Loose Threads: The plumed Unknown knight, a cure for the Bleaching, what happened to the original Janshai — if there was one...
Participants: Nosuch, Saagas, Mileena Millennia, Bloom Shining Upon the Summit, Verdant Amberforge, Dhugneam
Locations: Millennium Forest, First Landing
Short summary:
A party was employed by Janshai the Alchemist to gather ingredients from a Unicorn. Shenanigans ensued, which resulted in the party fighting a group of Undead that were attacking the Unicorn; sparing the Unicorn and being rewarded for it; finding that Verdant's familiar was missing; and finally discovering that Janshai was actually a Fiend in disguise. They killed him, but it remains unclear whether there is a 'real' Janshai, or whether he never existed.
Full report: Nosuch
Please, dear reader, forgive your humble narrator his clumsy pen and burdened tone but he must impart to you a woeful tale, and its tragic events have wounded his spirit. The heroes of this adventure heard tell of a request from an alchemist, styling himself Janshai, for help attaining material samples of a Unicorn. Though their strategies and concerns varied, each hero sought some more peaceful outcome than the slaughter of such a noble creature.
Meeting with Janshai, the adventurers were foully deceived. Janshai expressed false concern for his Gnomish assistant Xant and his increasing Bleaching. The Alchemist claimed to seek a cure for the condition, not just for Xant, but for all Gnome kind.
Taken in by this ruse, some of the heroes sought an alternative solution, while Sums and Saagas sought a more direct approach — namely to head into the wildernesses and protect the Unicorn. Their efforts were hampered by a strong disagreement over the slaying of a bear.
Sums, who received only mild injuries, felt the battle did not warrant killing the beast; Saagas claimed that killing the beast was saving Sums and was therefore heroic. Sums went to rejoin the party, while Saagas continued in search of the Unicorn.
Meanwhile, Verdant and your narrator, Nosuch, conducted an experiment to see if the needed sample might be safely extracted from the Unicorn by cutting flesh from willing Nosuch’s arm. The results were uncertain and they returned to Janshai. While this went on Mileena Millennia may have been in the bar plying Xant with spirits.
Growing suspicious, Verdant met again with Janshai and his familiar was accidentally left behind in the Alchemist’s office — the little scamp! With one thing and another they became convinced that Janshai was up to no good and had possibly stolen the familiar. Xant, reluctantly accompanied the adventurers as they went in search of the familiar and the Unicorn.
Triangulation via psychic connection to a familiar proved difficult and, growing worried for the Unicorn’s safety, the trio set out with Xant in tow. The whole of the adventuring party re-formed and discovered the Unicorn and her foal under attack by Unknown riders. After a pitched battle, the Undead were dispatched, though their plumed leader escaped.
With Sums serving as interpreter, and serene Korada providing guidance, Nosuch did parley with the Unicorn. The results seemed quizzical at the time, but proved fortuitous and possibly even prophetic, for the Unicorn gifted the party holy water and an Aeon Stone. The holy water soon saved the lives of the party when, on their return journey to First Landing, Verdant detected the presence of the missing familiar. This led them to Janshai who’d set out after the Unicorn himself, having hired a second party of adventurers. All reason was ignored by Janshai during the brief debate, replaced by obstinate insistence upon killing and eating the unicorn.
Perhaps it was rash, but your narrator decided that a citizen’s arrest of the alchemist was the only solution and he threw his bolas. A fight ensued, pitched and nearly fatal for Saagas and others, until Verdant suggested they douse Janshai with holy water and Mileena managed an expert toss of said holy water.
This revealed Janshai as a Unknown. Soon, holy water was flying at Janshai from every direction, and the second band of sellswords did turn on the Fiend as well. In the end it was the sellsword and mighty hunter Bob, whose bolt did slay the devil, piercing him through the eyes.
All in all, a horrible affair. Xant was so shocked he fled with hardly a word, and while the search of the Fiend’s saddlebags proved remunerative, the heart aches at the needless death. Could the devil have been captured and reformed? We can but hope.
As to a moral to the story? Choose well your employers!
- Nosuch