#39 - Night Hag Alley

Here the narrative is again written by Xoma of the M’jai family, drow wizard of Xen'drik.

* * *

I was secretly thrilled when Sa-Jira indicated that she had ascertained the location of Jabra, the mysterious night hag known for her expertise in all things alchemical and arcane. The young medusa led us to an alleyway in the district known as Sar Kuraath, or Little Graywall, which houses the city's smaller citizens—chiefly, goblins and kobolds. In its depths, a rustic tent was occupied by an old woman. Sa-Jira was clearly uninterested in meeting Jabra—and indeed seemed angry with Rendar for some recent lack of attention—and left the moment we reached Jabra's tent.

The old woman, who seemed nothing more than a human crone working in the shadows of the tent, did little more than shuffle along inside. Cypher was unsure of himself and my warrior companions were out of their element. Without delay, I walked through the open flap.

The interior of the tent in no way matched the exterior. After entering, I found myself in a swamp. Damp, dim, though still somewhat stifling and smelling as much like a Graywall alley as a wetland. Across a field of standing water, wild grasses, and candles, stood Jabra. Her night hag nature was far more apparent here. Jabra still looked like an old woman, but was much taller, had the warty, hunched, horned features of a powerful blue-skinned hag of folklore.

I assumed that Jabra’s domain was an extradimensional space of some sort. The swampy appearance might be an illusion, or the space might simply be populated by whatever Jabra desires. The hag stood over a table covered in oddities of all sorts. A silver-plated ogre skull served as her cauldron. She looked at me and asked, "Why have you come?”

I was unsure of what would interest a hag, but I knew what I wanted. “I have come for magical scrolls.”

“Arcane?”

“Yes.”

Jabra said something to the effect of "I prefer barter over coins, and lives over barter. Can you offer any?” Though I could not offer lives, I knew I might have things I could offer instead of gold." She withdrew a coffer divided into two halves of rolled up scrolls. "I have a number of spells available. Peruse them and tell me what you can offer.”

Unable to read the magic at first glance, Jabra placed a bowl in front of me filled with brackish water, with disembodied eyeballs rolling at the bottom. She told me to rub the water on my own eyes, and I did so, unfazed. Instantly the arcane writing became clear, so I looked through the scrolls and found Jabra to have a moderately impressive selection—read magic, blur, melf’s acid arrow, protection from energy, blink, and the like. Finally, I showed her my Sul'atar flamebound boomerang, imagining that she might find a use for it. She seemed intrigued and said that I could pick two of the spells in exchange. She indicated that the owner of the boomerang wanted it back and was actively seeking me to get it. Evidently, she had the power to learn about the origins or previous owners of physical objects.

She also offered another spell if I revealed a secret of one of my companions. I thought about it for a moment. I didn't want to betray my current companions, but felt little compunction about revealing information about....

Well, later I would learn....Halbazar. I must have described the strange Aundairian sorcerer that my companions tell me had traveled with us for a time. The hag was intrigued. She informed me that she would have to see for herself by looking at the memory directly. I was nervous about having someone in his head, but intrigued about the hag’s magic, so I must have agreed.

Jabra brewed some variety of potion and had me consume it, though it tasted foul. I can only conclude that the concoction siphoned from my mind the memory in question. I came out of the stupor it imposed on me and found Jabra staring down at me, leaning close, smiling. I really couldn't remember the nature of the transaction at that point, but I accepted it. This was a night hag, after all. Her methods cannot be understood.

I hedged his bets. “So now you’re going to give me what I asked for?”

She gestured to the pile of scrolls. “Take one more.”

I chose a third scroll. I asked if she had any interest in gold. It clearly wasn’t her favorite thing, but it still had its uses. In exchange for 800 gold pieces, she let me choose one more spell.

Following that selection, I made my way out of the swamp. I assumed I could reach the exit simply by heading back the way I came, and I was correct. Had I been less groggy, I might of thought more about what had happened. I passed Cypher on his way in to visit Jabra, too, but said nothing to the warforged.

As soon as I left, I thought of one other item that might interest Jabra. I waited until Cypher was finished meeting with her, then went back in and showed her the goblin spellbook I had found in a laboratory in the ancient underground ruins of Darguun, near Paluur Draal. Jabra was interested, but skeptical that I had returned.

“Is this a gift?” she asked.

I hadn’t planned on giving it as a gift, but it seemed like a good idea. “Yes, it is.” She seemed pleased. I started to walk out, but she called out to me. “Then I will give you a gift as well. For several days, you and your companions have been followed by an armored warrior who traverses the rooftops as easily as a cat burglar.”

I thought it might be the drow I had seen in the stands at the Six Stones competition. Jabra now had the boomerang, so it was her problem.

* * *

Cypher proceeded in to speak with Jabra and had a similar experience—though his manner, and the information given to him, was quite different than Xoma's. For knowledge, he traded the Cyran backback and its contents—including Rungo, the stuffed bear—which Jabra immediately and deliciously identified as belonging to a "father and daughter." Unconcerned by this, Cypher received information about the schema he'd been carrying around—the one found inside the body of the warforged Claviger.

According to the night hag, the schema itself was used in or around the Mournland, but likely before the Day of Mourning.

* * *

Leaving the night hag behind, the PCs made their way out of Little Graywall and returned to the Temple of the Shadow, where Zerasha and Drix prepared them for the first night of Long Shadows, the holiday where evil magic is said to be greatest, where the powers of darkness are stronger. They left their weapons behind and went to the Arena, ready to fight in the Giant's Ring.

#38 - The Calm Before the (Bone) Storm

Here the narrative is again written by Xoma of the M’jai family, drow wizard of Xen'drik.

* * *

After we awoke from our petrification and subsequent shadowy vision, Magnus, Cypher, Rendar, and I found ourselves back in the map room with Drix (in drow form), Zerasha, and the maedar Hajda. We awoke with deep brands in our palms—depicting a twisted tower sigil, quite like the symbol of the Shadow. These must have been carved into our forms while we were stone for such scarification to a living being could result in significant damage and perhaps loss of limb.

Neither Magnus nor I are new to tattoos, but I suspect that Cypher and Rendar were somewhat unnerved to find themselves marked by the Shadow. As a creature of shadow already, it didn’t faze me. I suspect that Doongul is relieved that he didn’t go with us—I doubt Onatar would be pleased if the dwarf had been marked in such a way.

After everyone had some time to rest, Zerasha revealed to us the results of her vision. She indicated that one of the members of the Winter Coalition, which had formed during the Age of Demons was still alive—perhaps through some sort of magical longevity—and that there were three locations significant in some way to the Winter Coalition itself. She believed we would be able to contact this being at one of these sites. Her divination revealed him to be humanoid, though she was unsure of what race.

The three locations are as follows:

• A mountain among the Starpeaks, in northern Aundair. The Starpeaks also happens to be the location of the Starpeaks Observatory, a facility of Aundair's Arcane Congress.
• The ruins of Mar'saval in the lawless jungle-and-swamp frontier of Q’Barra in southeastern Khorvaire.
• The Boneyard, an ancient dragon cemetery or battle site in a valley at the eastern border of the Talenta Plains.

Of the three, Q’Barra seemed least interesting to me. Both the Arcane Congress and the Boneyard contained potential sources of power and knowledge. Q’Barra, while wild and perhaps a bit fun, seemed less intriguing. We discussed the notion of taking a sea vessel from Sharn. This would have many advantages, allowing us to consult another Shadow priestess and visit libraries in the City of Towers, and also commandeer a ship. By ship, we could stop at Korranberg to consult allies and their great library, then take to sea again to land in the port of Aerie in Valenar, which is approximately equidistant between Q’Barra and the Boneyard, allowing us to travel to either.

But then we recalled that there was a strong connection to the Winter Coalition and the Arcane Congress . That seemed to indicate that a trip to Arcanix might be the first order of business. I’m not sure we’ve settled on a final decision.

Drix and Zerasha explained the nature of the three arena tournaments on the first night of the Long Shadows holiday. The first, the Giants' Ring, is a battle involving larger combatants, which seemed wise to avoid; the second involves more bestial creatures in a cavelike environment; and the third is a free-for-all with many participants (including the reviled oni, Zurin Souldrinker, who stole poor Trug’s soul) know as the Bone Storm.

Zerasha indicated that we also possessed three tools that could aid us in our journey: "the bone, the blade, and the key." She said that we already had these in our possession. The bone was the mammoth dragonbone club that Magnus took as a trophy from the vile bugbear that we fought in the temple of the Mockery. The blade was likely the byeshk scimitar that we located during our explorations of the ruins of Darguun. We are unsure of the nature of the key as Zerasha indicated that it was not the same as "the goblin's key" (the Emperor's Key, as we know it).

We spent a great deal of time discussing items that could be the key. Cypher in particular, enjoyed pontificating on the subject, though they is nothing new about that.

The remainder of the first night after we awoke was spent performing a variety of tasks related to shopping and preparations for our rumble in the arena. We went back to the forge to speak with Szalas Jal and his artifice partner about items that might be the key. Cypher bartered for some more artificer trinkets, Rendar exchanged his Karnnathi armor for less conspicuous protection; and Cypher finished work on his mechanical dog. He has named the metal beast Rungo. Like his bear hat.

After some discussion, we agreed to sell the dragonshard from the Sky Talon to the elven artificer, Ravid. Magnus used his portion of the money and some borrowed from others to purchase a magical ring of protecction from the oni smith, similar to the one I wear. The smith indicated that I might find scrolls and alchemical substances by consulting with the night hag Jabra, but she is a mysterious creature who is difficult to find.

We left the smithy and conferred with Drix. She said that she could probably find Jabra and also gave us advice and information on locating some potential patrons.

We had a run-in with the elder Karrn and the warforged Grapnel, yet again. The unpleasant human made it clear that he believed Grapnel to be his property and that the edict freeing the warforged race was propaganda that did not apply here. It seemed like he had conditioned Grapnel to believe that he had no independent status and that those of other nations were liars if they asserted otherwise.

Grapnel seemed confused but likely is common with members of his ‘race,’ it was difficult for him to question authority. It did not help that Cypher admitted to using a pseudonym in the arena, only enforcing Grapnel’s belief that foreigners lie.

I suspect that the warforged simply isn’t very bright, but that does not mean that he deserves to be a slave. The key will be to convince him that his masters are the ones who are lying, not us. That may be impossible, but it’s worth at least a few more efforts. We nearly came to blows with the Karrn over the situation, but a fight for Grapnel seemed ill-advised, at least until the warforged was convinced that he should fight for himself.

This reminds me of something that happened back home. There was a fern that grew in shady areas of the jungle known as Hwa’quok. Some young Vulkoori enjoyed chewing the leaves of the fern because it dulled battle-pains, but it also made them stupid. It was easy to become dependent on the plant, rendering these warriors almost crippled. More than a few had to be cut down because they had become a drain or their tribes. Some could be convinced of their error, and recovered from it, but otherwise refused to deny that they had a problem. These poor individuals did not survive.

Grapnel is much like those addicted to Hwa’quok. He has a problem, but refuses to admit it or is unable to recognize it. Part of me thinks it would be a service to him if we cut him down. The other part feels that we need to intervene to help him because unlike the addicts, he has no capacity to break free from his shackles.

After our run in with the Karns and their warforged, we did a little more shopping. We planned to go to the Goblin Market, but before we did, we noticed that a human had been watching our encounter with the Karrns. We approached him and discovered that he was an agent of the Brelish general that had taken an interest in Cypher. He had a warforged arm and an eyepatch, which were intriguing to Cypher.

The man indicated that his master wished for Cypher to enter an arrangement of patronage. He would supply gold and other forms of assistance and all he wanted in return was that Cypher would enter the Giants' Ring event in the Arena and destroy the troll known as Fireshazz. The troll was said to be resistant to fire, unlike most of his kin, which would make the challenge that much more difficult. After some discussion, Cypher agreed to terms.

At the Goblin Market, we located some alchemical substances that could prove useful in our upcoming skirmish. In particular, we were interested in acid that could counteract the troll’s regeneration. Using a spell, I located a magical scroll. The goblin merchant had no idea what she had, so she sold it to me, along with a likely useless map, for 20 gold pieces. It proved to be a warding scroll, containing the spell of Alarm, which could help significantly in preventing ambushes while our party rests.

While we were in town, we also visited the halflings of Jorasco and Ghallanda, who were able to elaborate somewhat on the nature of the Boneyard and the Talenta Plains. They didn’t have much detail, but they did indicate that the area attracted aberrant creatures of Xoriat and occasionally living dragons became incensed if they discovered that their burials were being disturbed. We learned that the Talenta Plains really didn’t have any true settlements, which confirmed our suspicions that getting around there would be difficult.

At the House Sivis office, we sent a message via Speaking Stone to Wenrick in Korranberg, which went as follows:

Dear Wenrick,

We were pleased to hear that you and the gnomes arrived safely in Korranberg. We have been traveling, pursuing information about our quest and “the item.”

We are concerned about the repercussions of the news story about our activities in the Korranberg Chronicle. We were hoping you might be able to spread the word of our benevolent nature, with the subtlety in which your people are so well known.

It is likely that we will be back in Korranberg sometime in the next few months. I am not sure when, but we are concerned about attracting unwanted attention. Our party was initially ambushed in the city, so we know that it is likely that there will be eyes watching out for us. We would greatly appreciate it if you could find a safe place for us to stay when we arrive, even if it is on short notice. 
While we are in Korranberg, our primary goal is to get into the great library, preferably without attracting much attention. We have much we need to research, but it will be difficult if we are rushed and harried. 

We hope you are well and feel truly sorry for the hardships that have befallen you. We appreciate any assistance you can provide to us and are grateful for the discretion you have shown. 

We will attempt to contact you if we have more news on when we might be in your region. Until then, we wish you the best.

Skla-Um-Fet (a drow expression…it roughly translates to “Don’t Die.),

Xoma

#37 - The Sixth Stone

"http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w0Yse6Pxrmo"

The game raged on, surprisingly long. Both opposing humans were eventually petrified by the basilisk's gaze. The older of the two Karrns, the one announced as Captain Arlen, resisted the longest. The monstrous crowds around the Arena cheered the "stoning" of the Five Nations humans.

Grapnel, the Karrnathi warforged—who seemed vaguely apologetic of his actions—persisted. Although he had begun to seize up under the stiffening glare of the magical lizard, he held very still—as still as only a construct can—and after a few moments, it seemed to fool the basilisk into thinking that he'd already turned to stone. It turned away from him, and soon he rose again, safe from its eyes.

The basilisk pursued Magnus next. Cypher, Xoma, and Magnus played in an ever-shifting dance against the increasingly aggressive Grapnel. The warforged was mighty—physically at least as strong as Magnus, and broader by far—and finally locked Cypher in a vicelike grip, forcing the other warforged to face the basilisk. Cypher tried to appeal to him, to establish a camaraderie, but Grapnel kept insisting, "I do not understand. I have orders." That Grapnel still obeyed commands from the two Karrns—even though they were stone—was remarkable.

Eventually, Cypher was beyond help, and a statue he became. The crowd roared approval, enjoying the warforged vs. warforged struggle. With a snarl of satisfaction, the basilisk turned away to pursue those that remained: drow, human, and warforged.

Xoma and Magnus struggled against one another convincingly, even as they evaded and tried to keep from allowing Grapnel to bind them. But the large wareforged was clearly a threat, and Magnus took him head-on. The two locked arms, twisted, broke apart, and engaged again, even as Xoma darted in, lashed with the rope he'd been carrying, and even attempted to leap upon the construct's back.

But despite his rage, even Magnus found himself clasped in the warforged's unyielding grip and turned to the basilisk, who dogged them repeatedly. The Seren barbarian, seized in its gaze, chanted something from his language, which Xoma understood to sound like death rites of his culture. But it wasn't death that claimed Magnus—simply stasis and stony oblivion.

Then Xoma remained. He was determined to draw out the fight, even though it seemed inevitable that Grapnel would overtake him. The crowd seemed pleased with the spectacle, and by the time Xoma was crouched, half folded up by the warforged's powerful arms, he saw a dark-skinned figure on the edge of the crowd, watching the final moments play out. The basilisk's blue-eyed and baleful glare coaxed him in to stone, but the Xen'drik dark elf resisted for half a minute before submitting to darkness and the end of the game of Six Stones. The last standing "man" was a warforged, but none of the PCs would hear the Arena's reaction.

Instead, they found themselves in what they later understood—and even then believed—to be a vision. Another vision under the auspices of the Shadow:

Only four of them—Rendar, Cypher, Xoma, and Magnus—trapped in a chamber. Dim, with sourceless light, in a subterranean space. Cracks in the floor disappeared into a mist-oozing chasm. In the center of the room was a twisted, obsidian pillar shaped much like the Shadow's own symbol. In a shelf within it, a glowing red orb.

A voice whispered in their minds:

The first to claim the orb will receive lasting power. The first to exit this chamber will claim power from a fallen enemy.

They experimented and debated and tried to explore the area, but eventually it as Xoma who claimed the orb—and it seemed to grant him the power of flight. When Rendar discovered a hidden door in one wall, they also spied the word SACRIFICE carved in Draconic upon it. After a bloody experiment in opening it, the seeming death of Rendar and/or Xoma led to the opening of the door. It was Cypher who exited first....

At which point the entire vision ended. Damnable Shadow visions.

The PCs found themselves reverting back to flesh inside the Temple of the Eye. Zerasha the oracle and priestess lay on the floor, shivering and covered in frost. Seeming exhausted from the ritual she'd performed on them while they were in stone form. She climbed to her feet and said, "My divination was somewhat successful, but I have been...noticed. There is a surviving member of the Winter Coalition. A male, I think."

Sa-Jira the young medusa ran forward to attend to Rendar and help him stand again. Drix, lounging in the form of a female drow, watched from a nearby sofa. Hajda, the maeder, watched impassively. Doongul was present now, and had obviously successfully overseen the safe transfer of their statue forms, but had not been present in the Shadow's "dream."

That's when the PCs noticed that a symbol had been etched, carved right through the skin (or metal, in the case of Cypher) of their left-hand palms: a symbol that sure looked like the Shadow's.

#36 - A Game of Six Stones

As told by Magnus of the Island of Seren.

Six Stones is a contest for monsters: A fight in an arena, where seven contestants enter and then the ringmasters introduce a basilisk. The seven compete to force each other to meet the basilisk's eyes, which can turn one quite literally into stone. Once there are six stones, the last remaining man is the victor.

No weapons, no spells, lots of trickery and brute force. For some reason, Zerasha the medusa priestess believed she could read our fates, and our connection to this "Winter Coalition" group, better if we "assume stone form," and that one good way to be stone was by basilisk. She promised that we could be turned back from stone again afterwards. Doongul was going to sit out the game and oversee the care of our stone selves. Until, of course, he gives in to a medusa's own gaze.

Everyone told me that if we participated in Six Stones, we could gain favor for the upcoming fight against the ogre mage—the oni leader of the Skinners gang—in another arena match next week. So all right, we’d do it.

We stored our valuables and weapons and armor and money and trinkets at the House Kundarak bank. The dwarves, I'm told, can be trusted with possessions. Everyone looked like a peeled shrimp without their armor and cloaks and stuff, except Cypher. He looked just about the same. Except that for some reason, he is deciding to wear a stuffed bear on his head, the one he got in that backpack prize from that gargoyle street fight a couple days ago. I am not sure I will ever even want to know what goes on in his head.

Anyway, lots of talking and pecking around to see if the rules are actually rules (they are). And more talking to find out if anyone will notice if the rules are broken (they will be). More talking about if there will be consequences for breaking the rules (there will be). Finally, they led us to the Arena.

The Arena was pretty big and dark. We head in and go through a mini version of what we all talked about before, except here, we all say “yes” about following the rules (was that so hard?). Drix tells us about some notables in the stands, folks who could give us favor in the bigger bout to come: Tharashk orc-kin, some human general, a goblin, I don't know. I wasn't really paying attention to her. No, wait, she also said there was someone named Misfit watching: a changeling "courtesan" from the brothels in Calabas. All right, I remember that one.

But whatever, just let us fight as best we can and let the crowd be pleased.

We went through a magic wand interview looking for smuggled magic. The only thing that showed up was Cypher’s bear on his head, which he made glow with some minor artificer magic. He turned it off, but kept wearing the silly thing.

Soon enough we were led out into the actual fighting space, and sent to our positions (which were marked by ghosts of us!). As we assumed our spots, the ghost images went away. So, it’s me, Cypher, Xoma, and Rendar—we’d agreed NOT to act as a team, better crowd pleasing that way. The other three were that giant warforged we'd met, Grapnel, and his two human Karnnathi keepers. Tough contest.

A medusa in red robes walked out and announced us each to the crowd, with not much cheering to follow.

1. "Sergeant Ved, human of Karrnath." Younger man.
2. "Captain Arlen, human of Karrnath." Older man.
3. "Grapnel, warforged of Karrnath." Big construct.
4. "Rungo, warforged of Breland." (Cypher had given the name of the damned stuffed bear.)
5. "Magnus of the Seren Isles." I tell it like it is.
6. "Xoma, dark elf and Vulkoori Lord of Xen'drik." Fancy.
7. "Lord Rendar Torinn d'Tharashk, of the Shadow Marches." The crowd liked him best. Must be the tusks.

The medusa announced that ours was a special “softskins” match (tell that to the warforged!) and then left. Then an ogre dragged a beat-up chest to the center of the ring and walked off. That hadn't been mentioned in the rules.

Without any warning, Xoma zipped over to the chest to be met there by Cypher. NO WAY were those two getting in there first, so I charged into Xoma, grabbed him and pushed us both into Cypher. Xoma wriggled free and Cypher punched him.  (That should've gotten the crowd to see that we were not a team).

One of the Karrns grabs me, and his buddy hides by the entry gate. Xoma swivels to open the chest, Rendar punches Grapnel, who didn’t seem to mind. Cypher pushed Xoma away from the chest and opened it up. I couldn't see what’s inside, but the drow and the warforged started grabbing. Grapnel, meanwhile, grabbed Rendar and pointed him towards the opening gate.

Enter the basilisk, a large, eight-legged lizard wearing a helmet (that covered its eyes)! Not yet able to turn us to stone. I grabbed the Karrn nearest me and dragged him towards the lizard. Xoma pulled a rope out of the chest and reached back in. Something in there was full of magical power and hit him with lightning hard enough for him to let go and back away fast.

This little Karrn wiggled free and ran away from me, his buddy staying quiet by the gate. Grapnel kept his hold on Rendar and started to twist his head toward the basilisk. Cypher reached for my Karrn and managed NOT to fall down after tripping on some sand (!?). Maybe he was blinded by the damn bear on his head.

At just about this time, some wand-waving happens and the basilisk’s helmet fells away. Primed and ready to petrify!  Don’t look.

I grabbed the other Karrn and he started wriggling, this old goat was wiry and tough! He turned around and got a hold on me, whispering some crap in my ear.

Xoma made a lasso with the rope over in the corner, he got some space and a few seconds to think—that would do him some good, I was betting. Rendar broke free of Grapnel and tried to get clear. The huge warforged just batted Rendar with a fist and grabbed him again. I think he was talking, too. Apologizing? But ouch, I could see he had a good arm. Cypher grabbed the nearest Karrn and the freaking basilisk pounds me with its tail. I couldn't break the hold this old man has on me and I was getting beat up to boot!

Xoma advanced and lassoed the clutch of arms and legs that was Cypher and the Karrn, but only Cypher was entangled and then Cypher was restrained by his foe. The other Karrn forced my head around and I stared unblinking into the eyes of the lizard. Its eyes were green and I got lost for a second, but I shook it off and kept struggling. The damned Karrn kept talking, telling me to give up. Ass.

Rendar and Grapnel were a blur of twisting holds and bulging muscle. Neither could get an advantage but steel should prevail unless Rendar could get some help. The basilisk mashed me again with a tail slap, ouch! I couldn't take it any more—rage overcame me, so I broke free of that damned Karrn. He tried to grab me again but NO WAY IN HELL KHYBER FERNIA SHIT.

Rather, I was pissed off and was not having any of that.

The second Karrn helps Grapnel with Rendar and together they bent his head and forced him to look at the lizard. Rendar growled and wiggled around as best he can—at least it took numbers to bear him down, good man—but it wasn't looking good. He started to stiffen up as the basilisk steps on his head and presses its face right in, staring back at Rendar.

Cypher tumbled out of the lasso, Xoma said something to him and they charged together, each holding an end of the rope, stretched taught between them. The Karrrn dodged but Grapnel was caught in the rope, clotheslined. The crowd seemed to enjoy this. Rendar keeps trying to twist away, but they held him too long enough. He resisted the petrification as long as he could. Grapnel pounded Rendar im the back with a metal fist, trying to break him. Rendar was resolute.

The basilisk bashed Cypher with claws and I punched the Karrn in my grip. He couldn't break free and now I had him looking at the basilisk.  I felt him stiffen. I heard the crowd yelling, even booing, and I looked up to see that Rendar—the one closest to all the monsters of this city—had left us. Turned to stone. The basilisk was climbing up the Rendar statue to glare at Grapnel next.

Xoma and Cypher tightened the rope and the basilisk got a good look at Grapnel, who started to stiffen up, too. Cypher got the other Karrn in a hold and pointed his head toward the basilisk. The man locked up, but neither warforged nor human was stone yet. Still, a few more seconds and it should be me against Cypher against Xoma.

My thought was: Who should I go after first?

#35 - A Troll, a Harpy, and an Opportunity

The night was still young. The PCs left the district of Calabas to return to the Tooth and Steel smithy, where more projects and item inquiries remained to be dealt with. They were shouldered and sneered at by the monstrous citizens of Graywall as they walked, but generally not accosted openly....

Until an ogre pushed roughly past them and moments later, Trug squealed something, shouting what was probably another goblin's name, then took off in a run into a side street. The others confusedly paused to see what had happened, and Xoma sent his bat-spirit familiar, Xots, into the air to locate the errant goblin. Xots reported that Trug had run through a series of streets in alleys in pursuit of another goblin...which then
suddenly became a much larger goblin or goblin-like creature. A trick or lure? Then he lost sight of Trug. The rest of the party gave chase.

Xoma, accustomed to swift movement in shadowed, stony streets—not entirely unlike the giant ruins of Xen'drik back home—was the first to find the junction where Trug had disappeared. There he found a pair of ogres arguing over a troll, who hunched nearby, a chain hanging between a collar on his neck and one of the ogre's hands. When Xoma drew closer, the three large humanoids gave up pretenses and attacked.

The drow hastened himself, then rose up with levitation even as the troll sprang forward and lunged for him. Then Xoma was beyond its reach, dropping a stinking cloud beneath him to envelop his sudden foes.

The others came on the scene, to see the ogres barreling through the noxious cloud, coughing and angry. A battle had begun. Magnus, Rendar, and Cypher came in first, with Doongul shortly behind them. The dwarf had not yet used his newly-upgraded peg-leg, but still running for him could still be an awkward show. The half-orc and human barbarian were the first to engage the ogres, while Xoma delivered a shocking grasp to one of the monsters courtesy of his flying familiar.

And that is when the harpies appeared, though only two, emerging from windows that overlooked the otherwise-empty street junction. One of them was Occyra, the harpy they'd fought (and who had escape) out on the plains beyond the city, only now her skin was noticeably hardened with barkskin. That previous encounter had established a marked enmity between Xoma and the harpy. According to Sa-Jira and Zerasha, Occyra was the second-in-command of a flight of harpies known as the Wind Howlers, who were well known for not aligning with the Daughters of Sora Kell. Evidently, she'd caught up to the PCs several days after their last meeting. Perhaps their many loud, riotous, and conspicuous battles had made them easy to find?


Occyra and the subordinate harpy unleashed the power of their voices. While they were hideous to look upon, their voices were deadly sweet and supernaturally entrancing. Cypher was stricken by Occyra's, while Rendar was immediately enraptured by the other's. Both half-orc and warforged immediately set out to climb the buildings up toward where the harpies were perched, specifically avoiding the noxious cloud of Xoma's spell. This left Magnus and Doongul to square off against the troll and remaining ogre—which took some time, as troll's famously regenerate their wounds.

Cypher shook off the effect's of Occyra's voice and climbed back down to the street, and when Rendar shrugged off his audible stupor, he took advantage of the higher ground and flung himself bodily at the troll from on high. He hoped to skewer it, but instead just crashed into it but managed to roll back quickly to his feet. Between human, dwarf, and half-orc, the troll and ogre went down. Doused with oil and set alight, the troll was kept from rising again.

Four goblin assailants revealed themselves, two loosing arrows from one side of the battlefield, while two others rushed from an alley and stabbed at both Cypher and Magnus. They dealt injury but were themselves quickly struck down.

Xoma, floating above the battlefield and closer in altitude to the harpies, used a web spell to keep Occyra from moving freely about or even from acting at all. They exchanged attacks, but even when she broke free, he sent her crashing to the cobblestones with a gust of wind spell. As she tried to flee on foot, too battered to fly, she conjured a spell that made the street sprout stony spikes, hindering her pursuit. However, the agile Cypher climbed alongside one of the buildings and reached her before she could limp away. With a swipe of a dagger, he slashed open the harpy's throat and ended the battle.

The second harpy proved no lasting threat. Two of the goblins had fled. They'd had no uniform or emblems to identify them, but were obviously aligned in some way to Occyra.

Using his Mark of Finding, Rendar was able to locate the missing Trug by homing in on his cloak: he'd be stashed in an alcove behind a crate in one of the nearby side streets. He was alive but not conscious, stiff but stricken by some power. His eyes were wide open but unseeing, strange straight cuts down his face, and in his mouth was stuffed a slip of paper on which was written, in elegant Goblin:

This is a message to the eastern thief-maggots who murder on a whim and hide in the shadows. Face me in the games on the first night of Long Shadows if you seek the absolution for your crimes and the return of your friend. Speak to Zerasha if my message is not clear.
                                                                                                                  - Z.S.

The PCs didn't know who Z.S. was (yet). And at first, they mistook "your friend" to be Halbazar, but later would learn it referred to Trug. While still alive, his soul was absent from his body, and his body could only be kept alive with effort. Doongul was not happy about this.

While the group looted the bodies, Xoma bore the dragged Occyra's body into the center of the street. There, to his companions' chagrin, he made a statement of triumph and contempt for his foe by "marking her" with his own urine. He intended to set her corpse on fire as well (like the still-smoldering troll), but Xots warned them that a band of armored trolls and gnolls were headed their way—members of the Flayer's Guard. Not worth encountering just now.

Carrying Trug's stiff body, they reached the Tooth and Steel without incident and there bargained with the oni smith Szala Jal again. There were yet many ways to spend their gold: creation of a homonculus for Cypher, enchanting Doongul's masterwork warhammer, recharging wands, and otherwise stocking up on magical resources. Szalas Jal also supplied them with a little bit more information:

Z.S. was Zurin Souldrinker, the oni who led the Skinners gang, roguish and religious thugs and killers who revered the Mockery. Gray Garrak, the bugbear the PCs had slain in the Temple of the Hand—and whose dragonbone maul Magnus now carried—had been one of the Skinners. The PCs had firmly made enemies of this gang, and Zurin Souldrinker obviously knew who they were now. Szalas Jal explained that Zurin was an oni of necromantic power—"with whom I have no quarrel"—who possessed the ability to suck the soul out of his victims. The only way for a soul to be freed was by Zurin's own volition...or his death. Zurin's demand that the PCs face him in "the games on the first night of Long Shadows"  meant to face him in the Arena on the 26th of Vult, which was one week away.

The choice was theirs: Either they allowed Trug to die by leaving his soul excised from his body, or else face Zurin's challenge "on the first night of Long Shadows." Doongul could not allow the goblin to perish, and even Xoma would not tolerate the idea of a creature, or its soul, enslaved by another.

Long Shadows itself is an infamous three-day holiday, wherein the Shadow's power is said to be strongest in the world. In many lands, it is a time to shut one's doors and windows and wait for the mayhem to pass. For others, it is an opportunity for mischief, or worse. In Graywall, whose citizens mostly revere or placate the Dark Six, it is sure to be celebrated by much of the populace, and will be reflected in the blood sports of the Arena.

Upon meeting with Zerasha, the medusa priestesss learned of what had happened and offered them new plan: She believed she had a means of learning more about the Winter Coalition, if indeed the PCs were part of its prophecy. But it required them to be transmuted into stone—such as that rendered by the gaze of a medusa—and then back into flesh again. She possessed the means to do this. But there was another way:

This very night, the Arena was hosting a few games of Six Stones—wherein seven participants enter an enclosure with a basilisk. Neither magic nor weapons can be used; each man must outlast the others. Seven men enter, but only six leave. He who is not turned to stone by the gaze of the basilisk is the winner. Zerasha said that Sa-Jira's mother, Sa-Zira, the ambassador from Cazhaak Draal, would be willing to sponsor them for their part in rescuing her daughter. If they could win the favor of the crowds, perhaps entering the Arena to face Zurin Souldrinker needn't be as hopeless at it sounds.

And if they lost in Six Stones, well, Zerasha needed them to be in stone form anyway....

#34 - Homicides and Headlines

Excerpt from the Cypher's Codex: The Scrawlings of a Warforged Scholar

Doongul encouraged us to investigate the House of the Nine last night. He wanted to pay proper homage to Onatar. The House was not a temple, exactly, but rather a small home and inn run by
an older human couple. They maintained a shrine to the Sovereign Host and were glad to make the acquaintance of a cleric of Onatar. Everyone was pleased by the couple and their home, it was relatively inexpensive and they were even willing to forego a charge for myself, since warforged have no need of sleep. We decided to make it our headquarters for the duration of our stay in Graywall. We rented all four rooms in the house and requested the option to continue to ensure that the entire house would remain ours alone.

The next day, we were unable to locate the margoyle when we left the House of the Nine. Xoma failed to reach out to it mentally and sent Zots to find it. Zots was able to find the creature after some time; it was located outside Calabas at a gathering of gargoyles.

We went to the Golden Dragon Inn to meet with the House Tharashk inquisitive as Rendar had arranged the previous day. An orc in Tharashk garb was waiting for Rendar and immediately went to retrieve Jana from the enclave. We sat at a table and everyone else ordered some drinks—even Trug who held up his beer and shouted “Onatar!,” finally pronouncing the deity's name correctly. Doongul sat back on his stool and beamed proudly. We perused the latest published Korranburg Chronicle, which had been floating about the common room for a few days—it was more than ten days old but satisfying nonetheless. There was something about a scandal in Sharn, a ghost ship sighted in the waters south of the City of Towers, and even something about misshapen giants emerging from the Mournland.

More importantly, the incident at the Bookmark Inn got a first-page article ("Murder and Kidnapping in Korranberg"!) but little was known about it. It cited the death of two patrons—gnomes, of course—and that the proprietor, Wenrick, and several patrons had been kidnapped by unknown persons. There was the rumor that a cult had been involved.

Jana arrived at the inn, dressed in the light, worn armor of an experienced ranger.  Her demeaner was one of apprehension, not unlike a soldier before an offensive, and she walked towards us with a purpose. When she approached the table, I stood and graciously offered her a beverage.  This startled her, being offered a beverage by a warforged, but she recovered in time to demand that Rendar tell her what he knew.  And so the tale of our little band began, at times supplemented by the Chronicle article, which provided some context even if it was sparse on details.


In turn, Jana d'Tharashk told us what happened at Hahlo's House, the Jorasco hospice. Someone had murdered Hahlo d'Jorasco and two of his attendants. Hahlo's throat had been torn out, his body had been drained of blood then dumped on the roof of the building, while the others had been stabbed repeatedly with a small blade. Halbazar, of course, had gone missing, and we fear he may have been involved in this. The blood of the slain halflings had been used to paint foul symbols on the walls of the hospice, which their experts identified as affiliated with a daelkyr.

Daelkyr are extraplanar beings, creatures from beyond Eberron from the plane of Xoriat. Long ago, they led an invasion into our world and shattered the Dhakaani Empire but were finally rebuffed by the Gatekeeper druids, orc allies of the goblin empire. Though Dhakaan toppled, the daelkyr lords who were not driven back into the Plane of Madness were imprisoned deep beneath the earth behind Gatekeeper seals. According to Jana, a daelkyr known as Dyrrn the Corruptor was the one who had sacked the Dhakaani city whose ruins Graywall now comprised.

But Tharashk is the House of Finding and they pursued all leads. Jana told us that they finally consulted with the mind flayer Xorchyllic, Graywall's current ruler. Mind flayers are from Xoriat, were once lieutenants in the Xoriat armies, but Xorchyllic was found imprisoned beneath the city long ago, and set free, for some reason at odds with his former masters. He looked upon the daelkyr symbols drawn in blood and determined that they had been falsified. The conclusion: Someone is attempting to use misinformation, to blame a cult devoted to the daelkyr. Who really is our enemy? We believe they may be connected to the foul places we encountered in our passage through Khyber.

And here is further evidence. Not only was the hospice attacked and Jorasco halflings murdered, Vorgath—the half-orc trader we had visited a couple days ago—had been found, badly wounded but alive even more recently, after his shop had been broken into. The partial suit of armor—the ancient hobgoblin Dhakaani we'd found in the Khyber Cube beneath Paluur Draal and had sold to the man—had been stolen.

In plain terms, Jana believes a vampire or vampire-like creature was responsible. She demanded to know more about our experiences, who Halbazar was, and how we might be involved in this. House Tharashk, under the command of Baron Kundran Torrn d'Tharask (a distant relative of Rendar's!), was responsible for security in Calabas, so this attack had infuriated them. We agreed to keep her informed.

While Rendar was telling our story to Jana, though, I noticed a gnome carefully listening to our conversation. It was the female we'd met on our first visit to the Golden Dragon, Fherina. Wanting to carefully take control of the situation, I excused myself from the table and went to the bar. I asked the bartender for a beverage that would be suitable for a female gnome and he gave me a cup of sweetened wine. I walked to Fherina’s table, avoiding a direct route, intending to sneak up on her. However, while I was at the bar, prompted by a note from Xoma who also noticed her, Doongul loudly and aggressively made his way to Fherina’s table and was intimidating her into admitting that she'd been eavesdropping. His was a tactless strategy and she was reluctant to admit to anything under duress. I approached her from the other side and offered her the drink.  I set the wine in front of her and she looked me at me with great confusion.

It took her several moments to realize she was surrounded so she compose herself, but it was more than enough time for me to notice the bundle of papers in her lap before she hid them in her satchel—a recent copy of the Korranberg Chronicles, only a few days old. I asked Fherina about it. She stammered some response but Doongul was impatient. He demanded the paper. Fherina desperately tried to regain ground in the negotiation, offering the paper in exchange for a seat at the table with Rendar and Jana. Doongul continued to gruffly state his position, but I saw no reason to exclude this woman from the conversation. She had already heard all that had been said so far and we had learned nothing from her in that time. I wanted to include her at the table where we could better control the flow and direction of information. I accepted her terms, and before Doongul could argue, I grabbed Fherina’s bag from the floor, and the wine I had brought her, and moved it to my former seat next to Magnus. Having taken the initiative from her, even while giving her what she asked for, Fherina was again taken aback by the actions of the warforged in front of her, and quietly made her way to our table.

Jana demanded to know who the new woman was and before I could explain, Fherina offered up the broadsheet she'd been holding. The issue was quite new, dated to the 15th of Vult. It was now the 19th, so the paper was only four days old.  Fherina promptly informed us said that there was an article about us within, listing names and unmistakable details about each of our party. Doongul grabbed the paper when he returned to his seat and read aloud the relevant article.

SURVIVERS OF THE BOOKMARK MYSTERY OFFER MYSTIFYING CLUES

KORRANBERG — On Far, thirteen survivors from the Bookmark Inn incident returned on foot to the city in the company of one Kyress Ventoran, a professor from Morgrave University. Ventoran had discovered all thirteen in the ruins of Paluur Draal while on an expedition of archaeological research. Nine of the survivors were Zils who called Korranberg their home, while three comprised a Brelish family on holiday. Most have requested anonymity.

The inn’s proprietor, a Zil named Wenrick, had his tongue forcibly removed by the cultists during their ordeal aboard the airship that had stolen them away. Wenrick was sent to a Jorasco healing house, but not before conveying the essence of the crime to authorities.

Many of the survivors spoke of their trials and, when questioned, Professor Ventoran confirmed a few of the details herself. Allegedly, it was indeed a cult of the Dragon Below that had kidnapped them and taken them northward by airship for reasons unknown. In their company were malformed humanoids that gibbered and murmured words of madness. The cultists appeared to have wyverns at their disposal, a fact that especially worries authorities considering the beasts’ attacks near Oskilor back in the month Barrakas.

The survivors claim that several of their fellow captives—it should be noted, none of whom were Zils—escaped their bonds and defeated the cultists. In circumstances not yet clear, while control of the ship was wrested from the cultists, it was ultimately steered back towards the south only to crash land in Paluur Draal.

The airship itself has been confirmed by the survivors as the Sky Talon, a private vessel whose owner, an Aundairian noble named Reltran ir’Harran, was counted among the captives but may have been complicit in the cult’s activities. Ir’Harran, a member of the Arcane Congress, is now in custody but was described as being “in a state of great delusion” at the time of his arrest. When the healers have finished attending him, ir’Harran and the Korranberg’s Aundairian diplomats will be questioned by the Council of Nine.

In the meantime, representatives from Houses Medani and Tharashk have also come forward, offering assistance in the investigation. The question is apparent, but none have declared it openly: Was this the work of a single, deranged cult or is there a larger threat to be concerned with? What was a wizard from the Arcane Congress doing in Zilargo, allegedly consorting with a cult of the Dragon Below?

While many questions about these crimes linger, the whereabouts and identities of the survivor’s true saviors have become the subject of speculation. Wenrick refused to impart any more information publicly, but our chronicles have questioned the other survivors and have gathered a description of the heroes.

Numbering among them is one Rendar d’Tharashk, a freelance bounty hunter whose business in the city remains unknown. With him was Cyzicus, a shifter with an Eldeen accent, and Doongul Ironfoot, a Mrorian who walked with a peg leg and employed clamorous magic. Magnus, one of the group’s two humans, was described as a barbarian, but none are certain where he came from; Q’Barra is one obvious possibility. Cypher, a Brelish warforged in their company, appeared more as a tinkerer and less as a soldier. Perhaps most memorably, a drow—dark elf of Xen’drik—in strange attire calling himself Xoma had joined them. Some of the Zils said that Xoma had stowed away aboard the Sky Talon to pursue the cultists.

Such a disparate collection of adventurers has led some of the city’s officials to speculate that the “heroes” were themselves complicit in the kidnapping. Was their involvement mere bad luck for the cultists or was it no coincidence that they had been in the Bookmark Inn that night? Had they known about the cult? The patrons of the inn refuse to believe in any conspiracy theories, insisting that were it not for the strangers’ actions, they’d have been sacrificed by the cult for nefarious purposes. One anonymous survivor even said, “I don’t think they even knew each other. But I’d wager they’ve seen some action before. Veterans of the war, maybe. But I’m not sure on whose side.”

The so-called heroes were last seen plunging deeper in the ruins of Paluur Draal, ostensibly to draw off wyvern riders who had pursued them. Professor Ventoran told the Chronicle, “I pray they are alive and well, and that they’ll read these words soon. And if they do, I hope they keep their distance for a while. There are many eyes on this city, and they know the key to survival is empirical.”

Curious words, for a scholar of Dhakaani antiquities, and Professor Ventoran had nothing more to say on the subject. Agents of House Lyrandar, whose docking tower should have known about the Sky Talon’s presence last week, could not be reached for comment.

Without discussing the issue directly, we concluded that the professor's words here were intended as a warning to us: Both "key" and "empirical" seemed an obvious reference to the Emperor's Key—which she might have known nothing about, but Wenrick would. Perhaps he divulged more to her.

Jana asked the gnome how she came upon the latest edition of the Korranburg Chronicle, as even House Tharashk did not have it. Evidently the Chronicle doesn't distribute as regularly this far out from the Five Nations. Fherina reluctantly admitted to having contacts within the local House Sivis chapter from whom she procured the Chronicle. She said that it would be publicly available within 24 hours. We realized that the article would out us within the city of Graywall—even worse than the minor infamy we had already achieved, and we discussed how to delay the inevitable release of the paper. Jana and Fherina agreed to try to delay the distribution of the article, using Jana’s authority in House Tharashk and Fherina’s contacts at Sivis. They left us for the Sivis message station and we headed back toward the Tooth and Nail smithy, agreeing to find Jana again if we discover more information.

On our way out of the Calabas, I noticed the warforged Grapnel standing guard by two humans at the wall.  We made eye contact and Grapnel nodded slightly at my presence. I decided to walk to him to see if he had any news to share. As I approached, I saw that the rough men were looking at a notice posted on the wall. I asked about it and the men turned to me abruptly, incredulous that I had addressed them. With hands on hilts, they stared at me for a moment and then turned away; Grapnel made no movement at all. I read the sign: it referenced an event at the Arena in Bloodstone and a game called "Six Stones." I also noticed then that these humans were wearing cheap and worn clothes typical of Karrn. It was clear that these men were those whom had enslaved Grapnel. I spoke up again, louder and with more strength, “Ahh, a tournament of some type. Have either of you men seen this Six Stones competition before?” I am by most standards patient but the poor treatment of my fellow warforged by those worthless creatures was difficult to pass by.

This time I was trying to provoke the Karrnathi slavers. But the Karrns didn't give in to my tone, and my friends pulled me away from the encounter, not wanting to delay any longer.

#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.