Session 10
More Research
Section titled “More Research”The Fated Eight continued their research at the Veiled Visage University archives; assisted by the Librarian Alydove, where Morgyn learned more about Necromancy & Aurevald learned more about Glyphchalk. SHAI pivoted his investigations towards Astrology and learning more about the star signs followed by the people of this land. He found a book that began to speak of Combinational Alignments - a topic which was closely related to his desired answers - but the following pages where torn out cleanly. Alydove regretfully stated that the book was no longer in publication but suggested that the library in Zenytha might contain a complete copy.
The party also inquired about attending one of Davison Theros’ lectures but were informed they were largely exclusive to the student body of Veiled Visage University.
Axton Rushes out
Section titled “Axton Rushes out”Suddenly and without warning - Axton rushed out of the archives engrossed in a book he’d been reading. Graxious; who had left the archives earlier, saw the Tiefling rushing away from Veiled Visage University and towards the Roan Chapel.
Aurevald, SHAI, and Morgyn followed after their companion - only to stopped by a pompous student who introduced himself as Peter Ridgley.
“Do you know who my father is?? I’ll have him have you expelled for that I say!
Out of my way!”
- Peter Ridgley to SHAI
Aurevald attempted to pick the young man’s pocket whilst SHAI was the focus of his attention but was unsuccessful - leading Peter to threaten SHAI with expulsion at his father’s request. The Fated Eight got a general vibe of overcompensation during this encounter and quickly left the campus afterwards.
Swapping Watches
Section titled “Swapping Watches”After catching sight of Graxious following Axton - The Fated Eight arrived and regrouped outside the Roan Chapel. Jin appeared from downstairs and stated Axton had offered to swap the watch with him whilst intently reading the same book.
During this short downtime - Morgyn requested that SHAI try to teach him some Arcane Magic to which the Human Wizard obliged. Morgyn was overwhelmed by the lore involved with SHAI’s explanation - one that included a revelation that the Vaelorian Pantheon were the creations of an even greater being known as Connor Williams, The Dungeon Master.
Splitting up
Section titled “Splitting up”The Fated Eight decided to split up and tackle two goals at the same time with Graxious and Jin first heading to The Lawful Reliquary so the Leonin Paladin could learn more about Ordessa, whilst the others headed to The Ratways to find out more regarding the missing staff from The Rowdy Roan.
Aurevald, Morgyn, and SHAI made their way to Roan’s South east and beyond the tree cover behind the Roan Chapel where they were surprised to see a steep decline - almost a sheer cliff - in front of them. From this overlook - they saw two run down towns that their map labelled as The Ratways and The Creeks.
After carefully making their way down the winding, switchback road down the side of the cliff - they arrived at a small town square in The Ratways - and quickly realized that they looked very out of place - with many of the townsfolk having covered faces and dark clothes. Aurevald attempted to barter with a shop keep for a cheaper price on a shawl to cover SHAI but was unsuccessful in doing so. The Fated Eight quickly learned that coin was king in The Ratways and that words had a lesser impact on people than in the main parts of Roan.
The party saw a vaguely familiar figure exit a building further up the main thoroughfare, before crossing the road into an alleyway. Aurevald, Morgyn, and SHAI attempted to stealthily follow after the figure but were less stealthy than they might have first thought. They saw the figure turn and enter a building with a painted dagger on the it’s sign. The group moved closer to the building and heard a familiar voice from inside the building.
Aurevald moved to open the door and entered the room suddenly, creating a tense situation in the room before the familiar voice spoke up to break the tension…
At the same time; Graxious and Jin made their way to The Lawful Reliquary to learn more about Ordessa, The Weight of Law - the lover of Graxious’s Deity - and one of the featured deities within Roan. Graxious spoke with an Elvish woman and a Half-Elf man adorned in the white and gold robes of the Lawguards and wielding ornate gavels on their waists. The conversation turned slightly awkward after Jin mentioned these gavels and the pair left to regroup with the others at The Ratways.
On the road to The Ratways, Graxious witnessed Jin trip spectacularly and tumble many levels down the switchback road. Graxious took his time and extra care making his way down to aid his Human companion before the pair arrived in The Ratways. They arrived just in time to see SHAI and Morgyn turn the corner into the alley ahead and followed behind them sneakily.
The comforting voice of Varg commanded the room as he asked everyone to calm down; asserting Aurevald and the others were with him, before leaving the room and gesturing for them to follow him. Varg took them across the street to a nearby inn and ordered a round of drinks whilst sharing information amongst themselves. When the topic of Lady came up, Varg shared that he had been sent to Roan in search of a man named Caesar Plight; the leader of The Rouge, by Carmen herself.
The description of Caesar Plight seemed to match that of Thomas Urgide and The Fated Eight were resolved to find and question this figure. Varg also revealed Caesar Plight had suddenly shifted his priorities away from Forest’s Edge and towards the capital cities of Terick - Zenytha, Roan, & Gerward - and noted it was an odd pattern of behaviour as of late. Last time he’d been seen in Forest’s Edge was a few weeks ago when he returned to the town with a Halfling woman by his side.
“I’ve just received word from Carmen Flint - Caesar’s been spotted back in Forest’s Edge. I’ve got to return there as soon as possible.”
- Varg’s sudden interjection as he gestured for The Fated Eight to follow him.
Varg took the party out of The Ratways and towards the tree cover behind the Roan Chapel before muttering a phrase. Moments later - a portal opened in one of the trees and the Half-Orc male bid his farewells - he offered to contact them with any information that might help their investigations.
The Fated Eight made their way to The Rowdy Roan for a bit of downtime and to speak with Grez Klimmet for further questioning. Morgyn took this time to drink whilst some of the others played darts - with Aurevald handily winning.
Grez Klimmet arrived from downstairs and questioned the rapid return. The Fated Eight inquired about his memory seeing anyone wearing an eyepatch a few weeks ago, to which he confirmed he had. They requested Grez Klimmet accompany them to the Roan Chapel to see if he recognized the Amnesic Halfing Woman or not - to which he begrudgingly agreed.
Grez Klimmet; upon meeting the Amnesic Halfing Woman, is confused by the fact that he does recognize her but can’t exactly place why. Aurevald peered into his mind and affirmed that he was genuine, unable to place the connection himself. Grez departs and The Fated Eight are left to their own devices for the rest of the evening.
Killing Time At The Carnival
Section titled “Killing Time At The Carnival”With time to kill before the city lights are dimmed, The Fated Eight decided to check out the Carnival Grounds to the city’s North. Upon arriving, they noticed many stores all selling something called “Glorious Gozos” - a trading card game from overseas - that seemed to be selling out fast. Everyone managed to get their hands on a pack and received cards depicting famous folklore and real heroes from across Vaelorys - collectively the party acquired the following cards:
- Multiple copies of Senator Vellus Prunell from Kaelethys
- Captain Stormwind from Terick
- Thelnyron Dose from Terick
Aurevald took a liking to SHAI’s Captain Stormwind card and offered to trade him for it.
The rest of the evening was spent winning money on a coin guessing game and struggling at a sack tossing game - this was much needed downtime for the party after the past few days. Lastly, each of the party hard their fortunes told by a woman with extremely long black hair and a crystal ball. At first they weren’t taking her very seriously but after the initial fortune was read - everyone but SHAI was visibly shaken by their readings.
Everyone took a few minutes to gather their thought as their attention was caught by the first ring of lights to dim in the city’s center - prompting everyone to look out for which lights stayed on the longest.
Where The Lights Stay On
Section titled “Where The Lights Stay On”It only took SHAI a few minutes atop a building to find lamps staying on; albeit dimly, in the Southwest sections of the Fortune Markets. The Fated Eight quickly made their way in that direction and arrived outside a building with gothic architecture and the door slightly ajar.
The party entered and were met with the sight of a gorgeous woman; pale skin (almost grey) and bright red lipstick complimenting her slightly curly jet black hair and blue eyes.
“Why hello there… You’re all new faces, welcome to The Sanguine Script. My name is Avendra Blythe - how can I help you this evening?”
- ?
Morgyn approached her and spoke a phrase from a one of her letters. Avendra Blythe seemed to understand this and offered her help if Morgyn could help her solve a riddle she was stumped on.
“I’m quite happy to help you cutie but I’d like to ask something of you first. Can you help me with this riddle that’s been stumping me for the past day or so?
What is round like an apple,
and deep like a cup,
yet all the king’s horses
can’t pull it up?”
- Avendra Blythe’s request for help
After a few moments, Aurevald and Morgyn were able to solve the riddle by answering with “A hole” and “A well”. Avendra was pleased with this response; admitting she didn’t genuinely need the help, before gesturing them towards a back room.
“Ah well done, I’ll have you know I solved that faster than you lot but I was instructed to test you first before I let you through.
Your contact is the back room - either one or all of you must enter so make your choice now.”
- Avendra Blythe’s instructions to the party
The Fated Eight decided to enter the room as a group and were let into poorly lit and musty room. There, a young man wearing a top hot lit a lantern on the table before gesturing to Morgyn to join him for a game of chess.
“So you’re a friend of Riddle are you? He told me you used to work in the same circles - only loosely. You were a big shot he told me - and then one day POOF you vanished like you’d never existed.
Let me guess - they pinned a crime on you that you didn’t commit, right? Brave of you to return to Terick so plainly.
Tell me - what business are you looking to achieve here gestures for name ”
- Lukhas Tophat’s introduction
The man introduced himself as Lukhas Tophat - an associate of Riddle - who has been writing to Morgyn. The pair spoke about the state of the Vaena Kingdom, Kendran Vaena’s death, and the prospect of Dannick Vaena becoming Monarch. It was clear they had common ideals, but the conversations were abruptly ended when the light in the room dimmed completely.
When The Lights Go Out
Section titled “When The Lights Go Out”When the lantern light returned, 6 new figures - all wearing black leather armour with cloaks had entered the room. The Fated Eight pivoted into a protective formation around Lukhas Tophat when one of the figures - adorned in more decorated armour - spoke.
“Everyone in this room is under arrest for treasons against King Terick II. You will be tried under the full might of the law and suffer any appropriate punishments for harbouring and dealing with treasonous individuals such as Mr. Tophat here… Although I suspect he isn’t the only one here that fits that description.”
- The cloaked woman’s words
The woman; very clearly the leader of this group, finished her sentence with a glare at Morgyn. A tense moment passed as each member of The Fated Eight weighed up their options to fight or flee in this moment. The tension came to a head when the leader approached Morgyn and taunted her before shooting two crossbow bolts at her.
“You wouldn’t happen to know anything about that would you now… Sophia?”
- The leader taunting Morgyn
Before anyone could react or even process the implications of the taunt - Morgyn was struck in both hands by the woman’s crossbow bolts. Aurevald moved instinctively to defend his companion but another of the cloaked figures moved to strike him with a dagger to the head.
In the moment before the strike would’ve landed on Aurevald - everyone in the room began to feel time slow before crawling to a complete stop. Their lungs began to burn as they felt themselves being dragged underwater. Only Aurevald could move during this frozen moment in time whilst the rest of The Fated Eight could only vaguely process that he was speaking with an entity they hadn’t experienced before.
Aurevald’s Sacrifice
Section titled “Aurevald’s Sacrifice”Aurevald bargained with the entity, pleading with it to save his friends.
“I’d Give Anything”
- Aurevald’s words to the entity…
The entity accepted his offer and time began to reverse course. Aurevald’s body began to turn to dust as he looked at Morgyn one final time and whispered to her some parting words.
The Cost
Section titled “The Cost”Time was reversed to a point earlier in the conversation with Lukhas Tophat. Lukhas Tophat stopped mid sentence and suggest that they reconvene at a later date. He asked them the meet him at the Roan Chapel - specifically at the room of Lybre. The well-dressed young man hopped up and left the room with only a singular parting question.
“It has puzzled me this entire time that you are called The Fated Eight but I only see four of you here - are there 4 of you elsewhere?”
- Lukhas Tophat’s parting inquiry
The party began to answer but stumbled when they realized they could only count seven members in total - the four in the room, Axton at the Roan Chapel, Lady who had died the day prior and Scabb who was missing since that event. The session closed with The Fated Eight confused over why they were named as such with only seven members in their short history.
Post-Credits
Section titled “Post-Credits”Elsewhere on Vaelorys
Amidst the cold, dark space you all see - you hear a gruff voice break the comforting noise of various level of mages completing research tasks. The voice was directed at the centre of the chamber, and at the employer of every person in this room.
“My liege, you have a guest. Shall I let her in?”
“Oh yes - I was expecting her. I shall greet her outside.” The man said before grabbing a black fur coat and throwing it over his shoulder.
Exiting the chamber, the man saw a foreboding feminine form approach from the outside world - with the light behind her casting long shadows along the black granite floor and rending the area devoid of all detail, depth, and shape. That true darkness followed as her floated over the narrow bridge between herself and him.
As her form came into focus - the man noticed her signature coat made of deep black feathers and pale porcelain mask. “Ah - Maiden - have you come into my domain to witness my exploitation of yours? Perhaps you’ve come to offer me some assistance. As much as I would appreciate the help - my ledgers can’t afford such a burden and besides - this is best left for Mortals to do no - and last I checked, you haven’t been one of us for some time.” The man called out to her with a chuckle in his voice. The man expected a response but heard nothing from the guest.
“Ahh maybe in fact you’ve come to renegotiate the terms of our deal - yes? Seeing as your so-called Fated Eight have already failed you.”
“Failure is a matter of perspective, Mortal. Sometimes Fate moves us back in order to move us forward at the right time” she retorted concisely.
“It is not matter of perspective that in a matter of weeks - one of your legendary warriors is stuck in limbo and another has been completely forgotten - it seems like you chose wrong my dear Maiden.” He snapped back as a slight sweat built on his brow.
“Fate will tell us which path was correct. Regardless of the outcome my dear Mortal - I do accept my Fate. The question is; garbled name, will you finally accept yours?”