Episode 35: the Beach Episode

General Summary

Quest Log	fin	What is up with that?	fin
House party at the Beacon		Head in a jar
Find the Pathfinder		House Nightbringer is... stuck?
Investigate the Atlas of Kings		Frozen 3: Queen Mab's reign
Find your boat (near the Spire)		Prazis is "lost in the Temerant
Deliver Dawnfire		Who was elias talking to?
		Project Lazarus

Clocks

Event	Segments
House Nightbringer does... something	4 of 8
Ship Prime repair (days)	46 of 113
Vanderlith's airship proficiency (weeks)	6 of 7
Pharos' armor (weeks)	5 of 6
Olette's calligraphy proficiency (weeks)
Olette's card proficiency (weeks)	2 of 3
Valan's card expertise (weeks)	1 of 100
Valan's smithing proficiency (weeks)	3 of 10
Sunstrider upgrades

Recap

Remodeling the Bungalo

The Flamebringers met with a team of architects, interior designers, and stonemasons to reinvent the Hesse Estate as the Flamebringer Bungalo. Quinn Serpentwind, Fabian, and Skullbreaker were a delightful team that helped them through the de-Hesse-ification of their new home. This is the updated layout of their home:
1, Grand Entry
2, Meeting room
3, Entryway now has a giant floating globule of water that can sustain exotic fish
4 North, Forge
4 South, Callisto and Jules' rooms
5 North, a greenhouse
5 South, a giant tree with treehouse
6, Meeting room
7, Sauna
8, Bath
9, Kitchen with wine pit hidden beneath main oven
11 West, Valan's room
11 Northwest, Tyra's room
11 Northeast, Olette's room
12, A big training room with a wood golem, an armory to the north and treasury to the south
13, Servants' quarters, should they ever need them
14, Laundry and storage
15, Servants' quarters part two
16, Pharos' nest

Downtime

Splitting up for some downtime, the crew agreed to meet back at the Drunken Monkey, a quiet bar in suburban Dur Bolduhr, in one month's time, when the upgrades to the Sunstrider and the de-Hesse-ification process would be done.
Tyra

• Spent two weeks pit fighting, at the beginning and end of downtime, as Luna
• Brushed up against Gorrivan once more, intimidating his companion after he tried to cheat
• Lost a match to Ulric, Warden of the Wood, who was a good sport and invited to show them the pit fighting rings in the Red Wood
• Spent the intervening two weeks doing research into Eamonn McGregor and where he may have absconded to with their ship
• Learned that Eamonn is a legend among pirates, boasting more trips past the Ghost Line than any other, though he once sailed into the Chasm surrounding Arcanus and when he returned was reportedly never the same
• Followed a trail of sightings of "The Wavedrinker" to the Spire

Olette

• Finishing her calligraphy proficiency, Olette used her time to start working on a card playing proficiency as well

Valan

• Spent the first week searching for magic items, found a mysterious hooded figure peddling many wares, including a scroll of wish
• The rest of his time was spent working in one of the smithies, helping create much-needed materials to repair the town and in the process learning a little bit about the craft

Vandal

• A̵͇̙̺̐Ȉ̴͕̣̭͈̊̕R̴̝̒ͅS̵̤̜̖̤̍̄̓͘͘H̶̢̥̝̻̿́̌̌̽Ỉ̸̦̩͇Ṗ̴̨͎̮̿̈́͝͠S̶̲̰͖͎̼̅̆̍͝

Pharos

• First week was spent commisioning his Armor of the White Wyrm
• Remaining time was spent researching his blade and the mysterious aarakocra who gave it to him
• He learned that she was of the High Aerie, a sect of Monarch worshipers dwelling in Kyrr, the floating city that travels the continent. Members of the High Aerie are amongst the most respected of the Monarch's clergy, and maintain a high level of Prophets blessed with the gifts of foresight
• He also dug deeper into the lore of Kyrr, uncovering some of its darker past. It was once the capital of the Fulminarian Empire, in the time of Elaria Valoric and her Stand of Storms, but during the Battle of Concord Dawn, the Monarch raised the city and razed the land around it, turning the verdant trees that once surrounded the opulent city to the obsidian sands of the Black Desert that stands there today

Jules

• Tinkered and made a magic item for Tyra; Boots of the Wandering Path

Callisto

• Spent the first week cheering for Tyra in their pit fights
• Went up to Sirenwall to check in on things with the Tenebric Vanguard
• Synod says hello to Valan, he's keeping a bed open for him at the keep
• Callisto told him about Charles, said he was sorry to hear what happened
• Also said to keep an eye out for Aisha. She's out on a hunting trip and hasn't been back in a few months

The Drunken Monkey

At the end of the month, the Flamebringers reconvened in the Drunken Monkey, a quiet bar settled in one of the more residential neighborhoods of the city. It is a Saturday night and things are pretty lively in the bar; two bartenders serve drinks and dinner, three patrons are at the bar itself, while there are two full tables, each packed with three or four adventurer looking types line the walls. There is even a bard taking up position in a performance space.
The tavern itself is large, yet very homey. Made from reddish cedarwood with stained oaktop finishings, a fire burns on a cobblesone hearth, drawing a rich wooded smell from the cedar beams themselves, seasoned by the drying herbs on racks throughout the space. From a door behind the bar wafted the mouth-watering scents of rich roasted meats and savory breads.
It is a split level, with the long bar looping around the corner to serve both the flat open entrance space filled with standing tables and a raised dining space to the left. A large, panoramic window gives diners an incredible view of the city while they await food. Floral garnishes decorate the walls and fill latticed overhangs above each booth. Above the bar, there is the mounted head of some sort of one eyed horned beast.
The bard began to sing as Mr. Knax, an associate of Beedle Darebin, entered. The party was able to exchange their magic items and finally, canonically, draw from the Deck of Many More Things. Callisto opened up to the group, said he would like to stay with them but would understand if they didn't want him to. They did.

Talkin' Shop

While the Flamebringers just wanted a relaxing evening to catch up with their friends and relax, the bar patrons had other plans. Funneling them free drinks all night, the other patrons, even the bar tenders, began to ask strange questions of the group. Here are some of the highlights:

• "Did you kill the archduke? Genuinely, thanks for that"
• "Why did you do it? What was it like to kill someone a hairs breadth from divinity?"
• Asked questions that showed that they had been following your journey for a while now, be it as a first person witness or as a reader of the Darklight Times.
• Called out that toppling corrupt governments seems to be your thing; once is an anomaly, twice is a coincidence, but three times is a pattern
• Asked if they ever felt like they were guided by a divine hand
• And if they did, would they lean into that guidance
• Introduced them to the Lazarus Project
• An old project of the Pathfinders' that caused a big stir in the adventuring community when it went down
• That is what Praxis was working on when he went missing
• It was a weapon or power that could kill a god
• Suggested they look into it. But they'd have to find a Pathfinder for that, and those are hard to come by
• They're either constantly on the move or sitting around collecting dust. No in between
• They rounded out the conversation by saying "Listen to us has-been old folk rattle on about old war conspiracies. That's all in the past, you came here to drink and be merry. Please, take this, on the house for indulging us retired adventurers"
• One of the bartenders proceeded to produce a karaffe of luminous blue liquid and poured a shot of it for everyone. It sort of shimmer swith an uncanny depth looking down into the glass. Taking the shot, it's hard to describe. For a moment, it is dizzying, as if you are everything, everywhere, all at once. You slip through time and space and see the colors between Harmonic Spheres, the harmony that came before Mortals. Then, as quickly as it began, you are pulled back down and retethered to your Mortal form with the slight taste of lemons lingering on your tongue.

Leaving the bar, Olette and Pharos noticed the sign change, away from the Drunken Monkey to an establishement called Fenwick's.

The Blade that was Broken

To round out the session, Grand Forgemaster Doromir bestowed upon them the great blade Dawnfire, reforged with kintsugi style black cracks of adamantine running up and down its blade, now secured to the handle. Doromir, Galahad, Mordred, Morgana, and Percival each had gifts for the party members, as a thank you for saving the city.

Rewards Granted

• For Olette, from Percival, a Wolf Sage's Signet, to aid her in her... travels
• For Pharos, an Amulet of the Devout, +2. Crafted by Morgana, it takes the form of a circlet that rests upon the wearer's head so that the golden disc is at the center of their forehead - or crest, in Pharos' case
• For Tyra, Galahad gifts them a brass Horn of Valhalla, so that if they are ever caught with danger close, they might call defenders from the beyond to their aid
• For Valan, a deck of wild cards, gifted to him by Mordred, so he can take what he's learned on the road with him. Mordred is happy to help him learn
• For Vanderlith, Doromir gifts him a Nine Lives Stealer, forged from a terrible claw of the great wyrm Fjell, the elder dragon who once made war with the dwarven people

Character(s) interacted with

The Bartenders

Sam: Standing just under 6 feet tall, blue eyes with flecks of a deeper blueish and gold between. He's got a bit of stubble going on that matches salt and pepper hair. He's wearing a very classic black slacks and matching vest over a white, flowy shirt with the sleeves rolled up to the elbows, kept in place by those bartender bands, revealing worn skin, full of little lines and scars, marred on the left side by a latticework of more intense scarring as if from lightning.

Jov: A stunning looking gentleman, completely white hair and warm hazel eyes, trim beard with a curled mustache. He has black pinstripe pants and a bowler hat, but other than that his uniform matches his partners. He has similar scars as well, crisscrossing his arms. The telltale signs of a former adventurer.

The Patrons

First at the bar, a half-elf paladin in plainclothes sits, drinking a glass of wine that could knock all but an elf out for a week. They are dressed in exquisite golden silks that complement their flaxen hair that is tied back in a elvish warrior's knot. A simple sword sheath sits at their side, and peaking out from under their v-laced shirt collar is what looks to be a burn mark

Ren: Deep into what appears to be his fourth or fifth glass of wine, judging by the small pyramid of glasses in front of him and the ruddy blush to his cheeks, this dark elf in black leather pants and a blood-red tunic is all over his paladin travelling companion. Constantly talking about how "We never go out like this anymore" and how his companion needs to "Drink faster, I want to dance!" and leaning into an awkward hug his friend is graciously trying to ignore. The elf is using this opportunity to try to pick the paladin's pocket, but to no avail. However, you can see that this is a cleverly veiled means to mask the fact that he is braiding the paladins hair that falls outside the warrior's knot.

A wizarding type in blue robes with silvery lining that shimmers in multiple colors who watches his other two companions banter with a knowing smirk, glancing down at a book set on the bar every now and then. However, the knowing looks are built on foundations of sand, as he himself has at least a half dozen partial braids in his platinum blond hair.

The Table

A jovial-looking human with two locks of greying hair in the front of her otherwise radiant head of red hair and a face that boasts many laugh lines, fills her crowsfeet with another gale of laughter that causes her to spill her beer across her leather armor. She pulls around her midnight blue half cloak around to wipe it off and goes back to the drinking game she is playing with her companions

Kivci: the source of her companions laughter, this dark elf's spiky white hair bounces as they jump up from the table and loudly begin to accuse her third friend of cheating at the drinking game. They are trying to swing small hoops, each tied to a string, onto a hook attached to the central pillar. Each time one side lands a hoop, they move a shot of blue liquid closer to the other's end zone. She is clearly losing. However, she is accusing her friend of using druidcraft to affect the central pole to make it harder for her to land her shots.

Dark Presence: Just sort of looming at the back of the table. Hard to spot, but once you see it it's hard to ignore

A small gnome with a greenish tint to his skin, this adventurer wears leafy armor that complements his natural hue. The foliage around him seems to lean in and bask in his presence, marking him clearly as a druid. And he is totally cheating at this game. Not even hiding it

The Booth

In a blue green robe, an elf pulls her hood closer to her face as she stands to scold one of her companions, apparently he has been too reckless as of late, and they "can't have a repeat of that event in Kyrrix"

Gloomy, in dark clothing, sulking in the corner, a half-elf grumbly listens to the beratement, focused more on his beer than his companion's words. He grumbles something into his beer about how "He learned everything from her, so he's just following her example"

Equally gloomy as the other companion, starring out from beneath locks of shaggy hair, the wizards casts a look with his eldritch green eyes that could wither every field of the Aurelian Steppes towards the sulking half elf, which immediately causes him to sit up, seal his lips, and to listen more intently to their first companion. This earns him a grateful nod from the green-robed elf, before she continues scolding their grumpy half-elf.

The Bard

Hel: She is singing with elegance and skill. She is in a bardic outfit of deep purples, magentas, and blues. Her head sways as she dances to the melody of her songs, close-cropped white hair bristelling, high elven ears twitching as her voice reverberates through the space.Inspiring as the melodies swell within the room, resonating with connection to the Call

Notes

Campaign

The Silent Soliloquy

Protagonists

Valan Sildurflame

Charles Aurus-Valoric

Tyra Dawnbreaker

()

8 / 8 HP

STR

DEX

CON

INT

WIS

CHA

Olette Etienne

Pharos

Report Date

08 Dec 2023

Primary Location

The Hollow Mountain

Secondary Location

The Bungalo

Related Characters

• Callisto
• Charles Aurus-Valoric
• Galahad
• Grand Forgemaster Doromir
• Jules
• Olette Etienne
• Pharos
• Tyra Dawnbreaker
• Valan Sildurflame