Previously: Chapter 54: Long Live the King
Royal Guests
The next morning, after the disaster, Kal awakens first. Remembering the events from the previous night, she arises, and emerges from her bedroom, meeting the two elite guards that are stationed outside Penny’s room, protecting the princess. They give her a short respectful nod, which she returns, before descending to the ground floor. Meeting her downstairs is a group of very tired guards watching every entrance, with Relic, Thervan and Raven sitting in the living room, waiting for the princess to emerge from her chambers. As Kal glances out the window she sees a group of locals gathering around the shrine to Udall, giving offerings and prayers.
Dandelion finds herself on the floor of her room, and just spends a few minutes staring at the roof, before forcing herself upright, heading outside to tend to the garden, trying to distract herself from the thoughts about the previous night, feeling responsible for the loss of the king. Penny eventually awakens as well, and just sits by the window, staring outside at the people gathered at the shrine, and on Dandelion working with the plants. Smelling breakfast, she heads down to eat.
Kal, having prepared food for everyone present, tells the guards that they are free to join them at the table, saying they will probably need it if they’re heading to the city to help with the situation. They don’t have to be asked twice, and they all sit around the dinner table to feast. Dandelion comes inside and joins them, and notices Thervan speaking to someone through sending, but doesn’t ask about it. The guards, tired as they are, get a boost from the prepared breakfast, and seem ready to take on the day.
Suddenly, they can hear footsteps from above, as well as a door opening and closing, before the princess descends, accompanied by the guards. Thervan quickly goes over to greet her, and whispers something to her, with her nodding in return. He then turns to the guards and the party, telling them that they are moving the princess to a safehouse. Dandelion and Kal both question if they have anyone they can trust, with both Thervan and Satine assuring them that whomever they have an agreement with can be relied upon. Thervan tells the guards to eat up, and not rush, before resuming their duties in the city. He turns to Satine, and everyone gives a salute to the princess, who looks uncomfortable at the prospect of being a ruler. She does give them a quick gesture, thanking them for their service, before Thervan teleports them both away to safety.
Aid
The elite guards, who introduces themselves as Alaric Blackthorn and Lyria Moonshadow, tells the rest of the guards to eat up, hinting that they have no time to waste, causing them to scuffle down whatever is on their plate, and then putting on their helmets and gloves, preparing to head out. They all give a salute to the party, thanking them for their help and hospitality, before leaving through the front door, catching curious glances from the gathered neighbors around the shrine. The party decides that they feel that they could be more useful in the city, so they decide to go after them.
Relic summons a steed, and quickly moves past the party and guards, heading to the city gates. Penny, Dandelion and Kal catch up to the guards, who appreciate the help. Reaching the city gates, Relic can see first hand the destruction the Drow attack has caused, with dead and wounded guards and civilians laying in the streets, being tended to by whoever can help. Priests and priestesses from the Temple of Mova wander around, giving the deceased their final rites. A woman with a clipboard is doing a tally, so Relic approaches her, asking if there is anything he can do to help, and what the situation is. The woman tells him that the casualty toll is at least a thousand dead or wounded. The Drow emerged from holes in the ground, attacked, and then quickly retreated, taking the city by surprise. If he wants to help, the eastern part of the city was hardest hit, so Relic makes his way over there to assist.
As the rest of the party arrive alongside the guards, they too see the death and destruction ahead of them, with collapsed buildings, children crying, and blood-covered snow. The guards spread out to help where they are needed, and disappear in the chaos. Kal talks to the woman with the clipboard, telling her that she is a cleric, and asks if she could help in any way. The woman takes her to the nearby office embedded in the wall, and shows her several wounded guards, many with missing limbs and eyes. Kal gets to work, healing those who can be healed enough to assist, allowing more guards to help out.
Penny wants to make her way towards Scry Me a River, as she wants to make sure Lone Candle and Vontara are safe. Along the way, she does whatever mending she can do to help people repair their clothes, windows and whatever small will help. The path is slow, as there is much to do, but she eventually makes her way to the docks, spotting Relic along the way as he is helping out, using magic to give support to damaged buildings, allowing people to put in supports to prevent collapse. As she arrives at the magic shop, she sees that the windows are shattered, and the front door is broken down. Inside she can see a wounded Vontara cleaning up, and when she spots Penny tells her telepathically that they are closed due to the circumstances. Penny tells her that she isn’t here to shop, but to help, asking if Lone Candle is safe. Vontara tells her that she is alive, and resting upstairs. Relieved, Penny heals Vontara, and offers assistance in cleaning up the shop.
Dandelion makes her way towards the Arena, being told that it is being used as a triage center, and on the way there uses magic to put out fires by summoning rain. She also spots more of the holes in the streets where the Drow emerged from, but cannot discern what being or contraption made them. As she arrives at the arena, she enters through the front gates, and sees hundreds of people waiting to get help. Kal arrives shortly after, and working together they use magic to heal as many people as possible. Dandelion also summons a basket full of goodberries, offering them to people, feeding and healing them at the same time, with Kal walking around casting Spare the Dying on anyone who needs it.
Relic continues to support however he can, and after spending a few hours helping out with supporting the buildings, he takes a short break to recuperate some magic. As he does this, he overhears some guards talking about how they found Ildrex surrounded by dead guards and Drows, allegedly having fought off a large group of Drow by himself. After the break, Relic uses magic to become proficient in medicine, helping out with the wounded, as the buildings are standing for now.
Penny, now helping out Ventara with cleaning up the shop, suddenly hears footsteps coming from the staircase in the back, and sees Lone Candle emerging from upstairs, looking quite tired and wounded. Seeing Penny, she looks surprised, but happy. As she comes closer, Penny sees that she is missing part of her ear, having gotten a little too close to a Drow blade the night before. Vontara says they are lucky to be alive, as they both helped each other. Lone Candle suddenly looks very guilty, before telling Penny that her order will be a few days late, considering the circumstances, but Penny assures her that she doesn’t have to worry, she’s just glad they’re safe.
Back Into Service
After having done what they can do in the arena, both Kal and Dandelion move on, hoping to help bring someone back from the dead that can help as well as they can. Kal is told to go to the temple of Azuna, as it was hit the hardest by the attack of all the temples. On the way there, she assists in extinguishing some of the buildings that are still burning, both by summoning rainclouds, as well as taking control of water from nearby fountains to douse the flames. Eventually, she reaches the temple, and can see two half-orc guards standing outside, holding out their hand for her to stop, telling her that due to the attacks, the temple is off limits. She tells them that she is the cleric of Udall, and that she can help those within. The guards look at each other, shrug, before opening the door, allowing her entrance.
Dandelion approaches one of the officials near the arena, asking if he knows of anyone who can be brought back, as she could help if someone important has passed away. He asked what she means by important, to which she clarifies someone who can help the people, clerics and the like, to heal. He tells her that due to the chaos he doesn’t have that information, but he can ask around to see if her services are needed. She sends Argus with him, and tells him to give the owl a sign, so that Argus can lead him back to her. As she waits for him to find someone, she returns to the wounded and helps out however she can.
As Kal enters the temple, she can see the desolation inside. A vast chamber dominated by a statue of Azuna in the center, and a large hole in the center with rubble around it. She approaches, and is overcome by the stench of the sewers below. She approaches a half-elf who is looking over some of the wounded, introducing herself. She gets no response, the half-elf deep in thought, so she begins healing the wounded, which gets her attention. The woman introduces herself as Liora, a humble priestess of Azuna. Kal gets straight to the point, asking if there is anyone here who can heal with magic. Liora glances over at one of the bodies covered by a white cloth. She tells her that Maelyn was the head cleric of Azuna, but she was killed during the attack. Kal walks over to the corpse, with Liora taking the cover off. Beneath, a white tiefling, with a large wound in her chest, as well as several lacerations to the face. Kal asks if they have diamonds to spare, with one of the priests running to the back, returning shortly after with a large diamond. Kal takes it, and begins the hour long ritual to raise the tiefling, Liora holding Maelyn’s hand, helping with the ritual.
Penny, having helped Vontara and Lone Candle with cleaning up the shop, is invited upstairs for something to eat. She accepts, and joins them at their table. Lone Candle sits quietly eating her food, with Penny noticing that she is shivering, clearly traumatized by the experience. Vontara uses her telepathy to speak to Penny directly, so as to not break the comfortable silence, telling her she is grateful for her help, and grateful that she is so guarding of Lone Candle, indicating that the tabaxi doesn’t have that many friends in this world. Penny replies that she is just happy to have made a difference. Vontara says she has heard rumors of the king and princess both being killed in the attacks, with Penny telling her that she was there when the king died, but reassures her that the princess is alive and safe, much to the relief of Vontara. After finishing her meal, she says her goodbyes, before heading into the city to see if she can be of assistance.
After completing the ritual, the diamond in Kal’s hands shatters into tiny pieces, before entering the body of Maelyn. Kal sits there, thinking at first that the spell failed, before the tiefling suddenly gasps for air, alive once more. She thanks Kal for bringing her back, with Liora being visibly relieved by her master’s resurrection. Maelyn confirms that she can bring people back, but Kal senses that the resurrection took a toll on the tiefling, so tells her to rest, as she can resurrect one more. Liora mentions that another cleric named Petyr was also killed in the attack, so Kal goes to work, with Maelyn healing herself and then others. Soon, another cleric rises, ready to help the wounded.
The official eventually returns with Argus back to Dandelion, and tells her that he hasn’t found any clerics or healers that fell, but did hear that the head priest of Lot was killed in the attacks. An important figure in the community, as he guides people by interpreting their dreams, the official feels that it would be a devastating loss if he were to vanish. Dandelion agrees, and so they head to the temple of Lot, to bring back the priest.
When they enter the temple, she can see that it is a beautiful interior, with pearlescent pillars holding up a marble white roof against an obsidian black floor. To the rear, beneath a relief sculpture of the god Lot, with incense flowing out of his head, lies an elderly half-orc on the altar. Several of his followers are around, praying for his soul. Dandelion gets to work, explaining that she can try to bring him back, but that she needs the material components. The priests have already prepared what is required, and so Dandelion gets to work. A couple of priests assist in the ritual, but as the priest’s soul has already been in the beyond a couple of times before, it is not an easy task to bring him back. Dandelion warns the others that this might change him, as he gets a new body, but they feel that the sacrifice is worth it. As the hour closes, the ritual completes, and the body ascends into a floating position, surrounded by green light and leaves, entombing him.
The gathering sees that the figure shrinks, drastically, going from over 6 feet to around 3 and a half feet. As the leaves and light retreats, a short gnomish figure descends onto the altar. He opens his eyes, and at first seems rather confused by his hands and lack of tusks, before dandelion explains the situation to him. The priest introduces himself as Bromar Dreamtusk, and thanks Dandelion for bringing him back, even though it was mid conversation with Lot. Asking what happened, Dandelion explains that he was killed in the attack, with him being confused about what she means. When she clarifies that the city has been attacked by Drow, he is horrified, and must have died as one of the first casualties, as he was walking back home after tending to the temple.
Bromar grumbles to himself that he will need to redecorate his home to accommodate his new stature, and he will probably need a new name, due to his lack of tusks. Dandelion suggests Bromar Godtouched as he has been resurrected by Faunus, but Bromar does not recognize the god, but is thankful nonetheless. He tells her that he has to find the rest of his “flock”, so he and his followers depart. The official is standing near the entrance, and says to himself that he really should have been out in the streets doing more important stuff, but admits he was drawn in by the “show”, referring to the reincarnation. He thanks Dandelion for her help, before returning to the arena to help out. Dandelion goes out as well to help more people.
Winding Down
As the evening approaches, the party continues to help out however they can, with Penny joining in, playing music for the wounded, using her song of rest ability to help them heal, and entertaining the children who have yet to find their parents. After the party meets up, they decide to put Bozuuth into good use, and so sets up a resting station with free coffee for everyone who wants it. The coffee pot is overjoyed at the amount of “souls” it seems to think it is acquiring, but only Penny who pours the coffee can hear it, as she laughs to herself. During this, she gets a sending from Morgan, asking if she is okay, having heard about the attack, to which Penny confirms that she is safe, and wasn’t responsible. Morgan is happy to hear that, and promises to return in the morning.
The party shares with each other what they have heard throughout the day from various sources and town criers, mostly that local business owner Zakhar Miriel of the Azure Tides Trading Co. is giving out supplies and food to whoever needs it, and that the teleportation circle in Elvenroth to Ravenforge was shattered when they learned of the attack, and various rumors of the king and princess being killed in the attacks. Relic also tells them what he heard about Ildrex being caught in a fight with the drow, getting Kal’s attention. Kal wonders if they should make it clear what actually happened, so she heads to the castle to see if Thervan has returned, asking him for advice.
Reaching the castle, she is not allowed entry, but Bertram meets her in the courtyard, and confirms that Thervan has returned, offering to bring her to him. Kal says it’s fine, and asks what they should do about the rumors about the princess being dead. Bertram, still shaken by the experience the night before tells her not to worry about it, when it is time for them to know they will know, for now it is for the best if people think her dead, as it will make it less likely for people to look for her. Kal asks if there is anyone of importance in the castle that needs to be brought back, but Bertram gets a stern look, saying politely that it is not necessary. Kal senses the animosity, realizing that he is of the belief that people shouldn’t be resurrected, so she doesn’t push the matter. She thanks for his help, and returns to the rest of the party.
As she wanders down the street back to the arena, she sees that the Lucky Duck seems to have been hit in the attack, with a large hole in the wall, as well as the door being broken down. She enters, worried about Throk, and is met by a few guards who tell her that the business is closed indefinitely, as the owner and a few employees were killed in the attacks. Kal asks if anyone from the kitchen was killed, but they all survived. Throk seems to have been wounded, but was well enough to go home after being checked out. Kal leaves, and reunites with the rest.
As the party has spent all their resources, they feel that they need to return home. Relic tells them he will continue for a little bit, as he still has some resources left. Before they leave, Kal asks if he can point out where he heard about where Ildrex was found, with him giving her a general direction. Kal goes to check it out, but is unable to find exactly where it was in the chaos, and asks a guard to find out so that she can check it out later, maybe talk to some of the corpses about what actually happened. Penny and Dandelion walk home in silence, both too tired to speak.
Post-Op
As soon as Penny gets home she goes to the garden, sitting under the tree, lost in memories. She looks up at the cloudy sky, reflecting on how many more worries she has now, and how carefree her life used to be. She realizes that she is more “free” now, but at the same time has more responsibilities, which she is not that fond of. Argus and Ira sit on the nearby roof, wondering what she is thinking about, just as Dandelion joins her by tending to the plants to distract herself. Wearing her Earpods of Silence™, she senses that Penny wants someone to talk to, so she takes one of them out, as a gesture for her to come closer.
Dandelion shows her what the various plants are called and how to tend to them, with Penny observing closely, taking it all in. After a while, she asks Dandelion if it is possible to speak with plants without casting a spell first. Dandelion tells her that there are many different ways to do that, some plants even speak common. Penny continues by asking how they would make contact, with Dandelion mentioning treants, sentient trees, who roam the forests and can talk to everybody. If Penny wants to speak with plants, she should find a scroll of Speak with Plants. Penny doesn’t look satisfied with the answer, and Dandelion struggles to understand where Penny is going with this, but Penny just says she’s thinking of her home and old friends.
Kal eventually returns home, having had no luck investigating further into Ildrex’s doing, and finds that about two dozen or so people are gathered around it. She approaches, with everyone recognizing the symbol on her chest, and who she is. She leads the group in a prayer, and tends to the shrine. People approach her, asking her to pray for their lost ones, which she promises to. As people leave due to being too cold to continue, she approaches the shrine under the guise of tending to it, hiding her thermal cube beneath it, giving warmth to the people who go there to pray.
As she gets inside, she asks Arin if she can cook up some food for them, to which she gladly obliges, and starts preparing some soup. Relic eventually returns home during the evening, being completely spent and out of spell slots. Dandelion and Penny come inside to eat with the others, and they all mostly sit in a somber and exhausted silence, before they all retire to their respective sleeping quarters, Dandelion going outside with her owls to sleep in her hut. When Penny returns to her room she sees that the princess has actually taken the effort to make the bed and tidy up a bit. As Penny undresses and goes to bed, she can smell the perfume of the princess still lingering, before falling asleep.
Divine Guidance
The next morning Arin makes breakfast for the group, with everyone feeling a little better after getting the chance to help the ones that were hurt in the attack. When they sit down, Relic prods Kal about Ildrex and her issues with him, as the tension was palpable during the gala a few nights ago. Kal reluctantly reveals that she was a soldier in his army, and that he is hands down the most ruthless and cruel person she has ever encountered. Relic recognizes the name and service, having read that he was asked to step down as his methods were too cruel during the subjugation of The Northern Tribes. That still hasn’t stopped him from continuing to offer his “services” to whomever requests it. Kal reveals that it is because of her experiences in the Northern Tribes that she dislikes traveling north. She tells them that he apparently is a follower of Yana, an evil god, for those that yearn for war and conflict. Something happened during her time with him, which must have made an impression, considering he almost recognized her.
As they sit talking about this, they hear the familiar arcane thud of teleportation, followed by a knock on the door. Penny, realizing who it is, runs ahead of Arin to answer, and is greeted by Trixie and Morgan. They both get a big hug from her, and she basically drags them inside. They join the rest of the household at the table, with Penny telling them about everything that has happened. Morgan and Trixie both seem shocked by the news, but are glad to hear that the princess is safe.
Kal decides to get some answers about the involvement of Ildrex, and so sits down to do a few communes, asking Udall for answers.
Was Thaddeus Ildrex in any way responsible for the attacks two days ago? - No.
Did he know about the attack before it happened? - No.
Is he in league with Malice in any way? - Unclear.
Is Glasstaff in Equinfjord, in the Everdark Woods? - Yes.
Are there any promises left between Glasstaff and Malice? - Maybe.
Is he planning any form of revenge towards us? - No.
She seems to be genuinely surprised about Ildrex’ lack of involvement in the attacks, as he seemed ready to fight when he arrived, but Udall seems confident about the answers. She asks him about guidance for the path ahead, where to go first, as they have several things that require their attention. She gets a brief answer.
“The dragon lies confidently in its lair,
the spear and knife are not going anywhere,
but the wizard is restless.”
Kal tells the rest of the party what Udall tells her, and they all agree that Glasstaff escaping is not something they wish to happen, so they decide to pursue him first, potentially using wind walk to quickly get there, as it should be less than a day away. Morgan and Trixie needs to be back on the road any way, but they agree to stick around at least until they leave. Penny asks if Trixie has any contact with anyone from the commune, and she tells her that it’s been a while since she has heard from Perry, but just says it’s probably since she has been on the road, and isn’t as easy to get a hold of.
Penny asks if Dandelion can scry on Perry, and disguises herself as him. They all see her change into a very short halfling, with dark bustling hair, big glasses and carrying around many books. She sits down with her mirror, and places out a few sticks and stones as a ritual to Faunus. As she peers into the mirror to find Perry, she gets a flash of an eye, and recognizes it as Faunus’, guiding her to her target.
Her consciousness drawn into the looking glass, she emerges on the other side, and finds herself in a forest covered by a light layer of snow. Next to a tree, she sees Perry, sitting with his hands around his knees. His eyes are dark, with bags beneath them, looking exhausted. He seems to nod and shake his head, but isn’t saying anything. Just before the vision ends, he exclaims “I told you, I don’t know where she is”, seemingly to himself. Dandelion realizes that someone is speaking to him within his mind.
When she returns to the others, she tells them what she saw and heard. Penny asks to see what he looked like, so she disguises herself to be like him. Worried that Vuthul has taken hold of him, she quickly realizes that he doesn’t look like she did when he was her passenger, so he probably is just exhausted. Penny realizes that her “friend” that she used to talk to also spoke directly into her mind, so she wonders if there is a correlation.
Penny wonders what she is to do about this, and as she is distracted, Dandelion talks to Morgan in private, asking him about her questions the night before, and if she has any reason to want to speak with plants. He tells her that he doesn’t know anything about any plants, but she did have a friend that she used to talk to back in her home village. A friend nobody else could speak to or hear. He seems to like the idea of being able to talk to plants though, and asks Dandelion to tell Penny to tell Morgan if they ever discover what her “friend” is, as it has been on his mind for a while.
Penny asks Morgan if he can store a sending spell in her ring, so that she can talk to Perry directly, asking about what’s going on. He obliges, and so she asks Perry how he’s doing, and tells him where she is. Perry responds by telling her about the voice in his head, her “friend”, who is quite adamant about wanting to talk to Penny, wondering about where she is. Penny tells him she doesn’t know who the voice is, but promises to travel home soon, asking him to tell it to the voice, hopefully giving him some peace.
The rest of the group wants to know what is going on with this supposed “friend”, with Penny relenting. She tells them that she has talked quite a lot to the voice, but it only talked to her in her “secret place”, which is in the roots of a tree. A light seems to turn on inside Trixie’s head, finally realizing where Penny used to sneak off to. Dandelion asks if the voice seems to prod Penny for information about her, but Penny seems to remember that it just wanted someone to talk to.
Penny gets an idea, and asks Morgan for a final Sending, deciding to send it directly to her “friend”. She asks if she can do anything to help it. She gets a response immediately. A booming, otherworldly voice responding, asking if it is truly her. The voice tells her that it doesn’t wish to encumber her with its troubles, but it’s afflicted by something, and that they told it that it was because of Penny. Shocked by this, she needs some time to absorb what she has learned. In either case, they have to deal with Glasstaff first, but they decide to head south towards Stormseeker, and maybe pop by her home village on the way.
Doing Good Deeds
The party spends the rest of the day returning to the city to help out wherever it’s needed. Kal learns that there have been several requests by nobles to resurrect their loved ones, but when they learn of the price, that each life they resurrect requires them to provide a diamond for another life, most relent, either unable or unwilling to pay the price. Kal figured as much, and so spends her day healing as many people as she can. Dandelion does the same, with Penny spending most of the time healing and playing music for the kids that are looking for their parents. Kal suggests that Penny could draw their likeness so that they can be hung up around the city if people are looking for their children. Penny thinks this is a great idea, and starts drawing.
In the evening, Kal realizes that they found a pair of gloves on Fie’s corpse, and asks Relic to identify them. He tells them it’s a pair of Gloves of Thievery, which makes it easier to… steal. Penny quickly calls dibs on them, telling them that her fingers are loose when it comes to shiny things. Relic tries to lecture her to only steal from people who deserve it, but is not confident that the message gets through. Oh well, not much to do about it anyway.
Arin wants to cook a proper meal as a goodbye for the group, since they will all be leaving in the morning. Kal helps her out, giving her some pointers at the same time, which Arin appreciates. They promise her that they will not be gone for long. Trixie and Morgan say that they have to be back on the road soon, as they have a show in Port Emerald in a couple of days, so they will leave at the same time. When dinner is served, Penny makes a large jug of delicious wine, much to the joy of the others who indulge themselves. After a hearty feast and friendly conversations, they all retire for the evening.
Departing Yet Again
The next morning, the party wastes no time, getting up early to leave as soon as possible. Figuring that they will have a lot of time to do recon on the city before they decide to land, they should do it during the daytime, as they know that Drow, coming from the underdark, has a hard time with the harsh sunlight. Before they leave, Penny asks Morgan for another sending spell, just so she can ask her “friend” one more thing. She asks it what caused its affliction, and if it has a name she can call it. The being responds:
“I know not the entity’s name. I didn’t see it clearly.
It said it was your passenger for a while.
You can call me Gleamshroud”
She tells the others what it said, but nobody recognizes the name. They realize quickly who the “passenger” it speaks of is. The situation seems dire, but there is not much they can do about it now, as they are already burning time standing around. Morgan and Trixie say their goodbyes to everyone, and teleport away, hopefully not for long. Dandelion goes over to the horses along with Penny to say goodbye. The horses ask when they are going on an adventure again, as they yearn for the road, with Dandelion promising that it will be soon, they just have to take care of something first.
Dandelion gathers everyone around, with Argus and Ira sitting on her shoulders. As she casts the spell, everyone feels themselves being lighter, with fog starting to radiate from their skin, as they become more and more translucent, until finally they are all whiffs of smoke. They all take to the skies, and can see the damages the Drow caused on the city from above, with several of the repairs well on the way, and people returning to their normal routines. Continuing onwards, the city soon becomes harder to see over the horizon, as the Everdark Woods to the north comes into view.