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AM, Albirro was able to capture some dragons in the wild lands. After thorough testing, it appears there is some truth to the concerns regarding the dragons, but it is of no consequence. The smaller dragons are ineffective, and for the larger dragons, dead is dead. We suggest the plans should not be changed.
Phantasms of the dead are now common. They are terrifying, but nothing compared to the red plague that haunts the known world. The priests can do nothing but slow the plague, and if the priests represent the gods… are the gods unable to help? Have they turned their backs on the mortals? Is this some form of punishment? Or are the gods dead? Everyone is frightened, but there is nothing for them to do. They go on about their business, and they discuss what they have seen with friends, but their conversations do not get to their true fears. Though no one says it, everyone fears it… is this the end?
On the first of Spring’s Breadth, the party sat down to begin their day with a big breakfast. Brenaed was approached by a man in rather common attire who asked, “Are you of the Coven?” Brenaed carefully considered his answer before responding, “Not since breakfast.” The man awkwardly walked away, but Renee noticed that his attire was actually very finely made. It was as if a man went to a highly skilled tailor and asked for clothes that looked common.
Later, Renee began looking for this man, and Brenaed asked about the Coven. He made his way to a shop of magical curiosities called The Enchanted Boat. There he learned three things. The first thing was that the Blue Covens are for wizards. The second thing was that Red Covens are for sorcerers. The third thing is that he does not look like a wizard. The shopkeeper agreed to put him in contact with someone of the Red Coven if he would return in a few hours.
Meanwhile, Renee kept an eye on Brother Falteran Onganis, the priest of Orla. The man left the temple at approximately noon and made his way to the Lonely Lute, where he had lunch.
Making their way through the city and listening, others have learned that the plague has worsened today. It seems that many of those who were sickened have now died. Some people are truly terrified and showing it, and it seems many others are flagrantly ignoring it, as if acknowledging it would make it real.
Brenaed returned to the Enchanted Boat and found the same man who has spoken to him at breakfast. His name is Glannip Stork, and he seemed to be under the impression that Brenaed might not be right in the head. Even so, if Brenaed interested in joining the Red Coven… The Flame and the Sword, midnight, come along... ten might be better.
Waiting for midnight, the rest of the party finally decided to speak to the priest of Orla. He was a kind man, and after Sommes explained the situation, he explained that a very attractive young woman donated money to the church each year if he simply takes messages with AM on them , puts them in a new envelope, and sends them to a house in the East City. Sommes then revealed his secret identity of Francois Villion, and Falteran went to get a drink at the Lonely Lute.
The address given was a small, simple house. They looked for anything odd, but they saw nothing, and Brenaed went off to an inn called the Flame and the Sword in the Second City. He found his way to a back room by following Glannip, and there he discovered a room of ten sorcerers drinking heavily. They say that when you bring in a new member, everyone has to buy you a drink, so Glannip watches by the magic licensing office to get leads, and Brenaed doesn’t look like a wizard. These are the West Enders Freeman Alliance, and it turns out there are several covens in the city. The rules are that it any one nation, you can only belong to a single a coven. The punishment is being punched in the dick, so they take it pretty seriously. The first rule of the Red Coven is that wizards are assholes. Membership is not free, but it does get you a nice red pin of a wheel. They will help with any legal issues, access to libraries, etc. They may even help with some small magic issues, but it is obvious that they spend most of their time drinking and feasting together.
The party set Jonril to watch the mysterious house hidden in a tree for a day. He said he saw an old man leave and then return later. With no other options, Renee finally knocked on the door. He asked the old man who answered whether he might know Emile Dupont (the Ghost Redeader), but the man could only say a few houses down he had some new neighbors. Finally, they sent a blank letter from the temple. A boy delivered it, and it did not appear to leave the house. Finally, on the evening of the 4th of Spring’s Reach, they raided the house from the back…. and found an old man sitting down to a bowl of soup in his kitchen. Livid resisted the urge to kill him as Sir Alestair spoke to him and explained the situation. The man said that a pretty young lady came and gave him some money each year to drop any letters down the slot in his kitchen. He was certainly not involved with liches. But now this blank letter has been set… surprise has been lost. The useful information the old man had was that a couple years ago a different person brought him money. He was a soldiery type, and though he had a cloak on it, he had a badge of the Imperial Engineers. He was also missing two fingers on his left hand, so this seemed like a pretty good lead, which was good, because up until now the party had been pretty low on leads.
They made their way into the sewers running below the house, but apparently the city watch sets traps on them to keep out smugglers and thieves. They got through it, but they did not have much time to search before they heard the watch searching for them. They fled.
That night they went off to visit a couple taverns near the War City, the Old Captain and Red Tuna. They learned about such an engineer named Grant, but he was recently deployed to Grondeive. The next day, they waited until the evening, again visited the old man, and became very familiar with a coin. They dropped the coin down the slot, and used divine powers to locate it. They worked out the depth, and it appeared to agree with the depth of the sewers. They returned the sewers, and the guards had not yet reset the trap. With a little more time, they found a hidden compartment off the side of the sewers. Inside they found a coin, but no note. In ankle-deep water, tracking was impossible. This lead was dead, but they set off for Grondeive.
In Grondeive there was a castle, and it was surrounded by Imperial troops led by Centurion Hendius Golpis. They were given the opportunity to speak with him. It seemed that the castle belonged to a man named Lord Hasberdine Noracus, and he was an adventurer. He had been infected with the plague, he claimed, but when hit with dragon’s breath near Kenkessa, he was cured. He came to the only rational conclusion – The gods are dragons. He formed what could best be called a cult, and in truth, that’s not a problem in Borden. The problem was when his sorcerer friend, Arnegis, worked out a way of attracting dragons to the area. There are many innocents inside the castle in addition to many armed men. For now, the centurion is content to simply keep more followers from joining him.
The engineer, Grant Hargrove (44th Imperial Engineers, Albatross Company), was perhaps inside the castle. He had been working on a tunnel, but they intercepted it and collapsed it. They do not know whether Grant was captured or killed, but they hope simply captured.
The party hatched a plan… seek an audience with Lord Noracus. They were taken to a temple that had been converted to the worship of dragon-gods.
Yanok: Beautiful gold dragon, soaring overhead, with sad eyes. It carries a lily.
Perina: Fat steel dragon with large feet and small wings.
Orla: Sleek brass dragon, covered in starfish
Berkari: Young in appearance, powerful sapphire dragon throwing fire.
Pilato: Ancient, weathered, bearded amethyst dragon
Maeles: Armored topaz dragon, carries a long spear
Calor: Muscular and cruel-looking blue dragon.
Uthrin: Gaunt, old orange dragon with open sores.
Itzala: Massive but shadowy red dragon
There is also a dragon off by itself. It is silver, but appears weak. It has crazy eyes.
Lord Noracus seemed to be a kind, sensible man. The gods cannot cure the plague, but dragons can. He understood that many may die if subjected to the breath of a dragon, but he is not one to say who will live and who will die. It seems certain they will die of the plague, so at least they may have a chance. They explained their situation to him, and in an incredible display of diplomacy, Renee convinced him to let him speak with Grant.
Grant was incredulous that his aunt Adelisa Mavor could be a lich. That was clearly ridiculous. Pressured, he finally revealed her address with the understanding that they would tell her he was alright once they spoke with her.
They returned to Borden on the 7th of Spring’s Reach, and the next morning there was another impromptu meeting. An extremely well-dressed gentlemen spoke to Renee. He said that there are rumors that Francois Villion was here, and other rumors that there was simply a man who wished to impersonate this Barbarian Parrot of the North. Renee finally admitted that he was Francois, and the man became overly joyous. The man, Sir Farlentis Uranno, did not think he would live to see such an advancement in the art of dressing gentlemen. It was an incredible gift, and Francois was to be honored. He was invited to become a Knight of the Most Honorable Order of the Fifth Profession. If able, he should come this very evening to the Great Hall of Tailors in the Second City to spend the night in meditation, and the ceremony will be performed the next day.
After breakfast, the party headed off to the lair of the lich. It was a nice little house on Lost Ranger St next to the Eastern Ice Company. They searched the inside of the house, and it seemed like a perfectly reasonable house for a single woman. Then they searched the basement and found a secret door. Renee disarmed the trap, but disarming it involved setting it off. A poison gas filled the room, and then it was ignited by a fireball.
Moving boldly forward, they went down the stairs and found a sign that read “Turn back now. Beyond this door is death. After killing you, I will learn your name and kill your family and friends. Your torment will continue into the realm of the dead.” This seemed to confirm that this might be the place they want.
The dungeon behind was beautifully decorated. There was a lovely fountain, curtains, and unicorn art. Brenaed searched the fountain and found it was occupied by Chaos Beasts. Battle followed, but Renee was so fascinated with Chaos Beasts that he tried to become one. The party rushed him off to a temple of Tilnas where they managed to form a circle of priests and heal him before the final conversion. He could have eaten a leaf, but this seemed better.
They pressed onward and encountered a room of beautiful blue marble, a water-filled canyon, and ambush drakes. The battle was slow, but the outcome was victory for the party. Wounded and out of spells, the party decided they should rest.
They have not yet rested, though. They are in the pretty blue marble dungeon, it is the 8th of Spring’s Reach. Francois is expected in a few hours at the Great Hall of Tailors.
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Do the asparagus look threatening?
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