[9
Pharast 4708 continued]
In
Magnimar, the Heroes of Varisia continue their preparations for the final stage
of their epic quest. As Ava makes
contact with local cultists of Sinashakti, the others reunite at their inn. Erik and Jinkatsyu present the philtre of love they purchased as an
ingredient to make another dominant
weapon using the other materials smuggled out of Runeforge, but Kang tells them
it would be useless. Only a powerful magical
item strongly imbued with the essence of enchantment could be combined with the
mirror shards from the wing of illusion to create a weapon opposed to Karzoug’s
speciality, transmutation. Jinkatsyu
urges the group to return to Runeforge to cleanse the place, but Kang notes the
adventurers barely escaped alive last time.
Meanwhile, Morgiana watches the proceedings, completely unaware of
what’s going on.
[10
Pharast 4708]
In
the morning, the adventurers spend several thousand gold pieces on a rod
sufficiently imbued with magical energies to serve as the catalyst for a
Runeforged weapon. Using a common
washbasin, Kang uses a vial of the prismatic liquid from the central Runeforge
pool, drops in a sprinkling of mirror shards, and then carefully immerses the
rod. Instantly, golden glowing tendrils
of energy arise, and Erik holds out his Alkenstar-made firearm for immersion in
the liquid. When it is withdrawn,
eldritch runes cover the barrel, and everything else in the basin is gone.
The
adventurers decide their tasks in Magnimar have come to an end. Once Ava returns, she teleports the group to
Sandpoint. A few more errands are
completed in town. With Morgiana still
in the form of a little girl, there’s much confusion to be had in the shops and
inns (and among the populace generally) as to why adventurers engaged on such a
dangerous task “have taken in an orphan.”
Morgiana’s refusal to act or speak like a child causes further
confusion, as does the lack of coordination among the group on what to call her
in public (as Morgiana doesn’t want anyone to connect her childlike persona to
the hobgoblin known to live on an outlying farm). The authorities are nearly called in to
intervene on multiple occasions, but some fast talking and the trust the group
has earned are enough to avoid formal inquiries.
During
their day in Sandpoint, the group hears that Brodert Quink and Veznutt Parooh
have been looking for them. The
adventurers find the pair in Parooh’s map shop.
Brodert explains that ever since returning from Jorgenfist he’s been
continuing his research, as promised, on Xin-Shalast. He says he’s been corresponding with sages
and scholars all across Varisia, and has finally struck gold during an exchange
with the author of a noted cyclopedia on the foreboding Kodar Mountains, the
so-called “Roof of the World” (where the legendary peak of Mhar Massif and its
crown, Xin-Shalast, were said to lie during the time of Thassilon).
The author, Cevil “Redwing” Charm, sent Brodert a letter:
---------------------------------------------
Saluations, Mr. Quink!
Thank you again for the kind
words. It’s always a pleasure to speak
with readers of my work, especially those well read and civilized enough to
know of my writing beyond Eidolon. Alas,
I was unable to procure a copy of the early draft from my personal files. It would seem that it has gone the way of so
much of my early work, lost forever to the gulfs of time and narrow-minded
publishers unable to grasp the import of a young Pathfinder’s work.
Fortunately, my mind is as quick now as
it was in those early days of my explorations of your fantastic homeland. I recall the evening I first heard the story
of Xin-Shalast, while seated on a log in a Varisian camp, sharing ruby mead
with an enchanting young woman. Ah, but
that’s a story for other times.
I was intrigued by the tale,
though. All peoples have tales of
“cities of gold”, yet with Xin-Shalast, the Varisians had no tradition of
explorers seeking it. They viewed the
place as one of evil, a place to be feared and forsaken. As far as I could tell, none of your
indigenous people ever sought out the ruins before the advent of Chelish
rule. But there was mention, come to
think of it, of two dwarven brothers.
Vekker, I think their names were.
Claimed to have found the route to Xin-Shalast and convinced several
tradesmen in Janderhoff to support and supply their plan to establish a base of
operations in the low Kodar Mountains along the Kazaron. Their vanishing into the Kodars bankrupted
all but one of their investors, I hear, and even today, the Vekker name is
generally accompanied by a litany of rousing dwarven profanity when it comes up
in ‘Hoffian taverns.
In the stead of enclosing a copy of the
early, complete draft of my work, though, please find a signed copy of Eidolon
with this missive. I trust it will look
quite handsome on your shelf.
In good health,
Redwing
--------------------------
Brodert
says his own research confirms that Silas and Karivek Vedder did indeed abscond
with a fair amount of investors’ money into the mountains and never returned;
the common theory is that their “discovery of Xin-Shalast” was simply a clever
con, but those who knew the Vekkers personally held them in high esteem. He says that if they did indeed discover
Xin-Shalast, it would make sense for them to keep its location a secret until
they could return with proof. He
speculates that if there are any clues as to the whereabouts of the fabled
city, they might just lie within the Vekkers’ base of operations—their mining
camp on the banks of the Kazaron. As
Brodert finishes speaking, Veznutt Parooh pulls out a well-worn map of northern
Varisia and shows the adventurers how the Kazaron River flows down from an
unknown source in the northeast Kodar Mountain range until it reaches the
northern border of the Cinderlands and begins flowing west. Both Brodert and Veznutt make separate
appeals to be included on the adventurers’ journey to the Kodars, but both are
politely rebuffed. Erik gives Brodert
the remaining mirror fragments from Runeforge as a gesture of goodwill, and the
sage is quite interested in studying them.
It’s
near sunset when the meeting with Brodert and Veznutt draws to a close. Morgiana leads the others into Sandpoint’s
southern hinterlands. There, on a small
farm, she introduces everyone to her adopted mother, Derriandra. Derriandra is friendly and invites everyone
to stay the night, but privately she expresses her concern to Morgiana that the
youth has fallen in with a bad crowd!
But teenage rebellion has struck Morgiana deeply, and she insists she
can’t stay on the farm her whole life.
Later that night, the others ask Morgiana to reconsider as well, asking
why she would leave a good home and a good family. Their words fall on deaf ears.
[11
Pharast 4708]
The
adventurers pass the day in errands, helping out around the farm, and
discussing what the next step of their journey should be.
Overnight,
Kang’s alchemical experiments in the barn somehow attract several swarms of
rats. He dispatches them in seconds with
his hurled explosives and gets back to work, paying little attention that he’s
woken up everyone nearby and cracked the walls of the barn!
[12
Pharast 4708]
Morgiana’s
father, Calast, tells the teenager that her friends need to leave. The man is angrily chopping firewood with an
axe, and glares at Kang when the tiefling appears to make peace. Later, Derriandra explains that her husband
isn’t really so angry about the barn, which is rarely used, but that the adventurers
“are taking his little girl away with them.”
Once again, the adventurers speak with Morgiana and encourage her to
stay, but the surly teen says she told her parents she was leaving months ago
and doesn’t care what they think.
Indeed, Morgiana says, their lives may be better with her gone. But Kang is having none of it—he says he said
the same thing to his father before leaving home, and regretted it. He insists that Morgiana and least say
good-bye to her parents, and she reluctantly does so, receiving warm embraces
in return.
The
adventurers settle on their next destination:
the deceased dragon Longtooth’s cave near Jorgenfist!
--------------------
Another sort of "between quests" session, but things are about to heat up very quickly. I liked how organically I was able to slot in the letter as part of Brodert's research. It's always better for leads and hooks to be integrated naturally into the story as opposed to being an obvious plot device.
There was some excellent role-playing with the farm scenes, and I was impressed by seeing a whole different (but believable) side of Kang--the prodigal son, unable to return.
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