Episode 23
General Summary
The Unlikely Association wake in the Siren's Song tavern in Kaiz to a delightful breakfast of fresh bread and pastries. With some time before they are needed back in the capital, they decide to relax for the day; enjoying some fancy foods and catching an afternoon show at the The Kaiz Playhouse. After an enjoyable day of recovery and relaxation, the party spend one more night in Kaiz before heading back to Kureta City.
In the capital once more, the party are greeted by a guard who seems to already know of The Unlikely Association's exploits in Nistaun. The guard congratulates the party on a job well done, and lets Godric know that Ariadne Knightsbridge wants to speak with him. The party decide to split up to fulfil some errands.
Godric and Leah head to the Order of the Shield to speak with Ariadne, Atlas visits Hammer & Rune to collect his and Godric's weapons, Marty heads to the University of Magic to collect a pair of boots from Odion, The Transmuter and Veda and Eva head to the Airdock to do some snooping on Tobur Fûne.
Ariadne is very pleased with the party's good work in Nistaun; having already read about their success in Godric's notebook. She confirms that knights will be sent to help the beleaguered town, and that the mayor may also be keen to send aid to boost his own reputation. For the party's good work, Ariadne hands over a pouch containing 50 platinum pieces - a price much larger than the standard payments for third-party assistance. Before Godric and Leah leave, Ariadne asks about the dark elf the group met on the road. She seems a little suspicious of her presence in the city, claiming that Sonkai have their own bard college, and the only dark elves she has met during her time in Takari Peak were less than reputable individuals. Leaving it at that for now, she dismisses the pair - with no further jobs for Godric at this time.
At Hammer & Rune, Atlas is called to the front of the long queue to a separate collections desk. Fenna, the female dwarf who runs the place with her husband, presents Atlas with his new crossbow and Godric's halberd. Atlas has a brief chat with the dwarf, explaining that he would like to craft a special shield that can be compacted down and hidden. Intrigued by the idea, Fenna agrees to allow Atlas access to their forge and tools during one of their night shifts, at the end of the tenday.
At the university, Marty winds her way through the familiar halls to the office of Odion, the high professor of transmutation. The door is answered by a tiny creature, a construct with small impractical wings - a homunculus. Odion greets Marty somewhat aloofly, and hands over a pair of Shadow Dragon Boots, which he has crafted from the wyrmling scales the party collected from the Deddo Forest. Odion wishes Marty luck on their quest back to the forest, and tells her to look out for any fully grown Shadow Dragons, as he could make something much more interesting with adult scales.
Veda and Eva (disguised as Atlas) head to the unfinished airdock, where they are greeted by a very bored looking private guard. They convince the man that they need to speak with Tobur Fûne urgently, on business for the mayor, and the guard gives them directions to the visionary's home.
At Tobur's home, the door is answered by a middle-aged woman dressed as a volunteer for the Church of the Goddess. The woman, Madeline, explains that Tobur has been ill for roughly a month now, and she is working as his carer - providing his meals and his medicine. Tobur is sleeping at the moment, and so Madeline leads the pair upstairs to his bedside. Madeline wakes the man from his slumber before heading back downstairs to prepare a meal.
Veda takes lead on the questioning, asking about his illness and the events immediately before. Tobur was apparently celebrating with envoys from the other major cities of Kureta at The Ample Axe. Once Kureta City's airdock was up and running, it seems the other cities were looking to have their own constructed. With him during the celebratory drinks was Eva Monroe, who apparently had been seeing Tobur for a couple of months prior to his illness. Tobur seems sad that Eva had not come to visit him at his bedside, but also understanding that a celebrity like that must have a busy life. Despite his illness and funds for the airdock running low, Tobur still seems to be in good spirits.
Madeline returns with Tobur's lunch and his medicine - a vile which seems to glow with necromantic magic to Eva's eyes. Realising that something is very wrong, Eva manages to persuade Madeline to speak with her privately outside, while Veda investigates the "medicine". Through the use of a Suggestion spell, Madeline reveals that the medicine is actually poison, and this is what's keeping Tobur in his sickbed. As the spell ends, the fake nurse immediately tries to escape, her position compromised. The woman proves to be somewhat more resourceful than the duo were expecting, but is caught just as she makes her way onto the street. At this point, Marty and the rest of the group have managed to find their way to the house, where the tied up Madeline now stares tight-lipped at each of them.
Back in Tobur's room, Eva reveals her true form and has a half-reunion with her... partner? Leah provides some restorative magic to the man, after identifying the poison as Assassin's Blood, an ingested poison that leaves the victim ill for 24 hours.
After this series of unexpected events, the group discuss what to do next...
Rewards Granted
50 Platinum
Shadow Dragon Boots
Shadow Dragon Boots
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