She trailed one clawed finger up beneath Hedran's chin and said, "You don't know what you're missing out on." With an amused giggle she spun away with a flourish, her wing's and tail brushing past him as she did.
"On that we agree" - he nods again, raising his glass in a toast as Nessa leaves.
Sarai thanks Hedran for the drink. "I will sleep well tonight," she says.
"We definitely need the rest" - Hedran replies, plopping himself down wearily on one of the bar stools.
"This is all so curious--our employer turning on us, earning this establishment through not dying, and then exploring this strange labyrinth beneath it. And what about that--thing in the sky? It was there, and now it's gone. Strange."
When he heard about the blot vanishing, Cameron was deeply puzzled. When he heard of the blot's disappearance he told the others, "The timing seems very suspicious... But what does it mean?" He shook his head, he might as well ask why is the sky blue. After musing for a bit he considered, "We have a decision to make, go back to the tunnels or investigate this dark elf. If it would help I could ask the gods for guidance..."
"I know it just sounds like too much of a coincidence, and I am not saying it is but... We have actually done nothing except fighting off some troglodytes and some underground creatures" - the magus reasons - "It is hard to correlate it with such a otherworldly effect like that blot in the sky"
As everyone is heading off to bed, no matter where you are in the city, out of nowhere you hear a loud boom. Almost like thunder but louder than anything you've ever heard before. Shortly after you hear panicked screams on the streets. It is dark outside now, but there were still people outside conversing about the mysterious disappearance of the blot.
Rushing to see what is going on you quickly notice a bright light in the sky. The streak of light arcs down from the sky, almost like a falling star traveling a southward course. Yet the star does not burn out. Instead, the streak lengthens and soon seems almost as if it were hurtling directly at Riddleport. As the streaming light draws near, panic grips the streets.
Hedran stands up and heads to the window, his head still slightly heavy from the drinking last night - "What the hell is going on now?!" - he snarls, opening the shutters and peering outside - "What the...?"
Nesa awoke in a tangle of limbs and tails with Lavender with a startled cry by the loud booming sound that crashed through the sky and shook the temple. She looked into Lavender's eyes in fear as she heard it and said, "Come on, we need to see what's happening!" She quickly pulled on her leather clothes and grabbed her pack before she looked at Lavender and said, "I think I may have to go meet with the others. If this isn't connected to what we're looking into then nothing really is."
Nessa and Lil went to look out a window and looked up at the sky, seeing where the people were looking she led her lover to a window that looked out the right direction and saw it. It looked like a shooting star only much, much, bigger and pulled a gasp from Nessa as she realized where it was headed. Nesa's gaze turned to Lavender's and she asked in fear, "What should we do?"
Cameron was almost asleep in the Gold Goblins tap room, he'd intended to find his elven companion Kwava but somehow a night out with Hedran didn't stop at two drinks... Blearily he wondered if it was dawn and who was making that God awful racket but then he saw the light in the sky and thought comet, a sign from the gods! Eyes suddenly wide he cried out in alarm, "By The Dreamer it's coming towards us!"
And then Cameron whispered several of the most fervent prayers of his life so far!
Nessa squared her shoulders after a moment and said, "Come one, we need to get out of the city. The...whatever it is is coming from that direction," she pointed where it was in the sky, "and we don't want to be in the way so let's go..." She guessed the direction that seemed the closest to out of the way of whatever it was in the sky and pulled on Lavender's arm, "Come on Lav, we need to find horses or something we can use to get out of the way fast enough."
After experiencing the vision that nearly drowned her in the bath, Thyra found that sleep didn't come easily. Her mind was constantly churning through thoughts about what she saw and the possible implications.
It was no wonder that the boom from outside sent her almost literally jumping out of what little sleep that she managed and rushing to see what is going on. She finds herself standing on the front steps of the Goblin, looking up at the sky, the shock on her face clear as the light emitted by the comet. "Merciful Torag," she mutters. "It's all coming true." It doesn't take her long to run back inside, yelling at the others. "We need to be ready! I'm not sure what, but something is coming!" She makes her way back to her room and gets ready as quickly as she can.
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Sarai rouses groggily, but adrenaline quickly gets her pulse rushing as she sees the massive object.
Throwing on her clothes and grabbing her backpack, she meets the others in the common room.
"We should get as far away from this as we can," he says. "If there's anything left of Riddleport, we can always come back!"
”There is nowhere to run Sarai” - Hedran grunts, hastily running down the stairs, half naked but carrying his gear along with him - ”If a thing like that hits Riddleport we won’t be able to get far enough in time...” - he pauses for a second, pondering - ”We need to get underground before it hits. Where the hell is Nessa...?”
Cameron nodded at Hedran, "To the trapdoor, quickly! Damnit if only Nessa was here..."
Nessa grabs her stuff and Lil and they make for the door to try and run. Thyra, Cameron, Sarai and Hedran decide to try and make for the tunnels. However, as everyone is about to enact their own plans there is another loud boom and you go to look, seeing the object falling toward Riddleport suddenly changes course.
The falling star arcs over the city and out to sea, trailing behind it a smoky scar and the sound of thunder. The star streaks out to the south, reflected by the sea below, and then a moment later it strikes the island of Devil’s Elbow out at sea. A strange false dawn seems to rise to the south as a brilliant blast of light fills the horizon. Several moments later, a tremendous explosion rolls through Riddleport as a powerful earth tremor strikes.
While, the quake isn’t enough to destroy buildings, it is enough to knock some shingles from roofs, shake objects off of shelves, or crack the Sandpoint glass windows in several of the city’s more affluent structures. As the tremor continues, an angry orange ball of fire rises into the sky on the horizon over Devil’s Elbow, spreading in an ominous mushroom-shaped cloud.
...crack the Sandpoint glass windows...
Hedran goes down like a sack of potatoes as the shockwave bursts through Riddleport.
Cameron just manages to grab hold of one of the Goblin's support pillars as the second titanic explosion explosion rocks riddleport. He looks in awe and horror at the strange mushroom cloud rising from the distance, "Woah! Did you see that?! If that wasn't divine intervention I'll eat my hat!"
Like the dwarves that trained her, Thyra manages to keep her feet through the shockwave that rocked through the Gold Goblin. Once she's able to move, she checks on the others.
"Woah! Did you see that?! If that wasn't divine intervention I'll eat my hat!"
"I would normally be the first to agree with you," she replies to the elf, worry clearly etched on her face,"but something tells me that something else is at work here."
People in the streets eventually regain their footing and start rushing toward the docks to get a better view of the distant holocaust. A few minutes later, the water of Riddleport Bay suddenly retreats into a bizarre and sudden low tide, revealing several sunken wrecks and flopping fish and more than a few stranded sharks. Some people start to retreat, but for most it is just another odd occurrence to add to the many others that have been happening recently. Moments later, the water comes rushing back in toward Riddleport, a 7-foot-high wall of churning froth slams into the waterfront with incredible power. Most of the citizens out there are too slow to outrun the wave and are washed away, carried inland by the wave’s power.
As fast as the waters rushed in the pull back out and people lucky enough to survive the initial battering of the wave and being pushed inland, struggle against the water, many being pulled back out into the harbor as the water recedes. Several smaller tsunamis strike Riddleport over the next few minutes, but these are not severe enough to do much more damage.
In the end, the tsunami deals more damage to Riddleport than the tremor. Dozens of ships are damaged, a few are sunk, but more are left stranded as far inland as Wharf Street. Many of Riddleport’s piers are ruined or damaged, and several of the smaller buildings along the waterfront are destroyed or partially collapse. Over the next several hours, the crimelords and overlord of Riddleport mobilize in a way rarely seen in the lawless city, working together
to put out fires, save citizens who have been swept out into the harbor, or kill angry and disoriented reefclaws, sharks, bunyips, and other dangerous sea creatures that have suddenly become stranded in the city streets.
As she watched the incoming object from the sky Nessa finally gave up on trying to find a way to get out of the area, there just wasn't time and even she could see that. Instead she opted to pull Lavender to her in an embrace and just hold her until the end. It was with a great deal of shock and surprise that she realized the object suddenly swerved away from the city and shot out into the bay. When it hit she could feel the rumble in the ground and looked for someplace to get under for protection only for it all to stop with no real damage done.
Nessa then heard the sound of the water rushing back in, even though she didn't know what it meant, and gave Lav a panicked look until the sound of impact in the distance told her they would be safe for now. In the aftermath Nessa looked at Lavender and said, "I...I think we're gonna live Lav," her face paled slightly as she then realized she was unsure just what had happened to her "minions" at the casino and said, "Lav, I've got to go check on the others. I left them at the casino last night and I need to make sure they're alright." She leaned in and kissed Lavender before she said, "I'll be back soon Lav, I promise." With that she quickly headed to the casino to assess the damage.
The Gold Goblin, being reasonably close to the docks and the river sustained substantial damages. While the building held up against the tsunami, the place was heavily flooded now and without prompt and proper care a lot of the interior of the main level would be ruined. The doors and windows on the lower level have all been broken in from the force of the water. The basement is completely flooded, very likely ruining all the wine in the cellar and making it nearly impossible to access the hatch to get back down into the tunnels until some of the water has been drained out. All in all, it is a complete mess and will require a lot of work and likely a lot of coin to get back to working order. Luckily, the upstairs is still intact.
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Feeling exhausted from the interrupted night of sleep, as well as having the Gold Goblin flooded, Sarai tries to cope with all that has happened.
"What the left hand giveth, the right taketh away," she mourns. "This place is a wreck. I think we're going to have to board all this up for now. We can't open it like this. We also can't continue our exploration in the tunnels, though I'm glad we were not down there when this hit."
She thinks of options. "As much as I hate to do it, we should probably go check out the impact site. If this is an ongoing problem, we need to stop it."
"That course change was anything but expected" - Hedran ponders, while looking around at the wreckage inside the Gold Goblin - "There has to be magic at play"
"What the left hand giveth, the right taketh away," she mourns. "This place is a wreck. I think we're going to have to board all this up for now. We can't open it like this. We also can't continue our exploration in the tunnels, though I'm glad we were not down there when this hit."
She thinks of options. "As much as I hate to do it, we should probably go check out the impact site. If this is an ongoing problem, we need to stop it."
"Definitelyyes Sarai. We need to board the place up, stopping looters from getting inside, and then we can go" - he replies - "And I guess we can forget about the basement for now..."
Cameron wasn't sure it was possible to visit the impact site, pointing out "Sarai to see the impact I fear you'd need a boat and I bet most of them got wrecked."
As for what Hedran said, the thought of heading down into waterlogged tunnels was enough to give Cameron goosebumps, "Yeah lets board it up and give the basement a few days to dry out. In the mean time I reckon we should check out the other building where the dark elf was and see if anything is still there..."
Thyra was shocked at the sudden turn of events, first the sudden deflection of the meteor, and then the flooding of the Gold Goblin. What by Torag's beard is going on? she thinks to herself, but she quickly shakes herself out of the daze and moves to help the others.
"Agreed that we should check out the other building, though I have my suspicions that if someone was there before, they certainly aren't now."
"It seems we are in agreement then" - Hedran nods, as he casually begins picking up furniture to try and put it somewhat in place - overturned tables and chairs, fallen down bookcases, etc.
"Hey... How did you get stuck in there?" - he grunts after lifting a particularly heavy couch - "Take it easy..." - he reaches to grab a pitch black weasel, which looks utterly miserable and wet.
The creature tries to struggle some, but seems to be very weak after its ordeal - "You have to be one of the luckiest creatures alive to have survived that" - Hedran adds, rubbing the animal with a dried rag, both to make it warmer, but also to return some energy to its limbs.
Once done, he reaches into his bag for some dried rations, and offers them to the small weasel - "Eat some, you'll feel better in no time"
Nessa eventually makes it down to the Gold Goblin to see the others trying to clean up and start boarding the place up. It is slow going with the streets a chaotic mess of people trying to recover from the ordeal. Joining in with the others the group manages to somewhat clean the place up and get it boarded up so that it is at least secure from looters or worse.
The next day the group decides to head off and check out the building Saul told them of. The building is right next to the Cyphergate. After some searching they find that there is a hidden tunnel that leads deep underground. However, they can't explore any further as it seems the underground area is flooded after the tsunami that hit and will likely take a few days to drain out. However, based on the general location it seems like this may be exit from the underground tunnels you had explored the day before.
As you are leaving the building you overhear a few people talking. Apparently, yesterday before everything happened they spotted an elven woman, but with skin dark as night and hair stark white, fleeing from the building up the Cyphergate and then levitating down to a boat that was passing underneath. After a short while the boat suddenly changed course and headed up the coast away from Riddleport.
The people talking are a little shocked when Sarai, eavesdropping comes over and butts in on their conversation but they note "It went east. No idea if she was expecting it or was just convenience but either way, do you know what the deal is with the dark elf? I mean, I've seen a few elfs here and there but nothing like that with black skin and white hair... it was a bit unnerving."
A dark skinned elf... - Hedran ponders to himself, shaking his head.
When Nessa arrived at the Gobling she stared at the damage in dismay. The damage was extensive and it made her think maybe they made a mistake trying to keep the place. She spent the day working on cleaning and boarding up the Goblin and considering if they shouldn't just let Zincher have the place and be done with it.
The following day, as they investigated the warehouse, Nessa was intrigued by what they had learned. This strange dark elf had to be the cause of whatever happened, she was sure of it, but what was important about the gate? "So anyone have an idea why this dark elf needed the cypher gate?"
In the aftermath of everything that has happened, the cost of the damage to buildings and structures across Riddleport rises into the tens of thousands of gold, and the total number slain or swept out to sea by the wave may never be known thanks to the city’s inefficient census practices, although the more conservative estimates place the total number of victims between 150 to 200. Yet despite the disaster, Riddleport is quick to forget the trauma. Those who weren’t directly harmed by the wave have little compassion for those who were, while those who were affected are universally quick to turn the event from disaster into opportunity. In the days to follow, the chaos on the waterfront makes for ripe grounds for smugglers, looters, and other violent criminals. Luckily you saw to securing the gold goblin before this started, keeping the property safe. Ships that were further out to sea return to find many of their competitors no longer in a position to work against them, and the balance of power among the various pirate captains has shifted dramatically.
In addition, with each passing day, a new greed continues to grow among Riddleport’s citizens, a greed for skymetal. After the initial shock of the falling star and its impact subsided, the implications of the event sunk in. Skymetal, in any of its seven known varieties, is a valued and much sought-after commodity in any society, but with Riddleport’s Gas Forges being one of Varisia’s only public operations capable of smelting such difficult metals, the convenience of the fallen star has many of Riddleport’s groups eager for a chance at the easy money. Yet the damage done to Riddleport’s waterfront and to many of the ships owned by prominent locals has retarded the burgeoning Skymetal Rush. As the days drag on, the race to be the first to reach Devil’s Elbow slowly takes the city by storm, with those who don’t have access to ships scrambling to secure deals with those who do.
While you've been trying to find passage yourselves you haven't had much luck. At some point Cameron meets up with Kwava to relate what has happened so far. Kwava notes that he will get in touch with the Shin’Rakorath and get back to the group as he finds out more and hopes Cameron will let him know of any solid evidence they find in the coming days.
In the meantime, once the waters have receded in the basement and the tunnels below you make your way back down to finish exploring. Luckily, the waters seem to have washed the dead trogloydytes out to sea, otherwise the tunnels likely would have stunk even more than they had before. As you finish exploring you come to one final room. This cavern appears to have been recently enlarged at the east end, where a massive, curving stone carving protrudes from the floor, wall, and ceiling. It is covered in runes that you believe match those on the Cyphergate, and it appears that some of them have been chipped away. A table nearby is toppled over, likely from the flooding and nearby are several stoneworking tools and a thin book. There is a ladder that leads up to a hatch in the ceiling in the north west portion of the room.
Picking up the book a lot of it is ruined, flipping through the pages though Hedran and Sarai recognize that it is written in undercommon. From what they can piece together, some of the book seems to be a ledger of sorts that lists money Saul had been funneling to her, along with notes of what that money was spent on (mostly alchemical supplies, spell components, and exotic food to be shipped to Devil’s Elbow—these shipments were always made at night and by different sailors). There also seems to be a list of all of the strange and exotic weather effects and other unusual phenomena that have occurred in Riddleport over the past several months. All of these, including the Blot itself, are indicated in the journal as “strange and eldritch sideeffects from the charging of the glyphs on Devil’s Elbow,” and that “It would do to further refine the glyphs to minimize such blatant displays lest the enemy receive further warning of the impending apocalypse than we wish to reveal.” The journal goes on to theorize that as soon as the “glyphs are activated and the star is plucked,” the strange side effects such as the shadow in the sky should vanish immediately. The last journal entry indicates that the writter suspects that this event could occur as soon as tonight and was dated the night of the Tsunami. Climbing the ladder you find that it does indeed connect to the building next to the Cyphergate.
After Cameron relates any new information to Kwava, the next day Kwava seeks you out, braving the city to come find you at the gold goblin.
"The Shin’Rakorath wants me to continue my investigation, but urged me to draw upon you all as additional aid, particularly in exploring the possibility of there being more drow on Devil’s Elbow. They went on to say that the Shin’Rakorath has gone so far as to arrange for transportation to the island via a ship called the Flying Cloud. They’ll send more agents south to Riddleport to help as soon as they can, but for the immediate future their hands are tied with events in Celwynvian and the Mierani Forest—it could be weeks or even months before they can spare anyone to aid in the investigation of Devil’s Elbow."
He pauses a moment before continuing "I would rather remain in the Riddleport hinterlands at this time so I’ll be available to my
superiors should they need to contact me, so I hope I can rely on you all to find out what you can."
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Sarai is both intrigued and disturbed by the journal they have located. "If this is half true, then whatever they intend to unleash will be catastrophic. We must investigate this further, or our new beginning and the Gold Goblin will go up in smoke."
She considers their options. "I suggest we spend a few days getting the place fixed back up and then hire new staff and a manager. I would like to see it profitable again, even if we have to spend a few coin to do so. What do you all think?"
Cameron replied, "I think we need to get ourselves to the Devil's Elbow... What a strange name, do any of you know anything about it?"
When Sarai mentioned restoring the Goblin, Cameron shrugged. It was a logical thing to do but he didn't have the same attachment they did although he didn't begrudge their desire.
Sarai is both intrigued and disturbed by the journal they have located. "If this is half true, then whatever they intend to unleash will be catastrophic. We must investigate this further, or our new beginning and the Gold Goblin will go up in smoke."
"There is a lot we do not yet understand, that much is true... But I tend to agree with you Sarai"
She considers their options. "I suggest we spend a few days getting the place fixed back up and then hire new staff and a manager. I would like to see it profitable again, even if we have to spend a few coin to do so. What do you all think?"
"Yes, I would like to see the Gold Goblin back on its feet - even more so if we can make some money with it - count on me for the repairs and for the hiring if necessary" - Hedran replies.
Cameron replied, "I think we need to get ourselves to the Devil's Elbow... What a strange name, do any of you know anything about it?"
"Everything seems to point in that direction Cameron - I know nothing of the place, however..."
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While getting things in order with the gold goblin and as you look for a manager you come across three potential applicants. The first is a meticulous dwarf with a grumpy demeanor, the second is an attractive young human woman with an obvious taste for the extravagant, and the third is a humble halfling hoping for a solid job to provide for his distant family.
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With three good managerial candidates, Sarai discusses options with her partners.
"I can see advantages for each. The dwarf's meticulous nature means we would run a tight ship. Even if he's grumpy--well, he may not interact with the customers much. An attractive manager could bring in more customers, though I'm a little worried about an extravagant taste taking profit out the door. I feel for the halfling--he may work hard trying to provide for his family. Any thoughts?"
Cameron didn't take part in any interviews for potential managers but he overheard the discussions and found himself mostly agreeing with Sarai, "Saul had extravagant tastes I think we can see how that worked out and a grump will turn away the customers. The Halfling sounds like the only logical choice but if you had money to spare what would happen if you hired the woman and the dwarf? In this town it seems spectacle goes a long way but you need to know when to stop and by the sounds of it that dwarf does..."
"Never let a dwarf's outward demeanor deflect from his qualities. Many dwarves won't express their feelings outside of their clan. Especially not when business is involved," Thyra counters. "I will admit that I sympathize and support the halfling's motives. Family is important. My only concern is that he would not be taken seriously simply because of his size. Halflings are often looked down on simply for that reason." She waves a hand dismissively as she continues, "the shiny tart isn't even a consideration, as far as I'm concerned."
"My vote is for the halfling" - Hedran pipes in from the corner after hearing the opinion from the others - "He is the only one who actually provided a reason for taking the job - also I expect him to be invested in this and not simply bailing out if things get a little rough" - he nods - "His family depends on it, after all"
Nessa thought off al they learned, as much as she thought about anything serious, and knew that they needed to do something about whatever the plot was. Most of it went over her head, except for the part about how bad it could be if it was done again. "I agree we need to get to the Devil's Elbow," her tone was disgusted when she said "Devil", "and getting this place up and running, or at least hiring people to take care of that for us, would be food."
As they considered the applicants for the manager's position Nessa thought it through and said, "I like the woman, she's very appealing," and then she continued with perhaps the biggest shock, "but looks don't make a manager. I agree with the halfling, he is likely to be loyal and has a family that can be used to manipulate him," and with that she ruined the idea that she might be a bit altruistic., of course then again maybe she was just joking about the last part?
b]"I think we might be able to get the Cypher Mages to help us out. If I bring those notes to Samaritha then maybe her Master will be able to get the other mages to work on it and help out."[/b] Nessa, at least, thought that was a good idea, "I don't know if they can come up with anything but it wouldn't hurt to let them try would it?"
Spending some time and coin you hire a new manager, Hildo Haffins, and get the Gold Goblin back in working order. If this skymetal rushes turns out to be profitable for Riddleport, it only increases the likely hood of you inevitably reaping the rewards from those who strike it rich gambling away those riches. You spend some time trying to gather information about the Devil's Island and the various groups trying to get there to exploit the starfall but you get so much conflicting information you don't know what is true and what isn't so just disregard it all. The one thing you are able to gather for certain is that several other groups have already made the trek out to the island by now.
Once you feel things are in order at the Gold Goblin you get ready to depart for Devil's Elbow. You make your way to the docks to find The Flying Cloud. It is a four-masted vessel built for speed. With a narrow beam, sharply raked stem, and square rig, the distinctive design gives the ship great speed on the waves when under full sail. The Flying Cloud flies the flag of Riddleport on her mainmast. Captain Josper Creesy, a relatively young man, seeks to make a name for himself and his ship by setting speed records all along the Arcadian Coast. When you come aboard to meet the Captain he greets you all thanking you for sending your elven friend, who you can only assume was Kwava, to pay the hefty 50 gold fee for transportation to the island. He invites you to dine with him aboard the Flying Cloud the night before you are set to embark as he wishes to get to know you a little better.