Mysteries Abound

Visions in the Night

During the night, Smithy was beset by garbled memories as his brain attempted to reform itself. He remembered waking up on a large stone table, and seeing his creator, who told him that he was special. He also remembered several other automatons, though none at his same level of sentience. In his memory, he was bidden to perform a weapons test against the other automatons before being told that he was to be given a special mission... but the memory cut off before Smithy could hear what the mission was.
Meanwhile, Darien dreamed of riding a palamino stallion through a green pasture with gently rolling hills before being approached by his wife Allera. Soon, the dream changed to a stormy bay as he stood on the bow of a sailing ship. Lightning and fire crashed as the ship was struck by a ball of flame, plunging Darien into the waters below. As water entered his lungs, a hand made of light reached down and pulled him out of the water, and he awoke in a cold sweat.

Breakfast Meetings

In the early morning twilight, Darien headed downstairs to grab breakfast and found Ciana already waiting for him. She introduced herself as a member of the Order of the Doleful Aspect, and a fellow adherent of what she referred to as the Guardian. She asked Darien how he came to know the Guardian, as up to this moment she believed that she was the only one who knew of him.; Darien said that he has only started to see him recently, while he was in Kesh. Ciana said that the Guardian had been appearing to her in dreams since she was a child, but that he had never manifested himself to her before she arrived in Kesh either.
Together, the two attempted to call upon him, and after a few moments he appeared in the form of a tavern barhand. While he spoke in a cryptic manner, he revealed that there was some source of power somewhere in Kesh that was allowing him to manifest, although he was unclear himself as to what it was. Ciana soon left, saying that she would be out of town for a few days on a mission for the Order. Should he need to contact her, Darien was to approach the statue of the Dawnsword near the Punishing Pits and speak the phrase "Woe to the wicked."
By this time, Smithy had come downstairs to join Darien as the sun rose and the bar began to stir. A few minutes later a tall, reed-thin drow with a sharp nose and slicked back hair entered the bar, announcing loudly that they were looking for associates of Burton Weller. Upon noticing Darien and Smithy they introduced themself as Mr. Weller's steward Elariel. They said that Weller extends his apologies for his unavailability the day prior but had been dealing with some health problems; however they were invited to parlay with him later this afternoon.
Soon after Elariel's exit, the bar became abuzz with tensions. Having done some small research into Weller before entering his employ, Darien knew that the man was a controversial figure in town. While he was idolized by many for revitalizing Kesh, others viewed him as an outsider gentrifying the city and stamping out its culture. Meanwhile his many hundreds of workers revered him for the opportunities his industry brought, recently news had come out that operations would be scaled back and many were angered over the impending loss of their jobs. All of these tensions soon came to a head as one patron approached Darien, and asked him to give Weller a message from him, before spitting on his boot. Soon the bar erupted into an all-out brawl before being broken up by the arrival of the city's Peacekeepers led by Darmir Keenfist.

Burton Weller

After a brief discussion with the Peacekeepers, Darien and Smithy headed once again to the Weller estate. There they were allowed inside and after a few moments' wait were introduced to Burton Weller; an older, distinguished human man with greying hair and a well-kept goatee. The two explained what went down on Ternion Isle, and why Smithy was present while the three other adventurers Weller hired were not. Honoring the contract, Weller paid each Darien and Smithy 1000 golden crowns, as well as an additional 50 as an apology for Krug's inhospitality.
Weller proceeded to admit that the mission Darien was sent on was a bit of a ruse. He had no real interest in the shipwreck but needed a way to vet potential hires, and the quest seemed to fit his "eccentric reclusive" persona. He revealed that he had been an adventurer himself in his youth and was quite discerning in who he hired, but the pair's performance on the Boiling Island impressed him. He went on to explain why he really needed help. Two weeks ago he heard form a contact in the Alcaster underworld that someone was claiming to have the recipe for Weller's secret ebonwood sealant, and was attempting to sell it. Through a sting operation, Weller uncovered that the individual was not lying and was actually in possession of the secret, but was unable to find out where they got it from.
To that end, he needed highly skilled individuals to find where the leak came from. According to him, there were only three individuals other than himself and his immediate household who knew the secret three ingredients. Darmir Keenfist, the second-in-command of the city Peacekeepers, was responsible for procuring venom from the grung tribes living in the Techeryan Jungle. Rais Vedoma was the foreman of Wellerstown, responsible for supplying the mixture with ebonwood sawdust. Finally, Weller's former adventuring partner Kristofer Weltread had previously supplying Weller with troll blood until Weller discovered a more human way of extracting it through his manservant Krug. One of these three, Weller purported, had to be the leak. Should the secret get out, Weller claimed it would be the end of Kesh's independence, as their Painted Fleet was the only thing preventing invasion from an outside force; if another force got their hands on the power of ebonwood they would lose their edge. Weller offered to pay them handsomely, and Darien and Smithy agreed to take the job.

Chapter Three

"Mysteries Abound"

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Previous Chapter: Forests and Festivals

Next Chapter: Displaced

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Ingame Date: 14^th of High Sun, 1855
Real-Life Date: April 10, 2022
Protagonists:

• Darien Lothar
• Smithy

Featured NPCs:

• Ciana
• The Guardian
• Darmir Keenfist
• Burton Weller

Locations:

• Kesh