Meeting the Order

As Darien and Smithy rest in Port of Call, both are beset by dreams and memories. Darien finds himself floating underwater in a chaotic tempest, with flashes of fire and light above him. As he opens his mouth and salt water fills his lungs, there is a flash of white light and he is suddenly sitting across from Allera at a dining table. Allera states that she will have to leave for Rubendale for a few weeks, and Darien looks up to see her eyes are black and blood is pouring from a gash on her neck. Another flash of light brings Darien to a war council, in which he and Viniza Valenti are informed by Sofina Areni of the fall of Rubendale and the slaughter of his family. Another flash of light brings Darien to a temple of alabaster and gold, in which The Guardian appears before him as a luminous being of pure white light. The Guardian speaks openly, saying that there is something about Kesh that makes him stronger. He remembers pulling Darien out of the water of Alvoro Bay, but has only recently been able to communicate with him directly. The Guardian says that he himself is not sure exactly what is going on, but he feels like he is growing more powerful and aware of himself.
Meanwhile, Smithy recalls a memory of being worked on by his creator Ardevin. He adjusts some facets of Smithy's self-regulatory systems then begins another training sequence, in which Smithy fights off two earlier automaton models.
Around mid-morning, the two companions head over to Burton Weller's estate where they are seated in the library by Elariel. Weller's library is adorned with a number of trophies and keepsakes from his time as an adventurer in his youth; a stuffed owlbear head, a vampire's claw, an early prototype thunderlance. After a brief wait, Weller approaches from his laboratory and Darien feels a strange tingle down his spine as the door to it opens.
Darien and Smithy inform Weller of what they've learned from Darmir. He thanks them for the information, but says it doesn't add up as he heard the information was leaked to the criminal underground. Weller believes it's possible there are multiple leaks to multiple interested parties. He asks them to continue looking into things.
They elect to look into Kristofer Weltread, another of Weller's leads. That evening they make contact with the Order, following instructions given to them by Ciana. They are approached by a figure who orders them to blindfold themselves before taking them to the Order's secret sanctum in the city. There they speak to Weltread, telling him of their mission from Weller. Weltread says that never told anyone about the recipe, but he does keep a copy of everything in the archives as the Order is dedicated to the preservation of all forms of knowledge. Upon investigation, they find that the seal is broken on the scroll containing Weltread's recounting of the recipe. In talking to the archive caretaker, they find out the last one to access the archives was an initiate named Yorik Athalon.
Weltread realizes that Yorik betrayed the Order, and is panicked as Ciana was sent the day before alongside Yorik on a mission to the nearby island town of Hakeby. Weltread is very protective of Ciana, having helped raise her. The town is a day's sail away, but Darien and Smithy offer to use the Holy Diver's speed to make up the difference. They leave the sanctum, again blindfolded, returning to the cove outside of Kesh where they had stored the ship and setting sail.

Chapter Six

"Meeting the Order"

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Previous Chapter: Aggressive Negotiations

Next Chapter: Alas, Poor Yorik

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Ingame Date: 16^th of High Sun, 1855
Real-Life Date: May 1, 2022
Protagonists:

• Darien Lothar
• Smithy

Featured NPCs:

• Allera Gravais (in dream)
• Viniza Valenti (in dream)
• Ardevin dho Barzh (in dream)
• Burton Weller
• Kristofer Weltread

Locations:

• Kesh