Some people just don't want to be found

General Summary

I’ve decided traveling on a seafolk ship is not fun, but at least it’s not giant red monsters trying to kill you. They have a tendency to get large ravens following them. Very large, as in large enough to rock the ship when they land on the mast. Now, I didn’t hear the conversation myself, but this is what Cap’n and Lili said happened. The birds landed on the mast looking over the crew slowly as if identifying each person. Thane Grontre looked up and gestured to ’em. This is where it gets weird, the birds talk to him in sea chant, “The Thane of Blood, Odin-Untor are calling to Moot, be there or be stricken from the Halls of the gods.” “I heard this might be a-coming and I will do what I have been callin’ to do. On the day, aye?” “On the day,” and the birds launched into the air as the ship rocked slightly again. Thane Grontre watched them leave with regret in his eyes. Sarthas, Lili’s creepy friend, appeared and laughed, “I see the Little Ones are making their play.” “What Little Ones?” Lili asked. “The ones playing with the manling up in the North,” Sarthas answered. “The Master has words for you. He reminds you, you’ve already picked your side and he’s let you play with your stick,” slowly Sarthas disappeared his grating voice lingering with his smile, “Make sure you remember that.” Cap headed down to the Thane and says in sea chant, “I couldn’t help but overhear your visitors.” Thane Grontre started and answered in Alorian, “That is unfortunate. It is not your affair.” “I can help if you wish,” Cap replied quietly also in Alorian. “The die is cast. I wouldn’t betray my people if I could,” the Thane turned and grinned, “Besides, it would be a glorious time.” We slowly pass by the South Shore of the Holy Isles and pass Casa Sur. We can feel the song coming from the island. “I never knew the Song could sound like that,” Lili murmurs looking at the staff in her hands. I don’t know what it is, but she seems just a little lighter, like a shift is happening. Slowly the ship sails around the island and we reach Casa Man, the main port for non-church vessels. Actually, the only port for non-church vessels. We disembark and with a few bits of directions head over to the Lancaster house. The butler, another Jeeves, examines our letters of introduction and invites us in. The Lancaster home on the Holy Isles is amazing to see. We are given amazing rooms and the most amazing bath I’ve ever had. I’m pretty sure we’ll be able to find Ezra with one of the books in the library. It’s amazing to see.

A SHORT FIELD TRIP

The next morning we all split off to our various trips. Cap’n heads off to find an armorer. Lili is wanting to find a weaponsmith, and Milli decides to go with him. I don’t have anywhere to go in particular, so I decide to stay at the library searching up information on Ezra. This part Lili and Milli relayed to me, but they were heading off to their weaponsmith when Rory found a toy shop he HAD to go in. An elderly woman is attending the shop, but it’s full of all sorts of amazing gadgets and bits and pieces. Milli turns over one and sees the same maker’s mark on it as was on Abigail. “Could we see the toymaker?” Lili asked the woman. “Just a moment,” and she waits while a young boy comes up from his workbench to watch the counter for her. He spends the time fidgeting with a small toy. “These were the people who wanted to meet you, honey,” and the old man comes forward and shakes everyone’s hand. He’s a bit short for a man, once I met him he was probably only a little taller than I am, and his crazy white hair was sticking up all over. His shoulders were a little stooped like he spent most of his time working at a bench peering at small projects through his spectacles. “Well who do we have here?” the man peered over his glasses at Milli, Lili, and Rory. He sized them up quickly, his eyes widened at Lili and her staff, he passed quickly over Milli with barely a flicker of a glance at her bracers and lingered on Rory. “So my boy, what intrigues you here?” With that, the two of them were in deep conversation about tinkering. Meanwhile, I’m finally finding something interesting in the library, it’s been years in the making, and I can’t quite tell how it’s all organized when Lili sends me a message to come to the toy shop. I arrive there a little out of breath as the inventor is inviting Rory back into his workshop. He grudgingly invites all of us along too, but it’s quite obvious he’s not as interested in us. The room is organized chaos lit by four small orbs. I’m not quite sure what they are. They’re not like the glass orbs underground that had fairies trapped in them, but they’re also not like a torch. Either way, they provide quite a lot of light. As he closes the door to his workshop, he says to Lili, “I see she’s found a new companion.” “She?” Lili looks around in confusion. “You’re carrying her, or she’s carrying you. Whichever you prefer. I take it I need to find a new place to hide? You have no clue how hard it is to find a good place. It takes years. I thought being this near the song would hide me, but you know how it is.” “I can’t feel my staff,” Lili whispered to me, “Not like I usually do, and the Song is feeling harder to reach.” “Yes,” the old man said, “I had to do that. It gets a little noisy here with all the singing. I guess you’ve figured out who I am?” Milli wandered over to the bass in the corner and tries to play it, with some amount of success. At one point something she played really struck Lili because she jumped a little. “I’m sorry, but would you please stop that? It’s hard enough to concentrate with all the noise constantly going on, and your song is just making it worse,” he picks up an item and starts working on it, “You might as well tell me, why are you here?” “It’s a bit of a long story, but we got a bit lost and we ended up at the Good Granny’s house, and she asked us to go on an errand for her-” “You mean to tell me young lady, that you met the Good Granny? Why on earth would you go see her? That’s a stupid plan.” “It wasn’t really our plan, per se, we actually went through this portal in Menet-Ka’s tomb-” “Menet-Ka, now that is an interesting man. He made a deal he might have regretted later on. You were saying?” “Yes, we met the Good Granny and she asked us to find a doll that you had made and bring it to Alan Riddle-” “And what did you think of Mr. Riddle?” “He was a very interesting man,” I started to answer. Seriously, I can’t get a single sentence out. “A man? You thought he was a man?” Ezra laughed. “You disappoint me girl.” “Well, he certainly looked like a man from what I could see.” I stammered. “He’s certainly lived longer than most men.” “Maybe there’s hope for you after all,” Ezra interrupted again. “That still doesn’t explain what she’s doing here?” “I still don’t understand what you mean by she,” I tried again. “It really wasn’t my fault,” Ezra complained. “It was a horrible month. The Song was quite insistent, and when she’s set in her way you have to do it. She insisted they be.” Ezra turned to Lili and stabbed a knobby finger at him. “You’re carrying one of them. You know how it can be.” Lili held up her hands, “Well actually…” “It’s all the Hospitalars fault,” Ezra changed the topic suddenly. “The only land I could get was next to the Hospitalars. It’s like being stuck next to a tuning fork. All they do is sing one note all the time. Why would they do that when there are so many notes in the song?” He picked up a small toy and fiddled with it, “Things used for her purpose and their companions get knocked about for her purpose too. I’ve got some theories.” He rifled through some papers and looked down at some sketches, “There are five great rebels and the song is not happy they abrogated their role, and so she created these,” he turned and gestured grandly at Lili, “Welcome you steward of the rebellious Aeiea, and the song expects you to bring her to heel.” “Damn, damn, and double damned,” I cursed. “Why her again? By the lost ancestors, what did you get us into? If we’re gonna be damned might as well go all the way. What’s the shield for?” “The shield, you really have been busy, haven’t you?” he got a pleased expression on his face briefly and then grew sad. “A latecomer, and less of a rebel than one in mourning, and a smaller piece it is of he who walks the sky.” My mind flicked briefly to a glass coffin and the one in waiting there. “A Sister is in longing for a Sister gone,” Ezra said sadly his hands going still. “Have you ever met a man named Whit?” Lili asked. “So you’ve met the wandered. He tried once to master the Song and it didn’t work well for him. If he ever gets quiet and speaks in a soft voice, listen closely. Listen very closely.” “That actually brings us back to what I started to tell you about, sir,” I interrupted this bit of storytelling. “As I was saying Alan Riddle wishes to meet with you, he’s wanting to make a deal with you, and we told him we would help arrange that.” “Why should I wish to meet with Alan? I’m quite happy here, and I’m quite sure he wouldn’t want to visit me here. I’m sure he’s holed up quite well where he is.” I thought of all the corridors and locks and reluctantly nodded my head. “Perhaps there is something we could get you?” Lili asked. “Yes, that could work. I could give you something to carry and when my request is fulfilled you could take it to him and I could step through for one hour,” seeing our interest he continued. “I am seekin an oil recovered from Leaf Mold. It’s found in the hills of Orcberg found north of Brandenburg.” He pulled out a map and looked it over, “There’s a bit of trouble down in Murkeep, if you put it to right, you should be able to get a good supply. Travel to Alan Riddle with the object and I’ll step through.” “Okay, but how will we know what it looks like and what the trouble is?” Milli asked. “Inquire with Father Rentel with the Barefoot Brotherhood or Andre Defenstre with Messene George. They need some champions to deal with the trouble up in Murkeep.” “Before we go, when we were down where we found Rory, we found this metal,” and Lili handed Ezra a bar of the heat leeching metal. “Do you know what we might do with this?” Ezra took the bar and examined it, “Unusual properties there, it looks to drain away active energies.” “What could we do with this?” Lili asked. “I’m sure it could be fashioned into armor or a weapon maybe. It’s not my area of expertise, but there’s several reputable smith here who could help you,” he answered as he handed the metal back reluctantly, his fingers caressing the metal as he handed it back. “Could I trade this Golgoth knife for the flute you’ve got there?” Milli asked. “How did you find this?” Ezra asked examining the green metal carefully. I suspect he knew about the more dangerous properties of the knife. “We found some Old Ones that had broken through,” Lili said. “Their shells can be smelted into this metal, which seems to make great knives.” “You do have some interesting adventures,” Ezra said. “Do we have a deal?” We all glance at each other and I put my hand forward, “Deal.” Ezra shook my hand briefly and after rummaging around pulls out a four-foot metal ring with something etched into it, “Just set this down on the ground and say Ezra it is time, pick up the ring, and it will leave a ring behind that I can step through to join you.” I take the ring he hands me and examines it. The etchings look similar to the runes on the arch at Menet Ka’s tomb, only these are mushrooms. Ancestors be damned and forsaken from the Song forever, he gave us a portable fairy ring. We’re being played. “As to your young companion, Rory how would you like to be my apprentice?” Ezra asked the young man. Rory’s eyes lit up and he eagerly shook Ezra’s hand. “Of course, I would. I can’t wait until we start, what will we make first?” I’m pretty sure they would have immediately started tinkering right then and there if Ezra hadn’t heard my muttered curses about the stupid fairy ring. “That’s right before you go I need your word. You will not tell anyone where I am. You wouldn’t believe how much of a bother it is to start over again.” “Umm, sir, we’re not the only ones looking for you,” I say timidly. “The person who used to own Abigail had shown her to several people, and they wished to find the creator. We won’t be the last. Perhaps if you didn’t sell what you make in a store?” “I know, I know, but I just have to make stuff. It’s not like they’re that impressive. You should see some of the stuff I haven’t sold. You also had help.” He looked pointedly at my shoes and at the ring I held. “I won’t be the one giving you away,” I swore. Milli and Lili joined me in the oath. It didn’t feel like the magic I felt with the Good Granny or any of the others, but I could tell he’s going to know if we break this oath. “It’s been a nice talk, but I have a new apprentice to train,” and we were politely escorted out of the store.

THE LANCASTER HOUSE

“Where have you all been?” Cap’n asked as soon as we got in. “And where’s Rory?” “That is a very long story.”

A visit to the Duke of Brandenburg

Since we need to travel over to find Ezra’s fancy oil, we might as well follow up on his lead with the Messene George. Thankfully our hosts are able to give us directions over to the chapter hall, a big imposing stone building up on a hill with a small moat area surrounding it. After we knocked on the door, it was answered by a man in plate mail. A giant suit of plate mail that he walks around in like it’s a light suit of formal wear. “I do be Captain O’Leary, and these be my companions, Milli, Lili, and Addie. We be hearin’ you’re collecting heros for a mission,” Cap introduced himself to the man. “Do you speak a civilized tongue?” the man answered in Imperial squinting at us. Cap sighed deeply and slapped his chest, and switched to Imperial, repeating the whole bit about coming to help out. After a brief look of confusion, he invites us into the hall. The doors close behind us with a large boom, and I look around an entry hall that could easily outfit an entire company with all the weapons they could ever need. “So what can you tell me about wearing armor?” Cap asked the guard. “What do you mean? You put it on and you wear it.” the guard answered. “I mean you be walkin’ so spry and energetic in your plate mail,” Cap gestured. “That be simple,” the guard answered. “You just wear it all the time. You sleep in it, you walk in it, you never take it off. If you never take it off, it either becomems a second skin or you find another line of work.” “That be good suggestion, I’ll be doin’ that,” Cap answered. “Quite so,” the guard said. “I’ll be getting Sir Andre now.” A few minutes later Sir Andre walked in. He was an older man, with graying hair and the numerous scars you’ll find in a career soldier. He didn’t wear full plate, just the breastplate, and when he got to us, he pulled glasses out from his pouch as he said, “Sadly the eyes do go after ab it. Interesting stick you have there. Who brought you here?” “The toymaker up the street told us you were in need of help with some trouble up in Murkeep.” “We heard there was a bit of a bother up in the Northern lands, a plague of attacks up there. Most of our order is up there dealing wiht it. There’s things out of the Dark attacking, lost kids, that sort of bother,” Sir Andre said as he took his glasses off to clean a spot. “A few days ago our acolyte was holding watch vigil when our Messene showed up with a message. Usually he’s a bit less overt, but he had our acolyte all up in alarm and furor, but he wrote the entire thing down. It’s a,” he patted his pants and his pouch, before pulling it out of a pocket. “Here it is.” He handed the note to Cap’n, who read it and passed it over to me.
Fy and Fey! Beware faithful ones, the foul one draws near, eager to walk the heather profaning all. At Watersgate where Bargain struck, blood spilled, Oaths made, long buried evil will arise anew. Seek you now Aeia’s marked. Hope fades and dark days draw near. The Horned Watcher is close.
When Lili reads the message she gave a small start, and I wondered who she recognized in it. We pass the prophecy back to Sir Andre and he carefully puts it back in his pocket. “We know Watersgate is an old name for Murkeep,” Sir Andre said as he looked over our group. “We’re pretty sure it refers to a future bargain, but are not 100% sure. I’ll give you a letter of introduction to our brothers up in Murkeep so they will aid you as you travel.”

Report Date

21 Dec 2021