Therendor 3rd - 7th, 998 Y.K.
Upon returning to Anvil's home in the Cogs they tried to make the child more comfortable but it was totally unresponsive, to the point where he had to be encouraged to eat. As the group layed to get some rest Anvil watched over the youngster whilst drawing up plans for a figurine that Lorric asked him to make.
The following day (Therendor 4th) at about midday a knock at the door disturbed the groups conversations and Kapek opened the door to find a House Sivis emblazoned gnome bearing a message and a bag of gold for the group.
They graciously accepted the invites (to the Street-Kind Charity Ball) and the gold that was owed to them. Shortly after the visit of the gnome there was a second visitor, a halfling of House Jorasco, she had come to care for the child.
She examines the child and surmises that he is under the influence of a drug known commonly as Helmsbane. She describes the effects of this plant to the group.
Helmsbane
A subterranean root plant similar to the potato only it grows downward from the ceilings of caverns, draping its leaves downward to extract nutrients from the various gases present deep underground. The tubers are difficult to extract from the fine rock fractures from which it grows.
When ground and dried it becomes a cakey yellow powder which upon ingestion removes all higher thought from its victim, they would not eat if they were not told to. The eyes turn milky white and the victim is highly susceptible to suggestion, some have even taken their own life at the request of their poisoner.
This drug is particularly employed by evil denizens of Khyber who like to keep their food fresh, it is worth noting that those who eat the flesh of a poisoned victim experience no effects of secondary poisoning.
This poison is particularly difficult to purge from the system, its effects lasting days or even weeks to wear off, and many of those poisoned actually die from their “cold turkey”. There is no known antidote.
A subterranean root plant similar to the potato only it grows downward from the ceilings of caverns, draping its leaves downward to extract nutrients from the various gases present deep underground. The tubers are difficult to extract from the fine rock fractures from which it grows.
When ground and dried it becomes a cakey yellow powder which upon ingestion removes all higher thought from its victim, they would not eat if they were not told to. The eyes turn milky white and the victim is highly susceptible to suggestion, some have even taken their own life at the request of their poisoner.
This drug is particularly employed by evil denizens of Khyber who like to keep their food fresh, it is worth noting that those who eat the flesh of a poisoned victim experience no effects of secondary poisoning.
This poison is particularly difficult to purge from the system, its effects lasting days or even weeks to wear off, and many of those poisoned actually die from their “cold turkey”. There is no known antidote.
The group had several days to heal their wounds, polish their weapons and armour, and there was time to head to the market to trade. Buying and selling weapons and goods and aquiring new outfits for the Ball they are to be attending on the 7th.
Some of the group decide that it is time to find their own accomodation rather than bunking down on the floor of Anvils workshop, especially Katerina who thinks of it as unseemly for a young woman to be in this situation. Ajax finds a small appartment in Kenton, meanwhile Kapek opts for the other option and formally leaves his accomodation in Little Plains to move into the workshop with Anvil.
Lorric spends much of his time in the studio of the Joy Street Hostel practicing his katas and meditating.
Therendor 5th - The Meeting with Erunn
The party head to Deathsgate to speak with Erunn of the Deathsgate guild as he requested. Sure enough he is awaiting their arrival by the fire, he offers them drinks as they enter the lounge.
Erunn’s brother, Chalit Morannal, is a merchant. Specifically he imports wood crafts from the hamlet of Turvin, some 50 or so miles west of Zilspar.
Turvin is famous for its masterful wood crafts and has been an important resource for merchant houses looking to distribute these goods. Lately the quality of the craftsmanship has declined causing many distributors to look elsewhere.
Erunn can see his brother, and indeed the hamlet, are on the road to ruin as a result. He asks them to travel to Turvin and speak with the mayor directly.
As part of the deal Erunn wishes the group to escort his brother to Zilspar on the way, for this he will pay them a standard mercenary fee of 1 gp/day (i.e. 9 gp each).
Chalit leaves town on Zol, 10th of Therendor, the roads are still treacherous from the early spring rains before this time, unfortunately as the merchants begin to once more travel the roads the bandits come from their camps deep in the forest to prey on the unwary travellers.
As far as rewards go, Erunn simply states that his sponsorship is reward enough.
As the meeting draws to a close the group begin to ask of the benefits of membership to the guild and this invariably draws the subject matter to the land of Xen'drik where the group learn a little of the giant empire that once ruled the continent and the quori invasion that brought this empire to an end. Anvil seems more than a little concerned of the fact that the quori could invade the dreams of his companions at any time and has some trouble in understanding what a dream actually is.
A little later Vaenya enters the lounge and informs the PCs that due to their success in helping Pearl escape the clutches of the Amber Eye, she will grant them her patronage in joining the guild.
A Little later - Return to Fallen
Ajax feels a compulsion to contact his old tribe, the Black Claws. The shaman, Yulunga, told him she would try to smooth the situation and help his re-integration with the tribe. His thoughts were to leave a message for her upon a crumbling tower where a single small tree catches a shaft of daylight for a few minutes each day, at this location she is known to meditate on a regular basis.
Against the advice of all his companions he will not change his mind and so rather than let him go alone they all decide to stand by him.
As the cliffside towers and the fading afternoon sun fall behind them they enter the darkened shadowy streets of Fallen. A silence that is found nowhere else in the city surrounds them and the deep shadows are not cast aside by everbright lanterns here. After some 15 minutes of travel they are only half way to the site that Ajax has in mind when Lorric spots a movement in the ruins ahead. Kapek instigates combat by hurling a boomerang at the spot where there is a shadowy figure and then the sounds of alert can be heard followed by the silent approach of a large number of barbarians of the Nightstalker Tribe that attack the group, severly injuring Ajax. Gradually they are fought off and the group decide that the best plan of action is to retreat rather than press on, so once more they flee Fallen....
The party head to Deathsgate to speak with Erunn of the Deathsgate guild as he requested. Sure enough he is awaiting their arrival by the fire, he offers them drinks as they enter the lounge.
Erunn’s brother, Chalit Morannal, is a merchant. Specifically he imports wood crafts from the hamlet of Turvin, some 50 or so miles west of Zilspar.
Turvin is famous for its masterful wood crafts and has been an important resource for merchant houses looking to distribute these goods. Lately the quality of the craftsmanship has declined causing many distributors to look elsewhere.
Erunn can see his brother, and indeed the hamlet, are on the road to ruin as a result. He asks them to travel to Turvin and speak with the mayor directly.
As part of the deal Erunn wishes the group to escort his brother to Zilspar on the way, for this he will pay them a standard mercenary fee of 1 gp/day (i.e. 9 gp each).
Chalit leaves town on Zol, 10th of Therendor, the roads are still treacherous from the early spring rains before this time, unfortunately as the merchants begin to once more travel the roads the bandits come from their camps deep in the forest to prey on the unwary travellers.
As far as rewards go, Erunn simply states that his sponsorship is reward enough.
As the meeting draws to a close the group begin to ask of the benefits of membership to the guild and this invariably draws the subject matter to the land of Xen'drik where the group learn a little of the giant empire that once ruled the continent and the quori invasion that brought this empire to an end. Anvil seems more than a little concerned of the fact that the quori could invade the dreams of his companions at any time and has some trouble in understanding what a dream actually is.
A little later Vaenya enters the lounge and informs the PCs that due to their success in helping Pearl escape the clutches of the Amber Eye, she will grant them her patronage in joining the guild.
A Little later - Return to Fallen
Ajax feels a compulsion to contact his old tribe, the Black Claws. The shaman, Yulunga, told him she would try to smooth the situation and help his re-integration with the tribe. His thoughts were to leave a message for her upon a crumbling tower where a single small tree catches a shaft of daylight for a few minutes each day, at this location she is known to meditate on a regular basis.
Against the advice of all his companions he will not change his mind and so rather than let him go alone they all decide to stand by him.
As the cliffside towers and the fading afternoon sun fall behind them they enter the darkened shadowy streets of Fallen. A silence that is found nowhere else in the city surrounds them and the deep shadows are not cast aside by everbright lanterns here. After some 15 minutes of travel they are only half way to the site that Ajax has in mind when Lorric spots a movement in the ruins ahead. Kapek instigates combat by hurling a boomerang at the spot where there is a shadowy figure and then the sounds of alert can be heard followed by the silent approach of a large number of barbarians of the Nightstalker Tribe that attack the group, severly injuring Ajax. Gradually they are fought off and the group decide that the best plan of action is to retreat rather than press on, so once more they flee Fallen....
