(Oh and for a non-spoilery teaser: The campaign ended with a thunderstorm 15 years after the Ritual)
Private developments
Next, we discuss Doctor von Recklinghausen and Andrei and decide that leaving the Doc in Seobriga would be better for the time being. After all, he still got work to do and he seemed not entirely ready yet to reunite with Andrei in Flint. Carlyle seems to understand Recklinghausen's hesitation as Andrei did mess up the Danoran laboratory and is indeed more than a mere human. He's glad that the young man managed to integrate quite well into his Flinter community, using his powers for constructive work, but he's still unsure about Andrei's mental stability.
“To be honest, I'm quite concerned regarding his relationship with Isobel”, he says all of a sudden.
“Why would that be? They're both so sweet and Andrei is all 'gentle giant' whenever he's around her”
“They are still both children, Auryn. Children who only started to develop and understand romantic feelings. It may be fine right now, but do we know how Andrei might react should Isobel eventually reject him?” Carlyle explains, biting his lips at that thought.
“I know where you are coming from, Gabriel. Still, Andrei is not the type of guy who goes on a rampage and hurts the one he loves. He has a kind and naive spirit”
“He has been prone to throwing horses in the past...”
“...at bandits who killed people, I remind you”
“Also, it doesn't need a horse to put Isobel at risk. Even a mere slap from Andrei could end badly for her. He does know rage and he does know how to use force, that's all I'm saying.”
Auryn nods slowly and takes a deep breath in response.
“Fine then. I'll keep an eye on them for signs of trouble. Still I don't think that Andrei will ever misbehave towards Isobel. I've seldom seen someone with that big of a heart and Isobel is the person he holds dearest. Also, I instructed her on how to express her wishes and how to say 'no'. Let's just watch these little birds falling in love, shall we?”
With these words and a disarming smile, she ends this controversy and reminds Carlyle that he still owes her that dance at the Tango bar.
(Looking back to Carlyle's background, it is really understandable that he's concerned for Isobel's safety, even if he doesn't have that close of a relationship to the young Eladrin. Also, deeply caring for Eladrin is a common thread that keeps showing up again and again. Something you can look forward to for adventure 8)
Carlyle turns out to be quite the capable dancer yet again and when Auryn asks him how a man like him wold know so much about dancing, he simply replies that there had always been young Vantryses who needed to learn and polish their societal skills.
We return back to Flint and hand our report to Delft. Then we continue to spend some time with Gene, the mad Godhand and finally get through to him. Unfortunately, he doesn't remember what happened during the last 300 years and doesn't even know why and how Trigenes ( or rather *cough cough*Ashima-Shimtu) would have expanded his lifespan that much. He tells us that he had found texts referring to an ancient, demonic evil being locked away in a hidden crypt and decided to rid the world of it. Being from the “Order of the shining Inquisition”, he felt as if parts of the Clergy had been corrupted from within and were too weak to forsake the use of such a demon. So he entered the Crypta on his own. All he then remembers is that he found Ashima-Shimtu, somehow undid the hook on her mouth and that's it.
Also, he's still quite an ungrateful fanatic who accuses Auryn of being a demoness from the Dreaming who somehow managed to seduce an otherwise sanctified being like a deva. Auryn calls him out on that nonsense and tries to explain that the Demonocracy had been an enemy of both their nations and that he should at least be a tiny bit grateful that we didn't let him rot down there or outright kill him for his hostilities.
(This is a trait that a lot of Clergy members seemed to have in common. Being blindly fanatic to the point that they'd rather call you a whore or demon despite saving their lives and showing kindness and also despite having two highly diplomatic characters. I know they are meant to be an analogue of the renaissance church, but it sometimes felt too much and too frequent to feel like 'real people' and rather seemed like caricatures. For a campaign that's all about ethics, philosophy and opposing beliefs, a lot of the Clergy were just overly antagonistic and portrayed as “obvious bad guys”
I guess this is a symptom of the synergy between our DM's disdain for religious authorities and the way the Clergy is presented in the adventures though )
We agree that we probably shouldn't let Gene run free in Risur as that guy might actually harm random people with his fanaticism. So we decide to schedule a meeting with Cippiano to arrange for an exchange of “prisoners” with Crisillyir.
Next, we send a message to Asrabey to ask about his and Kasvarina's whereabouts. Fortunately, both seem to have gotten away from the Colossus and they are currently residing with the Unseen Court. Asrabey reports that his matriarch's memories are coming back at a very slow rate and that she's remembering her youth and life as a young, married woman. He seems a bit upset about the frequency in which she's talking about her first husband Pillai though.
The next days, we go on with our day-to-day lives. Auryn is busy doing paperwork for her enclave plans and takes Carlyle on several trips to visit some locations in the Cloudwood which she could use for the settlement.
Up next is the wedding of Lord Nathaniel Vantrys and Cecilia Fordren. And of course we offer our help for the preparations of the big event. Ans as both of us still got matters to discuss with Fordren, now that we know his true identity of Gradiax, we ask him for a quick six-eyes talk.
As planned, Carlyle first asks him about the true nature of Cecilia, fearing that she may be a puppet of Fordren. And he's kind of relieved to hear Fordren call her a “beautiful asset” instead. He then boldly explains how he had that genius idea of marrying into the Fordren family to gain a well-known Danoran name and use it to found his empire. Cecilia, he then says, is the person she claims to be: A daughter of one of his family's branches.
“I'm relieved to hear that.” Carlyle replies. “So neither she nor you will mean harm to the Vantrys family.”
“Of course not. The young Lord is one of my most important business partners in Risur. My gate to the country, so to say. A fool would I be to crush that gate.”
“Alright. But know this: To me, Lord Vantrys is like a son. So I will always stand firmly and loyally by his side. At this moment, I am grateful that he finally found a reliable business partner in you. But the moment you betray him, double-cross him or put him in harm's way, you and I will become bitter enemies. And unlike usual humans, I have a lot of time to ensure your downfall.” the last words, Carlyle says with an icy determination.
Fordren smirks at Carlyle's unusually emotional statement. “Understood. Is there anything else you wish to discuss, Mr. Carlyle?”
(Not sure how Gradiax thought about Carlyle's threat that time. He's both full of himself, and from time to time quite aloof, but also a strategist and long-term planner. I'm sure he did his research on Carlyle the moment he knew that Vantrys would be of interest. Usually, he'd dismiss 'Mere mortals', but this mortal managed to subdue his rebellious daughter, and knows his secret so... who knows?)
“Just one more thing: As you probably noticed, Risur is very much not Danor, so exploitation of workers is only successful on the short run. Times are changing and young entrepreneurs like Lord Vantrys and Mr. Sechim are the spearheads of the advancing future. So it might be wise to use them as examples for your own practices.”
This Carlyle says with his usual calm and almost gentle demeanor. Then it is Auryn's turn to speak her mind. She asks Fordren whether his stated regret about the death of Zahir back at the summer court had been his honest feeling or whether this had just been part of his 'Fordren persona'.
“I'm curious why you'd ask that, my dear, but let me make this clear: Eight years ago, I felt a desire, so I placed an order for an Eladrin. Unlike legends say, I do not desire death and destruction for their own sake. I am not a monster. So no, I did not want that boy to die and I regret that he did. I saw what that circumstance did to
you and I did not
enjoy seeing you grieve and in pain.”
Auryn nods slowly and with a certain relief.
“I see. And I believe you. Strange as it may sound, but over the course of the last weeks, I happened to experience facets of you I deemed to be nonexistent before. So maybe... I do understand you... a bit. Therefore, I am willing to make you an offer: To renew the pact we made, despite the fact that the circumstances have changed quite a lot.”
“I agree.” Fordren answers and immediately offers to seal the deal with a good old handshake.
(From Auryn's perspective, she just made one of the biggest deals of her life as her original “pact” included that Fordren would forever forsakte the thought of owning an Eladrin ever again, thus not only ensuring her own safety, but her sisters' as well)
“Now that we got this settled, let me ask you another question: why me?”
“Why you? An interesting question. It wasn't about you specifically, as you probably already guessed, but I heard rumors about a truly rare beauty with both the radiance and the demeanor of a queen.”
“And so you wanted to tame yourself a queen...” Auryn says silently with a stoic but thoughtful bitterness in her voice.
Fordren chooses to not comment, leaving Auryn to her own thoughts.
“Very well then. We will probably never be 'friends', Mr. Fordren, but under certain circumstances we may be allies. We share the same enemy. Also, Mr. Pemberton's forces were of great help for Sawyer, the Covenant and all of Kellandia during the pursuit of the Imperial raiders. For this, I am truly grateful. And I do sincerely hope that he will continue to be a valuable ally in the coming war against the Mad King Vardanis.”
Fordren replies that “this guy Vardanis” seems like a threat to both Kellandia and Macdam, which is why he doesn't see any reason why Pemberton would stop his support. He seems eerily positive about the prospect of being our “ally” and we wonder whether it is just his curiosity or yet another plan that finally comes to fruition.
A few days later, Auryn suddenly invites Carlyle to the famous Chez Fernandez, an exquisite risuri-crisillyiran restaurant.
(Making fusion food before it was cool)
When Carlyle asks her why she'd go through the hassle of reserving a table in such a noble establishment, she tells him bluntly that she had asked him to name one thing he'd always wanted to do but wouldn't because of being inappropriate for his societal rank. As she knew that he wouldn't be able to name such an unfulfilled wish in time, she just took matters into her own hands and asked Lord Vantrys for his favorite restaurant in Flint.
Turns out that she chose wisely as Carlyle seems to enjoy the really good dinner and fine wine. During their stay, Auryn then tells him about the nine traditional vows Eladrin couples make to each other during their wedding ceremony in front of the holy flame of Srasama: First there is the promise of duty and responsibility for each other, their family and their community. Then there is the promise of growth, which means that a couple is growing together in terms of mental, physical and spiritual strength. Then there is the promise of finding the right path together and being a moral compass for each other.
Carlyle smiles at the first three promises in response, saying that these are qualities that they already find in each other and Auryn agrees wholeheartedly. She then goes on to explain the fourth promise, striving for prosperity in both material and spiritual aspects. The fifth promise is centered around the gifts of a relationship: Happiness, content, love, respect and trust.
Auryn then laughs softly as she says that it might sound weird to have someone like her speak about love in an entirely romantic way. Bust, she explains, these vows are actually ancient and carried over from a more peaceful time. Carlyle is a bit astonished as well, but doesn't really mind. Instead he notices that, of course, these qualities would be natural and to be expected in a functional partnership.
Sixth, she goes on, is the vow of protection and preservation. In recent times, the physical representation of this vow had become somewhat the husband's burden, she explains, as Eladrin women are trained to protect themselves and their smaller children. Still she is no usual Eladrin, that much she knows by now.
Seventh, there is the promise of founding a family and of raising their children together to let them become strong and capable members of Eladrin society. For this part, both agree that founding a family might not be the first thing they should be doing right now as there are more pressing needs and both of them still got plenty of time to settle down.
Eighth is the vow of unity where the couple becomes one with each other in terms of mind and soul so they might understand and truly connect with the world and everything beyond.
(I wonder where this one might come up again )
Together, all of these vows form the ninth: to become true companions, friends and lovers.
(all in all, I took heavy inspiration from traditional hindu wedding ceremonies. But where they got seven vows, I thought of using nine to put emphasis on the fact that the number three would be considered holy for Srasaman rites)
Carlyle states that he sees no reason to not make these vows eventually and thanks Auryn for the insight on this part of her culture. She agrees that they still got plenty of time to form such a bond, even if they are already basically living quite a few of these vows.
“But there is something that I do wish to change: I don't want to hold back my feelings towards you anymore. I wish to be close to you, to feel your warmth. And I would be happy if you felt the same way about me.”
With these words, Auryn gently cups Carlyle's chin and places a loving kiss on his mouth. Carlyle seems to enjoy her sudden honesty and replies that he does feel quite the same about her, he just feared losing his precious privacy and alone time and needed time to think about his future.
“I am happy to tell you that I made up my mind. And that you were right about my home: It is indeed way too large for just one person. And it lacks life. So I wanted to ask you if you might wish to move in?”
Auryn is really taken by surprise this time, so it takes her a few seconds to react to what she just heard. She then happily agrees to move in with him and adds that someone might then finally make good use of that old covered piano.
When they take the cab back to Stray River after dinner, Carlyle then hints that he did not specify on a particular date when Auryn might move in, so why not just come over and start living together tonight? Auryn is positively surprised by the sudden invitation, so she spontaneously agrees. He then shows her around in the (really spacious and underused) house, and this time, he includes all the private and hidden rooms as well. He finally leads her to the beautifully decorated bedroom where both spend another night together.