Worra knows the orisons cravered on the outer hull gave her seaworthy ship some of the properties of the wind; importantly being formless and powerful. Her ship is nearly invisible from the outside and faster than any skiff on this continent. Her fear was not of night time, no living thing should see the flying longship cut through the air. Her fear was of daylight, the skyskiff would be an opaque mist with a faint rainbow trail. Definitely something to gossip about.
It echoes in here mind that skyskiffs are precious; to pilot one is an honor and to own one is an obligation of secrecy. The Cross Kingdom pays high bounties for these flying ships and their pilots. Captured passengers are put to the sword and left to be a feast for carrion eating beasts.
"I named the longskiff, Dorra. After my sister, whom was a cartographer, historian, and linguist," the onceti saying both cheerful and sad. "She loved traveling. She died in Crossica."
Bosque did not know how to respond seeing her sadness. He replies, "I am sorry to hear. Can you tell me what happened?"
It was quiet for a long time after that. Only the muted wind against the invisible aura occupied the space.
Worra broke the silence a hour later. "We set down during dawn. That way the skiff will have little chance of beginning seen and we get a bit of light."
Bosque nods his head and returns to marveling at the speed and ease the skyskiff travels. His memory goes to the sailing seaships that brought him to the Cross Continent.
The onceti continues stands at the stern with a long handled steering paddle within her grip. A group of small mountain between them and the Nevers marked their heading. The Dawn Star rises over the eastern sea as they travel northwest. She smiles spotting a storm of high clouds gathering and pushing toward the Nevers.
Bosque sees Worra pull the ship into a spot that she must have used before. It was too well tucked and hidden to find with luck; perfectly hidden among the rocks, trees and tall shrubbery. As soon as Dorra settled and further hidden, the sorceress and ranger were on trail with a couple of bags between them. They were quickly on the Waning Road and couple of hours later at Neverwane's door.
Rain had been pouring over the last hour as they walked to the fortress city of Neverwane. The rain became worst as Worra and Bosque passed through the deep cavernous gate. The platoon of guards and inspectors worried more about refuge from the deluge then inspection and security. The ranger and sorceress were relieved to step out of the rain and into the line to enter Neverwane.
Once it was their turn of inspection, the gate captain gave little less than a wave to have a yomen write down their false names. She waved harder to keep them moving and get them away from her station. It poured rain as the two made their way through the streets and alleys. They found their rest at the Blue Tigon* Public House near the onceti markets.
∆
The pair slept in adjoining rooms. The host expressed that female folk ought to stay in a separate wing but gave little care after being give double rate up front for a two night stay. The two even paid extra for tubs, hot water and soap to be brought up within an hour.
Bosque was refreshed after a nap, a bath and another nap. He felt the need to eat and was curious if Worra would join him. He knocks on her door and listens to silence on the otherside. Suspicious, he unsheaths his dagger slowly and begins to pry the lock on the door. Hearing footsteps coming up stairway and he hurries picking the lock. The lock releases and the ranger enters the room. He see nothing wrong in the sorceress' room. He tries to close the door, yet it says a jar. He forces it again.
"What are you doing?" The voice says on the otherside of the door. "Are you trying to hobble me, Bosque, or seek my wrath?"
Bosque looks down seeing Worra's boot then release the door. "My apologies, I was worried."
She smiles as she enters. "No harm. I like that your first instinct is to commit burglary. We'll need that spirit tonight."
Worra and Bosque eat a meal consisting of onceti delicacies in the form of wine, cheese, fruit and bread. Her love of markets like Neverwane's Syzygy Market Square shows as she talks of her day. She discusses the payment arrangement for Austri and Loxly through an Onceti jeweler and pawnbroker named Nonnac.
"I should have asked for gold back in that room," jokingly says the ranger.
The sorceress replies, "You will be rewarded with thine riches 10 fold than that of Austri." Worra's mood get serious and says, "On the matter of riches, our night ends with a murder and robbery."
She explains that there is a dinner party in honor Neverwane's full control of the Neverchain. The chain that stretches across the Waning River and prevents ships from moving freely between the river Lone Tower Harbour. The taxes and fees are worth millions of gold pieces a season. Worra wonders what Neverwane gave to it's rival sister city Neverwax for such a victory. She suspects the Cross Kingdom completed the occupation of Neverwax now wants full control of the Nevers. This is the bait to reel in the big catch.
She lays out the plan to rob and murder Neverwane's Last Word of the People+, Chomic Varpe Elderberry++, after his dinner party within his domuswaerden. Taking his coin and secrets with them in the form of a locked chest in his sleeping chamber. Getting out of the six story house that acts as warehouse, stable and mansion will be a problematic.
∆
Worra and Bosque watch Elderberry entertain all the other hyguier nobles and various military from the roof top terrace of another domuswaerden. If anyone noticed the sorceress or ranger, they would look like a noble woman enjoying the cold city night air with her attending guard. Bosque did not feel much like a guard. He was limited to a couple of daggers, lock pick kit, few piton, a small hammer and rope. All in which he needed to keep hidden.
Worra mentions, "There are a lot of Crossican Officers. Namely the Neverwax Garrison Commander, Huw Liam Butler, a drunken jealous self-servicing nepotist. His garrison must be expanding into Neverwane."
The ranger guesses the sorceress know more about this party then she let him in on.
"I want to listen and see what they are talking about," she says while snaping her fingers.
A small beautiful dragon with blue feathered wings lands on a table near the sorceress. She pets the orn*** as it walks closer then picks it up with both hands. Bosque watches her whisper to it. The blue orn with yellow feathery belly then takes flight and circles Elderberry's party. The orn tries to land on a ledge but disappears in a blue puff of mist.
"Sard-fire, my familiar!" Worra says trying to keep the curse to herself. Bosque is filled with surprise and delight as he had never heard Worra curse before.
The sorceress looks at the ranger, "They have a wizard and they know someone just poked them."
The ranger shrugs showing no care to the new development. He starts listening and looking around. He seeing a few carts beginning unloaded through the storage entrance of Elderberry's home. He tell Worra, "They are taking deliveries still. We'll just slip in that way."
As Bosque looks back one more time at the party, he notices a man dressed in the green robes of a wizard whispering into Elderberry's ear. He points to the place the orn struck the barrier. Elderberry waves him off and the wizard storms aways. The ranger keeps watch and now knows which room the wizard came from.
"...and kill a wizard."
∆
Bosque was surprised how easy it was to enter the storage underyard of the domuswaerden. Worra could tell there were many wards and runes to protect the Elderberry's home. Many to warn the wizard if intruders entered into specific areas. They found some servant tunics imbued with magic and hoped these would allow for easier access through the six story building. They put the tunics over their clothes and entered through a servant entrance.
As they entered, many beautifully dressed ladies and gentlemen of various tastes were lined up in the butlery. The ranger and sorceress stayed hidden in a mist of shadow as a cross red-faced old woman in a black dress yelled at the courtesans. A older man in butler attire handed out ribbons they tired to their wrists.
The old lady yelled, "Do not take these ribbons off for no reason, or the wizard in this house pull your soul out and keep in in a glass! Now entertain!"
Soon the group was out of the room and up the stairs. Bosque and Worra both notice the butler locking the ribbons in large key cabinet in the room and placing a elegant serving cart into a dumbwaiter before he scurried off.
Worra seeing the courtesans whispers to Bosque, "I think Elderberry is going to have an apology gift for the wizard."
∆
Bosque glances back at Worra noticing that she looks mesmerizing. He leads as they walk down the hallways and stairs leading to the wizard's chambers. He knocks on the door he thinks belongs to the wizard. No response.
More knocking. A couple of servants pass too busy to notice the two standing in front of the door. No response.
Bosque knocks even louder, longer and quicker. A different door opens and the wizard steps out and yelling, "That is a servant pantry!"
The ranger and sorceress both quickly move toward the wizard.
Bosque says in a theatric nasally ascent, "Oh dear sir, I am new and I am so excited for you. The Last Word Elderberry wished to apologize for his rudeness earlier with a gift."
The wizard assumes Worra is his gift and is charmed immediately by the onceti woman. He takes her by the hand and leads her into his chamber. Bosque follows with quick steps.
"Lastly, the master wishes you to have this wine as well," Bosque added as he faces the door closing it while looking out into the hall. He sets the wine down next to a glass decanter on a side board near the door.
When Bosque turns around, Worra has the wizard gripped by the throat and raised off the ground. The sorceress' other hand had changed into black long fingered claw. The ranger watches as she pulls the soul from the wizard. Worra drops the wizard as the soul arcs and forms into ball. Worra motions for the stunned Bosque to hand her a small glass decanter.
Moments later, the sorceress hides the now wax sealed glass vessel containing wizard's soul and his recovered spell book within the room's wardrobe. The ranger tucks the wizard's body into bed and wonders again what creature his partner is.
With one less problem and few hours left, Bosque and Worra decide to divide tasks. Bosque will retrieve Elderberry's diary, papers and other wealth within his locked chest. Worra is to go up to party and charm her way to Elderberry, listen and maybe cause havoc amongs the military.
∆
Bosque finds Elderberry's room easily, gains access with no problem and goes to where the chest is said to be. He goes to unlock it and he can not. One of his lock picks breaks jamming up action of the lock. The ranger thinks what he can do next.
He hears foot steps and door swings open. Bosque slides under the bed. Servants push a well-made cart into the room, light all the oil lamps and a fire. They talk about how their master has been taken by tall bald woman with long earlobes and how rowdy the officers are getting. One office already loosing a finger and an other an eye. They sprinkle flower pedals on the bed and the ground. Bosque hears the talk more and straighten the room more.
The servants finally leave and Bosque slides out. The ranger decides to pop the pins out of the hinges using a piton and hammer. Inside is the inflammatory diary of Chomic Varpe Elderberry, separate correspondence from the Rat King, Inner Court of Floed Rithal and Sildar of Nortica, and below the papers, twenty-five thousand in crossian gold pieces. He does not have time to read and shoves everything back into the chest.
The door bursts open and an shadowy outline stands head down in the doorway.
"I am going to piss and shite everywhere! That whore hogging misanthrope is going to love what I do when I unsheth my man dagger," says the middle-aged man wearing a Crossian captain's uniform. Bosque recognizes Captain Butler. He is holding his scabbard sword in hand as he enters the room while pulling his pants down.
He then mumbles, "Elderberry will definitely be in the mood with this aroma." The captain faces the wall opposite of Bosque, drawing arcs of urine. Spraying and dowsing the plaster, paintings and furniture while laughing with drunken revenge.
The ranger knows there is no time to hide. The man has not noticed him trying to stay still and unnoticed. Bosque desides to draws his two daggers waiting for a good time to strike or hoping Butler would finish and leave the room. The ranger prayers the captain pulls his pants up before needing to fight him.
The man turns around to face his rear into a corner saying, "The lovers better beware of my brown cobra!"
After being comfortably underway, Butler's pants are completely down and around his boots. While straining, the captain looks up and notices the ranger.
Captain Butler training kicks in and he tries to draw his sword. The ranger steps to attack then stops as the soldier fumbles his sabre. The sword begins to fall out a window near the captain's vandelism. Bosque thinks to himself if the man had his pants on he would have easily caught it, drunk or not. Yet the intoxicated jealous captain trips and humorously falls out open the window.
Bosque only assumes the captain died from falling five stories. He does not have time to check as Worra opens the door. The ranger dives underneath the bed.
Worra and Elderberry both are laughing, the laughter fills the room. Bosque is distracted by the thought of watching a man evacuate himself in revenge then comit accidental suicide trying to attack him. It was made worse that he could see the man's remains laying on the wood floor a tracking flies. The ranger's concentration was broken by Worra's cloak and Elderberry's clothes hitting the floor. He moves into action at the sound of choking and gurgling.
Bosque pulls himself from under the bed. Sees the two struggling. Worra on bottom, facing her attacker and pushing his chin and body away. Elderberry on top, both hands around her throat. His face transformed--no nose, no eyes-- just a large demonic snapping mouth with purple tongue wrapping around Worra's face. Bosque with all his strength stabs Elderberry through the head and cuts the tongue. Worra falls off the bed and unwraps the tongue from her head.
Elderberry whips back taking Bosque's dagger with him. The monster Elderberry is squirms along the wall, spreading the captain's mess. The monster pulls violently on the dagger stuck in it's skull. The ranger, improvising, pulls an oil sconce off the wall and throws it into the beast gruggling, gabbing and gnawing maw.
It takes a few bites before the scones bursts into flame. The immolated creature burns from the inside and out. Bosque pulls two more scones from the wall and feeds them violently into squealing thing. It stops moving as the fire begins to steadily burn within the gapping jaw. The sorceress steps in and she sprays a ray of frost into the remains of Elderberry simultaneously insuring the monster is dead and putting out the fire.
"We need to get out of here, if their is one of these there can be more," saying the wraspy voiced Worra.
Bosque replies, "We have a problem. That captain, he fell out the window."
"Perfect, a better cover," she coughs.
Worra seems drained from the struggle with Elderberry yet casts prestidigitation clean the room and Elderberry's body after the fight. Bosque gets a flash of inspiration and hopes to find the cart the servants used earlier. Lucky, he finds it tucked at the end of the hall next to a door only a few feet tall. He opens the short door and sees the dumbwaiter. He smoothly hurries back to the room, noding to a noble with a courtesan.
He enters the room and says, "We'll shove elderberry and his chest below and use these table cloths to cover everything."
Worra nods and they load. Bosque tries to disguise the shape of a body the best he can while Worra puts on her cloak. They leave the room, the sorceress goes down to the butlery and kitchen. The ranger loads the dumbwaiter with a bit of trouble getting everything into the shaft. Once he was done, he headed down the stairs.
Bosque is surprised not to see Worra already in the butlery. He pushes that concern aside as he brings down the platform with treasure and beast. He hears a commotion and screams from outside.
Worra runs from the underyard into the bultery saying, "They found Hue. I got a draft orge and wagon, hurry!"
The ranger notices she has the bottle containing the wizard's soul and his spell book in sack next to her on the driver's bench of the wagon. Bosque loads the chest first then the sheet covered body into one of the large empty casks already on the wagon. Servants and guests can be heard coming down the stairs.
Lucky, they are out of underyard and around the corner before any potential witnesses see them exit.
∆
Now hidden in a warehouse a few blocks from Syzygy Market Square. Sunrise is only a couple of hours away. Nonnac looks over the strange remains of Elderberry with Worra.
The jeweler rubs his bald onceti head and says, "He's some kind of lich. Just not undead."
Worra and Nannoc both discuss remains further.
Bosque is more interested in reading letters and pieces of parchment out of Elderberry's chest. In a series of message rolls, he discovers Sildar only wished to recover Trista and restore order. He implored sending enough soldiers to help Moondive recover from the abuse of the Burning Cloaks and bring Trista to justice. Sildar did make a request on Gundar's behalf to Elderberry to allow more enguier hill-dwarves to transit through Neverwane's ports.
Worra interrupt his reading to tell him, "Nannoc is senting one of his servants to collect our things, gimme your key and sign this letter."
Bosque hands the key over and signs, then returns to reading.
The ranger finds a folded letter, sealed with wax, with a smooth flat black rock inside. The letter was written by Sildar to Elderberry concerning his induction into Nortica and explains the magic rocks use as a key and compass for the nobles alliance's caches and properties. Bosque pockets the letter and rock.
The rest of the documents are Elderberry's reports from the Rat King of his failings and promises to help his carve out a new kingdom with a never ending army of iron golems that would crush the Cross Kingdom's ferroquin.
Elderberry's diary, speaks of many irrelevant personal conquests. He remarks the Rat King is a joke and over promises beyond reason. It was impressive for him to have recruited so many boltian to his cause. The Burningstaff at least gave many of unaligned landgraves leaning towards annexation into the Cross Kingdom.
He writes entries asking Captain Bulter for a company of boomstocks, firejacques, and the fearsome walking walls of armor called ferroquins to assist in tying up loose ends like Trista and Rat King. The garrison commander informs he can spare one highly trained group of adventures to exterminate vermin such as these.
The groups name is the Jack Terriers, their armed with boomstocks, a light ferroquin, and armored mastiff that enjoys iced buns. They were to meet up with the Rat King three days ago at the Green Spinster and poss as new recruits for the Burning Cloaks. Their real orders are to get the Rat King to Echo Wave Cave and execute him after verifying the existence of the mage forge. Afterwards, Elderberry was going to be given newly created landgrave of Neverdive, command of three thousand Crossian Cuirassary and hold a title of Marqois given by Floed Rithal and the Inner-court.
Bosque thinks about how Prince Lecham and Marco were correct about the implication of Moondive Mine on the region.
Lastly, there is a small book log with a letter asking for salted boltian to be shipped up the Waning River to the landgrave of Tarte. The rate for intact bodies of gybolts go for 15 gp each, dybolts at 30 gp each, and 50 for orbolts. Ten fold if alive. Meet with Captain Gozo each Loknesday at pier 96. The log starts with entries from 20 years ago and ends with nearly 500,000 gp in profit. Seeing this might have been how Elderberry rose to his prominence in Neverwane.
Nannoc sees Bosque exhausted from reading. He slaps Bosque's shoulder and tells him, "I am going to pour over these later, give a good read. If you come back this way, ask for Nannoc at the Syzygy Market Square. I'll find you and I'll talk to you about anything you probably should know."
Nannoc collects the papers and drops a heavy leather sack of gold coins on the table and walks a few steps away.
"Also, this is yours from Elderberry." A tollpiece clangs on to the table.
∆
After a long bath and a few hours of sleep, the pair were on their way to Dorra. Many hours later they were just outside of Moondive in the middle of a cold night.
Smoke was on the wind. Frost on the ground. Worra found her self shocked as Trad hung frost covered dead in a tree, his feet and legs burned off. Bosque notices they are just a mile outside of Moondive. After cutting him down and piling cold rocks over his body, they moved on.
Both Bosque and Worra feared for Austri, Loxly, Gawyn and No Name as the burning smell of wood and flesh became unbearable as they entered Moondive.
----------Result----------
Bosque Level 5!
Salted Boltian Trade (Anyone)
- Find Captain Gozo
- Transport any number of salted whole Boltian in large casks to Pier 96 in Neverwane
- Reward: Gold and travel to Tarte.
----------Treasure----------
Nortica Black Key stone and letter
(Note: Sildar has one of these.)
1000 gold pieces
Lockpick Kit
------------Notes-----------
Tigon, extremely wide faced Tiger like reptile. Has feathery like fur.
Last Word of the People, Chief of Staff Artisan or Political Group
Chomic Varpe Elderberry, joke from holy grail. "Your father is hung like a hamster and smells of Elderberries."
Larpin Handiak, hard work gift, polish?
Orn, a small feathered dragon
Timeline
0200 - left Cragmaw
0300 - fought Suteo
0400 - flight over Triboar Trail and The Waning Road (no troops could be found)
1000 - Dawn, settling Dorra, skyskiff, starts raining
1200 - Neverwane Gate, heavy rain
1300 - Blue Tigon, raining, Bosque nap
1400 - Tubs, hot, water and food for Bosque and Worra
1500 - stops raining, Bosque Nap; Worra sees Onceti Affiliated Merchant Company at Syzygy Market Square (Largest in Neverwane and very close to Blue Tigon).
1530 - Nonnac (jeweler, pawnbroker, exchange banker) arranges payment for Austri and Loxly and directs Worra to Atsillab.
1600 - Atsillab is a baker and Onceti Herald, will sign off note for murder and rob of major's chief of staff, Chomic Varpe Elderberry*, for reasons at home. Also, talks of a matter with Gybolts concerning the need for a new green ilse in the Oncet.
1900 - Bosque Awakes, Knocks on Worra's door, see her walking into hallway with wine, fruit, bread, cheeses, and few other implements in a bag.
1930 - Talk of plan.
1800 - Dusk
2200 - Ready....Moondive Attacked by Trista, remains of Burning Cloaks, Dragon Cult, and Dragon
2300 - Arrive at Elderberry's
2600 - Still Partying, Captain Huw Liam Butler poisoned by Worra
0200 - Murder Elderberry, Find gold and platinum in chest, diary and other documents.
0300 - Leave with items.
0400 - Meet with Nonnac, take receipts for notes for Austri and Loxly.
1200 - Leave Neverwane
1400 - Skyskiff
1800 - Leave for Moondive
2400 - Arrive at outside Moondive, no Troops spotted
2500 - Meet group in Moondive
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