Narrative

Day 31 was Thursday, 3rd Tan 107 AT, with 3 days to Timnor, 2 days to the auction, and 1 day left on the road with the army. The plan was to follow the army and fish Excellence.

The day passed, and the party set up camp. During watch they saw movement in the distance: flying shapes coming closer. They were dragons, and neither had two heads. One was ashlike, with small wings. Another had antlers, snake-horse eyes, and horns. They flew close to the party but did not notice them. They did not seem to have come from the Statue, and the notes question whether they may have noticed the army.

The party went to the Baked Mattress for food. They saw a human sitting down with a very noticeable underbelly. The barkeep was described as having patches of night and husband. Xinqus was in town.

The party headed to the auction house with 870kg. They saw a [uncertain: pigeon/aracock] with Xinqus’s cart, and Xinqus was inside. “1600” was recorded. They walked to the front of the queue, where Mirth let them in and gave them a number. Everyone else seemed to have paid to get in, and the auction had a very eclectic mix of people. A dragon and the Retribution shrine on Azureside were also noted.

The auction lots included coins from grand towers penne / Goliath coins x2, a bottle of wine called sosen mistle eel, a functioning pocket watch with squares showing the moon cycle, elven green-rimmed glasses, and a small mahogany box with a red velvet curtain that formed illusionary scenes. A loved patched leather backpack was a bag of sorting, valued around 3-500g, able to hold 500lb or 64 gems while only weighing 15lb. There was also a silver scorpion on a chain, the holy symbol of Noxia.

The auction included an 8/400-year-old longsword in the style Invar makes: Firefang, a sword that adds +1D6, has 5 spell charges, and can cast Burning Hands, priced at 4500g. Other lots included an Amle for adult?, a ring with crystal on top identified as a ring of protection, and a chariot that interested the Guilt. A big scroll of paper had arcane writing. Geldrin tried to check it and cast Dispel Magic; the words disappeared from the page. It was Browning’s scroll, and a new random spell appears each morning at 2:37. It was valued at 600g. Further lots included a bracelet of locating, art cork, rare poetry books, and a talon of soot.

The bird was sent to the camp. Lortesh was described as “untruly end,” and the party could not control him. The reward promised by the sphinx was delivered, and he would deliver his side of the bargain. Armies approached and asked whether they were mine. The party became more subservient and said no, Sir, knowing he would know if they were lying.

Goliaths began to be freed from their tents. Dirk’s dad was a few tents away. Someone saw through an illusion and laughed because the caster had made themself look meaner. The attack began, with Goliaths attacking outside the tents. The Lord of Brass Citadel tried to go to the front line, and Eliana had to go with him.

A green dragon descended on the armies. “My Frizzlesing” was noted as a day of music and mirroring the surroundings, with “mirrors” crossed out. The Dunensend army killed the dragon. An elemental died saying, “You betray me, I was meant to avenge you.” The party killed it. The Dunensend army was successful.

Dirk’s dad was okay. Rubyeye took Valenta back to her lab to repair her, and they needed a few days to recuperate. The Excellence killed was the leader of the brass city. The Earth Excellence was Treamen, and a jagged purple crystal skull was recovered. Invar inspected it and found it was a magically crafted artifact, made from Treamen’s skull and from [uncertain: shield] crystal.

At 22:00, the party located a command tent and a locked chest. The chest contained a load of platinum coins. One side showed a domed city tower, and the other showed a snake wrapped around a stick. There were 1,000 words in Ignan around the outside: “to commemorate the fall of the labour in the name of the lord Searean”.

Dirk’s dad wanted to return to Salvation to rest and gather armies to attack the Goliath city with some of the Goliaths from the city. Zane Peacemaker Dirk was noted. It would take 5 days before they could get to the city.

The party checked on the dragon. Dunensend soldiers were in a row beside it, and an officer with a mule-shift table and scales was handing out pieces to the army. The scales were devoid of flesh, as if carved. The dragon was the same size as the others but had bird claws for legs, and wings extending down its tail like Lortesh.

The party asked for the dragon’s head to be chopped off. Dirk questioned one of the city Goliaths. The Goliath said it was not a city. Rebels said they needed to take the tower, and the tower was in a field. The people had worked for the dragons for generations and believed the dragons were gods. Rebels had killed one of the young dragons, and she had killed 1,000 Goliaths in revenge. The questioned Goliath’s job had been to tend the lizards that fed the dragons; otherwise, the Goliaths themselves would be food. His friends had called him Poolface, but he changed it to Thunder as a stronger name.

People, Factions, and Places Mentioned

Xinqus, Mirth, Geldrin, Invar, the Guilt, Lortesh, the sphinx, Dirk, Dirk’s dad, Rubyeye, Valenta, Treamen, Zane Peacemaker Dirk, Poolface / Thunder, the human with a very noticeable underbelly, the barkeep with patches of night and husband, the Lord of Brass Citadel, the leader of the brass city, lord Searean, dragons, a green dragon, an elemental, Goliaths, rebels, Dunensend soldiers, the Dunensend army, an officer, armies, and a [uncertain: pigeon/aracock] were all mentioned.

Places mentioned include the camp, the Statue, the Baked Mattress, the auction house, Azureside and the Retribution shrine, the brass city / Brass Citadel, Salvation, the Goliath city, the command tent, and the tower in a field.

Items, Rewards, and Resources

The party had 870kg at the auction, and “1600” was recorded near Xinqus and the cart. Auction lots included grand towers penne / Goliath coins x2, sosen mistle eel wine, a moon-cycle pocket watch, elven green-rimmed glasses, a mahogany box with a red velvet curtain that created illusionary scenes, a loved patched leather backpack that was a bag of sorting worth around 3-500g and able to hold 500lb or 64 gems while weighing 15lb, a silver scorpion holy symbol of Noxia, Firefang, an Amle for adult?, a ring of protection, a chariot, Browning’s scroll, a bracelet of locating, art cork, rare poetry books, and a talon of soot.

Firefang was an 8/400-year-old longsword in Invar’s style, adding +1D6, holding 5 spell charges, and casting Burning Hands, priced at 4500g. Browning’s scroll produced a new random spell each morning at 2:37 and was valued at 600g after Geldrin’s Dispel Magic caused the existing words to disappear. The sphinx’s promised reward was delivered, and he would fulfill his side of the bargain.

The party recovered a jagged purple crystal skull from Treamen, the Earth Excellence. Invar identified it as a magically crafted artifact made from Treamen’s skull and [uncertain: shield] crystal. A locked chest in the command tent contained many platinum coins marked with a domed city tower, a snake wrapped around a stick, and 1,000 Ignan words: “to commemorate the fall of the labour in the name of the lord Searean”. The army also harvested carved-looking dragon scales, and the party asked for the dragon’s head to be chopped off.

Clues, Mysteries, and Open Threads

Two dragons flew near the party’s camp without noticing them. Neither had two heads, one was ashlike with small wings, and another had antlers, snake-horse eyes, and horns. They did not appear to come from the Statue, and it remains unclear whether they noticed the army.

Xinqus was in town with a cart and a [uncertain: pigeon/aracock], and “1600” was recorded without context. The auction contained several significant magical and historical items, including Browning’s scroll, Firefang, and a chariot that interested the Guilt. The meaning of “Amle - for adult?” remains uncertain.

Lortesh was noted as “untruly end,” and the party could not control him. The sphinx had delivered the promised reward and still owed his side of the bargain. The armies’ question about whether they were “mine,” and the need to answer subserviently because he would know if they lied, remains tied to an unclear authority.

The Excellence killed was the leader of the brass city, and Treamen was identified as the Earth Excellence. The elemental’s dying words, “You betray me, I was meant to avenge you,” suggest a broken expectation or allegiance that is not yet explained. Treamen’s skull being made into a jagged purple crystal artifact from [uncertain: shield] crystal remains significant.

The platinum coins commemorate “the fall of the labour in the name of the lord Searean,” but the event, lord Searean, and the domed city tower and snake symbols remain unexplained. Dirk’s dad intends to gather armies in Salvation and attack the Goliath city, though one city Goliath said it was not a city and rebels said the real target was a tower in a field. The Goliaths’ generations of service to dragons, their belief that the dragons are gods, and the young dragon’s revenge killing of 1,000 Goliaths remain major open threads.