Session notes 15-3-2020

10th of Istrith
 
As we wait for an assignment from Lieutenant Olden -or the chance to go and fight in a pit- we all take a day for ourselves in Apelés. I make my way back to Lady Anrath's Arsenal for another spell scroll. I had once read about it and thought, if someone has it, it would be Anrath. With all the items she has for sale it must be there somewhere. So I made my way there this morning and asked her about it. I kept my visit short, we talked a bit on how I got started with ritual casting. She advised me to avoid buying the cheapest components for these castings, as there less in quality can be unpleasant to work with and be less powerful in use. I, therefore, bought some incense, and charcoal from her, to ensure I had everything to get started when I got back at the tavern.
I took the rest of the morning and afternoon to copy the text into my grimoire with the fancy inks that Ferrum had bought for me when we were in Baferton.
 
Casting the spell was interesting, it was strange to see a creature appear in front of me. The little fellow is a small owl and it was really great to watch through its eyes when it was flying. The city looks so beautiful from above, you can see the shoreline and the forest and the castle that is so much larger than I had expected. It was quite a sight to see! I still have to think of a name for him...
 
That evening we gather in the tavern to eat together and everyone tells about their days.
 
Thalmiir went to Morradins temple that is in the Guild District. He told us it was a beautiful temple, quite large and decorated with tapestries and all. He spent his time praying there before heading to a forge to help out and to refresh his skills a bit after the three weeks on the road. I think its good for him to have his mind on something completely else after these few weeks.
 
Ferrum and William went to the Artisans District, looking for a tinkerer. Turns out they were not very lucky. However, they did find a smaller library and found some interesting books which they have started to copy. Ferrum enthusiastically tells us about the axe-wielding techniques he read about and how he wants to try them tomorrow if possible. William was a bit more contemplative this evening but he showed us some copies from a book on light-crossbows and how to use them.
 
Liya goes to the university, like Ferrum and William, she is looking for knowledge. Liya will have to return tomorrow to talk to a man called Theodore Mckinney, a teacher of the history of magic? Afterwards, she spent some time with the silver rapier she got from Kulragh, just to get a feeling for fighting with the shield and new weapon. Curious, I did not know what Liya's university visit was about, but after dinner, she told us that she is looking for information on concentration crystals. Thalmiir immediately calls the Keepers to ask about these kinds of artefacts. He relays that there are very little if none left in the world, as they were almost all destroyed during the same event 'Old' Apelés fell. (possibly because it was held up by one of those crystals Liya cleverly noted)
Anyways, but they are seldom found and there is none in the care of the Keepers at the moment. After this short history lesson, we turn our attention back to Liya. Why does she need these crystals? With a new beer on the table, she tells us about the place she comes from: Sarton. The city is built upon an active volcano, and the mages -that founded the university that we are so intrigued by here in Apelés- are keeping it under control using their magic. A concentration crystal would, therefore, be very useful for them, as they would not have to keep their focus on the castings of their spells to keep the city safe. What did not completely clear during this conversation was why exactly they sent Liya to do this for them, or why she kept saying her trip was to sell her families ale.
I remember she said something along the lines of 'So that my family can keep doing what they do'. Sounds cryptical, it's an equivocal statement.. does she simply mean that with this Sarton will stay safe from the volcanoes rage, or is she talking about her family specifically? I surely hope that she is not being blackmailed or something. Well, maybe I am thinking about it too much. Anyhow, it is nice to know what she is on the road for and that she decided to trust us with this!
 
Oh, I almost forgot! I showed my new tiny owl companion to my friends and together we thought of the name Mina (or Mhynaeh, for it to match the difficulty of the spelling of my name! -nice joke Thalmiir-) But Mina it is, I hope she is here to stay.
 
 
11th of Istrith
 
I woke up today from a somewhat distressed message from Thalmiir... it really sounded like he had had a very rough night. - I now know what it feels like when someone suddenly speaks in your head, I can see why some may find it unsettling.-
 
During breakfast, Thalmiir explains what his message was about: He had a really bad dream, and frankly, he did look quite tired. His dream was a strange vision of him floating over the world and looking down at the planet. Sounds somewhat peaceful, until he starts talking about how the planet starts exploding and breaking off into different pieces, after which the stars start going out one by one. When all was dark, he woke up. Sending the message was the first response to check if the world was okay. Somewhat flattering that he chose to send me a message, but the reason is a bit unnerving. We suspect it was the amount of alcohol we had the evening before and agree to take it a little easier tonight.
 
Our conversation is interrupted by Burga delivering a letter to Thalmiir from lieutenant Barry Olden. As she gives him the letter, Ferrum leans over and inquires about the fight that is supposed to happen tonight, and who he needs to contact later today. She quietly explains that there will be a man here after sunset who she will point him to if he is here. A few meaningful nods later and Burga returns to her work.
 
The letter from the lieutenant simply states that we should report ourselves at the recruitment centre today for a task.
Excitedly we make our way towards the recruitment centre, where we learn that our task is to recruit Stuard Dunn. Dunn is a retired lieutenant who was a masterful tactician, who the army want back for the current fight in Sarton. He has, until now, ignored all letters and messages sent to him so now we must approach him personally. He lives in the Outer Castle Ward in a small house. Thalmiir is handed a note with the exact address written on it, which he hands to his co-corporal William, to guide us the way. Before we go, we are all given an insignia, a simple silver badge with a symbol of a shield with two crossed swords behind it, as a sign that we are part of the military.
 
The Castle Ward is a relatively fancy place in Apelés, we make our way there and quickly spot an elderly dwarf in the garden of the address that William guided us to. The man is walking around with a book in his hands and collecting leaves to press them between the pages. As he sees us approach, he immediately knows what we are here for and he is not having it.
 
After a somewhat tough conversation, we learn that Stuard might reconsider returning if lieutenant Olden himself for once came and ask him to return to his post. Additionally, he would like to live closer to the park (The Tranquil Gardens) in the west of the city. Thalmiir relays this to lieutenant Olden. He will try and pull some strings to get this sorted out.
 
Without much more conversation with Stuard, Thalmiir promptly starts a conversation with the neighbours of Stuard: Betsy and Tyran Simmins. It would have been nice if we had known the idea behind this endeavour, but more about that later. This lovely elderly couple was more than happy to tell us about, well yeah anything really. They were very open and offered us tea and stories. Some useful things they told about Stuard, were that he goes for long walks towards the Gardens in the west, that he has served the military for many years and that he has been retired for almost 70 years now. Honestly, I can sort of understand Stuard for not wanting to return, but I can also see why he might be a powerful asset to the military.
We thank the Simmins for their warm welcome, and make our separate ways for the afternoon, in the hope to cover more ground.
 
Liya still has to return to the university to talk to one of the professors she has scheduled a meeting with.
William and Ferrum suggest they go to the Western park to see if there may be any suitable houses available for Stuard.
Finally, our trusted corporal Thalmiir tells us that he wants to find out if Stuard has any comrades left, and thus plans to go towards the archive.
 
I join Thalmiir in a search for some more info on Stuard and who he served with during his time. We hope to find some old friends that may help convince him to return. During our walk there, I have a conversation with Thalmiir about his new position as corporal, about how his communication is concerning that position, but also about his strange dream, and how he is feeling about it. Overall a hearty conversation during a somewhat long walk.
As we finally arrive at the archive, we find ourselves in a large building. There are several rows of people waiting in front of some desks behind which some clerk is sitting. A short wait, some explaining and a show of our brand-new insignia later, we are given the following information:
Comrades of Lieutenant Steward Dunn: Masha, Angie, Alexander and Leonard. The lady behind the desk looks in the files for us and advises us to go to Alexander, an elderly half-elf who lives in the Southern Ward. And thus, we made our way there.
 
A short stop is made at Barry Olden at the recruitment centre to relay the information we gathered to him. He tells us he is currently working on getting some info on possible housing in the west of the city. It was a short meeting.
 
A few more miles and some even sorer calves later, we arrive at the address provided to us in the archive: Alexanders address.
 
Alexander is an affable man. As we are explaining the situation at hand, he invites us inside his small house. The house is in size quite similar to that of Stuard, possibly these are houses provide to them as a 'thank you' for their service?
This assumption is proven right during our conversation with him. His words: "You get a small place for yourself and are then quickly forgotten".
 
Over an hour or two, Alexander tells us about his past, his injury - he is missing a leg- and what his relationship with Stuard was like. During the first item on that list, we walked past his wall with a beautiful silver saber hanging from it, along with a large collection of medals and insignias. Alexander apparently quickly worked his way up in the army ranks, as we spot an emblem signifying a Lieutenant. He has stopped visiting Stuard due to the second item, his leg simply does not allow the long trip anymore. They were never close, but sharing the stories from the past formed a bond between the two.
We learn that Stuard has always been a bit of a loner, never telling too much about himself to others. He also has no direct family, and he joined the army after his parents died relatively young. Up until this point, the conversation had been quite light-hearted. Alexander is open about his life and what he knows of Stuard and he freely asks us some questions about what we do and how we got this job and such. However, when we ask about any important events that might be useful to know when approaching Stuard again, Alexanders face becomes grimmer. He explains that, as a lieutenant, you have a lot of men 'under' you. Stuard was responsible for a lot of people during several fights. One of those was near Asyut, during a rebellion between the different social classes. It was not a fair or just fight, but the army was used to simply 'erase' the poor. This caused a lot of (moral) conflict among the army members and Stuard, who was responsible for them. The weight of the lives taken, and lives lost still weighs heavy on him and we see that Alexander is also not unphased by this story. After carefully returning the conversation to a bit of small talk, we thank Alexander for his time and stories.
 
Tired, both mentally and physically, we make our way back to the Crossed Candles.
 
At the Crossed Candles we are immediately greeted by our fellow party members.
 
Their afternoons were filled with conversations as well. Liya spoke to professor Mckinney, Ferrum and William to Sharon the estate agent and Erky talked to a group of students about their exams.
 
Liya has a lot of papers with her, full of notes. She tells us that the man was so passionate about the subject and that he just kept going after she asked him about the concentration crystals. I have not thoroughly read her notes, but she told us that there are three theories on how to create concentration crystals. They are: Creating one using a long, long list of ingredients, finding one and reenchanting it, or finally the myth surrounding the elder elementals and how their hearts would together be a very strong spell focus which could function as a concentration crystal like no other. Liya looked like she was still taking in all the info she got that afternoon and askes William and Ferrum if they had any luck finding a house near the park.
 
They did find an estate agent, a human lady called Sharon. They have to get back tomorrow, but there is probably a house available approximately a 30-minute walk away from the park. Not ideal, but a lot closer compared to where Stuard is living now. Hopefully, Sharon can find some more houses that fit the criteria William and Ferrum set. (Elderly person, relatively small, preferably a garden and finally, the same price as the army normally pays for housing for retired employees) We can only wait.
Shortly after we have finished ordering our dinner, Burga and an unknown man approach Ferrum. The somewhat small man simply asks Ferrum, "So you are the guy who wants to fight?". The answer is "Yes". The man introduces himself as Jonny. He talks fast and explains the rules and options for the fight tonight. It is quite clear, you can fight with or without weapons, but magic is never allowed. Ferrum decides to go for a round with axes and swords involved, whereas William would like to try a fist-only fight. We finish our dinner and follow Jonny to a small house close to the edge of the city, we walk right around towards the barn behind it, where we already here a lot of voices talking excitedly.
 
Inside the barn, it is warm and humid. It is busy, and there is some kind of energetic vibe to the place. Bad beer is being sold for a copper piece a pint and bets can be placed on the fights.
 
Ferrum is up first, against "Dikke" (it means "Fatty" in common). This man is a bulk of muscle. He doesn't wear any armour other than a few leather straps over his torso and some studded pants. He does have a metal helmet and looks quite strong. However, we are betting on Ferrum to kick his ass! Naturally, we are actually betting on him. Sjaak the gambler was more than happy to take our money. I always learned that it is unwise to place bets, but even Thalmiir was doing it! He is the wisest among us, and he was right because, in the end, we won!
The fight was intense, they seemed quite matched in strength at first. Ferrum shocked his opponent and the audience when he pulled and threw the shield from his hands. But. it got really scary when Ferrum had dropped his fancy new great axe and his opponent picked it up and wielded it like it was made for him specifically, hitting Ferrum back very hard. But, in the end, our friend prevailed! It was a glorious fight and a lot of sportsmanship was shown afterwards.
 
Next up was William. In his full armour, he stood against a man with protection similar to mine. Again, bets are placed, and the fight begins. The hits and blows that were given by both William and his opponent were strong. For a short moment, it looked like William was going to collapse after a few sharp hits to the ribs. However, he recovered and with two solid touches to the stomach and chin, he won! Again, some healing was done and respects were given by both fighters, very courteous.
.
 
Jonny seemed impressed with us after these fights (I say 'us' but it is really William and Ferrum he was interested in) and asked us if we might return for another round someday? And well, yes, probably we will return, if new items or fancy belts need testing or if the boredom strikes. (I doubt that the latter will happen anytime soon because there is still so much to see here) We thank Jonny for the evening, and Sjaak for the betting and make our way out of the barn.
 
With some new cash on hands, we slowly walk back to the tavern to have a proper glass of ale. Thalmiir turns in early, hoping to catch up some sleep from last night. The rest of us stick around for Ferrum to give us a round. We toast on ourselves and then make our way to bed, where I decided to write all this down before actually going to sleep.