Randir Archive 2

12/12/2020

• We go to visit Zelias and he heals us a lil
• He asks us what we know about the gods
• Randir knows of them, but does not have any real thought of them
• Theo doubts the "power" of the gods
• Zelias says thgere are things older than the gods... things in the earth
  • Ya know, like the computer we met
• Some say it has bene years since the gods have spoken to the people
  • Stories say they come down to the world to influence things and display their power
• Is the Empress of that kind?
  • She's thee "grand daughter" of a god... right?
• When Araman Sur bled, it created wonderous areas in the world
  • If his blood held that power, imagine what he could do?
• But these "gods" are mortal. They have emotions but they are mortal.
• If we want to know more about her past, Stratus Stormwall is a scholar at the library or at the Order of Truth who knows more about it.
• Randir offers to come have some tea sometime soon, just to hang out
• We head back out into Caer Sen
• We head over to the Order of Truth
• We talk to this bro named Stratus Stormwall, blue skinned duded
• Dude talks to us about magic, the empress didn't use components to make her magic work... right?
• If she knows so much about magic, maybe that's what makes her a god?
• She was educated in the Order of Truth
• This dude seems very interested in Resurrection magic...
• We break for dinner deciding... even with Randir's hesistation, we will help the Empress in her quest
• We rest.... THEN WE LEVEL UP!!!!!!
• The next morning, we head to see the Cinder Root Trio to check if Commander Foss has been around
  • No one has been around, they're doing well
• We head out to see the Empress... and a small group of bluecoats seem to look away from us as we notice them
• We walk away...
• Suddenly, a dwarf pops out: [Something] Craghelm
  • He welcomes us
• Ulertu and Randir overhear hr advisor saying, "She may NOT leave the palace."
  • RUH ROH
  • This dude doesn't seem to trust the Empress
• We walk into the throne room
• We accept her quest and she asks us what we want from her?
  • KNowledge of The Order of the Dragon -- one person
  • Information about the origins of magic
  • A boon for our future travels
• She wants to know what is north where the Order Of the Dragon is
  • And what does she expect to do with the knowledge?
  • She expects we will know what to do when we find it
• She believes Theo and Ulertu will find what they're after in the north
  • "Randir, attend to these places. You seek guidance. Seek out the power of this world. Seek out the heart of the forest."
• "Go with my blessing." she says
• Ok. SO we gotta go north.
• Craghelm tells us come see him if/when we need transport
• We don't have a timeframe here...
• Before we leave the city, Randir wants to meet with Torbin.
• So Randir goes to the Lockwood estate
• He meets a halfling man, Osmo Lockwood
  • This dude goes and talks to Torbin
  • Osmo's Grand dad was "brought back" apparently -- lots of money
  • When he came back he wasn't the same person
  • If this money can't do what we need, he's not sure what to to make of Theo
• Osmo asks Randir about the greatest magic he's ever witnessed
  • Randir tells a tale about a nomadic tribe who pulled all of the light out of the forest for some ritual
  • This chilled him to the bone. But it showed him there was something larger than him, his family, and the forest.
• Osmo tells Randir about how the gods used to be more persuasive
  • The kind of magic used on Theo hasn't been seen in centuries
  • You can heal a wound, but you can't heal a soul
• "If you friend is truly that special, well... we should hook ourselves to that wagon."
• Dude hired an Order of the Truth guy Status Stormwall
• Randir leaves, spreading flowers from his staff as he leaves
• We need to:
  • Shop
    • GET A MAP
  • Find transport
  • Speak to Torbin

11/28/2020

• From last session: Torbin said, "If people could be brought back, people would hear about it. This kind of thing only happens in stories."
• We make our way to the plaza which is PACKED--we get there a little late.
• Ulertu and Theo see the Empress' guards around her far up by the foot of the steps of the risen platform far ahead
• We see Pallas, the quartermaster from the notherner's ship
• This dude seems to be confused as to why these boxes were being sent to Blackbriar
• We explain the situation and he says, "What do we do?"
• We need to find the northmen... Randir ponders
• We only have minutes until the speech
• Pallas recalls that the northmen went off to the sides of the square to get a better view closer to the fountain(?)
• Just then Ultertu sees a blue scarf in the crowd... Randir pushes him towards the crowd, "Go find it, we will catch up"
• We follow Ulertu, getting within 50-60ft of the stairs of the stage
• He loses the blue scarf he was following...
• He notices some of the guards are missing on the opposite side of the plaza on the roof.
• Ulertu notices more people on the steps, specifically: Tane Faradon (the ranger from the White Orchard)
• The horns come up, and the building in the center of the plaza opens it's 30ft tall doors.
• The empress is among us.
• The crowd gasps, then applauses massively
• She's wreathed in golden light
• She speaks:
  • She apologizes for being gone for so long
  • She wants to empower the people for the "Storms to come"
    • SHE LOCKS EYES WITH RANDIR
  • She speaks about the battles beyond Caer Sen. (gesturing to Tane and his group)
  • Randir notices a shared look between the Senator and the Empress
  • She mentions people want her to step down
  • "I am the remainder of the gift from the Gods"
    • Some voices shout dissent
      • "YOU'RE A MURDERER!"
      • "MY SENATOR WILL TAKE CARE OF ME!"
    • People in the crowd begin to fight
  • The Empress pleads for unity
• Randir sees a man across the plaza on a roof, with a bow drawn
• INITIATIVE
• We get in some fights, the Empress gets stabbed pretty badly, these fuckin assassins have goddamn poison
• We get surrounded by the guards of the Empress
• "You're coming with us!"
• We're brought inside and the guards speak with us
• The big Paladin who was helping the Senator is named Daario (something)
  • Dude warns us that we should be careful
• We're allowed to be about a hundred feet away from here but when she speaks, it's as if she's right next to us
  • She thanks us
• We tell her we sort of knew this would happen...
• She asks us why we came to Caer Sen
• She asks if we believe in fate
• Randir and Ultertu believe in coincedence, Theo is unsure. His fate has been affected by higher powers in the past...
• She approaches us
• She is Empress Amalia Aramant
• "Surely you feel guided by the hand of another?"
  • Theo remarks on this
• The Empress wants to offer us a quest and Randir questions it
  • She peers into his mind and it is painful as he resists
  • She gazes into his mind and looks through the pages of his life
• She says, "I know who you are..."
• She explains that as she's gotten older, her wants and needs have changed. She no longer wants fame or fortune...
• "All I have left is love for my family, for the city that raised me."
• She says she has few friends and fewer allies
• Randir asks, "but why us?"
  • She commands no armies, people who follow her follow her for things she's done
  • We would be unattached, we would not be blinded
• Randir speaks for the group: "We would be up for any task."
• We represent much of what this kingdom has lost, or forgotten
• We talk of good and evil and power and...
• The Empress does not want to show her full power to the people, she does not want to rule by fear
• Randir asks what kind of power she could have if the three of them all can weild magic and can attain more
• She asks if we wish to see what her power is
• BOOM we're in a dark cave
  • we walk out of the cave over bodies
  • We come out to see the ruins of a huge battle
  • A single banner flies in the wind on a broken pike
  • There is a small crowd of people, a storm rages around
  • THe Empress emerges from the crowd, she is unhindered by the battle or the storm
  • We move closer to the group to hear a conversation
  • The Empress looks down on a man on his knees
  • She looks bored
  • This battle is against a lord who "broke the peace"
  • She waves her hand.... and this dude is unmade... turned to ash in front of the group
  • "This is what becomes of those who defy me; who threaten my peace."
  • She unmakes the rest of the man's guard
• The scene fades.... and we're back in the Senate Hall
• The Empress looks at us, shameful
• Randir is kind of fucked up after this. He understands why she wouldn't want to use this power that way.
  • He can't fathom someone having that much power
  • He's disgusted by the inequality and unfairness and overt use of this power
• She wants us to investigate and intervene where she cannot
  • She wants us to save the land
• She's going to give us a day to decide if we want to help
• Randir has a very bad hunch about The Empress
  • How can you deal with a "devil" like this and not see the other shoe fall? And when it does, how does it play out for us.
• We kind of want to go speak to Zelias?
• Visit the Order of Truth
• And try to fix our relationship with Torbin.
  • Def want to know why he was so damn scared of The Gods / Resurrection.
• So we wrap on us getting Lunch and prepping to go se Zelias

11/8/2020

• We decide to accomplish three things before breakfast by splitting the party:
  • Theo is investigating the houses
  • Randir is investigating the docks
  • Ulertu is visiting Zelias
• Randir sneaks down into this ship as a rat where Theo was the day before
• On the way down, he avoids a crewmate going upstairs
• He heads down one more set of stairs
• He discovers some boxes covered in cloth, they smell metally, acrid
• He pops out of wild shape and checks the boxes (they have the sigil)
• He checks the ledger on the desk
  • Pallas is a new quartermaster as of 2 days ago, the previous one disappeared (According theo)
• Letter with a sigil of a tree (on the desk)
  • Well educated writing, "Instructions for delivery of lord Blackbriar's belongings"
  • Deliver these boxes to the tavern in the dock district with the blue awnings - they will be collected and distributed to the correct locations
    • Do not open or tamper with
  • In merchant guild markings with contents:
    • 10 crates filled with clothing and personal sundries, books, items from his personal collection, his personal collection of cloaks & capes (which he is known for)
• only 3 boxes under the cloth
• He Notices that the tarp was here to cover the boxes and is much larger than the boxes that remain
  • Also, many holes around the cloth to pin them so they didn't get wet.
• He decides to open the boxes
  • One box has pottery - clay and steel pottery lined with hay
    • In one of the vases jingles
    • All of the vases are filled with small intricate knives
      • All of the knives are demascus steel
  • A collection of smaller boxes, intricately carved, silver fillagry
    • The small boxes are super light, they hold a very flexible wood. As he touches it, it feels alive
      • Randir hasn't encountered this before
      • Randir takes a piece.
  • The lady blackbriar's makeup collection and cloaks
    • one cloak looks REAL nice, maybe elven made (colorful patchwork leaves)
    • Another is black satin
    • The acrid smell is coming from the makeup containers, he opens one up and inside there isn't a liquid but like a very viscous liquid.
    • Randir is certain this is poisonous and wouldn't be something to ingest. It's definitely put on a weapon.
• Randir takes one knife, one piece of wood, and one portion of poison
• He pops back into rat form and gets away
• Then heads off to breakfast to meet Randir, Ulertu, and Theo with Torbin Lockwood
• He's curious about how we like the city, Randir says you can get arrested and released for defending yourself in this city with no problem
• He asks us about the Empress
• Her dad was proven that he was not a god
• Torbin believes the Empress must be powerful if she's lived for so long
• He doesn't believe Theo has spoken to his god before... but we tell him it's true.
• Theo fuckin died. But he's here.
• He believes us, but he regards us VERY differently after.
  • Wariness and fear.
• He walks off and Randir follows.
• He doesn't believe that Theo should be alive.
• He leaves. FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUCK
• Randir explains what he found on the ship and pulls the three items he took from the ship
  • They gang checks the stuff out
  • The knife is a +1 dagger
  • The wood has some runes that do transmutation magic to turn it into a bow
  • The Poison is from a creature among the coast (WYRMS) that exerts a venom. They're big ol monsters. Descended from Dragons.
    • Pirates would use this venom when fighting
      • Many have taken the Dragon/Wyvern as their sigil (ORDER OF THE DRAGON)
    • The container holds 2 applications on a blade
• We surmise that these boxes were moving at the tavern we were at last night
  • How many people are armed now?
  • Should we try to kidnap the empress?
• We finish breakfast and make our way to the plaza.
• We need to do something.... but what?
• END OF SESSION

10/11/2020

• Randir is taken away by guards
• Theo and Ulertu see as he is taken away and Theo questions Elena
• Elena: "You should have never gotten involved."
• Elena reveals she's been killing folks based on a list.
  • Arya style
• For the last year, she's been finding them one by one
• She's avenging her Father (and more?)
• Elena offers to break randir out of jail, but it's a bad idea. "He'll be fine."
• She offers to take Ulertu and Theo to investigate where the Empress may be assassinated tomorrow
• We soar north...
• A wagon carries Randir in the back
• 3 guards take Randir into this prison
• Randir is thrown into his cell, the guards yell, "Just admit it, and we'll hang ya. easy as that."
• Randir is interrogated "Commander Foss"
• He asks why we're in Caer Sen - randir gives a half truth.
  • "We're Root-heads" (aka followers of The Cinder Root Trio)
• The interrogation goes... oddly. Randir pushes back against some of the magic this Inquisitor uses on him
  • The Inquisitor is reading through his memories, but Randir eventually resists
  • "You are so untrained..." the Foss says
• Randir doesn't given anyone up...
  • "I've said what you wished me to say. That is all." -Randir
• The Inquisitor tries one more push of magic. It doesn't work.
• Randir is let go..........
• He goes invisible as he walks down the long road back to town.
• Meanwhile in town, Theo and Ulertu are looking into the square where the Empress is appearing
• They surmise that it's going to be pretty damn hard to pull this off
  • Elena explains how she thinks the presentation is going to go.
  • Lots of people, so it would be easier to blow the whole place up rather than kill one person
  • Someone would need to get EXTREMELY close to the Empress to assassinate her...
• Randir eventually comes into town and comes across the gang
• Elena recommends that maybe we need to reach out for help
  • We're supposed to meet A lockwood dude tomorrow for breakfast
  • Elena says that's too late
• Is there someone else we can speak to?
  • Northerners?
  • Can we figure out who is on the Empress' guard? (Zelias said they might be part of this attempt)
• We ask around about Northerners. Some folks mention seeing them in the Dock District.
• Randir and Elena walk hand in hand and Elena explains her whole spiel to him via Message spell
  • She's trying to protect the Crimson Grove
  • Randir knows this is the center of the Cinder Root
  • This is the heart of that forest (where the group originally came from)
  • New ~200-300 years.
  • THey would tell him stories of this place,
  • A god was wounded in this place and brought life to where there was none
  • ^^ This is a rumor
  • IT's called the Cinder root because it burned but survived.
• She was told that if she completes this list, then the forest will survive
• "Who were you targeting tonight?"
• "His name is not important. But he was the only person on the list" She just happened to be seen.
• "HE is integral to something."
• Randir tells her she needs to be safe and aware of her surroundings. The Inquisitor is likely watching their every move.
• We get to the dock ward, and we see this Northerner Ship
• Theo recognizes it
• But fuckin Bell and Dove are there. Shiiiiiit.
• The sailors don't seem to mind them tossing rocks.
• Dove and Elena leave with some instruments
• Bell asks about what happened and he's PRETTY drunk
• Doesn't care for Northerners it seems
• Theo decides to go up on the ship
  • We decide a signal if things go awry: Yell "AHOY MATEY!"
• Randir hangs next to Bell, Ulertu nearby -- but Ulertu sends ChukChuk up to the ship as well
• Theo goes up the gangplank and sees 30-40 sailors playing cards, etc.
• Theo talks to the 1st mate. He doesn't seem to believe the empress has powers
• A kid from Theo's past, it turns out, works on the ship
• Theo explains to this guy what we're doing... but he says that the ship has some unknown crates
• People have been telling Theo's buddy not to open these crates
• The crates are marked with a symbol of a diving bird on a blue background
  • THIS IS THE SYMBOL OF HOUSE GREY (they run the shipping guild)
• It's a LITTLE suspicious that this family is shipping things undocumented
• So what do we do next?
• Wake up early, scope out the docks, meet the guy for breakfast...
• QUICK RECAP:
  • We were told they might be DRESSED Northerners, but Northerners are common in the city
  • They either need to do this assassination very very close or very very big -- either way, very well equipped
    • What that means, we don't knows
  • We've uncovered several shady dealings -- they MIGHT posess things in relation to an assassination attempt
  • We know that the Noble Families involved may be:
    • Lockwood (we know Torbin Lockwood)
    • THe Grey Family (see also: untracked boxes)
    • Blackbriars are also a big family
  • The Senate has the most power in the city...?
  • Zelias The Keeper was vague about what he saw because the future is unwritten
    • Maybe we should check in with him again?
• Next time:
  • Breakfast With Torbin
  • Investigate the houses more
  • Check out the docks
  • Check in with Zelias

10/3/2020

• So we shop around a bit so Theo can get some more traditional weapons: Scimitars
• Before we go see the Cinder Root Trio, we decide to visit the Order of Truth at their big ol Lighthouse
• As we move towards their lighthouse, the buildings become sparse, then gone as we get further from the city.
• Out on a cliff, an ivory sandstone stands tall on the cliff.
• The stone appears immaculate despite being right on the seaside
• We enter and after asking about questions, we are taken to the office of a Gnome named Zavig Null.
• Zavig knows of Zelias, he thinks he's pretty cool.
• The Order here is established to understand WHY people are "here" (this city? this world?)
  • There is much knowledge beyond the walls of The Order or The Library
  • "Stories can be more valuable to establish truth than facts"
  • They're trying to study the history of Caer Sen? The empress and her family?????
• Some of Ulertu's findings align with the founding of Caer Sen according to Zavig (and he gives Ulertu a journal)
• Does the royal family actually posess super human abilities?
  • Amon Sur apparently had massive strength and charisma, he gathered some of the first explorers of the frontier
  • Some believe he was a god, but others see that they are simply more adept spellcasters
• Ulertu asks about the Order of the Dragin and Zavig gets a little clammed up, so we push him a little on it. Politely.
• He talks to us of "people being moved by something--a guild, a queen, etc."
  • "I believe that the name is a smokescreen for a power that has slept for a long time."
  • So it's a goddamn conspiracy.
• We end up making our way into the dock district to go see the Cinder Root Trio
  • We approach the tavern and we see people gathering in and outside
  • Bell, Dove, and Elena are chilling outside inconspicuously
  • We (well, Randir) smoke some sugary weed with these guys
    • It looks like a sausage and they call it the "elven word for Sausage" as a slang term
• We mingle at the concert a bit.
  • Randir hypes the band
  • Theo takes notice of the muscle at the concert
    • He sees some "knights" of the city
    • Theo notices a quiet argument among some of the staff at the concert
• Randir goes to look into it, and doesn't see much but burly men moving large boxes
• Theo sees a guy watching the crowd, he looks like a northerner
  • He walks over, tries to convince him he's a northerner too.... but he's suddenly charmed by the man and compelled to go sit down.
• Randir suggests we talk to this guy outside after the show! HOW DARE HE
• Suddenly, Bell approaches... he can't find Elena.
• We agree to help find her, Randir starts pushing through the crowd, Ulertu follows, it's... tough
• Theo tries asking a town guard to help... he doesn't seem very interested
• We see some people come up out of this downstairs area, Randir asks what's happening
  • The host ain't really telling the truth about it, Randir pushes past him and heads downstairs
• We head down into the taproom
• There's a small private room that has emptied out. The stairs turn again and we arrive at a long room stacked full of beer, liquor, wine, preserved food, etc.
  • In this room, there's a stone floor and it ends in a HUGE door that runs floor to ceiling. This would lead to the docks.
  • Against the door is Elena, standing over the body of a man collapsed on the ground. EIGHT LARGE THUGS LINE THE HALLWAY.
• The leader fucker is Avudan Mar, he is with the shipping guild - Owned by the Grey family
  • His man was killed in process of delivery
• We DUN GET IN A FIGHT
• The big man gets away, Elena kills TWO DUDES
• Randir goes down, but Elena revives him with a healing word using the ELVEN nickname she gave him
  • WHAT WAS THE NICKNAME???
• The thugs stick around to fight us
• There is a STARK reminder that MURDER IS ILLEGAL HERE. Uh oh.
• Randir frostbite's a guy next to Elena yelling some OTHER elven phrase to her
  • THERE IS SOMETHING HERE BETWEEN THEM - WHAT DID RANDIR SAY
• The fight ends and Randir convinces Ulertu and Theo to run and let him take the blame.
• It is a very dramatic cliffhanger.

• Next time:
  • What elven nickname did Elena give Randir?
  • What secret phrase (or phrases) do Randir and Elena have between them?
    • Does Randir love Elena????? Or something else???

9/12/2020

• We wake in Caer Sen at the Ivory Inn
• We have some breakfast
• Randir watches the street as we eat outside
  • He's fascinated by the frenzy of activity as the city wakes up
• Theo senses anticipation of something in the area...
• A town crier comes by, he's a little nervous about something he's announcing
  • "The empress will be making an appearance tomorrow."
• People are buggin' out
• He doesn't have a lot of answers beyond the announcement
• A Goliath near us chimes up that it's odd - she doesn't speak when she appears.
• Her last appearance resulted in an attempted assassination
• There's a group of people who believe her claim to godhood is a false one and believe that she should die.
• This guy is Torbin Lockwood
  • Oh yeah, this dude is from a the very notable family in the city we heard about
• We ask a bit more about the Empress - why would she make an appearance now?
• Folks are worried about war breaking out nearby, there are no walls so any action could just roll into the city
• We decide to meet this Torbin fella tomorrow before the ceremony
• He gives us directions to the main library in the city
• Buncha nerds here, reading books
• The entrance reminds us of the Order of Truth location we came upon in the Ember Valley
• Going into the library, all the noise of the city fades away
• Some sort of magical sound dampening
• Theo looks into old houses in Caer Sen and finds some info, but also finds a book about dragons
  • He finds some info about assassinations
  • Some info about dragons living along side of (or ruling?) the Giants
    • Giants and Dragons seemed to have died off at the same time?
• Randir is just looking around, meandering as he waits for his friends to find their info
• He finds a set of wooden stairs, wrapped by a tree that goes upward
• He gets to the top and can see all around the city
• There is flower box on the windowsil
  • A hummingbird feeds from the flowers
  • After eating, the bird lands on his finger.... and winks. It leaps off his finger, ponders him, the zips away
• UM
• Randir dramatically, frantically runs down the stairs. Either he just met a smart bird or a FUCKIN DRUID JUST SAID HI TO HIM IN THIS BIG CITY
• He needs to find his friends, ASAP
• Remember: Randir carries the heart of the forest with him now. So. This is probably relevant here.
• Ultertu finds a shitload of books about history
• We leave the library once Randir finds Theo and Ulertu again - he's looking for this hummingbird
  • It was an orange hummingbird with a turquoise band on his wing
• No luck on the bird (didn't expect there to be)
• But we're looking for this "Oldest House" in Caer Sen...
• We do some walking around and get to a beautiful view (like Ibiza, Spain) where many older family homes exist
• We stop for some pizza at a cafe that looks down the hill
• Randir catches people's eyes as we eat, he stands out
• One house in particular has a sigil of a silver bird on a blue and white field
  • This belongs to the "Grey" Family
• Someone tells us to go speak with the Order of Truth at their location in the south side of the city on the first floor of a Lighthouse
• Theo asks about the Blackbriar and Lockwood families estates
  • Blackbriar sigil: Thorns
  • Lockwood sigil: A large tree
• We wander this old neighborhood and come across the Blackbriar estate
  • 3 story manor, super tall roof, overlooks the hill and the ocean/coast
• The Lockwood manor is very sporadic - lots of new additions and modifications
• Ulertu tries to open the box he needs to deliver but he becomes sucked into the spell of it before he drops it... def not mean to open it
• We go to deliver it to the Blackbriar house... but they're not the "oldest" house in the city....
  • So it's probably a physical building
• We leave, and Randir sees the orange hummingbird
• He brings to chase it, not doing too well - Randir crashes into some students
• The trio runs to follow this hummingbird, going deeper into the heart of the city
• The buildings begin to look older and older
  • Some are run down, some are huts... we enter a slum?
• We turn a corner onto a plaza and Randir loses sight of the bird
• Theo sees the bird flash into the hole of a doorway into a small building squashed between two homes
• This little "building" is more of a wall for an alley with a simple roof
• The door is a mosaic of color recessed into the "wall"
  • The hole above the door is like an old air circulation system
• We wait for a moment and Randir looks around. There's a lot of apartments that look into this plaza. People mill about the plaza where a non-working fountain sits. The statue atop the fountain has been removed
• Randir yells at the door, "I don't know why you revealed yourself to me hummingbird, but I believe it was for a reason! Please explain why you led me and my friends here today!"
• And the door clicks unlocked.
• Inside, a 100x100 room reveals a small desk in the middle of the room beneath a large chandelier.
• A man sits at the desk, dark skin, large poofy hair, a small white goatee.
• We walk towards the man, "It seems you were destined to be here today."
• A hummingbird flies by, lighting the desk
• The man is blind
• He basically reveals that this is the oldest house in Caer Cen
• He takes the box from Ulertu
• His name is Zelias and he is the keeper of the Oldest House
• His friend Persimmon (the bird) has told him about us
• "She's not really a bird, she's happy you called her a bird..."
  • UH WHAT
• Ulertu, it seems, has uncovered something Zelias thought had been lost??????
  • Original Magic????
• It Zelias has much more to show us
• We walk into a bright garden
• He wants us to help figure out "what will be"
• He wants us to be "agents of change" in the city
• He wants us to help "ease transition" in the city???
• Apparently there might be another assassination attempt. He wants us to prevent the assassination.
• "Who knows, we may meet the empress!"
• If we're going to get involved, we need to be inconspicuous
• He takes us through a door in the courtyard
• We walk out onto a porous metal flooring
• There is a pedastal, above it, an inverted pyramid
  • Oh shit. Another one?
• He interacts with the pedestal... it creates an object
• He pulls it from the table and tosses it to Theo - looks like armor
• Randir asks: "Well, where do we start trying to prervent this assassination?"
• He takes us for a walk out to a small fountain. We sit.
• Zelias believes there is some sort of greater power who is revealing themselves now who's goal is to kill the Empress and replace the center of power in the province
  • Even if she's a figurehead, her existence helps people...
• We should be looking for agents making the attempt, they're from the north -- styled in garb of the north (colorful clothing, sashes)
• He believes they'll do this loudly, the more people who see this happen the better
• The empress' guard weild scimitars and wear large pelts, they're called the "Furusia" - their weapons are usually poisonous or magic.
• The empress' guard have been told about this assassination attempt -- Zelias worries, they may also be part of the attempt.
• We move back to the entry room, it has transformed into a long hallway with a red carpet with multiple chandeliers.
• "I wish you good luck."
• "Come back and I'll speak to you about something... destiny."
• We exit to the plaza
• It's midafternoon when we leave The Oldest House
• NEXT TIME:
  • We scope out the area where the Empress will speak tomorrow
  • Theo needs to find a sword
  • Ulertu wants to visit the Order of Truth
  • Cinder Root Trio is playing tonight, maybe we go see them to round out the evening?

7/11/2020

• We're having some breakfast with the Cinder Root Trio
• We're a week's travel away from Cairsen
• Bell asks us what we'd like to find out while we're traveling
  • Ulertu wants to find more libraries
  • Theo is looking for more info on the Order of the Dragon
  • Randir wants to........... do more weaving?
• Someone bursts in, "Have you seen Tane?"
• They need him to fight something
• (I missed a lot of the discussion because I was distracted by something at home)
• Tane steps out to these mercs who showed up and straight up murders a dude
• So we get into a ding dang fight
• They try to retreat, but we capture their "knight" captain (Jerrick)
• Tane tells us to get along before it becomes a problem for us
• We wake the captain, he was looking for the man Theo threatened who killed himself
• The captain doesn't know anything about the Order of the Dragon
• He thinks Theo is lying about his man being involved in the OotD
• We get in the wagon and head out with the Cinder Root Trio
• We travel for a week, with a few stops
• We travel into the Oncala Province
• On the travel, Randir works with Elena to make some new armor - WEAVING SKILLS
• After 10 days, Randir has "Woven Armor" aka "Hide Armor"
  • Randir knows he could make this better, with more time and better materials
• We eventually get to the city
• At some point in the past Arumon Sur sat on the throne in Cairsen.
• Arumon Sur believed himself a god
• Arumon Sur died ~300 years ago, his daughter sits the throne now
• Only some people believe she is a god
• Bell tells us about the Lockwood family, very notable family in the city
  • Lumberers, carpenters, and paper makers
  • They tend to stand out
  • Bell says they're good folk
  • They're a family of Halflings / Goliaths, split in height ha. ha. ha.
• Theo asks about the oldest house
• We get to Cairsen, Randir is awestruck by the size and lights
• SO much city. SO MUCH everything
• Everything looks like it's made to last longer, costs more
• Everyone is finely dressed, carts are more intricately designed
• Strange pets, larger beasts of burden
• We head up a hill to a small place to stay
• We come to a sign that says, "The Ivory Inn"
• We come into a big square / courtyard
• Bell gets us a room, and he pays for it
• We get an iron key each
• We part ways with the Cinder Root Trio, but they give us a list of where they're playing over the next few days

6/13/2020

• When Randir left Pella's Wish, he went to find Fate Tinderpool.
• She tells him about many Druid Groves around the world.
• Because he's not bound to a specific grove, he must carry the heart of the forest now
• Fate passes, but she will live on in her forest
• She leaves him with a blessing. Something that is drawn to the Amber Blade
  • Mechanically, it is now a +1 scimitar
• Randir wishes to create some new armor with his new weaving skills that he learned from the Wood Elves
• WE OPEN ON RANDIR TRAVELLING WITH THE CINDER ROOT TRIO
• Bell, Dove, and Elena.
• He's been travelling with this group for about a week
• Randir feels this compulsion to travel west and so he found this group
• They're from a forest far to the North. They're travelling back that way eventually.
• They're on Tour.
• Randir insinuates that Bell and Dove have some sort of romantic thing between them
• We pull into White Orchard, a small village.
• It's been six months and we're coming out of winter
• We decide to stay the night there
• Ulertu is meeting a member of the Order of Truth in White Orchard
• They discuss Ulertu's findings and this person (Cairn) has a task for Ulertu: deliver a box to the oldest house in Caersen
• Theo has found out about a group called The Order of the Dragon
• Theo finds someone he's been looking for: Theo has him injured by his sword
• Theo, "TELL ME WHAT YOU KNOW OF MY FATHER!"
• The man slits his throat.
• WE meet! We catch up! Randir is very excited!
• We talk with Elena and Bell, they know some stuff about the Order of the Dragon
• They're pretty much terrorists. They've infiltrated the north quite a bit.
• "When anyone could be a spy for the Order of the Dragon, who can you trust?"
• They give us some info about Caersen, the Empress there is more of a Figurehead. The senate is more powerful than she is.
  • Used be called "The Land of the Thousand Tribes" by the elves
• The emperor at the time of founding used to claim he was a god.
• "He killed too many people to be a unifier of people."
• The Order of the Dragon usually leaves a sigil behind
• Bell tells us about a small city called "Cape Verden" where many craftsmen live (or have retired)
• A half elf storms into the tavern, he argues with the barkeep silently
• After a while, the half elf sits down and eats begrudgeonly
• Theo goes to talk to the barkeep, Randir goes off to look for Elena who walked off a moment before
• Theo ends up talking to the heated half-elf
  • Named Tane Faradon
• He's a fuckin ranger. But he's not respected.
• Randir sees Elena, there's an awkward interaction and they come back in wet from the rain.
• The gang talks into the night as the band plays more music
• The music goes on and on turning into unplanned strumming and jamming
• The gang turns in in thr wee hours of the night
• The next day, the Cinder Root Trio orders breakfast for us
• We decide that we'll continue to travel with the trio! Woohoo!

---

12/12/2020

• We go to visit Zelias and he heals us a lil
• He asks us what we know about the gods
• Randir knows of them, but does not have any real thought of them
• Theo doubts the "power" of the gods
• Zelias says thgere are things older than the gods... things in the earth
  • Ya know, like the computer we met
• Some say it has bene years since the gods have spoken to the people
  • Stories say they come down to the world to influence things and display their power
• Is the Empress of that kind?
  • She's thee "grand daughter" of a god... right?
• When Araman Sur bled, it created wonderous areas in the world
  • If his blood held that power, imagine what he could do?
• But these "gods" are mortal. They have emotions but they are mortal.
• If we want to know more about her past, Stratus Stormwall is a scholar at the library or at the Order of Truth who knows more about it.
• Randir offers to come have some tea sometime soon, just to hang out
• We head back out into Caer Sen
• We head over to the Order of Truth
• We talk to this bro named Stratus Stormwall, blue skinned duded
• Dude talks to us about magic, the empress didn't use components to make her magic work... right?
• If she knows so much about magic, maybe that's what makes her a god?
• She was educated in the Order of Truth
• This dude seems very interested in Resurrection magic...
• We break for dinner deciding... even with Randir's hesistation, we will help the Empress in her quest
• We rest.... THEN WE LEVEL UP!!!!!!
• The next morning, we head to see the Cinder Root Trio to check if Commander Foss has been around
  • No one has been around, they're doing well
• We head out to see the Empress... and a small group of bluecoats seem to look away from us as we notice them
• We walk away...
• Suddenly, a dwarf pops out: [Something] Craghelm
  • He welcomes us
• Ulertu and Randir overhear hr advisor saying, "She may NOT leave the palace."
  • RUH ROH
  • This dude doesn't seem to trust the Empress
• We walk into the throne room
• We accept her quest and she asks us what we want from her?
  • KNowledge of The Order of the Dragon -- one person
  • Information about the origins of magic
  • A boon for our future travels
• She wants to know what is north where the Order Of the Dragon is
  • And what does she expect to do with the knowledge?
  • She expects we will know what to do when we find it
• She believes Theo and Ulertu will find what they're after in the north
  • "Randir, attend to these places. You seek guidance. Seek out the power of this world. Seek out the heart of the forest."
• "Go with my blessing." she says
• Ok. SO we gotta go north.
• Craghelm tells us come see him if/when we need transport
• We don't have a timeframe here...
• Before we leave the city, Randir wants to meet with Torbin.
• So Randir goes to the Lockwood estate
• He meets a halfling man, Osmo Lockwood
  • This dude goes and talks to Torbin
  • Osmo's Grand dad was "brought back" apparently -- lots of money
  • When he came back he wasn't the same person
  • If this money can't do what we need, he's not sure what to to make of Theo
• Osmo asks Randir about the greatest magic he's ever witnessed
  • Randir tells a tale about a nomadic tribe who pulled all of the light out of the forest for some ritual
  • This chilled him to the bone. But it showed him there was something larger than him, his family, and the forest.
• Osmo tells Randir about how the gods used to be more persuasive
  • The kind of magic used on Theo hasn't been seen in centuries
  • You can heal a wound, but you can't heal a soul
• "If you friend is truly that special, well... we should hook ourselves to that wagon."
• Dude hired an Order of the Truth guy Status Stormwall
• Randir leaves, spreading flowers from his staff as he leaves
• We need to:
  • Shop
    • GET A MAP
  • Find transport
  • Speak to Torbin

11/28/2020

• From last session: Torbin said, "If people could be brought back, people would hear about it. This kind of thing only happens in stories."
• We make our way to the plaza which is PACKED--we get there a little late.
• Ulertu and Theo see the Empress' guards around her far up by the foot of the steps of the risen platform far ahead
• We see Pallas, the quartermaster from the notherner's ship
• This dude seems to be confused as to why these boxes were being sent to Blackbriar
• We explain the situation and he says, "What do we do?"
• We need to find the northmen... Randir ponders
• We only have minutes until the speech
• Pallas recalls that the northmen went off to the sides of the square to get a better view closer to the fountain(?)
• Just then Ultertu sees a blue scarf in the crowd... Randir pushes him towards the crowd, "Go find it, we will catch up"
• We follow Ulertu, getting within 50-60ft of the stairs of the stage
• He loses the blue scarf he was following...
• He notices some of the guards are missing on the opposite side of the plaza on the roof.
• Ulertu notices more people on the steps, specifically: Tane Faradon (the ranger from the White Orchard)
• The horns come up, and the building in the center of the plaza opens it's 30ft tall doors.
• The empress is among us.
• The crowd gasps, then applauses massively
• She's wreathed in golden light
• She speaks:
  • She apologizes for being gone for so long
  • She wants to empower the people for the "Storms to come"
    • SHE LOCKS EYES WITH RANDIR
  • She speaks about the battles beyond Caer Sen. (gesturing to Tane and his group)
  • Randir notices a shared look between the Senator and the Empress
  • She mentions people want her to step down
  • "I am the remainder of the gift from the Gods"
    • Some voices shout dissent
      • "YOU'RE A MURDERER!"
      • "MY SENATOR WILL TAKE CARE OF ME!"
    • People in the crowd begin to fight
  • The Empress pleads for unity
• Randir sees a man across the plaza on a roof, with a bow drawn
• INITIATIVE
• We get in some fights, the Empress gets stabbed pretty badly, these fuckin assassins have goddamn poison
• We get surrounded by the guards of the Empress
• "You're coming with us!"
• We're brought inside and the guards speak with us
• The big Paladin who was helping the Senator is named Daario (something)
  • Dude warns us that we should be careful
• We're allowed to be about a hundred feet away from here but when she speaks, it's as if she's right next to us
  • She thanks us
• We tell her we sort of knew this would happen...
• She asks us why we came to Caer Sen
• She asks if we believe in fate
• Randir and Ultertu believe in coincedence, Theo is unsure. His fate has been affected by higher powers in the past...
• She approaches us
• She is Empress Amalia Aramant
• "Surely you feel guided by the hand of another?"
  • Theo remarks on this
• The Empress wants to offer us a quest and Randir questions it
  • She peers into his mind and it is painful as he resists
  • She gazes into his mind and looks through the pages of his life
• She says, "I know who you are..."
• She explains that as she's gotten older, her wants and needs have changed. She no longer wants fame or fortune...
• "All I have left is love for my family, for the city that raised me."
• She says she has few friends and fewer allies
• Randir asks, "but why us?"
  • She commands no armies, people who follow her follow her for things she's done
  • We would be unattached, we would not be blinded
• Randir speaks for the group: "We would be up for any task."
• We represent much of what this kingdom has lost, or forgotten
• We talk of good and evil and power and...
• The Empress does not want to show her full power to the people, she does not want to rule by fear
• Randir asks what kind of power she could have if the three of them all can weild magic and can attain more
• She asks if we wish to see what her power is
• BOOM we're in a dark cave
  • we walk out of the cave over bodies
  • We come out to see the ruins of a huge battle
  • A single banner flies in the wind on a broken pike
  • There is a small crowd of people, a storm rages around
  • THe Empress emerges from the crowd, she is unhindered by the battle or the storm
  • We move closer to the group to hear a conversation
  • The Empress looks down on a man on his knees
  • She looks bored
  • This battle is against a lord who "broke the peace"
  • She waves her hand.... and this dude is unmade... turned to ash in front of the group
  • "This is what becomes of those who defy me; who threaten my peace."
  • She unmakes the rest of the man's guard
• The scene fades.... and we're back in the Senate Hall
• The Empress looks at us, shameful
• Randir is kind of fucked up after this. He understands why she wouldn't want to use this power that way.
  • He can't fathom someone having that much power
  • He's disgusted by the inequality and unfairness and overt use of this power
• She wants us to investigate and intervene where she cannot
  • She wants us to save the land
• She's going to give us a day to decide if we want to help
• Randir has a very bad hunch about The Empress
  • How can you deal with a "devil" like this and not see the other shoe fall? And when it does, how does it play out for us.
• We kind of want to go speak to Zelias?
• Visit the Order of Truth
• And try to fix our relationship with Torbin.
  • Def want to know why he was so damn scared of The Gods / Resurrection.
• So we wrap on us getting Lunch and prepping to go se Zelias

11/8/2020

• We decide to accomplish three things before breakfast by splitting the party:
  • Theo is investigating the houses
  • Randir is investigating the docks
  • Ulertu is visiting Zelias
• Randir sneaks down into this ship as a rat where Theo was the day before
• On the way down, he avoids a crewmate going upstairs
• He heads down one more set of stairs
• He discovers some boxes covered in cloth, they smell metally, acrid
• He pops out of wild shape and checks the boxes (they have the sigil)
• He checks the ledger on the desk
  • Pallas is a new quartermaster as of 2 days ago, the previous one disappeared (According theo)
• Letter with a sigil of a tree (on the desk)
  • Well educated writing, "Instructions for delivery of lord Blackbriar's belongings"
  • Deliver these boxes to the tavern in the dock district with the blue awnings - they will be collected and distributed to the correct locations
    • Do not open or tamper with
  • In merchant guild markings with contents:
    • 10 crates filled with clothing and personal sundries, books, items from his personal collection, his personal collection of cloaks & capes (which he is known for)
• only 3 boxes under the cloth
• He Notices that the tarp was here to cover the boxes and is much larger than the boxes that remain
  • Also, many holes around the cloth to pin them so they didn't get wet.
• He decides to open the boxes
  • One box has pottery - clay and steel pottery lined with hay
    • In one of the vases jingles
    • All of the vases are filled with small intricate knives
      • All of the knives are demascus steel
  • A collection of smaller boxes, intricately carved, silver fillagry
    • The small boxes are super light, they hold a very flexible wood. As he touches it, it feels alive
      • Randir hasn't encountered this before
      • Randir takes a piece.
  • The lady blackbriar's makeup collection and cloaks
    • one cloak looks REAL nice, maybe elven made (colorful patchwork leaves)
    • Another is black satin
    • The acrid smell is coming from the makeup containers, he opens one up and inside there isn't a liquid but like a very viscous liquid.
    • Randir is certain this is poisonous and wouldn't be something to ingest. It's definitely put on a weapon.
• Randir takes one knife, one piece of wood, and one portion of poison
• He pops back into rat form and gets away
• Then heads off to breakfast to meet Randir, Ulertu, and Theo with Torbin Lockwood
• He's curious about how we like the city, Randir says you can get arrested and released for defending yourself in this city with no problem
• He asks us about the Empress
• Her dad was proven that he was not a god
• Torbin believes the Empress must be powerful if she's lived for so long
• He doesn't believe Theo has spoken to his god before... but we tell him it's true.
• Theo fuckin died. But he's here.
• He believes us, but he regards us VERY differently after.
  • Wariness and fear.
• He walks off and Randir follows.
• He doesn't believe that Theo should be alive.
• He leaves. FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUCK
• Randir explains what he found on the ship and pulls the three items he took from the ship
  • They gang checks the stuff out
  • The knife is a +1 dagger
  • The wood has some runes that do transmutation magic to turn it into a bow
  • The Poison is from a creature among the coast (WYRMS) that exerts a venom. They're big ol monsters. Descended from Dragons.
    • Pirates would use this venom when fighting
      • Many have taken the Dragon/Wyvern as their sigil (ORDER OF THE DRAGON)
    • The container holds 2 applications on a blade
• We surmise that these boxes were moving at the tavern we were at last night
  • How many people are armed now?
  • Should we try to kidnap the empress?
• We finish breakfast and make our way to the plaza.
• We need to do something.... but what?
• END OF SESSION

10/11/2020

• Randir is taken away by guards
• Theo and Ulertu see as he is taken away and Theo questions Elena
• Elena: "You should have never gotten involved."
• Elena reveals she's been killing folks based on a list.
  • Arya style
• For the last year, she's been finding them one by one
• She's avenging her Father (and more?)
• Elena offers to break randir out of jail, but it's a bad idea. "He'll be fine."
• She offers to take Ulertu and Theo to investigate where the Empress may be assassinated tomorrow
• We soar north...
• A wagon carries Randir in the back
• 3 guards take Randir into this prison
• Randir is thrown into his cell, the guards yell, "Just admit it, and we'll hang ya. easy as that."
• Randir is interrogated "Commander Foss"
• He asks why we're in Caer Sen - randir gives a half truth.
  • "We're Root-heads" (aka followers of The Cinder Root Trio)
• The interrogation goes... oddly. Randir pushes back against some of the magic this Inquisitor uses on him
  • The Inquisitor is reading through his memories, but Randir eventually resists
  • "You are so untrained..." the Foss says
• Randir doesn't given anyone up...
  • "I've said what you wished me to say. That is all." -Randir
• The Inquisitor tries one more push of magic. It doesn't work.
• Randir is let go..........
• He goes invisible as he walks down the long road back to town.
• Meanwhile in town, Theo and Ulertu are looking into the square where the Empress is appearing
• They surmise that it's going to be pretty damn hard to pull this off
  • Elena explains how she thinks the presentation is going to go.
  • Lots of people, so it would be easier to blow the whole place up rather than kill one person
  • Someone would need to get EXTREMELY close to the Empress to assassinate her...
• Randir eventually comes into town and comes across the gang
• Elena recommends that maybe we need to reach out for help
  • We're supposed to meet A lockwood dude tomorrow for breakfast
  • Elena says that's too late
• Is there someone else we can speak to?
  • Northerners?
  • Can we figure out who is on the Empress' guard? (Zelias said they might be part of this attempt)
• We ask around about Northerners. Some folks mention seeing them in the Dock District.
• Randir and Elena walk hand in hand and Elena explains her whole spiel to him via Message spell
  • She's trying to protect the Crimson Grove
  • Randir knows this is the center of the Cinder Root
  • This is the heart of that forest (where the group originally came from)
  • New ~200-300 years.
  • THey would tell him stories of this place,
  • A god was wounded in this place and brought life to where there was none
  • ^^ This is a rumor
  • IT's called the Cinder root because it burned but survived.
• She was told that if she completes this list, then the forest will survive
• "Who were you targeting tonight?"
• "His name is not important. But he was the only person on the list" She just happened to be seen.
• "HE is integral to something."
• Randir tells her she needs to be safe and aware of her surroundings. The Inquisitor is likely watching their every move.
• We get to the dock ward, and we see this Northerner Ship
• Theo recognizes it
• But fuckin Bell and Dove are there. Shiiiiiit.
• The sailors don't seem to mind them tossing rocks.
• Dove and Elena leave with some instruments
• Bell asks about what happened and he's PRETTY drunk
• Doesn't care for Northerners it seems
• Theo decides to go up on the ship
  • We decide a signal if things go awry: Yell "AHOY MATEY!"
• Randir hangs next to Bell, Ulertu nearby -- but Ulertu sends ChukChuk up to the ship as well
• Theo goes up the gangplank and sees 30-40 sailors playing cards, etc.
• Theo talks to the 1st mate. He doesn't seem to believe the empress has powers
• A kid from Theo's past, it turns out, works on the ship
• Theo explains to this guy what we're doing... but he says that the ship has some unknown crates
• People have been telling Theo's buddy not to open these crates
• The crates are marked with a symbol of a diving bird on a blue background
  • THIS IS THE SYMBOL OF HOUSE GREY (they run the shipping guild)
• It's a LITTLE suspicious that this family is shipping things undocumented
• So what do we do next?
• Wake up early, scope out the docks, meet the guy for breakfast...
• QUICK RECAP:
  • We were told they might be DRESSED Northerners, but Northerners are common in the city
  • They either need to do this assassination very very close or very very big -- either way, very well equipped
    • What that means, we don't knows
  • We've uncovered several shady dealings -- they MIGHT posess things in relation to an assassination attempt
  • We know that the Noble Families involved may be:
    • Lockwood (we know Torbin Lockwood)
    • THe Grey Family (see also: untracked boxes)
    • Blackbriars are also a big family
  • The Senate has the most power in the city...?
  • Zelias The Keeper was vague about what he saw because the future is unwritten
    • Maybe we should check in with him again?
• Next time:
  • Breakfast With Torbin
  • Investigate the houses more
  • Check out the docks
  • Check in with Zelias

10/3/2020

• So we shop around a bit so Theo can get some more traditional weapons: Scimitars
• Before we go see the Cinder Root Trio, we decide to visit the Order of Truth at their big ol Lighthouse
• As we move towards their lighthouse, the buildings become sparse, then gone as we get further from the city.
• Out on a cliff, an ivory sandstone stands tall on the cliff.
• The stone appears immaculate despite being right on the seaside
• We enter and after asking about questions, we are taken to the office of a Gnome named Zavig Null.
• Zavig knows of Zelias, he thinks he's pretty cool.
• The Order here is established to understand WHY people are "here" (this city? this world?)
  • There is much knowledge beyond the walls of The Order or The Library
  • "Stories can be more valuable to establish truth than facts"
  • They're trying to study the history of Caer Sen? The empress and her family?????
• Some of Ulertu's findings align with the founding of Caer Sen according to Zavig (and he gives Ulertu a journal)
• Does the royal family actually posess super human abilities?
  • Amon Sur apparently had massive strength and charisma, he gathered some of the first explorers of the frontier
  • Some believe he was a god, but others see that they are simply more adept spellcasters
• Ulertu asks about the Order of the Dragin and Zavig gets a little clammed up, so we push him a little on it. Politely.
• He talks to us of "people being moved by something--a guild, a queen, etc."
  • "I believe that the name is a smokescreen for a power that has slept for a long time."
  • So it's a goddamn conspiracy.
• We end up making our way into the dock district to go see the Cinder Root Trio
  • We approach the tavern and we see people gathering in and outside
  • Bell, Dove, and Elena are chilling outside inconspicuously
  • We (well, Randir) smoke some sugary weed with these guys
    • It looks like a sausage and they call it the "elven word for Sausage" as a slang term
• We mingle at the concert a bit.
  • Randir hypes the band
  • Theo takes notice of the muscle at the concert
    • He sees some "knights" of the city
    • Theo notices a quiet argument among some of the staff at the concert
• Randir goes to look into it, and doesn't see much but burly men moving large boxes
• Theo sees a guy watching the crowd, he looks like a northerner
  • He walks over, tries to convince him he's a northerner too.... but he's suddenly charmed by the man and compelled to go sit down.
• Randir suggests we talk to this guy outside after the show! HOW DARE HE
• Suddenly, Bell approaches... he can't find Elena.
• We agree to help find her, Randir starts pushing through the crowd, Ulertu follows, it's... tough
• Theo tries asking a town guard to help... he doesn't seem very interested
• We see some people come up out of this downstairs area, Randir asks what's happening
  • The host ain't really telling the truth about it, Randir pushes past him and heads downstairs
• We head down into the taproom
• There's a small private room that has emptied out. The stairs turn again and we arrive at a long room stacked full of beer, liquor, wine, preserved food, etc.
  • In this room, there's a stone floor and it ends in a HUGE door that runs floor to ceiling. This would lead to the docks.
  • Against the door is Elena, standing over the body of a man collapsed on the ground. EIGHT LARGE THUGS LINE THE HALLWAY.
• The leader fucker is Avudan Mar, he is with the shipping guild - Owned by the Grey family
  • His man was killed in process of delivery
• We DUN GET IN A FIGHT
• The big man gets away, Elena kills TWO DUDES
• Randir goes down, but Elena revives him with a healing word using the ELVEN nickname she gave him
  • WHAT WAS THE NICKNAME???
• The thugs stick around to fight us
• There is a STARK reminder that MURDER IS ILLEGAL HERE. Uh oh.
• Randir frostbite's a guy next to Elena yelling some OTHER elven phrase to her
  • THERE IS SOMETHING HERE BETWEEN THEM - WHAT DID RANDIR SAY
• The fight ends and Randir convinces Ulertu and Theo to run and let him take the blame.
• It is a very dramatic cliffhanger.

• Next time:
  • What elven nickname did Elena give Randir?
  • What secret phrase (or phrases) do Randir and Elena have between them?
    • Does Randir love Elena????? Or something else???

9/12/2020

• We wake in Caer Sen at the Ivory Inn
• We have some breakfast
• Randir watches the street as we eat outside
  • He's fascinated by the frenzy of activity as the city wakes up
• Theo senses anticipation of something in the area...
• A town crier comes by, he's a little nervous about something he's announcing
  • "The empress will be making an appearance tomorrow."
• People are buggin' out
• He doesn't have a lot of answers beyond the announcement
• A Goliath near us chimes up that it's odd - she doesn't speak when she appears.
• Her last appearance resulted in an attempted assassination
• There's a group of people who believe her claim to godhood is a false one and believe that she should die.
• This guy is Torbin Lockwood
  • Oh yeah, this dude is from a the very notable family in the city we heard about
• We ask a bit more about the Empress - why would she make an appearance now?
• Folks are worried about war breaking out nearby, there are no walls so any action could just roll into the city
• We decide to meet this Torbin fella tomorrow before the ceremony
• He gives us directions to the main library in the city
• Buncha nerds here, reading books
• The entrance reminds us of the Order of Truth location we came upon in the Ember Valley
• Going into the library, all the noise of the city fades away
• Some sort of magical sound dampening
• Theo looks into old houses in Caer Sen and finds some info, but also finds a book about dragons
  • He finds some info about assassinations
  • Some info about dragons living along side of (or ruling?) the Giants
    • Giants and Dragons seemed to have died off at the same time?
• Randir is just looking around, meandering as he waits for his friends to find their info
• He finds a set of wooden stairs, wrapped by a tree that goes upward
• He gets to the top and can see all around the city
• There is flower box on the windowsil
  • A hummingbird feeds from the flowers
  • After eating, the bird lands on his finger.... and winks. It leaps off his finger, ponders him, the zips away
• UM
• Randir dramatically, frantically runs down the stairs. Either he just met a smart bird or a FUCKIN DRUID JUST SAID HI TO HIM IN THIS BIG CITY
• He needs to find his friends, ASAP
• Remember: Randir carries the heart of the forest with him now. So. This is probably relevant here.
• Ultertu finds a shitload of books about history
• We leave the library once Randir finds Theo and Ulertu again - he's looking for this hummingbird
  • It was an orange hummingbird with a turquoise band on his wing
• No luck on the bird (didn't expect there to be)
• But we're looking for this "Oldest House" in Caer Sen...
• We do some walking around and get to a beautiful view (like Ibiza, Spain) where many older family homes exist
• We stop for some pizza at a cafe that looks down the hill
• Randir catches people's eyes as we eat, he stands out
• One house in particular has a sigil of a silver bird on a blue and white field
  • This belongs to the "Grey" Family
• Someone tells us to go speak with the Order of Truth at their location in the south side of the city on the first floor of a Lighthouse
• Theo asks about the Blackbriar and Lockwood families estates
  • Blackbriar sigil: Thorns
  • Lockwood sigil: A large tree
• We wander this old neighborhood and come across the Blackbriar estate
  • 3 story manor, super tall roof, overlooks the hill and the ocean/coast
• The Lockwood manor is very sporadic - lots of new additions and modifications
• Ulertu tries to open the box he needs to deliver but he becomes sucked into the spell of it before he drops it... def not mean to open it
• We go to deliver it to the Blackbriar house... but they're not the "oldest" house in the city....
  • So it's probably a physical building
• We leave, and Randir sees the orange hummingbird
• He brings to chase it, not doing too well - Randir crashes into some students
• The trio runs to follow this hummingbird, going deeper into the heart of the city
• The buildings begin to look older and older
  • Some are run down, some are huts... we enter a slum?
• We turn a corner onto a plaza and Randir loses sight of the bird
• Theo sees the bird flash into the hole of a doorway into a small building squashed between two homes
• This little "building" is more of a wall for an alley with a simple roof
• The door is a mosaic of color recessed into the "wall"
  • The hole above the door is like an old air circulation system
• We wait for a moment and Randir looks around. There's a lot of apartments that look into this plaza. People mill about the plaza where a non-working fountain sits. The statue atop the fountain has been removed
• Randir yells at the door, "I don't know why you revealed yourself to me hummingbird, but I believe it was for a reason! Please explain why you led me and my friends here today!"
• And the door clicks unlocked.
• Inside, a 100x100 room reveals a small desk in the middle of the room beneath a large chandelier.
• A man sits at the desk, dark skin, large poofy hair, a small white goatee.
• We walk towards the man, "It seems you were destined to be here today."
• A hummingbird flies by, lighting the desk
• The man is blind
• He basically reveals that this is the oldest house in Caer Cen
• He takes the box from Ulertu
• His name is Zelias and he is the keeper of the Oldest House
• His friend Persimmon (the bird) has told him about us
• "She's not really a bird, she's happy you called her a bird..."
  • UH WHAT
• Ulertu, it seems, has uncovered something Zelias thought had been lost??????
  • Original Magic????
• It Zelias has much more to show us
• We walk into a bright garden
• He wants us to help figure out "what will be"
• He wants us to be "agents of change" in the city
• He wants us to help "ease transition" in the city???
• Apparently there might be another assassination attempt. He wants us to prevent the assassination.
• "Who knows, we may meet the empress!"
• If we're going to get involved, we need to be inconspicuous
• He takes us through a door in the courtyard
• We walk out onto a porous metal flooring
• There is a pedastal, above it, an inverted pyramid
  • Oh shit. Another one?
• He interacts with the pedestal... it creates an object
• He pulls it from the table and tosses it to Theo - looks like armor
• Randir asks: "Well, where do we start trying to prervent this assassination?"
• He takes us for a walk out to a small fountain. We sit.
• Zelias believes there is some sort of greater power who is revealing themselves now who's goal is to kill the Empress and replace the center of power in the province
  • Even if she's a figurehead, her existence helps people...
• We should be looking for agents making the attempt, they're from the north -- styled in garb of the north (colorful clothing, sashes)
• He believes they'll do this loudly, the more people who see this happen the better
• The empress' guard weild scimitars and wear large pelts, they're called the "Furusia" - their weapons are usually poisonous or magic.
• The empress' guard have been told about this assassination attempt -- Zelias worries, they may also be part of the attempt.
• We move back to the entry room, it has transformed into a long hallway with a red carpet with multiple chandeliers.
• "I wish you good luck."
• "Come back and I'll speak to you about something... destiny."
• We exit to the plaza
• It's midafternoon when we leave The Oldest House
• NEXT TIME:
  • We scope out the area where the Empress will speak tomorrow
  • Theo needs to find a sword
  • Ulertu wants to visit the Order of Truth
  • Cinder Root Trio is playing tonight, maybe we go see them to round out the evening?

7/11/2020

• We're having some breakfast with the Cinder Root Trio
• We're a week's travel away from Cairsen
• Bell asks us what we'd like to find out while we're traveling
  • Ulertu wants to find more libraries
  • Theo is looking for more info on the Order of the Dragon
  • Randir wants to........... do more weaving?
• Someone bursts in, "Have you seen Tane?"
• They need him to fight something
• (I missed a lot of the discussion because I was distracted by something at home)
• Tane steps out to these mercs who showed up and straight up murders a dude
• So we get into a ding dang fight
• They try to retreat, but we capture their "knight" captain (Jerrick)
• Tane tells us to get along before it becomes a problem for us
• We wake the captain, he was looking for the man Theo threatened who killed himself
• The captain doesn't know anything about the Order of the Dragon
• He thinks Theo is lying about his man being involved in the OotD
• We get in the wagon and head out with the Cinder Root Trio
• We travel for a week, with a few stops
• We travel into the Oncala Province
• On the travel, Randir works with Elena to make some new armor - WEAVING SKILLS
• After 10 days, Randir has "Woven Armor" aka "Hide Armor"
  • Randir knows he could make this better, with more time and better materials
• We eventually get to the city
• At some point in the past Arumon Sur sat on the throne in Cairsen.
• Arumon Sur believed himself a god
• Arumon Sur died ~300 years ago, his daughter sits the throne now
• Only some people believe she is a god
• Bell tells us about the Lockwood family, very notable family in the city
  • Lumberers, carpenters, and paper makers
  • They tend to stand out
  • Bell says they're good folk
  • They're a family of Halflings / Goliaths, split in height ha. ha. ha.
• Theo asks about the oldest house
• We get to Cairsen, Randir is awestruck by the size and lights
• SO much city. SO MUCH everything
• Everything looks like it's made to last longer, costs more
• Everyone is finely dressed, carts are more intricately designed
• Strange pets, larger beasts of burden
• We head up a hill to a small place to stay
• We come to a sign that says, "The Ivory Inn"
• We come into a big square / courtyard
• Bell gets us a room, and he pays for it
• We get an iron key each
• We part ways with the Cinder Root Trio, but they give us a list of where they're playing over the next few days

6/13/2020

• When Randir left Pella's Wish, he went to find Fate Tinderpool.
• She tells him about many Druid Groves around the world.
• Because he's not bound to a specific grove, he must carry the heart of the forest now
• Fate passes, but she will live on in her forest
• She leaves him with a blessing. Something that is drawn to the Amber Blade
  • Mechanically, it is now a +1 scimitar
• Randir wishes to create some new armor with his new weaving skills that he learned from the Wood Elves
• WE OPEN ON RANDIR TRAVELLING WITH THE CINDER ROOT TRIO
• Bell, Dove, and Elena.
• He's been travelling with this group for about a week
• Randir feels this compulsion to travel west and so he found this group
• They're from a forest far to the North. They're travelling back that way eventually.
• They're on Tour.
• Randir insinuates that Bell and Dove have some sort of romantic thing between them
• We pull into White Orchard, a small village.
• It's been six months and we're coming out of winter
• We decide to stay the night there
• Ulertu is meeting a member of the Order of Truth in White Orchard
• They discuss Ulertu's findings and this person (Cairn) has a task for Ulertu: deliver a box to the oldest house in Caersen
• Theo has found out about a group called The Order of the Dragon
• Theo finds someone he's been looking for: Theo has him injured by his sword
• Theo, "TELL ME WHAT YOU KNOW OF MY FATHER!"
• The man slits his throat.
• WE meet! We catch up! Randir is very excited!
• We talk with Elena and Bell, they know some stuff about the Order of the Dragon
• They're pretty much terrorists. They've infiltrated the north quite a bit.
• "When anyone could be a spy for the Order of the Dragon, who can you trust?"
• They give us some info about Caersen, the Empress there is more of a Figurehead. The senate is more powerful than she is.
  • Used be called "The Land of the Thousand Tribes" by the elves
• The emperor at the time of founding used to claim he was a god.
• "He killed too many people to be a unifier of people."
• The Order of the Dragon usually leaves a sigil behind
• Bell tells us about a small city called "Cape Verden" where many craftsmen live (or have retired)
• A half elf storms into the tavern, he argues with the barkeep silently
• After a while, the half elf sits down and eats begrudgeonly
• Theo goes to talk to the barkeep, Randir goes off to look for Elena who walked off a moment before
• Theo ends up talking to the heated half-elf
  • Named Tane Faradon
• He's a fuckin ranger. But he's not respected.
• Randir sees Elena, there's an awkward interaction and they come back in wet from the rain.
• The gang talks into the night as the band plays more music
• The music goes on and on turning into unplanned strumming and jamming
• The gang turns in in thr wee hours of the night
• The next day, the Cinder Root Trio orders breakfast for us
• We decide that we'll continue to travel with the trio! Woohoo!