Narrative

Day 34 began after the party’s Day 33 request for prison checks and the tortle wizard’s promise to return tomorrow. The bag began humming and glowing, and there was a note from The Basilisk. Redford Point and Everchard had no Lady Thorpe. Goldenswell refused and prevented access; The Basilisk met a few things, reporters, and so on. Little Bugy was noted as someone tried to assassinate Sefris on the ground, connected to the Cult of Salvation, last night. Tremon’s skull was glowing, humming, and vibrating, and it was given to Geldrin.

The connection destabilised all charms out of the windows. The Tri-moon was visible in the day, which does not usually happen. It seemed to hang ominously. Usually it is seen in the dark; seeing it in daylight showed it as a crystal. The Barrier looked normal, and the moon did not look different in size; the small chunk was visible. At 09:30, Geldrin estimated it should have been there around 2am, so it was 16 hours ahead of schedule. The party told everyone about The Basilisk’s note and the three prisons.

The party returned to the tortle mage, Jin-Loo, and told him about the Tri-moon. He found it had happened three times in the last 1,000 years, when records began, though four dates were listed: 104 AD, 339 AD, 629 AD, and 1012 AD. The party asked him to find out whether anything significant happened on those dates; nothing was found.

Jin-Loo teleported the party to the Museum Gardens in Goldenswell. Bleakstorm was noted as a possible name for the tree they teleported next to. It was from outside the Barrier, airwise, and very cold. They went to the Militia House. Morgana located Lady Thorpe in the building, two floors down, in the middle of the building, at 10:30. The plan was for Geldrin to pretend to be a Justicar and enter the building. Yellow guards were wearing a half-sun tattoo obscured by a waterfall. Geldrin stormed into the guarded room; the guard who went to get the captain was leaning against the window, and the servant did not look busy. The captain was reading “101 who’s who of the Penta city states,” which had a picture of Scumbleduck.

The party tried to arrest them. Morgana and Eliana went through the other door. They found Lady Thorpe after a set of traps went off and carried her out. Meanwhile Geldrin was mauled and tried to get thieves’ tools out to open something. Dirk got keys and unlocked them. The captain tried to send a message saying they had been discovered and to send help. The party took the captain, Lady Thorpe, and a cart, left the city, managed to get out, came off the road, and found somewhere to hide.

They messaged The Basilisk to say they had Lady Thorpe and revived her. Lady Thorpe reported a man with the lower half of a snake’s body travelling back with the Goldenswell army when they decided to leave. Bug Geldrin stole from the captain’s office: 50 platinum pieces in Frawshers currency and a Grand Towers penny. The party needed to question the captain.

When the captain was awakened, he said he got in trouble with the Duke for attracting the militia. He was told it was a sensitive situation and not to let anybody in. The Duke sent one of his emissaries to feed Lady Thorpe. The captain knew the Duke was doing something dodgy but did not know the full truth. Some woman with a bag on her head was involved. Orders came from the Duke’s office, and a few other guards knew about it. Off-the-books prisoners had been held a few times; the last one was about a week ago and was still down there.

The other prisoners included a woman and a man, and a female halfling. Alf wanted out allot - Elementarium. A message from The Basilisk warned: “Don’t come to Strong hedge Compromised.” The Elementarium had appeared in town crier information four days earlier but had been imprisoned for over a week, meaning an imposter was in place. The party tried to contact Cardonal via Eroll, but she did not answer, which was strange because Eroll contacts her directly. They sent a message to Lady Kalissa Hartwall via Eroll at 16:00. Other prisoners held on the same floor numbered seven in total, with a few being taken each week over the last month. A few people had tried to get in and survey the prison, including a goblin named Scum with a bag of skulls. Eroll returned with a ring, and Jin-Loo appeared next to the party. The party kept the ring so he could find them again.

The connection between Tremon’s skull and ascension to godhood was discussed, and it was linked to when the moon did this, like the Tri-moon / Treamen. Geldrin tried to attune to the skull. An obsidian raven circled overhead as if looking for something and then flew off toward Grand Towers.

When Geldrin attuned to Tremon’s skull, he saw visions. A woman with no belly button and other unusual details was grabbed by a crab claw; Vallententide was grabbed, and she disappeared. A black and white dragon fought, and the white dragon was injured; a silver dragon rescued someone. A veridian dragonborn, a gnome, and an old man smiled at a dragonborn and nodded. 629 AD was noted. In a throne room with dwarven guards, walls crumbled as a giant skeletal dragon breathed out; “today” and soot were noted. These were the things the skull had gazed upon last.

Tremon’s skull could crush foes, let him pass, and show visions, though the visions were the only thing Geldrin had seen it do. “The lord above place in the sky” was noted. Noxia could poison things to stop them being their true form. The skull had influence over the Barrier and could bend it. It had been assaulted by mortals when he came to the god meeting. Valentinhide had been attacked by Throngore, with darkness. The dragons fighting were 525 years before the veridian dragonborns. Gary, the corrupted sphinx, was heading toward Grand Towers.

Tremon’s skull showed a projection of Grand Towers using moon reflections. The party saw a man walking through the streets toward the prison device. It showed “The Mother” crater, a small town, which was the place he fell, and a small halfling girl sitting at a table seeing dogs together. At Condennis Place, which was empty, the vision went to an underground dwarven city. A figure was laid out on a table with a skull floating next to her and an old wizened dwarf noting; this was the wizard from Invar’s vision, looking after the molten prison. He touched it and stopped it leaking. The notes question whether this related to Ruby Eye’s wife or village.

The skull showed the Goldenswell militia house with the same desk sergeant sitting there now. Prisoners seen included an elven man, the Elementarium; a human male in his mid-40s with a scar on his right cheek; a halfling woman, Baytail, accused as head of the Underbelly; an empty cell; a half-elven woman who resembled someone’s sister, with the note that the party had seen their brothers before; a kobold in a tattered robe whose robe was recognized; and a pale-skinned halfling female with brown speckled eyes like tiger eye, likely someone the party had met, possibly Isabella Neegale’s aunt or the Earl of Claymeadow.

Another vision showed the Goliath City in ruins, with sickly Goliaths being attacked by lions, overseen by a brutal-looking veridian for tea. All dragons were mutated. A tower with a purple glow had something massive nestled around it. The half-elven woman was identified as the sister of the twin Justicar guards met on the way to Seaward. The skull needed to be next to its foes to smite them. The Chorus was standing outside the house looking up at the sky and never usually leaves the house.

The party identified seven Goldenswell prisoners: Claymeadow, Stronghedge, Redford Point, Seaward, Gnoll, a half-elf woman who was the sister of the twin Justicar guards met on the way to Seaward, and Hartwall, who had been rescued. They headed back to Goldenswell with the captain by side roads and disguised themselves with winter clothes. The captain said the Duke’s personal guard had brought the prisoners in. The party bribed him with 50 platinum pieces and his money back for his help, giving him 1 platinum as a down payment, to get them into the prison, rescue all the prisoners, and get him out of the city. They considered offering the rest of the guards money, though the Duke’s guards at the gates might not be bribable. They went in through the earthwise gate, where the guards were likely to have been drinking. 12:00 was noted.

People, Factions, and Places Mentioned

People and name-like figures mentioned include The Basilisk, Lady Thorpe, Sefris, little Bugy, Geldrin, Jin-Loo, Morgana, the captain, Scumbleduck, Dirk, Lady Kalissa Hartwall, Cardonal, Eroll, Alf / Elementarium, Scum / Scumi, Treamen / Tri-moon, Valentinhide / Vallententide, Noxia, Throngore, Gary the corrupted sphinx, Ruby Eye, Baytail, Isabella Neegale, the Earl of Claymeadow, the twin Justicar guards, and the Chorus.

Groups and factions mentioned include the Cult of Salvation, reporters, Goldenswell militia, yellow guards with half-sun tattoos obscured by waterfalls, the Duke’s office, Duke’s emissaries, Duke’s personal guard, mortals at the god meeting, dragons, sickly Goliaths, lions, and the party.

Places mentioned include Redford Point, Everchard, Goldenswell, Stronghedge / Stonehedge, Grand Towers, Museum Gardens, Bleakstorm as a possible tree name, the Goldenswell militia house, Frawshers, the Barrier, Condennis Place, an underground dwarven city, the molten prison, the Mother crater, Seaward, Gnoll, Goliath City, and the earthwise gate.

Items, Rewards, and Resources

Resources and possessions mentioned include The Basilisk’s note, Tremon’s skull, a cart, 50 platinum pieces in Frawshers currency stolen from the captain’s office, a Grand Towers penny stolen from the captain’s office, Eroll, Jin-Loo’s ring that let him find the party again, winter clothes used as disguises, 50 platinum pieces offered as a bribe, and 1 platinum paid as a down payment.

Spells and magical effects mentioned include the humming and glowing bag, Tremon’s skull glowing / humming / vibrating, the destabilising connection that threw charms out the windows, the Tri-moon appearing in daylight, Jin-Loo’s teleportation, Morgana locating Lady Thorpe, traps in the Goldenswell militia house, messaging The Basilisk, reviving Lady Thorpe, Eroll messages to Cardonal and Lady Kalissa Hartwall, Geldrin attuning to Tremon’s skull, skull visions, and the skull’s abilities to show visions, crush foes, let him pass, influence or bend the Barrier, and smite foes when nearby.

Clues, Mysteries, and Open Threads

The Basilisk’s note said Redford Point and Everchard had no Lady Thorpe, while Goldenswell refused and prevented access. The Basilisk also warned, “Don’t come to Strong hedge Compromised.” The attempted assassination of Sefris on the ground by someone named little Bugy, connected to the Cult of Salvation, remains unresolved.

The Tri-moon was visible during the day, which is unusual, and appeared 16 hours ahead of schedule. Seeing it in daylight showed it as a crystal. Jin-Loo found similar events in the records on 104 AD, 339 AD, 629 AD, and 1012 AD, though the notes say it happened three times in the last 1,000 years while listing four dates. No significant events were found for those dates. The Barrier looked normal despite the omen.

The Goldenswell operation exposed an off-the-books prison run under orders from the Duke’s office. The captain knew it was dodgy but not the full truth. A woman with a bag on her head, Duke’s emissaries, Duke’s personal guard, and a snake-bodied man travelling with the Goldenswell army are all implicated. The captain said off-the-books prisoners had happened before, with one still there from about a week earlier.

The Elementarium had been in town crier information four days earlier but had been imprisoned for over a week, implying an imposter was active. Cardonal did not answer Eroll despite the direct contact, which remains unexplained. A few people tried to survey or enter the prison, including Scum with a bag of skulls.

The visions from Tremon’s skull tied together Treamen / Tri-moon, ascension to godhood, Noxia’s ability to poison things so they cannot be their true form, influence over the Barrier, mortals assaulting him at a god meeting, Valentinhide being attacked by Throngore, a black and white dragon fight, a silver dragon rescue, a veridian dragonborn, a gnome, an old man, 629 AD, soot, a giant skeletal dragon in a dwarven throne room, Gary the corrupted sphinx heading toward Grand Towers, and a man walking through Grand Towers toward the prison device. These links remain unresolved.

The Mother crater, the small town where he fell, the small halfling girl seeing dogs together, Condennis Place, the underground dwarven city, the old wizened dwarf from Invar’s vision, the molten prison, and the possible connection to Ruby Eye’s wife or village are all open threads. The skull’s projection using moon reflections may connect the Tri-moon to distant surveillance or prison devices.

The Goldenswell prisoners seen in visions and listed by the party create unresolved identity threads: the Elementarium; a human male in his mid-40s with a scar on his right cheek; Baytail, accused head of the Underbelly; a half-elven woman resembling the sister of the twin Justicar guards; a kobold in a recognizable tattered robe; a pale-skinned halfling woman with brown speckled tiger-eye eyes, possibly Isabella Neegale’s aunt or the Earl of Claymeadow; prisoners from Claymeadow, Stronghedge, Redford Point, Seaward, Gnoll, and Hartwall. The half-elf woman’s relationship to the twin Justicar guards met on the way to Seaward is specifically preserved.

The Chorus stood outside the house looking up at the sky, which is unusual because the Chorus never usually leaves the house. The Goliath City vision showed ruins, sickly Goliaths attacked by lions, a brutal-looking veridian, mutated dragons, and a purple-glowing tower with something massive nestled around it; this remains a major open thread.