Brewing Storms

Year, Season, Month, Days: 5992 F.Y. Uptal, Scythian 17-Par-tesh 10

The party, exhausted from their previous fight, took the evening to rest while Coreth and the miners kept watch. Larc took a Scroll of Detect Magic from one of the miners.

Larc slept on his severed heads and dreamt of bacon. Marasennah had a dream where she spoke with her goddess, Scythian, The Goddess of Lies. Scythian appeared intrigued and in changing forms. Marasennah saw she was in her original body, shrouded in an ethereal Parantina, the body she currently occupies. The goddess revealed she watches Marasennah, intrigued how her greatest lie will play out. Marasennah was given information about The Crown from Scythian, and would continue to return for answer more for every five people turned away from good via lies. After changing into a black fox, Scythian stated “watch out for the bubbles” and left her dream, and Larc, unknowingly, saw the goddess bound through his.

Larc awoke with the severed heads adhered to his clothes. He peeled them off and the party ate breakfast. Larc attempted to learn to pilot the landship, eventually to a passable level. Marasennah managed to avoid the spray of a popping lava bubble due to Larc learning Scorching Ray. Larc noticed there was hail that was melting into slush, which eventually started to fill the boat.The miners removed the ice as they could at Larc’s request.

Marasennah hired the four miners as they offered their services for two gold each a week, with the attempt to get them back to The Slips, their homeland. Larc was against hiring them, but Marasennah was influenced by them harmonizing to her music.

Arriving back in Vo, the party noticed The Slippery Bottom in port, waiting for them. Marasennah paid Coreth to go pick up the remaining two miners.

While waiting outside the Ensin Empire Diplomatic Office to turn in the heads for bounty, Marasennah examined her notes from Grand Vizier Drago, and found them all to be genuine, she then sent a letter to Drago that all declarations and orders from her would come through him.

Marasennah bought her new miners a strange set of outfits on discount, and Larc turned in the heads with flesh on them for a bounty of 140 gold.

The party purchased rations and sold jewelry before setting out on The Slippery Bottom bound for Divrinia. The party learns the storm on the horizon will likely make landfall within two weeks, possibly with the strength of a hurricane. Larc gets some hot sausage from Branso after they land.

Upon stepping off the boat, Larc recognized Harriet, envoy of Mira, who stated Mira had a job for her. The miners went with Marasennah and Larc to Mira’s Luster while Harry and Mandilyon went to book rooms at The Crate and Barrel.

Mira greeted Larc warmly, requesting he guard a shipment that was coming in, two workers of hers, Zyrian and Rhon, would be assisting as they could, but no others were meant to gain access. After accepting the offer, Larc learned Parnac was interested in the incoming shipment. Larc was asked to speak privately with Mira and gave her more information about the party, including Mandilyon’s last name and that there was a mining crew. She gave Larc 10 scrolls of telescription with which to update her. Marasennah learned Larc’s “regular lady” at Mira’s Luster was, in fact, named Paul.

After talking of gambling, a disheveled man offered to teach Larc a trick to gambling if Larc lost. Larc knew this man as Magenta. Larc lost several times, but did learn his promised trick. The miners spent a good chunk of the afternoon and evening at the brothel.

As Larc was preparing to leave the outside of Mira’s Luster, he ran into Parnac, a tall, broad, muscular, dark-toned human man with white hair who towered over Larc. A woman followed him and took notes, catching Marasennah’s eyes, Marasennah noticed them to be a peculiar purple color.

As they passed them, Marasennah told Larc to watch Packrat before turning Invisible, leaving while he aired his concerns. Attempting to listen in to their conversation, Marasennah casted Message, but the two seemed alerted to the spell being cast, they then searched for the source as she ducked into a nearby alley.

Marasennah overheard them talk of a secret location at the docks where they planned to assault the ship and take the cargo. They also had an interest in Marasennah and the Beaufort family, but didn’t have any way to exploit them. They wanted to destabilize Mira and remove her as a problem. At the end of the conversation, the woman turned around and looked in Marasennah’s direction, but it was unclear if she could see Marasennah or not.

Marasennah returned to Larc and began walking back to The Crate and Barrel. Marasennah attempted discretion, but Larc misinterpreted her attitude as uncaring and chastised her in the street, explaining his fear of Parnac. Marasennah called for help to the public and Larc left her for the inn. Marasennah was escorted back by the halfling who came to her aid.

At The Crate and Barrel, Larc ran into Mere, the innkeeper who attempted to charge Larc double for his treatment of her at the last meeting. Larc refused to pay. Upon arrival, Marasennah admonished her for her deplorable treatment of a paying customer, the innkeeper apologized and gave gold to Marasennah to return to Mandilyon.

Out of her Scrolls of Telescription, Marasennah, escorted by Larc, made her way to The Golden Sceptre, where she encountered the proprietor. He told her a small man with green eyes was looking for a gnome with pink eyes who had a score to settle, a gnome looking for Parantina for something in Elysntire.

Marasennah and Larc sold various objects and substances and purchased more Scrolls of Telescription. Marasennah asked Larc to guard the door before discussing her situation with the proprietor, Lauricio. She told him she was occupying a body that was not hers, but the gem in her chest existed as part of her original body.

After examining the chest piece, Lauricio told Marasennah the chestpiece held conjuration and enchantment spells and it appeared the spells were cast incorrectly and played against each other: Parantina still occupied her original body, but Marasennah was “piloting” it through the stone, which appeared to hold her soul.

Lauricio told Marasennah to keep in touch, and gave her a special scroll of telescription that would allow her to send a pound of something along with a message, and was also given a 10,000 gold line of credit at The Golden Sceptre. Marasennah was given a pamphlet “A Brief History of Gnomes”.

Marasennah and Larc returned to The Crate and Barrel and encountered Harry sitting at a table. Harry told them Mira offered to pay him to gather information on the party and he declined, they were asking about Mandilyon and her last name, he told them her last name Vorneaux.

The party went upstairs and Larc realized there was a Message spell on Marasennah, which he told her. Marasennah pretended to ignore him and then feigned selling her ruby necklace and wearing an emerald one instead. Marasennah heard a female cough through the Message spell as it ended. Marasennah looked out the window and saw a slender cloaked figure leaving from behind Delores, with a flash of silver hair.

Harry told the party within a Silent Table spell that the party was being investigated by many people. Marasennah explained she overheard Parnac would be charging Larc more each month, and they wanted to keep him indebted. They were also intrigued about Marasennah and attempting to ambush the ship via a secret location.

The party discussed whether they could trust the miners or not, but they knew very little at this point. Larc overheard their voices through the paper-thin walls, and Harry and Marasennah followed to listen in. The party overheard that three of them took money from Mira to spy on them, save for Zurith, who wanted nothing to do with the request. Marasennah asked Larc if he was gathering information on the party, he asked why would he try to protect her if that were his motive. Marasennah stated she would stop paying him and attempt to continue as friends. Larc then said not to trust anyone, but he would not let her die.

Larc stated he would go talk to Mira and let her know of Parnac‘s plan, while Harry would go speak to their hired transportation. Marasennah went to her room to write letters to Drago and Magiw before heading to bed.