Madness, Blood and Thunder in Ravens Bluff IC

[Sallera]

Previously

"Permanent? That's... well, worse than I was expecting. I thought we'd have to worry about the source more than the effect... but I guess the best we can do for now is get the word out, if it isn't already." Aya sighs and nods to Keeva. "Yeah, I'll pass on anything relevant that comes up. Depending on where it was headed, though, we might not hear anything of it for a while."

Present

"I'll probably see if the temple has their repairs completed yet; it's more convenient for me to stay there, if I can. If you could pass on the request for that nondimensional quiver I mentioned when you're talking merchantry, though, I'd appreciate it."

[Jeff the Green]

Previously
"Aye, I can do that as well," Mirielle replies to Keeva. "I'll be writing my hierarchy to let them know; perhaps I'll get some news from someone there."

Present
Mirielle hesitates almost imperceptibly before nodding to Keeva. "I don't see that being a problem. If nothing else, it will mean I'll have someone to share the cooking chores with.

"If there's nothing else, I'm off to see about selling these and finding Aya's quiver and then to get myself registered. I imagine I'll be staying at the Sanctuary until I find an apartment, if anyone needs to get a message to me."

Spoiler

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Sallera, I assume you mean an Efficient/Ehlonna's Quiver?

After dropping off the loot and getting registered, Mirielle will look up those friends of Aldar's he mentioned.

[Sallera]

Present

"Alright, then. If we don't see each other sooner, let's meet on the Green at noon three days hence." With a wave in parting, Aya sets off for the Halls of Mystery, forgoing less important business until she can catch up.

The Halls of Mystery

Upon her arrival, Aya goes in search of Dalair. "Good day. I apologize for my delayed return; I attempted to cast a message back through the Weave, but I received no reply, so I'm not sure whom it reached." 'Formalities' concluded, Aya shrugs and proceeds with her report. "Anyway, I came across some information that should be passed on, but I don't know if it'll be news to you, so maybe we should start with the other half of things. Has anything happened I should know about? And... do you know whose initiative this registration of spellcasters was?"

Spoiler

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Indeed I do.

[TheFallenOne]

City Hall, Registration Office

The Registration form is surprisingly thin on personal information; just name, place of birth, current place of residence and main place of residence for the last five years. The rest is a long list of checkmarks to be placed at the abilities possessed on the parchment.

◻ Changing Personal Form
◻ Changing Memories of Others
◻ Changing the Shape of Wood or Stone
◻ Long-Range Communication(10 Miles or more)
◻ Controlling the Actions of Others
◻ Create Permanent Magical Constructs, Undead or Similar
◻ Disabling Effects(5 Minutes or Less)
◻ Disabling Effects(Over 5 Minutes)
◻ Dispelling Magic
Creating or Conjuring Elemental Energy
◻ Acid ◻ Cold ◻ Electricity ◻ Fire ◻ Sonic ◻ Other: _________
◻ Flight
◻ Illusions
◻ Invisibility
◻ Reading Minds
◻ Summoning
◻ Long-Range Teleportation
◻ Short-Range Teleportation

My Magic is
◻ Arcane ◻ Divine ◻ Other: ______________

You are informed that the clerk will add a physical description to the file after checking you for active auras. A change in the place of residence has to be reported within three days; apart from that you'll be sent an update form once per month with the postal service.

The Halls of Mystery

Spoiler

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I forgot that thing was two-way communication, my bad

"Well, there's always something happening in the Bluff, but regarding the temple... Nothing exciting really, except during the repairs one of the workers found a kind of prank ring and decided to wear it; spoke in rhymes until we broke the curse so it could be removed again. But I guess you had to be there to understand how funny it was." He shrugs nonchalantly and giggles slightly. "Anyway, if you want to stay at the temple it would be possible now, though if you have a strong nose I'd reccommend waiting another day to give the room time to air.
The Registration Act? Dunno really, the idea came out of nowhere months ago and suddenly everyone seemed in support of it. It's a quite clever setup I think against troublemakers from outside; if they register, they're at least on the authority's radar if a magical crime is committed. If not - well, there have been some cases where the culprit's guilt couldn't be conclusively proven, but what could be proven is casting some spells conveniently useful for the crime. And if they now do that without registration the town can go to... town... on them." He grimaces at the rather unfortunate sentence structure.

[Jeff the Green]

City Hall
Mirielle fills out the forms silently, though it takes some time to remember exactly each of the abilities Kelemvor has made available to her. She lists the Sanctuary as her current residence, though requests a change of address form to save her a trip.

She then leaves to make inquiries about an apartment.

[Sallera]

The Halls of Mystery

Aya bows her head gratefully. "I'll move in tonight, thank you. I'll be busy catching up, so it shouldn't be a problem." She nods along to Dalair's explanation, although without much enthusiasm; if the Act really had been a unified effort, why the haphazard implementation of the penalties? Was it really just to deal with ambiguous situations as he suggested?

"I see. Well, I'll have to deal with that eventually, but for now, there's a potential threat in the area, and if you haven't heard about it already, the information ought to be passed upward. Mind that this is news from three weeks ago, but I was only granted understanding of it a few days back. You may have noticed the black storm that came down the Reach the day before I arrived; its veil was torn from it in my memories, and it seems that behind that fury lies a creature of flame, bound in a shell of bone and mud. According to my friend's research, it is exceedingly potent, although whether it possesses power other than its storms I do not know, and the ritual to raise the shell that binds it to form requires multiple sapient sacrifices and the patronage of a deity. Apparently, it will also endure until destroyed." Aya shrugs helplessly.

"If it can leave the water, it could threaten a great deal more than shipping, but we weren't able to discover any more about it. I was hoping someone in the hierarchy might have access to records that would clarify the scope of the problem, and whether it can be dealt with."

[Frog Dragon]

Registration Office

I hate forms. I haven't even filled one before and I can already tell I hate them. Jorran thinks, reading through the form. Given that he had been staying at the inn, he listed the Sanctuary as his current place of residence. Close enough anyway. He still remembered his Luskan address, though he was sure the house was either abandoned, destroyed, or taken over by someone else by now.

Then he took a look at the checklist. If those words meant what he thought he meant, he would have to list creating fire and creating sonic. And then that other thing, probably counted as an illusion. Then he looked at the "My Magic Is" checklist. He looks up from the form, motioning towards the nearest clerk. "What am I supposed to put here?" He asks, exasperated. "I'm not some academy wizard, I was taught by a fellow caravan guard! Most of it wasn't even magic. Hell if I know what to call it." He grumbles.

[TheFallenOne]

City Hall, Registration Office

"Well, could you at least try to be a bit more specific?", the young clerk asks, rolling her eyes. "We got Infusions, Blade Magic, Song Magic, Pact Magic, Shadow Magic, Soul Magic or Incarnum, Truenaming, Rune Magic... And that's not even getting into the really exotic stuff.
You're abilities aren't that exotic, are they?" she asks, cocking her head inquiringly. "I win 10 gold if I'm the first to register a Spellfire wielder."

The Halls of Mystery

Dalair looks quite surprised at Aya's report, though his raised eyebrows show some scepticism as well. "No, that's a new story. That storm was quite unusual, never seen something like that in my life, but I'd never suspect what you tell me...
Honest now, how accurate is this information? If there's no doubt I don't think you'd casually walk in here and have smalltalk first. If this is reliable we should bring it to the High Priestess immediately, but making a bad first impression by occupying her with idle speculation isn't a good idea. She's rather easygoing usually, but still..."

[Frog Dragon]

"Probably not." Jorran thinks for a second. "The principle was achieving the extraordinary through weapon skill and specific exercises." He says. "If I move just right, my own shadow can partially hide me. If I swing just right, my sword creates fire. Stuff like that. " He explains.

[Sallera]

The Halls of Mystery

"Parts of it are certain. Others less so." Aya sighs. "You know of how elven memories work? As we fall into trance, we revisit our pasts, sort and examine, occasionally come to new understandings. We do not dream; we only see what was. Something, be it my own misgivings or the touch of our Lady, pushed me to re-examine that storm repeatedly, until its veil fell away and I saw its true form. Of that power's existence and appearance, I am certain; I can describe it precisely, if you wish. It takes the form of a human skeleton, with a cape of grey mud flowing constantly from its shoulders. The fire bound in its chest shines near as bright as the sun, and possesses a voice whose mere whisper felt like it could crack a mountain."

"Its nature and the manner of its raising were uncovered by my friend in communion with Kelemvor, although of the depth of that communion I am unsure. I don't believe she embellished the few facts she found, but even assuming it's all correct, what we know on that score is vague yet."

[TheFallenOne]

City Hall, Registration Office

"Blade Magic", the girl says with a shrug. "One guy the other week insisted on calling it 'The Sublime Way', but if you ask me he was just full of himself and wanted his kind of magic to sound extra special."

The Halls of Mystery

"I know Elves don't dream, and certainly shouldn't just randomly make up something like this in their trance", Dalair says with a frown. "Very well, I'll tell the High Priestess you have important news. Wait here, and then tell her what you told me. But better leave out the speculation about how you came to see that. She can get rather touchy if facts and more or less educated guesses are mixed."
A couple minutes later, Aya is brought to the office of the High Priestess. It has a pleasant atmosphere with a likely magical chimney fire and the smell of fresh exotic tea. The priestess herself looks to be in her early fifties, dressed rather sternly and spartan in contrast to the other clergy here who seem quite informal both in dress and conduct.
"Tea?", she asks while offering the elf a seat with a gesture of her thin hand. "We didn't have the opportunity to meet yet, but now Dalair tells me things that require this to change. I'd like to hear it from yourself, and especially in what way you came about this knowledge in your trance, and in what circumstances it happened so we can judge the likelyhood of a memory-modifying spell."

Mirielle

Spoiler

Show

you can get an apartment for yourself and Keeva where Anvil borders on Bitterstone, 5 gold per day, minimum 2 weeks, 50 gold collateral

[Sallera]

The Halls of Mystery

"Thank you," Aya replies, leaning her bow against the wall by the door before taking the offered seat.

"I cannot discount the possibility of memory modification entirely; still, what I saw was consistent with my experiences, and in three locations of far remove. However, the three occasions did share a single irregularity; even though the scene was always as I remembered it, my point of view was disconnected from my body." That was odd; she had been thinking of it as an indication of possible intervention in the revelation, but now that the priestess brought up the idea of memory modification...

"The first came in this temple; I saw the storm only briefly as I ascended the deck, and it was as it had been before. The second time was while I was staying at the Sanctuary; I returned unbidden again to the scene of my discussion with the captain as the winds chased us onward. It was only on the third that I saw what lay behind the storm, and this occurred on the outskirts of a village two days' travel from here. As I became aware that the black power was more than it seemed, I questioned its reality, and it took on the form I described and... questioned mine. At that point, I left the memory."

[Jeff the Green]

Oh, I do miss the days when my cell and food were paid for, Mirielle thinks as she counts out the 15 platinum pieces required to reserve the apartment. With that accomplished she visits to the market, purchasing ink, quill, and parchment, before heading to the Sanctuary to check in for one more night.

[TheFallenOne]

The Halls of Mystery

"An out of body experience?" the priestess asks with a frown. "Sorry to say, but that means your memory deviates from reality in at least one aspect, making the whole testimony questionable.
Nevertheless, that storm was irregular, so we ought to explore what you witnessed. It came out of nowhere, and some already expected foul play. Sadly it is hard to scan for magical auras in those storms as the particularly strong ones blow residual magic down the Dragon Reach, and if the source is at the heart of the storm it would have been quite an endeavour to get close enough to see it.
It seems few if any came as close to the storm as you did, so we can't discount the value of your memory. I want you to revisit that time and place when you trance tonight, while one of our clergy keeps watch to check for outside irregularities. I'd reccommend Nadira since her elven ancestry could prove helpful, but if you prefer Dalair that's fine."

The Sanctuary

"Well, you've been gone a while", Wilander says with a smile. "Sure makes work easy for me, getting rent without the rooms occupied, though the trees do like a bit of companionship once in a while.
Oh, someone dropped by a message for you." The hands Mirielle a folded piece of parchment without seal, reading 'Got some things for you. MM'

[Jeff the Green]

"Thank you Wilander," Mirielle says, taking the note. "I've found more permanent lodging that I'll move into tomorrow, but I will stay tonight. I can't remember, have I paid up 'til now?"

Spoiler

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I've deducted ten days worth of rent, but I haven't been able to figure out the date precisely enough to figure out if that extends to now.

I also forgot to ask about the apartment; is the minimum two weeks two ten-days, or two European weeks?

[Cardea]

Keeva

City Hall, Registration Office

Keeva only groaned as she filled in the boxes. There was something about having to put her lot in with every other magic wielder, those who were responsible and those who were grossly negligent, that pissed her off. She filled out the personal information and the boxes for Constructs, Arcane and Other, filling out the space beside it with 'Infusions'. She goes to hand in, her annoyance clear on her face.

[Sallera]

The Halls of Mystery

"Understood. I'll let Nadira know when I return tonight." Aya nods respectfully to the priestess, feeling somewhat relieved. In truth, as frightening and unlikely as the idea of someone successfully following her around undetected for days and planting false memories in her head seemed... it would still be easier to deal with than that thing.

[TheFallenOne]

The Sanctuary

"You fist came 22nd of Eleint, now it's the third of Marpenoth... So no, I'm afraid you didn't. But since the inn wasn't full there was no need to clean out your room yet. And since you seem to be on friendly terms with Vanet I thought I could cut you a little slack."

Spoiler

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Faerun has tendays

The Halls of Mystery

"Very well, you should find her in the cellar library. I will contact some Elven sages to inquire about your strange memories. Even if they're false, we still have to worry about your wellbeing. There has to be a source and these irregularities are troubling.
That will be all dear."

[Sallera]

The Halls of Mystery

"Thank you." Rising and bowing with a fist over her heart, Aya collects her gear and retreats from the room, heading for the front door. There was a little time in the day yet; she could at least take care of the necessary bureaucracy before dealing with the larger problems.

The form takes her a bit of time to fill out; she hadn't yet explored the full capabilities she'd been granted, but she at least had a decent idea of the basics. The Halls of Mystery go down as her current residence; her past residence is simply marked as 'traveler,' since it had been over a decade since she last lived in a single place for five years. Rolling her eyes at 'place of birth,' she idly wonders whether anyone will refuse to accept 'the Grey Forest.'

Spoiler

Show

Will go and register at City Hall, then Gather Information on potential sources for that map if there's time.

Gather Information: (1d20)[16]

[Jeff the Green]

The Sanctuary

Mirielle looks puzzled for a moment before placing the name. "Oh, yes, we met at Misti Marva's before my companions and I left. I didn't know you two knew each other." She fishes some coins out of her pocket to pay Wilander for the room. "I have some letters to write now, so I'll head to my room. Thank you so much. Again, I guess."

Mirielle nods her head at Wilander and turns to head to her room. Pulling out her pen, ink, parchment, and a book to write on, she settles on her "bed" to write, first to her father superior.

Dear Father,

I write to you first to alert you to a develpment I find worrisome and which our Lord's hierarchy might wish to be appraised of, and second to ask your advice on a small but possibly important legal matter that has arisen.

Some days ago a companion of mine—a member of the Shooting Stars by the name of Aya—arose from her trance quite shaken. As I imagine you are aware, elves remember past events during their trances much as we dream, and for the past several nights she had been remembering a storm that wracked our ship during a trip from Ylraphon to Ravens Bluff. This night, however, she remembered a figure inside the storm, a great skeleton of a humanoid shape, congealed from a sort of black mud and protecting a fire within.

At her behest, I used the power Kelemvor has granted me to learn and remember what I might about this creature, and I discovered that it was a divine construct providing protection and a permanent physical humanoid body to a being that previously lacked one. Moreover, whatever god lent its power to create this being is perforce an evil—or at least malign—one, for the ritual involves the sacrifice of some number of sentient beings.

I also suspect, though cannot confirm, that this might be related to a phenomenon noted by the orcs of Vastar called a "Demon Storm" that destroyed one of their fleets in the Dragon Reach. If this is the case, this construct is extremely powerful and will likely cause considerable untimely and unwarranted deaths.

The second matter I wished to inform you of, and ask your advice about, is a new law introduced to Ravens Bluff. It requires all users of magic to register, ostensibly so that suspects in magical crimes might be apprehended more easily. The penalty for using magic unregistered is entirely at the discretion of the judge. If it has not already been done, it would perhaps be wise to disseminate this information throughout our priesthood that none be caught by this unawares.

It is my opinion that the penalty for this law is, at best, unjust, and possibly corrupt. As a newcomer and a member of a church with little power in the city, I have precious little influence, but were the decision entirely my own I would investigate and possibly oppose this law. However, it is entirely possible that I have overlooked some nuance or that the hierarchy has a policy with regards to this law, and for this reason I beg your advice on how to proceed.

Yours in faith,
Mirielle Grayhome

That letter finished, she also writes letters to several of her scholarly contacts informing them of the possible connection between the Demon Storm and the construct Aya saw, and asking for any information they might have regarding those subjects.

With her writing completed, she heads out for dinner, and then returns for an early bed.

[TheFallenOne]

The Sanctuary

"Oh, she comes here once in a while to let Ludo - that's her monkey - play in the atrium. He has an odd friendship with the squirrels." Wilander chuckles and turns for said atrium when Mirielle says her goodbyes.

The Halls of Mystery

Spoiler

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Someone vaguely remembers a skilled mapmaker is supposed to be in Silverscales. One can also get a map from a guy called Raerando who gives tours of the city for a couple gold, but they're mostly rough sketches. City officials and the watch should have detailed plans of the road network and buildings, but they're not a matter of public record.

At this time you have to return to the Halls

Nadira proves to be a half-elf, her shoulderlength dark brown hair in a rough ponytail. She wears square glasses over her markedly thin nose and her scowl looks like she tries a little too hard to appear severe. Her robes have a markedly more formal look than those of her fellow priests here, and she gives Aya a short greeting. "Ready then? I'll try to keep a Detect Magic active, but I can only maintain it for so long."

[Sallera]

The Halls of Mystery

Aya nods, taking off her boots, cloak, and brooch and placing them out of the way with her weapons and armour so as not to interfere with the exercise. "I'll try to focus on that scene immediately."

Sitting down crosslegged - it wasn't a position she tranced in often, but it felt more dignified in front of someone else - she carefully regulates her breathing, calling to mind the night of the storm and holding it in her mind's eye as she slips away into her memories.

[Frog Dragon]

Registration Office

"Blade magic, got it." He finishes filling the form and hands it in. "That ought to be it then." After getting his auras examined, he leaves to replenish some supplies he had spent against the goblins.

Afterwards, he returns to the Sanctuary.

Spoiler

Show

Tanglefoot bags are useful. Buying 3 more. Added to sheet.

[TheFallenOne]

The Mind's Eye

Slipping into trance, Aya focuses on her memory of that fateful night. Once again she is on the steps leading up to the slippery deck, but this time she isn't alone; Harrid, the young lad who came down to offer terms is besides her, as he was on that dark and stormy night. She takes another flight of stairs and now sees Dar Al Asam on the ship's wheel, and behind him a vast blackness. When she focuses on the darkness it again shifts and turns like a glop of black liquid, until it takes the now familiar though still terrifying form of blazing fire contained in a black skeleton. And though she spent years with a dragon, even saw two of them fight, she realizes that this was the first time she truly witnessed power beyond mortal understanding.

Spoiler

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You can act, but keep in mind you have only a short window of opportunity. In reality you soon turned away from the storm to whisper in Asam's ear, and while I know of no detailed canon explanation of how Elven trance works, I assume you're jaunted out of a memory if you try to act contradictory to it.

[Sallera]

The Mind's Eye

So there it was again, as easily witnessed this time as any other memory, now that she knew its true nature. The last time she saw it, it had responded when she questioned it, which meant... well, she didn't know what it meant. Perhaps the entity was some sort of timeless existence? That seemed too much for a bound and called engine of destruction, but in truth, it was too far beyond her experience to effectively speculate on.

Still, last time she had been forcefully shown the memory, and not from her own perspective. This time she was viewing it normally, and any further attempts at questioning it would not change the steps she had taken or the words she had exchanged. Only her mind could ask anything, and she did not expect a response. On the other hand, if she received one, what would that mean? It was... well, no worse than any other choice. Focusing her present thoughts on the distant force, she asks a single question. Whose will do you serve?

[TheFallenOne]

The Mind's Eye

The embodiment of the storm gives no answer, though whether it can't because it is just a memory or because it chooses not to is not apparent. But it seems acutely aware of Aya, and the fire in that black skull fixing on her makes her feel uneasy, and she feels the urge to turn away, an urge she now realizes in retrospect she also felt on that night when she failed to see the true nature of the storm.

[Sallera]

The Mind's Eye

Well, that did nothing to quell Aya's suspicions of divine involvement in her previous visions, but at least this memory seemed completely normal. Whether that would satisfy the high priestess remained to be seen, but for now, she simply revisits the memory a few more times in between other recollections for Nadira's benefit, then allows herself to drift into less conscious rememberings for the remainder of the night.

[TheFallenOne]

Fourth of Marpenoth

The Halls of Mystery

Nadira sits crossleged when Aya finishes her trance, and she fidgets a little from the forced lack of movement, though she tries not to show it. "So... Anything? I didn't register any auras, but once, right at the beginning, you flinched. Don't know how unusual that is."

The Sanctuary

When Keeva is about to step out, Wilander adresses her. "Letter came for you. Carries the city's seal."

Upon opening, the parchment reads as follows, with the name cleary written by another hand.

'Dear Miss Lecor_____

By request of the High House of Magic this letter is sent to anyone identifying themselves as an Artificer in the Registration form. Don't worry about your privacy, should you deign not to answer the Guild will never learn who you are or that this letter was sent.

The High House of Magic always has great interest in people skilled in the production of magical items. In exchange for your skills it offers good pay, access to our magical workshops and if desired Associateship with the Guild, which holds many additional benefits like access to our vast library, help with research projects and discount on even the most exotic spell components.

If you are interested bring this letter and visit the High House of Magic, where MacIntyre Path meets Amandagar Street, at around noon on a day of your liking.

<illegible signature>, Archmage of the High House of Magic'

[Jeff the Green]

Sanctuary

Mirielle wakes, refreshed but glad to be moving into a place with a real bed. She performs her daily ablutions before gathering her things.

As she leaves, she notices Keeva at the Sanctuary's door. She hustles to catch up to her. "Good morning, Keeva," she says with a faint smile. "I found an apartment that should be suited to sharing; smallish, I gather, but comfortable and safe enough.

"I am off to breakfast and then to see Misti about that assassin. I'll probably swing by and make sure the apartment is ready to move in to sometime after noon. If you'd like to do the same, this is the address." She hands her a scrap of parchment with the apartment's location scribbled on it.

Spoiler

Show

2-3 days until Aya's quiver comes, 6 days until able to use Mercantile Background again.

[Sallera]

The Halls of Mystery

Aya shakes her head, rising lithely to her feet after a moment and offering a hand to Nadira. "That would have been when I saw the power again for the first time. It remains a disturbing sight. But I noticed no anomalies in my memory this time." Stretching out her legs, she glances over at her pile of gear. "Would the high priestess like the information now, do you think, or should that wait until it's properly morning?"