#33 - Familiar Mysteries

As told by Rendar d'Torrn, a bounty hunter of House Tharashk

With prophecies presented and at least considered, we could at last turn our attention to the more immediate needs of our group. We were warned that while the servants of the Shadow had made good their retreat, it is known that we were involved in the attack on the Mockery. And in truth, while assaulting the temple, we did rest for a solid twenty minutes on the rooftops above the courtyard—where numerous harpies and gargoyles spied us.

Magnus in particular was warned that his new dragon-bone maul was a prized and signature weapon of Gray Garrack—himself a member of the Skinners gang. At Magnus’ request Sa-Jira set out to procure a carpet, or other fabric that the maul could be wrapped in so it could be transported with some discretion.

Enacting a ritual, Xoma identified the maul itself and found that it was a special weapon indeed. The inscription harauch (“fate” in Draconic) was found carved into the bone—which belonged to a white dragon—and the enchanted maul itself was named Defiler’s Dread. This seemed to mean something to Magnus, but the Seren barbarian did not say why. Xoma said that more secrets slumbered inside the weapon and could only be revealed with exposure to powerful magical cold—such as the breath of a white dragon or perhaps a potent elemental spell.

Xoma also sought to see if our host had the components he needed for his wizardly dabblings: more tattooing of his spells to his body, and components for a more complicated ritual. He seemed to have a singular mindset, and while he can be abrasive, he can certainly handle himself when it counts. It would take him hours to complete his work. And with Cyzicus speaking privately with Zerasha, the four of us decided to split up.  Overdue to see how Halbazar was doing, Magnus and I, escorted by Sa-Jira, made our way to Calabas.

Meanwhile, Doongul, Cypher, and Trug—escorted by Drix (our shapeshifting “friend,” formerly Drivinia)—went to the Tooth and Steel smithy.

The Tooth and Steel could be heard before seen, the sound of the forge carried out into the street. Upon entering, they could see the blacksmiths toiling, mostly minotaurs and shifters. Though, these shifters were not like Cyzicus—they were more piggish. Gorebrutes, they have been called. Drix asked for Szalas Jal, the oni proprietor. While wating for him to come from the back, Cypher inspected some of the silvered weapons the workers of the forge had made.

The nine-foot, blue-skinned oni soon entered, and looked at the trio curiously. Drix stepped up and handed him a scroll. Halfway through reading it he examined the group. Cypher put down the sword and stepped up with Drix, while Doongul spoke up. Szalas said he was almost finished with the lengthy scroll. When at last he was, the scroll dissolved away, and he began asking questions of Doongul and Cypher. When he seemed satisfied with his questions, he named the price for use of the forge—a magic item.

 Ever the tinkerer, or perhaps unwilling to relinquish one of his “treasures,” Cypher infused Szalas’s bracelet with a dazzling blue light. This seemed to amuse the oni, as he chuckled and said “a fine display” but he would prefer a material good. Cypher and Doongal stepped out quickly, and determined the only thing they could possibly give up—that they didn’t know what exactly it did—was the strange ring Master Ennet had worn. Doongal passed it to Cypher, and once he determined what it was he nearly hurled it away! The ring was in fact a living creature! A ring-worm, and it fed on arcane energies. I thank Onatar that Xoma didn’t pick it up—he likes to try on new magics, regardless of the understanding of them! Then again, Cypher liked his skin-suits well enough....

It was quickly decided that the cursed ring would be given to Szalas (with a warning of its properties), who asked of its origin. Pressed for something more than “on our travels,” Doongal revealed it to be from the Mockery’s temple. Accepting that, Szalas accepted the ring, and said someone named Ravid can be found in the back. Before departing, Cypher asked about recharging the wand of chain lightning. The oni took the wand and said he would look at it. Drix then gave Doongul and Cypher direction back to the Shadow and Calabas, and departed.

Ravid’s room in the back was a vast and dark chamber, with a single pool of light centered on his workshop, at which an elf in dirty artificer clothes was hunched over working on something. Also working was a small homunculus, tinkering on another of the elf’s projects. Beyond the pool of light Doongul could see a tarp covered some other, much larger construction—what would later turn out to be a warforged titan, a mighty construct apparently in disrepair.

Ravid sat up from the device he was working on when Doongul announced them. Confirming that the elf was indeed Ravid, they laid out a set of plans. Ravid commented on the plans, asked if they had time, and set to work.

I wished that while the blacksmith and artificers toiled, Magnus and I had more success.  Upon our return to Calabas, we could see a gathering of Tharashk orcs around the House of Healing. It seemed that they had set up a perimeter, and was...encouraging gawkers to move along. Revealing my dragonmark to one of the guards, I inquired to what had happened. He went off inside and returned, not giving many answers. An investigation was underway, murders, and all the patients gone!

My mind reeled. What of Halbazar? At this stage I did not want to reveal too much. While I wanted to get to the bottom of what happened, I was mindful that I carried the Emperor’s Key, had an excoriate possibly in pursuit of it (or us), and had a Seren barbarian standing next to me. Not exactly easy to stay unnoticed. Magnus suggested a bit of bar hopping, in an attempt to see what rumors cropped up about this turn of events.

We started at the Golden Dragon, but alas the halflings proved to control the conversation. We then proceeded to the Merry Marcher, run by a half orc.  This proved much more fruitful, as being frequented by orcs and half-orcs to begin with. We began to piece together that Hahlo, the Jorasco heir we’d left Halbazar with less than two days ago, had been found on the roof of the house—his throat ripped out and his body drained of blood. His two assistants had been knifed and left in pools of their own blood.  House Tharashk was under pressure to get this figured out quickly, and were reviewing papers, trying to figure out who was in Hahlo’s House when...well, whatever happened happened.

As we left the Merry Marcher, I noticed a paper, a copy of the Korrenburg Chronicle, upon which was frontpage news a murder, kidnapping, and rogue airship in the Bookmark Inn back in Korranberg—the very event that roped me into all of this. I’ll have to read it more closely to see if there’s anything that gives us away, or perhaps what might be safe for us to say. In any event, Magnus and I tried to think of something Halbazar might have taken with him, if given the opportunity. We settled on his “Infernal Halbazar” banner, and I used my Mark of Finding to pinpoint its location. But unfortunately it was still within the House of Healing. I left a note at the House Tharashk saying I had a friend in the House of Healing, and may have information regarding him if he is relevant to the investigation. We’ll see what becomes of that if they come to see me at the Golden Dragon.

Meeting back with the others, in addition to his new tattoo spells, Xoma had identified his new Xen’drik boomerang and discovered it had been crafted by drow elves of the Sulatar tribe and was bound with fire elemental. Xoma demonstrated a tiny bit of its power and Magnus was enthralled when it burst into magical flame!

Emboldened by the day and our newfound riches, we travelled to the Twilight Palace, an establishment by the combined efforts of the halflings of House Ghallanda and the elves of House Phiarlan. When we learned of the steep cost of staying there, all of us but Xoma went back to the Golden Dragon. Xoma needed privacy for one more complicated ritual.

The next day Cypher and Doongul continued working with Ravid and even looked over the schema Cypher had acquired below the ruins of Paluur Draal. At the end of the day, we all met again and Xoma had a new...friend. It seemed a bat, with decidedly gargoylish traits, but it also seemed to be dripping shadows as if they were water. He seemed delighted to have another pet, but I hope it’s more controllable than that margoyle he created. The bat was Xoma’s new familiar, and he introduced him to us: Zots.

In the meantime we wait, and continue to prepare for whatever may come next.