Previously: Chapter 50: Sending a Message
A Deal Rejected
The party looks at Raam, as he stands in their kitchen, waiting for them to enter. He reiterates that they should come in from the cold and that they need to have a talk. Both Kal and Dandelion are extremely on the defensive about his presence in their home, but Raam ignores that, and introduces himself to the newest member of the party. Relic, having never met Raam before returns the gesture, and introduces himself in a friendly manner. Both Kal and Dandelion chimes in about his true nature.
Raam asks the party where the rest have gone, noticing that there appears to be only three of them. Kal bluntly tells him that they all are “gone”, trying to hint at their passing. He says that he hopes it was painful in that case, before gesturing to the party that they really should sit down, as they have a lot to discuss. They ask him where their housekeeper is, and he simply tells them that she’s “close”, and as long as they don’t harm him, she won’t be harmed or shipped off somewhere horrible.
They continue to exchange “pleasantries”, before Raam finally reveals his true purpose for being with them. After they killed his mortal form the first time, he spent some time in the Nine Hells regrowing his body, before being well enough to return. During that time, he overheard from their spies in the abyss that the party had been mingling with a certain Forgotten God. The trio looks at each other, Relic more in confusion than anything else. Raam asks them straight up if they are in cahoots with the god, or if the rumors that they are opposing him are true. They tell him that they are not on any good terms with the Forgotten One, but Raam retorts with the fact that one of them had him as their patron. Kal tries to tell him that it was not by choice, but Raam replies that no god becomes a patron without an agreement.
Feeling satisfied that the party is not in allegiance with the Forgotten One, he reveals that he has information that could become useful for the party; a way to kill the Forgotten One once and for all. Apparently Raam was owed a favor by a certain Spider Queen, and decided to cash in. And as the Spider Queen has been cast out by the Forgotten One, she was more than willing to reveal the waypoint to a weapon that can be used to kill him. He takes out a piece of parchment, depicting a sword with the blade split along the center, and says that he is willing to share with them the location of the waypoint, but he wants them to leave him and his business alone.
Kal tells him immediately that they are not going to agree to that, with Dandelion agreeing with her, telling him that she is honorbound not to let him continue with his evil acts. He tells them that he’s not that evil, as they only take two or three people a week to be shipped off to get “new homes” as he puts it. He implores them to at least consider it, and takes out a contract he had prepared for the occasion. The trio skims through it, and finds a few points that are not something they are willing to accept, but it boils down to the fact that he will provide them with the waypoint, and in return they cannot interfere, lest their soul would be forfeit to him. Kal takes the contract and tears it in half, telling him they will never have an agreement with him that allows him to commit evil acts. Raam simply pulls out another copy, smiling.
But the party does not relent, and so Raam realizes that they are unwilling to listen to “reason”, so he sighs, telling them that he wishes this would have gotten a better outcome, but someone else might be interested in the information; Malice. The party looks at each other, and tells him that he wouldn’t dare, as he would be selling out his own kind. Relic asks if Raam has thought this through, saying they can tell his superior devils about him making deals with abyssal entities, but Raam seems unfazed, telling them that if he cannot get someone to finish off the Forgotten God, he will do his darndest to at least get in his good graces. Giving the party one last chance to reconsider, he looks at them. Realizing that they are steadfast, albeit conflicted at the notion of letting Malice get the information, he leaves. As he does, four shadow devils emerge from the corners of the house and follow him outside.
Negotiations
As he leaves, Penny has finally returned from saying goodbye to Karga and her brother, so they run into each other on the steps. Penny seems taken aback at first, but knowing that Raam would eventually return, she doesn’t seem surprised. She asks him why he is here, and he tells her that he was trying to make a deal with the party, but that they would not listen to reason, shouting so the rest of the party can hear. Penny asks what the deal is, and he tells her about the weapon. Penny tells him to come back inside so they can talk it out.
The rest of the party seems on edge, and as Penny returns Raam says that he was always willing to negotiate the terms, he wasn’t expecting them to sign the contract as is. Kal complains that he never told them that, but he practically shouts at her, asking if she’s ever signed a contract before. But she hasn’t. He sighs once more, seeming agitated, but hopeful at the prospect of getting a deal signed. Penny asks what the deal is, and he explains that he wants the party to stay out of his way for the information, with one of their souls as collateral. Penny, wanting to end the Forgotten One, suggests that she can sign it, but the rest of the party won’t allow her.
They discuss the contract further, and end up with several changes, most notably that he cannot escalate and expand the operation, and that the contract will only be valid until the party has dealt with the Forgotten One or until the world ends, whichever comes first. They ask Raam why he asks them to retrieve the weapon instead of just doing it himself. He replies that he is not powerful enough, and he knows that the party has potential. They ask why they shouldn’t just kill him now, and then finish him off in the Nine Hells. To their surprise, he tells them that if they set their mind to it, they could probably kill both him, Muzak and take their whole operation down, and then probably be able to find a way into the Nine Hells to kill them properly. But that would mean that their friends and families would face a terrible fate, as he names both Kal’s family, as well as Morgan and Trixie.
Kal says that she would like some time to think about it, and he tells her that they can have all the time in the world, Arin has been in their captivity for a few weeks now, what is another few days. This frustrates the party, wanting to see her freed. Kal tells Penny to come along, and they go outside to confer with Thervan. Kal sends him a message, asking if he can come to their house, as they need his help. He replies that he is rather spent for the day, and if it’s important. Kal says it’s about a certain blade that could kill Vuthul. Thervan suddenly appears.
A Soul for a Blade
Penny and Kal tell Thervan what has happened, and that a devil named Raam is offering them the location of the blade. He seems to recognize the name, saying they’ve had dealings in the past. He tells them that they have been searching for the location of the blade for some time, so Thervan is willing to go against his better judgment and sign the contract if it means progress. Kal is ambivalent, but Penny says that she would be willing to sign it if it means they get what they need. Thervan takes them both by the shoulders and leads them to the door.
Entering, Raam and Thervan’s eyes meet, and they both greet each other by name, Raam more cordial than the other. Thervan asks if he can read over the contract, with Raam telling him to go right ahead. Dandelion says that she wants to have in the contract that Raam cannot go after their friends or family, but Raam says that he absolutely won’t put that in the contract, saying it is redundant, as they would come after him immediately if something were to happen.
After Thervan has read through it, he has made some notes and alterations, changing wording to be less ambivalent, he gives it back to Raam, who checks the modifications and finds them acceptable. Relic chimes in that he is highly against doing deals with devils as a general rule, with Thervan saying that he agrees, but this is a special circumstance. Kal asks to be excused when Penny says that she is ready to sign, hoping desperately to spot a passerby to tell about Raam and his operation, so that she has done something before it takes effect. But she is spent for the day, and sees no one.
Penny is handed a quill by Raam, who tells her that she won’t need ink. She puts the quill to the paper, and signs her name, committing them to the agreement. The letters of the contract flashes, signaling that her soul is now at stake, with Raam happily snatching back the quill and contract, saying it was a pleasure doing business with the party. He jokingly almost forgets to fulfill his part, and as he leaves, asks the party if they have heard of a place called the Crags of Despair. The party groans, having just gotten back from the Thax’ning Tribes, and recognizes the name as the place where Grommok found the Shard. He tells them of a river flowing through a valley, with a waterfall that refuses to freeze. Within the waterfall is a door, behind the door is a set of stairs, and down those stairs the first marker can be found. He then departs with his shadows.
As he walks away from the house, Kal runs after him, shouting at him from the doorway, telling him that they want their housekeeper back. He shouts back that she will be delivered this evening, as he wants to make sure they are not following him before he gives her back.
Dreams of Power
Going back inside, Kal tells Thervan that he can go now, seemingly very annoyed at the situation. Thervan notices the anger in her voice, and leaves without saying much more, letting the party cool down. Kal sits down, looking into the air. Dandelion asks Penny if she could make a new book so that Relic could be caught up with what has been going on. Penny is more than happy to do so, creating a new journal that is even bigger than the last one they made for Chester, and hands it to Relic, who begins reading.
As they sit around the fireplace, Arin eventually comes through the door. Dandelion runs up to her and gives her a great big hug, asking her if she’s okay. She returns the hug, and tells her that she is fine, and has been well looked after. Although she had been terrified for the first few days, Muzak came and talked to her from time to time, and although he kidnapped her, he was very friendly and cordial to her. But she is extremely happy to be free from the ordeal, and happy to be back.
The party introduces her to Relic, and she seems quite fascinated by his appearance. They also tell her that Fie fell in battle, and they couldn’t save him. This saddens her, as she did like him a lot. Or she. They. Nobody was really sure what Fie identified as, but come to the conclusion that they identified with whatever was fitting in the moment.
The party asks Relic where he would like to rest for the evening, remarking that they have a free room now, full of pillows of various shapes and colors. Relic says that he does not sleep, so is fine with staying in the living room. Penny asks what they should do with the pillows, suggesting that they split them up amongst the party. They all agree it’s what Fie would have wanted, so they divide them amongst each other, and retire for the evening, having gone through a lot in one day.
During the night, the party’s dreams are influenced by their various feelings and experiences. Dandelion soars through the skies with her owls, feeling free again having returned from the north, with Penny dreaming of playing for the king, and making sure he keeps his crown. Kal dreams of the shard embedded in her chest, and can sense that while the shard provides power, it will also draw enemies to claim it. Relic, sitting in the chair in the living room doesn’t dream. But he does notice that something is unlocked within him. He decides to explore it, and finds himself in a memory of an unknown dwarf that falls to a group of drows, before his consciousness is being stored into a small crystal. When he comes back to himself, Arin is standing in the kitchen, opening the Chest of Preserving, happy to see that Raam was courteous enough to buy groceries.
Debrief
Most of the party sleeps in. Even Dandelion, who usually wakes at the break of dawn, is still sleeping well into the morning, much to the concern of Argus and Ira. As she finally wakes up, she sees her owls staring down at her, acting very relieved to see that she is still alive. They both nuzzle up to her, happy to be back home again after being away. Penny wakes up being fixated on the dream she had, wondering what it meant. Kal looks down at her chest, and prepares Greater Restoration, in order to relinquish the power of the Shard. They all can smell the cooking of Arin in the kitchen, so they descend to have breakfast, and talk about what they should do for the day.
Dandelion and Penny both want to go to Tempervale, as the dragon scale armor Pijjirik was crafting should be finished soon, and Penny wants to get a tattoo with the money they are going to get. Kal is up for going to Tempervale as well, wanting to show it to Relic, as he has never been there. They also remember that they commissioned a carriage that should be ready, but first they have to go to the castle to hand off the Shard and give a debrief. Penny also points out that they should clear out Wave Echo Cave before things escalate yet again.
They take the horses, and notice that Wildfire has returned to a regular horse, as Fie never returned. They offer it to Relic, but he tells them that he’s not very fond of living mounts, and sits down to summon a steed with his magic. Wildfire looks saddened by being left behind, so Arin suggests that she can look after him, that way neither of them will be alone again. Dandelion asks if she feels alone, with Arin admitting that she felt rather isolated when the party left to go north. Wildfire is happy to have someone to look after, and be looked after by. Arin waves to the party as they head to the castle, while she takes Wildfire out for a ride.
As the party reaches the castle, they board their horses, and head inside. Within, they can see that Bertram and Ansgar seem to be in a serious discussion, with Ansgar looking quite annoyed. Dandelion, who can read lips, sees that he is angry that Ethalyn and Ash were put in such great danger, but Bertram tries to blow it off saying that they’re fine. Ansgar points to the party, and says it’s thanks to them, not him. Bertram relents as he sees the party, saying they will talk more later, and takes them to meet Thervan.
Thervan is looking out the window when they enter, and with a flick of his fingers four chairs are summoned for them. They sit down, with Thervan saying that he has been thinking about what happened last night, saying it’s for the best, and that he promises the party that he will personally help them put an end to Muzak and Raam’s operation when the Forgotten One is dealt with. Kal still is not happy with that, but it’s as much as they can do with the circumstances.
Kal asks him if he would like the Shard for safe keeping, realizing that it would be dangerous for the party if she was still in possession of it. He opens a drawer and takes out some diamond dust, remarking that his supplies are getting low, but it is worth it. She throws it back, asking Penny to create some instead, who simply holds out her hand, making a small pouch appear. Kal casts the spell, and the Shard falls to the floor, with Penny picking it up, putting it into a bag that Thervan has found. The Shard still shines through it, as he places the bag on his desk. Kal throws him the rest of the diamond dust, telling him to make good use of it. He immediately calls for Raven, who enters the office. Throwing the bag to her, he tells her to find some good use for it while it still lasts. She thanks the party, saying she’s glad to see them again, before leaving to do some good. Thervan sits down in his chair, and looks at the party.
He tells them that he has made contact with Murzol, and they are working out a peace treaty as they speak. He has spoken to the king, and although his birthday is coming up, the king is adamant that he wants to hold a celebration in the honor of the heroes who managed to broker a peace at the cusp of a full blown conflict with the orcs. He tells them that several dignitaries have been invited, both from the Akstan Kingdom and from most of the holds around Moroxia, as well as some from Krawdoth and Asimaria. It will be held at the end of the week, on saturday, and he hopes that the party can attend.
“Speaking of”, Thervan says, before sending a message to someone, saying they can bring it in now. Two guards enter, holding a chest, filled with platinum and gold, 31575 gold in total, with a little bonus as hazard pay. He realizes that it cannot bring Fie back, but he died in service of good, so they should be compensated. He asks the party if they would like to have a plot of land to lay his remains to rest, as it does help, but Kal says that they wanted to bring him back to his hometown, as they tell his parents what happened to him.
The party asks Thervan if Raam was telling the truth about the blade, and if it really could be used to kill the Forgotten One. He responds that it indeed can, but only according to myths. Nobody has seen the blade since his ascension, meaning it has been lost for over 2500 years. Gods in general cannot be killed, so having something that can bypass that is invaluable considering the enemy they are facing. Kal suggests using a legend lore on it, but he says they have already done that, but nothing reveals its location, just what they have already learned. He thinks it is a lead they should pursue, saying that knowing where it is, he can teleport them there directly, saving them the walk.
Kal asks if she can use his desk to cast a legend lore after all, wanting to see if she can get a hint at the location to Stormseeker and Maravin's tomb. He does not object, and the rest of the room observes her doing the ritual. She learns that Udall himself made the tomb in honor of his fallen hero, and it is located in the Bloodwoods, near the elven city of Eilian. Thervan suggests heading that way, as the locals would probably have more information about their hero.
Dandelion remarks that the party has too many acorns in the air, and that they should try to catch some of them. The rest of the room is completely flabbergasted by the remark, having never heard it mentioned before. Penny asks if she means too many balls in the air, but Dandelion explains that it is a common saying, from when she was little and she and her friends used to toss acorns in the air to try to catch them. Penny picks up some fruit and starts juggling, asking if this is what she meant, but Dandelion takes the fruit and throws it all into the air, but fails to catch any of them. Thervan looks at them, and asks if there was anything else they needed, before the party sets their sights towards Tempervale.
Pain and Gain
When they step through the teleportation circle, after Thervan transferred the ownership of the rights from Fie to Relic, the party is met with a wall of snow, as a blizzard is currently raging over the city. Dandelion yells into the sky that “I thought we fixed this?”, but the rest tell her that this is normal weather, so she shouldn’t worry about it. They all head towards the tattoo parlor “One’s True Colors” that Penny has seen in passing, and is greeted by the owner, a fire genasicalled Deacon Ember. The party asks what he can provide, as they are looking for some protection and some boosts, and he shows his various pots of gem dust saying he can enhance their abilities or give them resistances, or give them some nice tattoos imbued with magic.
Other than the diamond dust being rather empty, it seems that everything else is in steady supply, so Penny tells him that she wants a jade tattoo, to increase her wisdom, as well as some one-use tattoos for spellcasting. He tells her that he will gladly be able to do that, and asks what design she would like. She describes a field of stars around her shoulders and up her neck, which Deacon thinks is a very cool idea. Considering the placement, she would have to remove her top, which she does, not being embarrassed to show herself, and sits down in the chair.
Deacon fills up the jar attached to a weird looking device with jade dust, and tells her to prepare, as it can be quite painful. Penny says that she can handle the pain, having lost a limb once, but as soon as he starts working on her back, it becomes too much, and she faints. Deacon tells the party that it should take a couple of hours, so Dandelion decides to go and check if her armor is ready. Relic in the meantime asks Deacon if he would allow him to cast detect magic to observe the flow, which Deacon has no problem with. Relic sees that the tattoo is being powered by magic coming from Deacon himself, which he finds quite fascinating. He also sees that there seems to be some residual magic left from where she was marked by Vuthul, and figures this might mean the connection is not completely gone. Kal watches as well, before realizing that Dandelion shouldn’t go alone to buy stuff, and goes after her.
On the way to the armorer, with her owls sitting on her shoulders, Dandelion notices a familiar face in a back alley watching her. Delphine. She tells this to Argus and Ira, who sneaks a peek, wondering why she is looking after the party at this point. Dandelion tells them to keep an eye out, and makes sure to stay in the streets among people, to avoid getting attacked. When she reaches Pijjirik, he remembers her, and tells her that the armor is ready, if she is still interested in it.
Kal suddenly arrives, having hustled to catch up with her. They haggle a bit about price, as Dandelion will have to spend most of her gold to purchase the armor, and after they tell him they have thwarted an invasion of orcs heading to Thielheim which apparently is his hometown, he is willing to go down a bit. Dandelion looks at the armor, and realizing that she will have a hard time staying hidden figures that there must be better ways to protect herself, regardless of the other perks it provides, so decides to let it go. Pijjirik is not angered or annoyed by this, as it means he will be able to sell it for a higher price to someone else, but tells the party that he will gladly buy more scales if they do come across other dragons.
They decide to head back to the tattoo parlor, and on the way, Kal decides to check in on Lone Candle, and goes to the square where she kept her stall. Looking around, she finds no sign of her, so she goes over to a nearby booth to ask if they know what happened to her. A kind old lady selling dolls named Hilda tells her that the tabaxi finally saved up enough coin to head west, and apparently found an internship in Ravenforge. Kal is pleased to hear this, and wonders where she ended up.
Hilda asks if she would like to buy a doll, so Kal looks around the booth, and sees that the woman has apparently made a few dolls that look like the party, finding a green firbolg, a pink tiefling and even a cleric-looking doll with white hair. Remarking that she apparently has been modeling for her, pointing to the doll of herself, Hilda at first seems embarrassed, and apologizes, but Kal says that she loves it, and would like to buy them. Hilda gladly gathers up the dolls, with Kal also picking up some owls that look like Argus and Ira, as well as an elk and some horses, paying way more than what Hilda is asking for them, much to the woman's joy. She asks if Kal would like to commission some, as she works quite fast, so she asks for an elf wizard, and one of Relic.
Kal can see that Hilda is lightly clothed, and gives her one of the thermal cubes to warm her up, bringing a tear to the woman’s eye. She tells Kal to come back in a few hours and she will have everyone ready, before starting working, tearing out the hair of a wizard doll to make it blonde, and wondering how she will make a metal man.
Back at the tattoo shop, Penny is finally done, and in a lot of pain. Dandelion looks through the stock, and pays to have a barrier tattoo made, covering the entire front of her body, in the shape of a branching tree. Deacon says that should be a quick job, saying it would take about an hour, and asks Dandelion if she would like some privacy, as she would need to get undressed. Dandelion doesn’t mind, and takes off her clothes, with Kal coming over with a towel, covering up her parts, much to Dandelion’s confusion.
An Unexpected Encounter
As Deacon is working on Dandelion, Kal takes Relic around to see the city, while Penny goes to the Transcendence Theater to see if she can discover what happened to Lady Kree. She wanders around the area, asking people where her house was located, as it was sucked into the ground, and when she finds it, she sees that every single building around was completely spared, while the house of Kree is lying in a sinkhole. Asking around some more, she discovers that Lady Kree seemed nervous and on edge the days before her passing, even saying goodbye to some people, as if she knew what was going to happen.
Penny is distraught by this, and decides to head to the theater in order to discover more clues. Finding the place closed while awaiting new owners, she decides to sneak inside. She turns herself invisible, and climbs up the facade to reach the balcony overlooking the entrance. Seeing the blizzard is raging, it’s difficult, but she makes it, and finds an open door leading inside. She descends down the stairs, and heads to the front desk, looking for anything that can explain what has happened.
She finds that there are a bunch of documents that she can’t read, but she sees numbers, and realizes that it is most likely her ledgers of finances or something similar. Nothing that can help Penny. But sitting on the desk is the small pink monocular that Lady Kree used to discern illusions through. She takes it with her, and returns to the streets, back to the tattoo parlor.
Kal and Relic wander the streets, with Kal showing the bridges and their various dedications to the gods, as well as showing him the library again, as they didn’t really get a chance to see it when they emerged. He asks if she knows of any place where he can get some spell-scrolls, and Kal remembers a place called the Fey Factory that they have seen in passing.
Heading inside the Fey Factory, they are greeted by a dwarf, Dain Stoutale, who welcomes them to his emporium, and asks if there is anything in particular they are looking for. As he scans the room, Relic can’t help but notice the glowing scroll hanging on the wall behind the counter. He asks what it is, and Dain proudly proclaims that it is a scroll of Wish, his pride and joy, and can be his for a mere three million gold coins. A bit out of reach considering their budget, he tells the dwarf that he has some other spells he’s looking for, so the dwarf helps him find what he needs, as well as the materials to copy them into his book.
As the two of them exit the shop to return to the others, Kal sees Delphine in an alley across from them, looking at them. Kal, being annoyed at her, sends her a message saying that Fie is dead and that she can stop following them. As she receives the message, Kal can see Delphine’s face drop. She gets a simple reply, a shivering voice saying “he is?”. Seems Delphine didn’t know about this, so Kal walks over to her, taking Relic with her.
Delphine asks if she speaks true, and Kal repeats herself, that Fie has truly died. Delphine says that she thought that maybe he finally took to his senses and acquired some item to hide himself from her, before running away, but didn’t expect him to be gone. Kal can see that she seems to be genuinely saddened by the news. Delphine goes on to say that she has made a terrible mistake in trying to go after the party to acquire the key, as she underestimated how far Malice was willing to go, and so thinks that they should work together instead. She asks if she can meet the party to discuss, and Kal invites her to their house tomorrow night. Delphine accepts, and walks away, saying she will see them the next night.
Returning to the parlor, Dandelion is done with her tattoo, and a beautiful tree design is sticking out from underneath her clothes, much to Dandelion's satisfaction. The party thanks Deacon for his services, saying they might be back later. Before leaving, they decide to purchase whatever they need of spell-components with their newly acquired spells. As they gather and walk towards the library to head back to Ravenforge, Penny decides to test out the monocular that she found, and puts it up to her eye. It grants her truesight, and so she scans the area, looking at the people, before she suddenly sees a giant golden dragon in the middle of the square. The dragon looks around, and as their eyes lock with Penny, she lowers the monocular, and can see an elderly woman looking back at her, giving a wink, before disappearing into the crowd.