Life Moves On Report
General Summary
The night after the attack on the Gladwell Manor, the party is sat down to be interrogated one by one.
Kashmeel Mazigh tells the investigator that he believes that it has to do with the dragon claw necklace that Justus took to a jeweler (a friend of Justus's named Maximilian Ve'nice). He also mentions an incident when he was around 12 when a person by the name of "The Butcher" tried to break into the home and the Gladwells gathered all of the children into the panic room. The name is written down and they promise that they will keep Kash informed of any updates.
Zela the Liar points to a dragonborn perpetrator, and soon dissolves into hysterical tears, blaming herself for the death of the Gladwells. The investigator rolls his eyes and pushes a tin of Dragon Cookies over to her, which Zela immediately takes.
When she is finally told she's free to go, she takes one more and sneaks two others into her sleeves. As she leaves the building, she notices Kash and offers him the two cookies, which he takes. He offers to let everyone in the party stay at his residence, and Zela, misinterpreting for half a second that he is speaking to her directly, blushes scarlet. Though it quickly fades when she realizes it was a general offer and not one specifically for her.
Rahvin Ashdust, for his part, offers to let the Gladwells and Kash stay at Newler Dreyfuss's home with him and every other Aduran that needs a place to crash for the night. Kash thanks him, but refuses, saying he'd rather stay in his own home. Rahvin agrees to move in with the Gladwells and Kash, and as they walk back, he feels a warmth spread across his back and around his waist - as if being given a full armed back from behind him. His goddess-wife lets her presence be known.
Zela gets home before the others and begins to try and do her best to clean up the master bedroom, using prestidigitation to make the room presentable.
The scene closes with all of the party collapsing onto various beds and sofas, to sleep away the day.
Kash has discovered a mention of a Golgara, but rather than the blue dragon that Zela had suggested this dragon was (as the assassins had been wearing blue), this recording of dragon kind lists Golgara as a red dragon. When discussing it with her, Zela suggests that instead of a specific dragon, it could possibly be a lineage. Or a title.
Ommi has still been rather cold to Zela since she threatened to eat him, and she takes him out to a place away from the others to apologize and attempt to renew their deal for him to teach her magic.... and tell her what he knows about Golgara.
At first he refuses, saying once again that she asked him to take her memories, but Zela insists that now she wants them back. Ommi reluctantly agrees, and presses his dragon snout against Zela's head, and all the memories come flooding back.
Two Weeks Later...
Ayla and Rowan Gladwell, the youngest two of the Gladwell children, have been picked up by Kash's parents and taken back to Hydrus, where they will be taken care of and kept safe. Meanwhile, Rahvin has picked up a two-silver-piece reference cook book to keep on him and cooks meals for Kash as the young man runs himself ragged. Not only having picked up an apprenticeship as a bookbinder, Kash is searching desperately for answers as to what could have been the motivation for killing his family. It is many sleepless nights where he stays up reading by candle light, only to look out with bleary eyes as the sun crests over the hills and drag himself to work, then come home and attempt to also read until the candle runs low. Rahvin tries his best to help and keep Kash safe, but the fighter is relentless. Thankfully, eventually his hard work pays off and he finds something he was not meant to find... In the library at Eilene's Schol, Kash finds a ripped off page stuffed into a completely separate book, with a familiar looking dragon claw necklace drawn on it. Next to it is an iridescent illustration of a dragon. Taking it with him, he asks Zela if she knows anything about the drawing, but unfortunately she is drawing a blank. When she asks Ommi, he also claims ignorance, but she can tell that he is lying to her. She tries begging, pleading, and bargaining with the pseudodragon, but it's not until she threatens to have Rahvin cook him in the oven that Ommi panics and bites her hand, flying up into the rafters and only giving her one word: Golgara. Kash also manages to discover that the skulls that the assassin's masks were built around is from a specific breed of cow that only lives around the city of Aberella in Mercercle: a blue-spotted hide. Rahvin, not only having an inn in the town but also having killed anywhere from 41-59 of the beasts, confirms this. He also notes that there are caverns around the city, though he doesn't know much more about them. Kash makes the decision that after graduation that he'll travel to Aberella to get more information about this cabal, if he can. Zela has taken the time during these two weeks to customize her leather armor to have sheaths that her wings can slot into, and also supplied leather padding to Alynn Agethe's metal man, Patent, to prevent claw marks from scratching the surface of the golem.
Two Days Later...
Kash has discovered a mention of a Golgara, but rather than the blue dragon that Zela had suggested this dragon was (as the assassins had been wearing blue), this recording of dragon kind lists Golgara as a red dragon. When discussing it with her, Zela suggests that instead of a specific dragon, it could possibly be a lineage. Or a title.
Ommi has still been rather cold to Zela since she threatened to eat him, and she takes him out to a place away from the others to apologize and attempt to renew their deal for him to teach her magic.... and tell her what he knows about Golgara.
At first he refuses, saying once again that she asked him to take her memories, but Zela insists that now she wants them back. Ommi reluctantly agrees, and presses his dragon snout against Zela's head, and all the memories come flooding back.
A dragon, tall as a mountain, with scales of white - no, red - no, blue - no, gold - scales that she can't make out the color of towers over her. It's voice, more presence than speech, rumbles in her chest, in her mind: "Go." His mouth opens, and a beam of pure energy, no fire, no ice, no acid, no lightning could ever compare to this torrent, pours down upon Zela. She screams, feeling herself, atom by atom, being unmade then remade over and over again, until she can remember nothing but the feeling of coming apart and then being stitched back together again.Zela screams as she comes back to herself, and Ommi flutters back, seeming completely unbothered. Like he knew this would happen.
Three Days Later...
Kash is dreaming.He blinks, eyes stinging. All around him he smells musk and rotting vegetation. It's nighttime, and when he looks up he sees an absolute blanket of stars - more than he's ever seen. The sky is a multicolor of purple, blue, black, and in some places even pink. A galaxy more vibrant than he's ever seen. He looks down and with a noise of terror stumbles back, because the sky is under him as well. This little strip of solid ground he stands on, with glowing mushrooms and crunching of leaves, is an island upon a sea of stars. He hears a noise - something else crunching on the leaves. Your heart rises in your throat. This is... this is a bad place. He feels it in his very soul. He doesn't belong here. He can't survive here. But as he turns his head, he sees a creature, pale as bone. It has no eyes, but a large grin of pointed, sharp teeth that stretch it's skin wide. It stands almost ten feet tall, and as he watches, frozen, it's large taloned hand on the end of a skeletal arm reaches out for him. He can't move. He can't even breathe as it grabs hold of his face and begins to peel the flesh from his bone. It is only as he sits upright in his bed that he remembers to scream.As he sits there, heart pounding in his chest and cold sweat sending shivers down his spine, he hears a voice: "This is what we stand against." Rahvin rushes into the room, as Zela (sitting in her nest in Kash's room) has begun to wail as well upon hearing Kash scream. He manages to calm them both down with some chamomile tea and Zela sings a lullaby to Kash. It's actually fairly creepy and not entirely helpful, but soon the young man manages to fall back asleep.
One Week Later...
Rahvin wakes up. He's sleeping in the Gladwell manor, in one of the vacated rooms. The curtains on the large four-poster, meant to keep out cool autumn breezes, billow slightly, and he catches sight of a figure in the room, going through his belongings. Rahvin springs into action, commanding the figure to "fall," which it does with nary a protest. He leaps forward, pinning the figure down with his knee and stares into the face of.... the thief from the Sunflower Ball. The thief offers an apologetic grin and, as Rahvin wraps his fingers around the thief's throat, flirtatiously asks Rahvin if he would rather do this on the bed instead. Determined, Rahvin threatens the elven thief with a sacred flame held in one hand whilst the other druidcrafts the lamp to light. With a bit more light, he can see the elf is dark haired and fair of features, wearing simple black leathers and a black cloak. He has a satchel around his shoulder, presumably to hold his tools and loot. The elf introduces himself as Emyr (he/they), and apologizes for intruding. He asks very politely for the necklace back - that that's all he's looking for. Rahvin doesn't believe him, and drops his sacred flame to ready inflict wounds. Emyr, sensing that their fortune may be changing, offers to pay. That does it for Rahvin, who releases the spell into Emyr's body. He tries to kick at Rahvin, catching him in the leg, but it's not enough to distract the cleric. Veins burst and blood pools from his eyes (-20 HP). Emyr groans and grits their teeth, and manages to push Rahvin off of them, running for the window. Unfortunately Rahvin is prepared. He commands again: "Fall." Emyr hits the floor like a sack of potatoes. The cleric goes in for another inflict wounds (-17 HP), and Emyr coughs, blood spraying from his lips. He kicks Rahvin in the chest (-2 HP), and again tries to make it for the window. Rahvin shoots off a guiding bolt, but Emyr's blade flashes in the light, deflecting the magic. Then the thief is out the window, but as they go, they trip over the mantle (critical failure), and Rahvin's fingers that had almost missed the cloak grab hold (Athletics check, 1). Emyr slams against the side of the building, gasping for air as their cloak starts to choke them. They reach up to undo the clasp and drop to the ground, but Rahvin notices and uses his mage hand to hold it fast. Rahvin yells, using thaumaturgy to amplify his voice so it thundered, "everyone! Wake up!" Zela and Kash jolt awake and run into Rahvin's room, and help pull the thief in from the window. They tie up the thief and begin to interrogate them. Emyr admits that it was a common tactic for them - to drop off their loot in unsuspecting people's pockets, and pick it up later. Most people would take their offer of payment, not wanting to get in trouble with the law. He knows nothing about the assassins, or that the necklaces were even magical. They were just a quick buck to them. This is too much for Kash, already barely holding back his anger at seeing the person who brought this misery upon his house, stalks forward. He drives his sword down right next to Emyr's head. He didn't even know if he was going to drive the sword into the head or floor until it was stuck there, quivering. Emyr stares at the sword, speechless. Rahvin puts a hand on Kash's shoulder, staring at Emyr. He studies Emyr carefully, to see if there's anything that the elf is holding back. But he sees that the thief has been honest (critical success). He offers Emyr to stay and have breakfast, but when Emyr asks carefully if he has a choice, it's very clear that he doesn't. So he accepts. Zela, as she cuts him free, takes seven smoke bombs from his satchel. Willow knocks on the door, having been awoken by the sound. Kash sends her back to her room stiffly, promising everything is fine, but she still looks worried as she disappears. As they sit down for breakfast, Emyr admits, a bit embarrassed, that he's allergic to strawberries. But Rahvin is prepared, and begins to prepare food. Meanwhile, Zela has been staring at her smoke bombs, and tries to nibble on one. It explodes in her mouth, making her hack and cough. "Sorry." Emyr says, trying not to smile. After she recovers, Zela begins to patch up Emyr's wounds and Rahvin sets down breakfast. They begin to eat, and eventually, as their bellies are full, Rahvin puts forth his offer to Emyr: the thief will infiltrate Melora's (the woman the necklaces were stolen from) estate and find out any information they can on the necklaces, and in return Rahvin will not turn them into the guards. Once again, Emyr is not able to refuse, so he begrudgingly agrees.Rewards Granted
- 7 smoke bombs
Character(s) interacted with
- Emyr
Kashmeel Mazigh
Neutral Good Kalashtar (Cloistered Scholar)
Fighter 6
Fighter 6
58 / 58 HP
STR
20
20
DEX
14
14
CON
16
16
INT
19
19
WIS
12
12
CHA
13
13
Rahvin Ashdust
LG Half Elf (Guild Artisan)
Cleric 4
Cleric 4
31 / 31 HP
STR
8
8
DEX
14
14
CON
14
14
INT
11
11
WIS
18
18
CHA
14
14
Zela the Liar
N/A Kobold (Quandrix student (Draconic Learner))
Warlock 5
Warlock 5
45 / 45 HP
STR
10
10
DEX
11
11
CON
14
14
INT
9
9
WIS
14
14
CHA
18
18
Report Date
18 Aug 2022
Primary Location
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