We awaken the next morning and are given time to eat in a hall without the manor staff overhearing.
I briefly explain the situation with Atreia and how we were rewarded for upholding the status quo, then I cancel the discussion and turn our attention to Rex’s lack of request and his want of a phylactery.
Kon explains to us how Rex requires discretion for his request and that so long as we can keep this secret, he will offer us any support that he can… and that’s because, “The phylactery isn’t for Rex… it’s for Remorand. And his interest in keeping Remy alive is because he is an illegitimate son.”
“Wait… does Felicia know?” I ask him.
“No, only we do… by the way, his request for us is to collect opium black so that he can finish creating a potion of resurrection for his son.”
We briefly discuss the risk surrounding our agreement to let Kon go get the opium black. For example, the monsters around the area, and delivering Kon to the zone, as Fester so put it. I ask on if there’s a limitation on potion of resurrection use, but there are no other methods of resurrection.
It works as true resurrection, so there’s only a one hundred year timer for us to complete this within.
I recap our to-do list:
- Fester’s delivery for becoming an actual courier
- Fester’s delivery for that guy Anatole and I kicked out of town
- Rex’ request to revive his son
- Kudu wants to explore town and thaumaturge guilds or otherwise learn more spells
We agree that it’s in our collective interests to assist and try to do Rex’ request. But also, that we’re not ready to do this. We organize ourselves and decide we could split up today and go on our merry ways.
I ask if anyone wants to join me on the way to the Thaumaturge guilds. Anatole is in, Fester will go to the Aspis Consortium (Courier Guild) and Kon will stay at the manor.
Rex suggests to us to go to Laid to Rest as the first point of contact for us. As a show of good faith, I share that I am a Witch and that we have a mutual assured destruction situation, rather than just promising to not tell anyone about his secret son.
“Screw respect for the dead, take what you need, if it will help you bring him back to me.” Rex directs me after I said, “I would like to see if he has anything of value for me to make use of as a witch and will respect his belongings.”
Otherwise, I organize with Anatole to meet with him later at Laid to Rest with Kon.
I make my way to Remorand’s room, it is a simple room, desk, shelves with books, some clothes in the dresser and wardrobe. Looks as if he was only here to sleep primarily, spending most of his time on his duties.
I check out his wardrobe first, there are two staves lent against the wall – both of which look interesting, they are not hewn of simple wood, they are hewn from other timbers. I cast Read Aura on the staves, one of which appears to be Divine and Primal whilst the other is Divine, Arcane and predominantly Occult. I will pick up the predominantly Divine feeling one. I can’t identify it, so I pick up the other stave, can’t identify that, and just continue to rummage.
As I’m coming to the end of rummaging, I Arcana check to try and find something hidden, I make the check. There is a specialized set of robes given to graduates with honors from the School of Wizards, Library Robes, and they are quite potent.
I also check out his desk for anything that may be useful, and I roll a 24 to find useful notes amongst his desktop. I roll a 24, so I have found a spell that appears to be one Remorand was working on. Usually, students who graduate with honors are quite clever, and they are likely to be ones who create or identify new magical spells. As I read his notes, I can kind of see what he was going for; the spell is complete, and the notes say he tested it, but it is complex and intricate in its casting. I manage to learn the spell he created and fail to find anything else of interest that could be found.
I leave a small “Thank you – Kudu” note on the scroll in question, then tidy up the room and begin to make my way out Laid to Rest (Thaumaturge guild).
--
Swap to Fester – as he makes his way through the city to the Consortium, he gets looks and murmurs from everyone around, and he nods and waves, “If you need deliveries, I’m your guy!”
Then he arrives and speaks to the Lizard Lady. Who immediately enters his personal space. “You’re the most famous member of the Aspis Consortium.”
“Why yes, I am.”
She then pins a gold medal to his lapel – skipping him 3 ranks of courier. As a result, he no longer has to actually do any work, and he is also taught that the couriers aren’t couriers, they are spies and assassins. He also fends off more advances from Marmoraxanorus the lizard lady.
He learns he is allowed to tell us, as he can have a personal retinue of up to 8 followers, but also the Consortium doesn’t see followers of the couriers as useful/people. So, her advice was to not tell us too much about things. His role is now to listen for spicy information on his travels, and only to deliver packages to a Consortium post and otherwise, just work as a spy? Perhaps.
Fester then turns to leave for Laid to Rest, and promises to see Lizard lady later.
--
With Kon, back at the manor.
“Did you need something more, Kon?” Rex asks him, as he lingers.
“I was thinking we could talk a general game plan, anything to do once we arrive, any items you may have that could help us.”
“Understood… what’s your plan?”
“Well, I’ll be handling the dangerous part of going in and fetching the items, but we will need to fight our way in. I was wondering if you had any maps of the areas, even if they’re now inaccurate?”
“Of course. Any good leader must know his neighbors… lest he need to invade or expect them as enemies, but I can indeed provide you a map.”
“I also wanted to ask if we could tell Felicia about Remorand… I’d rather not keep things from her.”
“I suppose the only thing stopping me right now is that I would be telling her she has a brother, and also he is dead… I cannot be cruel to her.”
“Ah. Yes, I understand. I’m not a callous man… I think I will hold off for now, but I may go spend time with now anyway.”
“Yes, I imagine that after you leave you will be gone for some while. And it seems as though you might be visiting the abyss… and if you do, seek out Spyder’s Web, Earnest Spyder is a close friend of mine… He will assist you in getting in.”
“Thank you… is there anything else about Bantamshale that we should know?”
“Only that I once met the nobles who ruled there, and I am not surprised that they fell to the corruption. I have the maps of all the baronies, and Bantamshale was the most detailed, as I expected they would be the most troublesome.”
Kon asks if there would be anything of interest still there, or if the Thaumaturge guilds would have taken everything. Rex suggests they could be untouched, or could be stolen or destroyed by the monster that now live there. If the Thaumaturge orders had found relics, they would have taken them as payment. So, it is possible to find a vault, but it is also possible that there is nothing in the vault but chaos, destruction and despair.
Kon thanks the man, and bids him well. Rex tells Kon that the High Pontiff from Nightdeep passed on info that he has stabilised the situation and begun training someone to take Eddwards place. They are still months away, but they will return to Alpinlight as the training will be easier once they are here. The High Pontiff will be returning in a few days, so we could potentially speak with him as well.
“I will keep that in mind, do you have any books on the corruption, about its treatment?”
Rex does not, but Earnest Spyder would, as that is their direct area of focus. If anyone had that info, the Thaumaturge guilds would, perhaps not Spyder, but SCP or the active Guardians of Bantamshale would know.
Earnest has connections though, so he may be able to help us out. We may not have completed Rex’s quest as yet, but we are still welcome to make use of his house. With that, Kon bids Rex farewell and trots off to find Felicia.
-- Back to us entering Laid to Rest.
Anatole and I arrive. The building is in Greengate, a large structure taking up the better part of the city block. There are four entrances that look like multiple buildings but is now one. There are signs outside proclaiming the building is Laid to Rest, with multiple beasts and enemies that are stuffed on the walls. There are many armed individuals here. It is unusual to see adventurers out and about in the city, but there are many, many fools in here, all decked out in their gear. There are signboards with quests and people discussing things, there are welcome desks. The desk has three attendants, all dressed in professional office worker garb, they are all copies of each other. The guild marms are wearing blue blazers with red pencil skirts with air-hostess hats on, with shoulder length brown hair tied into ponytails. The desk is carved of timber, which is wild, as we only have mushrooms. They have large, thick ledgers in front of them.
I brief Anatole on what I found in Remy’s room. We discuss the staves and the scrolls, and I force them into his arms, “Here, you tell me what you think.” I hand him both the stave. With my pack hunter aid, I help Anatole identify the Staff of Impossible Visions, and then the staff of Final Rest.
“Hello!” I approach the Guild marms, the one I can see is Adria.
“What was his will be again,” she greets me,
“As it should be.” I reply.
She asks us what brings us here, and I explain how we’re here to gain info on the corruption. She explains that we need to either pay or become members.
I call Kon on the emerald, and Fester tells us he is promoted to gold tier courier, and we discuss the timing of the requests from Adria.
There is “the Beast of Birchfrost” where Birchfrost cave is north of us, by 1.5 days travel, they don’t know where it is, only that local traders who sail claim they are attacked on a lakeside trail. The beast would be nesting near the lake, we would find it, track it, and eliminate it and any other nasties in the lair. As proof we would bring back heads, tails, tongues or whatever we can get our hands on it.
I pay 10g to Adria for information on random casters in the city. “We have indeed had some rumours of strange goings on… it is ‘adjacent to normalcy, the almost right that can cause the mind the most distress, the animal rising on its hind legs, the improper gait of a shadow. … most pay no heed to who they pass in the light of the day. We have been getting reports of several walkers in the city. I left the next day, fleeing its encounters as I feared for my life, ‘could the walker come for me’. The person claims the walker is a strange and unusual humanoid who can summon magical powers, with strange, distorted features. Lengthened limbs, a shadow unconnected to it. It could be a man or a beast classified as object class: keter. A very strange and unusual beast.”
There is also a drawing, a strange stickman with joints and magical powers. The thaumaturge handed in his bell and fled after turning in this report. We discuss things a bit more, but Anatole then turns to ask if the guild wants info on the rat.
We get distracted a bit, but end up saying thank you for the information and we go on our way.
