Chapter 15: The Past is Never Dead

General Summary

This chapter begins on the 14th of Abarat. After freeing Thydona from her gem prison, Wesley showed up and broke a horn off of Falaern. Jacquora noticed before he disappeared with the princess that Falaern removed her belt pouch. After he disappeared, the trio were left with an unconsious Thydona, a shard of Falaern's horn, and her pouch. Inhe picked up Falaern's horn and Thydona and deposited her in the healing pool at the center of the room. Lenihlra healed Thydona and she slowly began to wake up. Jacquora found Falaern's pouch, a simple leather bag with one gold and one silver bead and found the following contents:

A gold signet ring with Falaern's initials
A lock of her silver hair tied with a gold ribbon
Diadem of mother of pearl and diamonds
Approx. 1,100 gp Ilythrian coinage
Several letters

One letter read as follows:

To Whomever Finds This Pouch,
This must mean that I am either captured, dead, or worse. Within this pouch you will find items that should grant you access to the city of Ilythyra. If I am dead, please go there and inform HRH Queen Halanaestra of my demise. She may reward you greatly. If I am alive, utilize the items within this pouch to rescue me. Your reward will be great.
Finally, use one of the letters but spare the other three for my friends. Give them to Arik Prince, proprietor of Purple Reigns in Lorisen. He will know what to do. You may keep the remaining contents of this pouch if you do this.
With my kindest thanks,
Falaern Emeline Rozumin
Crown Princess of Ilythyra

Included were four other letters, each reading the following:

Be it known that the bearer of the scrip is to be given entry to this fair city and all of its treasures within. In addition to this, they are to be given the following:

Fair access to travel and the means thereof within the walls.

Lodging at The Pearl Inn & Suites, courtesy of the crown.

Immediate audience with HRH Crown Princess Falaern Emeline Rozumin.

For the Royal Queen’s Guard who receives this letter, notify HRH Princess Falaern of this individual’s entrance to the city so that she may best prepare for their entry. Do not notify HRH Queen Halanaestra. These guests of the city and the crown are bound to a quest of secrecy and are good and trusted friends of the Crown.
With regards,
Falaern Emeline Rozumin
Crown Princess of Ilythyra

Meanwhile, Thydona informed the group that it felt as if time had not really passed to her since she was imprisoned in the stone. She decided to stick with the group for now to aide them in their search for her descendent, Falaern. Upon returning to The Umbral Inn, they ordered an extra room. Thydona additionally repaired her necklace. The next day the group noticed a Celestial Guard hanging several flyers in the inn's common room advertising some of the coming festivities. One flyer advertised the fights at Sanctuary Stadium, one flyer advertised various races at The Tracks, and another flyer advertised the Carnival held in Empire Circle. They all decided to split up on that day, the 15th. Inhe went to the Mandible docks south of the river to see if the crew of The Glowerm were still around. It did not take her long to locate them. After a conversation with the first mate, Ainsworth, she went northwards to the stadium and signed up for several of the fights. In particular, she signed up both herself and Jacquora for the two-team fights and also herself and Jacquora for the individual fights. These fights could be against fellow competitors or creatures gathered from near and afar. She also signed up for the sprint and marathon races at The Tracks. Lenihlra went for a tour of the city. She saw Loras' memorial site at the nearby cemetary and one of the nicer parks before arriving in the Old Athelis neighborhood. While there, she was able to get an idea of what the Luthyra compound in The Core looked like. It is a walled area of the neighborhood where the upper crust live. There is somewhere between 10-50 guards that patrol the area, and they are not Celestial Guards, but hired guards. Lenihlra also noticed that the main building seemed to be to one side with many smaller buildings such as guest houses, stables, and other structures. The style of the main house seemed vaguely modeled after The University. She also read a plaque that told the brief history of the estate. The Core was originally built as the private estate of Loras Hamonet. After his death on the fields of Ilythyra, the estate was given to the family of Loras' right-hand general, the House of Luthyra. They have lived on this estate for the past 500 years. Jacquora and Thydona went to The Gemini Club for some gambling. They were able to ask around until they found the club in the Cliffside neighborhood. They ate some of the food on the main level, which was not very appetizing, and then paid their compliments to the chef which allowed them onto the second level. They found a smoking-lounge-esque area with a harp player and a nice bar. They ordered some cocktails and then made their way to the third level where a high-stakes game of Blackjack was being held. After several rounds of betting, Jacquora was able to win a large pot of 240 gp. As she left, she noticed across the hall there were five individuals around a table that held five Bounty Hunter Guild cards. Finally, all three of the individuals joined together again at The Umbral Inn. Upon entering the room they usually stayed in, Inhe noticed that it appeared as if it had been gone through and reordered. They searched and noted that nothing was missing but that it was definitely suspicious. Evan was able to give them a new room at a discounted price that had seperate beds for all of them. Inhe asked about if there had been any shifty individuals around he told them that he had had to kick out a rowdy group that included one orc, one elf, and two Humans. That night, the three heros had similar dreams. Wesley P'dash visited them individually and spoke with them. After they woke up and shared their dreams, Jacquora told them that he had visited her before. They dicussed and decided that Lenihlra may be able to work for him to gain information and maintain the idea that she is working for him. The next morning as they made their way back down to the common room Inhe noticed a tall individual standing in front of what was their old room. Upon turning she recognized a familiar face, her brother, Vrir Ghan.