Session 30: Kaj
Welcome back to Eberron! While Belashyrra prepares to escape her prison below Slug Keep, the Sharn Dragons find themselves halted on the lightning rail just outside of Passage in Aundair. As you awoke in your train carriage, you looked outside to see a crowd of people outside your window, obscured by the low light of the coming dawn. Confused, and intent on getting your journey underway, you all left the train to see what the issue was. An elven woman on horseback was giving commands to the crowd, and turned to face you. It was Erisna!
Momentarily shocked by a duplicate of your friend, you see the Erisna-on-horseback gesturing to some of the crowd near them. The crowd, though not threatening violence begins walking toward you all- looks of confusion on each of their faces as they see your Erisna in their resplendent armor. Erisna-on-horseback dismounts, walking forward with a wary expression. Though the rest of the party cannot discern its meaning, the tattoos that frame Erisna-on-horseback's bewildered eyes shift in a brief, flickering pattern. "Kaj?" they ask. How does Erisna respond?
Erisna's true name is Kaj, and they are a changeling. The Erisna persona, property of the community that Kaj was raised in, had been bestowed upon their "sister" Toz who had earned it through their Demonstration. By the community's laws and customs, Kaj was forced to return to their natural form.
Toz escorted the Sharn Dragons to Traveller Town, a tent city housing over 250 changelings. The center of this makeshift town was Kaj's old community that they travelled with before they left for the Last War. The Sharn Dragons found "Yelena"/ Aim and "Margaret"/ Vik. Aim greeted her "daughter" back to the community, though obviously struggled with the implications of Kaj returning after so many years away from the community.
The old protector walked the Sharn Dragons through the tents to show them the changelings that had been twisted by the "Offspring's Curse". One of these patients was Sephona. The party tried the magics that they had prepared, but the results were meager compared to what was required. According to Vik, the community's best hope was Belefort of Teryk, currently a member of the teaching staff at Arcanix.
Additionally, Kaj had to try to reconcile with their "sister". Their decision to leave the community, and the many years of silence since, had a traumatizing impact on the younger changeling and they refused any advance from Kaj to reforge the relationship. At the end of the conversation Kaj was forced to challenge Toz to a duel. Unbeknownst to Kaj, their "sister" took the form of Aim to trick the paladin into seeking out a shield from the supply tent that would give them an edge into the duel for the Erisna persona. When Kaj tried to open the chest that the shield was supposed to be in, they discovered that the wooden box was in fact a mimic and barely fled with their life.
Incensed at their "sister's" deceit, Kaj marched over to the pit where they were expected to perform the Demonstration. There, they found Toz gloating- ready to stick Kaj's abandoned knives into them. Though the ceremony wasn't planned for a few more hours, the two began their bloody battle in earnest and drew in the rest of the community.
The fight was an epic bout between two extremely capable fighters. Toz's strikes were finding their way through Kaj's armor and leaving grievous wounds, and the current "Erisna" was able to outmaneuver Kaj's most devastating strikes. When Toz was nearing the point of their victory, however, Kaj demonstrated the healing effects of the Silver Flame and was able to rejuvinate themselves for one final strike. The blow, though blunted at the last minute by a merciful Kaj, struck Toz hard enough to send the younger changeling flying before striking the edge of the theater and collapsing unconscious in the mud.
Erisna had earned their persona back! What was more, they had also received dispensation from the community in that they were allowed to wear that persona on their further adventures. The only stipulation is that Erisna, and by extension the Sharn Dragons, escort the community's newest Loremaster (Aon-Ní the Skáld) as he collected new personas for the community's portfolio.
Weary after the fight, Erisna and their friends were escorted to a tent to get some well-deserved rest.
Hours later, long after the night's revelry died down, a lone figure placed the rest of the items they needed into a bag. Throwing the bag over their shoulder, Toz crept through an opening in the back of tent and into the night air. For hours they walked through the silent grasslands, headed north toward the mountains. They walked until the light was just beginning to peak over the peaks on the horizon before falling to their knees before a puddle of water. They saw their reflection in the water, and could see their eyeball blackening from the Offspring's Curse. The early morning air was pierced with Toz's scream of anger, pain, disappointment, and frustration as they pounded the puddle with their fists.
The Changeling Traditions of Traveller Town
Erisna grew up with a group of changelings that have a very rigid view of what a "persona" is. They believe that a changeling's assumed persona is a deeply personal- bordering on spiritual- journey of self-discovery. They spend their childhood and adolescence pursuing the ideal in their chosen focus before their Demonstration in front of the rest of the community. They are granted a persona only if they adequately display the skills associated with that focus. Some personas like "Erisna" are held in higher regard for their focus and are coveted by the changeling community. The community has a finite number of personas available to it. These personas are maintained in a "portfolio" by the Loremaster for the community. This expert storyteller maintains the tale of the original persona, as well as the stories of the changelings that held that persona since. These stories are displayed through an elaborate oral tradition that includes the Loremaster assuming the form of the subject of the story while using minor magic and classic stagecraft to enhance the stories and help them live on through the younger generation. The final role of the Loremaster is to go out into the world and collect personas for their community's portfolio. Some Loremasters have been known to hire adventuring parties to seek out an individual that is known to the changeling community in order to take down their story and record their likeness for posterity.NPCs
Toz- Erisna's younger "sister"Aim- Erisna's "mother" and lead protector for Traveller Town
Vik- current and longstanding "mayor" of Traveller Town
Jak- village merchant for Traveller Town (Bernard knows that he isn't a changeling)
Aon-Ní the Skáld- the new Loremaster for Traveller Town
Belefort of Teryk- a powerful healer on staff in Arcanix
Items Purchased
Glittergem purchased a Potion of Supreme Healing from Jak and a vial of red dye for 1,000 galifar. Glittergem gave the small vial of potion to Rare.Bernard purchased a Scroll of Augury from Jak for 340 galifar. Glittergem cast Identify on the item, and Bernard is currently keeping that scroll in his bag.
