Azimuth 2 - Session 31 - These Old Artists
General Summary
New Keeleon
Rexun Riverside
Along with Captain Ruslan, Argilla, and Nedurr the Mud Mage, the Lightbringers moved quickly away from the stunned mudmutts.
Ruslan trudged along, badly hurt and bloody. He checked to make sure Gertrude and Mortimr were both alright after being dragged into the water. However, they both appeared distant and avoidant.
Romsca cast a healing spell on Ruslan, and Gertrude repaired his damaged armor. Ruslan said he wasn’t sure what happened, but he thanked the group for getting him out of the river. He had seen “pink wheat” after he was attacked. Gertrude thanked him for interposing himself and said she was in his debt.
Argilla approached and cast a healing spell as well, though it appeared to take several attempts for his strained magic to connect properly. Argilla asked if the group was alright. Chaka seemed unsure in his reply that they were okay.
The Mud Mage
Nedurr was still being dragged by Romsca. Speaking in beastcommon, she asked him about the mudmutts. Nedurr relayed they were not his. Nedurr said, “Frog-dogs cause problems for me. Metal orcs cause problems for me. Tall horn-man cause problems for me. […] People in cloaks cause problems.” He said the mudmutts had been “bothering him” since he’d arrived in New Keeleon.
As Nedurr continued in beastcommon, Mortimr said, “I don’t know what he’s saying, but it sounds whiney, so tell him to shut up.” Romulus, still heated after Nedurr was attacked, turned and glared at Mortimr in response.
Romsca stopped to examine the arrow in Nedurr’s leg. She gave him some bundled cloth to bite on, but he pocketed it instead. She roughly removed the arrow, then healed him.
Watermill Gallery
Argilla led them to the Watermill Gallery. There were many city guards posted at the entrances to the building and around the general area. Argilla said security was “very tight”.
Many of the group were still soaked and dirty. Argilla went into the building and scrounged for some spare cloths. Chaka spent time casting multiple Prestidigitation spells to clean the clay and silt from the party’s clothing.
Argilla noted the Gertrude's religious iconography and said they’d be in good hands. Gertrude said she had met with Godsguard Ankhan and she needed to speak to him about Chedae’s light. However, she said Chaka had been waiting some time to speak with him as well.
Argilla formally introduced himself. Chaka said his art preceded him, saying, “I would hope to someday achieve a skill level similar to yours in my pursuits in becoming a better artist.” He listed Argilla’s three paintings they had come across in their travels.
After Chaka mentioned he had submitted a piece to the Watermill Gallery, Argilla recalled the message Chaka had left for him there. Argilla remembered Chaka’s art. He said his patron was also extremely interested in Chaka’s work, and he wanted to introduce them.
A commander of the guards came over and asked the group to move on, as the area around the gallery was restricted. Argilla informed the group that because a highly valuable painting had recently been stolen in Calen Estel, extra security had been put in place for the upcoming Watermill Gallery showing.
The group left the area. Argilla invited them to his home in the Highland Hills to meet his patron.
Highland Hills
They traveled across the city to the Highland Hills, a gated community on the raised hills in the northeast section of town. Argilla spoke with the guards to allow the group access inside, and Argilla led them to his home.
While Argilla prepared some strong orcish tea, the group looked around the manor. Chaka noted a studio filled with art supplies and an in-progress work depicting the construction of the Breakwater Keep. Chaka recognized the green shade of paint being used as similar to ones he’d seen before. It appeared to be the same color and shade as the residuum items the group carried.
Argilla returned with tea and his patron, Al'phonas Muchaelas. Al’phonas was an elderly and frail-looking elf, but he had a sharp and astute look. Argilla introduced the party and pointed out Chaka as the artist from the gallery showing.
Al’phonas approached Chaka and asked to see his art. Chaka pulled out “Work #34: Drackhan Tundra Landscape” and presented it. In the light of a window, Argilla and Al’phonas examined the work in detail, complimenting and commenting on the technique and style of it.
Al’phonas said, “I’m always on the lookout for artists with unique perspectives that the artist community hasn’t yet seen. It’s lovely to see such well-crafted work from an individual I’ve not heard of before.” He asked what other galleries Chaka had shown work in. Chaka said the Watermill Gallery was the only one thus far.
He said the way that Chaka’s art could capture natural beauty was unique. Al’phonas had only seen one other artist capable of it. He slyly said, “Sometimes your art does a bit more, doesn’t it?”
Great Beasts Paintings
Chaka wanted to speak with Al’phonas about the stolen art from Calen Estel, but said the group’s priorities were elsewhere. Al’phonas replied, “One should always make art their first priority.”
Romsca asked when the art piece had been stolen, and Chaka asked what painting had been stolen. Al’phonas said the stolen painting was from a set by an unnamed artist he’d been tracking for years. It was another artist who could “capture the majesty of natural views”. Each piece showed a depiction of one of the Four Great Beasts. There were four pieces in the full set, painted early in the Fifth Age: The Unsigned Paintings of the Great Beasts.
- “The Great Behemoth, the Slayer of Quakes” had been taken from Al’phonas’s collection in Calen Estel on 20 Madaet.
- “The Great Leviathan, the Hunter of Typhoons” was last seen in Endor, the First Mountain, but hadn’t been seen for many years.
- “The Great Tempest, the Butcher of Squalls” was in a private collection somewhere in Burland, the Kingdom of the North.
- “The Great Phoenix, the Blaster of Infernos” was in the collection of the previous Leader-Elect of Soretta, Saelerain Laminafond.
Chaka suggested they circle back, as he wanted to allow the group to speak with Argilla. Mortimr and Romsca were hesitant to talk openly about the Eight-Pronged Residuum Ring in mixed company. Al’phonas could tell the group wanted to be discreet, and he excused himself from the room.
Meanwhile, Nedurr had been rummaging around the room. Romsca noticed him pocket a few trinkets, and she warned him to stop. Nedurr seemed unconcerned, saying, “Nedurr take what Nedurr want. Nedurr outrun old orc man.”
Nedurr didn’t speak common, but to distract him, Chaka used his magic to produce a form of moldable clay of high quality. Nedurr was immediately distracted with it.
The Green Ring
Romsca and Demitri said Godsguard Ankhan had told them Argilla may know something about the artifact they carried. Argilla offered to take a look, if it could help. Ilmendwyth called on Romsca to bring it out. Romsca set the box down and Demitri unlocked it, revealing the Eight-Pronged Residuum Ring.
Gertrude warned him to avoid using magic around the ring. Demitri explained it absorbs elemental magic and funnels divine magic elsewhere. However, some forms of arcane magic appeared to be alright, depending on the source of the arcane energy.
Argilla recognized it was residuum. He didn’t know the ring itself, but he said the effects with elemental and divine energy reminded him of larger, more complicated constructions in Tarteria, like Grupe’s Sentinels in the west and the Erdenet in the far south. Both were said to use natural energies to repel certain types of humanoids.
Romsca said the ring was based on a different item, but didn’t know more. Argilla said if the ring was based on something else, perhaps Grupe’s Sentinels had been as well.
Mortimr asked what he knew about genasi. Argilla said they were often closely tied to strong elemental energies. He had read in his studies of a genasi seeking residuum in the wake of the Great War. Demitri named them as the Prophets of Regression. Argilla said they came into conflict with the Champions of the age and were dealt with.
Chedae’s Light
Argilla asked about the blocking of Chedae’s light. Gertrude confirmed she had felt it, too. She had been sent by Bishop Rannyl Grimsunder to investigate. Argilla recognized the name, saying he’d met the dwarf when he studied in Endor, the First Mountain.
Gertrude described her conversation and prayers with Cole, who said he’d seen Chedae’s full form in the west. She speculated the artifact may be drawing out Chedae’s light in some way and transferring it to another for their use.
Mortimr mentioned the timeline of things matching up with eight months ago, from the genasi, to Red Lake, and Chedae’s light. At the mention of Red Lake, Argilla wondered what this artifact might do in the presence of the boundless energy of an elemental fount.
Argilla said the only other thing he could think related to the stifling of divine energy was the Severance, the event that legend said had cut Azimuth from the reach of the first gods.
Old Knowledge
Demitri asked what happened after the Severance and before the emergence of the Dragons. He wondered if the genasi were worshipping the Primordial Elementals that came before.
Mortimr wondered if the Prophets wanted to use the ring to eradicate the Dragons. Argilla seemed to believe the ring was not powerful enough to do something that had only been done one time prior. If it was, he was certain that its previous activations would have killed the party.
Argilla said something created by mortal hands wouldn’t be powerful enough to threaten the gods. Romsca wondered if the ring just needed to absorb more elemental energy first. She wondered if the Prophets intended to create a new Severance and “start over”.
Mortimr said they needed to destroy the ring. Argilla said the knowledge of how to destroy magical items was not known in the Fifth Age. There were stories of advanced magical research done in the Second Age, in the wake of the Severance, by those seeking to reach the lost gods or become new ones themselves. He said, “Such things are left to ruin and histories and stories.”
Argilla mentioned the story of Angold in the Fareukev Wilderness. It was said the elven colony of Angold was built in the Third Age over one such set of ruins, from a city that had tried to use Azimuth’s ley lines for some great, divine purpose. Their efforts left their city destroyed and the surrounding Fareukev Wilderness would feel the powerful magical echoes and strange magics through to today.
The Elemental Planes
Romsca asked what other elemental founts were in Tarteria. Argilla listed the ones he knew of: Ruin's Temple at the Fire Spire Sands, the Rimespire Peaks on the southern edge of the continent, and Mount Huma in the Orog Range. He also mentioned others in farther places, like Birdsong Tower in Santeem and Red Rocks in Endor.
Argilla said caution was needed when using energy from elemental founts like these, as it was very easy to underestimate the amount of power flowing around them, like with Angold.
Demitri brought up the missing Great Leviathan and how it may be connected to the elemental founts. Chaka wondered as well if the paintings of the great beasts were tied in, too, somehow. Mortimr asked if the paintings were magical in anyway, but Argilla didn’t know.
With the mention of ties to the elemental planes, Argilla said that the Zenethian Hero Grupe was believed to have explored the inner elemental planes alongside Ivan, the Oozemaster, sometime around 5A 044. He postulated perhaps Grupe had discovered something there he based his sentinels on.
Grupe had compiled his research into The Manual of Monsters. There were three volumes of the work, and throughout, Grupe’s research seemed to be leading up to questions that may have been related to the elemental planes. However, with no published fourth volume of the Manual of Monsters, those questions were left unanswered.
Mortimr asked if there was a place to purchase the Manual of Monsters in the city, and Argilla offered his own copies to use.
Painting for a Cause
Argilla mentioned he still needed to finish his art piece for the upcoming Watermill Gallery showing. Chaka asked if it was still possible to enter, but Argilla said with the increased security, only members of the Keeleon Artistry Society of Tarteria were allowed. However, he also said Al’phonas had a proposal to make of Chaka, and Argilla fetched his patron.
When Al’phonas returned, he asked if Chaka would be interested in helping to recover his missing art piece and determining who had stolen it. Since Chaka was the only artist he’d met with a similar skill in capturing natural energies in paintings, Chaka could theoretically produce a convincing fake from the Great Beasts Paintings set.
Al’phonas felt certain the Tarterian Traders had stolen it, as they had been repeatedly interested in purchasing it off him beforehand. Chaka asked who tried to purchase the piece, and Al’phonas described a green genasi with a hand tattoo named Azariel.
Al’phonas wanted to set up a decoy, put it in the Watermill Gallery showing with fanfare, and wait for it to be stolen. Then, they would follow whoever took it to learn where the real one may be.
Demitri asked about the blue cloaked individuals Chaka, Romsca, and Nedurr had seen. Argilla said when he was measuring the wall space for his commission in the Commandment of Sky Guildhall, he had seen people in blue cloaks in Sir Talmid’s office.
In return for his help, Al’phonas offered to induct Chaka as a member of KAST and fill the role of Chaka’s patron. He even suggested the possibility of an eventual gallery showing at the Galleria Magnifico.
Chaka said he could help, but would need to know what he was to depict. He had heard stories of the Great Phoenix, and with Al’phonas having seen the real one, they set to planning how to create a convincing fake.
Mortimr asked what Chaka needed. Chaka knew he’d need lots of red paint and lots of time. He said, “I think more tea is in order.”
Report Date
28 Feb 2024
Primary Location
Secondary Location
Related Characters
14 Adroth 5A 352