General Summary
The Phaeros Foundation began their month of downtime receiving their 500 crown payment from Anton, Vivienne’s assistant. The month broke down week by week:
Week 1
Vax visited a Cannix Supply Store in Lower Menthis to sell the dragonshards he collected in Thaliost. The woman who ran the shop believed that she was working with someone in the Boromar Clan and was tough on pricing, eventually buying the shards for 2,000 crown. He then sought out an artist to commission paintings to cover the misty step holes in the rooms at the Foundation offices. A goblin artist named Melkin in the Karkar Bazaar in Middle Dura took the commission for 200 crown total: 4 mid-sized paintings and 1 large painting. The large painting was of Vax in his shorts, vest, and emerald green duster which he ended up hanging over the sitting area in the offices. The other four he gave to the foundation: to Yelena, a paper-sized painting of himself, but more muscular and wearing armor that mimicked Yelena’s. To Rasp, he gave a painting of himself in dark clothes holding a large skeletal pegaswan. To Bal, he gave a painting of himself in Bal’s clothes. And to Marcella, he gave a painting of himself in just the safari shorts and vest riding atop the mighty mega-pegaswan.
Yelena spoke to Turk further about her family and asked if sending them a letter was dangerous. Turk assured her that, as long as she didn’t use full names and mention specifics, it should be safe. They also discussed that they both suspected that Marcella had the missing Shadow file. Yelena confronted her: asking if she meant to reveal this information to anyone. Marcella said that she did not plan to tell her superiors about her or her family’s survival at the moment, but it was her duty to let them know about the Shadow Operative program and the captain. Yelena asked to keep the photograph, to which Marcella agreed. Turk overheard the conversation and afterward told Marcella that if she let her superiors know about Yelena and her family, Yelena would never trust her again. Yelena then sent three letters to her family so they knew that she was alright and she deposited 400 crown into her Kundarak bank account.
Bal’s nightmares returned, but now, the spirit at the end of the dream called out to him to “seek us out.” He went to the Lower Northedge district, to Iluna Lane, where he met the kalashtar community. An elderly woman named Illanna spoke to Bal about his spirit, about how accepting the quori spirit grants him power, but invites danger. However, she said this connection was necessary. She then began to train him in the monk ways of the kalashtar. During that same week, Bal sold a shortsword, crossbow, the gold and platinum rings from Thaliost, and an extra 500 crown to purchase the +2 crossbow from Crystals of Darion.
Marcella used her payment to commission a +1 cane and dagger combination from Tower Outfitters. The commission took the week to complete. Marcella spent most of the waiting time at the end of the week staring at the painting of Vax. It was oddly beautiful.
Rasp spent the week going out into Sharn and collecting roadkill in the form of cats and dogs, as large as he could find. His sleep cycle reverted to a more natural Kenku cycle, thus leaving Rasp mostly alone for the week. He did what he could to stem the smell of decay from his room, stuffing potpourri in the misty step holes and covering the window.
It was noticed that Turk was spending more and more time tinkering with the shock gauntlets he had been using, even going so far as to start setting up a type of workshop in the offices. Marcella noted this and asked him what he was doing. Turk admitted that he didn’t like that he couldn’t bring himself to help them fight in Thaliost. Though Marcella assured him that the rest of the Foundation was there to protect him, Turk told her that he wanted to be able to defend himself.
At the end of the week, Hackett returned to the Foundation offices in the morning with a copy of the Korranberg Chronicle with the headline: “The False Flame: Church Dissolved - Adhira Monast named Interim Governor of Thrane”. In the brief discussion that followed, Marcella discovered that Hackett and Karkhan both knew about her being Changeling and an agent of the Royal Eyes, something Turk had shared without her knowledge.
Week 2
Vax spent the week doing arcane research. Being frustrated with the amount of mancers they have had to deal with, he wanted to find a way to negate their magic. He discovered a spell called counterspell in the Magewright Enclave’s headquarters that fit exactly what he needed.
Yelena spent the second week doing research on the Shadow and their involvement in the Mourning. At the city archives, she found a good amount of information on the Mourning including four of the more prevalent theories: first was that magic itself, never used at that scale for warfare, backfired causing the Mourning. The second theory was that the Mourning was a weapon of mass destruction of man-made design. Though each of the Five Nations could have an argument made for them being the culprit, most point a finger to Karrnath. The third theory was that Eberron herself, the creator dragon, was angry with the Last War and all the trouble the Galifar Empire had brought and thus destroyed Cyre. And lastly, a written off theory stated that the Silver Flame, defending Thrane, caused the Mourning to punish Cyre. This theory is the state theory of Thrane, or at least it was. Finding no mention of the Shadow, Yelena decided to go to the Aurum where she was allowed to access their own archives. There, she found little, but she did find something. A report written by Ardent Veronica Kestus posited that there was a Shadow agent operating within the Vermishard Palace at the time of the Mourning.
Bal spent the week trying to figure out how to craft small items that might come in useful. He found a House Cannith Repair Center and hired a tinkerer to show him how to use the tools. Bal learned so well that the gnome gave him the tinkerer’s tools he trained with as a gift.
Rasp spent the second week experimenting with the shock gauntlets he had given Turk and their effects on the dead animals he had been collecting. This medical research resulted in Rasp finding that the gauntlets could be used to medically stabilize people who had fallen unconscious, even being able to give them some of their health back (rolling a 19 or 20 on a medicine check to stabilize results in the creature returning with 1 hit point). However, Rasp also noticed something odd: when using the gauntlets on the dead animals, he caught the faint scent of the undead on himself.
Marcella spent the week helping Turk go through the Shadow documents and information found at the shrine in Thaliost. In this research, she discovered more about Collis Huntington, the Sharn councilor. Collis is a hobgoblin who comes from old money. His family’s estate is located on the Skyway and is large and lavish. He gained his councilor’s spot relatively recently (10 years, which is quite short in Sharn terms) and he has established himself as an upper-class councilor who forms relationships and deals between Houses and the city and who helps the rich get richer. He has also distanced himself from the goblin population, styling himself as “better than his roots”. He is also married to a dark elf named Marris Wistner-Huntington, a socialite who had attempted to join the Aurum several times, but was rejected.
Week 3
Having discovered counterspell, Vax spends the third week of downtime going to the Magewright Enclave in Upper Central. There, Vax hired a strict half-elven magewright to train him to use counterspell, however the Magewrights really hadn’t ever trained a sorcerer before as they are exceedingly rare. The training was rough, with the trainer casting magic missile over and over as Vax tried to counterspell it. Vax came home most days bruised and injured. On one of the days, the magewright accidentally broke his arm and he had to pay medical costs at a House Jorasco Healing House. Finally, Vax broke through, learning counterspell. As he left the Enclave, the trainer told Vax that he might consider a different profession.
During the third week, Yelena revisited her half-orc survival trainer at the Middle Central Martial Center. Despite continuing to struggle with the training, Yelena managed to catch on, gaining proficiency in Survival. The half-orc, Vasquez, asked Yelena out again, an offer she took him up on the next week.
With a new proficiency in Tinkerer’s Tools, Bal spent the third week of downtime designing and constructing a new weapon. Wanting to continue operating in the element of surprise, Bal constructed a hidden dagger that attaches to a gauntlet on his wrist. This dagger allows him to keep the weapon hidden and surprise his enemies.
Marcella and Rasp decided to both learn how to craft poisons from Gardenia in Upper Tavick’s Landing. They paid the half-elf proprietor, who happily took them to her back room that looked like an arcane meth lab. Rasp managed to learn how to craft two types of poison, Assassin’s Blood (50cr) and Giant’s Tears (250 cr). However, due to a misplaced vial, Rasp accidentally poisoned Gardenia. Thankfully, Rasp managed to make the antidote in time to give to Gardenia, who said that was a part of the trade. Marcella learned the same poisons and antidotes as Rasp, but, by sheer accident, stumbled upon a discovery. By accidentally adding powdered dragonshard instead of saltpeter, Marcella made a Traceless Poison (500cr). Marcella didn’t tell Gardenia, but let Rasp know.
The Invitations
Vivienne came to the Phaeros Foundation offices at the start of the fourth week of downtime and presented the Foundation with six invitations to the Huntington’s Annual Summer’s Cusp Masquerade Ball. Vivienne said that they were coming as an “up-and-coming group within the Aurum” and that she would be the one accompanying them. She also gave them each a set of bronze rings to wear during the event. Vivienne then said the foundation would need to go and get nice clothes and masks commissioned for the event befitting guests of the proper calibur. She then introduced their “man on the inside”, a valet at the Huntington Estate. A warforged wearing a simple suit and a bronze, stylized mustache and glowing yellow eyes stepped forward and introduced himself as Smythe. He happily said that he was willing to help them because the Huntington’s treat him and the rest of the staff poorly and that he hopes they end up in prison.
Further planning will need to happen, but the Foundation went to Transfiguration to place their orders with Gunther, the tailor. Vax commissioned a glammerweave shoulder cape that is enchanted to look like it was made of solid emerald as well as a pegaswan-inspired mask with emerald embellishments (250cr). Bal commissioned a smart black suit with understated paisley gold patterns and a dark maroon cravat and pocket-square as well as a matching, understated mask (1000cr). Marcella commissioned a long, dark green dress with long, open sleeves, cockatrice down trim, and an elaborate white, metallic neckline as well as a porcelaine white mask with gold statuesque accents (2500cr). Rasp commissioned a slim tailored black suit with a double-breasted vest with copper buttons, a top hat with leather and metal accents, and a mask of intricate metallic filigree inspired by his plague mask (500cr). Finally, Yelena commissioned a simple, classic black gown accented with lace and beading that went up the neck as well as a matching black mask (200cr). The commission totalled 4450cr that Vivienne asked to be put on her tab.
With those commissions in place, the Foundation returned to their offices to begin planning for the masquerade with Vivienne and Smythe.
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