Duo Episode - The Epoch

General Summary

She was just short of her tenth winter when she slipped up on a job to swipe some bread. She'd tried for a bite to eat at a local stall in the Dock Ward of Waterdeep. As she was caught and hauled off to a magister by one of the Watch, a vile creature known as Grath; a tall, shadowed man forth stepped from the shadows of an alleyway and spoke to the Watchman in a language she didn't understand. After and exchange of words, he indicated to her with a nod of his head. Her discomfort overcame her as the man then handed what was likely coin to the Watchman. With a raised eyebrow, she watched as the guard shrugged his shoulders and turned to her.
"Listen up brat," he said, a hint of malice in his voice. "This 'ere gentleman has a proposition of sorts for ye'. Yous' can go wit' him and do 'es bidding or," he paused, leaning close enough that she smelled the vileness of his breath, "ye' can go to the lockup wit' me and you know what'll 'appen to ye' dirty carcass there boy."
She shuddered involuntarily and then looked up at the stranger who gave her somewhat of a friendly grin. She was always one to take a chance for something better and couldn't think of anything worse than spending time with Grath.
"As much as it'll disappoint you, dearest Grath," she said with a wide grin, "I'll take my chances with the stranger. I can't imagine anything worse than having to smell your stink day after day."
That quip earned her a knuckle across the cheek from Grath, but it was worth it to her to see him all red-faced and angry.
"You better watch your tongue with 'em, boy," Grath said, shoving her towards the shadowed man. "I don't think 'e'll be as forgiving as I am with ye' wise mouth."
Grath turned and strode off, most likely towards the closest tavern, the shadowed man then crouched down from the shadows and looked in her eyes. "Well then, little one, what's next?"
The man introduced himself as Matches and asked her to look out for information on his group, the Purple Hoods, should she hear any. He gave her a piece of bread as they split off into the evening with her looking for information on the Purple Hood Gang. It wasn't his intention to make her active but it was the girl's, who was often thought a boy, nature. The secretive little lass, Lyra, then decided to steal the Fishscale Smith's fish sandwich via access from under his porch. Lyra often stole food from him and she considered it a ritual. Once she had the sandwich in hand she took it back to her gang and divided it up amongst them. They ate as she told them her mishap and told that she was saved by some man named Matches. She told them that shes working a job for the man, looking into the Purple Hoods. She suggested that they listen out too and report in. In a natural order of conversation they informed her of Xanathar's gang recruitment. Innocent Ien told them of his older brother and informed them that he was trying out for the group. Ai, the slightly older brains of the group, then told the trio that he'd heard of Gilda's Gang and how its open membership. Ultimately, they waited for Rushen's, their leader's, decision, assuming that he'd want to grow the gang at all. When Rushen Canin, the teenage leader, and Trath, the annoying one, returned, they were fed by Lyra and informed of the potential options the trio had discovered in prior conversation. No conclusion was made before the rest of the group fell asleep.
Later that night Trath Cana, the sly devil, went off and spoke with a Purple Hood. He had slipped off while the others were sleeping but his stirring woke Lyra. It turned out that he was speaking to the leader of the gang, The Hood himself, and he offered to help Trath with his least favorite of the trio and Trath agreed. Lyra knew then that Trath had sold out the ten year old Ien. Together they marched on toward the group but Lyra made it there first. With only a moments notice, Trath blundered in. Used as a distraction, The Hood swung around and grabbed Ien but then invited Trath over. As he approached, Trath's throat was slit before in an instant. When Trath fell to the ground The Hood chuckled and handed Ien a gift. As The Hood pranced off, the little gang shocked from the horror, the gift exploded and separated Ien from the lower half of his body. As his feet splashed down onto the alley floor, Ien's guts ran down the walls and his friends were left but to gawk.

Part Two

As the new day struck just past midnight, Rushen and Lyra agreed to go inform the Dust Alley Gang of the murder and maybe get their help. With Ai along, they spoke with the gang's leader who was understanding and gave them shelter for the night. On the morning of the 8th of Alturiak in the Year 1479 DR, Lyra set to snatchrunning in order to help finance her gang's move north. Lyra managed to steal an Amulet of Health from an old Gnome and remembered one like it from her past. After buying some breakfast, Lyra attempted to rob whom she didn't know to be Kelaryn but failed. Once she met up with her group, they rode a dray up to the Field Ward and worked through an initiation with Gilda. Lyra robbed a house and found an undead child and a purple hood. Once she returned to Gilda, she was accepted into the gang and the next day she exited her sleeping hole and watched as Arion, Kelaryn, and Varis walked away from Gilda.
With Gilda, Rushen and Lyra traveled with the gang to the Deepwinter Vault and encountered, there on the 9th, a group of Purple Hoods lead by The Hood himself. Sent inside the tomb away from a fight, Lyra met Dav and unlocked the Glyph of the Multiverse. She then went back out with Gilda and had to work up a plan to rescue the injured members of the gang.

Part Three

Earlier on the 8th
Korvan had been in Waterdeep since winter started with a few coins from his family and had learned that the gangs likely had information on his brother. Thirty-two years ago, Korvan's brother was taken when he discovered a jade statue supposedly from Shou Lung, Toril. No one seemed to know what happened to him but the carriage he was pulled into was last seen traveling south from Neverwinter, Faerûn. Korvan had traveled the coast south of Neverwinter with no luck but when he landed in Waterdeep, full of questions having to track down a cold trail, he happened upon some hope. He had nothing to go on but the hope of finding a gang and with that very idea in mind, he made his way to the Northyard of Waterdeep and watched two young boys and a girl pretending to be a boy negotiate with with a beautiful woman. He spent a great deal of time watching the woman, whom he assumed was a gang member or leader, and then watched the little girl, frightened, return to the woman he'd heard was named Gilda. After being spotted, he ran away and found the house that he assumed the little girl had robbed. After watching it, he caught a letter that the man who owned the house had wrote. It was a journal that spoke of his allegiance to the Purple Hood Gang, his necromancy, and his abuse and Raising Dead of a child. Korvan then eventually made his way to Gilda's Gang's hideout and over heard a few conversations, he was later caught trying to leave. Korvan thought on his feet and made a deal with her. He was to have Gilda help him find his brother and for such effort he was to shadow her and her gang on a job and offer a fighting hand if needed. On the next day, after the clash between her gang and the Purple Hoods, Korvan waited for Gilda's return from the tomb she'd ran into.
After the fight on the 9th
As Korvan, Lyra, and Gilda fled the fight with an injured Rushen, they were arrested by Acquisitions Incorporated staffer, Môrgæn. They accepted the ride for a chance to heal the Rushen where upon Korvan took the hood Lyra had stolen and made a plan to use his acquired letter to prove their innocence. They reasoned with Viari and Omin Dran but when Korvan refused to sign the contract Omin offered, Omin had them taken away. Destined for the castle as Purple Hoods, they decided to escape at the cost of Rushen's life. Lyra planted a dagger in the guy who shot her earlier in the cell and then Rushen's back and then they all escaped to Three Dagger's Alley. It was there that they met The Hood. They battled with him and he disintegrated Gilda and knocked out Korvan out. After they drug Korvan to a magic portal, Lyra ran away. She ended up seeing whom she'd sought, Matches. As she followed Matches, he made his way across the rooftops of the Dock Ward only to jump through the window of the Ace Warehouse. Inside The Hood and, specifically, one of several thugs dragged Korvan to a green sludge that they had previously dipped many others in, to their doom. When the light all went out, and his captor dropped, Korvan killed the one whom had dragged him by kicking him off the catwalk. In a fit of anger as the masked figure set toward The Hood, Korvan charged The Hood, stomped his knee, and then elbow striked his chest. The Hood went sailing back from the strike and landed in the green sludge, to what Korvan and the figure assumed was his demise before they ran towards an exit. Recalling the earlier boxes, Korvan informed the figure of the potential of explosives before the masked figure tossed him out of a nearby window. Korvan landed hard and in his death throws, was rescued by Lyra, who's true name he'd still not learned. As the City Watch swarmed them, they tossed them both onto horses and dashed off toward the city's castle for aid.
What they would not come to know was that they had, given the innate magical properties of the multiverse, started a reoccurring epoch that would not be seen again for another nine hundred years but would rule the day in Waterdeep for sometime longer..

Rewards Granted

Part One: 60xp for Lyra Part Two: 250xp for Lyra Part Three: 4200xp

Missions/Quests Completed

Encounter Founding the Epoch Completed

Character(s) interacted with

The Hood, Gilda, and Matches

Notes

Notable Party Damage: (New Noted Section)

• Korvan has bruises all over his back and torso from a hard day, as well as a scorch mark along his chest from a vial he crushed on The Hood's chest.
  Noted Effects: None
• Lyra has a gash on her left shoulder from a crossbow bolt.
  Noted Effects: None

Report Date

11 Aug 2020

Primary Location

Faerûn