Tinwë Elendil
Tinwë Elendil
The Elendil lineage features some of the most prominent and celebrated verdan in all of Toril's Echo's history - and Tinwë is not one of them. Originally thought to be a potential successor for her famous grandmother, Muina Elendil, it became apparent when she joined the Bardic College that she didn’t have the artifice and finesse necessary to navigate the role of bards in the Echo’s society. Determined to compose a great song like those she’d hear her grandmother sing when she was young, Tinwë wrote her final performance on the adventures of a Cerilian Verdan she’d interviewed...and was promptly kicked out of school.
At a loss of what to do and terrified of the prospect of returning home a failure, Tinwë set her sights on writing the most epic of ballads, one that she was sure would not only help her people, but also get her recognized as a great bard: a song on the lost history of the Verdan race.
Unfortunately, the only lead she had lay in Sigil, for she’d heard rumors from a Cerilean Echo consulate that The Lady of Pain had the power to banish people to another plane. Knowing she could not survive alone with the limited power she currently possessed, Tinwë snuck into her family compound, took her grandmother’s lute off the wall, and ran for the Bloom.
However, what lay on the other side of the Bloom was not Sigil, but the Feywild.
Supremely underprepared and with her way back vanished, Tinwë landed herself in the service of The Collector, a being she would later come to know as the Prince of Song. Forced to write and compose day and night, Tinwë hoped that her year of service would end soon, so the Prince of Song could make good on their deal and bring her to Sigil.
Unbeknownst to Tinwë, while only two weeks had past in the Feywild, five years had passed in real time, a fact she was only made aware of when she encountered the Cerilian Verdan she’d met long ago in the Ethereal. Realizing the Prince of Song never intended for her to leave their service alive, Tinwë escaped the Feywild with the aid of her fellow indentured ally, Abadochus Timoos.
Together, Tinwë and Doc successfully arrived in Sigil. Performing in taverns and doing odd jobs on the side to make enough coin to get by, both tried their best to find any leads on their respective quests - and continued to hope that those they’d escaped never bothered to look for them.
R U M O R S
TRUE (in Sigil) - There’s a new performer at Imel's Happy Tongue who’s making a name for herself by performing adapted works from the Inner Planes, incorporating Outer Planes ballads and music in ways not yet heard before. She’s reportedly caught the eye of a Faction who are famous patrons of the Arts.
FALSE (in Feywild) - An infamous thief has stolen some of the Prince of Song’s greatest works. They fled in the night with numerous sheets of music, containing arias, orchestrations, and other fabulous masterpieces painstakingly crafted by the Prince for debut at the upcoming Solstice. We hope this will not delay the pleasure of the Courts hearing the Prince perform sometime very soon.
UNCERTAIN (in Toril’s Echo) - A Verdan has apparently stolen a valuable piece of history from the Library and absconded to parts unknown. The Forum is not pleased and coordinating scouts to retrieve the item.
Relationships
Alignment
Chaotic Good
Current Location
Species
Age
23
Birthplace
Spouses
Siblings
Children
Current Residence
Nomadic (Has a room at Imel's Happy Tongue in Sigil)
Pronouns
she/her
Gender
She/Her
Eyes
Electric Green
Hair
Forest Green
Skin Tone/Pigmentation
Jade Green
Height
5 ft. 7 in.
Weight
125 lb.
Aligned Organization
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The Hunters and the Hunted . . .
We met a super nice Aasimar named Arasah and her AMAZING unicorn named Euros. Euros was wounded, but Caelen healed him, which I thought was super cool. Apparently, Euros did too cause he was more chill with him as a Fallen Aasimar than either Caelen or Arasah expected.
Arasah said she’s a member of The Harmonium, in a special division called the Order of the Planes. She and Euros originally left Celestia to investigate the Ethereal Cataclysm. Haruni hardly ever talked about it when I asked her: I think it brought up too many bad memories. Of course, Amal and Atar never mentioned it either. Then, Amal and Atar never really liked to talk about anything besides work and family duty (which were kind of the same thing).
Arasah offered to protect anyone we find in the Caverns, so we sent Gulbid and the Owlbears to hang with her. In return, she gave Caelen a radiant gold coin in exchange for us helping someone and promised more if we continued to assist other people. It’s a material that’s apparently effective against Fiends and the Undead - wonder if we can turn it into something useful? Or perhaps this would be something we could use to pay back Yalkulash?
Speaking with Arasah reminded me of the dragonborn that came to the Feywild before Doc and I escaped. Wish I could remember their name because they had the most interesting facts about Bahamut. Apparently they’re a Power in the form of platinum dragon who rules over not only the other metallic dragons, but of an entire layer in Celestia. Wouldn’t it be cool to go there and meet them?
We headed back in the caverns to do some more exploring when we came across a tunnel full of demons and bugs - GROSS! There was also this mysterious wizard who initially ran away from us, only to show up at camp when we went to take a rest. He introduced himself as Sanbalet and told us a bit about some of the creatures we’d faced. The creepy skeletons were called Babau, while the Bulezau were those those goat-like demons. I feel like someone should name their weapons that cause they’re fun names to say.
We also found a portal key after the buggy-demon fight, which is good for the task Clarity has to complete. It appears that permanent portals, like the one we arrived to the Iron Mountains through, require a key, while those in the Bloom, Astral, and Ethereal do not. I wonder if there’s a way to better circumnavigate using those keyless portals - I bet Doc will be able to figure out eventually. He’s so smart. :)
The next room we found...sucked. There were these giant apes that could control vines, and Caelen and I were caught in them for almost the whole fight. Also, these creepy Vargouille bats tried to kiss Søren and I, and one succeeded in cursing Søren. Good thing Euros was able to heal him (he’s so freaking cool). We also fought these really creepy body part monsters, but weren’t quite sure what they were.
An interesting thing happened after the battle was over: a spot of blood in the ground turned into fresh soil. This must be what the guilds meant by “void-touched,” but how are we going to decide which is the most? It’s beginning to sound like that will be a personal choice on our part - I wonder if the result will dictate what guild wants us?
The next room we found was...puzzling. There were these strange markings and what felt like riddles on the wall. Apparently, the text was a mix of Illithid and Dwarven origin, and there seemed to be some sort of sacrificial bowl as well. Clarity deduced that performing sort of ceremony would summon something, but what it would summon and how to perform it was a mystery.
Søren thinks the Illithid may be our allies, so we shouldn’t be worried about summoning anything, but the thought of them makes me...uneasy. I remember doing some illicit research at the Library once in college and reading that Illithid once had an empire based in the Astral Plane (which is also known as the Silvery Void). Knowing themselves was a big part of their belief in the Power, Illsensine, which I can’t begrudge, but the way they treated the places they conquered...I’d be nervous to encounter what they used to do such atrocities, or worse, the Power that supported them in their endeavours.
I’m still getting weird feelings here, like I’m walking over a grave, and the whispering won’t stop. I wonder if the others hear it too…
We decided to move on from the puzzling chamber, finding more rooms which seemed to connect to the Elemental planes. It’s fair to say that all of these rooms must be in some way connected to other planes via the Bloom, who’s vines cover almost every wall.
What happened next was...unexpected. We came across a flyer that appeared to be a wanted poster for Doc and I. It appears the Prince of Song does believe we have violated our contract, and the entire Gloaming Court is offering a reward for our capture and return! Once I realized that we were indeed being hunted, I knew I had to tell them the truth about what happened in Toril’s Echo. I know I disappointed a few of them, Søren in particular, and I felt so bad because I’d basically been making them not only travel with a thief, but thief who wasn’t even a real bard. :(
Overall, they were really nice about it, though, and suggested that if I get the opportunity, I should consider returning Haruni’s lute to my family. Maybe then, they’ll let me continue with my research...though I wouldn’t put it past Amal to request I at least pay a fine as well. I hate to think of the lute of the great Müina Elendil being used as nothing more than wall decoration for a family that refuses to talk about her, but I know Haruni would care more that her dream of a more open and welcoming Echo was fulfilled. She’d probably not want me to be running from the law to fulfill her dream either…
There’s a lot to consider, but first, we have to figure out where the Fey bounty hunters went...and what to do with them if we find them.
Cosmic Conversations & Owlbear Bops . . .
It always surprises me how stealthy Doc can be with his hooves clopping: wonder if he wears orthopedic horseshoes to deaden the noise? He snuck past a Mama Wyvern with ease and found us a nook to spend the night in.
The next morning, we unfortunately came across a party of Mercy Killers. They were hunting the wounded Githyanki we’d met the day before, saying they were going to “feed them to the Wyrm.” Most of our party did not get good vibes from them, but Søren must really trust authority because he immediately told them that we saw the three of them North of us the other day. I tried to cover for him, leaving out the baby dragon and saying we weren’t sure about the timing cause we’re Clueless, and Søren was able to deceive them a bit, but I’m really nervous the restoration and supplies we gave the Gith won’t be enough to save them: The Mercy Killers seem like a pretty hostile bunch.
After they left, the group started arguing over whether it was right to give up their location, with Søren arguing the Gith overtly broke the law. I’m personally of the opinion we need to donate the money the Mercy Killers gave us: I feel gross for even having it. Before the conversation could get too heated, we all got really hot when a chimera showed up and breathed fire on us!
We were able to defeat it, but not without Søren coming very close to death. It really makes me nervous that Clarity is the only one that can conceivably heal him, and she has to get within touch range to do so. She and I discussed the arcane aspects of Repair Light Damage, and I’m wondering if I can change the properties enough to allow the spell to carry over a distance. However, I’ll need to speak with someone from Mechanus who’s an expert in the spell before I can even consider developing an entirely new spell. Søren thinks there might be a person in one of the Material Planes that could assist us. He seems really excited about the idea, which makes me really nervous. I don’t want to get him and his people’s hopes up and write another failure of a song…
Clarity, Doc, and Søren were able to work together to harvest a flame sac and some powdered horns from the chimera. Clarity thinks we can use the flame sac as a bomb or infusion or at the very least sell it for 50G! The powdered horns she’s less sure about, but maybe someone will be interested in it?
We found the lair of the chimera, and I scrounged up 100G from the nest, as well as a pound of something Søren calls Ignium. It was pretty hot to the touch, and when Søren tried to hold it all at once, he got burned, so I’m carrying half of it for him now. :)
Away from the chaos of battle, we had some time to open up some more to each other, which felt nice. Søren told us that the Assembly instructed him to investigate The Revolutionary League, which explains why he wants to bring whatever blooms to Curst. However, he committed to helping us join a Faction, especially after Clarity shared about her many debts to The Fated. She apparently has to complete 7 favors for them, one for every layer of Hell they helped her escape. We don’t want her to feel like she needs to join a criminal organization, so once we get back to Sigil, we’ll consider helping her join one of the stronger factions (like The Society of Sensation or The Transcendent Order). Hopefully, they can help her find an alternative, less illicit way to pay off her life debt without threatening her or her family’s safety. Until then, she’s going to hold to her deal with Tivvum (which explains the whole bag thing that happened).
Everyone is so open and forthcoming in this group, I feel like I need to be too. Doc knows the highlights, and maybe it’s nothing, but I am worried about the rumors I’m hearing...
We were nearing the Caverns of Thought, when we found an arcane mage named Ryleth Saraxh. I deduced that he was a member of The Sign of One, based on his unique views, and he challenged us each to make a prediction. Clarity and Søren were really good at it: I think theirs are definitely going to (or already did) come true. I predicted that Ryleth would trip and fall on his way back to Sigil - wouldn’t that be funny if it happened? Apparently that’s some sort of rite of passage to joining The Sign of One, and he encouraged us to find him in the Hall of Speakers if our predictions came true.
We spoke with him for awhile (I played one of my favorite campfire songs, Hips Don’t Lie), and the conversation was absolutely fascinating. Søren seemed less enthused by the Ryleth’s responses, and while I do agree there were a multitude of contradictions in his belief system, it was incredibly interesting to discuss his point of view, one that is apparently shared by many of the inhabitants of the plane he hails from, Nyx. He told us it is tied to the gate town Mystra and is known as a manifestation of existential fear, or the Void to some. I’ve heard people use the same terms when speaking of the Ethereal plane, and I think Ryleth worded my views on the concept quiet poetically - “Darkness just hides another mystery to solve.”
Ryleth told us A LOT about the different factions, which was really helpful. He also recommended not planting the rose in the first void-touched place we come across, as that might not be the most void-touched part. Before we left, Clarity tested out her ice powers, deducing that they were likely stronger on her plane than on this one.
We finally came to the entrance to the Caverns of Thought, and we had to make Søren big in order to be able to fly us all down. Some of the tunnels seem newer and carved by The Bloom, while others appear more ancient: jury’s out on whether the void-touched parts are in one or the other. The entire time we’ve been down here I’ve heard faint whispering in the back of my mind: wonder if I should be worried about that...
The first tunnel we went down ended up opening up to a cavern with some owlbears and a turtle man named Gulbid (idk if that’s the way to spell it, but we’re going to roll with that). He said he was from a subset of The Transcendent Order in the Beastlands, and he’d been accidentally transported to the Caverns with these owlbear cubs and their mother. I played a funky tune (Take a Chance on Me is a big hit with most beast-like entities), and the whole family bopped along while the party wrangled and healed them. We’ll need to tell the Order about Gulbid, so a rescue party can be sent for the whole group - I hope they’ll be okay until then. As we parted ways, he gave us some Greenweed, which he said could be used to craft a Cloak of Elvenkind or some other similar item - neato!
Don’t Trust Ladders . . .
Poor Clarity wasn’t feeling very well, so we decided to go shopping in the Lower Ward while she mustered the strength to travel. Søren had heard that he might be able to find some interesting parts for his modifications on Gear Street. We found a place with a bunch of Modrons in front of it, which Søren explained as being unusual since they were a race from Mechanus (Does their Power not usually let them leave? Is Søren also unusual, or is he different since he’s Warforged?)
Inside the shop, we met a quadrone named Echo who had been “broken free” from their programming and now resided in Sigil. Søren and Echo mentioned some sort of group called the Hierarchy, but they didn’t say much about it...weird. Need to ask him later! There were a lot of Grey Dwarves and Gnomes at the shop as well - they looked different from the Gnomes I’m used to.
Echo knows a lot about metals and was particularly interested in the Harmonic Copper that Søren had. He didn’t know much about his other materials, but suggested Søren visit either some Satyr twins in New Market (is that the Marketplace?) or talk to a Xaositect, which Søren did not seem eager to do. Søren then asked if Echo would want us to bring him any particular metals in exchange for discounted work, and he mentioned two:
Telstang (which I recognized as coming from one of the Material Planes - eavesdropping on my brothers really pays off!)
Cold Iron (found on Ysgard and apparently wards off the Fey...wonder if that will be a problem for Doc?)
As we were preparing to head to the Foundry District, Doc heard a Modron named Riggs talk about being able to make an autoloading crossbow with a piece of Harmonic Copper. Along with the fact that Echo can make me a sick magic string for my lute using the same material, sounds like it would be pretty useful if we’re able to find more! I also need to come up with some plans for a unique instrument that Echo can make me, cause he apparently takes commissions. Maybe Clarity and Søren will help me with the design!
Speaking of Søren, apparently Warforged were made in response to The Bloom emerging over 100 years ago, meaning Søren was around for the war that followed. He said he didn’t witness the interplanar wars as much, but he did see a lot of the internal conflict that happened on Ysgard. He seemed really sad when he mentioned it...it reminded me of how Haruni used to look when I asked her about what happened all those years ago…
After we finished up at the shop (really need to get the name of it - next time!), we headed over to the Foundry District with Clarity in tow. Apparently, the huge Foundry (super hot!) is home to the Believers of the Source (AKA The Godsmen).The whole place was full of these Goliaths guarding the way to various gate towns, which Doc deduced were tied to the Lower Planes (he’s so smart!). Uuuuuuunfortunately, we met a Dragonborn named Yalkulash who told us we’d been duped (DUPED) by Tivvum because only Godsmen were allowed to use the portals. He originally wasn’t going to help us, but then he saw a mark on Søren’s hand and offered us assistance in exchange for coin. Søren told us the mark is an aberrant dragonmark, granted to him by a dragon on Ysgard in exchange for doing “something he should not have done” (which sounds hella ominous).
Caelen used his amazing persuasion skills and good looks to convince Yalkulash to let us put down a deposit of only 50G. Yalkulash then pointed us in the right direction and got us waived past the guards, with the promise that we’d return with something of great value from the Caverns of Thought.
We headed into the bowels of the Foundry in search of the portal with Doc leading the way, when all of the sudden a ladder attacked us! It was super scary and almost killed Doc, but I was able to get to him in time. I think Doc was really cut up about the whole thing because he’s usually the most perceptive guy ever, but I told him not to feel too bad cause none of the rest of us noticed either - mimics are super sneaky!
After fighting off the creepy ladder, we took a short rest, and I played a friendship song (AKA You’ve Got a Friend in Me). :) I think it might’ve been too strong, though, because Caelen never really seemed to wake up at the end of our time resting - he seemed in a bit of a haze for the next few days. Maybe he hasn’t been getting a lot of sleep? I’ll make sure to play him lots of goodnight songs, like my Haruni used to: then, he’ll be sure to get a restful sleep!
It took us awhile to figure out the portal key, but Søren eventually figured out that you need to speak the runes in Giant (I hope he’ll teach me some soon!). Doc led us into the Portal like a pro, and we popped into the Ironridge Mountains. The whole experience was a LOT easier then when we’d travelled by The Bloom.
But the place is kinda spooky - iron-like spikes protruding from the ground into the sky and terrible wind kinda spooky. I’m lucky I’m not a smaller Verdan - I’d fall right over!
Clarity sent Gwydion to do some scouting, but he immediately got swallowed by a Wyvern we had to fight! Clarity and I did a super cool tag team with Søren, though, where she made him big, and I made him fly. Unfortunately, he went unconscious half-way through the fight, but fortunately, the Wyvern flew right under him, so I dropped him on the creature like a bomb! Fun fact: Wyverns are not beasts. Do NOT cast Animal Friendship on them.
After the battle, we went to go find some shelter for the night, as we were definitely pooped. Looks like trekking through the mountains will be no walk in the park - we were even having a tough time figuring out what direction to go in!
We took watch that night (Søren goes into “low power mode”), aware that we were sharing the cave with some potentially hostile dwarves. The rest of the party was scared they were going to attack us, but when I met them, they seemed really nice. Of course, I don’t speak Dwarven (gotta learn that), so I tried to speak in their head. That got them scared for some reason, and they responded with a vision of a tentacle being, so I showed them a picture I drew of us being friends. They just stared at me, then walked away after that. I drew another picture of us all having a tea party, in case we see them again. :)
After they left, we found some sort of Moon Flower, and Clarity said it had abjurative and evocational qualities (so good?) I picked it and gave it to her. Back on the road, we encountered a party of Gith, who said they were journeying from the Astral Plane to Sigil when they encountered a group of Ilithid. After we offered to take them to Sigil (and I gave them a heating pad for their sick friend), they came clean and said the group they encountered were actually The Mercy Killers, which are there enemies and who slew their young. Saying they hailed from Toonerath Tu’narath, Sreka Cireka, Smeaz Simyaz, and Urlon were surprised by our generosity and asked us to help their friend, who’d defended them. I offered to restore them, when they revealed to me that it was a baby red dragon (so cute!). We gave them some rations to make it through the mountains, and they thanked us before heading out once more.
I think some of the party is concerned they may have not been good people, but I don’t regret helping them. Haruni always said that it’s never wrong to help those that truly need it, and based on what they said and how that poor little dragon looked, they did. Who knows, maybe we’ll meet again some day...
Playing Cops and Robbers . . .
I got shot! I’ve never been shot before: it hurts as bad as they say it does in stories. I’m sure I can write a song about this.
We got pickpocketed a lot in the marketplace - The Fated almost stole 150G from us before The Harmonium stepped in. To be fair, I had to get shot first before they stepped in: rules are they only interfere with affairs where something has been stolen over 500G, there’s threat to life, or loss of life. Everyone whose crime doesn’t fall in those categories has to post on the Debtor’s Pole in the Market. I guess taking a bolt to the stomach has some perks!
After almost being killed and nearly reduced to poverty, we went to the starred location on the map Imel gave us (see next page). We deduced correctly that this was location of the Map Shop. Outside, some protestors were getting a bit rowdy over the fact that the mapmaker was a member of The Athar. I had a fascinating conversation with one of the protestors who worships Kruphix (Gryphx?), the Power that presides over Mysteries. I found this a bit ironic and let him know after he’d attempted to have Søren arrested - after all, isn’t part of worshipping the mysterious respecting the unknown? Perhaps I was wrong to assume such - more research needed! This Kruphix sounds like a fun figure (I do love reading a good mystery!), and as always, the impacts of Power worship on a society remain interesting. Though, I can’t say I’m upset that the Verdan don’t subscribe to such religious practices. I shared that with Beranta, the mapmaker. She illuminated us a bit more on the complexities of being a member of The Athar (apparently, not all of them want the Powers dead), and she also sold us a map to the Cavern of Thought (after Sigil map) - at a discount!
We were told we’d need a portal key to get us anywhere near our destination and set out to toward’s Tivvum’s Antiquities. A Harmonium officer named Parlum attempted to take us into custody per previously mentioned protestor’s complaint, but Caelen was able to convince him using some completely untrue racial stereotypes about Warforged and his own position as a fellow Aasimar. The officer then drop kicked the protestor, which didn’t feel very peaceful or harmonious.
On our way to the antique store, we stopped by the local butcher shop, Parts & Pieces. And they had PTERODACTYL!!! Of course, I had to get some. I may have never seen one, but I heard the Twins talking about it with Atar once when they didn’t notice I was there, and I’ve been curious every since. I’m more convinced than ever it’s a large bird, considering the avian taste. It would be great to go Toril someday...maybe then I’d have something to talk about at
dinner with the family…Though I suppose that’s not going to happen for awhile, if ever again. Anyways, I drew a picture of what I assume a pterodactyl looks like, based on my brothers’ vague description.
After Seamusxanthuszenus (Lizardfolk names are long - super cool!) set us up with some rations, we headed toward Tivvum’s. At first we didn’t appear as “clueless” as the other Material Planes visitors surrounding the Debtor’s Pole, but Tivvum quickly caught on. He explained how the whole portal/portal key thing worked and kept trying to talk with Clarity in Infernal (I have to ask her teach me some). We left them alone to discuss whatever they needed to after we got the key - maybe something about his favor?
We grabbed some more rations, met back up with Clarity, and started to go grab some more spell supplies when some of us noticed we were being followed. The Harmonium, who apparently Caelen has gotten in trouble with in the past, were tracking us. We tried to outsmart them - I even used my disguise kit for the first time since College - but turned out they were looking for Clarity instead! She seemed really nervous about their questioning regarding the bag and was trying to resist when
some Goblins (Fated?) popped out of the floorboards of the shop and slaughtered the officers! We made a break for it, half of us returning to the lodging at Imel’s, while the group members with more heat went to Clarity’s place.
Imel advised us not to go near that part of town anymore - apparently, it’s filled with worshippers of Bane, the Power associated with conquest and terror. Not my cup of tea to say the least. I tried to lift the mood with my version of a real Summer Court banger. Can never be a cloudy day when you play September! Doc rocked it as always, and Søren gave a pretty solid first performance as our main bell-ist (I think that’s a word). Though he did seem a bit upset about the whole experience of today. I get the feeling Mechanus is very orderly, and that a strict hierarchy and set standards of morality laid down by higher powers makes him feel...safe? I don’t know, I’ve only met the guy a few hours ago, but we’re best friends now, so I hope he understood what I was trying to say regarding Clarity and Caelen’s situation - and partially my own. I also hope those two are both okay tonight - not sure where they went, but they seem really cool, and Doc and I could really use more friends, and I don’t want any more people to get murdered by Goblins under floorboards…
Tomorrow, we set out for the Ironridge Mountains - Imel said we may encounter Wyverns, Chimeras, Rumored Dwarves, Oh my! I trust our party to see our tasks through, though I’m expecting more wild stories to come, especially considering the Cavern is a resting place for a Power...
A Warforged, a Tiefling, and an Aasimar Walk into a Tavern . . .
Doc and I met with the Society of Sensation today, along with a couple other new friends! The first that walked into Imel’s was this big Warforged from Mechanus: he said his name was Søren, and he was also invited by the Society. Apparently, he can’t eat or drink, which sounds really sad. Can you imagine not being able to try Imel’s cheese??? He seems just as interested in different peoples as I am, though I think that’s part of his job with the Assembly. Can you imagine being paid to learn about people??? That’s the dream...
A Tiefling named Clarity came in the tavern soon after Søren - apparently she’d been tracking him on behalf of someone named Weyer (Søren said they were from the same batch, which I’m assuming means they’re related) and handed him some sort of metal envelope. I wonder if everything in Mechanus is made of metal. I love her jewelry so, so much! Plus she can DRAWWWW. She wants to make a ton of maps of places, which is super rad.
Funny enough, Clarity was also being tracked (does this happen a lot in Sigil?) by an Aasimar named Caelen. He’s handsome, but looked kind of sad - which makes sense cause he later shared that he’d made an ill-fated pact with a Fiend. Speaking of fate, crazy how many coincidences brought us together for this mission - I wonder if we’ll work together after this? Doc and I could use some help with our investigating!
The recorder from the Society of Sensation showed up soon after the rest, introducing himself as Montgomery. He’s a Firbolg, and I don’t know what I was expecting, but he was certainly fit! The Society wants us to go check out the cave system and plant a rose in the most void touched part. The rose doesn’t appear to be magical (according to Clarity), so not sure why Factions are so interested in it.
After Montgomery left, we noticed a Kobold named Akeela Aquilla Mox had been listening at the door, as her group wanted the same thing. She said a bunch of stuff, so I decided to peep inside her brain and WOWZA - there was a lot of screams in there. She mentioned: The Cavern of Thought, The Gatehouse, The Hive, Batwings from the Ground, and some person named Dyrrn.
After Akeela left, Søren returned to the room (idk where he went) and told us his people AKA the Assembly was also interested in whatever blooms from the rose. Sounds like whatever this is, it’s a pretty hot commodity… I’m not sure yet what to do about what blooms - Doc and I really need to get in with one of these Factions, so we can get the info we need. But I really like these people we just met today, and if Søren needs it...
Speaking of Factions, when we went back downstairs, this dude who’d been staring at me during performances finally approached us. He said his name was Trazhesh Trazes, and that he was a member of the Free League, who believe every person in Sigil should be informed about their options regarding the Factions before making a decision. He gave us the complete low down on who’s who in Sigil:
The Free League - believe in survival of the fittest; help others with joining factions and have information about the planes
The Society of Sensation (AKA The Sensates) - believe that in order to understand and master the cosmos, you need to experience as much as possible; one of the most powerful
The Bleak Cabal (AKA The Bleakers) - believe there is no meaning to the cosmos and nothing makes sense; an altruistic group, where the sick and the poor go; currently one of the least powerful
The Athar (AKA The Lost) - believe gods are frauds and some believe they should kill as many Powers as they can and claim their knowledge; most well meaning but most misunderstood
The Believers of the Source - believe all life springs from a source and that we are in a constant state of ascension and descension, so once all have ascended, then the cosmos will end
The Doom Guard - believe entropy is the most powerful entity in the cosmos, and that it is not just chaos, but also building anew
The Fated (AKA The Takers) - believe those who can take and seize power have the right to; made up of the Thieves Guild and several bureaucrats, it is one of the most powerful factions; known for holding a grudge
The Transcendent Order (AKA The Ciphers) - believe that action is the way of the cosmos; members train so their bodies react in accordance with their thoughts; has subfactions across planes, making them powerful
The Sign of One - believe each individual has a cosmos within their mind and reality is imagined; some believe one person may have it in their mind and could control the cosmos
The Dustmen - believe we’re all dead already and we find the meaning in that or true death or purge ourselves of it or something (this really confused me - gotta learn more)
The Mercy Killers - part of the legal triad of Sigil, they believe punishment leads to perfection; they are the enactors of justice within the city
The Fraternity of Order (AKA The Governors) - part of the legal triad of Sigil, they believe everything has a law and place; if you can learn all the laws, you can control the cosmos
The Harmonium - part of the legal triad of Sigil, they believe peace and harmony is the ultimate goal (as long as it fits their definition they are the law enforcement of Sigil
The Xaositects - believe chaos is truth and order is delusion; by embracing randomness, they can find the meaning of the cosmos
The Revolutionary League - believe the factions are corrupt and need to be broken down and remade
After Trazes was finished, we chatted a bit with Imel about his Faction, The Transcendent Order. He agrees with Trazes that any Faction would be happy to receive whatever blooms, so looks like we’ll have to decide who to give it to once we’ve completed the task. Although, I’m beginning to wonder how many other people have been given this task before us and failed…Ah well! This is our task, and we gotta do it. Just hoping certain...people...don’t decide now is a time to start looking for Doc and I. Who knows, maybe the Cavern will hold some information regarding his wife or the Verdan - wouldn’t that be awesome!
Before we left to gather supplies, Imel requested that we do him a small favor. He told us that he’s really interested in serving some Torilian Death Cheese (who wouldn’t be) as part of his cheese festival. According to Imel, the Cavern of Thought acts as a sort of dumping ground for items across the planes, including both Inner and Outer. If there’s some Torilian Death Cheese anywhere near Sigil, it would be there.Our party agreed to bring him back some cheese if we find any. I think Imel will put in a good word for us with the Order if we do - or maybe he’ll let us try some for free! Wouldn’t that be exciting.
Gotta go get some supplies now before we head out - hope something crazy happens. That would make for a good story if it did, and I need to develop some new content.
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