Session 25 - 27: The Very Long Day

After recovering from my bout of madness we made our way to the inn where we will be staying. Upon our arrival we found out that there was a literal mountain of paperwork that Tarryn would need to do in order for us to pass through this accursed town. Since we would be required to stay in town for a few days we were hired to deal with a local issue. According to one Sergeant Clint the criminal known as Feldspar Merlin caused an explosion in one of the monster districts slaying dozens of individuals. We were tasked with tracking down those responsible for what happened. In fact we would even be payed extra if we determined that Feldspar wasn't the one responsible.
 
Of course, we also found out that because its believed that foreign agents were responsible for the attack we would be unable to pass through as planned until the matter was resolved. Also, while I had hoped to avoid the illithid in charge of this hellhole it seems that meeting him will be inevitable. As a matter of "protocol" he will be probing our minds for answers to the following questions.
 
1. Do you know anything about the attack on Little Graywall?
2. Do you intend any actions that will harm Droaam, Graywall, The Daughters of Sora Kell, or The Great Crag?
 
great, just great. I will need to see if my plans can be carried out in a way that will not bring harm to the factions mentioned. It seems unlikely, but I will have to ponder this. Perhaps a solution will present its self. This was communicated to us during a meeting with one of the illithid's thralls, one Hurda the medusa.
 
So, then we began to apply our skills (with the assistance of a local) at locating those responsible for what happened. Celosia did a bit of clever divination while Toox spoke with some of the locals. Following the leads we had gathered, the only thing of note is that I was able to lay my hands on a dagger that magically poisons those it wounds. I don't know how useful it will be in combat but it is a curious item that warrants additional study.
 
We finally determined the time and place where we would gain the most information on those responsible an inn called The Broken Sword. Returning to this place at midnight is apparently the best time. So we retired for the day and entered the place at the appointed time. Inside we discover Feldspar and his elven companion Ninarin. It seems the cunning bard had arranged things to get the local dock workers to be in conflict with a group called the purists. These purists were the ones responsible for the attack. Feldspar requested that we back him up in case his ineffable plan failed.
 
So, the plan went off with out a hitch and everyone died.... well except that this isn't what happened at all. Instead things went pear shaped pretty quick with both sides attacking feldspar as well as each other. So, we intervened and defended feldspar. Because we were favoring stealth at the time my undead friends were not with us. However, some recruits from Cyre were willing to lend their spirits to the fight, commandeering the bodies of the fallen and using them to fight our enemies. We managed to take some prisoners whom we turned them over to the local authorities. Feldspar was cleared of all charges and we headed back to the inn for some well deserved rest.... or at least that was the plan.
 
On our way back to the inn our group was attacked as we were crossing the bridge. Unfortunately, Silpheria was on my shoulder when the fireball hit. She didn't stand a chance. In addition to having to deal with two flying wizards, and a horde of armed thugs. There was also a hired wand, one known as Arges. He's a rather renowned wandslinger in Sharn. I knew my activities would likely one day lead to a confrontation involving him, or someone like him. But this is kind of ridiculous my plans are still seeds that have not even grown yet, much less have they born fruit. Thankfully, our group was skilled enough to slay both wizards and force Arges into retreat.
 
Over all the fight went in our favor. A most curious exchange occurred during this fight though. A man in a dark hood slayed one of our adversaries. Then in desperation one of the enemies attempted to hold the man hostage. Anyone willing to risk their life for my wellbeing deserves to be saved if I have the ability to do so. So, I struck the enemy down before he could cause harm to the man. The curious part happened later. It seems that an intimate relationship of some sort exists between the man and feldspar as the two exchanged an embrace and a kiss. It's quite enlightening to learn that Feldspar prefers males. I suppose this explains why his relationship with Ninarin seems to be so professional. It also makes me believe that the stories I hear about Fledspar seducing women are just that, stories.
 
It's probably also worth noting that Simon and Tarryn showed up at the end with the wagon. Their entrance would have been a welcome sight, had it occurred sooner. Unfortunately, by the time they showed up we pretty much had everything under control. It seems that the inn were my plants were staying came under attack and I appreciate that Simon went to such lengths to keep them safe, as well as my undead companions. He even brought me an additional plant as a gift. While he can be eccentric at times I hope that I'm able to continue to work with Simon. I'm not sure how he would feel about my plans but he only needs to know what he needs to know. I feel that I can trust him about as well as Toox, Celosia, and Ice. While I wouldn't trust my life to his combat skills, like a shrew he has proven he can be dangerous when cornered.
 
Once again we managed to take one of the ruffians hostage. It fell upon me to keep our hostage in the wagon where he would be unlikely to escape. It was at this point that the illithid himself showed up.
 
Now, it's worth noting that since learning about the meeting with the illthid I had considered different approaches and the one I had settled upon was to see if there was some way the illthid could become a patron. Stories say that he was trapped in some sort of stasis device. My plan does involve the preservation of life until it can be used to repopulate. Additionally, the cost of my research has been costly, having a patron could alleviate some of this cost, though I will probably have to make some sort of deal that involves not killing the illthid or his thralls. But that's a problem I can deal with later. Cleanse the world first, deal with the remnants afterward.
 
Anyway, I bring this up because what happened next was amazing. Xor'chylic, the illithid declared that the wagon and all of it's contents to be property of Droaam. In essence he is now my owner and IS my patron now, or at least he's set a precedent of being open to such an arrangement. At this point everyone is brought back to the inn which is a blaze. Xor'chylic ordered that no one leave. I did what I could using spells in order to keep people from fleeing the scene until the city guards were able to property secure everything. Then, very methodically, Xor'chylic probed each person there in order to determine their involvement. The innocent were released while the guilty faced immediate execution or worse. It... it was absolutely glorious. It never occurred to me that this was the way he operated and it makes SOOO much sense. I was giddy with excitement as he moved from person to person. This one was innocent, but the next one, maybe they're guilty?
 
I was wrong about this place. Xor'chylic already culls this place. Removing evil that has taken root and preserving the good. While the aesthetics of this place awaken something unpleasant inside of me, it's undeniable that this place is like a tiny sliver of what I hope to accomplish worldwide. I'm looking forward to meeting such a great individual as Xor'chylic. I don't know if he will approve of what I have planned, but as with Simon he only needs to know what he needs to know. I can explain to him that I only seek harm to those who are irredeemably evil. I wish no harm upon Xor'chylic, his town or his allies. Instead I want to work with him to preserve that which is good, while rooting out that which is evil and of course it would be helpful if he would help fund my research.
 
Oh yes, Tarryn. I might understand what Celosia sees in him. He asked if I needed anything and graciously agreed to bring me the materials I needed to re-summon Sil'pheria. Once re-summoned, I sent her off to stay with Tarryn and Celosia in case they needed anything or I needed to alert them to the status of our wagon or the prisoner. I look forward to seeing what Xor'chylic does with the prisoner. Maybe I'll get to see another execution. It's unfortunate I likely won't get to watch Xor'chylic feast upon his brain. I've heard stories that it's a thing Xor'chylic's race does but I've not yet seen it. It sounds fascinating.
 
The night seems to have passed fairly uneventfully, though Celosia did shoo Sil'pheria out of the room so she could mate with Tarryn. I understand such things are quite intimate and so I understand not wishing to have spectators to such a thing, so I promptly dismissed Sil'pheria to maintain privacy.