RealmsToowoomba Recap # 78 [RPG]

[29 Flamerule 1372]

The adventurers gradually awaken inside Mellia's magickally-conjured mansion.  Cain is pestered by his mephits until they're given strict orders to go away and play.  He and Mellia discuss whether the mephits should be taken with them on the planned Nesme raid later in the day.  Mellia says they are excellent at causing chaos, but Cain reminds her that they're difficult to manage.  The two also discuss whether the Aurilite artifact rumored to be within the city could serve as a barrier to teleportation.  Conversation turns to Allia, and Mella asks if Cain knows of any ways to restore the girl from her glass-like form.  Cain says one or two possibilities come to mind, but for now, they are beyond his power.  Mellia replies that she has faith in Cain, and kisses him.  She inquires about whether they should share the news of their betrothal with the others, and Cain says he's happy with whatever Mellia is comfortable with.  She says she'll think about it.

Downstairs, everyone gathers for breakfast except for Markus.  Urist notes that his dreams seemed troubled, and when she goes to check on him, discovers that, literally overnight, he's become so muscular that his biceps strain the fabric of his shirt!  Moreso, lights in the room reflect off prominent gold scales where Markus' skin used to be.  "Your transformation is proceeding," she tells Markus when he wakes.  He admires himself in the mirror, and Urist has to still her beating heart.

While waiting for Markus to arrive in the common room, Mellia skims through a book on abjuration.  She shares with Cain that, as best she can tell, wards against teleportation are generally limited in area and duration.  There are spells that can prevent individual teleporters from leaving, and even extremely rare objects that can bar teleportation or shunt teleporters to particular locations.  The two decide the risk is serious enough that it would be safer to arrive outside the walls of Nesme.  

When Markus enters and begins eating his breakfast, Mellia whispers to Cain that everyone's here, and he should go ahead.  Cain nods and gets everyone's attention, and then makes his announcement: "Over our past many months of travel together, we have experienced changes of body, mind, and spirit.  It has become apparent that Mellia means rather a lot to me, and I have asked for her hand."  Mellia displays the ring to support Cain's words.  Urist gives her a bone-crushing hug, which Markus joins in on.  The swordsman tells Cain he will organise a party for him.  Ralkin swears in a strange tongue and mutters that he should have taken bets.  When Markus observes that Mellia didn't seem to like Cain very much when they first met, she replies that Cain grew on her and kisses him again, in front of everyone, making him blush slightly.

When talk turns again to the group's plans, Markus tells the others that Jygil Zelnathra told him last night that the priestesses of Auril always pray at midnight.  Because she has a thorough knowledge of the city, Markus suggests Jygil could be a good resource for the group in their quest to overthrow the evil cult of Auril.  Urist seems to relax, and says she now understands Markus' reasons for meeting with the woman.  Mellia announces that the plan is to launch a raid on Nesme every day, switching up who goes and exactly where they arrive each time.  In this first raid, Mellia and Cain will be invisible and teleport just outside the city walls.  Urist observes that if the plan is to rely on stealth, she is ill-suited for the venture; but that where Markus goes, she follows.  The decision is made to take the mephits instead, and attack just after midnight when the priestesses will be distracted by prayer.

Mellia leaves the mansion and observes that a memorial service is being formed at the edge of the lake so that the camp can pay its respects to those killed in the prior night's attack of undead.  The day is hot and clear of precipitation, but her senses are assaulted by a foul, acrid stench that is circulating throughout the camp, and it reminds her of noxious chemicals.  She returns and shares this news with the others.  Ralkin immediately leaves to investigate, as do Urist and Markus: Urist notes that alchemists often make great brewmasters, while Markus idly mentions that he once flirted with alchemy himself.  After they've left, Mellia returns outside and sends a telepathic message to Gideon, announcing her pending nuptials and saying that she hopes he and Cain can be friends.  In his terse response, Gideon is obviously shocked but says he wishes her happiness and will be in touch again soon.  She reenters the mansion and shares this with Cain, who says this should make their next meeting with the headmaster “very interesting.”

Ralkin is the first to reach the source of the stench, but leaves after observing a gnome inside working at a table covered in glass beakers and other alchemical paraphernalia.  When Urist arrives, a few steps ahead of Markus, she barges in to the tent, much to the gnome's dismay, and proceeds to pick up and drain a flask of bubbling blue liquid.  The dwarf burps and exclaims that the brew wasn't bad, but that she's had better.  The gnome falls into conversation with the amiable Markus, and offers his name as Shirloch.  Markus first tries to persuade Shirloch to make him a potion of enlargement, but the two fail to come to an agreement on price.  Markus is far more successful, however, in persuading Shirloch to try his hand at magickally constructing a rare and exquisite elvish weapon called a courtblade.  Markus provides raw materials and a detailed sketch of the weapon.

When Ralkin returns to the mansion, he tells Mellia and Cain that he found the source of the smell but it's nothing useful.  Further conversation is had about Nesme, and the decision is made to take Ralkin on the raid.  Mellia also talks to Ralkin alone about calculations on a mysterious diagram she's drawn, but she is disappointed to learn that the kenku does not speak Ignan.  She decides to see if Tunak does, but when she returns to the courtyard, one of her abjurations reveals that she is being scried upon by Felix Ruul!  According to her spell, the Red Wizard is hundreds and hundreds of miles to the east.  After Mellia makes it clear that she is aware of the scrying, Felix allows his spell to lapse.  Mellia continues walking through the courtyard, which is filled with carts, cookfires, and tents belonging to the inhabitants of "New Nesme."  Whilst passing by one small tent, she hears sobbing coming from inside.  She cautiously pulls the tent flap up and sees a terrible sight: a young boy, seven or eight years old, is sobbing against the shirt of a man obviously dead for some hours.  The body's face has been mutilated in a ghastly fashion giving him the appearance of a permanent rictus.

Mellia runs to where the memorial service is being held and subtly pulls Jygil aside, telling her what she saw.  Jygil looks shocked, and whispers "The Smiling Man has returned!"  She rushes in the direction that Mellia indicates, and enters the tent.  She returns a few seconds later cradling the boy.  In time, she's able to get him calm enough to speak about what happened.  The boy, Diddee, said he woke in the early morning hours, when it was still dark, and left the tent to use the privies.  When he returned, a man was coming out of the tent.  The man flashed a toothsome grin at Diddee and then held a single finger over his mouth before strolling away.  When Diddee ran into the tent, he found his father dead.  After hearing the story, Jygil finds a safe place for the boy to rest and then tells Mellia about what's been happening.  She says that a tenday ago, the camp was stricken by a series of murders until an arrest was made.  A witness, Berkos, identified a man leaving the tent of the last victim as Ruddpho Biggs.  Ruddpho was questioned by Jygil and Sir Triandial Truehammer, and spells to detect truth (which are often useful, but not perfect) were employed.  Ruddpho denied involvement, and his wife Vantinna provided an alibi, but Berkos was adamant about what he saw.  Before more intrusive spells could be prepared to continue the interrogation, Ruddpho was found to have hanged himself.  Still, after his death, the killings stopped--until now!

Mellia shares the news with Truehammer, and suggests that the man think about evacuating the refugees in the camp--she herself, is working on a spell that could whisk almost everyone in the camp away, but it is still beyond her abilities.  Truehammer seems reluctant to force the refugees to relocate again, but says he will consider it.  Mellia encounters Urist and relates what happened, and then returns to the mansion to tell Ralkin and Cain about what happened.  Ralkin cryptically aludes to knowing someone almost exactly like the so-called Smiling Man killer, but says the details are not quite the same.  Cain says the murders are a true test of the faith of those in the camp, but Mellia says she would still like to investigate if time permits.  The camp is already on edge about the adventurers' presence, and she doesn't want the group falsely linked to further problems.  She also tells Cain about Felix's scrying, and the cleric ominously notes that something permanent may need to be done about the Red Wizard.

Meanwhile, after testing out the sword magickally constructed by Shirloch, Markus is ecstatic about how well crafted and balanced it is.  He inquires about whether the gnome could make it magickal, and Shirloch replies that he will think it over.  When Urist tells Markus about the killing, the two decide to investigate.  They begin looking under wagons and inside tents for "clues," before quickly settling on the makeshift ale-house as their best lead.  Urist chats with the man dispensing drinks from carefully-guarded casks, and hears that the Smiling Man struck three nights in a row before Ruddpho was arrested, and that the alleged killer's body was set out on the lake on a flaming raft after his apparent suicide.  Urist and Markus decide to split up: Urist will talk to the so-called "spiritual channeler" Ulugu the Far-Seeing to discern the identity of the murderer, while Markus will return to Shirloch and see if his new blade can be enchanted.

Urist waits patiently outside Ulugu’s wagon, listening to the sound of flute-playing inside, until at last the door is opened.  Ulugu seems deeply affected by the dwarf’s request to reveal who the Smiling Man is, and his conversation with the spirit-realm results in falling while stiff as a board, convulsing, and more.  When Ulugu rises, he tells Urist that the true identity of the Smiling Man is known to one who saw him; and that Urist, himself, has now been touched by spiritual entities and should heed the gift of foresight that has now been given to him.

Markus returns to Shirloch and is told that a variety of enchantments could be lain upon the sword.  The gnome suggests everything from turning those struck to stone to shocking them with electricity, but Markus refuses due to the length of time such enchantments would take.  Instead, he wants a basic enchantment that will make the sword stronger and swifter when wielded.  As payment, he offers Shirloch the jet-black magickal shortsword obtained long ago from T’Klack’s complex.  Shirloch, however, tries to hold out for an additional fee in addition to the sword.  In the end, the two agree that the shortsword and Markus’ promise to arrange for the gnome to come with them on their next trip to Nesme will suffice (Shirloch has a “sociological” interest in what is happening in the city).

When Mellia finds Tunak, she sees the burly man determinedly trying to douse the everburning torch sconces on his carriage.  She warns him about the Smiling Man, but is disappointed to learn that Tunak only speaks Common (at least from his point of view).  After returning to the mansion, the diviner is soon greeted by Markus, who tells her of the deal he’s made with Shirloch.  Mellia and  Cain leave the mansion to talk to Shirloch, who is waiting outside.  She introduces the intimidating Cain as her “fiancee”, and asks why the gnome wishes to go to Nesme.  Shirloch says that there is a talented alchemist in the city he would like to visit, and that he has a professional interest in researching the “snow clerics” that presently rule it.  When he waffles on whether or not the priestesses of Auril are “heretics,” Cain bristles.  Still, after discussing the matter with Ralkin, Cain and Mellia tell Shirloch he can come--but that he’ll need to provide for his own security and that if he misses the return teleport time, he’ll be on his own in a city that is extremely suspicious of strangers.  Shirloch agrees to the condition, and Markus and Urist agree to collect him for a midnight departure.

As the hours pass, Mellia and Cain are once again struck by exteme feelings of guilt.  Markus and Urist patrol the camp, and get permission from the Riders of New Nesme to patrol the keep itself.  They’ve seen nothing suspicious yet when time comes to collect Shirloch.  As the planned departure time looms, Mellia and Cain discuss which of the mephits to take, now that Shirloch is coming too.  They settle on taking the mephit that arrived first.  Magnim is saddened at the news that he won’t be allowed to come, but Cain promises that the mephits will take turns.  The fire mephit is told that his orders upon arrival at Nesme is to destroy everything in sight but to return within one minute (and that if he misses the departure time, to fly to Startop Mountain through a circuitous route to throw off pursuit).

Once everyone has arrived, Mellia goes over the plan one last time: teleport to a spot just outside the city’s northeast wall, create as much chaos as possible in a minute’s time, and then leave.  Mellia casts various enchantments on herself, Cain, Shirloch, Ralkin, and the flame mephit, before successfully teleporting the group to Nesme.

Far to the southeast, Rufus spends his day in the High Forest gardening and planting new saplings.  He meditates near a small brook, and is filled with a sense of peace and contentment after praying to Silvanus.