Narrative

Day 17 began on Thursday, 1st Tan, with seventeen days until Tri-moon. A goblin named Scum was looking for the party and had a message. The party found Scum as they left the pub. Apparently there was now a warrant for their arrest, accusing them of treason and conspiring against the Towers to break the barrier.

Scum had instructions or a message telling the Clementarium to meet the party with the Ruby Eye skull one mile outside Seaward. The party sent a message by crow to the Grand Towers saying they were going to Everchard, intending to put pursuers off the scent. The notes listed dragons seen or known: Blue, Pythas; Black, Infestus; Silver, Thurtall; White, the ancient [Anaraleth]; and Red, [soob?]. A crossed-out “Veridian” was also recorded.

At 13:00 the party messaged The Basilisk and arrived at the possible meeting point. They waited nearly three hours. A cart came off the road with an unfamiliar human aboard. The party found it suspicious. One box contained Grand Towers pennies. The council had asked the driver to transport [tubes] to Fairshaws. The cart was associated with Garick Black and appeared to have been sent by the gnome.

The manifest listed one currency shipment of Towers pennies; one provisions shipment of ash jerky [uncertain]; two armaments shipments, including spearheads from Alvoo and trident heads tipped in copper; one waterproof paperings shipment, reams of enchanted waterproof paper for salt water only; one keg; one tools shipment of heavy-duty tools, possibly for shipbuilding; and one miscellaneous goods shipment. The shipment should have gone out in two days.

Invar knocked the driver out when he saw what looked like the Elementharium riding. The gnome seemed to be trying to clear the decks. The Elementharium did not know about the spearheads and other goods. He wanted to set up a meeting with Lady Thurtall because they had a council to discuss security matters within the dome. He gave the party the Ruby Eye skull.

The jerky bag contained a hemp bag with a pungent, sickly sweet smell. It reminded the note-writer of [winter] Rose spice, but seemed narcotic. Through Ruby Eye or the skull, the party learned that Ruby Eye had infused a son or “spawn of evil” and needed a powerful sacrifice for a friend, [Anvil]. The salt dragon was leading something. They were worried that tampering with life may have weakened the force. Ruby Eye or the Elementharium said the barrier needed to be reinforced, because if it was not, it might weaken. Possible fixes included refilling the voids, or safely disabling the barrier with the failsafe button in the Grand Towers. The weird skin book was identified as the grimoire “Noch’s Caardium,” containing forbidden magic.

To stop the Tri-moon shard, the party would need to create a device to repel it, but the barrier would have to go down to do so. They discussed the relationship with the merfolk, who were different people from the fish men invited into the barrier and who were great helpers in setting up barriers. They suspected Browning had something to do with the Goliath settlement disappearing from history, though there must be traces. The green dragon seemed to be residing in that area. The white dragon helped build the dome. The reds were [descendants, murdered], and there were no blues. Elementals had liked to attack, which was why the barrier was put up. The Tower was the perfect place but needed more. A backup plan for the void elemental might be stashed in his safe; if it was not there, the party needed to find another.

A giant gargoyle approached, rolled out a carpet with a teleport rune on it, and told the party to get on the rune. Someone shouted, “Thurtall!!” The party appeared in a lush castle room. Thurtall sat at the head of the table and seemed to be Lady Thurtall. She loudly approached the party. Standing beside her was a [shunter/shutter] lady, who was about one foot tall when the barrier went up. Four chairs stood by the rug. The Basilisk appeared in the sky-trip or teleport event with Lady Catherine Cole, Earl of Stronghedge, for whom The Basilisk was bodyguard. A portly tiefling male appeared in a purple flush and took another seat; he was called The Guilt. A Valkyrie woman, Earl of Ironcroft firewise, walked in flanked by two dwarves.

Lady Catherine Cole vouched for the note-writer, and the Valkyrie vouched for Invar. Thurtall spoke to Ruby Eye. He had been a friend of her mother’s, and she had not aged much in about a thousand years. A Tabaxi male, looking a little older, strode in with a hookah pipe floating beside him. He sprawled on the ground and was identified as the Earl of Salvation. The gathering described itself as a small group of like-minded people trying to protect the barrier and maintain its stability. News had reached them about the fragment.

The council had concerns about whether the party’s friend had awakened the ancient one, and they reported several issues near Runewatch. They said the green dragon was responsible for the destruction of Dirk’s homeland. Ruby Eye blamed [Dirk’s] kind for helping the dragons [uncertain due to crossed-out text]. It was said the veridian dragon was teaming up with the red dragon. Keely Caardenalb’s research might be useful; she lives in the desert.

The council suggested three possible priorities: head to the merfolk, get the crystal from the water, or speak to the ancient one. The party passed off the twin mum. They also discussed elven creation theology or history. Elves were first on the earth. Everywhere there was light, and with light there was dark. From this came life, and a couple sprang forth; one created a mate, and so did he, and they then became the gods. Light and dark fought, and because of this the physical world was made. There was much fighting, then a truce in which each side agreed not to enter the other’s territory and created the twelve gods. They decided to meet on the combination plane, but it was difficult, so they created six Excellences. The Excellences fought, the gods needed armies, and fighting continued, but those armies gained free will and thrived in certain places. The multiple-armed beings are the Excellences. Five is a holy number because it is seen as removing the darkness.

The major crisis list remained: leaking elemental prisons, Garadul, the void on the loose, and the shield crystal in the sea. The Basilisk was arranging for someone to meet the party in Fairshaws or Freeport; that contact would carry a Winter Rose. The party gave The Basilisk the coin press and told him the coins in the cart were a crate of them.

At 17:30 the party returned to their cart and headed down the main road toward Fairshaws. By 22:00 they began hearing birds and animals again and found a place to camp for the night. Around 02:00 or 03:00, a dog going around with the twins approached the camp. Five attackers attacked and died. The notes also show 11:00, likely pointing into the following day.

People, Factions, and Places Mentioned

• Scum: goblin messenger looking for the party.
• Clementarium / Elementharium [uncertain]: asked to meet the party with the Ruby Eye skull one mile outside Seaward; later appeared riding and gave the skull.
• Ruby Eye / Brutor Ruby Eye: skull used for information; friend of Lady Thurtall’s mother; linked to forbidden magic, sacrifices, and barrier repair.
• Grand Towers: party sent a misleading crow message there; possible location of a barrier failsafe button.
• Towers: authority accusing the party of treason and conspiring to break the barrier.
• Pythas / Pythus: blue dragon listed among known dragons.
• Infestus: black dragon listed among known dragons.
• Thurtall: silver dragon and/or Lady Thurtall’s house; Lady Thurtall hosted the council.
• The ancient [Anaraleth]: white dragon.
• [soob?]: red dragon [uncertain].
• Garick Black: name associated with the suspicious cart.
• Invar: knocked out the driver and was vouched for by the Valkyrie.
• Lady Thurtall: hosted the security council; very old, barely aged in a thousand years.
• [shunter/shutter] lady: stood beside Lady Thurtall; about one foot tall when the barrier went up [uncertain].
• The Basilisk: bodyguard to Lady Catherine Cole, arranged future contact in Fairshaws or Freeport, received the coin press.
• Lady Catherine Cole: Earl of Stronghedge; vouched for the note-writer.
• The Guilt: portly tiefling male who appeared in a purple flush.
• Valkyrie woman: Earl of Ironcroft firewise; vouched for Invar and was flanked by two dwarves.
• Earl of Salvation: older Tabaxi male with a floating hookah pipe.
• Dirk: his homeland was destroyed by the green dragon.
• [Dirk] / [Dirk’s] kind: blamed by Ruby Eye for helping dragons [uncertain due to crossed-out text].
• Keely Caardenalb: desert researcher whose work may be useful.
• Browning: suspected of erasing the Goliath settlement from history.
• Merfolk: helped set up barriers and are different from the fish men invited into the barrier.
• Goliaths: their settlement may have been erased from history.
• Fairshaws: destination for the suspicious shipment and the party’s travel.
• Freeport: possible meeting place for a contact arranged by The Basilisk carrying Winter Rose.
• Seaward: meeting area one mile outside town.
• Everchard: false destination sent to the Grand Towers.
• Stronghedge, Ironcroft, Salvation: represented by council members.
• Runewatch: area with several reported issues.

Items, Rewards, and Resources

• Warrant for arrest: charges of treason and conspiracy against the Towers to break the barrier.
• Crow message: sent to Grand Towers falsely claiming the party was going to Everchard.
• Ruby Eye skull: transferred to the party by the Elementharium/Clementarium.
• Suspicious cart manifest: Towers pennies, ash jerky [uncertain], spearheads from Alvoo, copper-tipped trident heads, enchanted waterproof paper for salt water only, one keg, heavy-duty tools possibly for shipbuilding, and miscellaneous goods.
• Hemp bag in jerky: pungent, sickly sweet narcotic smelling like [winter] Rose spice.
• Grimoire “Noch’s Caardium”: weird skin book containing forbidden magic.
• Device to repel the Tri-moon shard: needed to stop the shard, but would require the barrier to go down.
• Barrier failsafe button: said to be in the Grand Towers.
• Backup plan for void elemental: may be in Ruby Eye’s safe; otherwise another solution is needed.
• Teleport carpet: rolled out by a giant gargoyle, with a teleport rune.
• Coin press: given to The Basilisk; party told him the cart coins were a crate of them.
• Winter Rose: identifying token for a future contact in Fairshaws or Freeport.

Clues, Mysteries, and Open Threads

• The party is now wanted for treason, accused of conspiring to break the barrier.
• The gnome may have sent a suspicious cart carrying currency, weapons components, salt-water paper, tools, and narcotic-like spice.
• The purpose of the spearheads, copper-tipped trident heads, waterproof salt-water paper, keg, tools, and Towers pennies remains unclear.
• The narcotic in the jerky bag may be Winter Rose spice or related to it.
• Ruby Eye’s sacrifice for [Anvil] and the creation or infusion of a “spawn of evil” remain unresolved.
• Barrier repair options include reinforcing it, refilling the voids, or safely disabling it with the Grand Towers failsafe.
• Stopping the Tri-moon shard may require dropping the barrier to use a repelling device.
• Browning may have erased Goliath history, and the green dragon may now be in that area.
• The white dragon helped build the dome, while the status of red and blue dragons is historically complicated.
• The ancient one may have been awakened by someone connected to the party.
• The veridian dragon may be teaming up with the red dragon.
• Keely Caardenalb’s desert research may be critical.
• The party must choose between heading to the merfolk, getting the water crystal, or speaking to the ancient one.
• Leaking elemental prisons, Garadul, the free void fragment, and the sea shield crystal remain immediate threats.
• A Fairshaws or Freeport contact carrying Winter Rose is expected.
• The dog traveling with the twins and the five attackers at camp are unexplained.