IB Session 4: Ten Years On
General Summary
Special Report by Ysmyrelda Starr
Joint executive of Talzerine & Starr Enterprises, LLC
Month 6, Week 4, Year 860
I remember the - now known to be - invisible force (3) assailing Karen (the false Madame Anastasia) and throwing her over the railing down to the first floor. I ensured that Jupiter (4) returned Rho’s (5) byeshk (6) bracelet before we collectively leapt over the railing, surviving due to Jupiter’s magic slowing our fall. We were soon joined on the first floor foyer by Gaultier (7) and Spark of Life (8), who landed safely via pure athleticism. Aura of Passion (9) rounded up Lucas (10) and Iona (11) to protect them from the unseen threat descending down the central staircase. It was unfortunate that Spark was the only one who noticed Theo (12) and Mircea (13) filching valuables from the sitting room and hiding them inside a rucksack masquerading as Mircea’s “pregnant” form. It would have been a helpful portent of what to expect later in the night.
Though the spirits were flighty and evasive, as they always are, I pieced together that Gaultier headed into the basement by his lonesome to use the store of alcohol there as a flame accelerant. By sheer chance, he happened to find a hidden arcane laboratory employed by the Marquis, including a summoning circle. Doubtless, there was untold knowledge (14) lost due to his unfamiliarity with the material. It was then that Jupiter and I stumbled upon Gaultier. I used my magic to douse any flames he was about to light, with the intent of preserving the manor and any secrets it held. But Jupiter, in a manner I would grow accustomed to in the ensuing years, overrode my decision and aided Gaultier in putting the manor to the torch.
I left the basement, seeing Theo and Mircea leave the manor. It became clear later that they had cut the ring of keys from Lucas’ belt loop, allowing them to take a carriage and nearly escape the island unimpeded. Spark, on the other hand, wanted to end the invisible assailant’s life through violence, traveling upstairs to meet his fated foe. He managed to send Milena (15) downstairs to safety and recruit the grieving Geo (16) with the promise of vengeance against his family’s killer. As the spirits tell me, the duo was able to land a blow on the skulk, despite its invisibility, due to it being momentarily distracted by Aura’s singing downstairs. Alas, even someone as martially skilled as Spark was slain by a critical blow by the creature, ending his life in one brutal strike. As Geo jumped from the second floor and landed safely in the foyer, Spark’s lifeless body was soon to follow. We all left the manor, needing no further spurring, making for the carriage house.
Through divinations, I learned that Gaultier and Jupiter made it upstairs, only to be confronted with the knowledge that the assailant was nearby. Gaultier ran for the front door while Jupiter fled for a side exit. Aura, believing at the time that Gaultier was the killer all along, closed off his escape and barred the door from opening. Gaultier was felled by a stray strike from the skulk, one that karmically felled him only due to prior injuries sustained from antagonizing Geo (17). Jupiter escaped and was able to join us on the hitched carriage I had readied while Aura remained behind, after offering comforting words to Rho, to stall any pursuit.
On our end, we arrived at the docks unmolested, likely due to Aura’s actions. There, we saw Theo and Mircea attempting to set sail, having retrieved the dinghy from storage. Mircea appeared slim, having shed her bag of stolen valuables and placed it on the ship. A confrontation of threats and bluffs erupted, as Theo attempted to convince us of another vessel. Ultimately, it was resolved in a test of wills and reflexes as Mircea reached for a hidden crossbow while Jupiter muttered a quick incantation. My business partner was quicker on the draw (18) and killed Mircea with a barrage of magic missiles. We quickly took the vessel, forcing Theo to stay aground. Due to weight restrictions, we were forced to dump the stolen valuables that were taken. We even had to leave Geo behind, though not without assurances that we would send a vessel back for him. We even gave him Rho’s protective wristband as a contingency (19).
The following is slight conjecture, but I expect events on the island played out as such. Aura quickly realized that the skulk would not attack her, due to her ring of byeshk given by the Marquis in his bequeathment. She used this to her advantage by taking off the ring periodically to lure the creature towards her before putting it back on. She lured the creature far away from the docks, to the lighthouse, in order to ensure our escape and provide a beacon for a potential rescue should we need it. Having seen our vessel head to the mainland, she lured the creature back to the manor. It was during these, pardon the pun, games of cat and mouse that she was able to see the visage of the creature through reflections, it being a mockery of the Marquis’ appearance. When the hunter and hunted reached the site of the manor, they found it utterly in flames, far beyond saving. The circle that Gaultier found in the basement must have provided some sustenance for the creature, as its destruction weakened it, bringing it to its knees. There, Aura put a comforting arm around the facsimile of the Marquis, having the opportunity to be with her beloved, in a sense, as the final fragments of his legacy burned to ash.
Here is where my divinations fail me. Gaultier should have died in the conflagration of his own making, even if he avoided bleeding out. But he is very much alive, even as of last week. But nothing else is revealed about him, as if there were a miasma surrounding investigations into his fate. The spirits are too terrified to look further (20).
This should suffice as a summary of what the last few months of research revealed about this catalytic event. I should rest now; I’m feeling a bit lightheaded and woozy, even after one drink (21).
Joint executive of Talzerine & Starr Enterprises, LLC
Month 6, Week 4, Year 860
These were the final parting words of the entities (1) I consulted for my divinations to piece together the events that occurred on Ashera (2). Ten years ago, I found myself in harrowing circumstances that would change the trajectory of my life forever. I am stronger now, both in personal power and the resources I command. And finally I can understand what happened on that island. As I sit here, snacking on some handsome cut fried potatoes and drinking some Pescat Blue Ribbon, I can put pen to paper and draft this report.A shade of dark will;Yet, one more vile lies behind;The eater of worlds.
I remember the - now known to be - invisible force (3) assailing Karen (the false Madame Anastasia) and throwing her over the railing down to the first floor. I ensured that Jupiter (4) returned Rho’s (5) byeshk (6) bracelet before we collectively leapt over the railing, surviving due to Jupiter’s magic slowing our fall. We were soon joined on the first floor foyer by Gaultier (7) and Spark of Life (8), who landed safely via pure athleticism. Aura of Passion (9) rounded up Lucas (10) and Iona (11) to protect them from the unseen threat descending down the central staircase. It was unfortunate that Spark was the only one who noticed Theo (12) and Mircea (13) filching valuables from the sitting room and hiding them inside a rucksack masquerading as Mircea’s “pregnant” form. It would have been a helpful portent of what to expect later in the night.
Though the spirits were flighty and evasive, as they always are, I pieced together that Gaultier headed into the basement by his lonesome to use the store of alcohol there as a flame accelerant. By sheer chance, he happened to find a hidden arcane laboratory employed by the Marquis, including a summoning circle. Doubtless, there was untold knowledge (14) lost due to his unfamiliarity with the material. It was then that Jupiter and I stumbled upon Gaultier. I used my magic to douse any flames he was about to light, with the intent of preserving the manor and any secrets it held. But Jupiter, in a manner I would grow accustomed to in the ensuing years, overrode my decision and aided Gaultier in putting the manor to the torch.
I left the basement, seeing Theo and Mircea leave the manor. It became clear later that they had cut the ring of keys from Lucas’ belt loop, allowing them to take a carriage and nearly escape the island unimpeded. Spark, on the other hand, wanted to end the invisible assailant’s life through violence, traveling upstairs to meet his fated foe. He managed to send Milena (15) downstairs to safety and recruit the grieving Geo (16) with the promise of vengeance against his family’s killer. As the spirits tell me, the duo was able to land a blow on the skulk, despite its invisibility, due to it being momentarily distracted by Aura’s singing downstairs. Alas, even someone as martially skilled as Spark was slain by a critical blow by the creature, ending his life in one brutal strike. As Geo jumped from the second floor and landed safely in the foyer, Spark’s lifeless body was soon to follow. We all left the manor, needing no further spurring, making for the carriage house.
Through divinations, I learned that Gaultier and Jupiter made it upstairs, only to be confronted with the knowledge that the assailant was nearby. Gaultier ran for the front door while Jupiter fled for a side exit. Aura, believing at the time that Gaultier was the killer all along, closed off his escape and barred the door from opening. Gaultier was felled by a stray strike from the skulk, one that karmically felled him only due to prior injuries sustained from antagonizing Geo (17). Jupiter escaped and was able to join us on the hitched carriage I had readied while Aura remained behind, after offering comforting words to Rho, to stall any pursuit.
On our end, we arrived at the docks unmolested, likely due to Aura’s actions. There, we saw Theo and Mircea attempting to set sail, having retrieved the dinghy from storage. Mircea appeared slim, having shed her bag of stolen valuables and placed it on the ship. A confrontation of threats and bluffs erupted, as Theo attempted to convince us of another vessel. Ultimately, it was resolved in a test of wills and reflexes as Mircea reached for a hidden crossbow while Jupiter muttered a quick incantation. My business partner was quicker on the draw (18) and killed Mircea with a barrage of magic missiles. We quickly took the vessel, forcing Theo to stay aground. Due to weight restrictions, we were forced to dump the stolen valuables that were taken. We even had to leave Geo behind, though not without assurances that we would send a vessel back for him. We even gave him Rho’s protective wristband as a contingency (19).
The following is slight conjecture, but I expect events on the island played out as such. Aura quickly realized that the skulk would not attack her, due to her ring of byeshk given by the Marquis in his bequeathment. She used this to her advantage by taking off the ring periodically to lure the creature towards her before putting it back on. She lured the creature far away from the docks, to the lighthouse, in order to ensure our escape and provide a beacon for a potential rescue should we need it. Having seen our vessel head to the mainland, she lured the creature back to the manor. It was during these, pardon the pun, games of cat and mouse that she was able to see the visage of the creature through reflections, it being a mockery of the Marquis’ appearance. When the hunter and hunted reached the site of the manor, they found it utterly in flames, far beyond saving. The circle that Gaultier found in the basement must have provided some sustenance for the creature, as its destruction weakened it, bringing it to its knees. There, Aura put a comforting arm around the facsimile of the Marquis, having the opportunity to be with her beloved, in a sense, as the final fragments of his legacy burned to ash.
Here is where my divinations fail me. Gaultier should have died in the conflagration of his own making, even if he avoided bleeding out. But he is very much alive, even as of last week. But nothing else is revealed about him, as if there were a miasma surrounding investigations into his fate. The spirits are too terrified to look further (20).
This should suffice as a summary of what the last few months of research revealed about this catalytic event. I should rest now; I’m feeling a bit lightheaded and woozy, even after one drink (21).
- (1): I made sure to consult non-fiendish entities pursuant to 3rd Cycle Pescat Extraplanar Contact and Contract guidelines. Better keep things above board here.
- (2): The island has left Vechian hands recently, but the new owner is unknown. Worth looking into.
- (3): As I allude to later on, the creature was an extraplanar creature known as a skulk. It has a passing resemblance to the summoner, as well as bits of memory.
- (4): Jupiter Talzerine, my business partner. Although I’m starting to feel pushed to the background as of late.
- (5): I’ve kept a distant eye on her. She’s a Rover now, traveling from place to place and helping people, akin to what the real Madame Anastasia did. *the text is slightly smudged from drops of liquid*
- (6): I confirmed my conjecture at the time that this rare metal acts as a repellent against extraplanar creatures. I never could find the amulet that belonged to the original Anastasia.
- (7): I looked into his “School of Slap” and found that the disciples there are similarly...unconventional. Unconventionally stupid.
- (8): His untimely death left an unclaimed flat in Havre, which was bequeathed to us instead. It was where our joint enterprise started. The bedrock to our success.
- (9): Still a Rover, if my sources are correct, though she and Rho have parted ways amicably and recently.
- (10): He returned to the bottle after the traumatic events on Ashera and was dead in a year. Pity, but he had it coming.
- (11): Her constitution vastly improved after she left this island. I hear she’s operating a tavern called the Desert Rose in Anthep of all places, blossoming into an independent and successful (though likely still a touch overdramatic) woman. Was she being used by the Marquis for blood magic? Need to look into further.
- (12): The rat keeps escaping through our fingers. A reminder to up his bounty so no one can resist the price on his head.
- (13): Her real name was Ceamir (that’s just a lazy alias!), a bandit and con artist with a 1000 gp bounty on her head. Natch.
- (14): The research was likely the result of a lifetime of the Marquis’ work. I’m shaking with anger just thinking about the whole exchange in the basement. That’s right! I’m giving myself a footnote just to vent!
- (15): Mileena Chouet, now head of the legal team at Talzerine & Starr!
- (16): He still runs Vechian Enterprises, albeit with a less heavy and cutthroat hand than his father. Jupiter still sees him during company board meetings, and is working on seeing him elsewhere too.
- (17): Geo seemed more physically capable than we gave him credit for. I suspect he’s always had tricks up his sleeve and has only built upon them in the last ten years. I think Jupiter might be underestimating him.
- (18): Then again, her ability to dispense swift and fatal violence has also grown. I think part of her likes it when they pick “the hard way.”
- (19): The concern here is her kindness for Rho fading away as soon as the girl stopped being useful. It’s been a recurring theme.
- (20): All they gave me was the opening coda that my report began with. I wish I had asked Rho some more pointed questions about the goings on in the manor. Or that some moron didn’t burn it to the ground. Still mad about that!
- (21): *the following is written in a different, more flowery, hand* Dahhhling! You should keep a closer eye on your servants (and what they slip into your drinks)! I don’t appreciate all the positively rude conjectures you’ve made about me! But, I can’t deny the truth of them. The writing was on the wall, you know? It was either you or me, and I much prefer me to come out on top. You’ve been working so hard you know? Enjoy a nice long rest!
Report Date
16 Mar 2021
Primary Location
Featured Players
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