Session 24 Report

General Summary

Follen 26 Frostwind 834EA

Before waking up, Harthe had a dream that felt more like a memory. In it, he was a young child washed up on a beach, covered in sand, seawater, and seaweed, coughing up seawater. A small pair of boots stopped in front of his face and as he looked up, the face of an elderly male gnome was peering down at him. Harthe remembered him as the man he called grandpa. The gruff-looking man had kindly eyes and he helped pull Harthe up out of the sand. He asked the child's name and Harthe started to say through his coughs, 'I don't remember... Arrt... Arth...' The old man looked up at the child, a little taller than him now that he was standing. Being slightly deaf, he asked 'Harthe you say?'. The child tried to think but couldn't remember clearly. 'I think so, maybe...' he responded. 'Right. Harthe it is then. Come with me then, let's get you into the warm.' Young Harthe followed the gnome into his small beachside hut and sat by the fire to warm up as the gnome man found a blanket to put over him and some warm tea to drink. Upon waking, unsure what to make of the dream, Harthe shook his head clear and dressed himself to head down the steps to the kitchen for breakfast, meeting both Jodariel Balakin and Pōtiki along the way. As they arrived in the kitchen, they could hear voices coming from the living room. They could hear the voice of Glynna Willowbank as well as another woman's voice. Harthe recognised the second voice but couldn't place who's voice it was. Pō did not realise the second voice was from a familiar person. Gauging the tone of the conversation as friendly, the group wandered into the living room to find Glynna talking to Tyna Brushgather, with Tyna talking about her concerns about increased bandit activity, and urging Glynna to be careful, and Glynna telling the other halfling about having had friends recently clear out a bandit stronghold just out of Maksary. As the group walked in, she looked up and smiled and told Tyna 'and these are the friends!'. Glynna introduced the party to Tyna, with Tyna admitted that she had already met Pō and Harthe and asked where Suiadan Innion was. Jodi told her that he had left, and introduced herself. Pō told her that Tyna was from a secret organisation of secrets. Tyna smiled and nodded, and told Jodi about The Silver Whisperers. Pō asked Glynna if she was a Silver Whisperer too or how she knew Tyna, and Glynna told them that she and Tyna were old friends and while she herself was not a Silver Whisperer, they did work with each other from time to time and exchange information. Harthe asked about Bain de Soleil and her whereabouts and Tyna told them that Bain was overseeing the trial of Lord Lugdon Nekovich in Yvas and that she herself had just come over from Yvas. Jodi asked who Bain was and Pō told her about their bard friend, specifically about how she could do flips. Seeing a opportunity at the mention of Yvas and the political nature of Nekovich's arrest, Harthe asked Tyna about the political situation in Stagimsia. She responded that it was fraught and had been for the past two decades. The halfling spy regarded him curiously at the question but he did not pursue further answers, she likewise dropped the line of conversation. The group then started discussing the concerns about increased bandit activity around Iklarel with Tyna saying that they seemed organised but The Silver Whisperers had been unable to identify a specific cause they were working to, and the locations seemed random. The Venturers looked to each other and Pō spoke up to ask Tyna if she knew anything about 'a Shadow Duke'. Glynna smiled and thanked Pō for speaking up about it as she had not wanted to break their confidence, but felt that the Silver Whisperers, or more specifically, Tyna, might be able to help. Tyna responded that the name had come in correspondence that the Silver Whisperers had intercepted now and then, but that they had not been able to establish a connection to anyone or anything in particular. Harthe told her that the party had discovered that he was looking to find some artifacts for ends not yet known. Tyna snapped to attention and asked what kind of artifacts, and whether they were like the ones Nekovich had been interested in and wondered aloud if there was some connection there, but none of the group shared any further information or details about the artifacts, instead sharing what they knew about how he was also kidnapping spellcasters. They showed her some (but not all) of the letters they had found over the course of their adventures, including the letter that mentioned a powerful spellcaster by the name of Wiley. Harthe admitted that he knew Wiley and that he had been arrested in Nuvar by the Rouvray Enforcers. Glynna said that he would therefore, if still alive depending on his crimes, be imprisoned in Rouvray unless the Shadow Duke had already got to him, noting that the party had not divulged the man's real name and being careful not to do the same. Tyna asked Harthe if he knew the charges against Wiley, but he said no. They speculated further on the Shadow Duke and his motives and operations and what his goals were, with Jodi positing that maybe he was trying to open the divine gate to get the gods to come back and clean their mess in Stagimsia. The others chuckled somewhat and Pō said that was unlikely, with a name like 'The Shadow Duke' indicated more nefarious motives. 'Not a friendly nickname,' Jodi agreed. Tyna told Glynna again that she should be careful when she goes to Grechia. The group asked about why she was going to Grechia and Glynna told them she had been called upon to advise the Pyat'krug and that she did so from time to time, though more often by the Supreme Council of Cleroy. Jodi immediately got cagey and suspicious of Glynna, but Harthe detected a hint of disdain in Glynna's voice at the mention of the Pyat'krug and asked her about it. The cleric admitted that she did not trust them and that they often didn't follow her advice anyway. Harthe asked why she didn't trust them and she said she did not trust people who only gained power by buying their way there rather than possession of knowledge, skill and other worthy attributes for leadership. Jodi calmed again and asked Glynna to keep her updated on what she advised the Pyat'krug and what they do. Pō, noting that the paladin bore the colours and symbols of the Grechian Guard and the interest in the Pyat'krug, asked about it and Jodi again got cagey and told them that the Pyat'krug had made many mistakes on purpose. Glynna regarded the tiefling sympathetically as Jodi once again indicated that she could not go back to Grechia. Glynna asked her if she had any friends or family she wanted her to check in on while she was in town, but Jodi said yes she did, but that they were ok. Tyna then bade them farewell and assured them that she would send more information via Glynna if she found any. She hugged Glynna and once again urged her to be careful. They left the room as Glynna showed her the door, and Glynna returned looking a bit sad. While the two halflings were out the door, the group discussed whether or not to tell Glynna more about what they knew about the artifacts. Pō told Harthe that it was his call and that they would go along with whatever. When Glynna returned, Harthe told her that they knew that the Shadow Duke was looking to obtain at least eight artifacts, but that there were possibly more in the world and they only knew of four locations confirmed to have one, Hvammstanya, the Sondheim Mountains, Agren, and the Lyushin Wilds, but that these were big areas and it would be like looking for a needle in a haystack. Pō lamented the possible futility of trying to intercept these as there were more than eight in the world and he only needed that many. Glynna suggested that the artifacts were likely where old locations were, not able to narrow down the Lyushin Wilds, but indicating that the Sondheim mountains artifact could be in or near the town Sondheim but was more likely to be in Vol Darum, an old dwarven city beneath the mountains in Sieron, the Agren artifact was likely in the mine in Ager Island off the coast of Agren, and the Hvammstanya artifact likely in the old ruins of the ancient dwarven city of Yngolihr. She also told them there were a lot of old elven ruins in the west of Chambon in the north of the former country of Taesai. Pō also reminded the group about their first encounter with the Shadow Duke's bandits near the Valpinal Expanse, and suggested that maybe there was an artifact there. Glynna said it was possible as there were legends about sunken ruins at the bottom of the large lake. She then suggested that they could also go to the desert of Beboloba to look for books that might have information, telling them about how there was an old sunken library beneath the desert and that books were occasionally get found in the desert and that it was a long shot but had potential to cut down on time and effort if they managed to find more specific information about the whereabouts, number, and purpose of the artifacts. Harthe then admitted that they had one of the artifacts already from their journey in Vanimaldine and showed it to her. The halfling inspected it and told them that it was strange as she could tell it was magical or had magical properties, but it was inactive, like it was a piece of a larger thing that would activate the magic. The others nodded that this made sense and why eight were needed. They talked more about the mysteries and what they would do next and Glynna apologised that she would not be able to teleport them wherever they wanted to go next as she needed to leave momentarily herself. Jodi expressed relief and that she had not enjoyed being teleported. She helped them to figure out possible routes of travel and expected travel times. Before she bade them farewell, she reminded Harthe of her offer of one or two spell scrolls from her collection and he chose 'Identify' and 'Incite Greed'. She got the scrolls for him and clicked her fingers to summon some breakfast for them. As she left, she assured them that she would try and find more information about the artifacts and keep them updated via their communication pebbles. After she left, the party discussed more about where to go next, with Pō once again lamenting how much ground there was to cover and how long it would all take and the likelihood of not being able to beat the Shadow Duke to it. Harthe suggested that they might be best to try reach Wiley to intercept his capture or warn him of the danger. Jodi agreed and insisted on Rouvray, stating again that she did not want to go to Grechia. Harthe told Jodi and Pō about how he knew Wiley and how he had been a mentor to him as a child and adolescent, teaching him all he knew about magic. Pō asked him how they'd met and Harthe told them how he'd tried to steal a book from Wiley's bookshop and the man had seen the young boy's potential and taken him on as an apprentice, but that he had always been a bit shady and that the two of them always had secrets from each other. He told them that Wiley had traded in information so it was possible that he'd got in trouble that way, or that it was possible that he'd learnt something about someone powerful who'd got him arrested to get him out of the way. Pō asked if he knew why he'd been arrested and Harthe said that he didn't as he'd bailed as soon as he'd seen the Rouvray Enforcers arrive and run away from town and got as far as Millfield and laid low there. That he'd been there a month and was figuring out where to go or what to do next when Pō and Suiadan arrived in town and he'd decided to stick with them. The group having agreed that they would go find Wiley, they decided the best and fastest route would be to catch a boat from Rowan Martin to Nuvar and then journey to Rouvray. Harthe used his hat of disguise to turn himself into a slightly shorter, 60 year old human male wearing blue traveling clothes, using his pole of collapsing as a walking staff. He told the party his disguised name would be Gorn so that he would not be recognised and associated with Wiley and potentially arrested himself. They discussed a cover story to tell people associated with the disguised identity. Jodi suggested, "We are coming to Rouvray to be friendly”. Pō suggested “We are sick of the places we come from”. Harthe then proffered, “Maybe, 'we want to do business here'” "Ah! You’re a business-MAN!" Pō agreed. "What business do you do?" Harthe shrugged. “Rugs?” Pō got invested into the story, “Yes, we don’t have rug yet but want to establish partnerships to get rugs and that’s why we don’t have any yet”. Jodi agreed and suggested, “Bringing the fancy rugs from Grechia to the less fancy people of Rouvray”. Pō nodded. “We’re good at this we should become spies!" Jodi said “I know a person”. Pō smiled, “Yeah you just met one today”. Pō asked Jodi if she knew of any big name rug dealers or fancy shops that they could name drop as part of their story. Jodi told them about Sahara and a fancy shop in the Prevlag District called Trixie's Treasures though it did not generally sell rugs. The party left the house with momentary debate about how to lock up before deciding that it was a magical house so probably would keep uninvited guests out by itself. They headed to the dock to find Rowan who was busying himself with coiling some ropes. He expressed surprise at seeing the group having been waiting for the call to collect them from Vanimaldine. They told him that they had managed to find their own way back. He asked where Shu and Harthe had gone and Pō told him that they'd decided to stay on in Ell but that they'd met an old friend when they got back to Grech, and introduced him to 'Gorn'. He seemed unsure of whether or not he should pay their deposit back and apologetically told them that he had already spent the money. They told him that it was fine and that they would like to use that deposit and pay for the journey for him to take them to Nuvar. He told them he could do that and asked when they would like to leave. They said immediately but he said he would need an hour to let his family know he would be away for a few days and to collect supplies. He also apologised that there would only be room for two of the group to sleep below deck as the biggest boat was too small for sleeping space for everyone. They said it was fine and waited at the dock till he returned. While waiting for Rowan, Pō asked Jodi more about her history in Grechia and why she didn't want to go back. Jodi said that she did want to go back but that she couldn't because she might get recognised and get in trouble. Pō asked if she'd done something back. Jodi responded that she didn't think so. Pō probed further, asking if it was something others thought was bad but she didn't, and Jodi nodded. Pō suggested that they could go and just kill everyone who says she can't go back. Jodi shook her head, saying that no one says she can't go back but that she says she can't go back. Harthe could tell that she was a little scared and sad, and thinking that it was just that it was too hard for her to talk about, offered to cast detect thoughts so that he could tell what was wrong without her having to say. Jodi said no, telling them that she needed to find more things out before she could talk about it. Rowan returned and the three climbed aboard and paid him their fare. Late morning by now, the party enjoyed the smooth sailing north along the Vanim Channel toward Nuvar, and noted a collection of turtles swimming off the coast of Vanimaldine. As the sun set, Rowan had some dinner and then told the group that he needed to get some sleep soon and that they had the option of taking shifts to steer the boat in his stead, that he would lower the sails so that the boat didn't travel too fast for them to lose control, or he could go towards the shoreline and drop anchor till morning. The Venturers, not feeling too confident of their sailing abilities, opted for the latter, so Rowan steered the boat just off the coast of Grech and dropped anchor, climbing below deck for some sleep. Jodi took first watch and was alarmed as Hāmua flew to the rail of the boat and then onto her shoulder. Having not met the bird before, she was alarmed by the tameness of the Ruru, and discovered she could have a semblance of a conversation with her, abeit a stunted and awkward one. Eventually Pō arose for their watch and Hāmua flew up to them and Pō introduced the two. Jodi awkwardly and mildly disturbed, descended below deck for sleep. Hāmua kept Pō company as the firbolg kept their vigil. They noticed a crocodile swimming around a fair ways off but he seemed to mind his own business, so they did not call to action. Eventually Harthe rose for his watch and Pō told him about the croc and headed to bed again. Harthe lit a torch and got to work copying the two new spell scrolls into his spellbook. At one point he heard a thonk sound against the hull of the boat and became alert, but after a while with no further sounds or signs of disturbance, he relaxed and got back to work.

Sonden 27 Frostwind 834EA

The sun rose and Rowan had a quick breakfast and readied the sails. He started to lift the anchor and started cursing as he discovered the rope was all tangled with thick wads of seaweed. Pō offered to help but while they were initially more of a hindrance, the two of them eventually sorted it out, though it took an hour before they were able to set sail again. Finally ready, the group settled for a full day's sailing.

Character(s) interacted with

Created Content

Campaign

Venturers of Iklarel

Protagonists

Pōtiki

Jodariel Balakin

()

8 / 8 HP

STR

DEX

CON

INT

WIS

CHA

Harthe

Report Date

23 Jan 2021

Primary Location

Glynna Willowbank's home

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Following sessions

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Session 24 Report

General Summary

Follen 26 Frostwind 834EA

Sonden 27 Frostwind 834EA

Character(s) interacted with

Created Content

Pōtiki

Jodariel Balakin

Harthe

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