Present Party: Keviks, Lupan, Nana, and Wren
Setting: The small island town of Aincour, Midtia.
Our party finally made it to the island town of Aincour. Before they left the ship, however, they made sure to leave the Admiral with their list of suspicious persons, and they received some advice from Rome.
Rome told them that if they really wanted to know what the Midtian Riot Guard knew about Erdia, that they should seek out "Oli Pembrooke." He lived in town, and he was Rome's boss. If they tell him that Rome sent them, he would tell them what he knew, at the very least.
Their people of interest were:
- The tabaxi child known as "Seven" who Rome had been following for the past few years, and been suspecting him of espionage.
- The two kids who had been seen with him.
- Lieutenant Lysander Soriena, for the fact that the notes being passed by the cabin boys seemed to be going to him.
- The ship's head mage, believing that he may have been spying on the party while onboard.
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| Lt. Lysander Soriena of the Midtian Navy Wood Elf, age 102 (physical age 18) (Art by @Sonnet_Form on Twitter) |
Lupan, however, was not very concerned about that. Ever since they'd docked, there had been something - something like silver bells - ringing in the back of his mind. He was eager to explore, and Wren, Castilian, and Prince Fang were willing to accompany him.
On the way, further into town, Wren's eye caught an interesting place that was nearly like a bakery. However, its best-selling item actually appeared to be its coffee. She and Fang took a detour inside while Lupan continued forward.
From one of the patrons, she'd learned that this was the place to be for debates, discussions, and nearly anything about anything. "One of Aincour's favorite past-times is talking," he told her. He even pointed her in the direction of the central plaza, where a public debate would be starting soon. Flight of the Blue Jay - a tabaxi son of a noble from Aincour that the party had met briefly in Lanti - was one of the participants.
"What's the topic?" Wren asked.
"Whether or not the Midtian monarchy should be abolished."
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| Crown Prince Steel "Fang" of the Mountain Tabaxi, age 18 (Custom Art by @WtfdoIdraw on Twitter) |
"I'm alright," he assured her. "It's... jarring to hear someone say that to my face. I know that... Jay's family specifically has actually written a lot of essays on the abolishment of the monarchy. It's one of the biggest reasons they're not so well-liked in higher circles. But Midtia has free speech to an extent, and what the Flight family writes isn't a call to violence or inciting violence anywhere so it's not against the law."
The two of them considered heading to the plaza to watch the debate.
~~~~~
Lupan, though, had beaten them there. There was a central fountain in this plaza with a stage in front of it, and benches placed so people could watch. On the stage was a large chalk board easel with a list of event dates and times written on it. To the side of the stage, a large crowd had gathered to watch some kind of musical street performance.
The bells in his mind were louder now. Lupan scanned the plaza until his eyes finally settled on a large purple tent, the entrance tucked into an alley of some kind. The bells stopped. He took a few tentative steps towards it. Close enough to peer inside, he could see people walking inside it, dressed in fine clothing. He entered, and began to peruse, despite looking incredibly out of place. The banner hanging across the tent read: "Cazzar's Exotic Art & Artifacts."
As he moved through, he started to notice things that he recognized: totems and spears that almost certainly came from his tribe. His people wouldn't have given them up so easily. Then... he found something else. It was written on animal skin, in Sylvan. And, admittedly, if someone didn't know Sylvan or how the language was structured... this might have looked like art. But it wasn't. It was a note:
Family,
If you’re reading this, it means I’ve returned to our home of Alfheim or I have joined the heroes of Valhalla. I watch all of you now, from a place far better but also far more lonely because I have none of you with me.
I hope I will have none of you with me for a very long time. War may be our greatest tradition, but I think it is also our greatest tragedy. It takes husbands, fathers, and sons from their wives, mothers, and daughters. Thinking about it now, no man should ever want to sit and write something like this to those that he loves. I see why many men don’t; it’s painful. It’s very painful to sit and know that your life might end in blood, and not in the arms of those you love. Honorable for it to end in blood, perhaps, but I know I would much rather die holding the three of you.
My darling wife, I will miss your voice and the way it told our children the stories of the wind and trees. I will miss the way you sing, but even from where I am, I will try to hear it. I will miss your wisdom, the same wisdom I have seen in the eyes of our son. I will miss your compassion, and the calm that washed over me when we spoke. Our children are grown now, but tell them all you can about me. Let them learn to love your voice as I have. They already adore your stories.
My sweetest daughter, my little sprout, you have all the grace of your mother and all the spirit of your father at that age, I swear it. What a beautiful woman you will become, a stronger shaman than even your mother with a deeper connection to our home and fey friends than anyone I’ve seen. I’m sorry if I was never around enough. I’m sorry if you ever found me too stern. I’m sorry our tribe separates men and women as they do sometimes, because it means I have a duty to your brother more than I have to you. I never thought that was very fair. Know that despite the fact that I’m gone, my spirit will be one of many that guides you to greatness. I’m sure that if you listen closely to those spirits, you’ll hear my voice among them. I’ll be the one chanting louder than all the rest.
My beloved son, I’ve saved you until last because I fear your reaction when you read this. You are so very strong, but you wear your heart on your sleeve and you’ve inherited my terrible temper. Worse, I fear that you may never read this because perhaps I will have gotten my wish and died in the arms of someone I loved as he lay dying too. My worst fear is that you will never read this because I will be one of the many fathers of our tribe who has outlived his son, and I will have to write this all over again. War is, indeed, our greatest tragedy. My biggest regret with you is that I never expressed how proud of you I truly am. I have told you when I have been proud of you, but I often find that I want to say more than that and I don’t know how. I could only watch you as you grew. You approached the world with all of my bravery, and all of your mother’s heart. I hope you never lose that. I never want to see you lose that.
My family, you were everything I could have ever wanted.
Thank you for making every moment of my life - a life filled with bloodshed and violence - worth living.
Thank you for being the peace that I needed.
Thank you for being mine.
It wasn't signed. It wasn't dated. Lupan's tribe was largely based in oral traditions; writing was not common. There were no names mentioned... but Lupan knew who had written it. Lupan had never seen his father's handwriting, but he knew his father's voice too well not to hear it in these words. A small tag had been added to the item. It read: "20,000 GP." It was locked behind a glass case.
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| Melinda Becker Half Elf, Former Copper Dragon God (Art by lavellanlove on Tumblr) |
She introduced herself as Melinda, and she comforted him as best as she could. She claimed to have been here for the music outside, but decided to peek in here and noticed him. She knew him, and when Lupan explained to her what was going on, she told him, "I think someone outside might be able to help you."
"I'm two seconds away from breaking apart this case."
"And you'll get the guards called on you. Trust me. She'll help."
The two of them went out to the concert, which had caught Wren and Fang's attention as well, once they'd moved on from the coffee shop. All of them quickly realized that this was no ordinary concert. A tiefling girl was performing, and dancing with her was Quest Carron, the party's copper dragon demigod.
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| Celanwe Wood Elf, Former Copper Dragon God (Art by Merwild on Tumblr) |
Wren and Fang were filled in on the situation with Lupan, and determined to help him get back what was rightfully his.
~~~~~
Nana, over the course of their journey on the sea, had managed to procure and slightly modify a firearm. Admiral Cromdor had been very hesitant about letting her have one. Midtian law required that any firearm holders were required to have a license, and getting a license required training. Luckily, the naval base in Aincour did have a program. Nana and Keviks, both very interested, went to the base. A former adventurer - one Peyton DiAngelo - was their private teacher, for a little extra coin. They'd likely find themselves proficient in firearms by the end of the week.
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| Myren Human, First Copper Dragon God (Art by slugette on Tumblr) |
Between these three former gods, they learned that the tiefling girl was who Melinda had been referring to. She had knowledge and skills that the party may find helpful in performing an art heist. They enjoyed the music and kept Lupan from exploding with impatience and a need to get the note back immediately.
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| Dragon Lancer: Quest Carron Tiefling, College of Satire Bard Copper Dragon Demigod (Art by @guttertongue on Twitter) |
- Captain Hawks had been acting strangely around Axel (the silver dragon demigod, who was sent to protect the royal family), especially now that Axel was getting comfortable around the palace, posing as the young princes' substitute teacher while Nana was away.
- One day, Axel was alone in a hallway with the captain. He could have sworn that the two of them were going to fight when one of the windows was broken in by what Axel assumed to be an aasimar. He appeared human, but had large, black avian wings. He grabbed Hawks, flew back out, and then the window was unbroken. As though nothing had happened. None of the guards nearby had heard anything either.
- Axel contacted Quest, who left Lanti immediately, and went to Kystad to help look for Captain Hawks and discover what happened to him. They searched everywhere - his office, his home, and even some secret areas in the palace and in the city that they knew were there from their days as Dragon Lancers. They could not find him.
- Then, suddenly he turned up again... in pieces, in his office. They reported their findings to the king.
- They were also made aware of the fact that Spymaster Ego was on his way back to Kystad from wherever he was for Hawks's funeral. He would be there from the 4th to the 6th, which was 2 days from now.
Nana sent a brief message to Hugo, asking if this was his doing. He claimed he had an associate fitting the description given, and the party assumed this was part of Hugo's prior agreement. He was finally attempting to take care of Eli and Ego - the two biggest known threats to the crown in the capital city - as he'd promised. Although, it was concerning to know that he had what appeared to be an Angel of Death (essentially) on his side.
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| Radiance Tiefling Trickery Cleric of the Copper Dragon God (Art by June Jenssen on ArtStation) |
They left Quest's hoard, and went back into the street, where they met Radiance, the tiefling performer. She was also a cleric from the kingdom of Medego, and her god was Myren, the Copper Dragon. Suddenly, things made far more sense. She was aware that Quest was at least related to her god in some way, but that was all.
When they told her of the situation, and were informed that she could help them, she was more than willing to assist in a heist. It was Wren's idea to pose as a curator of fine art, and offer something in trade. Nana suggested some fine clothing; she had a spell and the necessary tools to make something like that. Radiance knew that the value of certain sarees (a women's clothing item from her country, far to the south) could be very high. She described something a royal concubine might wear, and Nana was able to make it. Lupan and Keviks would come along with Wren as bodyguards to help sell the charade of her being an important art collector. They retrieved some better clothing for themselves as well.
Wren, Lupan, and Keviks entered the tent again, and perused a bit before they were approached by a portly tiefling gentleman, who had a pompous air about him. They showed him the saree, and offered it in exchange for Lupan's note. With some lucky deception checks, Wren was able to procure it without nearly any trouble.
When they were outside again, away from the tent, Lupan looked at it again and held it close to his chest. Radiance asked to see it for just a moment, and cast what seemed to be a form of Mending. The corners of the note were less torn. The skin itself wasn't as wrinkled, and the writing was bolder and easier to read. He looked at the party, teary-eyed, and unable to say much other than: "Thank you..."
Lupan had found what The Summer Queen has asked him to: something he'd know when he saw, and that rightfully belonged to him.
~~~~~
ART LINKS:
https://twitter.com/Sonnet_form/status/1074747966949224448
https://twitter.com/wtfdoidraw
https://lavellanlove.tumblr.com/image/171542079156
https://merwild.tumblr.com/
https://slugette.tumblr.com/post/142286067190/edmond-trevelyan-a-kinda-sketchy-portrait-that
https://twitter.com/guttertongue/status/1045505333265924097
https://junejenssen.artstation.com/projects/KaLZoy
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