RealmsToowoomba Recap # 92 [RPG]

[5 Eleasis 1372 continued]

With Urist McBronzebottom still attached to the mysterious blade intended to ensnare him, Markus demonstrates his loyalty to his devoted retainer by remaining by her side to keep her entertained. He makes certain she is kept supplied with ale and even sends El Capitan for exotic cocoa to tempt Urist’s sweet tooth. As evening approaches, Markus arranges for a cot so that he can remain in place to support Urist through the night. Urist, for her part, sings the praises of her liege lord to all of the guards, encouraging them to declare their loyalty to the Sembian swordsman.

Some distance away and below Urist’s temporary prison, Shiro Bronzefeather is on the hunt through the sewers of Waterdeep. Using her powers of invisibility and flight, Shiro creeps noiselessly through the winding tunnels  and eventually comes upon the very prey she seeks. Four wererats in hybrid form have captured a pig and are preparing to slaughter the unfortunate animal with great glee. Their feast is interrupted, however, when Shiro’s flaming silver arrows come streaking through the dark. In the ensuing battle, the kenku uses her tried-and-true tactic of attacking from a distance while invisible. Unable to get to their attacker, much less attack, two of the wererats flee, changing shape into true rats in order to fit through narrow holes in search of reinforcements. Two others, however, are killed in the fight.  Shiro calmly searches the bodies and pockets a pouch of platinum pieces, a flamboyant pink ring, and more.  She then captures the pig for resell, and leaves the sewers, depositing her plunder at a safehouse.

Meanwhile, Ralkin, Cain and Mellia have managed to locate a large library, known as the Font of Knowledge. Ralkin immediately sets himself up at a table and begins work on a new spell of his own design, immersing himself in his work for a lengthy period. Mellia and Cain separately decide to go in search of books on midwifery - specifically on the illness known as ‘tremble-womb’, which is the condition Hestia says that Mellia suffers from. The heavily-armoured cleric draws stares and annoyed glances as he clanks through the quiet of the library, but he manages to find a librarian who provides him with direction, allowing him to locate the appropriate materials first. Realizing that Cain will want to discuss the matter when he completes his research, Mellia heads outside to wait for her husband. When Cain joins her he resists her best efforts to stall and change the subject. At his insistence Mellia conjures her mansion and they go inside to talk.

Cain explains to his wife that he learned more about tremble-womb: primarily, that it is a serious condition that poses risk to mothers and their unborn children, and that twins are likely to exacerbate the danger.  Cain tells her that full bedrest is advised, but that there is the potential for a magical cure.  However, it must only be cast by those extremely skilled in the healing arts as a mistake could cause the fetuses to be ‘cured’ along with the disease. Mellia is adamant that she does not suffer from this illness, and insists that even if she did, anypotential risk to the twins’ lives would be more than she would tolerate. Her suggestion that they focus their attention on more important matters is met by Cain’s angry declaration that the safety of his family is a “more important matter” as far as he is concerned, and that she has no idea how much he worries about her and the children. Chastened, Mellia reluctantly agrees to seek out a second opinion--though she remains convinced that the results will prove her right.

With the matter settled for the time being, the two plan to return to the library. Given the attention his armour attracted earlier, Cain goes upstairs to remove it and don his cloak. Mellia follows and when Cain agrees that he supposes this argument would qualify as their first quarrel as a married couple, they take the opportunity to enjoy the benefits of making up. Afterwards, they work in the library with Cain researching dragons and Mellia beginning to work on the scrolls she intends to prepare for an eventual assault on Nesme. When the library closes they escort Ralkin to his temporary accommodation before retiring to the mansion, where Mellia continues to work on the scrolls until late.

At the detention centre where Urist is being held, a Watch-wizard comes to speak with Markus and does not have encouraging news. The Watch’s expert on extradimensional entities and artifacts is pressed with more urgent matters, and it may be some days before he can investigate Urist’s case.  The Watch-wizard suggests as an alternative that Markus could hire an independent expert to help; he suggests a Realms-reknowned scholar named Illighast Chamnabbar, telling Markus that she can typically be found in the Font of Knowledge.

[6 Eleasis 1372]

The next morning, Markus rises uncharacteristically early and heads directly to the library to seek out this sage. He finds her sitting behind a desk with a stack of books. Illighast is a tiefling female with a forked tongue and broken horn and she makes Markus wait as she finishes working on her notes. When he explains his situation  (and his willingness to pay her fee of twenty platinum per day), she agrees to help him.  She travels with him to view Urist and examine the blade, careful to stay out of arm’s reach.  Illighast says the sword is definitely not of Faerunian manufacture, and says it reminds her of something she once saw in a tome called the Dread Book of Forbidden Knowledge.  She refuses to say much more, though she intimates that the situation could be very, very serious. She tells Markus that she’ll research the question at the Font of Knowledge and should have an answer is a day or two.  Realizing that she will be a danger to others for quite some time, Urist insists that the guards manacle her wrist to the bars so that the cursed blade is not free to attack passersby.

Elsewhere, the Bronzefeather siblings rise and go about their tasks, with Ralkin heading to the library for another day of spell research, and Shiro selling some of the equipment she obtained during her battle with the wererats the day before. Shiro then heads back to the sewers in search of further diversion, but nothing memorable eventuates.

Mellia and Cain rise and discuss their ongoing efforts to prepare for future battles in Nesme. Mellia’s work on the scrolls appears to have satisfied the terms of her magickal oath to the Church of Kossuth, and she feels no further ill effects. Cain however, continues to suffer and they debate various tasks that could satisfy the demands of his commitment. They also determine that they require additional funds, and Mellia contacts Markus and asks if he would like to travel to Silverymoon to withdraw his money from the vaults there and Markus agrees, stating that he will meet his friends after lunch. Mellia and Cain head to the library where Mellia transcribes a spell and Cain spends hours attempting to research Nesme--only to find he has spent the day researching a similarly-named city in another part of Faerun! They retire to the mansion for lunch and to wait for Markus. When Mellia muses to her husband about when she can expect to see physical evidence of her twin pregnancy, Cain puts his foot in his mouth by stating that she would look beautiful no matter how large she becomes. Realizing he has offended his wife, Cain hastens to assure her that he only meant that he would love her no matter her physical appearance. Mellia accepts his apology and tells him that she appreciates that he worries about her, noting that she has never had anyone in her life to do that before.

For his part, Markus gleefully completes a much-anticipated task: picking up his Elvish courtblade which has now, at long last, been enchanted. He then meets up with Cain and Mellia and the three teleport to a point an hour outside of Silverymoon and begin their walk into the city. After visiting a money-lender’s vault and withdrawing all of his funds, Markus gives Mellia a portion of gold and tells his friends that he will meet them at sunset at the gates because he has errands to run. He then seeks out his Marauders for a private conversation. Cain and Mellia purchase a holy water font for Cain to use for scrying and Mellia continues her transcription until Markus rejoins them. On the long walk back outside the city, the three discuss the problem of how to save Urist. Mellia suggests that Markus investigate temples to Tymora in Waterdeep and suggests that perhaps he should contact the strange weapons-dealer Mortimont who, despite his off-putting mannerisms, appeared to know much about magical blades.

After Cain recalls himself, Mellia and Markus back to Waterdeep, they walk together through the increasingly foggy coastal city. Along the way, Markus makes mention of his growing distrust of the entire kenku race. Mellia cautions him that painting an entire culture with one brush is foolish, and points out that she considers Ralkin to be a loyal friend who has been very helpful. Markus is skeptical, noting that Ralkin deliberately shot Urist the day before. Mellia clarifies that Ralkin shot Urist in the wrist, attempting to separate her from the blade. Still, she does agree that Shiro and Villiam Teale at least are not to be trusted. Markus states flat out that he does not wish to travel with kenku anymore; but Mellia is just as adamant that she would not turn Ralkin away. Markus suggests then that Shiro at least should be left behind, and Mellia agrees to think on his words. Just as Markus prepares to separate from his friends to head back to Urist, menacing figures emerge from the fog.

Three of the figures are obviously trained bruisers, holding thick cudgels and rippling with muscle and covered in scars.  The fourth figure, their leader, holds an unusual two-bladed sword.  The leader speaks directly to Cain asking if he really thought he ‘could get away with that in my town,’ presumably referring to the cleric’s incineration of what turned out to be a criminal operative.  “The others can leave,” the criminal leader says, “but you and me got a date wit’ sumpin’ sharp.”  Markus, his dragonblood-enhanced eyesight allowing him to pierce the fog and realize he and his allies are being surrounded, shouts a warning and leaps forward, disarming and then impaling the gang leader with his newly-enchanted courtblade.  Barely alive after the vicious attack, the criminal is forced into full retreat.  Cain suffers several cudgel blows from the bruisers until Mellia’s well-rehearsed wall of fire weakens them and Markus’ gout of fiery breath finishes them off. Cain recovers the leader’s two-bladed sword as Markus runs off in pursuit, only to lose his prey in the fog. Mellia however is anxious to avoid the prying eyes of the Watch (and another explanation about dead bodies in the streets) and hurries her husband out of the area and back to the library where they find Ralkin finishing up his research. They head to the forge they have rented, but given the lateness of the hour are quickly forced to close up shop. Instead, they return to the library until it closes. Cain works on researching Nesme while Mellia works on writing her scrolls, again finishing her evening’s work in the mansion. Once more, Mellia’s efforts satisfy the current bonds of her oath, though Cain’s do not. Before bed, Cain does get Melia to agree that she will see a healer for a second opinion on her medical condition prior to any return to Nesme.

[7 Eleasis 1372]

Another beautiful summer’s day dawns in Waterdeep.  Ralkin and Cain head to the forge, with Mellia in tow. They spend the morning working on a new type of ceiling-collapsing trap that Ralkin is devising for the tunnels underneath Nesme. For her part, Mellia continues her transcription. Shiro again heads to the sewers but continues to find nothing to assuage either her violent or acquisitive instincts. Markus checks in with Illighast the sage but is disappointed--she needs more time. He then spends time attempting to seek out the escaped leader of the previous nights’ attack, but with little luck.

Around noon, Ralkin heads to the library to continue his research. Before heading there themselves, Mellia uses the excuse of the midday meal to retire to the mansion with Cain, though it quickly becomes apparent that it is lovemaking and not lunch that she has on her mind. Given she had woken her husband with similar designs on his person only that morning, Mellia finallly makes a confession to Cain. It is not only her hormones that drive her to seek such frequent solace in his arms; with so many conflicting priorities and worries, she feels constantly adrift and lost in the maelstrom. The only exception is when they are alone together. Seeing that Cain is at a loss for how to respond to this statement, Mellia kisses him and suggests that he use his new holy water font to scry on the one person they know is in Nesme: Wrex. Cain does so and is able to observe Wrex working on repairing the same section of the city wall that they had twice damaged in their raids on Nesme. Cain and Mellia then head to the library where Mellia completes her transcription of the Telepathic Bond spell and Cain researches a new topic: potential weaknesses in the war tactics of his enemy, clerics of the Frostmaiden.