Joanna sinks into a chair as told and sips at her tea. Her thoughts grow fuzzy as the day's event's catch up to her. The cup and saucer find themselves on the table as Joanna begins to doze off.
Must be more tired than I thought. I'll just rest my eyes for a minute. I can listen while I do that. Just a minute...to...rest...
"The skinsaw cult they were called," Teldon offers when it comes up, "they can't have had anything to do with this because they were taken care of years ago. But the fact that they used this symbol shows that either someone in the group had some connection with one of the shards, or enough knowledge of Thassilonian lore to choose the symbol..."
As Briana begins recounting the tale of their exploration he retrieves his copious notes from his bag and hands them to Lady Heidmarch to be used as reference throughout the story.
As Zee sinks into the comfortable chair and enjoys a cup of tea, she too starts to get drowsy.
"It's been an eventful day! Now that I'm sitting down, I realize just how exhausted I am!"
Arsith takes some tea, and the grace and manners she uses show she is,indeed, a noble born woman at heart
She seems, if possible, even sadder after Briana's words, and keeps silent
So she doesn't know the truth? My poor Lenore... Our families surely put some wool over everyone eyes....
Sitting in front of the fire, with Jacanne’s delicious buns and warm spiced tea, the efforts of the day start to take their toll on some of the group – eyelids gently drooping as Lady Heidmarch listens intently to your account of the day. As Ziomarra and Joanna snooze, you move to a table where Teldon’s notes and Briana’s paintings are laid out and pored over…
It is clear that your fastidious recording and the extent of your discovery has impressed Varisia’s venture captain, ”This is all so fascinating…I wish that we had been able to see it before the Tower Girls had stripped the rooms of their wealth but, from Briana’s paintings, it seems that some of the artistry still remains intact. Of course, this endeavour must remain secret…the City would take a dim view of such a full exploration of the piling – even though we are merely following in someone else’s footsteps. You’re sure there wasn’t any evidence of anything beyond the Sczarni and their rats?”
Soon talk moves on to the set of double doors that prevent further access into the piling, ”It seems though that you have reached a bit of a dead end?”, Lady Heidmarch takes Briana’s painting of the bowl within the doors and sits back near the fire. ”Curious…I’m sure I’ve seen something like this not so long ago. I will need to spend some time in the library and think on it. Sir Canayven will return shortly and I’ll discuss with him”
She looks at the group, realising for the first time just how tired you are, ”Forgive me, you’ve had a long and difficult day. I’d like to invite you to stay here tonight and we can talk more in the morning”. Lady Heidmarch calls for Jacanne and, when he arrives with a set of reading glasses perched on the bridge of his nose, she asks him to get rooms ready for you. He smiles at her request and, before disappearing upstairs, tells you that he has made a fine Qadiran soup if you wanted something warm to eat before retiring.
Lady Heidmarch turns to Arsith, ”It is late to be travelling in the city, please do stay as well… it may be that you can help my pathfinders in the coming days… would you mind?”
I won't. I mean, I won't mind.It is very kind of you, Lady Heidmarch, and I am very thankful. I just hope I'll be more helpful to your team than I have been for this poor girl, entombed in her corpse.
Zee stirs as the assembly returns to the fire, and seems somewhat embarrassed by nodding off in her hostess' presence.
She eagerly accepts Lady Heidmarch's invitation to supper and to spend the night at the Heidmarch Manor.
Teldon actually seems slightly disappointed that reporting on the exploration and discussing the missing 'key' has concluded so quickly, but is grateful for a warm meal and a dry bed. After eating he retires to his appointed room and falls asleep almost immediately.
He rises early in the morning, tends to his gear, prepares his extracts, and heads to library where he reads up on Bakrakhan's history and geography until someone fetches him for breakfast.
The exertions of the day are long forgotten as sleep washes over you...
You wake to the smell of coffee wafting through the manor and the bustle of pots and pans clanking in a kitchen somewhere. When you come down from your bedrooms, or across from the library, Sharika is on hand, with a smile, to direct you towards the dining room...
Already there and poring over a journal are Lady Heidmarch and her husband, Sir Canayven Heidmarch, "Aaah, good morning...I trust you slept well? We've looked on on Natalya but no change I'm sad to say"
Sir Canayven gestures for you to take a seat and to help yourself to some of the fare that is laid out on the table, "My wife has told me some of what you discovered yesterday - tell me, did you discover anything that indicates what may be further within the 'Crow'?"; pouring a second cup of coffee, "We have a few theories on the door but I'd like to hear your thoughts"
When Briana comes into the room, Sir Canayven makes a specific point of congratulating her upon the paintings she has made within the piling, "Needless to say neither myself nor my wife can risk travelling out to the 'Crow', the consequences to the society of being caught are too severe...but your paintings give a great sense of what it is like over there"
So tired was Nalathi the previous night, after filling her stomach with hot food in front of a warm fire, that she forgot to check herself for a mark like the one on Natalya's chest before collapsing on the bed provided to her.
Come to me, a loud, whispering voice says in her dream. I, who was once whole, am now broken. Come, and make me one again. Come to me... come to me... come to me...
Nalathi opens her eyes, remembering nothing of the dream except the disembodied voice. Morning sunlight streams into the room. She leaves the bed, removes her top, and stands in front of the mirror, naked to the waist. She breathes a sigh of relief. Her ashen skin is as unmarked as it has always been. She dons the rest of her clothes and armor and heads down for breakfast.
"Hopefully, it'll take us to the next one of these," she says, touching the shard at her chest. "It's not behind that door, but maybe the way to get to it is."
Joanna wakes up in a bed with her armor strewn about the room, and no recollection of how she got there.
Oh right, must have been half-asleep when I came up here, she thinks as she gets up and stretches the stiffness from her limbs and back. Soon, she was dressed and refreshed, her armor bundled neatly on a bench at the foot of the bed, and ready to start her morning devotions to the Inheritor.
Only to be interrupted by her stomach.
She manages to complete her prayers, and apologizes for her haste, since her stomach was taking exceptions with her missing supper last night. She forces herself to walk down the stairs slowly and smile pleasantly at Sharika as she shows the way to where breakfast was being served.
As she walks into the room she bows to her kind host and hostess while wishing them a good morning and makes her way to the table laded with food. Pancakes, sausages, fruit, and vegetables, along with a little more syrup than was healthy, are piled onto her plate, and swiftly disappear with improbable neatness.
"Sorry, I forgot to eat before passing out last night."
Arsith comes down the stairs, and meets the Heidmarches on her way to the breakfast. Her white hair is carefully brushed and tied with a black velvet band, and she wears a simple, white robe with a grey sash.
The only jewellry displayed are her holy symbol and her signet ring
Milady Heidmarch, Sir Heidmarch, thank you again for your hospitality. Your home is an heartwarming place.
She takes a small portion of food and sits near Joanna, with a smile
Breakfast are important meals. On the battlefield, you never know when you'll be able to eat next...and sometimes it's important not knowing what you'll eat next. So enjoy this warm breakfast.
Teldon arrives for breakfast just in time to hear Nalathi and Briana's comments on the shard. As he fixes his own plate, he responds, "given the prevalent iconography of Alaznist and the subject matter of the door's riddle, it seems a reasonable conclusion that it is the wrath shard."
Between enthusiastic swallows of coffee he adds, "do you think you might be able to procure another one of those ioun stones before we venture back into the crow? We've seen the effect these shards can have on their bearers... I hate to think what might become of us if one of us were overcome with wrath before we're able to return..."
Joanna chases a mouthful of food with a few gulps of juice before turning to Arsith.
"Trust me, I am. Brother Titus had me eat hardtack one time, and that was enough for me to never complain about anyone's cooking again."
Turning her attention to the Hiedmarch's she flashes a dazzling smile and tells them, "Thank you for providing this wonderful meal, and please let whoever did the cooking know that it was most excellent."
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Zee stands at the ledge, looking down at the crashing surf a thousand feet below. The wooden platform stretches 50 feet away, and she grasps a flimsy rope, steeling her nerves to swing across. "Don't fall, Zee! It's a long way down!" observes a disquietingly cheery Nalathi. "NO, DON'T FALL, ZIOMARRA!" booms the voice of the animated face of The Fiend from the oversized Harrow card hanging from her friend's neck, "BUT IF YOU DO, I WILL CATCH YOU! HA HA HA!" She looks back to her friends standing behind her... Brianna ignores her while she paints the facade of Kaer Maga on a canvas at an easel; Joanna stares at her impassively while standing in her Hellknight armor, clutching a black-bladed two-handed sword in her hands. Somethings's not right about that... "Are you going over or what?" asks Teldon. Wait, that's not Teldon, that's 'cousin' Milos Drendori from the family carravan. What's he doing here? Another voice cries, "Swing across, my dear! The cards show it's easy!" The Amazing Zograthy turns over a battered Harrow card... The Avalanche. That's not a good card. The old man laughs menacingly, and he and Milos grab Zee's shoulders and push her roughly over the edge. She swings through the air far too slowly. She sees the gargoyles carved on the opposite pillars turn to look at her with glowing red eyes and their stony mouths turn to evil grins. "I got you, Zee!" says Embyr, standing on the wooden platform. Zee reaches out to grab the Tower Girl's arm, but now there's a Thassilonian dagger in her own hand. As she passes, she unthinkingly stabs Embyr in the neck, and the girl falls backward off the platform. Then the rope snaps, and Zee falls after her... falling... falling to the angry surf below...
"AAAGHHH!" Zee bolts upright in bed, trembling uncontrollably. Her eyes dart around the unfamiliar room, and for a moment, she doesn't know where she is. "What?! Where...? Pathfinders. Heidmarch Manor. I spent the night at Heidmarch Manor...
He hearbeat stops racing, and she rises from the bed. She walks to the small writing desk in the room, and opens her Harrow deck. She shuffles and lays out the cards in numerous complex patters, which etch their own magical patterns in her mind; her spells for another day. Completing that, she lays out a short reading for herself.
...lawful
...neutral
The fiery dwarf represents strength and steadfastness in the face of danger. Though the road be perilous, I will stand my ground and not succumb to my own fear.
She then closes her eyes and prays a silent prayer to the Starsong: Blessed is the long road, the destination, the homeward path, and all who make the journey. Please bless my dreams to be bright stars in the night sky of my mind, and may your blessed starlight illumine my path.
With that, Zee gets dressed and heads downstairs to join the others for breakfast.
Once everyone is gathered around the table, Sir Canayven let's you know his thoughts, "First off, I have to agree with Teldon, everything seems to point towards this being the final resting place of the Wrath Runelord's shard...Alaznist, the last of the Runelords of Wrath, presided over the kingdom of Bakrakhan prior to the end of the Thassilonian empire - the Irespan was originally a mighty bridge leading to the very heart of her lands - so, it stands to reason that some of her treasures may still be within the ruins. The paintings, the statues and the sihedron all seem to suggest the same thing...", Sir Canayven gives Teldon a smile, one scholar to another, before continuing, "When you do return to the piling, we must ensure you have an Ioun stone capable of rendering the shard less potent in it's effects...however, it may be a while before you return...Dearest?"
At Sir Canayven's request, Lady Heidmarch rolls out a small parchment onto the table - on it is a pencil drawn representation of some form of medallion...Lady Heidmarch looks to you for a response and then you see it... the medallion is the exact reverse of the recessed bowl you found in the double doors within the 'Crow'. Noting your realisation, she explains, "I knew I had seen something similar to Briana's painting so I have been back through our records...this is a medallion that we believe was routinely worn by officials within Alaznist's circle of power - we thought it merely ceremonial or decorative in purpose but it seems that it has other functions...what if it is a key? You said there were scratches on the basin, as if something was inserted into it, I think that you are looking at that something"
Sir Canayven coughs, "There's a problem though...that drawing was intercepted from a communication from the Bronze House in Dockway a few months ago...this relic is in the hands of the Aspis Consortium"
The Wrath Runelord's shard... For what seems like the dozenth time, Nalathi's hand goes to the shard at her neck. This little stone sure seems to have placated you pretty well. We'll definitely need another, and hope it has the same effect. Remembering the effect this shard had had on her, she doesn't want to think about what might happen if this next one gets hold of one of the others. All you did was make me more confident, really. She's fairly certain the influence of a Shard of Wrath wouldn't be as much fun. She looks at Briana. What would it look like if she slowly got angrier?
"The Aspis Consortium? Who're they?"
"Why is that bad news?" Teldon asks, "the Consortium cares only for profit... I know they tend not to be fond of us but couldn't you just hire a non-pathfinder to buy it from them?"
"It may not be that simple. One question they could ask is how they know about the key. If only they and the Pathfinders know about it in the first place, then using a proxy is moot point." Joanna tells Teldon.
"Why would they even suspect it was a key?" Teldon asks, "We're the only ones who have seen that lock in centuries. Surely they only recognize its value as a significant artifact of Thassilon. It was the personal property of a member of Alaznist's inner circle... that's enough to make it very valuable, and very expensive to purchase, but there are plenty of collectors who would have an interest in it and the Consortium would have no reason to suspect the Pathfinders would have any special interest in it..."
"Teldon, the point isn't whether they know it's a key or not, but whether they know it exists at all. If the Apsis Consortium hasn't released that the have the key for sell, then how will our friend know of it in the first place?"
Joanna shrugs before continuing on.
"Anyway, I'm sure the Hiedmarches have something in mind, otherwise they wouldn't be telling us this."
At Joanna's insistence that the Heidmarches must have a plan Teldon abandons any discourse with her and turns his attention to them to see if she is correct...
I'm sorry, but I'm totally clueless about the Aspis... Consortium. What are they? A bunch of merchants, it seems? Are they foes of the Pathfinders?
"So, the Consortium has the artifact we need. That is not good news. You say that medallions like this were worn by officials in Thassilon... That would imply that there are more of them. Do you have a lead on another...or are you implying that we need to recover that one from Bronze House?"
Responding to Nalathi and to Arsith, Lady Heidmarch explains, ”The Aspis Consortium are a large…and incredibly unscrupulous…trade organisation with a huge presence across Avistan. There is little they wouldn’t do to turn a profit – we, the Society that is, constantly find they have looted the ancient ruins of Varisia to sell relics to the highest bidder…all of that ancient knowledge lost to avarice – the Consortium has been a presence in Varisia for many years with a base of operations down in Dockway – the Bronze House? You may have seen it whilst you have been down that part of the town… it’s an ostentatious building – quite typical of the Consortium and their vulgar tastes”
Continuing in response to Teldon's suggestion that the relic could be purchased on the society's behalf, ”I’m afraid Joanna is correct, the issue is not whether the Consortium know if it is a key – although I think we can be pretty sure that they don’t – it’s the fact that, so far as we know, this relic has yet to be offered out onto the open market. We’re not even certain that the object is even in Magnimar at the moment – the manuscript that accompanied this drawing suggested it was one of a number of items due to be shipped to the Bronze House over the last few months.”
Sir Canayven interjects, "It is of prime importance that the Consortium are not made aware that we have been able to monitor some of their communication - simply approaching the Consortium offering to buy the relic is too risky. Lady Heidmarch and I have been discussing this, we can use the fact that you are not known to be members of the society to our advantage – you will need to infiltrate the Consortium somehow, locate the relic and obtain it. We could use an intermediary but, with the stakes as high as they are, we need to ensure that a minimum number of people know of our endeavour”
Ziomarra pauses a moment, as if weighing whether or not to say what's on her mind. "There's one thing we may have forgotten to mention last night. One of the Tower Girls we captured and released guessed that we were Pathfinders. We denied it, but I think she knows the truth. We did not hand them over to the city guards because we thought that would draw undue attention and raise questions we would not have been prepared to answer. I do not believe they will bother us again. Unless the Consortium gets to them first..."
guile, subterfuge, infiltration... none of these are strengths of mine... or most of the girls for that matter... Joanna in particular has seemed unwilling or unable to adapt to other people's ruses and averse to telling lies of her own, perhaps because of something in her vows... we seem ill-suited to this task...
"I see..." Teldon replies to Sir Canayven, with some clear discomfort.
She really does not like those people. Nalathi furls her brow. "I might be able to get in unseen, but... I wouldn't know where to go from there." And if this group is as big and as powerful as all that, it would by far be the riskist scout I've ever done, she mentally adds.
"Hmmm..." Zee looks at Teldon and smiles. "Perhaps we could be the retinue of a dilettante scholar and collector of antiquities from Absalom... Who'd heard whisper that the Consortium had this particular relic... Teldon, that role would not necessarily rely on your acting skills."
I'm afraid my approach is more straightforward too.I'm not much a liar and deceiver.
Joanna looks distinctly uncomfortable at the mention of infiltrating the Aspis Consortium and seems to shrink into her chair, looking less like a Paladin of the inheritor and more like a little girl wishing she could disappear at the moment.
"My Lady, I know that I gave my word that I would help you find the pieces to the Shattered Star, but guile and deception are two things that I am most definitely not skilled in. I'll gladly go along to protect whoever attempts this, but I would much prefer to find a way to secure this that wouldn't cause an issue if one of us, myself especially, fails to convince them were are something else than what we are."
Of course, you are making quite sure that everyone else seems to think you just a humble servant of Iomedae, and not the scion of a noble house, aren't you, Lady Josephina Annabelle Whitehall.
Apparently thinking better of her earlier suggestion, Zee backtracks. "Hmmm... Perhaps deception and subterfuge are not really our strengths after all." She looks to the armor-clad Joanna, the white-haired Arsith, and to Nalathi. "Many of us are rather distinctive in appearance, as well. Do we have any way to know if the Consortium plans to put this item up for auction any time soon? We could simply then show up as buyers and submit the highest bid." She pauses and then adds, "Or otherwise convince the winner to sell it to us after the auction is over."
With a pensive look, she muses, "Who do I know that might have 'in' at Bronze House..."
Sir Canayven looks at Lady Heidmarch and raises an eyebrow, she shrugs back at him before responding to Ziomarra's suggestion.
"I suppose your approach, if you really don't feel able to approach the consortium, may yield a result if you strike lucky. You see, the leadership of Magnimar's consortium is broken up into a strict hierarchy of power with the lowest and most common members being no more than mercenaries who partake in the various odd jobs assigned by true Aspis agents - there is no value in seeking such folk out as they will have no information of value. No, you need to seek out a Bronze agent - maybe a dockworker, freelancer, or a lowly adventurer seeking money and improved status. Find a Bronze agent and you may be able to learn of shipments....or, better still, of a sale or an auction"
- you don't know of anyone who is, openly or otherwise, working for the Aspis Consortium
Teldon continues analyzing plans and mentally running through various scenarios... "What exactly were you thinking of in terms of infiltration?" he asks the Heidmarches. "I can't think of any scenario in which we're able to perpetrate a significant deception with any reliability... That leaves intrusion, but it sounds like there are far too many magical and mundane security measures for that to have much likelihood of success, or a minor deception... the highest chance of success I can envision would be to join the Consortium and work our way up as quickly as possible until we're either in a position to procure the item with little resistance, or are able to help broker a sale to one of your contacts... I suspect that may take too long, though..."
Joanna feels her face flush with shame as she recognizes the signs form the Hiedmarches. Those were the same signs Brother Titus used when she failed to do something correctly when she should have been capable of doing it right without any prompting. The Paladin can't help but fidget as her desire to remain anonymous wars with her desire to be useful, and her shame at letting anyone down. As Teldon runs through a few possible ideas, one comes to Joanna.
Uncharacteristic indecision makes her almost squirm in her chair for another moment before nervously speaking up.
"T-there might be another way," The young paladin looks to Lord Hiedmarch and gnaws on her bottom lip for second before letting out a sigh as her shoulders sag, "I... haven't been entirely truthful to all of you. I do go by Joanna, and I am a servant of Iomedae, but I'm not just that." The young woman hangs her head, staring at her hands as she twiddles her thumbs. "My full name is Joesphina Annabelle Whitehall, heir to the Whitehall title and my father's business, a small shipping company that makes runs from Kalsgard to Absolom," the words come out slowly, almost as if speaking them is painful, "I... I could pose as a young noblewoman attempting to land her first contracted shipment. Th-that might...might give us a lead or...some...thing."
Zee frowns at the Heidmarches' obvious air of disappointment. She seems surprised at Joanna's revelation at being a Magnimaran noble, but the name doesn't really register. Her many contacts are decidedly at the lower end of the social strata, after all.
With that revelation and Joanna's suggestion, Zee returns to thinking about her earlier suggestion.
"Hmmm... Joanna, I like where you're heading with that. You may not need to name-drop on this, especially if you want to leave your family out of it. If we go back to my earlier suggestion of Teldon posing as an amateur collector of antiquities, you could pose as his local patron from the upper crust of society. I could pose as his spiritual adviser, Brianna as his artist on staff, and Arsith and Nalathi as our guards. The fact that such dilettantes sometime surround themselves with young women might add to the ruse... But, how do we get the 'in' into Bronze House? We probably can't just walk up and knock on the front door!"
She looks at Joanna, then at the others. The name Whitehall, of course, means nothing to someone raised in a cave community, so she'll take Joanna at her word that hers is a powerful family. Nalathi giggles at Ziomarra's suggestion. "Guards? Me? I'm flattered, but... Don't you think that would look a bit odd? She's twice my size."
Maybe the Heidmarches were thinking too highly of this little group and me? I suppose that, as Pathfinders, they are used to stealthiness.Tha's simply not my forte.
Arsith listens to Joanna
The name of your family is respected in Magnimar, Joanna. You chose another path than the mercantile business, but that's nothing to be ashamed of. You should be proud of yourself, and your family should be equally, if not more, proud of you. My own family and myself have..parted way a few years ago, but the D'Abariane name still caries some weight in Magnimar too.
"Yes, names are important..." Teldon agrees as he considers the logistics of Zee's plan, "and if we take this approach you will have to pick another one and convince them it is yours... And we run the risk of you being recognized. Either of you... Arsith, you have a rather distinctive look; and, Jo your family sounds like exactly the type that the Consortium would keep a close eye on..."
"Teldon is right, approaching the Consortium directly carries too much of a risk - one doesn't simply walk into the Bronze House and ask to see their wares. Much better to get them to notice you and have them approach you - if they see a profit to be turned they're not going to dig too much...as long as you aren't dealing with the higher echelons of the Consortium, it should be okay"
Lady Heidmarch takes a sip of coffee, "If you do play this charade out, you will need to go by assumed names although Ziomarra's suggestion of roles does carry some logic...", she turns to Sir Canayven who nods back at her, "Sir Canayven and I can bankroll this endeavour if you choose to see it through"
"I can... I can talk to one of the people my father left in charge of his business after he passed away, to see what we can do make this more believable." Joanna's nervousness is obvious, but she seems less ashamed now that she was helping with the problem.
"I'm afraid that Brother Titus left out how to attract the attention of unscrupulous groups with the intent on deceiving them while training me as a priestess of Iomedae. Do you have any ideas on how we can start?"
"I guess it depends how you want to approach this...if you're fresh in from distant lands then setting up in Dockway and splashing a little bit of money may be a good way of getting noticed - there's a good few bronze agents we've been keeping our eyes on who work the quayside - we could give you some suggestions as to where to focus your efforts so as to grab their attention. Alternatively, if you want to play the Artifact collector angle then you would be well served getting your face known up in the Museum of Ages - might be a little more risky though, it's up in the Capital District and, so close to the Alabaster District, there is a chance of Joanna, Briana or Arsith being recognised."
Lady Heidmarch tries to reassure Joanna, "Joanna, there is no need for you to rekindle old coals...between us I'm sure that we can concoct a convincing cover story. It so happens that we know the Consortium here in Varisia has been coming under some pressure to 'liquidate some of their assets' - something to do with funding an expedition out to Vudra - you will find they will be a little more eager, and a little more forgiving of any inconsistencies, than they might normally be"
"I was thinking that poking around the Bazaar of Sails, asking about antiquities and splashing coin around would also be a place to get noticed by the Consortium."
"It's not the people. If my papa couldn't trust them, they wouldn't be running things. I'm just worried about my step-mother finding out. She can't remove them, since I am the rightful heir, but that wouldn't stop her from trying. Be-besides, if I never see them sitting in his office, it's like Papa's not really... gone..." Joanna's voice trails off. Her mind suddenly wandering memories that had been buried since she was just beginning to grow into womanhood.
Nalathi's eyes brighten at the idea of getting themselves noticed by spending money. "I like the first idea. I'm good at spending money." And even better at getting noticed around shops, she thinks wryly, remembering her history of getting chased out of one establishment after another.
"Well, I'm not a trained appraiser but with my knowledge of Thassilonian culture, history, and language I should be able to pass as an informed collector. At the least I'll do better at that than I would at lying." Teldon says, seeming cautiously optimistic about the plan being potentially viable.