shilsen
Adventurer
Written by shilsen - 10/9/05
Session 9 - Even More Meetings
Back at the inn, the Misfits have dinner and head for bed. A couple hours before dawn, Gareth awakes from a strange dream involving Nameless. Not completely sure how to interpret it, he decides to head to the Cathedral for guidance. The sounds of his departure wake Corven (coincidentally also in the middle of a strange dream) and Nameless. When they ask where he is going, Gareth doesn't respond but hurries out. Though curious, the pair go back to sleep.
Gareth makes his way through the mostly deserted skybridges and towers to the Cathedral, surprising the two drowsy guards outside. He is allowed in and speaks to the acolyte on duty, who absolutely refuses to wake the Archierophant that early, but promises to give her the news that he wishes to speak to her when she awakes. Gareth spends the next couple of hours in prayer, until those living in the Cathedral gradually awake and begin to fill the place. He attends the morning service and is then told that the Archierophant will see him an hour and a half later.
Finally, around 10:30 in the morning, Gareth is brought to the same office where he spoke to her before, to find Ythana Morr awaiting him. As before, she is dressed in full priestly vestments and her full-plate armor. After exchanging greetings, Gareth describes his dream to her in detail and then asks for her opinion about it. Ythana tells him that it does seem like the Flame is speaking directly to him, which is a very rare occurrence, and one that should make him feel blessed. She asks for more information about Nameless, which he provides. After some thought, she says that such dreams and visions are difficult to decipher, and at this point Gareth should simply keep a careful eye on his companion and see what develops. Ythana also asks him to keep her informed of any discoveries, and he promises to do so.
Before Gareth leaves, Ythana also talks to him about his interest in exorcism and promises to give him access to the limited materials that the Cathedral has on the subject. Then she blesses him and he leaves, after obtaining some holy water from the Cathedral.
***
The others, meanwhile, arise from their sleep, and let Luna and Six know about Gareth's departure. While they are at breakfast, Corven receives a messenger from the Cyran embassy with a pair of sealed envelopes for him. The large one has papers with details about the investiture and copies of the oaths that will be made there. Apparently the investiture will take place at noon on the 27th, two days later. The small envelope has a letter from Tyrala and a note. The letter asks Corven to meet her at the embassy on the 26th at 10 am. It also suggests that if he has the time, he should meet with Cala Narain (at the tavern The Bitter Draft) in the High Walls area of Tavick's landing, regarding the disappearances. If he is unable to do so, Cala will be present at the embassy on the 26th, so he can speak to her there.
After breakfast, Six departs to do some shopping, while Nameless heads to his mage guild and Luna says she will visit and speak to the druids in Carosten Park. Corven remains at the inn and is eventually met by the returning Gareth, who says that he has been at the Cathedral. The pair of them travels up to Clifftop and visit the Esoteric Order of Aureon, where Corven becomes a member. In the process of dealing with all the paperwork (which involves a little background, information about where he stays, finding out how skilled an artificer Corven is, etc), they discover that Nameless is not a member of the Esoteric Order. Both Corven and Gareth are a little surprised and wonder if he is a member of the Guild of Starlight and Shadows. They ask the secretary dealing with Corven's paperwork about the other guild and he speaks fairly disparagingly of it, claiming that it is somewhat lax in allowing in members of loose morals and proudly claiming that the Esoteric Order is much more highly regarded by law enforcement in the city, with its members sometimes helping the city watch.
Once the paperwork is all taken care of, Corven obtains access to one of the laboratories at the guild and spends the next eight hours working on enchanting Gareth's armor. He is aided by Gareth some of the time, who also spends time bathing the armor in holy water and blessing it, in the hope that this will aid in the enhancement process. Gareth also takes time off to visit the Deneith enclave in Dragon Towers and leave a message there asking Lalia to join him for Corven's investiture and the dinner afterwards.
Returning to the inn for dinner, they are met by the others, with Six now sporting two spiked chains again, since he has bought a new masterwork one. He says that he found it at a shop called the Mithral Blade, located in the host of small magic businesses known as the Mystic Market, which surrounds the tower of the Esoteric Order. He mentions that they have some magical weapons there too, which might be worth checking out in the future. Six has also obtained a scroll of make whole, which Gareth uses on the spiked chain broken by Desro, giving Six three weapons.
This night passes peacefully for all, with no untoward dreams.
***
The next day is the festival of Aureon's Crown, dedicated to the Sovereign Host's god of knowledge. Having heard, the previous day, that priests of Aureon and professors from Morgrave University gather at the Great Hall of Aureon in the university to give sermons and lectures on a host of topics, Six makes his way to the University District in Upper Menthis. Once he reaches Upper Menthis, a pair of passing guards caution him to not move about with his chains wrapped around him, as he tends to do, but otherwise he is not bothered. Over the course of the morning, he wanders around, sitting in on a number of different lectures and hearing interesting tidbits about Xen'drik, the origins of the warforged, the Mournland, constructs and intelligence, and other topics that interest him. Six also makes sure to note down names of people who might be useful sources for information on such subjects.
Gareth visits the Guild of Starlight and Shadows, finding it to be the tallest tower (though smaller than the Esoteric Order) in the Deathsgate district, one which is enchanted to perpetually display a night sky set with a myriad stars. Inside, he asks about Nameless and discovers that he is a member of the guild. When the secretary he speaks to asks for his name and if he wishes to leave a message, he simply says that he is "Gareth" and will speak to his companion later. From there he goes to the Esoteric Order, to await Corven.
Corven, meanwhile, has his meeting with Tyrala at the embassy. In her office, he is introduced to Cala Narain, the ranking Cyran ex-military officer in Sharn. Cala is a tall, athletic woman, with brown hair tied back in a ponytail, carrying some small facial scars as part of her military heritage. She has a fair amount of information for Corven, saying that three Cyrans (two men - Drass, Vendig - and one woman - Hestia) have disappeared over the last ten days or so from the High Walls area. Drass was a laborer, Vendig a blacksmith, and Hestia a maid. All were single and young, but don't seem to have anything else in common, though someone told her that he saw Drass and Hestia speaking together at a tavern. She also tells Corven about the poor situation of the Cyrans in High Walls, and mentions that with regard to law and order, unfortunately it is the Guardians of the Gate (the watch branch dedicated to dealing with foreign nationals) who have jurisdiction in High Walls, and their commander Baja Drel has shown little signs that she cares about the Cyrans. Cala has already spoken to Lady Iyanna ir'Talan, head of the Black Arch watch garrison in Lower Tavick's landing. Iyanna is a good, reliable commander, but with her watchmen not having jurisdiction in the area, she cannot do much. Corven sets up a meeting with Cala at The Bitter Draft for the 28th, and learns that he can also contact her at the New Cyre inn, where she lives.
Once their discussion is done, Tyrala (who left to give them time to discuss matters) returns and, after Cala leaves, discusses the investiture procedure with Corven. She also gives him more information about the dinner at the Karrnathi embassy, which will be on the 1st of Sul, three days later. She has arranged an invitation for them, since the Cyran embassy technically gets an invite to such occasions and Corven, once invested, will go as their representative, and can take his companions as an entourage. The individual she is interested in is retired general Dals Nelmo, also known as the Butcher of Eston. Corven recognizes the name from an infamous incident when Dals had three hundred unarmed Cyran troops executed so that there was no possibility that they could threaten his flank. Tyrala says that Dals claims to be stopping to meet the Karrnathi ambassador Syra ir'Tarrn before moving on to Korranberg in Zilargo, where he plans to study at the famous Library. She is frankly skeptical of this claim, especially since Dals was well-known for making heavy use of arcane support in the War and was (she believes) investigating arcane methods of mass destruction during the War. She believes that he is going to the Library to further that research. Whether he directly had something to do with the Day of Mourning or not, he possibly has information about it.
After providing this information, she asks if it would be possible for any of Corven's companions to break into the general's room during the dinner and check on his belongings, warning that the Karrnathi embassy is known to be well-protected. Corven says that it might be possible, but says that he needs to discuss it with his companions. They decide that naturally it will draw attention if Corven were to do this himself and it should be left to someone else. Corven also suggests that it would help if Tyrala could find the group access to stealth-related and also mind-reading magic. Tyrala says she will do what she can, and also mentions that besides everything else, she would simply be interested in learning Corven's opinion about Dals after he interacts with the Karrnathi. Tyrala ends by saying that just in case someone gets caught in a compromising situation, she should be able to smooth it over, but suggests that Corven and his allies do not rely upon this.
Leaving the embassy, Corven goes to the Esoteric Order, where he meets Gareth and then spends some time working on Gareth's armor. Gareth mentions to Corven that he has confirmed that Nameless is a member of the Guild of Starlight and Shadows. While Corven is working on the armor, Gareth travels down to the Grayflood dock area. Catching one of the urchins moving around and offering their skills as a city guide, he asks about Bodo. The boy he speaks to says that he knows who Bodo is but hasn't seen him in a long time. Gareth promises him five gold pieces if he finds information that leads him to Bodo, and the excited boy promises to do whatever he can and to spread the word to all his friends. Begging a copper piece for the time being, he runs off.
When the group reconvenes at the inn, Gareth confronts Nameless about "sneaking off to join the shady guild". Nameless argues that he was not sneaking around and simply didn't think it was worth mentioning. When Gareth argues that he has heard that those of Starlight and Shadows are more prone to evil, Nameless asks if he has any actual proof and says that it is just hearsay. Gareth finally settles for warning Nameless that he should watch where he steps, since it is easy to be seduced through the desire for knowledge and power into doing things one should not. Nameless responds that he'll let Gareth know if someone at the Guild starts killing random innocents, and the argument ends there.
Corven lets the group know about the proposal by Tyrala regarding dinner at the Karrnathi embassy. Gareth immediately refuses to be party to breaking into someone’s room under the guise of a friendly meeting, but when Corven points out that the Butcher of Eston (whom Gareth recognizes by reputation) could have had a hand in the deaths of tens of thousands of people, he grudgingly agrees to let them do whatever they want, as long as he does not have to help. He heads to bed while the others discuss various methods of obtaining the information. The possibility of Luna using her wildshape is mooted, but no final decisions are made.
***
Early the next morning, the Misfits are disturbed at breakfast by a frantic-looking person who rushes into the inn asking for "Gareth Deneith". Once Gareth speaks to him, he tries to drag the paladin out the door, babbling something about his friend being possessed at the Cathedral and needing help before the templars kill him. The group quickly agrees to accompany him, and he hurries them to a waiting skycoach, which heads in the direction of the temple district.
On the way, the man introduces himself as Deemin, a member of the Clifftop Adventurers Guild. He and two friends had been working for the Archierophant and investigating something in the Depths, the parts of Sharn between the area above ground and the Cogs. They had found some items and returned to the Cathedral, where they were waiting for the absent Archierophant to return, when his friend Finch began to speak in a strange tongue (which someone identified as demonic) and violently attacked the people with him, almost killing one. They managed to run out of the room and lock him in. Some of the templars present suggested they kill him, since the Archierophant wasn't there to deal with the problem. When Deemin begged them not to, someone suggested that they find Gareth, since he'd been talking about exorcism and his abilities there.
When they reach Sovereign Towers, the group quickly leaves the coach and hurries to the Cathedral. While everything looks normal on the outside, once they enter and follow Deemin down a side corridor, they soon find themselves at a barred door being guarded by two armed and armored templars, with Golar and another acolyte present. Golar quickly explains that he's the one who suggested that Deemin find Gareth. He also says that Finch was heard screaming and destroying things within the room for a while, but has been silent for a few minutes.
Some of the Misfits cast protective spells, while Six listens at the door but can hear nothing. As one of the templars pulls away the bar, Nameless casts a spell into the room, hoping to slow its inhabitant. The open door reveals a meeting room, now with the table and chairs overturns, all of them broken and showing signs of being hacked with some implement or weapon, with some signs of being burned too. There is nobody visible at the moment. Gareth attempts to detect evil, and very quickly does so, as there is a scream of rage and Finch comes rushing through the door from the side where he was hiding.
Finch turns out to be a well-built half-elf, dressed in plate armor and wielding a greatsword with flames running up and down the blade. His face is distorted with fury, and black blotches cover his face and the other exposed parts of his body. He is now screaming constantly, in what Nameless recognizes as Fiendish, saying, "Kill! Kill you all!"
As he rushes forward, he swings his sword in a powerful arc, slashing Gareth deeply across the torso. Blood flies across the room and the paladin almost collapses*. Corven quickly produces a wand and heals him slightly. Still barely conscious, Gareth calls on one of the recently awoken powers of Kizmet to heal himself, and feels the majority of his wounds close. Meanwhile, the others respond quickly to the threat. Nameless and Luna hammer the possessed figure with a combination of magic missiles and a produce flame, and Six spins his spiked chain around an ankle and brings him down to the ground. Despite having Finch on the ground, the templars both fail to hit him. From the back of the group, Deemin screams, "Please! Don't kill him!"
Rising to his feet and taking more wounds in the process, Finch again wounds Gareth**. By this time, however, Corven has infused Gareth's sword with the merciful quality, which lets it cause nonlethal damage, and Gareth responds to Finch's attack by smiting him. As Finch wobbles, Six bashes him in the head and knocks him unconscious. He is quickly bound and manacled, and then Gareth tries to exorcise him. Using his sword to augment his power, Gareth blasts him with divine energy, causing the unconscious body to convulse as the entity within is burned with sacred power. Another blast leads to weaker convulsions, and the sight of the black splotches fading to gray, and a third one does the trick, as the body collapses.
When Gareth detects evil in the area to check if the entity is gone, he finds a lingering aura (which fades away), but also finds that one of the templars has a faint evil aura. Corven heals the unconscious Finch back to consciousness and then has to explain, with the help of Deemin, to him what has just happened. They are interrupted by the return of the Archierophant. Quickly ascertaining what has happened, she has Finch freed and brought into the room with Deemin, Golar and the Misfits, where she proceeds to find out the details, after healing Finch.
It turns out that the Archierophant had learned of a possible abandoned temple of some deity in the Depths and had hired the three adventurers from the Clifftop guild to investigate. Finding their way to the place after fighting some strange creatures, they discovered it to be an old crypt rather than a temple, and one that had been ransacked by grave robbers. While examining it, part of the ground collapsed, revealing an older Dhakaani crypt below. This one a contained the intact sepulchre of a warlord, along with a number of magical items. The group recovered the items and donned them, with Finch taking the armor and sword.
Ythana tells Finch and Deemin to deposit the items with her, so that she can have them examined, and then turn them over to the appropriate authorities (it being illegal to plunder and sell artifacts belonging to past civilizations, under the Code of Galifar). She also thanks the Blades for their aid. Once Deemin and Finch leave, Gareth tells Ythana that one of the templars is evil. She seems slightly surprised, commenting that most of them are people who have served the Flame and the Cathedral for a long time, but she promises to check on it.
Taking their leave, the Misfits return to the inn and get some rest before Corven's investiture, with Corven and Gareth stopping on the way to pick up some appropriately formal attire from the Bazaar. A few hours later, they travel to the Cyran embassy, stopping to pick up Lalia (who had responded to accept Gareth's invitation) along the way. At the embassy, they are taken to a large room, the walls of which are decorated with the Cyran flag and other pennants, including military banners and those belonging to individual noble houses.
Lord Jairan, Tyrala, the warforged bodyguard Holt, Cala Narain and half a dozen others are present for the ceremony. All except Tyrala, Holt and Cala (who is in military uniform) are in traditional Cyran clothing, with its emphasis on flowing curves and jewelry. Lord Jairan administers the oath as the primary witness, while Tyrala, Cala and an embassy functionary are the other witnesses. At the end of the fifteen minutes that it takes for the ceremony, consisting mainly of the witnesses repeating what Corven and Lord Jairan say, Corven is invested as Lord ir'Lanya and given a broad neckband bearing the symbol of his household. The investiture ends with some toasting and general congratulations.
The group spends the next hour relaxing in a large sitting room, until the non-Cyrans attending the dinner begin to arrive. This consists of only four minor members of the Brelish political corps and an unexpected visitor from the Aundairan embassy. This turns out to be a tall half-elf, who introduces himself as Helais ir'Lantar. He seems quite pleasant, talking to Corven about his investiture and the general situation of Cyrans in the city, to Gareth about Karrnath, and to all the Misfits about their activities in the city. He admits quite frankly that he usually does not attend such minor functions, but was significantly bored with paperwork this evening and with the invitation still being present, decided that he could use the break.
Tyrala confirms, while speaking only to Corven, that Helais does not attend such functions, and seems quite suspicious of his presence. She tells Corven that though Helais is an effective diplomat and a strong supporter of improved relations between the nations after the War, there is just something about him which does not sit right with her. She says that the feeling is always heightened when she sees him with his identical twin Alais. Helais apparently served in the Aundairan diplomatic corps during the War and often visited Breland whenever the two countries were at peace, and when the former ambassador to Sharn died, he was appointed instead.
Over dinner, Lalia asks Gareth what the group has been up to, and what their plans for the immediate future are. He responds with a detailed coverage of their activities, omitting any details about Gurr'khan and the dimensional seal. He also tells her that the group is planning to attack the Daask drug den in a few days. She warns him to be careful in dealing with Daask and asks if they are working for someone, and Gareth tells her that they are, for someone called Killian. Lalia doesn't know him and they move on to other subjects. As usual, she flirts with him lightly, but he remains oblivious.
While the others head back to the inn after the dinner, Corven only joins them long enough to switch to less formal clothes and then leaves for High Walls. Reaching it, he finds that the area is quite decrepit, being full of ramshackle buildings in a state of disrepair. The people on the streets reflect the surroundings, many of them looking haggard and worn, suspicion evident in their eyes. Corven visits a few inns and taverns, trying to get a sense of the area and its inhabitants. He hears a fair amount of complaining about the situation of the Cyrans in Sharn and elsewhere in Breland, learns that there are some problems with crime in the area and that there have been cases of Cyran street gangs beating up non-Cyran visitors, and is told three stories by three drunks which explain what "really" happened on the Day of Mourning.
Late at night, he returns to Underlook and the Happy Harvest inn.
***
The next day, all of the Misfits travel to High Walls, to meet with Cala. They find her at the Bitter Draft, as promised. The tavern is full of Cyrans and Cala introduces the group to one or two, before leading them back into the streets. In turn, they visit the boarding houses where the three missing people had stayed. Cala had arranged for their rooms not to be let out again, so they are in the same state as when it was discovered that they were missing. All the rooms look as one would if the occupant left for work and never returned, with no obvious signs of mischief. Corven, aided by Six, thoroughly searches them.
The search turns up an interesting item in two of the rooms. A hidden panel under a table in Drass' room reveals a folded parchment, bearing simply a date (the 21st), a stylized drawing of a flame, and the word "Zokar". A similar parchment is found concealed at the back of a drawer in Hestia's room, this one differing only in the date (the 19th). Both of the notes have the same handwriting, and when Corven compares them to samples found at the various rooms, he finds that it does not match that of any of the three people.
Gareth and Corven both agree that the flame is not a representation of the Silver Flame. None of them can identify it, but Cala says she thinks she saw it as a tattoo on someone at the tavern sometime ago, but cannot remember anything more specific. When they are discussing the name Zokar, which is not a common Cyran name (nor in any of the others among the Five Nations), Nameless recalls that he has read it before. According to him, he was once reading an old tome, which contained the names of some angels from Syrania, and one such name was Zokar. In keeping with his long-term amnesia, he cannot remember where he saw the book except to say that it was when he was an apprentice mage. Corven and he make plans to research the name at the Guild and the Order.
Seeing that this investigation will take a while, Gareth leaves the group and heads back to Grayflood, to see if any information has been found about Bodo. The others accompany Corven as he speaks to the landlords and landlady of the three people and some of the neighbors. They discover that Hestia was seen about two weeks speaking on the street to Vendig, whose boarding house was next to hers. They also learn that she was a quiet and very devout person, praying to the Sovereign Host and having their icons and symbols hanging on her wall, but apparently took them down some time ago. Corven tries to ascertain if she used to visit any local shrines or temples, but finds that the landlady cannot really say, nor can Cala.
Gareth, meanwhile...
* Took a critical for 42 pts of damage, which took him to exactly 0.
** Random roll to pick a target, between Gareth and the 2 templars. Lands on Gareth again!
Session 9 - Even More Meetings
Back at the inn, the Misfits have dinner and head for bed. A couple hours before dawn, Gareth awakes from a strange dream involving Nameless. Not completely sure how to interpret it, he decides to head to the Cathedral for guidance. The sounds of his departure wake Corven (coincidentally also in the middle of a strange dream) and Nameless. When they ask where he is going, Gareth doesn't respond but hurries out. Though curious, the pair go back to sleep.
Gareth makes his way through the mostly deserted skybridges and towers to the Cathedral, surprising the two drowsy guards outside. He is allowed in and speaks to the acolyte on duty, who absolutely refuses to wake the Archierophant that early, but promises to give her the news that he wishes to speak to her when she awakes. Gareth spends the next couple of hours in prayer, until those living in the Cathedral gradually awake and begin to fill the place. He attends the morning service and is then told that the Archierophant will see him an hour and a half later.
Finally, around 10:30 in the morning, Gareth is brought to the same office where he spoke to her before, to find Ythana Morr awaiting him. As before, she is dressed in full priestly vestments and her full-plate armor. After exchanging greetings, Gareth describes his dream to her in detail and then asks for her opinion about it. Ythana tells him that it does seem like the Flame is speaking directly to him, which is a very rare occurrence, and one that should make him feel blessed. She asks for more information about Nameless, which he provides. After some thought, she says that such dreams and visions are difficult to decipher, and at this point Gareth should simply keep a careful eye on his companion and see what develops. Ythana also asks him to keep her informed of any discoveries, and he promises to do so.
Before Gareth leaves, Ythana also talks to him about his interest in exorcism and promises to give him access to the limited materials that the Cathedral has on the subject. Then she blesses him and he leaves, after obtaining some holy water from the Cathedral.
***
The others, meanwhile, arise from their sleep, and let Luna and Six know about Gareth's departure. While they are at breakfast, Corven receives a messenger from the Cyran embassy with a pair of sealed envelopes for him. The large one has papers with details about the investiture and copies of the oaths that will be made there. Apparently the investiture will take place at noon on the 27th, two days later. The small envelope has a letter from Tyrala and a note. The letter asks Corven to meet her at the embassy on the 26th at 10 am. It also suggests that if he has the time, he should meet with Cala Narain (at the tavern The Bitter Draft) in the High Walls area of Tavick's landing, regarding the disappearances. If he is unable to do so, Cala will be present at the embassy on the 26th, so he can speak to her there.
After breakfast, Six departs to do some shopping, while Nameless heads to his mage guild and Luna says she will visit and speak to the druids in Carosten Park. Corven remains at the inn and is eventually met by the returning Gareth, who says that he has been at the Cathedral. The pair of them travels up to Clifftop and visit the Esoteric Order of Aureon, where Corven becomes a member. In the process of dealing with all the paperwork (which involves a little background, information about where he stays, finding out how skilled an artificer Corven is, etc), they discover that Nameless is not a member of the Esoteric Order. Both Corven and Gareth are a little surprised and wonder if he is a member of the Guild of Starlight and Shadows. They ask the secretary dealing with Corven's paperwork about the other guild and he speaks fairly disparagingly of it, claiming that it is somewhat lax in allowing in members of loose morals and proudly claiming that the Esoteric Order is much more highly regarded by law enforcement in the city, with its members sometimes helping the city watch.
Once the paperwork is all taken care of, Corven obtains access to one of the laboratories at the guild and spends the next eight hours working on enchanting Gareth's armor. He is aided by Gareth some of the time, who also spends time bathing the armor in holy water and blessing it, in the hope that this will aid in the enhancement process. Gareth also takes time off to visit the Deneith enclave in Dragon Towers and leave a message there asking Lalia to join him for Corven's investiture and the dinner afterwards.
Returning to the inn for dinner, they are met by the others, with Six now sporting two spiked chains again, since he has bought a new masterwork one. He says that he found it at a shop called the Mithral Blade, located in the host of small magic businesses known as the Mystic Market, which surrounds the tower of the Esoteric Order. He mentions that they have some magical weapons there too, which might be worth checking out in the future. Six has also obtained a scroll of make whole, which Gareth uses on the spiked chain broken by Desro, giving Six three weapons.
This night passes peacefully for all, with no untoward dreams.
***
The next day is the festival of Aureon's Crown, dedicated to the Sovereign Host's god of knowledge. Having heard, the previous day, that priests of Aureon and professors from Morgrave University gather at the Great Hall of Aureon in the university to give sermons and lectures on a host of topics, Six makes his way to the University District in Upper Menthis. Once he reaches Upper Menthis, a pair of passing guards caution him to not move about with his chains wrapped around him, as he tends to do, but otherwise he is not bothered. Over the course of the morning, he wanders around, sitting in on a number of different lectures and hearing interesting tidbits about Xen'drik, the origins of the warforged, the Mournland, constructs and intelligence, and other topics that interest him. Six also makes sure to note down names of people who might be useful sources for information on such subjects.
Gareth visits the Guild of Starlight and Shadows, finding it to be the tallest tower (though smaller than the Esoteric Order) in the Deathsgate district, one which is enchanted to perpetually display a night sky set with a myriad stars. Inside, he asks about Nameless and discovers that he is a member of the guild. When the secretary he speaks to asks for his name and if he wishes to leave a message, he simply says that he is "Gareth" and will speak to his companion later. From there he goes to the Esoteric Order, to await Corven.
Corven, meanwhile, has his meeting with Tyrala at the embassy. In her office, he is introduced to Cala Narain, the ranking Cyran ex-military officer in Sharn. Cala is a tall, athletic woman, with brown hair tied back in a ponytail, carrying some small facial scars as part of her military heritage. She has a fair amount of information for Corven, saying that three Cyrans (two men - Drass, Vendig - and one woman - Hestia) have disappeared over the last ten days or so from the High Walls area. Drass was a laborer, Vendig a blacksmith, and Hestia a maid. All were single and young, but don't seem to have anything else in common, though someone told her that he saw Drass and Hestia speaking together at a tavern. She also tells Corven about the poor situation of the Cyrans in High Walls, and mentions that with regard to law and order, unfortunately it is the Guardians of the Gate (the watch branch dedicated to dealing with foreign nationals) who have jurisdiction in High Walls, and their commander Baja Drel has shown little signs that she cares about the Cyrans. Cala has already spoken to Lady Iyanna ir'Talan, head of the Black Arch watch garrison in Lower Tavick's landing. Iyanna is a good, reliable commander, but with her watchmen not having jurisdiction in the area, she cannot do much. Corven sets up a meeting with Cala at The Bitter Draft for the 28th, and learns that he can also contact her at the New Cyre inn, where she lives.
Once their discussion is done, Tyrala (who left to give them time to discuss matters) returns and, after Cala leaves, discusses the investiture procedure with Corven. She also gives him more information about the dinner at the Karrnathi embassy, which will be on the 1st of Sul, three days later. She has arranged an invitation for them, since the Cyran embassy technically gets an invite to such occasions and Corven, once invested, will go as their representative, and can take his companions as an entourage. The individual she is interested in is retired general Dals Nelmo, also known as the Butcher of Eston. Corven recognizes the name from an infamous incident when Dals had three hundred unarmed Cyran troops executed so that there was no possibility that they could threaten his flank. Tyrala says that Dals claims to be stopping to meet the Karrnathi ambassador Syra ir'Tarrn before moving on to Korranberg in Zilargo, where he plans to study at the famous Library. She is frankly skeptical of this claim, especially since Dals was well-known for making heavy use of arcane support in the War and was (she believes) investigating arcane methods of mass destruction during the War. She believes that he is going to the Library to further that research. Whether he directly had something to do with the Day of Mourning or not, he possibly has information about it.
After providing this information, she asks if it would be possible for any of Corven's companions to break into the general's room during the dinner and check on his belongings, warning that the Karrnathi embassy is known to be well-protected. Corven says that it might be possible, but says that he needs to discuss it with his companions. They decide that naturally it will draw attention if Corven were to do this himself and it should be left to someone else. Corven also suggests that it would help if Tyrala could find the group access to stealth-related and also mind-reading magic. Tyrala says she will do what she can, and also mentions that besides everything else, she would simply be interested in learning Corven's opinion about Dals after he interacts with the Karrnathi. Tyrala ends by saying that just in case someone gets caught in a compromising situation, she should be able to smooth it over, but suggests that Corven and his allies do not rely upon this.
Leaving the embassy, Corven goes to the Esoteric Order, where he meets Gareth and then spends some time working on Gareth's armor. Gareth mentions to Corven that he has confirmed that Nameless is a member of the Guild of Starlight and Shadows. While Corven is working on the armor, Gareth travels down to the Grayflood dock area. Catching one of the urchins moving around and offering their skills as a city guide, he asks about Bodo. The boy he speaks to says that he knows who Bodo is but hasn't seen him in a long time. Gareth promises him five gold pieces if he finds information that leads him to Bodo, and the excited boy promises to do whatever he can and to spread the word to all his friends. Begging a copper piece for the time being, he runs off.
When the group reconvenes at the inn, Gareth confronts Nameless about "sneaking off to join the shady guild". Nameless argues that he was not sneaking around and simply didn't think it was worth mentioning. When Gareth argues that he has heard that those of Starlight and Shadows are more prone to evil, Nameless asks if he has any actual proof and says that it is just hearsay. Gareth finally settles for warning Nameless that he should watch where he steps, since it is easy to be seduced through the desire for knowledge and power into doing things one should not. Nameless responds that he'll let Gareth know if someone at the Guild starts killing random innocents, and the argument ends there.
Corven lets the group know about the proposal by Tyrala regarding dinner at the Karrnathi embassy. Gareth immediately refuses to be party to breaking into someone’s room under the guise of a friendly meeting, but when Corven points out that the Butcher of Eston (whom Gareth recognizes by reputation) could have had a hand in the deaths of tens of thousands of people, he grudgingly agrees to let them do whatever they want, as long as he does not have to help. He heads to bed while the others discuss various methods of obtaining the information. The possibility of Luna using her wildshape is mooted, but no final decisions are made.
***
Early the next morning, the Misfits are disturbed at breakfast by a frantic-looking person who rushes into the inn asking for "Gareth Deneith". Once Gareth speaks to him, he tries to drag the paladin out the door, babbling something about his friend being possessed at the Cathedral and needing help before the templars kill him. The group quickly agrees to accompany him, and he hurries them to a waiting skycoach, which heads in the direction of the temple district.
On the way, the man introduces himself as Deemin, a member of the Clifftop Adventurers Guild. He and two friends had been working for the Archierophant and investigating something in the Depths, the parts of Sharn between the area above ground and the Cogs. They had found some items and returned to the Cathedral, where they were waiting for the absent Archierophant to return, when his friend Finch began to speak in a strange tongue (which someone identified as demonic) and violently attacked the people with him, almost killing one. They managed to run out of the room and lock him in. Some of the templars present suggested they kill him, since the Archierophant wasn't there to deal with the problem. When Deemin begged them not to, someone suggested that they find Gareth, since he'd been talking about exorcism and his abilities there.
When they reach Sovereign Towers, the group quickly leaves the coach and hurries to the Cathedral. While everything looks normal on the outside, once they enter and follow Deemin down a side corridor, they soon find themselves at a barred door being guarded by two armed and armored templars, with Golar and another acolyte present. Golar quickly explains that he's the one who suggested that Deemin find Gareth. He also says that Finch was heard screaming and destroying things within the room for a while, but has been silent for a few minutes.
Some of the Misfits cast protective spells, while Six listens at the door but can hear nothing. As one of the templars pulls away the bar, Nameless casts a spell into the room, hoping to slow its inhabitant. The open door reveals a meeting room, now with the table and chairs overturns, all of them broken and showing signs of being hacked with some implement or weapon, with some signs of being burned too. There is nobody visible at the moment. Gareth attempts to detect evil, and very quickly does so, as there is a scream of rage and Finch comes rushing through the door from the side where he was hiding.
Finch turns out to be a well-built half-elf, dressed in plate armor and wielding a greatsword with flames running up and down the blade. His face is distorted with fury, and black blotches cover his face and the other exposed parts of his body. He is now screaming constantly, in what Nameless recognizes as Fiendish, saying, "Kill! Kill you all!"
As he rushes forward, he swings his sword in a powerful arc, slashing Gareth deeply across the torso. Blood flies across the room and the paladin almost collapses*. Corven quickly produces a wand and heals him slightly. Still barely conscious, Gareth calls on one of the recently awoken powers of Kizmet to heal himself, and feels the majority of his wounds close. Meanwhile, the others respond quickly to the threat. Nameless and Luna hammer the possessed figure with a combination of magic missiles and a produce flame, and Six spins his spiked chain around an ankle and brings him down to the ground. Despite having Finch on the ground, the templars both fail to hit him. From the back of the group, Deemin screams, "Please! Don't kill him!"
Rising to his feet and taking more wounds in the process, Finch again wounds Gareth**. By this time, however, Corven has infused Gareth's sword with the merciful quality, which lets it cause nonlethal damage, and Gareth responds to Finch's attack by smiting him. As Finch wobbles, Six bashes him in the head and knocks him unconscious. He is quickly bound and manacled, and then Gareth tries to exorcise him. Using his sword to augment his power, Gareth blasts him with divine energy, causing the unconscious body to convulse as the entity within is burned with sacred power. Another blast leads to weaker convulsions, and the sight of the black splotches fading to gray, and a third one does the trick, as the body collapses.
When Gareth detects evil in the area to check if the entity is gone, he finds a lingering aura (which fades away), but also finds that one of the templars has a faint evil aura. Corven heals the unconscious Finch back to consciousness and then has to explain, with the help of Deemin, to him what has just happened. They are interrupted by the return of the Archierophant. Quickly ascertaining what has happened, she has Finch freed and brought into the room with Deemin, Golar and the Misfits, where she proceeds to find out the details, after healing Finch.
It turns out that the Archierophant had learned of a possible abandoned temple of some deity in the Depths and had hired the three adventurers from the Clifftop guild to investigate. Finding their way to the place after fighting some strange creatures, they discovered it to be an old crypt rather than a temple, and one that had been ransacked by grave robbers. While examining it, part of the ground collapsed, revealing an older Dhakaani crypt below. This one a contained the intact sepulchre of a warlord, along with a number of magical items. The group recovered the items and donned them, with Finch taking the armor and sword.
Ythana tells Finch and Deemin to deposit the items with her, so that she can have them examined, and then turn them over to the appropriate authorities (it being illegal to plunder and sell artifacts belonging to past civilizations, under the Code of Galifar). She also thanks the Blades for their aid. Once Deemin and Finch leave, Gareth tells Ythana that one of the templars is evil. She seems slightly surprised, commenting that most of them are people who have served the Flame and the Cathedral for a long time, but she promises to check on it.
Taking their leave, the Misfits return to the inn and get some rest before Corven's investiture, with Corven and Gareth stopping on the way to pick up some appropriately formal attire from the Bazaar. A few hours later, they travel to the Cyran embassy, stopping to pick up Lalia (who had responded to accept Gareth's invitation) along the way. At the embassy, they are taken to a large room, the walls of which are decorated with the Cyran flag and other pennants, including military banners and those belonging to individual noble houses.
Lord Jairan, Tyrala, the warforged bodyguard Holt, Cala Narain and half a dozen others are present for the ceremony. All except Tyrala, Holt and Cala (who is in military uniform) are in traditional Cyran clothing, with its emphasis on flowing curves and jewelry. Lord Jairan administers the oath as the primary witness, while Tyrala, Cala and an embassy functionary are the other witnesses. At the end of the fifteen minutes that it takes for the ceremony, consisting mainly of the witnesses repeating what Corven and Lord Jairan say, Corven is invested as Lord ir'Lanya and given a broad neckband bearing the symbol of his household. The investiture ends with some toasting and general congratulations.
The group spends the next hour relaxing in a large sitting room, until the non-Cyrans attending the dinner begin to arrive. This consists of only four minor members of the Brelish political corps and an unexpected visitor from the Aundairan embassy. This turns out to be a tall half-elf, who introduces himself as Helais ir'Lantar. He seems quite pleasant, talking to Corven about his investiture and the general situation of Cyrans in the city, to Gareth about Karrnath, and to all the Misfits about their activities in the city. He admits quite frankly that he usually does not attend such minor functions, but was significantly bored with paperwork this evening and with the invitation still being present, decided that he could use the break.
Tyrala confirms, while speaking only to Corven, that Helais does not attend such functions, and seems quite suspicious of his presence. She tells Corven that though Helais is an effective diplomat and a strong supporter of improved relations between the nations after the War, there is just something about him which does not sit right with her. She says that the feeling is always heightened when she sees him with his identical twin Alais. Helais apparently served in the Aundairan diplomatic corps during the War and often visited Breland whenever the two countries were at peace, and when the former ambassador to Sharn died, he was appointed instead.
Over dinner, Lalia asks Gareth what the group has been up to, and what their plans for the immediate future are. He responds with a detailed coverage of their activities, omitting any details about Gurr'khan and the dimensional seal. He also tells her that the group is planning to attack the Daask drug den in a few days. She warns him to be careful in dealing with Daask and asks if they are working for someone, and Gareth tells her that they are, for someone called Killian. Lalia doesn't know him and they move on to other subjects. As usual, she flirts with him lightly, but he remains oblivious.
While the others head back to the inn after the dinner, Corven only joins them long enough to switch to less formal clothes and then leaves for High Walls. Reaching it, he finds that the area is quite decrepit, being full of ramshackle buildings in a state of disrepair. The people on the streets reflect the surroundings, many of them looking haggard and worn, suspicion evident in their eyes. Corven visits a few inns and taverns, trying to get a sense of the area and its inhabitants. He hears a fair amount of complaining about the situation of the Cyrans in Sharn and elsewhere in Breland, learns that there are some problems with crime in the area and that there have been cases of Cyran street gangs beating up non-Cyran visitors, and is told three stories by three drunks which explain what "really" happened on the Day of Mourning.
Late at night, he returns to Underlook and the Happy Harvest inn.
***
The next day, all of the Misfits travel to High Walls, to meet with Cala. They find her at the Bitter Draft, as promised. The tavern is full of Cyrans and Cala introduces the group to one or two, before leading them back into the streets. In turn, they visit the boarding houses where the three missing people had stayed. Cala had arranged for their rooms not to be let out again, so they are in the same state as when it was discovered that they were missing. All the rooms look as one would if the occupant left for work and never returned, with no obvious signs of mischief. Corven, aided by Six, thoroughly searches them.
The search turns up an interesting item in two of the rooms. A hidden panel under a table in Drass' room reveals a folded parchment, bearing simply a date (the 21st), a stylized drawing of a flame, and the word "Zokar". A similar parchment is found concealed at the back of a drawer in Hestia's room, this one differing only in the date (the 19th). Both of the notes have the same handwriting, and when Corven compares them to samples found at the various rooms, he finds that it does not match that of any of the three people.
Gareth and Corven both agree that the flame is not a representation of the Silver Flame. None of them can identify it, but Cala says she thinks she saw it as a tattoo on someone at the tavern sometime ago, but cannot remember anything more specific. When they are discussing the name Zokar, which is not a common Cyran name (nor in any of the others among the Five Nations), Nameless recalls that he has read it before. According to him, he was once reading an old tome, which contained the names of some angels from Syrania, and one such name was Zokar. In keeping with his long-term amnesia, he cannot remember where he saw the book except to say that it was when he was an apprentice mage. Corven and he make plans to research the name at the Guild and the Order.
Seeing that this investigation will take a while, Gareth leaves the group and heads back to Grayflood, to see if any information has been found about Bodo. The others accompany Corven as he speaks to the landlords and landlady of the three people and some of the neighbors. They discover that Hestia was seen about two weeks speaking on the street to Vendig, whose boarding house was next to hers. They also learn that she was a quiet and very devout person, praying to the Sovereign Host and having their icons and symbols hanging on her wall, but apparently took them down some time ago. Corven tries to ascertain if she used to visit any local shrines or temples, but finds that the landlady cannot really say, nor can Cala.
Gareth, meanwhile...
* Took a critical for 42 pts of damage, which took him to exactly 0.
** Random roll to pick a target, between Gareth and the 2 templars. Lands on Gareth again!
