TPW Summary: Act III, Scene v - Session 11

Act III: The Olden Days and the Next Generation

Scene v: The Grandmaster's Election

Present Party: Athena, Nytra, and Sylyeras.

Setting: The city of Jarna, capital of the kingdom of Saspar.

That night, after Sylyeras and Athena spoke to the corpses of the Selezi women, Nytra went on a secret mission, in favor of garnering more support for Pharius. She stayed out for the whole night, without sleep, ensuring that she got as much of that support as possible.

Meanwhile, Sylyeras and Athena sat together, writing a lullaby for Sylyeras's infant son. He sang it to him that night, through his Sending Stone wedding ring. Ariel, his wife, was happy to hear his voice and happy to know that, for the time being, he was safe.

The next morning, they'd see what they had to do and what the papers said about the election.

~~~~~

Pharius Veladorn
Drow War Mage
Odette's Father & Candidate
for Grandmaster
(Art by Shinyno on Tumblr)

Pharius and his girlfriend, Minnie, were staying with the party, for their own safety and to plan Pharius's campaign. They discussed a few things that would help get the ball rolling for what they needed to do next.

- The morning paper said that the last tournament between Pharius and Kellryn Sequestriel was cancelled due to the violent events that had previously occurred.

- The first stats, following early polling, were published. Pharius was, so far, in the lead, but the others weren't too far behind him.

- The next phase in the elections were interviews with the press. Pharius wanted the party to find out what the people wanted to hear. He said, "Admittedly, I haven't really... picked out any positions on any big political issues, at least not publicly. I want to know what people want."

- The party also wanted to investigate the newspaper - the Sasperian Star. The family who owned it was backing Ego LaFontaine, the cultist. They were concerned that the paper might be biased out of their favor. Pharius and Minnie couldn't come with them for that. If they showed up at the presshouse, it could lead people to think that they were the ones influencing the press.

Athena and Nytra opted to take the presshouse, in that case. Meanwhile, Sylyeras and Minnie would start looking more into the public opinions of the city. Pharius had a plan with some of his friends at the Premiere Academy, with setting up something he and Minnie referred to as a "hype crew." Afterwards, Athena and Sylyeras would hit the tavern scene well into the night.

At the presshouse, Nytra and Athena found the place in total disarray, but not in any apparent negative way. It was chaotic, just by virtue of it being a working day. Journalists and reporters were running to and fro. There were papers strewn everywhere, and two huge machines in the very back of the main room were churning and smoking. The players gathered that these were the actual "printing presses."

They decided that they would help out, and they were offered pay to do so, but they were required to sign a non-disclosure agreement. Athena signed with a fake name. Nytra gave her real one. They spent their time, cleaning and running errands for the reporters, listening in. Much of it was about the recent violent events and the elections. They eavesdropped on a short meeting between 8 reporters, who were all deciding who would interview the candidates. A halfling woman, young and the only woman in this group, offered to interview Pharius. She didn't seem like she was eager, but she was willing. Athena and Nytra didn't feel as though she was going to harm him.

As Athena was running around, getting coffee for these journalists, she was stopped by a half-orc boy, maybe six or seven years old. She realized that he was one of the newsies - the young boys who sold the papers on the streets. He asked her very politely for a croissant, and she got him one, along with some cocoa. She was also introduced to several other newsies, and made sure to take their orders too. Many of these children - all between the ages of six and eighteen - seemed to live here.

They spent their morning and afternoon here. The presshouse seemed to run like normal, with nothing too far out of the ordinary.

~~~~~

Sylyeras and Minnie spent their morning and afternoon visiting two different parts of the city: the west and east side. 

Horace Undersong
Celestial Warlock &
Candidate for Grandmaster
(Art by d-torres on
DeviantArt)

The west side of the city was largely populated by the poor, working class, or farmers just outside the city walls. They asked the people about their ideal candidates. They wanted someone down-to-earth, someone who actually listened and cared about the regular people more than the rich and magically inclined. Their favorite candidates appeared to be Horace Undersong, the halfling warlock, and Divia Vakume, the goliath echo knight fighter. Horace was a local, and his family owned a farm outside the city. Both of them were well-known, accomplished adventurers.

Divia Vakume
Goliath Echo Knight &
Candidate for Grandmaster
(Art by u/lalalyssh on Reddit)

The east side of the city was the academic area, where all of the major universities were located and where the majority of the students lived. When asked what they thought, many of them actually sang Pharius's praises. This wasn't a surprise because Pharius had just graduated from his master's program, and had been a teaching assistant at the Premiere Academy before that. The other candidate that the students seemed to like was Tide Graynil, the water genasi sorcerer. Although their reasons for liking him had more to do with his charisma and attractiveness than any policies that they could give. Most of the students who liked Tide were new students, and this was their first year voting. It seemed as though they were far more concerned with which candidate was more attractive.

Tide Graynil
Water Genasi Sorcerer
& Candidate for Grandmaster
(Art by madnessdemon on
DeviantArt)

When they all reconvened, Nytra decided to stay home for the night. After all, she'd been out for most of the night before. Instead, Sylyeras and Athena went on the town, and Athena got dressed to see if she could do some performances.

They went to an up-scale tavern first, that really seemed more like a restaurant than anything. Athena was able to secure the performance while Sylyeras got all the information.

Amarius Mallory
Tiefling College of Eloquence
Bard & Candidate for
Grandmaster
(Art by Ernesto Irawan)

It seemed that the rich had a preference for Amarius Mallory. His family had been around for a long time, and were distantly related to the family of a Chroma Conqueror: the Cassius House. After him, they liked Pharius, hoping that he would be as strong-willed as his father, who was a known war hero.

Arcana Isoldune and Ego LaFontaine were thrown around a few times. Sylyeras, however, quickly started a rumor that Ego had been involved in war crimes in Midtia, and that he'd only returned to his home in Saspar to escape. Thanks to a great deception roll, the patrons at this tavern grew concerned very quickly.

Arcana Isoldune
Warforged Clockwork Soul
Sorcerer & Candidate for
Grandmaster
(Art by @artofjoenni on
Twitter)

Their last stop was a tavern closer to the center of the city, whose patrons seemed to be adventurers. They too, it seemed preferred Divia Vakume. Many knew her personally as a strong and capable leader, especially in a fight. Arcana Isoldune's name was heard a few times, but mostly out of curiosity. The kingdom had never had a warforged leader before.

Sylyeras continued his spreading of rumors against Ego, and found this bar to be particularly receptive to his deception. By the end of the night, the bar was in uproar, chanting, "Fuck Ego!" (a chant started by Athena onstage)

With the feeling that they'd been successful, they returned to the house and reported back to Pharius (after rudely waking him past midnight) with some thoughts and a new plan.

They decided that Pharius needed to be seen more in public. The problem was that many people, especially the working class and adventurers, had no idea who he was or what he stood for. He was already very humble, which would help with the working class, and he had the connections he needed with the rich through his name. He just had to cultivate them.

Athena also added, "I had an idea about the newsies from the Sasperian Star. I'm wondering if we could use them. They're all over the city, they're the first ones to get the papers... they could work for us, almost like little spies. They'd probably do it for baked goods, cocoa, and a little bit of money."

"That's not a bad idea..." Pharius agreed. "I mean... after all, who looks twice at a newsie on a street corner once they've bought the paper?"

With this knowledge, everyone started to go to sleep, but not before Pharius checked in with Athena about Odette. Odette was currently hiding in Midtia with Finn and a friend of his: Confidence Milton. It wasn't safe for her in Saspar right now, with the cult running around.

"How... How are you today?" he asked her.

"Well... I was so busy tonight, I... didn't even get to say goodnight to her, if that's any indication."

"I did, for you," he told her. "I-I knew you were out, and I told her that you were working and so if she didn't get a call, it was okay. I told her you loved her, and that you'd talk to her tomorrow."

Athena was grateful for that much, and glad to know that her daughter was safe.

~~~~~

ART LINKS

https://shinyno.tumblr.com/post/168555192674/commission-for-stelera-of-their-dd-oc-cropped

https://www.deviantart.com/d-torres/art/Rayet-the-Blue-435076910

https://www.reddit.com/r/DnD/comments/f6fs85/ocart_vori_runemaker_vupine_goliath_rune_knight/?utm_medium=android_app&utm_source=share

https://www.deviantart.com/madnessdemon/art/Tekehu-746314393

https://www.artstation.com/artwork/noe9E

https://twitter.com/artofjoenni

TPW Summary: Act III, Scene v - Sessions 9 & 10

Act III: The Olden Days and the Next Generation

Scene v: The Grandmaster's Election

Present Party: Athena, Nytra, and Sylyeras.

Setting: The city of Jarna, capital of the kingdom of Saspar. Briefly, the port city of Sevord in the kingdom of Stovald, across the Northwest Sea.

The night had gone by without a single concern. No one in The Dusk had attempted anything on Northina Selezi or Amarius Mallory. Whatever Ego was planning wouldn't happen yet, the party supposed.

With this knowledge, and knowing that the tournament was due to continue, Athena and Nytra decided to split up while at the tournament. Simon Cleves, Finn's former party member and headmaster of the school the tournament was taking place in, was able to get Athena placed in the infirmary. Nytra decided that she would go with Minnie and watch the tournament from the lower stands. Finn and Simon would be further up, in the luxury boxes.

Nytra and Minnie spotted several people like the ones they'd seen before, milling around, watching them and others. They acted as though they hadn't noticed, but made sure to be aware of where they were and what they may be doing.

Hephaestus
Tiefling Life Cleric
of Lathandar
(Art made by me, using
Heroforge)

Athena was surprised to find Hephaestus the tiefling there, who she'd met with one of Sylyeras's friends: Eros. He also worked down here, with members of his local church. His son Oliver and Odette played together in another room while he and Athena worked.

The first match was Pharius versus Horace Undersong, the halfling warlock who had defeated Ego. It was a close match, but Pharius was lucky, and managed to defeat Horace. Both of them were brought to the infirmary. Unlike Northina, Horace roused rather quickly, and he praised Pharius for the match before wishing him luck in the final round.

Pharius Veladorn
Drow War Mage
Odette's Father and Candidate
for Grandmaster
(Art by Shinyno on Tumblr)

Kelryn Sequestriel, the drow swarmkeeper ranger, and Tide Graynil, the water genasi aberrant mind sorcerer, had their next match. Handily, the swarmkeeper had won it, and Athena watched as Tide threw a small tantrum in the infirmary. Kelryn and Pharius looked at each other, acknowledging that they would be the final match.

There was a short intermission, where Minnie and Nytra took the chance to get a couple of snacks before the last match. The man in front of them, they realized, looked a bit too similar to the people they'd been suspicious of.

Off in the distance, they heard a whistle.

The man in front of them lunged into action, and stabbed Minnie. She and Nytra fought him off until he started to run. This stabbing was not the only incident. Other people in plain leather armor had stabbed several people in the concessions area and then taken off running. Guards chased after them.

Shortly after, they met up with Finn, who ushered them into the infirmary with Athena and Pharius. Hephaestus and a few other clerics left the room to check on the injured. The room was put into lockdown after that. The party discussed quietly what might be going on, and where Ego might be now, in all this.

Ego LaFontaine
Gnome Arcane Trickster / Wizard
Lieutenant of The Dusk
Candidate for Grandmaster
(Art by Mike Peterson)

Athena scried on Ego, and saw him in an area outside, speaking to guards. He was being tended to by a medic; it looked as though he'd been stabbed. The party concluded that he was feigning his own innocence by turning himself into some kind of victim... but he hadn't been at the arena, and he certainly wasn't there now.

Once they were allowed out of the room, they were told that, obviously, the tournament was canceled for the rest of the day. The party invited Pharius and Minnie to stay with them for their safety, and they agreed. On the way, they discovered that their incident had not been the only one. In addition to the stabbing in the arena:

- Several people in the city's central plaza had been stabbed.

- The presshouse for the newspaper - the Sasparian Star - had been set on fire, but only one room was severely damaged. This presshouse in that same central plaza.

- This was where Ego was, and they overheard him say that a human man matching Harry's description was responsible for the attack. He was giving orders.

- The party thought that Ego might think Harry was still around, and was attempting to frame him. It was clear that The Dusk didn't consider him a friend anymore.

- Another local tavern had been burned completely to the ground.

- A candidate for grandmaster - Northina Selezi, who Athena had saved last night - died in a tragic murder-suicide at the hands of her grandmother: Callietta.

Northina Selezi
Half-Elf College of Lore Bard
Former Candidate for
Grandmaster
(Art by @gigi_avila on Twitter)

They went back to Simon's house to regroup, hoping that Sylyeras would be home at this point as well.

~~~~~

In Sevord, Sylyeras took Harry to the docks to wish him well. He paid his crew in advance for the next few months, and instructed them on where to bring Harry.

He asked Harry to use the Sending Stones to let him know that he was okay, and Harry promised he would.

Puck, Finn's satyr friend and fellow warlock, brought Sylyeras back not long after the party returned to the house. The first thing he did was try to comfort Athena, who had made a very difficult decision: Jarna wasn't safe for Odette. She needed somewhere safe for her to go. Finn offered Rugathore, Aldea, where she could stay with his husband, or Lanti, in Midtia with his friend, Confidence Milton. Finn was already going to go to Midtia, to try and rally support against Ego; he could take her along. 

Odette Lavigne
Pharius & Athena's Daughter
(Original Art by Brandon Dunn on
Art Station)
(Recolored by Athena's Player)

Pharius also tried to comfort Athena, and she asked if he would talk to Odette. Odette had been asking questions about him, now that Athena has designated him as someone like "Uncle Syl" - someone she could trust to keep her safe. Pharius didn't tell Odette he was her father, not yet, but he assured her that he was an old friend of her mother's.

The party decided that their investigation was best done once the newspaper came out in the morning with all the information.

The next morning, Puck took Finn and Odette to Midtia. Finn would be gone for a week, to make sure he could drum up sufficient evidence against Ego.

Athena cast Commune, hoping her god, Kelemvor, would have some answers.

- She asked, "If we don't investigate anything today, will we miss any vital information or evidence in regards to the violent events that occurred in Jarna yesterday?" Kelemvor answered, "Unknown."

- "Was Callietta Selezi responsible for the death of her granddaughter Northina and her suicide?" Answer: "Unwillingly, yes."

- "Did the cult attack the presshouse in an attempt to gain control of the Sasperian Star?" Answer: "Unclear."

Sylyeras and Athena also asked Simon for help again, getting them into the Selezi house, where a relative from Delasta had come to claim the bodies of Callietta and Northina. Athena wanted to use Speak with Dead on the bodies, to learn more about what happened. The relative gave them permission. They learned the following information:

- The last thing Callietta remembers is sneaking in to her granddaughter's room to kill her.

- She claimed she'd made mistakes and several deals with shady people - an assassin's guild.

- This morning was when she was told to kill granddaughter and then herself.

- A human man, again, matching Harry's description, was the one who'd told her to do it.

- The last thing Northina remembered was writing in her journal at her desk.

- She didn't see who killed her.

- She didn't have any apparent affiliation with The Dusk.

- Athena had mentioned that Odette was her daughter to Northina when she was alive. Northina had not told anyone.

Sylyeras contacted Harry, to make sure that he was safe and let him know that The Dusk was framing him. He said, "Make sure you keep your head low."

Harry replied in such a way that made Sylyeras remember how he'd been before the cult: "I'm on a boat in the middle of the ocean. Can't lay much lower."

~~~~~

ART LINKS

https://shinyno.tumblr.com/post/168555192674/commission-for-stelera-of-their-dd-oc-cropped

https://studio12point.blogspot.com/2019/07/d-character-art-halfling-rogue.html?spref=pi

https://twitter.com/gigi_avila/status/1275117539534782464

https://www.artstation.com/artwork/A9obLN

TPW Summary: Act III, Scene v - Sessions 7 & 8

Act III: The Olden Days and the Next Generation

Scene v: The Grandmaster's Election

Present Party: Athena, Nytra, and Sylyeras.

Setting: The city of Jarna, capital of the kingdom of Saspar. Very briefly: the port city of Sevord in the kingdom of Stovald, across the Northwest Sea.

After receiving Nytra's mysterious gift, Sylyeras contacted his ship, and asked if they could make haste to the port of Delasta in Saspar. It'd take them 3 days from where they were in the Xanden Sea to the west, but it was possible. Sylyeras knew that Harry needed to leave as soon as possible at this point, as much as it broke his heart to admit it.

Puck
Satyr, Archfey Warlock of
The Green Lord
(Art by phil-cho on
DeviantArt)

Finn returned the next morning with a satyr friend of his from the Feywild that the party had met before: Puck. He knew his way around many plants, which could prove useful if the party intended on making some kind of antidote to the poison that the Dusk was using. 

He was able to completely replicate samples of these plants. He informed the party that he'd have no clue how to go about making an antidote. A poisoner would though, especially one who was familiar with these plants and methods, but really anyone would do.

"Do we have any poisoners we trust?" Nytra asked Finn.

Finn shook his head. "It's a bit difficult to find a trustworthy poisoner, and I don't have many connections to those types of people."

With samples that Puck enchanted to last, they at least had somewhere to start.

Ego LaFontaine
Gnome Arcane Trickster / Wizard
Lieutenant of The Dusk
Candidate for Grandmaster of
Saspar
(Art by Mike Peterson)

This next day brought Pharius's first match against Razura Montague: a half-orc artificer. With the help of the scroll of Heat Metal the party had given him and the training he'd received from them, he won pretty handily. Unfortunately, the Dusk's candidate, Ego LaFontaine, also won his next match. Finn had been waiting to hear from the retiring grandmaster and his former party member, Simon, about Ego's status in the election. He was a cultist; the party was hoping that the bureaucracy would win out. Only Nytra and Athena went to the duels. Sylyeras opted to stay at the house with Harry, just in case.

During the series of matches, the party noted that they were being watched. Five people in generic adventuring gear were nearby, taking note of them. Through telepathy, they made a plan to exit quietly, split up, and then try to either find somewhere else to stay or make their way back to the house without being caught.

Athena managed to duck into a store and make some excuse about an ex-boyfriend following her. The shopkeeper was more than happy to help her sneak out the back, and she managed to lose her pursuers.

Nytra didn't appear to be being pursued at all. One of the duelists had caught her attention: Kelryn Sequestriel, a drow swarmkeeper ranger with a swarm of spiders. He also appeared to have caught the attention of several people who'd seen the duels. Nytra found a like-minded fan, an elf named Rowan who was a student at the Premiere Academy, and the two of them set up plans for a good night together. Nytra even went to find drinks before hand, and also came across Kelryn. It took some convincing, but she also managed to convince him to join her and Rowan that night.

~~~~~

Pharius Veladorn
Drow War Mage Wizard
Odette's Father & Candidate
for Grandmaster of Saspar
(Art by Shinyno on Tumblr)

In the morning, the group had reconvened back together for breakfast. Pharius had even joined them, to give them updates on the tournament. His only match today was against Northina Selezi, a half-elven bard. Nytra would meet up with Pharius's girlfriend, Minnie, and the two of them would make sure the tournament ran smoothly.

The party wanted to check on the status of Ego being in the election, and would send Finn and Sylyeras to do so. Both of them had been present when the Dusk killed many Midtian nobles and three royals. Sylyeras had even fought Ego briefly alongside Boris before he escaped. Athena would take care of Harry while Sylyeras was gone.

Sylyeras was introduced to Grandmaster Qlark, an owl-like aarakocra. He was the retiring grandmaster, and seemed to know Finn fairly well. The updates he'd given about Ego weren't promising though.

"He's a Sasparian citizen, and he's being backed by two very powerful families here in Jarna," Qlark explained. "One of them is even the founders of the Sasparian Star. I can get you the names of the backers and you can talk to them if you want."

They both agreed to that, and then Sylyeras asked, "How much would a witness testimony hold up? I've fought this guy; I saw what he did in Midtia."

"Well, one testimony could be falsified... but several might prove a better case. And, of course, hard evidence will never hurt either."

With that information, and with Finn unable to use his fast methods of communication, it was thought that using Puck as a teleportation guide could be helpful. If Finn could collect testimonies from Midtians and bring them back, it could help a lot.

Sylyeras also asked Qlark if he could peruse his library. The grandmaster agreed, as long as Sylyeras didn't take any books without asking first.

- He looked for anything regarding Eldath, the goddess of peace, hoping to learn more about her. However, it seemed the grandmaster's library was more focused on the arcane sects of magic, rather than the divine.

- Sylyeras also looked for books about Cthulhu and his "kin." He'd done research like this before, but now he had a special interest in seeing if anyone else had ever been possessed as he was now. He found nothing that he didn't already know, and a short book of accounts of encounters with Old Ones. Flipping through that, he didn't find much in the way of knowledge or comfort. Just more affirmations that he might go insane if this keeps up.

- He also stumbled across a book called Piracy Through the Ages: 7th edition by Cornelius Robuston. The book was a history of the pirate lords, with the most recent addition being Captain Astra: Ariel's former captain.

- When Sylyeras asked Qlark about this book, he said that Cornelius was actually a good friend of his. He'd been writing about pirates for decades. He was out now actually, working on the newest edition of his book.

- Upon request, Syl was able to take the book back to the house with him. 

~~~~~

Horace Undersong
Halfling Celestial Warlock
Candidate for Grandmaster
of Saspar
(Art by d-torres on Deviant
Art)

Meanwhile, Nytra and Minnie watched as Pharius won his second match. Ego's match was after his, and he was up against Horace Undersong, one of the more popular candidates. He was a halfling warlock. The two of them fought and it was very close, but then...

Ego lost.

Minnie, knowing the situation with the Duck, was shocked. "He's not going to make the top eight..." 

Nytra was immediately worried. "If he's not going to make the top eight this way... then he's going to find a way."

The two of them went immediately to Pharius. Luckily, he was alright and recovering from his match. He was concerned, however, about Northina Selezi - his opponent.

"She still hasn't woken up. I didn't think I hurt her that badly..."

Unfortunately, Pharius couldn't go back to the house with Nytra and the others. He was going to dinner with his family, celebrating that he'd gotten into the top eight. Pharius was able to get a message to Athena and Finn, telling them what had happened.

Harry
Human Death Cleric of Bhaal
Former lieutenant of
The Dusk
(Art by AnnaHelme on
DeviantArt)

Around that same time, it seemed that Harry had received a message from The Dusk via Sending. Up to this point, he'd been lying and covering for where he was. Now though, he didn't know how to answer when Ego chewed him out for not being there to help him win. He looked to Athena, terrified and unsure of what to do. He was so sure he was in danger. Athena also made sure to contact Sylyeras and Finn.

Everyone went back to the house. Pharius had assured Nytra that he'd use Arcane Recovery to get some spells back, so he could contact the party if needed. Much to Sylyeras's dismay, it seemed like the best course of action was to try and get Harry out of Jarna as soon as possible. Athena contacted Puck, and he arrived shortly. He couldn't take Harry to Zenika, but he could take him to the city of Sevord, across the sea. It'd take Sylyeras's ship about the same amount of time to get there; they'd just have to adjust course south. Sylyeras would go too. At this point, they were a day and a half through their journey. Another thirty to forty hours, and Harry would be on Sylyeras's boat. Safe, or as safe as he could be anyway.

Puck teleported Sylyeras and Harry to a cozy cottage in Sevord. Once there, he put up a couple wards to keep them safe.

Harry admitted, "I'm worried that you came, because I don't want you caught up in this... but thank you. Because I don't think I want to be alone right now."

Sylyeras also made sure, while he was out in Jarna with Finn, to grab more diamond dust and a pair of Sending Stones for them. Harry was ready to go when the pirates arrived.

~~~~~

Back in Jarna, Nytra, Athena, and Finn discussed their next move. They also roped in Finn's friend, Simon, for an extra pair of eyes and ears. Finn got his hands on a copy of the afternoon paper, which displayed the top eight who were sure to move to the next phase of the election. Now, the tournament was all about boosting popularity, rather than winning to move on. There was a scoring system in all this as well. So far, the leaderboard was promising:

1. Pharius Veladorn (War Mage Wizard): 32.9

2. Horace Undersong (Celestial Warlock): 32.8

3. Tide Graynil (Aberrant Mind Sorcerer): 32.3

3. Kelryn Sequestriel (Swarmkeeper Ranger): 32.3

5. Divia Vakume (Echo Knight Fighter): 31.6

6. Arcana Isoldune (Clockwork Soul Sorcerer): 31.2

7. Amarius Mallory (College of Eloquence Bard): 30.8

8. Northina Selezi (College of Lore Bard): 30.2

9. Ego LaFontaine (Illusion Wizard): 30.0

With Ego in ninth, all he'd have to do is eliminate someone in the top eight. The party reasoned that the two at the bottom were the most susceptible. Unfortunately, Northina's condition had also made the front page; she still hadn't woken up after her match with Pharius. The party wondered what would happen if Northina died. It wouldn't look good for Pharius at all.

Northina Selezi
Half-Elf College of Lore Bard
Candidate for Grandmaster of Saspar
(Art by @gigi_avila on Twitter)

Amarius Mallory
Tiefling College of Eloquence Bard
Candidate for Grandmaster of Saspar
(Art by Ernesto Irawan on Art Station)

Nytra and Simon went to the Mallory household, and claimed to be there for security purposes. They were admitted in, and assured Amarius that right now, it was more for precaution than anything. 

Athena and Finn had to fight their way through reporters to get to Northina, who was with her grandmother at the moment. The poor woman definitely seemed worried about her granddaughter but Athena could tell there was more to it than that. Athena attempted Greater Restoration, which seemed to help Northina immensely. Athena determined that she'd likely been cursed. Now, however, she was cured.

Athena and Finn escorted her and her grandmother back to their home, explaining the security concern. They were also allowed into their home for the night, just in case.

Northina even asked Athena, briefly, about Odette, if she was her daughter. Athena simply nodded, and left it at that.

In their respective houses, Nytra and Athena set up watches with their Chroma Conqueror companions. The night had been suspiciously quiet.

~~~~~

ART LINKS

https://www.deviantart.com/phil-cho/art/Pan-NeOlympus-commission-696338054

https://studio12point.blogspot.com/2019/07/d-character-art-halfling-rogue.html?spref=pi

https://shinyno.tumblr.com/post/168555192674/commission-for-stelera-of-their-dd-oc-cropped

https://www.deviantart.com/d-torres/art/Rayet-the-Blue-435076910

https://www.deviantart.com/annahelme/art/Rikko-858753094

https://www.artstation.com/artwork/noe9E

https://twitter.com/gigi_avila/status/1275117539534782464

TPW Summary: Act III, Scene v - Session 6

Act III: The Olden Days and the Next Generation

Scene v: The Grandmaster Election

~~~~~

Present Party: Athena, Nytra, and Sylyeras.

Setting: The city of Jarna, capital of the kingdom of Saspar.

In the morning, after Eldath had come to Sylyeras in a dream, he asked Athena for help cutting his hair. Although the new haircut confused Harry for a moment, since his mind was still unwell and his perceptions of what was real weren't great, Sylyeras managed to calm him. They showed him some of the hair that had been cut. Harry kept it with him and played with it, twisting it in his fingers. Athena offered to braid it for him to keep, which he accepted. He seemed very happy with this.

Harry
Human, Death Cleric of Bhaal
Lieutenant of The Dusk,
Leader of the Bloodied
(Art by AnnaHelme on DeviantArt)

Athena needed more diamond dust for Greater Restoration. Luckily, the party had a diamond with them, and Nytra was able to grind it to dust for more uses of the spell. Right now, it seemed to be the only thing helping Harry feel better. Athena also asked the party for questions they might have for her patron god, Kelemvor. She was contacting him using Commune again. Nytra and Sylyeras didn't have any, so she asked Harry too, once they got Greater Restoration into him again and he was more aware. Harry wanted to know if Kycius from The Dusk was alive. If he was, then he wanted to know if Thea would be killed if he left her.

From Athena's Commune, in answer to those two questions, Kelemvor replied that yes, Kycius was alive, and that Harry knew Thea would have to be kept alive if he left.

Lastly, Athena had been told by Kelemvor that he would be seeing her soon during her last Commune. This time, she asked, "Will I see you within the month?"

Kelemvor replied, "Certainly, but you need not be afraid."

With this information, it was decided that the longer Harry stayed with the party, the more danger he was in. The Dusk were here, they knew about Harry's past with Syl, they knew Syl was here, and Harry had already been speaking to them with Sending to try and cover his tracks. 

Sylyeras had met one person who'd escaped The Dusk when he was traveling in Midtia with Venus and Boris. He was tiefling named Eros, and nowadays he was an adventurer who owned a bar in Midtia called "Three of a Kind." He contacted him with Sending, and found out that he was actually in Jarna on a supply run. They made plans to meet up at a secure location, but Athena went instead, in case The Dusk were looking for Syl and so Syl could stay with Harry.

Eros
Tiefling, Assassin
Former member of The Dusk
(Art by Yvonne Chung
on Art Station)

Eros met Athena in a dance club that was closed for the moment, but he still mysteriously had access to. Another tiefling was with him, with blue skin and wearing pink vestiges that marked him as a cleric of Lathandar. His name, as Athena would discover, was Hephaestus.

Athena explained that they had someone from The Dusk with them who wanted out, and she wanted to know how he'd done it.

He claimed that he'd run as far and as fast as he could, but that wasn't all. "True Polymorph. I knew that they'd be able to find me if they saw me. I met someone powerful, and she pitied me. So she turned me into a tiefling. I used to be a dragonborn."

Hephaestus
Tiefling, Life Cleric
of Lathandar
(Art made by me,
using Heroforge)

"Who did that to you?"

"If you're traveling with Finn Lihtaur, like Sylyeras is, then he could get you to her. It was his old adventuring friend, Helena Cassius."

They also asked if he could come and take a look at the injuries he'd sustained. They needed to know how he'd gotten them. Athena brought up who it was they were trying to help, and Eros's whole attitude changed.

Now, he was suddenly yelling, claiming that Harry had been an absolute psychopath. He'd hurt so many people, and if they found him, they couldn't trust him.

Athena explained that Harry and Sylyeras had grown up together. Syl had managed to pull Harry out of his brainwashing. She brought up the fact that Harry could hear whistling.

Eros softened. "He... He hears the whistles?"

"Yes. What is that? Do you know?"

"It's... how they'd control us. We learned to respond to certain signals from whistles, like dogs. It's... part of their brainwashing process. They hurt him like they hurt us..."

Even after coming to this realization, Eros still didn't feel comfortable seeing Harry. It had been so long; he wanted to distance himself from The Dusk as much as possible. He didn't want to be found out.

Athena asked Eros about Kycius and Thea. Eros didn't know Thea, but he'd heard of Kycius. He was also a member of The Dusk, but he went missing a little less than five years ago now. Eros recalled looking for him and fighting him once, but never again. He'd never been recaptured. All he knew was that he'd gone on a mission, never came back, and last he'd heard, The Dusk had found him kidnapping clerics.

"Clerics?" Athena checked. "Of what faith?"

"I'm not sure," Eros sighed. "But I know Kycius is a hell of a poisoner too. Nothing like Aloth, but he knows his way around some of the deadliest stuff in the world."

Athena, armed with this information, returned to Sylyeras and Harry to explain what she'd found. True Polymorph was looking like a possibility, but Harry didn't want that. He needed to make sure Thea would recognize him, for whatever reason. Harry attempted to Scry on Kycius, and was successful. Not only that, he learned where he was. He claimed Kycius was in Zenika, the island nation to the southeast, and that he would need a boat. Sylyeras wanted to take him, but Harry insisted that he shouldn't. It was too dangerous for them to be associated with each other right now.

Sylyeras, frustrated, stormed out of the room. Harry joined him a little later. Both of them wanted what they wanted out of love for the other. They found a kind of compromise, where Sylyeras's ship would take Harry to Zenika, and Harry had to keep up with Sylyeras as best as he could.

Symbol of Bhaal
Lord of Murder
(Credited to Wizards of
the Coast)

"For the record," Harry added, "I... didn't leave you and join a cult. I was technically in it when you knew me, I just didn't know it yet. It was... not long after you told me you loved Ariel, I went out by myself. I was upset. Jealous - my jealousy is my worst characteristic, I think... Anyway, I saw this guy who was in a fight with this girl and she was screaming for help, so I went over and I killed the guy. She ran away, and I took all this guy's stuff... including a symbol. And I didn't know what it meant, I just thought I'd sell it. Then, I met Bhaal for the first time, and he told me I could be important. He told me that I didn't need you or her or anyone, and I was so angry and heartbroken that I believed him." He shrugged. "I was seventeen. I didn't know anything about what I was getting into."

"What else did you do? Where does Thea come into this?"

Harry looked at his hands, and then shook his head. He looked afraid, ashamed. Tears welled up in his eyes. "I can't... I just can't. Not to you, not now that I've just gotten you back..."

~~~~~

Pharius Veladorn
Drow, War Mage Wizard
Odette's father and Candidate
for Grandmaster
(Art by Shinyno on Tumblr)

Pharius arrived for dinner, as the party had discussed before. His girlfriend Minnie was with him this time, and seemed cheerful as ever. Athena was particularly surprised by this, knowing that she'd just recently learned Athena's daughter, Odette, was also Pharius's daughter.

They wanted to teach Pharius new spells, considering he was a wizard and could learn new ones to use in his fight. Nytra also made him a scroll of Heat Metal. Scrolls were allowed in the tournament; the only rule was that no participant could kill their opponent. This spell would be particularly useful in Pharius's first match, given that he was up against an artificer. Athena and Sylyeras also taught Pharius a few spells, including the all-important Sending. With cultists around, it would be important for them to know he was safe.

Curious to see Pharius's strength and with Pharius eager to train, Sylyeras offered a sparring match. While the two of them were actually pretty fairly matched, Pharius did manage to win, and Athena made sure both of them got healed up.

That night, Sylyeras received another dream from Eldath, where she spoke to him in a poem. (The poem is actually already up! Click here!)

Additionally, knowing that Harry would likely be leaving soon, Nytra left a gift for him and Sylyeras outside their door. It was a sack of coins with a note, insisting that they use it however they needed to, even for more supplies for Greater Restoration.

On the note, there was a second message in small print: "Say hi to Cthulhu for me."

Outside of game, the players learned that Nytra had overheard Sylyeras talking to Finn about being possessed. What would she do with this information? That's still yet to be seen.

~~~~~

ART LINKS:

https://www.deviantart.com/annahelme/art/Rikko-858753094

https://www.artstation.com/artwork/rR0BE2

https://shinyno.tumblr.com/post/168555192674/commission-for-stelera-of-their-dd-oc-cropped

The Pirate King's Prophecy for Peace

The following is a prophecy granted to Sylyeras in my Tri-Panthonic War Campaign by the goddess of peace, Eldath.

~~~~~

I.

“On an island filled with strife
On an island, cities rife
With famine and greed
People desperately in need
Find the Peacekeeper
Who thrice escaped the Reaper

Sail west through the sea
Find my city, and my dishonest clergy
Shrines are better than temples
Change their hearts, despite their tempers
Accept and expect no less than ten
Leave the heretics, Peacekeeper says when

March south, unto the wall
There, Captain, heed my call.”

II.

“Boy with mind broken

Memories reawoken

Boy with hands Bloodied

And conscience muddied

By deeds so despicable

Led his heart to guilt formidable

Envy is his fatal flaw

Murder has been his divine law

Change Murder to Peace

Captain, find thy dev’lish niece

Upon stone pillars, arms up high

Crying out, “The end is nigh.”

Find her now? You never will

She waits for a prophecy to fulfill

If the boy confesses what he’s done…

Then I take both, each as my son

Captain Arcane, Cleric Divine

Both at the foot of my stoney shrine.”

TPW Summary: Act III, Scene v - Session 5

 Act III: The Olden Days and the Next Generation

Scene v: The Grandmaster's Election

~~~~~

CW / TW: Addiction Recovery and Relapse

This section will be written in blue text if you wish to skip it.

~~~~~

Present Party: Athena, Nytra, and Sylyeras

Setting: The city of Jarna, capital of the kingdom of Saspar

Simon Cleves
Aasimar Conjuration Wizard
Chroma Conqueror
(Art made by me, using Heroforge)

Nytra took the knife that had been used to stab Sylyeras, and with permission from Simon Cleves - Finn's old friend and the headmaster of The Premiere Academy - she was able to use The Premiere's labs. Nytra was not an expert alchemist, but she knew enough to get by. Being from an artificer's guild further south, she'd met many alchemists before, and had picked up the necessary skills.

She was able to take what little was left of the substance on the knife, and come to some startling conclusions:

- The knife was not only poisoned. It also had a highly acidic substance on it, almost mixed into it.

- Further inspection of the acid led her to believe that it was, like the mark on Harry's back, something akin to the acid of gelatinous cubes but it was liquidated. It was also, like the cubes, attracted to heat. From this information, she gathered that the acid was used more as a carrier for the poison. It'd actively eat through the skin of its victims as it poisoned them. The victim would be in for a world of pain (which she gathered was why Sylyeras passed out immediately after being stabbed.)

- The poison was basically a cocktail of different types of poison that, all together in the acid, seemed to work together. The poisons were:

- Assassin's blood: a very common type of poison that Nytra had heard some alchemists in her time talk about. However, it was a type of poison that had to be ingested, not caused by injury.

- Wyvern poison: an extremely potent and expensive substance.

- Purple Wyrm poison: also extremely potent and expensive. 

- There was also some plant matter that was left over upon inspection. They were thin strips of some kind of green substance. Nytra took a few hours to use Mending to reconstruct it. She found that it was plant matter. Upon further research, she found a few plants that may be involved.

- Sap from an Imperian tree, known as the "black oak." The sap could contribute to the consistency of the poison.

- Spores from a fern-like plant called "credle" that grew in Stovald and Storzen. They were potent, but small and wouldn't be visible like the plant matter.

- Stems from a plant known as "ward lilies." The stems and leaves secreted a type of poison that burned when it came into contact with other organic material. They grew exclusively on the island nation of Trodia. That could be the plant matter she found, but she'd need to confer with a botanist.

Overall, Nytra determined that the person who made this stuff was not only an expert with chemicals and plants, they were also absolutely psychotic.

It would be possible to make an antidote, but she'd need several - one for each type of poison found - or she'd have to find a way to make her own cocktail. She'd also need a way to truly identify all of the plants involved, in case there was more than just the visible plant matter present.

She updated Finn, and he said that he knew someone who was quite good with plants. He'd need a full 24 hours to get in touch with that person, but they'd definitely be able to help. She was okay with that, and he checked in with the rest of the party later on. They were also for bringing in an expert.

~~~~~

Pharius Veladorn
Drow, Odette's Father & Candidate
for Grandmaster of Saspar
(Art by Shinyno on Tumblr)

While Sylyeras and Harry took their lunch upstairs, Athena had her lunch with Pharius and Odette. Pharius did not bring his girlfriend Minnie. He'd finally told her about Odette.

After lunch, Athena sent Odette upstairs in the hope that she'd take a nap. In the meantime, she spoke to Pharius:

"How'd she take it?" Athena asked. "Minnie, I mean."

"She's not angry, which is good. I think she's just... surprised. She doesn't know what to think right now. She asked to be alone for a while, to think."

"Do you think it'll be okay?"

"It will," he assured her. "She just needs a little time. Honestly, I'm not that worried."

They also discussed Pharius's involvement in Odette's life going forward. Athena told him that, regardless of whether or not he won the election, he was still welcome in Odette's life. He was appreciative, and insisted that he wanted to be, but that he had to be sure of his position of grandmaster before he could determine how he would be part of her life. Athena mentioned that she was worried about the life she'd been providing for Odette, but Pharius assured her that Odette didn't seem to mind. Odette clearly loved Athena, that much had been made clear to him the last time he'd seen the two of them together in the library.

Athena also took the time to fill Pharius in on the fact that one of the cults they were fighting, The Dusk, had someone in the election: Ego LaFontaine. That was definitely something that concerned Pharius, but he stated that they'd have to find proof of wrongdoing.

"If he's in the running, he has to have some kind of legitimacy backing him," Pharius said. "Either power, money, influence, or something."

~~ CW BEGINS ~~

Lastly, Athena debated opening up to Pharius. She asked him for a coin, which he gave her, and asked him to pick heads or tails. He picked the right choice - heads - and Athena told him about her addiction, and how she'd been struggling. She also told him about the argument she'd had with Finn after the debutante ball.

"I never... intended to go that far that night, I just... did," she confessed. "And it spiraled out of control."

Pharius listened, and then eventually told her, "If you think I'm going to judge you or think you... any less of an excellent mother because of that... you're wrong. Take a closer look at the coin I gave you."

The gold coin had an elven portrait on one side, and the number 1 on the other, followed by "DARSS."

Pharius explained, "That's a sobriety coin. One year, from the Drug Addicts' Recovery Services of Saspar. They're a support group for recovering addicts because... there are a lot of drugs that are legal here. More drugs means more addicts means... they need more support. I'm recovering from a drug called Stardust. I still go to their meetings sometimes. There's one next Sunday, if you want to go. I'll go with you. You don't even have to give your own name. The whole purpose of it is that... you go in, people know you and what you've been through, and you leave and you don't have to talk about it."

Athena claimed that she would think about it. Then, she smiled, and invited Pharius to come upstairs with her. She wanted to show him something.

~~ CW ENDS ~~

Harry
Human, Death Cleric of Bhaal
Lieutenant of The Dusk,
Leader of The Bloodied
(Art by AnnaHelme on DeviantArt)

Meanwhile, Sylyeras sat next to Harry on the floor, looking at him as he slept. Harry was still tense, still not fully relaxed. He sighed, and leaned back. Quietly, he prayed - for the first time, not to Cthulhu. He asked (not expecting a response) for any good god to please help him. Please help Harry to reach some type of serenity, help him not to suffer as much as he has been.

There was slight breeze. Sylyeras glanced at Harry and noticed a hand - a woman's hand - on his shoulder. It was there for a moment, and then it disappeared. Harry exhaled, and his body relaxed. Sylyeras was incredibly relieved.

Harry's sleep didn't last long, however. Both he and Sylyeras heard the sound of a child singing outside in the hall. Sylyeras opened the door to see Odette, and he offered for her to stay with them so she wouldn't have to nap alone. Odette happily joined them.

When Sylyeras introduced her to Harry, much like he had when he saw her at the tavern, he simply stared for a long time. Harry attempted to play a game with her: "a game they played all the time." Through more conversation with her, it became clear that Harry didn't recognize Odette as herself. He recognized her as someone named "Thea." Once that started happening, Sylyeras helped Odette settle down for a nap. Harry seemed a little confused, but he let it happen. Sylyeras asked Harry who Thea was, but he refused to elaborate and he seemed to be devolving quickly. Sylyeras attempted to help him by getting him out of the room, and into a bath, hoping it would calm him.

Odette Lavinge
Pharius & Athena's daughter
(Original Art by Brandon Dunn
on Art Station)
(Recolored by Athena's Player)

Athena came into their room shortly after. She'd wanted to bring Pharius to her and Odette's room to show him how cute she was when she slept. When she found that Odette wasn't there, she and Pharius searched for her. Luckily, they didn't have to look around for long. Pharius kissed Odette goodnight, and promised to get any information he could on the state of the tournaments. He'd probably come back for dinner.

Harry, while Athena and Pharius said goodnight, was standing in the doorway between the bathroom and bedroom, beside Sylyeras. He looked at Odette almost protectively. Athena grew concerned, and when she asked Sylyeras about it, they both tried to ask Harry about Thea.

The only thing Harry said was that he wouldn't tell Syl. "You'd be disappointed in me if you knew..."

Sylyeras insisted that he wouldn't be, but it didn't seem to do any good. Harry refused to talk about her.

Athena, for Odette's safety, removed her from the room. Harry immediately broke down, crying and begging for her not to take her, still believing her to be Thea. Sylyeras held him, and brought him to the bed. Once again, Harry fell asleep.

~~~~~

Just before dinner, when Harry woke up, he didn't say or do anything. He stared at the other side of the bed, where Odette had been. Athena cast Greater Restoration on him again. It seemed to pull him back to reality before, and it did so again. Harry apologized. Athena asked if he'd be able to do this, learning that he was a cleric. He claimed that he could, and he could do it more often. She told him to cast it on himself tonight before bed. Sylyeras and Harry took their dinner upstairs again.

The others reconvened at the dinner table, where Athena told everyone the results of her Commune spell from last session. Nytra also informed everyone of what she'd discovered about the poison. Pharius mentioned that the tournament would be resuming the day after tomorrow, where it left off. Athena also asked Finn if he could go and make sure that Harry cast the spell on himself before bed.

When Finn arrived, he was also asked by Sylyeras if he would stay in the room with them. Sylyeras wasn't feeling particularly mentally well, and he worried for Harry's safety as well as his own. Finn, concerned, agreed to stay. Harry cast a spell on himself, and Sylyeras and Finn were both satisfied.

Before bed, Sylyeras decided to pray one more time, again, to a good god who would be willing to listen...

~~~~~

He got lucky.

That night, Sylyeras dreamt of a grove in a forest. There was a waterfall behind him - bright blue, that tumbled into a still pool of water. It was completely transparent; he could see each little stone at the bottom of it.

A woman's voice, quiet, carried on the breeze greeted him: "Oh... you poor thing, something evil has a hold on you, doesn't it?"

"Yes..." Sylyeras admitted. "I... Can you help?"

"Help you, or your friend?"

"Him first, but... who are you?"

"They call me The Quiet One."

On a successful religion check, Sylyeras determined that "Quiet One" was a title of Eldath, the goddess of peace in the Farelist Pantheon (Forgotten Realms.) She'd heard him before. She was hearing him now... and she took pity on him.

"I may be able to help you too, but I will need help," she said. "And perhaps some of it will come from you."

"What do you need?"

"I'm not sure yet. I must speak to my friends... but for the time being, I can help keep your friend tethered. Then, I will see what I can do for you."

Sylyeras trembled. "No tricks?"

"No," Eldath insisted. "I'm not the type for tricks. You asked for Good... I am not the type of Good that tricks. I will not hurt you... I want to help you."

Sylyeras's knees buckled, and he cried tears of relief. "Please... Yes, please..."

And then, he woke up... and for the first time after talking to a greater power, there was hope welling up in his chest for something better.

~~~~~

ART LINKS:

https://shinyno.tumblr.com/post/168555192674/commission-for-stelera-of-their-dd-oc-cropped

https://www.deviantart.com/annahelme/art/Rikko-858753094

https://www.artstation.com/artwork/A9obLN