Loose threads: Grey World, Grey Curse, Verse, Pranke, D&P Pizzeria and Saladeria, evacuated Satyr families, the cave known as The Abyss, Everfog Mountains
Participants: Syltorin Margaster, Sirxus, Dolen Harven
Locations: the Millennium Forest, D&P Pizzeria and Saladeria, the Grey World, The Pines, Hygon
WORK IN PROGRESS--UNDER CONSTRUCTION
Short summary:
Syltorin Margaster has been appointed the new ruler of The Pines. However, there is trouble afoot, as the sons of the previous Duke Geyesh disagree with that decision. Travels must be had and hearts must be won before our intrepid adventurers will reach the Fey city of Hygon in the Pines.
After the adventures and apprehensions gained to get to Hygon, it was time to put on our best dress and most regal poses. We entered the town without much warning or fanfare, but not without passing a massive 50ft radius spherical boulder blocking a huge cave opening. Local legend says it was sealed for some dangerous monster and that it lead all the way to the center of the Everfog Mountains. Who's to know if any of that is true?
We reached town and made our decision--straight to the manor, we would go.
We seemingly accidentally bumped into a Unknown woman named Unknown on the way to the Duke's mansion. She acts as something of a den mother to the Satyrs, Merehiki tells us. She tried directing us to an inn, but Merehiki clued us in that this likely meant the current children of Geyesh were partying it up, Satyr style, in the manor. Prince Syltorin was having none of that nonsense in his own rightful house, so we barged right on in and threw a wet blanket on the drunken festivities. Sure enough, Geyesh's son Freygeys was throwing a right good time.
Syltorin and Freygeys spat some fire back and forth for a bit, but Syltorin managed to earn a bit of respect from the Fey in the room. Freygeys took that personally and decided to leave it to muscle to decide the seat of the manor. A wrestling match, it would be! The team's very own Sirxus versus the minotaur Hrood. Dolen acted as a referee for the match, but shenanigans arose. Syltorin disappeared somewhere in the middle of the match, and then a scream put a stop to the match - someone had discovered the slain body of Freygeys! The confusion thankfully cleared up shortly after - the Starsong was alive and shortly found his way back to us, but Freygeys was no longer breathing.
Meinzer secured the scene before the official authorities of the Pines arrived, but he secured enough curious clues for us: Freygeys' blood was mixed with a curious greenish oil sheen, and the murderer by all appearances had slit his own throat in Freygeys' own room on the second floor. The apparent murderer was a Satyr named Archrdeon, who by all appearances pinned a note regretting his unrequited love, then slit his own throat after doing the same to Freygeys. The real twist was what Meinzer found in Archrdeon's pocket: a coin allowing free passage through Lord Attys's domain, much like the coin we used to traverse through the Millennium Forest and the Pines. Syltorin's secret mission to discover the conspirator against King Aseron appears to be cut and dry... or perhaps, intricately planned to frame Attys by Lady Vesper. With the arrival of Captain Tragganor and Magistrate Maja, the investigation began as our party split up to tackle two different objectives: assist in the examination of the bodies, and to deal with a particularly corrupt Mayor Bulae.
The Decisions
Dolen Harven was tasked with investigating the murder. Unfortunately it did not reveal as much as hoped. The green sheen was indeed a type of poison as suspected: wyvern poison to be exact. A hard-to-find poison indeed! Dolen knows there are Wyverns on the Watchers' Island, but he doesn't know of anyone here in First Landing with the knowledge to extract it. Someone went through great pains and expense to obtain this verdant death. As far as Dolen could tell, Archrdeon could have indeed slit his own throat, but the investigation did not manage to confirm that with certainty. All signs point to manipulation by Lord Attys in this slaying, but we failed to confirm that one way or another.
Next, Syltorin Margaster decided to take on the situation of Mayor Bulae directly. Bulae seemed to be an opportunist, going with the rise of powere of Geyesh, seemingly out of nowhere. And then again, the urge for power that seemed to seize Geyesh's progeny on his death, resulting in all of our troubles here now. The options were discussed: mercy? Death? Jail? Banishment? Ultimately, Starsong Syltorin decided to show some mercy - and hope to reap some political capital by banishing Bulae for one year. Bulae will be watched for any signs of sedition and, with hope, return in the future a much more willing subject.
The Aftermath
While all of this is going on, we learned that a fleet of ships left early the morning after Freygeys' murder, lead by Geyesh's oldest child, Ulaton. The proclamation on the fleet's departure was that Ulaton was the true ruler of the Pines and Hygon, and that he will be back. Merehiki explains that Ulaton is a favoured friend of Lord Asculith. Ulaton likely wouldn't openly go against the Syltorin yet. Who knows what that could lead to: future ally or future antagonist?
We met with a big burly Satyr named Lord Resias who was the master of the royal vinyards. He apparently had no interest in the workings of political intrigue, simply asking that he can continue to manage the vineyards and wine. Syltorin granted this.
Lord Ginyesh was another son of Geyesh, more a bookworm than anything. He also expressed no interest in anything but managing the library and an opportunity to travel and explore First Landing at some point. He did offer one dire warning, however: never remove the boulder blocking the cave known as The Abyss. This warning had been passed down for generations and centuries. At least for now, Syltorin accepted both Ginyesh and this wisdom.
Meinzer remains an ally to Syltorin, but eventually returns to King Aseron. Lady Merehiki Songheart creates a spy network but otherwise takes on the mantle of royalty, running the daily needs of the manor and Hygon. But in the daily workings of Syltorin to establish his rule, he stumbles upon a letter hidden in a secret chest in the library:
Ruin has come to our lands,
You remember our venerable house? Opulent and imperial, gazing proudly from its stoic perch above the shore.
I lived all my years in that ancient rumor-shadowed manor, fattened by decadence and luxury. And yet, I began to tire of... conventional extravagance. Singular unsettling tales suggested the caves nearby were a gateway to some fabulous and unnameable power.
With relic and ritual, I bent every effort towards the excavation and recovery of those long buried secrets, exhausting what remained of our family fortune on swarthy workmen with sturdy shovels. Sellswords, mercenary and adventurer I could find. At last, in the dark recess beneath the lowest portions of the cave, we unearthed that damnable gray maze of unspeakable evil.
Our every step unsettled the ancient stone, but we were in a realm of death and madness! Monsters and unspeakable horrors lay around every corner who picked us thin. Sanity was drained quickly through the visions and sounds, a corruption taking hold of our party. Their physicality molding to the caves and maze itself. Finally hordes of Bull Men hunted us down and In the end, I alone fled, laughing and wailing, through those gray halls of antiquity, until consciousness failed me.
You remember our venerable house, opulent and imperial. It is a festering abomination now! Bull men run rampant among these lands! I beg you, return home, claim your birthright, and deliver our family from the ravenous clutching shadows... of the Darkest Abysslum.