Azimuth 2 - Session 30 - On the Riverbank
General Summary
New Keeleon
Chaka’s Tent
While waiting in the magically summoned tent in the alleys of the marketplace, Chaka led Romsca and Captain Ruslan in creating artistic sketches. Chaka made a depiction of the enchanted doorway the rest of the group had ventured through. Ruslan made a rendition of Rune Pike, with harpies flying. Meanwhile, Romsca made a reference study of the others in the tent. Romsca felt it was terrible, but Chaka encouraged her and asked what her inspiration was. Romsca replied she was just attempting to learn. Chaka said the piece showed growth. “When I first started, I, too, had much to learn, but starting is good.” As she continued to work, Romsca reached a point that she stopped thinking about the process and was just creating. When she did, she felt something like a pressure over her shoulders and the feeling of the question, “What have you learned?” Ruslan noticed people enter the alley nearby. A man in a blue cloak the same color as the uniforms of the Commandment of Sky was speaking to a human woman. She seemed worried after the blocking of Chedae’s light. The man said there were others who felt the same and wanted to assuage dangers to them and their families. As they talked, the broken wooden door magically slammed back to the wall, recreating the doorway. The noise startled the pair and they quickly moved away.Victory Market
The rest of the Lightbringers entered the alley and regrouped in Chaka’s tent. They shared the details of their conversation with Lord Lortuk. Gertrude and Ruslan were concerned about returning to Far Bar Inn, but they decided it was still the best place to stay. Romsca suggested they take watches during the night. Ruslan asked if he could tag along, and the group invited him to join them in the city. Ruslan asked how the meeting with Lortuk had gone. Chaka asked, “Do we like this Lord Lortuk now?” The group replied with a strong no. Arwin said he was still a piece of shit, and Gertrude said she didn’t like him “skulking in the shadows” while they did all the work. Demitri said he was “insufferable, but useful.” Mortimr called him a bureaucrat. Demitri suggested the seek out Argilla for insight he may have on the Eight-Pronged Residuum Ring. Gertrude agreed. However, this late in the evening, they felt their best course of action would be to head to the Watermill Gallery in the morning. Gertrude suggested since they were going to be in town, they should search for the missing coinguard. Before leaving Victory Market, the group spoke to merchants in the area as they closed shop. Coinguard Holarust had spoken with several merchants and became seemingly aggravated by the news she had heard about the Tarterian Traders. Along with an attendant, the coinguard was last seen headed towards the Catlinites to leverage her office and speak with the Commandment of Sky Guildhall.Far Bar Inn
In the late evening, they returned to Far Bar Inn, ate, and rested. In the rooms, Arwin spent time crafting the hardened sap he purchased into a fire arrow. Meanwhile, Demitri asked Chaka and Romsca to add a design of a roaring lion’s head to the back of his armor. Romsca cast a Sending spell to Borscha Brickwell, saying, “Dealing with contraband. Unsure when I’ll return. Might also be time I continue my mission from home. You are always tribe, Shelterer-of-the-Lost.” Borscha gave a warm reply. Then, Romsca sent a questioning Sending to Hceehc of the Golden Fur to ask which sister went to Endor. Hceehc gave a short reply, saying, “Romsca… Your sister, Yeempa, is fulfilling the role we need. She is in Endor to find what we need.” Romsca decried the vague nature of his message. In the morning of 14 Adroth, Romsca presented the final platinum ring of the set to Ilmendwyth, which was engraved with the design of a leaf of the World Tree and inlaid with flecks of gemstone. The rest of the group awoke and prepared to leave. They headed towards the Embankment District, intending to go to the Watermill Gallery.The Augurs
Taking the main roadway into the district, the group first came across the Augurs. They examined the clay shrines. At the shard to Esturk, The World's End, Ilmendwyth and Gertrude found a small clay figurine left as an offering. They brought it to the attention of the rest of the party. Chaka noted that it appeared to have been created whole rather than crafted by hand. Romulus knew that some cultures, including beastfolk, worshipped Nadiria, the Plane of Darkness, but this didn’t seem to be anything he was directly familiar with. Romsca knew that offerings like this were normally not public due to the stigma against Nadiria worship. Meanwhile, Demitri made an offering at the shard to Morounin, The Learned-Lady. He left his copy of The Fox of Bonmalo and the Tower Heist. He said, “I’m learning slowly, but it’s been hard with everything going on.” Romsca gave Demitri a moment and also left an offering to Morounin. She left her created art piece among the other gifts. Ruslan went to the Avianor, The Timefather, shard. He made no offering but spent time quietly there. Gertrude made a quick prayer at the shard for Chedae, The Heaven's Light, as well. Chaka went to the shard for Barduumus, The Battlelord. He invoked a Green Flame Blade spell to alight his warhammer in flame. He kneeled and said, “I do not yet claim to understand these dreams I receive, but I thank you for the life you have granted me. I shall do with it the best I can.”Rexun Riverbank
While kneeling in the silence, Chaka noticed two figures near the riverbank. Next to the calm waters of the Rexun River separated by the embankment wall was a muddy and furred bugbear. He was slowly drawing the clay out of piles of mud and magically firing them into small figurines. Farther ashore, an old orc was watching and painting the scene. Chaka said it seemed related to the figurine left at the Esturk shard. Arwin wondered about a posted bounty they'd seen for "Nedurr the Mud Mage" and if they should take him down from the Augurs. Others were hesitant to attack before talking first, and they headed down to the riverside. Romulus approached and spoke with the bugbear in druidic. This was Nedurr, the mage from the wanted poster. He didn’t know anything about the claimed damage to the Loam Altar, and he asked if they were there to trade. Romulus traded a Goodberry watermelon for one of Nedurr’s figurines. Romulus mentioned the offering to the Esturk shard and asked if people were causing trouble for Nedurr. He said “armored orcs” had asked questions he didn’t understand, so he ran. When Romulus brought out the wanted poster paper, Nedurr said, “Orcs have that paper, too! Orcs with paper cause problem for me! You cause problem for me!”Muddy Mutts
At the sound of Nedurr’s raised voice, long, sticky tongues suddenly struck from the water. Mortimr and Gertrude were grabbed and pulled into the murky river. Beneath the water, they saw a pack of frog-like canines blending in with the silt and clay. Romulus saw Nedurr react with shock and distress. Arwin called to Romulus to tell Nedurr to stop and shot the bugbear with a rope arrow. He let out a cry of pain, and the pack of mudmutts became enraged and more violent. Two peeked out of the water and released an ear-piercing croak that stunned many of those on the shore. In the water, Gertrude and Mortimr were attacked by canine bites and frog kicks. Mortimr was knocked unconscious. The murky waters blocked sight of her companions, so Romsca cast a Locate Object spell to find Mortimr’s custom mask. She rushed forward and leapt into the water. Ruslan followed and jumped in as well. Gertude swam to Mortimr. She couldn’t cast underwater and couldn’t administer a liquid potion to him. Instead, she took the potion in her mouth and transferred it to him with a kiss. Mortimr came to, and Gertrude gave him a harsh look, as if to say, “You saw nothing!” A mudmutt moved after Gertrude. Ruslan moved in the way to prevent the attack. He was hit with a savage series of attacks, and Ruslan bled out and died. Nearby, a different beast attacked Gertrude and she was knocked unconscious in the water. On the shore, Demitri used a potion to heal Nedurr. As he came to in confusion, one of the mudmutts left the water and moved to pick him up. Demitri saw Nedurr resist the creature and he drew his blade to fend it off. The group recovered from the stunning croak and reacted to the carnage in the water. Romulus used a spell and a Wild Shape to transform into a giant crab wielding a flaming sword. Chaka moved to the edge of the water after him and incapacitated the three mudmutts in the water with a Hypnotic Pattern.The Remaining Canine
In the water, Mortimr moved to Gertrude and used his own potion to kiss and transfer to Gertrude. Romsca grabbed both of them and dragged them back to the shoreline, and she healed Gertrude with a spell like melting gold. Meanwhile, Ilmendwyth and Chaka recovered and pulled Ruslan’s body to the shore. Chaka called out for help and everyone saw Ruslan's bloody body. Arwin tossed one of his residuum arrows towards the body, saying, “Use it to save him!” Demitri, Gertrude, and Arwin attacked the last mudmutt on the shore. After massive damage from Arwin’s arrows, the beast launched into the air and lashed its tongue out to Arwin. It caught and pulled him into its biting maw. Romulus scuttled forward in his crab form, and with a slash of his fiery blade, slew the mudmutt and released Arwin. Immediately, Romsca, Gertrude, and Romulus turned to the fallen Ruslan. However, Mortimr reached him first. He put his hand on Ruslan’s chest. He called to the entity in his mind, “Can you help?” “Is he important to you?” it replied. “Yes.” Mortimr felt the connection to the entity grow, as through him, it cast a healing spell. Arwin’s arrow was consumed in a pulse of rose-scented, pink energy that healed Ruslan’s body. In a moment, Ruslan awoke and coughed river water out of his lungs. Up the shore, the orc painter, Argilla, called out to the group, “Quickly! Away from the water, this way, this way!” Romsca grabbed Nedurr by the scruff as Ruslan was helped to stand. The group moved away, leaving the three stunned mudmutts, and they rushed north along the river towards the Watermill Gallery.
Report Date
21 Feb 2024
Primary Location
Secondary Location
Related Characters
13 Adroth 5A 352 to 14 Adroth 5A 352