The Aquiline Heart - adventure planning

[RangerWickett]

I'm not asking for help here. I just need a place to type down my thoughts, since I'm not at home to type on my own computer.

Tides of Homeland
The Aquiline Heart
Book 2: The Storm of Four Winds

Teaser: Millenia ago, the two brother wind mages, Longinus and Pilus, grew cruel and too ambitious, and were entombed to prevent them from threatening the world. Now, centuries later, Pilus has escaped fully and is working with the Nau-Herethim Orcs to regain his power. Longinus is freed from his tomb, but his body is trapped in the elemental plane of air, so his spirit has allied with a league of power-hungry mages in hopes of either freeing his body or creating a new one.

Both mages' plans depend upon the apprentice to the current air mage, Vidania, who is on her pilgrimage to awaken her full magical powers. Only her guardians and friends can protect her from their evil plans and stop these two mages from spreading ruin upon the world.

Backstory: Pilus and Longinus were skilled air mages, each a members of one of the two Orders of Elemental Guardians. Even three thousand years ago, the history of the Order was known only in myth and legend.

As the Ragesian Empire grew in power, the brothers founded a magical academy in the relatively uncontested region of the Geidon Spur, along the Otdar Mountains near modern Sindaire. By pledging to provide magical support for the powerful Empire, the brothers were able to mostly avoid the prying eyes of the Inquisitors. This academy, Yen-Ching, created numerous magic items that empowered the Empire's armies.

Around the age of 40, Pilus recklessly transformed himself into a wind ghost, wanting to overcome the bonds of life. Though Pilus succeeded, his brother Longinus refused to do the same. Longinus grew old and become increasingly embroiled in political affairs, while Pilus, enthralled with his command of the powers of life and death, devoted himself to mastering the art of biomancy. When the Ragesian Empire fell, though, they both made the mistake of trying to sieze power. Like the other 6 who attempted to make themselves emperor, the brothers were defeated and punished for their cruelty.

Longinus hid his body in the elemental plane of air, hoping he could escape death by the hands of his enemies long enough to take up his brother's offer to receive a new body. But the portal to the plane of air was discovered by their enemies from Lyceum. When the Lyceum mages attempted to pull Longinus through the gate, a magical mishap occurred, filling the entire area with wild magic. Longinus's spirit was trapped in the land tomb at Yen-Ching, and his body remained sealed away in the plane of air.

Pilus hid among his favorite creation, the Geidon, but he was eventually defeated and trapped in the Storm Tomb, a huge windship that wanders the skies, trying to avoid detection. Only the power of the storm can overcome Pilus's magic, and the ship itself is home to those Geidon that were loyal to Pilus even unto death.

 

[RangerWickett]

Previously, on Tides of Homeland

The captain glared at the odd group of passengers. "You want to sail, then you take my ship. With the funny way these winds have been acting, steam power is the only way you're going anywhere on the sea. If you don't trust it, I hope you don't expect your money back."

Damien muttered under his breath, "."

Sabri glanced at the bizarre metal ship, then back at the captain. "That man is cool."

Weebit shrugged. "Hey, if he was able to capture an Orcish ship, we oughta be safe. Let's get on board."

/

"Fancy spell," Bit complimented, "blowing that bastard overboard and into those blades. You're a druid?"

The shrouded figure, probably a woman, shook her head slightly. "An aeromancer," she said, the veil muffling her voice. "I'm in training, on pilgrimage."

"Why do you wear the veils?" Sabri asked nervously. "Are you blind?"

Damien winked down at Bit. "Maybe she's ugly."

The woman chuckled softly, a hint of regret in her voice. "I, ah, wear it because of the sun. I burn easily."

Sabri, Bit, and Damien exchanged glances, not sure what to make of that.

"Um, well then, I'm Sabri. What's your name?"

"Vidania. And you two?"

"Damien."

"Bit. Well, Weebit Ankylebiter Vallshadow, but . . . Bit works. Oh, yeah, and don't hesitate to ask about Sabri here."

Vidania glanced at Sabri again, her expression hidden. "I had wondered. . . ."

"I'm half-Minotaur," Sabri answered with a friendly smile. "Hey, Vidania, I don't want to impose, but when we stop at that island to repair the ship, the captain wanted us to do some foraging. You willing to come along?"

/

The dark-skinned Kohalesti Elf shook his head. His voice was quiet amid the nightsounds of the island. "Those three navigators haven't returned yet. The last any of us saw of them, they were planning to explore the tidal flats. None of us go there. It isn't safe."

/

With a hideous shriek, the monstrous tree began to uproot itself. Blood streaming down his face, the mad mage cackled, "Rise dark spirits, and destroy them! By the blood of Dragons eternal, we are invincible!"

/

Vidania ducked a swiping branch and finished her spell. With a thunderous blast of wind, the mad mage was knocked backward, into the gaping heart of the tree. Simultaneously, he and the tree began to scream their death cry.

/

"You have saved our people. I shall send my son Aitch with you, to repay our debt and learn of your world."

The young dragonling nodded to his mother, then turned to the party. "I'm going to be coming with you, to see the world and bring back its magic to my home." He twisted his scaled head to stare at the uneasy Vidania. "You know, I'll be on a pilgrimage, like you."

/

McGonagal had left the room with Bit, Damien, and the dragonling Aitch, leaving Sabri and Vidania alone in the study.

"Vidania," Sabri started, cautiously. "You saved our lives on that island, and you know we owe you a lot in thanks. I've just noticed that you seem uncomfortable around Aitch.

Her voice was muffled by the heavy veils, but Sabri could hear a mixture of bitterness and sadness in Vidania's voice. "When I was young, my father, my mother, and I were almost killed by a Dragon. I can still . . . remember seeing stalking toward us, and I was . . .

/ (voiceover: ". . . helpless."

The scaled creatures emerged from the shadows like vapor, surrounding the group. Vidania tensed to cast an evocation, but Damien held her back.

"What do you know of this place," the leader demanded, his pale white eyes aimed at Vidania, "and why are you here?"

Aitch panicked. "We just thought it was an Orc citadel. We didn't know there was a biomancy lab down here!"

"Aitch," Sabri growled, "shut up before you get us killed!"

"We're here to rescue someone," Vidania said resolutely, almost threateningly. "Who the hell are you?"

/

"They called themselves the Tarrasques," Sabri explained. "They just seemed like they were there to pick some things up and go. Didn't want to fight. They were probably the nicest things we met down there."

"You ever heard of them, Cerryto?" Vidania looked to her friend with curiosity.

"Not a clue," the Elvish mage answered. "I'll ask around, do some research."

/

Vidania entered the room, not wearing her veil.

"Oh gods," Sabri sighed, awestruck. "You're gorgeous. What-?"

"Elvish healing . . . doesn't leave scars. The burns were very severe, and I couldn't let my father find out what had happened."

/

"Dammit," Damien muttered under his breath, only to realize a second later that the Elf could hear him. "Look, is there any way we can get the papers we need before next month?"

The Minister sighed, exceedingly slowly, and shookher head once, slowly. "I'm sorry, but . . . well, yes, I can understand your . . . 'urgency,' . . . after all, many people want to visit Conscean Phuurst, but you must understand, it's a magical site, very sensitive, and this month just is too occupied for me to really get a sense for whether it's safe to let you go. I'll be too busy this entire month training with my Bahly team."

/

In the center of the Bahly field, Bit cast entangle, then tossed the ball up to Vidania as she flew past overhead. He doubted the other team would be able to move very well in this overgrowth. Vidania caught the ball with a smile and streaked off toward the goal.

/

Sabri scoffed, shaking her head. "I can't believe they thought we'd be a danger to some silly little grove."

/

The avalanche crashed toward them. Everyone began to shout at once and run toward the cave, barely making it in time.

/

The ice witch's voice echoed in her cave while the avalanche still grumbled outside. "I do not know who is trying to control the spirit atop the mountain, but it must be someone at the grove. Only they could know what is the real power of the song of the mountain."

Vidania leaned forward. "Which is?"

The ice witch nodded her head toward the flow of snow that blocked the cave's mouth. "If whoever is behind this manages to free the song from the mountain, he could use it to wreak terrible destruction."

/

The crown of the mountain began to crumble around them, sending stones crashing down and snow flying into the air. Damien grabbed a fallen giant shield and kicked it onto the ground in front of him like a sled, then kicked down the mountainside, speeding after the fleeing mage. He had to make sure the bastard couldn't get to safety long enough to finish his spell. The mountain spirit was free, and now it was the only chance they had to stop the avalanche from destroying the grove and the village, and killing every one of them.

Damien leaned low into his snowboard and angled after the fleeing shape in the distance.

/

Aitch twisted and scratched his back. He waved for Sabri and Bit to come over, his grimace revealing a mouthful of sharp teeth.

Bit glared at the dragonling, who appeared to be trying to stretch his back. "What's your problem now, lizard?"

Before Aitch could say anything, Sabri pointed at the skin on Aitch's back and squealed a noise that should not have come from a woman her size. There appeared to be bones shifting under the skin, trying to get out. "What's that?!"

With the sound of snapping leather, the skin on Aitch's back opened, and two crumpled limbs emerged. While Bit, Sabri, and the rest of the caravan looked on in revulsion, Aitch twisted and stetched his new wings, shaking off the fluid that covered them. He gave them a few experimental flaps, opened his mouth in a smile, and said, "Hm. That's new. I like."

/

Simba's interpreter laughed at what the panther had said, then translated it to the party. "Master Simba wants to know if Vidania has anything to do with the hurricane out there."

Of the group, Bit was the first to overcome his confusion and reply. "The what?"

Simba mewed and growled a bit, and his interpreter nodded patronizingly. "Of course I'll tell them, but I can't believe they didn't notice. There's been a hurricane hovering a few miles out to sea for the past week. Hasn't moved. Master Simba knows Lady Vidania is an air mage, and was wondering if she might know what's going on."

Vidania shook her head. "Er . . . no. Actually that's kind of scary. Why haven't you all left yet?"

The interpreter shrugged. "Oh, it's no worry. Storms hit Seaquen quite often. It's our lot in life."

/

The rain made it hard to find the meeting place, but they knew they were getting closer. Simba had given them the directions quite clearly, and Vidania had warned them that Mr. Rocquet wouldn't tolerate them being late even if there was a mild hurricane in the way.

"Oh, good, I think that's him." Vidania pointed toward a man leaning against one of the snuffed street lamps.

"He looks hurt," Aitch said. "I'm gonna fly over and take a look."

/

The interpreter closed the door to James's study and faced the party. "Master Rocquet is doing fine, though he's having trouble coping with not being able to talk."

"What caused it?" Vidania asked.

"The Breathstealer Dagger. Twenty years ago, an assassin used it to hold the government of Seaquen at ransom. He was caught and arrested, but the dagger was never found."

/

The visibility was poor in the flooded prison, and they tried not to look into the cells, where drowned bodies floated, recently dead. Then, ahead of them, they saw movement. Someone was still alive down here, somehow. Speeding like a torpedo with her flight spell, Vidania led the way.

/

I'd do more, but it's late.

 

[RangerWickett]

The Giant Landsquid
Gargantuan Animal
HD: 36d8+108 (270 hp)
Init: -2
Speed: 30 ft., Fly 30 ft. (clumsy)
AC: 19 (-4 size, -2 Dex, +15 natural)
Attacks: 4 tentacle rakes +35 melee
Damage: 1d8+12
Space/Reach: 30 ft. x 30 ft./20 ft.
Special Attacks: Improved Grab, constrict 1d8+12, ink stun
Special Qualities: None
Saves: Fort +23, Ref +10, Will +13
Abilities: Str 34, Dex 7, Con 16, Int 1, Wis 12, Cha 2
Challenge Rating:

Improved Grab and Constrict: As Giant Squid.

Ink Stun (Ex): Once per minute, the Giant Landsquid can rear up and fire a powerful squirt of viscous black fluid, a variant of normal squid ink. This is a 5-ft. wide line, out to 60 ft., and can be dodged with a successful Reflex save (DC 26). Creatures struck take 3d8 damage and must make a Strength check (DC 38) or be knocked back as if by a failed bull rush. The ink is somewhat sticky, and though it does not restrict movement like a web, it can weigh a creature down. One blast of ink leaves a residue weighing about 40 lbs. for a medium-size creature (10 lbs. for a small creature).

Flight (Ex): Using its natural jetting ability, the landsquid can fly slowly, allowing it to maneuver around obstacles and evade more land-bound predators.

 

[RangerWickett]

Winds of Change Timeline
Beginning date: July 10th, 960.

July 10. Sabri meets Weebit and Damien, and they board the Dragonbreath from Lyceum to Sunra.
July 11. Attack by pirates, led by merfolk captain. Meet Vidania. Ship is damaged and heads to nearest island for repairs. Party with Kohalesti natives.
July 12. Phelan, Kevin, and Ulrich are missing, so the party goes to look for them.
July 13. Thwart badguys’ plan and have captain agree to bring Aitch along. Leave the island.
July 14. Head to Sunra, getting on the good side of Alan McGonagal. They reach the city, stay at his place, and get arrested in the night.
July 15. Before they’re put into the old prison, they thwart a prison break and convince guards to let them go in and clear McGonagal’s name.
July 16. Leave the tomb.
July 16-22. Spend a week resting and learning with . . . guy. Arthur’s friend whom they end up disliking.
July 23-25. Travel to Vaneljesti.
July 26. Meet Cerryto, talk to the slow lady from the ministry of ley locus sites. Shop.
July 28. Play and beat the other team in Bahly, even though Damien is pretty sure they have convincing forged documents.
July 29-August 1. Travel to Conscean Phuurst.
August 1-4. Events at Conscean Phuurst.
August 5-9. Travel to Seaquen. Fight swamp things on the 9th.
August 10. Reach Seaquen.
August 11. Meet James and do preliminary research.
August 12. Enter the flooded prison, go to the Earthworm Gym.
August 13. Power up! Save the day from a hurricane.
August 25. Leave to go on the Nadesico to Sindaire.
August 27. Arrive in Turinn. Attend ball.
August 28. Go to the aviary. Figure out something odd’s up.
August 29. Flee aviary, go rescue the Nadesico.
August 30. Can’t get back to the embassy, so they buy opalite.
August 31. Meet Hraethelgeu, leave Turinn.
September 1-13. Travel to Magdhat and the Geidon Spur.
September 15. Sakka dies in his sleep, as do a bunch of other Goblins.
September 16. Meet Tarrasques in old Kazet.
September 18. Tarrasques sneak into the tomb, Vidania becomes unresponsive.

Current point in the game. Guestimated timeline:
September 19. Teleport to Awenasa. Prologue of Broken Blood. It is the second night of the murders.
September 20. Undead hunter arrives, suspicions and dreams. Fight Huao.
September 21, morning. Undead hunter 'arrests' Sabri.
September 21, evening. During blessing ceremony at glass factory, Haben is led in, and there's a big fight.
October 6. If the PCs walk, it will take until today to reach Awenasa.

 

[RangerWickett]

Broken Blood

Key Characters.

• Xenofahn, elder and shaman. Minotaur Berserker 1/Mage 4. Carries a staff, don't hear too well.
• Gaurav Zeldathane, warrior and teacher. Minotaur Berserker 6. However, he refuses to get into fights now, because he's afraid of hurting someone like his children were harmed.
• Haben Zeldathane, brain-damaged. Minotaur Mage 2. Prone to breaking pots and vases.
• Boromen, Haben's old teacher, head arcane mage in Awenasa. Minotaur Fighter 1/Mage 8. He lost his right eye in battle.
• Kowaru Shin, vampire. Vampiric Innenlesti Elvish foe. CR 16.
• Hikanshethrin, undead hunter. Innenlesti Elvish Ranger 10.
• Huao, Tarrasque adventurer. Tarrasque Rogue 16.
• Laerapika, undead-hunting henchman. Innenlesti Elvish Mage 4.
• Renfeld, go-for for Kowaru. Human Rogue 3.

Key Plot Points.

• Anyone who tries to fly takes 1 point of damage per round. Make sure people know they need to tell me when they're flying.
• Write up full dreams for all the PCs except Sabri, and remember that any non-Tarrasque within 10 miles of a Tarrasque will have the same dream if they are away from their homeland.
• Don't be afraid to give clues about what's going on. Pay close attention to reflections, and don't pull punches. The Orcs will arrive on the 22nd.
• Vidania tries to communicate to them in mirrors, but they can only see her lips move, and cannot hear her. Xenofahn can 'translate,' however.
• The dreams should indicate slowly that the Trillith are meddling with the natural order of things, working with Pilus and Longinus to revive Trilla, at the expense of the Flameset Dragon.
• Winds are messed up, and people can't travel by ship, nor can the wind ghost fly.
• Kalil ruffles Damien's hair, thinking it's cute-looking, and black feathers come out.

Magic Item, Seela Wand of Naturalize. This wand, which can be activated three times per day, requires a ranged touch attack to hit a target, with a range of 150 ft. Non-biomanced creatures are completely unaffected. Biomanced creatures take 3d6 points of damage, and must make a Fortitude save (DC 18) or have one of their biomantic alterations negated.

Names of Importance

• Awenasa. Minotaur village.
• Ivayginerva. Innenlesti village near Awenasa. The two villages have been at peace for about 200 years, and have had yearly festivals for the past 100 years, but in the few thousand years before that, the Elves and Minotaurs were often at odds.
• Sianno. The previous owner of the Bokonen that Sabri left in Kazet.
• Sabri. The first holy warrior of the village.

GM Goals for this Adventure:
I want the PCs to get the Amber Vessel. They should be intrigued by why their flight ability is harming them, and should have an idea that they'll need to do research to fix this. Also, they should know that the Amber Vessel possesses great air magical powers, and is somehow connected with the dead wizard Pilus. I want them to go to either Lyceum or Aeriechellaak to do research, which will result in them thinking that opening the Amber Vessel is a good idea. I want it to be clear that Pilus is working with the Nau-Hereth, and that he's responsible for this strange wind, and that he wants Vidania for some reason. Okay, so I need Huao to fight off Kowaru when she tries to go for Vidania. How's that going to work?

I need to make them want to find out about the amber vessel. Make it an enigma, so they think they have to use it to save the day. Remember, the main plot is that Longinus and Pilus are trying to recover Long's body, then sacrifice Vidania so they can both have their powers back.

Point-by-Point Plotline

• Prologue:One Minotaur from Kazet was out in the moutains, looking for rare plants for a magic potion he wanted to create. He had a strange dream too, and he also experienced a sudden fatigue and sleepiness. Before the PCs leave, Esca brings the Minotaur to talk to them, while they're attending to Vidania. The Minotaur tells them what he knows, then leaves the potion he made in Vidania's hands, wishing them luck.
• The PCs are visited by Scott and Tanadra. Scott mentions that they'll be teleporting to Lyceum later today, and that he hopes he meets them again. He gives a parting kiss to Hra', saying he was glad to nearly give his life to protect a lady. Tanadra offers a small spell to put Vidania into a mild stasis, which will keep her from having to be fed or cleaned as often. He'll enchant a small necklace and put it on her; to end the spell, just take off the necklace.
• The PCs can spend the night figuring out what they need to do, and reading the material about Longinus and Pilus. Late in the evening, a group comes by, including the family of Matus, Esca, and Myrmidion, wanting to hear the whole story. If they paint Matus in a favorable light, the next morning they'll receive some gifts.
• Act One: This is a bit of sad homecoming. Have a map of the village for them to know where things are. Likely Sabri will go home first, but Kaiya has brought Haben with her to the caravan that is on the eastern edge of the village. They can talk to her and find out that Gaurav is away at the mirror factory by the waterfall, about 6 miles away. The caravan is a rare one, selling magical goods like potions and scrolls, and Kaiya went there hoping that maybe there might be something to help Haben. Boromen is there too, with a student named Devon. Bitter against Sabri and Gaurav, whom he both blames for Haben's injury, Boromen walks across the caravan to tell Sabri that she doesn't belong here. It looks like she's found a group of even greater freaks to hide among, so she should stick with them and try not to ruin any more lives.
• Caravan. Eighteen wagons, 30 Elves, 12 humans, one vampire in a coffin. Four supply wagons, three guard wagons (12 humans are guards), two wagons of trained animals (birds and serpents) whose owner also sells poison antidotes, four wagons of various charms and one-use items like potions and scrolls, a lavish wagon that belongs to a powerful enchanter who sells his services with love potions and does performances, one wagon that sells merely finely-made Elvish goods and clothes, another wagon that sells incidentals for small villages, and one wine wagon. One wagon apparently has just magic dirt, and is with the group out of courtesy, not as a merchant.
  
  Gather Information DC 30 locates an elderly Minotaur who was once treated kindly by the old owner of the mirror factory, and recalls the man had a fascination with magical glass. The Minotaurs are just too polite to really talk about themselves unless the PCs try really hard.
• Temple. One of the lesser priests just received a warning sending from some priestess named Esca that: "From Esca, priestess of the Nameless in distant Kazet. Sabri from Awenasa visited us, will see you soon. Several hundred Orc soldiers attacking Minotaur villages." The priest replied that he wants more information, and hopes to receive another sending tomorrow. Apparently it took Esca a while to realize Xenofahn was deaf. The old shaman wants to talk with Sabri, but first needs to call a council to discuss what to do, and talk to Gaurav about defending the village. The temple has records, but aside from mentioning that they received the amber vessel, it's location is not known.
  
  Xenofahn wants Sabri to visit the temple tonight, to tell him about her travels, and so he can tell her what's happened with her family. He's also a little worried, because last night three of the elders of the village were murdered in their sleep, throats slit. All three were too senile to still serve on the council, but he's worried someone might be trying to disrupt the village's law.
  
  There was an older temple, from before the peace with the Elves, but it was mostly burned down and built over. Right now an artificial hill, the caravan hill, covers it. Just a red herring.
• Old Temple. Requires an Intelligence check (DC 20, takes an hour) to find the material that details where the entrance to the old temple is, and then another three hours of digging to find the entrance.
• Town in General. 700 people, plus a few hundred more in low-lying farms scattered away over a 20 mile area. No tavern, and no guest places. Lots of shrines to different spirits, and many outside every house.
• Mirror Factory. Built across a waterfall that powers very old machines, the factory must be thousands of years old, but it has withstood the test of time enough to be worth renovating. Its windows are broken, doors rotted away and roof falling in, but the machinery is intact enough to figure out how it works, and the foundation is sturdy. Unfortunately, it's out of the way, so Gaurav and ten experienced guards from the village are there to protect those in charge of actually fixing the place. In two days, the place will be blessed, and proper renovations can begin. Right now people are just looking at what they need to do, and figuring out who's going to pay for it.
  
  Gaurav is casual, but uncomfortable around Sabri, and even more uncomfortable around her friends.
• First afternoon. If they later return to the caravan, they'll meet Hikanshethrin and his henchman. They're obviously experienced fighters, and they indiscreetly check every wagon one by one. When they reach the wagon of magic dirt, Renfeld tries to bolt, and rides off in his wagon, trying to maneuver to the clear open roads, a mile away. The wagon bolts away at a speed of 160 ft., or about 16 miles per hour. If they capture him, he'll claim he was just supposed to be a decoy, and that his mistress is hiding somewhere he'll never see her. If Hikanshethrin gets to Renfeld first, he'll kill him if he doesn't talk right away, then have his henchman Laerapika cast speak with dead to drag the answer out of him. Hikanshethrin will plan to leave the next morning with the caravan, and spends this evening with Boromen, and old associate of his.
• Act Two:First evening. Anyone who's out might notice a figure sliding between the shadows of different buildings, the vampiress Kowaru, who will only kill two tonight before the sleepiness sets in. Everyone who's a foreigner to the area falls asleep, and has dreams. Will save (DC 18) to resist every minute, and the urge lasts 5 minutes. You have to fail two saves to fall asleep.
  
  Kowaru is out trying to find a new henchman, and she tries to seduce Damien. In the process, she learns about Vidania, and use either Damien or another random Minotaur henchman to steal Vidania's body in the night. Unfortunately, Kowaru falls prey to the sleep around midnight, and a few people early the next morning spot a woman running through the streets, heading toward the woods, covering herself with her robes.
  
  After everyone's asleep, Huao confronts Sabri in the temple, and demands she turn over the amber vessel, or else Vidania will die. This is not a threat, merely the knowledge of Foresight, and her knowledge of what her employers demand. Both possess strong air magic, and right now, the woman is far more accessible. "You made it possible for the storm to be unleashed, and you killed my friends. Do you want to let the destruction of this village, and many other cities destroyed by the storm, rest on your shoulders?"
• Next morning. Scared less, the caravan leaves, but Hikanshethrin and Laerapika stay, believing wrongly that the dream has something to do with the vampiress. With Boromen's urging, he'll look toward blaming Sabri. Early in the morning, when everyone's still recovering, just after they notice Vidania's missing, he'll show up and start snooping. Convinced that Sabri can't be trusted, he'll make an appointment with her to pleasantly discuss things later, at Boromen's place.
• Random encounter. Scouting the area around the mirror factory, a random encounter with a giant landsquid. First let the PCs explore the place a little to see how nifty it is, then just as they start to get interested in the secrets of the place (a doorway with a riddle in anagrammed Innenlesti), the landsquid attacks. Gaurav gets angry at Sabri if she goes into rage, or just angry at himself for not being able to fight, and they argue. Gaurav tells her to get away from him, and hopefully she'll leave and leave the other PCs to look for other clues.
• Attempts to find Vidania? Tracks are rather pointless, and a spell won't show where Vidania is (the magic of the amber vessel masks her), but might show where Kowaru's thrall is. Need another red herring. Make Boromen seem to be a bad guy. Boromen lures Sabri to his place with an illusion of her mother, and then he and Hikanshethrin trap her in a binding circle in a pit in the basement.

Good luck, me.