Session 22: The Elder of the Vale Events

Miscellaneous

  The menagerie explore more of wideberth as they wait for Reginald.

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Leafall 15, 2020KC

  The Yawning Portal, Wide Berth Castle Ward, Wide Berth, Kampos.     The party was at the The Yawning Portal after helping Eldertwig with some Rot Grubs, getting some Troll heads & rewards, and helping the Druid Caireall Donoghuei get to town. They are still waiting for Reginald Ivoryclaw to get here so they can find about the Skola Vale situation.   The Skola Vale is missing it seems and has returned to the Feywild after an attack by Goblinoids. Caireall Donoghuei was heading that way to determine what effects this might have on the Material Plane.     They are currently enjoying a cold Shadowdark Ale and seeing others enjoy their Quipper & Chips as they pick up a bit of rumor.   You saw a lone adventurer go up to the rope, he had paid his Gold to Durnan, and with much trepidation, he went into the hole. You saw many go to Durnan and start making bets on his chances, whereas Durnan took the coins and wrote some notes in a book.   There was a Human Bard that conversed with Caireall Donoghuei and then took over the music from the half long which is at the bar.   Bastion got curious about how Durnan was so old and without looking that old -- so he went to Durnan and talked to him -- figuring either the source would be a good place to start, or he could check out the library for local history.    

"How do you look so young, being so old," Bastion asks.   Durnan: "Oh, so you've heard of my ol' adventuring days. Let's just say there are many ways to extend one's lifespan. Wizards have plenty of such Potions, for example. I'm not going to say that's how I did it, but it is one way."   Bastion: "How about Troll Heart Amulet? Do you know how to get those crafted?"   Durnan: "I'm not a crafter, not much of an adventurer these days either. However, there are those who you can seek to do such crafting -- I am sure for a price I could find someone."

    This isn't a bribe, just the cost to find someone helpful or the recipe. It is pretty standard when seeking out such things, and it gets expensive. The rarer the item type, the more expensive it can get to find such recipes. The price from Durnan to investigate the Troll Heart Amulet was 500gp.   There was an internal discussion on possibly hiring Durnan on retainer to find such things… They realized that Lars Heyton is not on retainer, but he is still researching the Arcane Forge and recipes that Jacoby Drexelhand might have had for his crafting purposes. These forges were used by cultures over time to help speed up such magic item crafting -- but they have not been spoken about in generations, it seems.   They also thought about how Outding Refuge is a hot spot for adventurers passing through as they go to explore the mostly unexplored southern hemispheres. It is also one of the few places with obvious magic shops since people will sell their spoils or need new supplies.    

Durnan: "I don't know much about this amulet, but I am sure I have a connection somewhere."   Bastion: "Sounds too expensive for something not guaranteed."   Durnan: "It is an investment, but if I do learn of any crafters, I will send them your way. What is your name?"   Bastion: "Bastion Bladesing"   Durnan: "are you staying somewhere or here?"   Bastion: "I don't think we're…."   Shadow: "we're at The Silken Line."   Bastion: "can we stay here?"   Shadow: "Reggie is supposed to find us there."   Durnan: "I will be sure to send anyone I find your way."   Bastion tips him five GP   Durnan returns the favor with free ale.   Bastion: "Guys, what do you wanna do? Go rest? Go in the hole?"   Barlo: "We can send a Message to The Silken Line to forward our address."

    Shadow suggests she can go, and the ladies offer to go with her.     Tabletalk about The HOLE     The ladies walked through the cool night and noticed as they got closer to The Silken Line the lights were "knocked" out a bit more as they progressed, and more "shady" Characters tended to be spotted in the alleys.   At the The Silken Line, they see Cune, and he says he has a few things for them.   One was a Letter, and the other was a small package with a Letter.   They also request anyone looking for them to seek them at the The Yawning Portal.   On the way back, Shadow keeps her eyes out for an apothecary, and she spots - about halfway between the spots -- "Wild Mother's Grace."   The solo Letter says "To the Heroes."   The letter with the package says "To the Heroic Menagerie of Outding, from Lars Heyton & Ursa.    

  They first opened the Letter:   Dear Heroes,   I am aware you have come to town to help one Leonin named Reginald. He is currently calling himself the King Regent and I fear he has plans to use you all and your loyalties to help him steal the throne from those for whom it is actually supposed to belong to.   I only ask you meet me at The Yawning Portal tonight and hear what I have to say. I will be wearing a red tricorn with a long black feather and in a Green and Black coat.   Signed,   A Friend

    They look around and don't see such a person - nor do they recall seeing him.    

  To the Heroes of Outding,   This is Ursa, Lars' assistant, and he asked that I send this letter to you. We heard you got to Wide Berth safely, and we were so glad to hear of it. We have been dutifully applying the Transportation Circle in your basement, and even though it gets expensive, we want you to know we are happy to do it.   We have also gotten the Forge working and have been experimenting with all types of magical devices, which brings us to the main point of this correspondence.   Attached with this letter are two things. A blank scroll and a little box. These are both magical and unique items. The box can be stretched out by grabbing two opposing sides and pulling. It goes from 1" to 1' in each direction. This Enderbox, that's what we are calling it, is actually synced to another Enderbox. Anything placed in one can be retrieved by another -- like a Bag of Holding but with a twist. We wanted to give this set to you so that we could work out a business arrangement with your party.   We figured that since you were out doing some adventuring, you might come across some items and regents we could use for our magical crafting. We would be willing to pay for items you retrieve -- especially those we are in need of. Those we can tell you either with a note in the box or using the scrolls. The scrolls are similarly synced. It is called a Scroll of Telescription and allows short messages to be sent back and forth 1x a day. This is fine since we can use the boxes to then pass any other correspondence.   The other box is in your basement; it is yours -- but we have access, so that can be helpful for this arrangement if you are willing to proceed. We have the other scroll so that you can reach us for anything.   We can work out the full arrangements on this in an Enderbox correspondence -- but we thought we could also get you your reward for killing Jacoby, and we could get any notes or correspondence you found on him for our intel purposes.   Let me know when you get this, and we can work out the details via letters in the box.   -Ursa   P.s.   We weren't sure if we'd have this ready in time -- but since we need you to get regents for us, most come from various Beasts and monsters, and they are organic in nature. To accommodate this, we have created a "Bag of Colding" for you, which can come in handy for such expeditions.

    When they first use the Enderbox they find the Bag of Colding is inside, and Shadow takes it.   As they discuss selling the Headband of Intellect -- they are interrupted by a person named Obaya Uday; she purchases magic items (pays based on their rarity) and spellbooks. She is a priestess of Waukeen, the god of trade.   She seemed trustworthy and honest. She is very interested in spellbooks and seems to purchase items that adventurers find in the caverns.   Bastion asked about the purpose of the spellbooks, and she says she works for a Wizard seeking to purchase items and Books out of Wide Berth. Shadow asked for the name of the boss, but she wasn't very comfortable with sharing that knowledge a secret.   She pays in Platinum and doesn't carry the money on her, usually.   Bastion thinks about trying to make copies of his spellbook just to get some money but is reminded how very costly and time-consuming it is to make copies of his spellbook.     Reminder on Spellbooks in D&D     Thinking of the Spell Scrolls, Bastion then pulled off the scrolls from his Robe of Useful Items - Misty Step & Magic Circle Shadow asked about how long she would be here; she said she would be in town as long as she had budgeted Platinum and she had plenty. Also, not a lot of adventurers are coming out now.   As they begin to go upstairs, all the noise is eclipsed by a shout: "Ya pig! Like killin' me mates, does ya?" Then a seven-foot-tall Half-Orc is hit by a wild, swinging punch from a male Human whose shaved head is covered with eye-shaped tattoos. Four other Humans stand behind him, ready to jump into the fray. The Half-Orc cracks her knuckles, roars, and leaps at the tattooed figure-but before you can see if blood is drawn, a crowd of spectators clusters around the brawl. What do you do?   A large crowd of spectators begins to circle the brawl, and the party watches with Barlo trying to get a better view.   Durnan grabs his greatsword, and the guards begin to stand and move in slowly. The bald guy gets hit, and the other four are about to attack the Half-Orc. She headbutts him, and you see Durnan hit the bar top and yell "out," so the humans take their knocked-out compatriot out.   Durnan speaks to the Half-Orc, and she seems apologetic.   Things calm down.   "a friend" still never showed up.   Shadow casts "See invisibility" from her ring. After the spell takes effect, she sees a little fist-sized luminous orb in the air about 10 feet above her to the side. She tells her compatriots.   And then she spots another one about 40 feet away at an angle from her position. She picks up a piece of bread and throws it at the orb. It goes right through the orb.    

Barlo goes to the bar to speak with Durnan, and Shadow sees the one 40 feet away blinks out, yet another one seems to be off to the right.   Barlo: "Not sure if any cause of alarm, but my friend can see things most cannot. She says you have some strange Invisible eye things floating about."   Durnan: "I don't have anything going on, but I've been in this bar long enough to know that magic-types use such Scrying spells to spy on their mates, possibly cheating on them."   Barlo: "So it shouldn't be a problem then?"   Durnan: "The only problems we usually have are those that might come out of the pit or, like you saw tonight, with problems from the Zhentarim or Xanathar's Thieves' Guild. We've had Trolls and other Beasts come out of the hole."

    Barlo knows about the Zhentarim, aka the Black Network. He has had some dealings with them.   Shadow asked about rooms -- 1gp/night for a room. They got two rooms for two nights - 4gp. 2 keys. On the second floor are the rooms. The orbs do begin to follow them, but the first blink out as they get to the second floor, and then the other one disappears when they get to their room door. Shadow feels they were centered on her.   Shadow took the first guard shift to take advantage of the spell...   Bastion had some strange Dreams...   Barlo does the second shift. The tavern begins to close up drinks/food services, and Bastion takes the next shift.    

Leafall 16, 2020KC

  As they awake, Calliope is able to get rid of her Exhaustion.     Inspiration rules        

  Letter:   In the box, you'll find Jacoby's Head so that we can get the reward. Also, Displacer Beast hides -- with the Forge we would like some items made -- whip Cloak. Also if you can craft regeneration Amulet with the heart.   Thanks a lot.

    Bastion asks the Basalt's Magic Ball about the "friend"      

As they go downstairs, Sas hears Ursa's voice:   "Was in the basement working on the circle. Saw stuff. Letter in box."

    Sas tells the others.    

  The Letter says:   Got the stuff. Will look into crafting those for you. Did Jacoby have any intel or things of value -- that would be appreciated. Looking forward to working with you on this.

    Also, the 10,000 gp was in a sack in the box. Everyone took 100 gp.   They also send back the Journal and Notes; they do not recall seeing anything about the Ring in the journal.   Shadow sees the same wanted/missing posters they saw at the Silk Line. Many reference Zhentarim and Xanathar's Guild. Shadow asked someone working there if they saw the "friend." No.   The party is having breakfast and Barlo notices a young guy at the mouth of the portal. He talks about a girl he likes and is thinking of going in to impress her.   Barlo tries to persuade him to enter, even giving him the Gold. The guy goes down.   Shadow asks the group if they know about these two groups. Zhentarim         There were discussions of going with Caireall or waiting for Reggie.   They discussed how Reggie may or may not be trustworthy, but how he had some issues in this kingdom. They do realize that they had spent some time with Reggie, and so there is some trust. Caireall is trusted due to her connection to Abbot Grok .       Then the door opens, two Leonins and an older Fey Elf enter—the Elder of the Skola Vale who left with Calliope enter. Calliope runs and gives her a hug.   She says they should talk—the Leonin sits behind her. Barlo asks if she wants a drink, and she takes a wine. The guards decline the large steins of ale he gets them due to their duty.   Apologies for the time. Much to still figure out. Reginald Ivoryclaw has been very helpful. The Vale is back in the Feywild; the Elder was unaware that this could happen.    

Calliope: "is there a way back?"   Elder of the Dawngreets: "There are always ways. The problem here is the 'why.' There was a large Goblinoid mercenary group paid to attack our homes. Not sure why. Did they know it would do this, or are they looking for something? Reginald's intel suggests they are looking for something that is on the Material Plane in that area."   Shadow asked about the Zhentarim. The Elder doesn't believe so; they tend to stick to more "civilized" areas.   The Elder also brings up how she is part of The Wild Court, and they are also looking into this situation.

       

"goblinoids paid, and they might have known it would do that. They might have just wanted access w/o any of us there."   Shadow asks about Reginald.   "they have a diplomatic relationship, and we help each other out."   Shadow: "What about his succession?"   "There have been complications." She has the guards get some distance. "It's complicated, and I don't want to talk ill. Reginald has been great. He is dealing with the kind of family situations that arise in times like this. He was raised poor, but his father often spoke of how they were supposed to be in charge of his kingdom -- a smaller kingdom within a large empire. His Uncle had forged some papers and stolen them from them. There was a fight between his father, Dolne Ivoryclaw, and Uncle, Zirin Shadowtooth, where the father died, and so now they are having a little civil war about who is in charge. The Uncle has used nefarious means to try and take control, with Reginald using what he has, but he is new to this position."   "The Kingdom of Lights was a reward for something, and the uncle lied that he was rewarded it -- not the father."   Barlo asks about how Reggie's situation might be connected to the Vale situation. They don't seem to be, but the Uncle might be willing to lie and use subterfuge to use the instability of the Vale to help in his fight for power.   Shadow asks about the "reward" of the lands. They were a reward for some past deed done for the greater king.   She then asks about the Elder's goals. The Elder would like Reginald to win and stabilize his kingdom, but none of that matters right now with the Vale in the Feywild. She fears there is a grand purpose for Vale's unique position between the two and believes it is best for it to return. She also wants to know who set this into motion and why.   She asks them to investigate the Goblinoids, why they were hired to attack, and by who.   It seems, to Barlo, that the attack took place with the timing too coincidental to the actions in Reggie's courts.   Reggie is not asking for anything. He is just helping the Elder.   She offers a REWARD and also tells Calliope that she might be given some "freedom" for some time as a reward, but she would still have to return after she spends some time seeing the world.   She also looks at Bastion and says, "we will need to talk at some point soon. I do have something to talk to you about, it seems."   He says 'okay'

    She saw Reginald before she left, but not in the week it took to get here. They bring up the note, and she looks at it. She gets a weird look and says that she thinks this is the Uncle trying to get them to question Reggie and possibly throw some shade. She then banishes the Scrying orbs.   Shadow casts See Invisibility and see them as they are being destroyed.   She admits she did the "dispel magic' of sorts. This is why there has been so much secrecy to keep the Uncle away.   *This group is who Reginald sent to meet them*   Then it seems the Uncle wrote the "a friend" letter to mess with the group…   She says she is going back to the Feywild. The guards will take them back, and she hopes they can figure out what is going on in the Skola Vale.   They said they wanted to shop and get some Magic Tattoos; then, they could leave at dawn.   Shadow got some experience watching the process. (7 hours) Bastion got one (somewhere on the head)   Behind Sas's left ear, she got a little Magic Tattoo so she can cast Darkvision 1x day.     Shadow then went to the Wild Mother's Grace apothecary. Halfling Holli Skiprock talks fast and a bit nervously, "hi hi, can I help you."   Shadow asks about Potions, possibly something to help Arktos grow faster or give him strength. Nothing for Arktos, but two Healing Potions.    

t Encounter Experience: 250 Each | Total: 9800 (Next Goal: 14,000 t

   

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