REMINDER: The Duke told us about Mercadian customs and culture in preparation. *We all get advantage on any charisma checks involving this!*
Dream tells us her suspicions: Thinks the
Gulgari Swarm key rune might be the source of the pollution.
arcana check: when the golgari rot farms aren't fed well, it turns into a black root-like ooze. The necklace
Guild Signet #8: The Necklace might be the golgari signet, and causing the pollution.
after discussion (duke's history check), the pollution is likely golgari in nature, and in the nearby mountains, but may not be connected to the signet.
dream thinks that an entity is controlling the black ooze.
Theo speaks to the party about her worries that we're headed towards anarchy. she says that we need allies, and to settle on and end goal. so far we've discussed collecting some of the signets and keeping them out of the wrong hands, possible changing the guild magic, and possibly breaking orzhov deals. duke says that our ally should be jace, the living guild pact. theo points out that the guild pact magic compass would then point us towards him, if we got close enough. we decide that meeting
Jace Beleren should be our goal for now. protect him.
We arrive at
Marisca with our carriage and with the cart and drivers that we saved on the road.
There is a guild embassy here (the only other embassy is in the capital of
Pearlhaven).
we're headed there to give them a report of what happened on the road.
we enter an orb. 200 stories tall, has an interior like the Luxor. in the floor is an opening directly to the ocean. storefronts on the bottom level so that merfolk can still shop there.
dream is interested in the fashion scene. theo suggests siren-chic.
da'har's face has grown to the start of a nice beard. dream says he looks rugged, nice, and homeless. da'har says that he's not homeless, and theo comes to his defense. da'har says that he has money, it's just cursed and he can't spend it. then he asks dream for money, and theo reprimands him.
Mercadian Emergency Response Center
The two cart drivers that we saved take us to the emergency response center at the embassy. the center is mayhem because we're in an emergency situation (the pollution and the black necrotic roots). a vedalken woman, 5'7", in a lab coat, greets us at the center - Alira. Dream hands over a handwritten report of the attack and where it happened. dream thanks the two drivers for coming along but says we'll take it from here, and she hands them 5gp each. they say they'll be at the salty C for drinks that evening.
Alira Moonweaver takes us to a back room to chat. we give her our sample of the ooze, and dream tells her what happens. she asks what we're doing in Mercadia, and the duke tells her that we're there to search the deserts above. she thinks of us as adventuras looking for the lost city, like atlantis.
we start discussing the progression of the dark roots. Alira says that it is fairly new, but that it's also up north. the reports started 2.5 weeks ago. as of 18 hours ago, shit hit the fan. the ooze left the forests and made it to the water, where it spread more quickly.
theo offers our help to track the source into the forests. Alira says that she works with the intel, but that she can get us in touch with a team. she says the commanders will speak to us in the morning.
Shopping
The Armory
theo pickpockets some asshole in the armory before the duke makes his way to the front. she creates some space for the duke so that he can speak to the shop keep. after the duke says that he works with the emergency response team, the shop keep let's us behind the counter. dream flies above the crowd to the front. da'har pushes people with his tentacles to try to get to the front. people grab his tentacles in anger, and he shouts at them about consent. the guy awkwardly drops the tentacle and punches da'har in the face instead. but he is still able to make it behind the counter with us.
the duke purchases leather +1 with a water enchantment, but theo pays for it with the purse that she stole. da'har asks for armor custom for his octopus arms, and the shop keep says that if we save mercadia, he can have his custom order. he spends 1k of his soul debt money to purchase chain mail and immediately feels heavier.
Saint Poisson
dream heads to saint poisson, a more high end fashion store. da'har asks about a scented candle, and the shop keep says it's ocean spray. "who is she?!" - da'har. the duke buys him the candle. it smells fishy.
dream shops around at the magic boutique. she finds a choker that has gills to assist with underwater breathing. but we can't afford it.
dream finds a cheaper version at another shop. she also buys a wand of secrets.
Return to the Mercadian Emergency Response Center
at night, lanterns and bioluminescence light the orb.
due to the evacuation of other orbs, there are long lines of people waiting to get into the emergency structures.
we go to the emergency response building to talk to alira again so that we can figure out our housing. she introduces us to
person. NOT sperm.
He's a simic hybrid with a tentacle beard like davy jones. his hair is pulled back into a bun. he's wearing a military commanders outfit.
He asks what our specialty is. da'har is fangirling about another tentacle man. asks if he's still with the simic. the Lt. says that he is with the mercadian army now but that relations are still good. theo says that da'har is the muscle, theo is the shadow, the duke is the mouth, and dream is the brains.
He briefs us on the situation. fire seems to be more effective on the ooze. We're the first to report the vulnerability to psychic damage. the ooze has covered a mile of the ocean within the first day. over a hundred pods (115) have been covered and evacuated. the land is mostly undeveloped. Selesnian rangers are in the forest trying to fight back against the drudges coming out of the ooze. the ooze is denser and wider further into the mountains. there is light from campfires out in the mountains that the Lt. assumes is hikers deep in the wilderness. the light sources seem to be growing though. maybe its a village? they seem to be under the ground in caves and such.
The ooze is closing in on the capital city, where the royal family is. the royals have been evacuated and they're trying to get them to marisca. we are to rest overnight and then figure out what team we want to be sent out with, and where to, by morning.
we're staying in a small apartment on the 60th floor looking over the city.
to do next time: go talk to the 2 cart drivers for intel on where their delivery was to (they had magical items) and what news or gossip they have. then go back to the lodging to long rest and figure out where we want to go and with what kind of team.
theo thinks we should go find the source. take selesnian rangers and arcanists with us.
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