Present Party: Keviks, Lupan, Nana, and Wren.
Setting: The city of Lanti, in Midtia.
Lupan left the Mulcaster Estate with Kindred at his side in an attempt to go after Keviks and make sure he wasn't going to be attacked on his way to jail, and also in an attempt to speak with him. Two guards from the Mulcaster Estate followed him and showed him where the jail was. Lupan approached and immediately ripped the door off the wagon that was transporting Keviks.
The guards restrained Lupan and demanded an explanation as Keviks was brought inside. Lupan, through a series of persuasion and intimidation checks, was admitted, but had to wait until Keviks was processed. Then, he'd be placed in a secure room where Lupan would be able to see him. He'd have to leave all weapons and arcane casting objects at the door.
He was admitted and found Keviks in a small room, chained to a chair. There was a table in front of him and another chair in the room. Two guards remained outside the room, and when they shut the door, the edges glowed blue for a moment. Lupan demanded to know what had been going through Keviks's head. Keviks explained a little, that he had to and that all of this was far bigger than he'd told anyone. Lupan knew the least about Keviks's past, and Keviks assured him that if the others came by, he could explain even more.
~~~~~
Meanwhile, at the estate, Nana and Wren filled in Baron Mulcaster and his wife about what happened. They explained that Orion had been charmed by Vekea Keenstalker, using a set of magic rings. Orion had been the one to tell them by playing with the ring, and by allowing Nana to use Detect Thoughts.
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| Baron Reginald and Lady Eloise Mulcaster Wren's Parents (Art by Djamila Knopft) |
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| Orion Mulcaster Human, age 25 Wren's older brother (Art by Tina Yeh on Art Station) |
The Mulcasters couldn't wrap their heads around such an atrocity. The baron asked, "What could they have wanted from us?"
"Money," Orion told them. "And influence, but mostly money."
Nana explained further, saying that she believed, from what she could tell from Orion's memories, that he had been stealing money for them out of the family's funds. Orion confirmed that this was true.
Baron Mulcaster sighed, "Well, when our accountant Frederick comes back from his vacation-"
"Frederick isn't on vacation," Orion stated flatly. "I know how much it was, I kept track." He gulped. "22,800 gold pieces..."
The Mulcasters were shocked, and Wren took a moment to remind her parents that the money isn't what's important. Their family is safe now, and that's what matters. Nana and Wren needed to speak to Keviks; they needed to know why he'd bothered to attack at this moment. While the Mulcasters checked on the security of their home and other children, the party made their way to the jailhouse. They also left Fang and Castilian behind.
Pulling strings as members of the Selection Party, and using Nana's position as Royal Court Mage to their advantage, they were admitted with the same restrictions: no weapons, no spellcasting focuses. They met with Lupan and Keviks in the same room. The door was closed.
Wren approached Keviks, and placed her hands on the arms of the chair he was chained to.
"What the FUCK?!" she screamed, letting her polite and calm façade drop for the first time in this whole situation. She continued, "My entire family could have been killed, Keviks! Sebastian almost was, and for what?! Not to mention, Fang was there! He could have been killed, Keviks, and it's our job to protect him."
Keviks insisted, "This is bigger than your family, Wren. It's bigger than the prince, and I can explain everything. I have nothing to hide anymore."
He informed them all of what he knew:
- Firstly, he reiterated the backstory that Wren and Nana already knew, mostly for Lupan who'd yet to hear it.
- As soon as Keviks was born, he was ripped away from his family. He'd been a soldier since birth.
- His first order out of training camp was to return to his village in the forest, where he'd been born, and to set it on fire. He'd done it, and killed everyone including his own family without asking questions. He'd been taught not to ask questions
- He was welcomed into the army after that. Free to make his own decisions (as long as they were in Erdia's best interests, of course.)
- He'd spent about a year, pillaging and conquering towns and villages to keep them under Erdian rule. This didn't bother him; it wasn't what drove him to leave. What did drive him to leave... was tyranny. Keviks did not want a world ruled by only one man or one country.
- Keviks flew away as fast as he could. Erdia hunted him for a short while, but they stopped. After all, what damage could a lost aarokocra with no family and no ideals but those imposed upon him by Erdia?
- Keviks admitted that he was not - is not - a good person. But he hopes now that by fighting back against Erdia, it can redeem him... if only a little.
- He also added that this Erdian plot was about a continent-wide invasion. They were planning a multi-step invasion, and from what he knew about the locations of two other generals - Ureik and Grisdain in Rockland and Lakeside - it seemed like they were doing it on multiple fronts, from multiple cities in Midtian borders.
Lupan claimed that it would be a bad idea to leave him here, to go to trial and let Erdia have him. "He knows so much about this, they won't let him live. And he knows about us and the prince. If they decide to interrogate him before they kill him..."
Nana claimed to have a way, and a plan, but that if she was to go through with it, she needed assurance from Keviks. As did Wren, for the time being, and the two of them produced the rings that Vekea and Orion had been wearing. They intended to put Keviks on a tight leash. Keviks said that he'd be willing. They'd hash out those details later.
Through a series of excellent deception and intimidation checks, Nana was able to acquire her spellbook and take it into the room. She also convinced the guards to leave the door unattended for the time being. She left it ajar and used Prestidigitation to make it sound as though the door had closed. The door didn't glow this time. Lupan used Primal Savagery to free Keviks from the chains with acid, and then used it to strike Nana at her request. Nana used her spell scroll that contained Major Image over Keviks, creating a phoenix-esque version of him. Nana asked Lupan to move by the door and for Wren to scream.
She did, and the chain mail of the guards down the hall came clanking forward, rushing towards the room. Nana had the illusion say the words "for Erdia" before bursting in an explosion. Lupan threw himself back as though the explosion were real, throwing himself into the guards and knocking them aside... so they wouldn't see Nana cast Invisibility on the real Keviks under the illusion.
They spun the story that Keviks had been there to try and frame the Selection Party and make it seem as though they were responsible for the deaths of Erdian dignitaries. They stormed out of the jailhouse, claiming to need to report to the king immediately. Nana requested that a high-level cleric be sent her way, if they knew of one, so that she could send a message to him. The Lanti guards were willing to cooperate.
Once they left, with Keviks quietly in tow, Nana told him to make his way back to the Cromdor Estate and to stay there until they got back. He went without arguing.
The other three took a moment to collect themselves, and Nana finally expressed the stress she'd been feeling through all this. How she'd always been a nanny and a history teacher and was only recently given the title of Royal Court Mage... all of this was so over her head. Lupan and Wren agreed, it was over their heads too... but now they were in it. The only thing they could do was keep moving forward together.
~~~~~
Keviks had managed to fly back into the Cromdor Estate through an open window. He had to sneak through Mirabelle's room with her inside, and he was only saved when she opened the door to speak to Quest. Quest, being a demigod with Truesight, saw Keviks in the room and discreetly helped usher him out.
"When did you get here, and why are you being a pervert?" he asked.
"I wasn't! Things are bad right now, but there's no time to explain. I need to hide."
With help from Quest's divine magic, he was able to send Keviks to where he was keeping his dragon hoard, at least for the time being.
~~~~~
The other three party members returned to the Mulcaster Estate briefly. Nana took the lead in lying to the Mulcasters and Fang about what happened to Keviks. She assured the prince very quietly that they would discuss it later. It was clear that Fang was doing his best to keep himself together at this time, and Nana said she was proud of him.
The Mulcasters also opted to send all of their children to the Cromdor Estate, which was better guarded, in the event that some crazy things were going to happen moving forward. On the way back to the Cromdor Estate, a dwarven cleric that Wren knew from performing at her bar - Thrinaine - joined the party. She was the cleric Nana had requested.
Upon their arrival, Admiral Cromdor - Mirabelle's father - was summoned. He was concerned and confused, but Wren said that she would speak with him about the situation. She explained that her family was in danger from Erdia and that the Mulcasters needed somewhere safe for their children. Cromdor was more than willing, but worried about how many rooms he'd have available. With the party here, and then a few gentlemen from Aincour who were staying for the engagement party (which was now canceled) there were few rooms. For now, he'd have to keep them in one of the parlors until a better arrangement could be found. Wren helped her siblings get settled.
- She checked in with Orion, and he claimed to be fine but he still seemed really distant. He thanked her for her help, and he apologized for something that happened long ago, but didn't really say what that was. Still, Wren seemed to know what he was referring to, and she said that it really didn't matter. She told him to rest.
- Sebastian appeared to be writing some things in a notebook, and when she asked how he was doing, he said he was fine but then added, "You know... I can still feel her hands around my neck..." Wren pulled him into a hug. Despite that, Sebastian seemed a little more worried about Orion, but he thought that seeing Mirabelle might help. He confessed that Orion had been having a hard time even before the engagement, and that Mirabelle had recently been a big comfort to him. It was odd... the Cromdors and Mulcasters hadn't had many relations until recently...
- Lastly, Wren went to Cassandra. She was alright, but mostly, she seemed more worried about the Selection. She asked Wren if she thought they'd cancel it, or postpone it. Wren didn't honestly know. She found that Cassandra seemed to have some insecurities about herself, especially when it came to her appearance and leadership ability. Wren assured her that no matter what, as long as she was happy and doing something she loved, she would be beautiful.
Cassandra requested a story, like Wren used to do when they were kids. Sebastian and even Orion listened as well, and it helped to lull the three of them to sleep.
~~~~~
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| Sebastian Mulcaster Human, age 18 Wren's younger brother (Art by Charlie Bowater) |
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| Cassandra Mulcaster Human, age 18 Wren's younger sister (Art by NibelArt on DeviantArt) |
Nana, Lupan, Fang, and Thrinaine went upstairs to send their message to the king. Nana left Fang in charge of that while she and Lupan talked.
Nana needed Lupan's advice. She was considering contacting Hugo DeMarco, the lich guildmaster in Kystad. He was powerful, and he would be able to help them.
"Can we trust Hugo?" Lupan asked.
"Absolutely not," Nana declared. "But I don't know a more powerful spellcaster, and if he truly works for the king, then it would be in our best interest - and his - to help us. I have one Sending spell left."
They decided it couldn't hurt to send him a message. They received no immediate response... but after about ten seconds, they received one behind them: "You called?"
Sitting on a couch in the other room was Hugo DeMarco, in his lich form with his face half missing. He gave them a wicked smile and asked for clarification. Nana told him everything they knew, figuring they wouldn't be able to hide anything from him.
When she finished, Hugo asked, "And what am I supposed to do about this?"
Nana requested that:
- Hugo track down and "remove" Riot Guard Captain Eli Hawks and Spymaster Ego, who Alaion had informed them were traitors to the crown. Ego was also on the hunt for Hugo's phylactery, so there were stakes in it for him as well.
- Hugo to ensure the safety of Alaion's family so Alaion could testify against Erdia
- Ensure the safe passage of the king from Kystad to Lanti, knowing that there would likely be a trial or at least now negotiations of some kind here.
Hugo agreed that he would, and in return, he would receive:
- An interview with Quest Carron
- Any information they'd gathered on the state of the Dragon Lancers thus far.
- 2 unspecified favors to be collected later from Nana only and no other members of her party.
He also offered information on the psychopath with the bow - Xade Omiryn. Well, specifically, he offered information on the bow itself. He'd owned it once, but had given it to another person (not Xade) when he had no use for it. After he completed everything else, he'd give it to them.
During this, when Nana seemed to hesitate in providing favors to Hugo, Hugo had turned to Lupan, and took note of the Mark of Spring on Lupan's arm. When Lupan declined a deal with him, Hugo chuckled.
"At least when you deal with death, it's a promise," he claimed. "You can't say the same with archfey."
After that, he disappeared.
~~~~~
The party all reconvened in Fang's room with the Dragon Lancers as well. Keviks was revealed to be alive, much to Fang's personal relief. Keviks also provided more information, including something he'd learned from Jack: the Erdians are planning an assassination attempt on the royal family. Alaion was assigned to kill King River. Xade was assigned to kill the young princes.
Nana, in her rage, struck him but Keviks felt as though he'd deserved that. He admitted as well that he'd intended to go alone and find each of these generals and kill them. He realized now that he never could have if the party hadn't been there, and he fully expected them not to help at that time.
"I still don't know... who killed Nithea?" Keviks asked.
"Couldn't you tell by the lightning burns?" Lupan said, referring to Nana and her frequent use of the spell Lightning Bolt in combat.
"I mean, I figured, but I had to ask." Keviks looked at Nana. "Thank you... for killing my mother."
Having been his general, and the only adult authority figure Keviks had known, growing up in the army... Nithea really had been something of a mother to him.
The party also concluded that there was no need to use the rings, at least not now. After that, the party dispersed, hoping to get some rest after what was a very, very long day.
~~~~~
Fang needed to see Mirabelle, to relax and unwind. He started to make his way towards her room. Castilian accompanied him, and on the way, granted him some sage advice: "You do not have to be afraid to express your feelings with us, Fang. Sometimes it is really important to just... let them all out."
Fang seemed to take Castilian's advice to heart, and thanked him very much.
~~~~~
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