”It was bound for that new town you folks mentioned, Tamlyn. Must be important, too, because the sender paid extra for expedited delivery. Looks like that may have spoiled the timing, ironically,” the clerk says with a wry but apologetic smile.
"Man oh man, wish I could do that. Would save a lot o' time. I could charge more, too," he quips before mounting his horse.
.....
"Well, now that you mention it," one of the guild messengers says after Ahto asks about encounters on the road, "A few of my mates have been swapping stories...apparently there's been increased sightings of fey out on the trail and in the wilds. Accidents happening, things being stolen, even some disappearances, or so I hear.”
Regarding politics, there are two talking points that are popular with the messengers around the guild.
Firstly, they talk about how many among their ranks are reluctant to take jobs delivering to Restov because of how tense the situation has become on the streets. Young bravos from the noble houses have not only continued dueling among themselves, but they have also begun skirmishing with agents of the Dragonscale Throne. There is considerable debate about who is the aggressor in these clashes. Some of the messengers say that these agents, nebulously affiliated with King Noleski and House Surtova, are out in force in Rostland because they’re hunting dissenters scheming against Issia. Others say that the Rostlandic nobles, their house guards, and their Aldori allies are making preemptive strikes against Surtovan agents. Clearly, the tension between the Rostlandic and Issian halves of Brevoy is growing worse.
The second set of rumors, and the ones the messengers are even more eager to discuss, are those concerning King Irovetti of neighboring Pitax - particularly his latest efforts to expand his reach and power. They speak of a recent alliance with Tiger Lord barbarians to quash a Brevic colonization effort, with Pitax seizing much of the wealth and the Tiger Lords taking many prisoners. They speculate whether King Irovetti will next turn his attention towards Fort Drelev, and whether he will use open force or skulduggery to seize control.
Finally, they also mention another settlement not too dissimilar to Tamlyn, a place called Varnhold, that has also suddenly become a hub for messenger work. Apparently it was very recently founded by another group of Brevic-backed settlers, and it sits on the far side of the Tors of Levenies from Tamlyn.
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Ahto takes in the rumors. "What sort of fey have been sighted? Are they smallfolk, such as sprites and pixies, or larger folk, such as satyrs and dryads? Has anyone been injured? Do you have any names and descriptions of those who have disappeared?"
He makes mental note of the unrest in Restov, the Pitax-sponsored barbarians, and the neighboring kingdom of Varnhold. It is important to keep tabs on potential enemies, allies, or trade partners.
After dispatching the Cooper's hawk with your message, you hear an impressed whistle from behind you. You see one of the guild messengers finishing his work securing the saddle upon his horse.
"Man oh man, wish I could do that. Would save a lot o' time. I could charge more, too," he quips before mounting his horse.
Katrine chuckles, standing up and dusting off her hands. "Not so much as you might think. I have to have an image in my mind of where to send the hawk, so I can't send a message to somewhere I've never been or don't remember clearly. And they go to a place, not a person, so your recipient needs to be on the lookout for an animal with a letter. If someone else gets there first and takes the letter off the bird, you're out of luck. So I wouldn't use it for anything that needs to be secret. That was just a letter home to my folks." She grins. "Don't worry. Rangers and druids won't be taking your job any time soon."
A brilliant look of excitement is on Pelipe's face when the letter is delivered to her hand. Ahto in particular can see it clearly, as she looks at him in a cute way as if to share her excitement with him. However, with Ahto directing such important business at the same time, she is half embarrassed about receiving a personal letter at this time and will wait to read it, instead holding it at her waist delicately with both hands.
She instead makes herself available for Katrine, her friend, to see if she wishes help to write her letter. Pelipe has an eligible hand and spells very well. When Ahto has set in motion his letter, she listens to other rumors idly and decides it is time to lightly scan her letter. She can read it in greater detail later, but for now, a peek.
After her quick scan, she will return her letter to her waist and involve herself with the running information from messengers.
"I'm sure Tamlyn would love to be a hub for messengers to safely come?" she eludes, looking to Ahto for confirmation as she speaks to the messengers. "And in particular, if you are meeting with messengers from other city-states, perhaps let them know that while before the lands were untamed, now they have some semblance of order and a working government, so not to fear coming. Making safe the roads, I'm sure, is important to Lord Ahto?' she has asked him minorly about these things, so she's pretty sure he does work to keep the roads safe with patrols, but her tone is one of humility. She doesn't wish to assume anything, nor make deals beyond her station, so she is more commenting and allowing Ahto or the others to freely correct her without consequence.
None of the messengers present have had firsthand encounters with the fey. Their accounts come second or third-hand, so there is a lack of definite descriptions of the fey being sighted. You get a handful of names of people who have not been seen in some time, but they seem to fall into the categories of "friend of a friend" or "my friend's cousin." Based on the exaggerated stories you've already had to sift through in Tamlyn whilst integrating your First Citizens, you grow to suspect that these messengers' stories may not hold much weight.
My dear, dazzling artist, the letter from Pelipe's mother begins before immediately launching into doting and worry for your safety in the wake of the attack upon your shipment. Of course, she soon concedes that you are old enough and skilled enough to take care of yourself. As you read the letter, you can clearly hear the signature sigh she huffs when she has to set aside her worry.
What follows is an accounting of your relations more thorough than a merchant's ledger. She exceeded your expectations here, reaching three pages rather than her usual two. She writes especially excitedly about the as-yet unborn cousin from the Medvyed branch. Her enthusiasm dwindles when she reaches the business of the Garess branches, though.
"Your father has asked me not to write to Lord Howlan, for now, and for now I have acquiesced. We are both excited about the budding alliance you have struck with Lord Ahto. I have sought to seek Lord Howlan's blessing on such a relationship, but due to some recent troubles, your father has preferred to keep our family's business private, even from kin."
Your mother's writing style subtly shifts, betraying the hints of fear that she tries, in vain, to conceal. She reports that your father returned home a week prior to the writing of this letter, bearing a very angry wound along his left arm. He insists it was an accident upon the street involving a horse cart, but your mother strongly suspects he was attacked.
She does not deign to discuss who she believes may have been responsible, at least not in writing, but towards the closing of the letter she makes allusions that seem to be probing whether Tamlyn might be a safe haven for Pelipe's immediate family, against whatever unnameable foe could be at work.
Pelipe holds her letter close and reads it. As she does, a quiet sigh comes from her at various parts as she is sympathetic, sad, overjoyed, or excited about many things she briefly reads. In the end though, she seems almost afraid at what she is reading, particularly given her family's past with assassination attempts. This causes her to read more intently. So sudden a shift might be noticeable in her outward behavior, as well as her cheeks turning red and the rest of her turning pale.
"What happened between them? They've worked in unison for so many years?" Her father tends the mines and a good part of the influx of finances of the realm while Lord Howlan Garess rules it and lives in luxury. Could the disappearance of the dwarves in the north be causing a financial strain? Does Lord Garess blame her father for that? Something down here could have been responsible for it; which is partly why she is here--to see if these disappearances of nations are connected to the ones in the north. The news is troubling, especially since she has sent a letter already to Lord Garess. She cares for her granduncle and he cares for her too. Surely, there can't be a built-up contention between her parents and him?
At the end of the letter, she folds the papers up in thought and waits for the discussion with the other messengers to end.
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"If your company is interested in opening an office in Tamlyn, we would welcome you locating to Horace. There are many hardworking, productive citizens who would make use of your messengers," Ahto says to the office head.
Out of the corner of his eye, he catches Pelipe holding up her letter and smiling. He makes eye contact, nods his head, and gives a small smile in acknowledgement before returning back to the business at hand.
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Wonky cocks her head at the messenger guild clerk.
"Oh? That is curious." She then wanders off after perusing one of the expansive maps of the area on the wall.
Wonky waits patiently outside, seated on the curb outside the guild, continuing her scribbles in her journal, absently scratching Sprocket or Doo-dad behind the ears in the moments as she ponders her thoughts.
The messengers seem intrigued, if not excited, by the prospect of having a second base of operations in Horace. However, the older guild members temper this with an understanding of the wheeling and dealing necessary to make that happen.
The nominal ruler of the city-state and the surrounding small kingdom is Lord Mayor Raston Selline. He is advised by the High Council of Mivon, but one of the older messengers, won over by Ahto earlier, whispers that the council actually oversees a network of informants - which includes parts of the Messengers Guild - that keeps Selline apprised of everything that happens in and around the city.
"Nothing catches him by surprise. It's probably one of the reasons why Mivon's one of the more stable places in the River Kingdoms," the wrinkled messenger confides. "It allows him to confidently balance the needs of the city against the desires of the Mivoni Houses, and of course keep tabs on anyone fighting their way up the List of Suitors."
"Perhaps they have more complete information that could inform us of the situation behind the incidents occurring in Restov and Pitax."
"That would be tricky," the old messenger says, nodding his head solemnly. "Dangerous, too. The way ol' Raston jealously hoards his information, you'd think he was a dragon guarding his jewels. You'd have to make a hell of an offer to get any information from him, and if you try to question any of his agents behind his back, he'll probably send Gaspar, his number two, after you."
With their conversation seemingly wrapping up with the messengers, she will shuffle innocently up to Ahto's side and will place an interjecting but gentle hand on his forearm. He can feel the chilling coolness in her small feminine hand, as despite her best efforts of remaining calm and sturdy in appearance, the blood has flown from her and left her chilled in worry.
"If I could speak with you for a moment...It is a personal matter."
Pelipe takes the opportunity to allow Ahto to hold her hand. It is comforting how much warmer his are to hers.
She looks up to him now so that he can understand the gravity of the threat to her family. Then, in an effort to gain favor in the idea, she cannot help but levy some benefits to having them join.
"I am certain you would welcome all to your kingdom, but it is more than that. Assassins do not strike lightly. They wish to accomplish their goal. If my suspicions are correct, I will need a safe haven, and at this point, I have no idea the political ramifications of what is going on at home or that could potentially follow my family." She sighs. "Perhaps I am overthinking it, but I do not think so."
"Anyway, there is another issue. By my father saying to my mother that we should keep Lord Garess out of our family business for the moment...I am worried, as I have already written to him requesting his aid. You see, he is very dear to me, but I do not understand why my father would ask such privacy and I fear I have already ruined that. If the problem is with Lord Garess...I may have unknowingly instigated something with my letters sent with the Embeth Travelers. The need for my family to come would then be far nearer than later. In fact, I would mean to write them right now and send a letter to them as fast as possible."
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"Of course your family is welcome in Tamlyn. We will see what can be done to arrange protection for them, such as is within our ability to provide. Unfortunately, assassins do not always use blades, and a summoned demon or conjured ball of flame is more often than not impossible to anticipate or prevent. As for the political entanglements of your family with House Garess, perhaps some truce can be negotiated, if both parties are willing to sit down and discuss their grievances. I am willing to serve as a neutral arbiter, if they so desire."
Whatever Pelipe and Ahto speak of, it is clear what he has said has found favor with the mage. Her free hand remains in his and she inches closer.
Tilting her head, she then asks, "Are there any words you desire for me to include in the letter?"
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"A formal invitation to emigrate to Tamlyn, as well as reasonable assurances of safety once they have settled, as we discussed. You may wish to include mention that the current commander of our military is Keston Garess. I do not know how closely related he is to the Lord Garess your father is involved with, but the name alone warrants inclusion in your missive, lest there be any surprises at their arrival. As for other matters," he pauses meaningfully. "I would prefer to discuss those with your parents in person, though if you wish to make mention of them from your perspective, do not hesitate to do so."
"Very well," she answers while coming back to normal volume. Pelipe then chuckles lightly at the up-and-coming family history lesson.
"Kesten Garess is my first cousin once removed. Meaning that my mother is his cousin. Kesten's father, Even Garess is Lord Howlan Garess's brother. Even and Howlan are my granduncles. It's all very interesting..." she comments sarcastically as she moves to the counter to acquire from the postmaster a parchment and letter. After a speedy bit of writing, she will hand the letter off to be sent as fast as possible.
Pelipe has left it brief but definitely reassures her mother that she wishes to see her and her father sooner rather than later, that Tamlyn is a welcome place for them to visit this time of year, and even includes Ahto's formal invitation to emigrate. She also will have no need to mention Kesten as they already know of him, but will most certainly include her love. She will leave out the details of her mother's worries on the assassination, as her father typically reads their letters first, but she does warn that she has sent a message to Lord Howlan from the wilds of Uringen by horse. She also briefly makes mention of her growing affection for Ahto in the past weeks, mirroring the letter on its way to home already. Hopefully, the letter she sends now reaches home faster.
"As quaint as Brevic house politics may be, you may want to table this discussion for now. Besides the fact that you are sharing personal information right after being told that you're standing inside a hub of the local spy network," Althea warns, gesturing around at the Messengers Guildhall, "I can guarantee that Mayor Selline has already been informed of our presence and the questions we're asking.
"It is only a matter of time before he decides to ask his own questions, and he is just as liable to spring those questions upon us in a dungeon as a parlor, so it may be wise to continue on our way, if only so Miss Lightdriver and I can continue our conversation."
Katrine just shrugs. "I don't have anything to do here, so I'm fine with moving on." If her parents send her a return letter, it will most likely come via conventional messenger to Tamlyn. She doesn't think they've ever been to that area, so they won't be able to send her an animal messenger.
You press northward and put as much distance between you and Mivon as you can before nightfall. Although every league brings you closer to home, it also brings you further away from the surveillance and grasp of Lord Mayor Selline, which carries its own sense of relief.
"I'll take second watch." She won't be able to refresh the spell she cast earlier, but of this group, Katrine is the least dependent on her spells in combat. She can manage just fine if she's one spell down.
Once her turn at sentry duty comes up, Katrine finds a comfortable spot to sit where she can see the most likely approaches to their camp. "Storm, watch." The wolfdog's ears perk up. He stays lying down at her side for now, but he knows that he needs to be alert for danger.
The swampy reaches of the Hooktongue Slough extend to the north and west, and the tangle of the Narlmarches loom to the east. Rather than hazarding these regions by dying twilight, you stop and find a dry, defensible point on the edge of the forest to make camp.
You quickly train your eyes and ears in the same direction, looking for what has the wolfdog so agitated. You don't see anything, but you can hear the sounds of distant laughter and lyre music coming from the swampy forest.
"Good boy." Music and laughter, out here in the woods? That's got to be fey. Katrine grabs her bow and stands up, but doesn't move yet. Maybe the fey will move on without approaching the camp. Or maybe they're friendly, but she's not going to count on that.
Pelipe mostly ignores Althea's warnings due to the fact Ahto and her had separated themselves from others to have the discussion and she knows the woman just wants to interject. In any case, she finishes writing out the letter and sending it to her parents, then moves with Ahto and the others back out onto the road.
That night, she sleeps comfortably in her arrangements as normal, awaiting her turn to watch.
The vigilant Katrine, scanning the area around the campsite, discovers that Althea and Addy's bedrolls are empty. Although the former's bedroll is neatly laid out like a diligently made bed, the latter's bedroll has been cast aside roughly.
You find very fresh tracks in the soft ground around the campsite. Addy's distinctive footwear leaves equally distinctive tracks. She quickly rose from her bedroll of her own accord, pulled on her boots, and made for the swampy forest in the direction of the fey sounds.
Althea, as best as you can reason, followed suit very shortly afterwards.
There are no signs of struggle at all. Whatever is going on in the Slough has seemingly enticed the two women.
Katrine curses viciously under her breath. She needs the rest of the group for this. "HEY! EVERYONE!" The ranger runs over to Ahto's bedroll, shaking him if he doesn't respond to her shout. "Vixen and Althea are gone!"
Pelipe jumps awake at the shouting. She is a light sleeper at times anyway, so upon rising, she rubs the sleepiness from her eyes and brushes her hair from her face.
"What? Where? Where did they go?" she rhetorically asks, knowing that if Katrine had known where they went, she wouldn't have called out an alert.
The mage grabs up her things as quickly as she can and readies to travel. It is clear that they need to track those missing, so with her own limited vision, she will light up a magical light when the others consent to it being lit. With the others looking for signs surrounding them, she patiently waits and follows with sleepiness in her eyes.
Upon examining the tracks for himself, Ahto confirms what Katrine initially suspects: Addy and Althea left on their own, although not together. Addy got up first and moved at a hastened walk in the direction of the fey sounds that Katrine detected. Soon after, Althea got up and followed her at a more cautious pace.
By the light of Pelipe's magic, you find that their prints lead north by northwest, towards the Hooktongue Slough and the swampier reaches of the forest. You can now hear the sounds that first alerted Katrine whilst on watch. The lyre music wafting through the arching tree boughs is joined by the sounds of raucous laughter from a number of voices. The tangled maze of trees, hanging moss, and shrubbery makes it difficult to gauge the distance, but you estimate that the source is about a quarter mile ahead.
Pelipe will take this opportunity to surround herself with shielding magic. She will also pull out her spellbook and begin to work on memorizing a spell against mind control vs fae sources. When they get closer to the sounds, she will seek to cast this protection on Ahto.
"If I can," she interlaces her hands with one of Ahto's own briefly in worry, "...this spell will help ward you versus mind control. Let me strengthen you as well, should we face potential foes...And...Forgive me if I succumb and do anything I would not normally do."
She then empowers him with her protection and strength. It is clear to him that she cannot cast these spells again or else she would have warded herself too. She then retreats behind him and Katrine, allowing them to take the lead.
Katrine nods sharply, mouth set in a thin line. She's going to find their companions, and if they've been harmed in any way, these fey are getting a whole lot of cold iron arrows where the sun don't shine.
As you draw closer, the sounds become more distinct.
The laughter is periodically interrupted by various voices swapping bawdy jokes, sparking the next bought of laughter. Just beneath these sounds, you can hear the clink of bottles and occasional burps. Most of the voices sound like men, but a few sound larger and more brutish.
It comes like a splash of cold water when you hear Addison's voice pipe up among the others, sharing a joke story that she learned from one of Miss Tremaine's courtesans during the Crystalhue festival.
"Thank you for saving me the trouble of having to retrieve you."
Althea emerges from behind a thick curtain of willow branches draped above some low shrubs.
"When I noticed your outspoken dressmaker slipping away, I thought it would be wise to secretly chaperone her, especially to find out what mischief might have befallen her...or what mischief she might be up to."
The noblewoman grimaces as she swats away some insects that have fallen onto her arm and shoulder.
"She's found herself quite the revel out here in the swamp. I counted a half-dozen men and a trio of ogres using stumps and logs to host themselves a drunken banquet that your friend has now joined. The center of it all appears to be a pair of wild women, swamp witches or fey perhaps, who have purloined them of their senses."
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"Good evening, Friends," Ahto says, stepping into the clearing. "My name is Ahto Ulrych, Disciple of Abadar, and First Councilor of Tamlyn. I do not mean to put a damper on the evening's reverie, but Mrs. Kavinka is a member of our party, and has a spouse waiting for her back home. I would appreciate her release, as well as any other party-goers who are here by any means other than their own free will."
His tone is stern, but polite.
Pelipe quickly tries to locate VV in among the great host as they approach. Perhaps she can move to pull her away as soon as Ahto's discourse is done. As they meet up with their roguish companion, the mage wonders at Althea's comment about VV potentially being up to mischief and it leaves a bad taste in Pelipe's mouth. The Vixen has done nothing in Pelipe's eyes to warrant such thoughts...
"It's like father used to say, 'if you are consumed in judgment toward others to where it's every active thought, look to yourself, as you are more likely to be the one with the deeper problem. If Althea thinks the Vixen would be up to no good, perhaps it is Althea who is up to no good in her own heart?" She wonders at this.
"They do seem like a merry bunch," she states under her breath. "Am I to drink these foes under the table too?" she playfully smirks to the others, recalling the tavern and the mob she put down. When their leader calls out, she also straightens up and moves next to and behind him so as to present an allied force.
Katrine follows Ahto, a couple steps behind and to the left, with her bow in hand. Storm is right by her side, ears flattened. He knows something is wrong.
She shakes her head at Pelipe's offhand comment. "I wouldn't, if I were you. Who knows what's in the drinks?" Could be drugs, could be magic, could be some of each. Whatever's going on, it managed to lure Vixen away from the camp. I don't think she would have wandered off into the woods without telling anyone if she wasn't under the influence somehow.
A handful of broad-topped tree stumps rise from the center of the clearing, their surfaces polished smooth and set with cups, plates, and pitchers all carved from wood. Fruits, roasted meats, cheeses, and red wine overflow the serving dishes.
The revelers are just as Althea reported. Six of them are human men in various states of undress, but the clothes they still wear are comparable to those worn by the guild messengers in Mivon - suggesting that this is the fate of the ones who supposedly went missing.
The others are a trio of ogres with a homely but unmistakable family resemblance. You suspect these may be stragglers from the Stroud Family. Quite horrifically, they are entirely nude.
The Vixen stands in the midst of this audience. Finding that her attempts at comedy have fallen flat, she now demonstrates her acrobatic expertise to entertain the other ensorcelled revelers, and especially the two women who seem to be the hosts or guests of honor.
One of the women is utterly unfamiliar to you, although she is quite winsome. She is dressed in a long, plain, gray dress and rests a lyre upon her lap. Her long, dark hair is unbound and hangs down her back. Your interruption seems to irritate her, but Ahto's diplomatic approach stays her anger or indignation for now.
The other woman stands bolt upright when Ahto speaks, and you find that she is quite recognizable. You remember her as Elenthe, the eccentric swamp-dwelling dryad and sister of Tiressia. She still wears the shoes that the Vixen provided her, and she has kept them much cleaner than the rest of her moss, leaf, and twig-bedecked patchwork clothing.
"Do not mind these travelers, Lady Tromaki," Elenthe says to the woman with the lyre. "These are...subjects of mine. They have come to report on important business involving...let's say...some rivals of mine. Please give me a moment to confer with them in private."
Elenthe quickly crosses the clearing and leans uncomfortably close to Ahto.
"Play along," Elenthe whispers, clearly very nervous and agitated. "Tromaki has mistaken me for someone else. Someone very powerful. A someone who may or may not have killed Horace. She wants to impress me...er, impress them...by setting these people upon each other in a 'gloriously bloody spectacle of slaughter.' Her words, not mine. I've been stalling her as long as I can, but I'm running out of ideas."
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Ahto gives Elenthe a deep, respectful bow. He then whispers to the dryad, "My dear Lady Elenthe, might I suggest you tell the Lady Tromaki that your retainers require the humans to bolster their numbers against your rival, but that you would very much like to see the ogres fight each other to the death."
"Should we not move near and just strike her down when her focus is elsewhere? I mean, since she is in allegiance with ...you know who? I do not see why these innocents have to die, even if they may likely be from the Strouds. Imagine if they were elves and not ogres, my lord."
Pelipe is unable to identify whether a spell or some innate ability of the fey is at work here.
Ahto correctly recognizes the ogres as sons of the Stroud Sisters.
Ahto gives Elenthe a deep, respectful bow. He then whispers to the dryad, "My dear Lady Elenthe, might I suggest you tell the Lady Tromaki that your retainers require the humans to bolster their numbers against your rival, but that you would very much like to see the ogres fight each other to the death."
"I don't know how well I'll be able to convince her. It's something of a miracle that I've fooled her thus far. This may be hard to belief, considering how charming, ravishing, and stylish I am," Elenthe says, gesturing towards her mossy rags, without a hint of sarcasm, "but I'm not the most guileful of socialites."
Pelipe disagrees, which Ahto can see partially on her face. It is not a full disagreement, as she's not stupid in recognizing that the ogres most certainly have done evil, want to do evil, and if given the chance, would relish it. It is more that she understands treaties, and the deal with the Strouds included their sons, regardless of the distance between the current family and these unfortunate souls who were lured (which is ironic). In the end, she lets it go and bows her head, deferring to his judgment and follows along.
When Elenthe comments on her social hindrances, Pelipe smiles, saying, "I have seen nothing to indicate anything but the most elegant of social graces."
With that, the mage moves forward to meet this Lady Tromaki.