with the imposing Darsun estate in the distance. I believe I speak for everyone when I say we were eager to create as much distance between ourselves and it as possible.
 
We began heading down to a rocky, pine-filled valley in the distance, and Caspian took it upon himself to carry Garmili down as his legs are about the size of my forearm. He asked the gnome about the magical furniture, echoing my curiosity, and Garmili clarified that he did use magic but was not a caster. Instead, he acquired money from dealing in … illicit businesses… and invested in magically-imbued gnomish technology. Fascinating.
 
Atlas and Caspian both try to get more information out of Stinky, but, predictably, he refuses to cooperate. He doesn’t tell us if he has parents, and says we will “rat him out”, whatever that means. I did ask why Cicero had a legal claim over him, and he explained that poor children don’t need guardians to sign contracts…
 
We spent hours walking down to the valley, but progress is slow. The sun is setting, and Key is setting up a tent, but I can already foresee conflict; snow is starting to fall and it is clear that we won’t all fit into the tent. My natural proclivity towards heat is the only thing keeping my hands warm enough to write this entry, and we surely wouldn’t survive without the Hearthbrew ale. I hope that soon we will reach warmer climates, or at least be able to sleep shielded from the elements. It has been so many days since I slept in a bed. I still think about what would’ve happened if we had just gone to bed yesterday instead of wandering into the Darsun crypt...
 
4th Blossomtrove
 
We walked for another two seemingly endless days, but I am happy to report that our period of slumming through the endless snow seems to be reaching an end! This was certainly not without difficulty, and if tomorrow I could wake up and see no more mountains it would not be soon enough. Key and Percy have been doing a valiant effort of leading us through the mountains, and we eventually traversed the forested valley, and began to follow the slope downwards. They tell me we have finally reached Valia. The transition was not as clear as I expected, although I’m not quite sure what I expected. I suppose the rolling hills and sunlit cities are still a ways away, but this is still much closer to Kaldovyc than to the tales that Professor Agiad used to tell me.
 
Percy tried hunting game for us to have a different meal than ale and jelly beans, but had no luck. At least the hunger seems to be keeping Stinky quieter than usual. Our group has been nothing but courteous to him, Key even extending the offer to train him in dagger usage, but his attitude continues abhorrent. I’ve also begun working through the diary we stole from the Darsun estate, which we believe belongs to one Alistair Darsun (the shunned member of the family tree). I will admit, it is written in an incredibly complex code system, but I have been able to establish a system of dating. It seems to have started in 1446 and continues up to five years ago. I have not been able to decode much useful information about Cicero’s plans or whatever nefarious deals the Darsun family is involved in, but this is a promising start to decoding the rest. I feel motivated to continue, it has been a while since I’ve had an intellectual puzzle this engaging to solve. I feel as though I am in my very own Lady Ascella novel. I’m sure she would crack this code in no time.
 
Through our journey we also ran into a massive structure made of wood and canvas, which Percy explained was a Giant’s tent from after the genocide. We used it as shelter for one evening, and continued on our way.
 
The following day, we reached a steep downward slope that led to a frozen river with strange rock obelisks protruding from within the ice. I helped everyone get down using Max’s grasp, and we began crossing the river. Halfway through the icy plane, we realized that it was not in fact a lake, and instead a platform of ice that covered a deep cavern. Within the cavern, Key spotted something shining, but Percy did not detect anything magical (at least within range). Our investigations were cut short, however, when three gigantic white wolves appeared from behind the rocks. They were easily the size of horses, with glowing blue eyes. They growled like regular wolves but also spoke in a deep, guttural language that Atlas later explained was Giant.
 
The wolves were quick to attack us, biting and clawing at first but soon unleashing icy arcane rays from their maws. I realized that they likely had less tolerance to fire given their icy nature, and blasted one of the wolves with Aganazzar’s Scorcher. Not only did it hit the wolf, it melted a wide crack in the ice through which it fell into the depths of the cavern below. I was gripped with fear when I saw Percy fall into the crack as well, but a few seconds later he burst through the ice in a different location to attack the other wolves. He was likely saved by the magical spider climb abilities I’ve seen him use to scale the mountain sides. The battle actually proved to me that we are starting to get well acquainted with each other’s abilities as a team. The wolves were fierce foes, but between our magical abilities, Key dashing between them with knives brandished, and Caspian’s brute strength we managed to kill a second wolf. Garmili also proved to be a resourceful fighter, dealing the killing blow by slitting its throat.
 
The third wolf proved to be a challenge, as he was locked in battle with Percy and managed to throw him into the hole on the ice. Stinky tried (and failed) to push him out of the way, but luckily I was quickly able to summon Max’s grasp to grab them before they could fall into the depths below (although Percy did lose his hat to the cave). This marks the second consecutive time I have saved Stinky, and I have yet to see any gratitude. Percy made quick work of the last wolf when he returned to the surface, slicing it in half with his sword as if it were made of butter.
 
Once we gathered our bearings, we decided (against my implorations) to explore the cave. Luckily, feather fall was one of the first spells I mastered, so the descent was relatively easy. Garmili chose to use another mysterious trinket that gave him mechanical wings to fly down to the cave floor. As we descended, we were able to get a better look at the glittering object below the ice- it was a massive shield, easily the size of a drawbridge. Atlas pointed out runes in Giant denoting valor and protection, no doubt another relic of the genocide. We eventually reached the bottom of the cave, where only a dim blue light filtered through the ice many meters above. We took an hour to recover from the fight, and Percy actually managed to find his hat again.
 
We continued on our way, and the cave pass eventually opened up to a chamber made of blue stone covered in ice. There was a humongous house, clearly fit for a frost giant, as well as a fittingly massive skeleton. Further down the chamber we found a sight fit for a folklore book- a frost giant and a drow frozen solid in a block of ice, locked in eternal battle. Percy used his eldritch sight to look at the scene, and identified three magical items: a bag falling from the drow, a ring of abjuration magic, and the long sword the drow was brandishing. They all convince me to use my sculpted fire to carve out the drow so that we might claim the magical items, but I am immediately on guard. Living in Kaldovyc it is common knowledge that giants live for many hundreds of years and have an uncanny resistance to cold, so I had a sneaking suspicion that if we defrosted the giant it may not be as dead as we would hope.
 
Nevertheless, they manage to coerce me into carving out the bag from the ice. It contained a good sum of coins, two elven daggers, a superior healing potion, a strange crossbow also branded with Grand Gizmo’s Emporium, and a broach which Percy recognized as belonging to a bloodhunter from something called the “Ivory Stake”. He explains it is an organization of monster hunters by which he is often employed, of which a bloodhunter is a highly skilled member. We gave most of the belongings to Key, who was more proficient in such weapons, and they for some reason also chose to give a dagger to Stinky (ugh, more chances of being literally back-stabbed). At least it goads him into telling us his real name- Temerity.
 
Percy also decided to climb up to the drow to try and remove the ring, but by doing so he caused a huge crack on the ice to form. Fearing the worst, I insisted we left before we had to defend ourselves from an angry frost giant in our weakened state. Caspian pouted the whole rest of the way about not getting the magical sword. Our lives are a bit more important than that!
 
We eventually reached another chasm, and I was barely able to get everyone down using feather fall. I truly have had enough of climbing and chasms and mountains, and thankfully after a few more hours of hiking the icy cave actually opened up to a blindingly bright exit. We exit onto a forest of yellow trees and grass! It had been so long since I last saw grass! I couldn’t help but kiss the steady ground. Key and Percy have a hard time identifying where we are, but we make our way vaguely south before eventually reaching a small cabin upon the bank of a glimmering lake. There was smoke emerging from the chimney, but no answer when we knocked, so we decided to see if anyone would return. Peaking in the window, I was able to see that the cabin was neat and well-kept, and there was a piece of corn on the stove that had been burnt. Caspian also found a series of tracks leading into the surrounding woods, and as soon as he decided to try and follow them we were actually greeted by the owner of the cabin.
 
From the woods came a tall, muscular wood elf with dark hair and light green skin carrying a large boar. She was followed by a large jackal, which I recall is the national animal of Valia. She approached, and I informed her that her corn was burning. Percy tried to explain that we were weary travelers looking for shelter, but she threw the boar at him and ran inside yelling about the corn. After a few seconds, she returned and introduced herself as Jane (and her jackal as Aiden), and invited us into her cabin. Jane begins roasting the boar, and we explain the situation to her. I am quick to report all of our findings, but Percy eyes me with irritation and later explains that we shouldn’t simply tell sensitive information to anyone we meet. I suppose he is right, especially given that Jane apparently is the captain of the guard of Fjanhort.
 
Fjanhort is the de facto capital of the duchy of the Icecapped Crags, which is... under Cicero’s jurisdiction. I suppose explaining that he is a powerful sorcerer trying to create horrible necromantic abominations out of kidnapped tieflings to his captain of the guard could have ended… badly. Thankfully, it seemed Jane (Captain Splint) is not particularly fond of him either, and taking a look at the deed that Key swiped, she assures us she will speak with the mayor of Fjanhort to try and get a warrant to search the Darsun estate. I repeatedly remind her that from what we saw, Cicero is incredibly powerful and not to be trifled with, but she assures me she can handle herself. I just can’t bear the thought of causing more death, especially since Capt. Splint seems like a just and good person. I need to make sure she understands the threat she is going up against if she chooses to help us.
 
She offers us some of the boar, and allows us to sleep in her cabin. Percy and Atlas both seem quite taken with Aiden the jackal. Stinky is, predictably, a nuisance. As soon as the woman who is offering us shelter leaves the room he immediately begins rummaging through her stuff and attempting to steal from our host. It’s like he was raised in a barn! At least Atlas is on my side, and he picks up Stinky and refuses to release him until he stops trying to steal. This stupid child is going to get us KILLED! Capt. Splint also has a collection of carved knives, which entices both Key and Stinky, but thankfully neither took anything (I think...). Garmili uses his rocking horse to identify the ring (much to Capt. Splint’s confusion), and explains to us that it is a ring of warmth. We decide to entrust it to Atlas, as his position as cleric means that his survival ensures our survival.
 
Capt. Splint explains that we will need money to get through the toll booth in Fjanhort if we plan on continuing south to Feldenvalle, and that we could get coin from picking up jobs monster hunting for the Ivory Stake or perhaps within the foundry union (she directs us to the union leader named Max). Everyone is settling down for the night, and I am taking a break from deciphering Alistair’s journal. My translation efforts have been progressing with more rapid speed now, I have been able to decode the few and far between entries in the start of the journal. They tell of the youth and early teenage years of the writer, as well as his family life interacting with Cicero, Faustus, and Agnes (all names I recall from the fresco depicting the Darsun family tree). There is still not much valuable information about what Cicero may be planning, but it does convey the morbid reality of growing up within reclusive nobility, and this austere sense of … responsibility. I will continue deciphering later tonight.
 
5th Blossomtrove
 
I am thrilled to report fascinating developments. The days of wishing to be a part of a Lady Ascella novel are behind me, as I have found myself positively entrenched in a mystery of my own. I must not get ahead of myself- it is important to have a good grasp of all events leading up to a new case lest an important clue be missed!
 
The morning after sleeping in Capt. Splint’s cabin was not particularly noteworthy. I stayed up long through the night to work on decoding the diary, and in the morning Stinky’s hair looked stupid. Percy also made an … interesting comment about Atlas. Our cleric was content about the warmth afforded to him by the ring, and Percy seemed extremely eager to touch him to confirm this…
 
Anyways, we departed soon after some breakfast to head to Fjanhort. Capt. Splint said she had been on vacation for a few days, but would accompany us to the city to begin investigating the evidence we brought forth against Cicero. We all got onto her surprisingly spacious boat to begin crossing the lake, and Caspian immediately began singing Valian sea shanties. Atlas seemed preoccupied talking to the … fish? We saw a large disturbance in the water, which frightened me, but it ended up being a bizarre sea creature. It was wide and almost cylindrical, with small frontal flippers and a large flat tale. It’s face looked oddly docile, and it had large whiskers. Atlas said it was a mermaid but I’m not very inclined to believe him.
 
We eventually cross the lake and begin trekking through a dirt path down the mountain. Capt. Splint is very intrigued by Caspian’s shield as well, which he explains was a gift from his tutor, Sir Cumference. He also states he is a descendant of Sir Cole, who I vaguely recall was an important figure in the war. No wonder both the captain and Cicero were so interested in this shield, it’s origins seem to be tied to important local folklore. Capt. Splint also discloses to us that she is 392 years old! I hope that does give her the experience to deal with Cicero.
 
We eventually reach a flatter path, and the temperature is noticeably warmer. I think this is probably actually the warmest place I’ve ever been! In the distance we can now see the outline of Fjanhort, the city is constructed mainly of deep red brick and placed across a river that is bridged by an Aqueduct. On our side of the riverbank lies a large building embedded in the mountain, which the captain explains is the foundry. As Fjanhort is reliant on the export of processed ores and minerals, I assume the foundry is key to the local economy, having allowed it to become the largest city in the Icecapped Crags. Capt. Splint takes a few minutes to don her armor before we reach the main road, and I decide to remove my goggles to appear less conspicuous. Atlas also removes his Raven Queen garb, and I offer him my poncho. It sits more like a bandana around his neck, but I do think it makes us look more… regular.
 
We walk down to the main road which is full of carts and caravans heading in and out of the city. I was almost caught off guard by the sheer amount of people. It had been many days of nothing but snow and ice, and even back home the population was probably smaller than the people in this road, let alone in the city proper. Capt. Splint accosts the guards patrolling the road and chides them for allowing us to simply walk on without proper guarding, and she gets us past the toll on the way into the city. We cross onto the bridge, and she gives us a few silver pieces to purchase a map of Fjanhort. She explains that she can usually be found in the guard tower, otherwise that we should look for Lieutenant Kreese if she is not available. She quickly crosses the bridge and disappears into the crowd. The bridge is lined with artisan shops, and we find a cartographer’s stall to purchase the map. We also decided to visit a tailor (named Tanner) to buy some more weather-appropriate garb. I purchased a lighter white linen shirt to replace my woolen one, and we headed to Garmili’s acquaintance’s (Edith) house to seek shelter.
 
On the way through the city, it was apparent that they were setting up some sort of festival. However, there didn’t seem to be any theme to the decorations, so it was hard to determine what the festival was for. We did discover that it was to be held tomorrow. Edith’s house is in the Old Keep, and when we entered that section of the city we were almost immediately greeted with a statue of Matteus Darsun. It was a swift reminder that we are still not out of precarity. Edith’s house is a multi-leveled defensive tower near the mountain face converted into a home, and upon knocking we are greeted by a lanky, red-headed halfling. He has a freckled, young face and is wearing a pink apron and chef’s hat. The halfling introduces himself as Charlie Parsley, Edith’s nephew, and quickly retreats back into the home to check on his souffle. We follow him in, and the interior is packed with trinkets, old furniture, and portraits. Garmili explains that he has a system of high-interest loans that Edith owes to, which he believes gives him access to her home for our stay.
 
On the second level of the house, we find Charlie in a massive kitchen. In fact, it is so large that the whole floor is used to accommodate it. Charlie has several dishes mid-preparation, and explains to us that he is staying with Edith to complete his chef’s apprenticeship. He serves us lunch, and begins to explain the peculiar circumstances that the citizens of Fjanhort currently find themselves in.
 
Charlie explains that he arrived nearly a week ago, when the festival was announced. It indeed has no theme, and it is not part of an established tradition. No one is sure as to the reason behind it, but his next piece of information may shed some light into the situation. Three days ago, Edith left to deliver baked goods to the union and visit her favorite spot in the park in the southern part of the city. She did not return home. Edith is the latest in a series of disappearances totaling to twelve people. Supposedly, posters advertising rewards for missing people began being put up two weeks ago, however they are often taken down after a few days. The citizens are being discouraged from speaking about the disappearances or asking questions to the authorities to avoid panic, and instead are being encouraged to focus on the upcoming festival. This is a clear governmental coverup! Lady Ascella often encountered local governments employing the “bread and circus” approach to distract from a scandal, and I’m willing to bet this is no different.
 
We begin questioning Charlie, and he explains that aside from the foundry union and the park, Edith was often found in the Bellflower Taproom. She had no known enemies, and Charlie was not familiar with the other missing people aside from the fact that some children went missing from the local theater class (also taught by Hector, the barkeep of the Bellflower Taproom… highly suspicious). We decide to head to the Bellflower to investigate, leaving behind Garmili who had already fallen asleep on the floor.
 
We exited the Old Keep and made our way to the South Plaza, where we found the Bellflower Taproom, Chateau Toulouse (the restaurant in which Charlie is having his classes) and the Playroom. Entering the Bellflower, we are met with two large, muscular bartenders behind the bar. They introduce themselves as Lito and Hector, and we take Hector to the side to question him about the disappearances. He explains that the first student to disappear was Daisy who went missing a week ago, followed by Laurel, who went missing 4 days ago. Laurel’s family lives in Cliffside Boulevard, one of the wealthier districts in Fjanhort, and are offering 100 gold pieces for her return. Daisy, however, is from Hillside Hearths, effectively the ghetto of the city as far as I understand. Therefore, they have nothing in common aside from being young girls in this theater class. Hector seems friendly enough, but he is still on my list of suspects… I do however need more information about the disappearances to figure out the common thread between the victims.
 
We also asked him about the festival, but he too did not know anything, and suggested we talk to the priests organizing it instead. Meanwhile, Atlas and Charlie walk over to another booth where an angry looking half-elf is sitting (Sasha or something). He says something about wanting to get revenge on his brother by becoming the best chef and wanting to humiliate Charlie in the festival tomorrow, but I will admit I was not paying much attention, as it did not seem relevant to the case. Instead, my eye was quickly drawn to another booth, containing an interesting collection of characters. The party consisted of a lanky human guy with tattered clothes and an eyepatch that was clearly trying to get our attention, a massive shirtless Goliath whose size made even Atlas blush, and a small goblin wearing a disturbing human mask. The tavern began to fill up as more patrons entered, and the guy continued signalled at us. Key did not recognise the signal, so either he was using a very specific dialect of thieve’s cant or he did not know what he was doing.
 
 
I figured it was worth investigating, since they may have pertinent information. I approached, followed by Key and Percy, and asked if they knew anything about the disappearances. The guy with the eye patch tipped his old fedora and introduced himself as the Drizz, the goliath as Robert and the poorly disguised goblin as Knaarft, together forming the Opossum Crew. The Drizz said he did indeed have pertinent information, and that we should meet at their headquarters tomorrow for more privacy, as he did not want to attract attention. I thought that was extremely smart and showed remarkable foresight, which are important characteristics in any detective. He also seemed very street smart, and perhaps even battle-worn if the eyepatch were to indicate anything. Our introductions were cut short unfortunately when Knaarft said they were a goblin, panicked, and threw a smoke bomb while running away. I wonder if he truly believes anyone actually thinks he is not a goblin… although, Caspian seemed convinced enough.
 
The Drizz explained that he lives in the same street as Daisy, and that the authorities are not looking into her disappearance as much as they should. This is another great insight, I am sure we have found a valuable ally in this investigation. He also corroborated my theory that this festival was highly suspicious! Great minds truly do think alike. He asked me if I played any Dragon Chess, and before I could reply Caspian interjected and challenged him to a match for the right to pick a new nickname for him. I did not understand Caspian’s impulse, I think it is a pretty unique name for a… unique guy. Fortunately and not surprisingly Caspian lost, and dejectedly decided to drown his sorrows in ale with Percy and Atlas. I was able to reply to the Drizz that I had just started learning how to play, and he challenged me to a match. His wit and charm are unfortunately not at the same level as his Dragon Chess strategy, however. I made quick work of his King within three moves. He seemed impressed at my prowess, and I offered to teach him some moves.
 
Robert soon left to drink with Caspian and Percy, followed by Key, leaving us alone at the booth. I was able to get through some of the strategies Caspian had fumbled his way through explaining to me, and some of the strategies I developed on my own. The Drizz was attentive and complimented me on my intelligence and my goggles. I can’t believe that we were able to find such a valuable informant for the case, especially one who is charming and has really nice freckles and can appreciate a person’s intelligence. Charlie eventually joined us in the booth to learn about Dragon Chess as well, and as much as I am happy to educate him I was a bit disappointed since me and the Drizz were getting along so well. Judging from his scowl when Charlie sat in our booth, I believe he was thinking a similar thing.
 
Poor Key was stuck babysitting Stinky throughout the evening as Percy, Caspian and Atlas got incredibly drunk. They told me later that Robert said the Drizz’s name was Melvin, which I think is also an adorable name. Percy also teased me about flirting with the Drizz when CLEARLY I was just trying to further the investigation!! I’m sure this was just Percy’s drunk ramblings.
 
We make our way back to Edith’s house around midnight, and head to the third floor (which is completely covered in bunk beds? the interior decor of this house is beyond bizarre). We also manage to extract a singular piece of relevant information from Stinky- he is from Cardyl. I guess whenever we are done with this Darsun mess we should make our way down there to return Stinky to whatever hellhole he came from.
Tomorrow we will investigate more. I believe we should look into the park, the foundry union, the bulletin board, and of course pay a visit to the Drizz. We should also check out the festival to see if we can decipher why exactly the mayor is choosing to obscure the disappearances. I can barely contain my excitement to unravel this mystery, and I believe there are already a few threads that are beginning to unravel. The question still remains, what do the victims have in common? And what is the mayor trying so hard to hide? It does not escape me that we are still within Darsun rule, and we have seen they are not above kidnapping and robbing corpses for his morbid experiments. However, the previous victims have been exclusively tieflings, so what could they want from a random assortment of largely human villagers? I have no doubt that tomorrow will surely bring more answers, and probably more questions too.