The Secret Scion

[Isida Kep'Tukari]

Aftermath of Arden's Fall

"That is very brave of you Opal, thank you. It seems that Arden and his group are trying to take over heirs of powerful families, destroying the minds within the bodies and taking their place. My guess is that they would then kill the parents and inherit the power, using it to further their own evil agenda."

"Opal, that would help, and perhaps get the guards off of us as well," Mel says. "I am glad you understand, and I am glad you are safe as well."

"I think... we better get to my house now, before my mother hears all kinds of wild rumors and thinks you're all crazy," Opal says after a minute. Febratari looks at Opal and smiles, Tuharath and Sebekmelk adding their own friendly nods. "Then I think we must go our own way. My sister knows how to contact us, she did so before, if you need our advice. We will work against the Illuminated Minds from our own end. But I implore you, whatever actions you take to protect yourselves now, your best protection is to get out of the city as soon as you're able. Distance will be able to protect you those you're thwarted, at least from their immediate vengence."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Something Tasty Grilled Up at the Drunk Duck

At the mention of the Lost Continent, Tondrek perks up and looks at the pretty lady. "Been there? Me go soon, hope! 'Forgey forges come from there, and I wanna know how. Me and some other friends. They really interested. Find fun giant magic! You see any? Transmorgifications or elemental re-binding of souls to animate objects, maybe? Ooh, ooh, or maybe undeadmifcation of eternal guardians?"

Querzana thinks a moment on that, her lips moving as she attempts to translate Tondrek's words into something approximating those used in normal speech. After a minute she seems to have a workable translation and appropriate answer.

"Yes, I saw giant magic, a bit more than I wanted. I was running with some drow, they adopted me, as a matter of fact. I became a giant hunter with them... Well, the giants of old may have been a bunch sophisticated magicians, but those that are there now are a bunch of murderous brutes. But I did see some old giant magic. We were at an old set of ruins, hunting for elven artifacts, when we came on an old secret door. It was to a sacrificial chamber, one used for very secret rituals. I've seen those chambers before, and most of them are in the bloody town square! But this was a little one set underground and hidden.

"Anyways, the drow said this was one used by the elves, when they were slaves, to sacrifice animals to the gods. Turns out it was an elaborate giant trap. Some nasty giant grub-thing had been making its home down there and objected to our presence. We killed it, but Tefath got hurt and his blood got on the alter by accident. He was cursed, some spell in it blasted his mind into nothing. It was the price for tampering with giant relgious goods..." Querzana is quiet for another few heartbeats, then shakes off her meloncholy and continues on.

"I did see a warforged down there, but it was a might odd looking one. It was... primitive I guess is the best name for it. Very raw-edged, unrefined. I only saw it from a distance, I was hurt at the time so I hid and waited for it to go away. It just marched straight through the jungle like it was on a path I couldn't see. I was going to go back and track it later, but the jungle grows so cursed fast the path was gone by the time I returned."

 

[Rystil Arden]

"Distance does seem prudent," Rayni agrees, "How appropriate--I just did some research for Tondrek, and it looks like we've got a major lead in Xen'drik. In any case, Mel, let's all drop off Opal first so we can make sure we're on the right side of the law and to ensure her safety, and then we won't have to worry about disguising on the way to Layferi."

 

[Bront]

Aftermath of Arden's Fall
Mel gently wakes up Bail, "Come on Bail, we're heading to Opal's house."

 

[Someone]

"That sounds really like a fun vacation" comments Harolk. "Sharn has also it´s pretty things," he continues, looking at Querzana, "but it´s becoming boring quickly. Those ruins, on the other hand, must be real fun by the way you describe them. Let´s go now."

"Oh wait, we still have to go to that Thuranni thing. I almost forgot I have to find out what happened with my cousinn."

 

[D20Dazza]

Aftermath of Arden Fall.

Bail quickly pulls himself together after his quick nap, gathers his gear and presents himself ready for the journey to Opal's.

 

[Ferrix]

Aftermath of the Fall of Arden Fair

Shenystari takes both hands of Febratari, something passes between them as if they were family although you believe this is the first they have ever met.

"Let us make our way to your family then Opal, it is undue to worry our closest relatives."

With a resigning look back at Febratari, she leads the others with Opal to her home.

 

[Erekose13]

"Wow you saw one of these primitive forged Tondrek's been going on about? I must say buddy I wasn't sure you'd actually find anything like that there. Giant magic, drow, ancient warforged. I thought it was a fun little adventure we were heading for, this sounds fantastic. Querzana, how'd you get signed up for an adventure like that? Was the trip to Stormreach expensive?" asks Hxaptos.

 

[stonegod]

Something Tasty Grilled Up at the Drunk Duck

Tondrek almost jumps up and down in his seat at the Pokey Lady's and Silent Lumpy Man's mention of the primitive warforged. His hands become all excited, twitching and pulling at the air, his mouth muttering a chain of incomprehensible sentences involving "articulated ancient animation schema" and "potential adaptation for humanoid refinement" and such. As the others look at him, he just grins widely and declares, "I wanna go Xen'drik! Go Xen'drik now like!" He then seems to remember something, and look sheepishly at Big Swords Man. "After magic swordfest, k?"

 

[Erekose13]

"Yes after Harolk's thing. But we did want to see ships right?" replies Hxaptos ready to head out and take a look around.

 

[Isida Kep'Tukari]

Aftermath of Arden's Fall

Febratari smiles at the little group and returns a squeeze to Shenystari's hands. Then her and the two men leave the little group alone. Following the still-shaken Opal along a different route, they arrive in the garden of another large and elegant home that's scarcely a stone's throw away. Pushing open the front door, Opal leads the group past marble-floored halls, mirrored studios, and into a sitting room paneled in golden-violet wood, carpeted in something woven to look like a garden full of flowers, and filled with carved furniture of obvious quality and some taste. An older woman, hair going to gray, but her face still mostly unlined, sits with her back to the door, drinking tea and looking out the windows at a small but colorful garden.

"Mother..." Opal gets out, before bursting into tears. The woman hurries over to her daughter, tugging her over to a couch and setting her down, hugging her and letting her cry onto her silk-clad shoulder. After a few minutes, Opal finally sits back, and wipes her tears with a handkerchief. The woman rings for a servant, and cold juice is brought for Opal and the rest of you. She waves for you to seat yourselves as Opal begins to talk.

She talks about her philosophy classes, her meetings with the Illuminated Minds, her infatuation with Arden Fair, and how Shenystari had been helping her with her studies. Tearfully she recounts the events of this afternoon's meeting, telling how Arden picked her for a demonstration, then tried to get something to possess her body. "They saved me, Shenystari and her friends. They stopped Arden before he could finish, and then they took me away from there. I guess I fainted after they knocked out Arden, and a riot broke out. They were just trying to help me, and I know all kinds of wild rumors will be going around. I wanted to tell you what happened before you heard something awful,” she finishes, waving at Shenystari, Rayni, Mel, and Bail.

Shenystari had met Lady Ir’Daga in passing, so she wasn’t entirely a stranger, but right now the Lady looked as if she wanted answers and wanted them now. “Shenystari, what exactly happened to make you think Opal was in danger from Arden?” she asked, her voice cool but tightly controlled. Opal clutches her mother’s hand in an attempt to comfort.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

At the Drunk Duck

"Wow you saw one of these primitive forged Tondrek's been going on about? I must say buddy I wasn't sure you'd actually find anything like that there. Giant magic, drow, ancient warforged. I thought it was a fun little adventure we were heading for, this sounds fantastic. Querzana, how'd you get signed up for an adventure like that? Was the trip to Stormreach expensive?" asks Hxaptos.

“Well, I was with a group out of Morgrave University. They wanted us to bring back some giant artifacts, and I’m a sucker for an adventure. I was a student there at the time, just picking up some useful information in between my fencing lessons, and that was something I couldn’t resist.

“The trip itself was somewhat expensive, nearly a hundred, and it took us a half-month to get there. Course, you can go cheaper and get there in a month, or spring for a wind galleon, Lyrandar ship, or airship and get there in about a week, if you want to pay anywhere from five hundred to fifteen hundred gold. Expensive, but safer and more comfortable. Some of the dedicated teams out of Morgrave can get the university to spring for that, but they’re going after things that can turn you to goo if you aren’t careful. And the university took care of our letter of marque too, which was a plus; those bloody things are expensive. Necessary, but expensive. Some poor sods tried to sell their stuff from the ruins without one back here in Sharn and had to hand over everything and pay fines to boot! But getting there’s half the fun, eh?” she says with a bright laugh.

The group can continue to chat as they finish their meal and take a stroll down the dock to take a look at the various ships. There are several merchant ships docked, being loaded or unloaded with cargo. Some is being loaded into wagons, others onto platforms that are hoisted by magical cables to the Stores district far above. Other ships are a bit less ordinary, some bearing the elegant lines of a House Lyrander ship, some soarwood vessels scarcely skimming the surface of the water, even at rest. A couple of the rare elemental galleons, with their airy rings of captive elementals, are berthed in separate areas, giving the magnificent ships plenty of their own space. Far above you can just make out the airship docking tower, with one pulling into dock as you watch.

Hxaptos does notice [sblock]something a little odd as his group is walking. Tondrek might have noticed it too, if he hadn’t been extremely busy commenting on “elemental binding apparatuses” and “potential for fire-propelled vessels” or plying Querzana about the warforged she saw in Xen’drik. A halfling and half-elf in scuffed leather armor, knives in their belts, with shifty eyes wouldn’t normally garner any attention down here. Except you know these two. It’s Harven and Felis, the two bodyguards you hired for your trips down to Fallen last month. They’re following you, you’re sure of it. Hadn’t they been at the Drunk Duck? Weren’t they at at least three of the docks you had been strolling on? Didn’t you see one of them eye you with a third eye from somewhere within his cloak? [/sblock]