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Strulduk met the group in the manor and, upon request, took the group to his office for a more private conversation. When asked, he did present the proof of ownership for the chalice. Fix, with the aid of Kadath and Evangeline, investigated the document and concluded that it appeared the most authentic. Seeing that the party was not satisfied with the security of the manor, Strulduk offered to show them the chalice.
He led them to a secret door, signaling the guards, and opened up the wall to a staircase. Kadath took note of the various traps that were disabled as they went: magic on the stairs, mechanical on the door, and magic on the pedestals in the vault. Strulduk disabled the magic specifically protecting the chalice so Fix could take measurements and Evangeline made a copy. He listened intently as the group discussed their plan to fool Gaera with the copied version. Before they exited the vault Evangeline gave Strulduk a sneak peak at the painting that was going to be auctioned, and as the group left, Strulduk reset all the traps. Strulduk directed the group to the Marble Table for drinks and rooms for the evening. The group followed his directions and visited some of the grand buildings and bridges of marble. They also stopped by the Queen’s castle to see its ornate beauty. As they were settling in for the evening, Fix felt the familiar scrying that was not able to connect. Kadath searched the hall, using his sight to look into the rooms, and found one who was cleaning up a magic circle. The man was confronted in his room by the group. He gave his name as Kallad Talluic, and that he traveled alone. Though he never admitted who his employer was, the group believed that Gaera is the prime suspect. In the morning they were then able to teleport back to Qi, where they decided to confront Gaera and give her the fake chalice. With Davakri giving his confirmation, Gaera stated that the favor was completed. Fix informed her she was no longer welcome at the Trentson residence and she left. Once she was on her way, Evangeline refashioned her pocket, knowing this would make the fake chalice disappear.
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As the evening passes, Fix takes some time to talk to the statue, known as Philethis. Getting no responses, he goes back to his room and works on forging a set of tools. Evangeline waits for everyone to go to sleep and also attempts to ask Philethis questions. She also does not receive any responses and goes back to bed, leaving TC and Buckley to guard the room. The next morning, Evangeline checks in with Leslyn about the painting and learns of the University of Qi’s interest in it. She barters for trade: they aid the displaced people in Lipgera for the painting, to which they agree. Seeker checks in with Pif, his captain, and receives a sending stone. Upon leaving, Evangeline and Seeker meet up and begin to discuss the second painting. Bringing in Forsythe, they decide to sell it in the underground where it may fetch a much higher price. Looping in Fix and Kadath, who in turn pulls in Gavyn, they begin to spread the word that this painting will become available soon. The group then teleports to Thriest where Kadath checks in with the Order of Balance, filling them in on the recent events and confirming Elijah’s presence at the ball. Forsythe slips away to check in with the underground leader, showing his newest ability to palm items and giving his contribution of gold. Meanwhile, Evangeline also slips away to go to her home. However, after saying a quick prayer to the gods (who she is still not sure really exist), she enters the home unnoticed to leave her boomerang on her brother’s bed, and a pouch of coin where her mother will find it. She then leaves, seemingly cutting ties to her family. After some further discussion, Forsythe remains behind to do some work for Silvia and further spread word of the painting while the group prepares to head to Charmonde. Seeker is called away at the last moment to return to Qi under military orders and says goodbye to Evangeline, giving her the orb for safe keeping. They then part ways. Kadath, Fix, and Evangeline head to Charmonde. When they arrive, they are given directions to Lord Strulduk’s manor where they are greeted by guards at the gate. Upon inquiry of a meeting, one guard leads the group into the sitting room of the manor, leaving a third guard in the hall. They are left waiting in this room for Lord Strulduk. Galigo gives Fix a command word to return to his shop directly, then teleports the group to Far Brohn. Upon entering the city, the group can see it is busy and several people hustle about with a hurried purpose. The party however shows little interest as they head to the shop of Shallow, the blink cat.
Once at the shop Corinni, the wizard, and Fix negotiate a cost to have a limited telepathy enchanted upon the circlet that Fix had forged, however it would take a couple days to complete the enchantment. Upon hearing this, Fix asked about teleportation and Corinni agreed to teleport them to Qi with a stone that can send them back when they are ready. In Qi, Seeker checks in with his captain, Pif Surnosk, and shares about the recent events. Pif agreed to get a sending stone for Seeker and would have that the next day. Evangeline checked in with her mentor, Leslyn, and shared some of her experience and left one of the paintings from the keep with her for authentication. The party then decided to go back to the catacombs where Kadath received his sword. Once in the secret room, they investigated the door once more, noticing the change. It was no longer a field of battle, but now a field of silhouetted people. Kadath then attempted to push his sword into it, though it resisted, it was slowly going into the image. The party then moved into the next room investigating the pedestal again. Kadath was able to pull up a loose section and found a card that matched the door. After leaving the catacombs, they proceeded to Fix’s home. Once inside, they all heard his mother yell for him to come to her office. Inside, she asked him about the places she had heard of him visiting. Getting caught up on some of the things that were happening, she informed him that his presence was requested at that evening’s ball, hosted for Lady Gaera. She also invites the rest of the party and dismisses them to prepare. At the ball, Fix is announced as Lord Kufic Trentson, earning some ire from Gavyn (his brother). The group recognizes some of the prominent guests: Pif Surnosk, Elijah Torenni, High Priest Renio, Priestess Leslyn, and Gaera (with her group). One of the others that stood out they discovered was Lord Jinik Reprut from Uxphon. Mingling through the guests, Fix approached Gaera. Gaera informed him of the favor she desires: to retrieve a chalice from Lord Strulduk in Charmonde. She described the chalice and informed Fix she would have proof of her ownership come morning. After all the guests had dispersed, Arias asked what Gaera had discussed with him. Kadath and Evangeline checked for unwanted listeners and discovered an invisible orb, which winked out as Kadath reached for it. Knowing it was clear to talk, Fix shared with his mother what the favor was. She cautioned him and warned him not to underestimate Gaera. The party then dispersed to their respective accommodations for the evening to rest Shenea awaited the party’s arrival and, after letting her know they were there for some special ink, she requested a task in return. The task was to have Evangeline talk with a young girl by the name of Ona-sa who was in the care of the 2nd tier’s leader, Ni-chodoss.
After some inquiry, they discovered Ona-sa was human, without any mutation, and was nearing her 20th birthday at which time the Fahat would perform a ritual to give her a mutation. She would then be given to Gav-oreth, the leader of the 1st tier and Shenea did not want her daughter to go through that. Upon accepting this task, the group went to the home of Ni-chodoss and were able to teleport Ona-sa to a ledge they were standing on. After a brief discussion with Ona-sa, she was returned and given instruction to contact the group should she decide to leave. They then returned to Shenea and were given the ink which they took back to the 1st tier where they noticed a familiar statue in a main square as they headed to Galigo’s. Through some investigation they discover that the statue was actually a creature, however, it did not respond to any interaction. Forsythe decided to attempt telepathy and the creature began to answer his questions. They discover the creature is known as Philethis, and it also resides in Fix’s family home. After a few other questions the statue’s last words were a warning, “Evil covers the swamp.” The statue stops responding and a new card slides out from beneath its cloak. Inspecting the card, Kadath concludes it could potentially be one of four different cards, as the picture is of a stormy night sky. The group then give the ink to Galigo with Evangeline taking one of the three bottles for herself, giving Galigo a look of warning. They settle into a room for the night while Galigo prepares the teleportation the group requested. In the afternoon of the next day, they check with Ona-sa, following her to Shenea’s. She informs them of her intention to stay and get to know her real mother so the group then travels back to Galigo’s and are ready to depart to Far Brohn. After replenishing some supplies and getting some directions, the group heads out toward Nihliesh. On the fourth day of travel they come across a tall pillar that they were told marks the halfway point between Lipgera and Nihliesh. The party makes camp for the night and has a peaceful evening.
In the light of morning they decide to investigate the pillar more thoroughly. Tapping on the stone, Fix informs the party that parts of it seem hollow. Kadath’s eyes seem to fog over as he uses a ghostly gaze to see through the rock. He confirms it is hollow and seems to have a ladder extending through to what appears to be an elbow filled with gears. Fix, now extremely curious, asks Forsythe to fly him to the top. He finds that the upper section is also hollow and he climbs down. After some time investigating, he takes a moment to reach out to Gond. In response, Gond gives him a vision of a moving farmland that this pillar was once a part of. Following some small craters seen from above by Forsythe, the group runs into some Margr. One surviving attacker is released and told to move on. After another three days of travel, they come upon a large city that seems built upon a platform. The group recognizes the legs holding this city aloft as being similar to the pillar they had passed. Fix spots immediately that this structure is missing one leg. They approach, have a brief conversation with the two guards, and are taken to the upper level, the 1st tier of the city. The group quickly realize that most of the people who inhabit this city are mutated in some way: six fingers, feet like monkeys, webbing, unnatural skin colorations, scales, and unique eyes. Upon inquiring about teleportation, the group are directed to a mage by the name of Galigo. Galigo has an extremely short stature (only 2 feet tall). He stands upon his counter and answers some questions. He bargains for the teleportation that is asked for by Fix. For his services, he asked the group to go to the 2nd tier and retrieve the special ink being held for him by Shenea. He described her as a tall, skinny, golden skinned woman. He was unsure of her exact whereabouts, but ensured the party that she stands out in a crowd. Once agreed, the party heads to the middle level of the city. Stepping out of the lift, they immediately notice the difference as the middle level of this city has streets that seem to only be dark alleys. The lighting is dim throughout, and the buildings are close to each other. After traveling through a few streets the party noticed only symbols above doors, no names. Fix spots someone with a dagger pendant (similar to the Jagged Dream). He asks about Shenea and the gentleman leads them to an unmarked door where the party is welcomed in. The door opens to reveal multiple people around the perimeter of the room and a beautifully golden woman, who emits her own dim light, sitting expectantly at a table. |
AuthorDungeons & Dad Jokes Archives
April 2025
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