Debriefing and Re-Meeting

Discovery, Scientific

The Iron Wolves delve into their sarcophagus, meet a distant relation, and commit to greater deeds for the future of Zhalvazho

The return to Dawnbringer Command brought with it immediate demands for the Iron Wolves and Captain Pogenath to report to Vice Admiral Dellore. While the companions had discussed Lyle missing this meeting again, it seemed like that wouldn't fly with the meeting being set by the other side. The Iron Wolves had also discussed how they were going to approach, or rather not approach, the topic of c'Nehn's death. When the six men were brought into Dellore's office, Gregor attempted to talk around the failures of the extraction but Dellore was not having it. Vague selling of salvaging a failed stealth mission did not match the description that the priests had coaxed from the corpse of a horned giant bludgeoning through the camp midday. As the priestly abilities of speaking with the dead had aided the Iron Wolves, it had also damned them.
  Despite the set backs from their core mission, the retrieval of deeper information and a major prisoner of this conflict aided the Iron Wolves case. In addition to your buttressed support, Dellore having another person to chew out shifted attention from the adventurers. With the Iron Wolves still in the room, the Vice Admiral questioned Pogenath on why he even picked them back up. He should have left them to their own fates as was his role in this mission if something went wrong. The triton defended his actions stating that he had been out to sea south of Yarguel when the plumes of blue and green smoke had occurred. He and his military station were in no way involved. Additionally, the Iron Wolves only signalled for extraction a day and a half after the event. What Pogenath had used against Gregor in the moment also explained his actions, action the party had even privately questioned.
  Moreover, Pogenath commented that he could not be certain what the colored smoke was from in the moment. While he disagreed with the party's tactics and priorities, he knew their effectiveness. They had eliminated an entire pirate cove with a single survivor to answer for his crimes by a higher authority. Discounting how that turned out in the end, the party's past operations showed evidence of eratz tactics but finished means. With space and time for the retrieval, his job was to judge the safety to continue and he did so. When the death of the target was known he dealt with that in turn.
Dellore saved the rest of his question for private but at the very least he had made sure the Iron Wolves understood his position. He informed them to pick up their pay the the supply rooms as they had been gone for the beginning of the month and would soon be on to the next. He highly suggested they put in their resignation letters soon if they could not handle the bed the were making for themselves here. After they were dismissed, there were desires to have Lyle sneak back in to hear the second half of the discussion but that was halted for safety.
  After getting to the supply hut, the party members acquired some goods from Benny along with their pay. Gregor acquired a better hand spear for future use, Kain attempted to get a tricorn hat but they had none that weren't part of officers uniforms, and Daniel picked up a driftglobe to aid the party in their adventures. Unfortunately, Benny also had a letter for them. Tucking back to their room, the opened it.
  In the same script as last time upon similar thick, sweet smelling paper was written, “I hope your time in Zhalvazho has been pleasant. So many new experiences, wonders, and lives to take in. Before you return, I would request that you bring back a fertile sample of Rochelum Fungus. I believe the locales refer to it as the Hungergrue in their own tongues.” Gregor was unfamiliar with this fungus but that didn't stop the investigations. Lyle transformed into a wolf to get a good scent of the paper to find that under the perfumes was a light scent of anaerobic fermentation ingrained in the letter. Opening the safe, he confirmed the previous letter had the same smell.
  Curious if anyone else in Dawnbringer Command were getting these letters, a plot was hatched to check out the supply hut. With how much the Vice Admiral wanted them gone, it wouldn't surprise them if he was receiving instructions. Kain and Zeran went back to Benny to distract as a mustelid Lyle sneaked into run a muck in the supply ward. Kain gave in on the hat idea and went for bandanas and sashes. After that, Zeran talked to Benny about curved sword use that kept his attention for a bit but he eventually had to get back to work.
  On Benny's side of the counter, Lyle found nothing of note in the open areas and discovered he had to get back into the private area similar to where Benny had to get the driftglobe. The weasel squeezed under a door and found an appropriate padlocked chest. Lyle retook Human form to luckily shim the padlock with a knife but found nothing inside of similar scent when he retook his sniffing weasel form. Letting the chest back down, he had no way of relocking the chest. He chilled in a corner to watch Benny come back and have a minor heart attack of forgetting to lock the chest, assure no one saw his mistake, and lock it again. Lyle left in his own time for safety and ease.
  Through the evening, the companions made a few choices. First, they would be staying in Zhalvazho to see this Bunolsid plot through. Second, they would pay the gold for expedited letters to send notice back to Aldarina with one of the silver toruses to look for a buyer. If none could be found, Kain wanted it forwarded on to a Draman to contact of his.
  The next morning, the Iron Wolves reported in that they would continue their contract. Dellore had contacted a specialist to come look at the sarcophagus, corpse, and “poisonous” metal. That said, the corpse still needed to be dealt with. The Iron Wolves put themselves forward for that task. The Iron Wolves had the rest of the day to do what they wanted and would have to report in tomorrow to deal with the situation. Everyone continued their downtime activities with Lyle taking time in the harbor to promote the underwater flora growth.
  The next day, the companions found themselves to the work room set up for the archealogists work, guards all outside ready to close up the room until the companions were done. Before beginning their work, they spoke with Dellore and the new specialist. The new contact was an overly tanned highelf with white hair. He was a civilian worker that Dellore talked down to. The Vice Admiral dominated the parameters, demanding that his men and the Command's safety be first and foremost but added that the the elf needed the body as preserved from damage as possible. The quicker and less destructive the incapacitation the better. Despite this, the elf did sneak in words of care and despite wanting the most information to work with, to prioritize taking care of their own safety above preservation.
  Throughout this encounter, Daniel was having the oddest dejavus. They recognized the elf but couldn't place them. Not in the military. Not in a court room or business meeting. But from the face to the voice, to the slightly closed off demeanor of how he hugged himself and bid the party to take care of each other, there was something there.
  Once the room was locked up, the companions started out with a plan Daniel had masterminded. The day before, they had crafted cheap, fake wings to wear in this encounter. The illusionist then isolated the sarcophagus on an island surrounded by a deep cavern through a hallucinatory terrain. Most of their effort would be spent moving islands of floating rock to held the winged people around the charade to prevent the undead entity from being mobile. Once set, Gregor heaved the top off the sarcophagus, causing the undead to lurch up, weapons flipping for a fight. The giant tried to calm it though the magics he used were ineffective on the undead mind.
  Despite that the agile undead warrior was quickly subdued. Kain belched out a toxic gas of the kuotoa in his stomach and soggily stunned the dry undead form. He thenlashed it with a grappling hook and wrapped it up as Zeran knocked it down and kept it stunned after it fought of the toxic vapors. Lyle summoned giant swans and successful rode them around as they honked and bleated, tearing off small chunks of body to join Kain and Zeran's barage. Seeing the body taking too much damage, Gregor tried to finish the ordeal with a sacred flame. The radiance did a tone of damage but also seared the body far more than any single attack had done. In the end, the stunned, smoking corse lay tied up in the sarcophagus having hurt no one.
  The elf's return to the chamber brought compliments to Daniel's illusions that overshadowed the guards' wonder or disdain. As Kain, Gregor, and the Atohi/Lyle Weasels mounted on swans left the room, Daniel and Zeran stayed to speak with the elf. He apologized for the lack of introctions earlier after Zeran brought up the topic. With his history, the military wasn't proud of bringing him in for a job. His name was Inialos Olara. With that name, Daniel remembered why they had recognized the elf. Daniel had seen him on the worst day of Alice's life.
  The final companions left the man to his work knowing that their early morning job would be bookended in the evening with the reports. Midday, though, Daniel returned to the room to drop off a gift for Olara. The wizard let Olara know that they knew Deryn as well. The illusionist produced a set of five playing cards to the elf. The elf stood offguard. Daniel introduced the magical compenent, the ability to greet the card by name and have them say hello back. Tentatively, the elf shared a private moment where one by one he got to say hello to people he had not seen in a very long time. Olara reached into his magical bag and attempted to gift Daniel a signed copy of one of Valen Sheepmender's published works, revealing Deryn's signature in the front. Learning that both he and the Silverstars had a complete set, Daniel denied thinking having a bookmark for each of the books was better as a doubled over treasure. They could borrow one of Alices if needed.
  That evening, the companions reported into Dellore once more, the elf present. Dellore's spite still filled his communications but practicality would not let his emotions override the situation. Few were involved in the operations against the Bunolsid and every new person added was a threat. If the Iron Wolves were the tool to be used, so be it. The presentation began.
  Olara had identified the metal of the twin blades and the mask to be orichalcum, a material from the far realm. While not toxic in and off itself, it was potent substance. It was this that the Bunolsid saw as the toxin that was supposedly killing their god. The fact that c'Nehn was researching means of curing blood tainted with the material supported a greater theory bringing together other information. The Bunolsid priest was filled with hatred for phaloxil yes, but never by name. Always in reference to interfering land dwellers. More specifically, the Iron Wolves knew there was hatred for the Idle Guard of Cosyen and that they had sought the wreckage of Cosyen for the substance.
  Historically, the great feline society honored hunting as a means of station. While many hunted the lands of the content, the greatest station was gained in the greatest trials. For a continental people, a great beast of the sea would be a prize above all others. Weaving all of this together, Olara believed that the Shid, the entity at the center of the Syndicate, to be such a beast hunted long ago. More importantly, it had been hunted with an Orichalcum weapon. While it had not died then, it was still wounded now. Ancient and deep, it's ire for the land dwellers remains. For those who go where they do not know and do not respect. As far as the Shid is concerned, there was no difference between the dead civilization of Cosyen and the active society of Phaloxil.
  After Olara's initial presentation of information, discussion commenced on a path forward. While Vice Admiral Dellore was initially adamant on his desire to remove the threat of the Shid if it was already weakened, Daniel countered with an insightful and crucial point. The Iron Wolves had already face the fish-like kuo toa at the Cosyen Debris. Daniel knew that the spiritual powers of the people had the ability to elevate whatever they worshiped into the realm deities by pure reverence. Killing the Shid would not be the solution. The Shid already served as a martyr for a cause and the followers would merely create a new idol to take it's place if it was eliminated. The route of conflict was one that would necessitate genocide to complete which no one wanted.
  Conversations then explored the path of aiding the Shid of it's ailment and eventual peace between it and those above. Unfortunately, c'Nehn's refusal to return left the curing plan more difficult. The party could attempt to bring in an herbalist or chemist to replace the lost specialist but either side would be a step down from having the expert toxicologist. These conversations would eventually lead to the idea of contacting the shaman Acor for any aid he might be on this matter, whether medicinal or in knowledge. Olara also posited a final solution that was more aggressive. A blood purification treatment may simply be treating the symptoms of a larger problem. This creature had lived centuries and not yet succumbed to the ailment but also had not fought it off.
  If the great beast of the Shid was not natural to this plane, it may explain why the creature has never healed. While sea monsters exists in form from bestial to draconic, the Shid may be aberrant. If an Aberrant creature had be deeply wounded by an orichalcum weapon, the weapon may have never been removed. Orichalcum was theorized to be fossils of Far Realm entities. If so, it would be similar to trying to find shrapneled bone or tooth of one person in a wound of an adjacent victim after a blast. The prospect of needing to remove the source of the problem was then balanced with the idea that this entity would not trust the Iron Wolves to suddenly come in on its side and then need to do surgery on it. There would be conflict, just not what Dellore initially wanted.
  With the Iron Wolves taking on this venture, they would need a means of getting to the Bunolsid. If the Black Ops were meant to be “you screw up, you're on your own,” this would be that to the extreme. A direct assault to help the Bunolsid was likely to fail. The Vice Admiral would not be sending one of his ships to its doom. Dellore would be providing an Argian caravel for the party to use. How the Phaloxil military had one out here was unknown. With it, though, the party had a fast ship that could limp along under the directions of Kain and an invisible crew commanded by Daniel. They would not be recognized as Phaloxil operators but would also be in hot water if an Argil fleet identified the commandeered vessel. The Iron Wolves were now set in a position to be at ultimate fault of any mistake but also ultimate glory for any success. Dellore would not be able to publicly claim that he had sent you off in an illegally obtained vessel.
  With their task ahead of them, the Iron Wolves prepared. Daniel quickly ordered in means of arcanely divining the core magic properties of wondrous items or active dweomers. Both Kain and Gregor traded in and trade up their splint armors for one of the core magic suits that Phaloxil had in reserve: Mariner's armor. The party examined locals to try to pick up further sailors to aid their speed but did not like the new options presented to them. Only after trying to find something new did they realize their route would be taking them to Yarguel with it's fishing communities that the party had already built initial connections with. That is where they would get more hands on deck.
  Before beginning their voyage, Lyle took a moment in communion within his growing underwater cove. Reaching out to Bodrenia, he inquired on the likelihood of finding a healer in Yarguel that could help the party. In response, a cold and dark current swept through the grove. “This is not of the natural world yet you desire an expert of the natural world. What you seek is dark.”
  With the knowledge that the shaman would not have a solution to the problem, the Iron Wolves Maintained their course. Acor would have other answers and the ship needed someone else to helm the other half of the day for greatest speed. The newly dubbed Sea Wolf took to sail, Daniel's artistry emblazoned over head. They would begin their self-named quest Operation: No Genocide.