Astvanor Session 103 (2/17)

[cinaed]

Session 103: Day 19 of Veksdan (2/17) 

The party reach the edge of a dwarven town. The ceiling is low in the roads, with torches lining the dwarven roads, with people milling in and out of the town. There is a cart being dragged by craggy four-legged stone creatures with tremendous clawed paws and three spiky fan-like tails. Yolov knows that the dwarves have their own beasts of burden, most of them having a tendency of being conjured from the elements and made of stone. He isn’t sure if these are like that or summoned from the elemental planes.

These creatures have gem eyes that don’t seem to see anything, led by a dwarf with heavy leathers and his hands in his pockets as he leads them along with his words. 

In the distance, not very far away, the stone walls have been carved out open into a spherical space. The party can’t see from their current position where the road splits off into different directions. They can see one large open gate, with two stone statues.

Past those walls, they first notice that the caverns the dwarvish towns are built into are almost larger than expected. As they step into the town, it briefly feels like they’re not actually underground. The tall, vaulted ceilings and town are illuminated by torchlight and through glass-less windows of the buildings that are literally carved from the stone of the cavern itself. There is so much light that it feels like sunlight in a golden hour. 

There are bustling roads amidst houses that are all made of stone. As they look up, they can see walkways carved into very narrow spirals up towards the ceiling. The higher they look, the more packed with people and energy the spaces seem to be. 

Cassone looks up at them and says, “It’s been great, but we’ve got to drop our stuff off. There’s a bar, the Cracked Obsidian. The name’s edgy, but it’s a decent place to drink.” 

Audacity asks why the name sounds edgy, and Cassone starts to explain that cracked means something is broken, which is edgy.  

Meanwhile, Yolov quietly casts Comprehend Language on himself to understand Dwarvish in case anyone sees Hava and comments on her.

The party grows concerned when Cassone remarks she and her crew need to go and probably get murdered. Unbothered, Cassone begins to talk them through the likely situation, which includes bartering over payment for the smuggled goods that lead to someone getting stabbed, much to Az’s consternation. 

She asks him why he doesn’t understand smuggling, he’s Striogian, to which he says he does know about it, but didn’t want to know more. She tells him he’s not much fun, and he waspishly says he’s been told that before. 

Cassone offers to meet them back at the Cracked Obsidian. 

Hava watches her go and says that she likes her. When she adds that they should go get drunk, Audacity comments that he can’t anymore. Az asks him about that, which Audacity struggles to explains. 

Yolov asks if they’re really going to the Cracked Obsidian to drink. He thought that they’d be getting the lay of the land and learn more about the town. Hava says she can multitask and suggests Yolov needs a drink as well after the week they’ve had. 

There’s a heavy theme of gold, silver, bronze, and brass throughout the town as they head in the direction Cassone pointed them towards. Everything is heavily decorated and ornate. There is a door that has a large opal beside it and dwarvish words written on it as some sort of sign. When Yolov touches the sign, it’s a clothing shop called the Diamond. There are other stores with rugs and elaborate tapestries, infused oils, and carved, imported furniture. 

The party finds The Cracked Obsidian not by any sign, but the very literal sight of two cracked pieces of obsidian above the door. 

They realize that most of this stuff is imported and likely illegal. Yolov also quickly pieces together that this is the town closest to the smuggler’s entrance and everything is being sold like it’s all legal. He realizes that the dwarves don’t consider themselves Avisian and don’t believe in accepting tariffs from outside forces like the Avisian government. Khavarians wouldn’t even consider these stolen goods. He remembers knowing that criminals and pirates have often fled to the Kaztar Mountains to escape persecution. 

The Cracked Obsidian is no exception to this belief. There are people hanging out outside by open windows and what sounds like a less violent fight inside. Looking in, they can see there is an intense game going on in the corner, several dwarves shouting at four marbles.

When the party approaches, they can see that one marble sort of flickers and forms a tendril that moves itself towards a center ring in the middle of the table. 

A young dwarf asks them if they’ve played before. When they say they haven’t, he’s surprised that it doesn’t seem to be played on the surface. Audacity asks to learn how to play just as the latest game ends. 

There are four lines where the marbles are placed to reset the game. The dwarf, whom the other dwarves call Tora, explains that these are Diathani, named after the dwarven god, which are enchanted stone. They’re sort of autonomous and everyone bets on which one will get to the center first. He himself always bets on one with a crack of silver in it because silver is lucky. 

Tora explains that the enchanters must enchant the stone, so it’s basically betting on the enchanter as well. Hava heads to the bar as Tora indeed bets on the silver one. There is a black one, a blue and silver, and a red one with two golden spots. Az chooses the blue one and Audacity the red. 

When Audacity and Az see that they’re using dwarven currency, Tora explains that this is the last town they’ll be able to exchange surface money at the bank where his brother works. This town is the furthest the party can use non-dwarvish money. 

The race happens, and Az’s blue and silver marle rockets forward and wins. Tora gives Az’s shoulder a shake and congratulates him before he asks if they want to do another round. Yolov had watched the first game, but heads to the bar, listening to see if they’re attracting notice but no one is speaking about them. He can’t tell if it’s because they’re being ignored or just not worth commenting on. 

Hava sits at the bar where a young dwarven woman with a neat beard greets her and says in heavily accented Common that she hasn't seen her in a while. When Hava says that she hasn’t been here before, the bartender apologizes for her bad Common. 

Hava says she’d like something local and then something watered down for her vedalken friend. The bartender is confused and confused even more by Hava’s request for white wine. She says in dwarven to the ginger-haired dwarven woman sitting at the bar that wine doesn’t come in anything other than red. The bartender, after a moment, gives Hava and Yolov a boozy cider. 

Hava urges Yolov to take a drink, which he does a sip before he tells her that he doesn’t want to get drunk. She advises him to hold onto it to look like he’s having fun, or at least hold onto it so she can drink it later. Then she notices that the redheaded dwarf seated at the bar is staring at her. 

When she bluntly asks why, the flustered woman answers that she’s looking because she’s pretty. Hava thanks her for the compliment even as she tries to get a read on her. She can’t tell if it’s genuine attraction or something else. 

Meanwhile, Audacity and Az are betting again. The marble Az bets on rolls so violently off the table that it shatters on the ground. Audacity watches his own inch slowly along. Ultimately the pure black one wins. 

Tora slings an arm over both of their shoulders and offers to buy them all a drink. They introduce themselves, and Tora clearly doesn’t recognize Az’s name. He’s Katzar born and raised. 

Tora leans across the bar and asks for two drinks for the sun-touched. She asks if they’re here for work and he says no, though he’d hire them if not for everything going on. She passes along the drinks and Tora asks why the party is here. 

Audacity says that they’re searching for Yolov’s teacher, and Yolov adds that they’re also here for a missing caravan and the group sent after them that didn’t return, and perhaps deal with the problems on the surface as well. 

Tora asks if the surface problems are about the wolves, the shadow people, and the dead people cropping up. 

Surprised to hear about dead people, Hava asks if anyone has spoken to the dead, and is told that if anyone has, they haven’t told anyone interesting or useful. Tora adds that everyone tries to mind their own business here, and if someone gets murdered that’s their own fault. 

Yolov tells Tora that at least part of the problem was a dragon in the mountains that came down and attacked Radiscune, likely upsetting the local wildlife, especially the wolves. Tora says that sounds like a surface dragon, not stone dragons, of which Tora has never seen one. 

The ginger-haired dwarf is still looking at Hava. Audacity realizes she is terrified of Hava, while Hava can tell she’s uncomfortable but not why. 

Tora asks them what they’re doing in town if they’re big dragon slayers. Az says they’re searching for Yolov’s teacher and also another sea elf like Hava. Tora tells them that he met one a month ago. She was with a dragonborn and a tiefling, which the group knows means that the half-elf isn’t with them. Tora struggles to find the right word in Common for tiefling, asking Audacity for the word. 

The watching dwarf leaves with a nervous look. Hava begins to follow her, lingering just long enough for Yolov to cast Telepathic Bond on the group in case she runs into trouble. As the party quizzes Tora on dwarven words for different races, which mostly amounts to descriptions like “horned foreigner” and “blue not-dwarf,” Hava watches the woman duck into an alley.

The woman’s hand had been going for a weapon. By the time Hava gets to the alley, her bow drawn, the woman has a well-polished longsword out as well. She says that she sees she’s just like her sister. Hava says she hasn’t seen her sister in a very long time so she doesn’t know what that means. 

When Hava says she hasn’t seen her sister since they were children and is looking for her, the woman hesitates. She tells Hava that lots of people are looking for Maeve, she owes a lot of people money. Hava says that she wants to be the first one to find her. 

The woman explains that Maeve owes a lot of people a lot of money. Hava asks why she’s acting weird, the woman says Maeve owes her boss a lot of money and he’s not happy. They both argue over lowering their weapons, whether it’s on the count of three or not, before they carefully put away their weapons. 

Hava asks her name, and the woman hesitates again before saying her name is Mowria. Hava introduces herself as well and then asks who her boss is. When Mowria says she probably shouldn’t tell her that. Hava points out that if her boss wants Maeve so badly and she was here three weeks ago, Mowria should have followed her up the mountain. 

Mowria says she’s heard of the weird shit going on up the mountain. Hava sees that she is scared of the weird shit and Maeve, and realizes that Mowria isn’t from Kaztar. Her sword and the clothing aren’t dwarven, and she holds herself in a distinctly Avisian way. 

Hava clarifies that Mowria’s boss expects her to find Maeve. 

Mowria says that she’s been staying here in hopes that Maeve would return. If she died on the mountain, then Mowria could retrieve what she stole from Mowria’s boss, a family artifact. Mowria could also just stay here and not have to go back to Radiscune. 

Mowria asks if Hava is going further up the mountain. When Hava says she is, Mowria asks if she can get her sister to bring back the artifact she stole. Hava suggests that she could keep the artifact herself, Mowria looks scandalized. She says she couldn’t do that, it doesn’t belong to her. 

Hava tries to invite her back to the bar for a drink, and Mowria tugs at her cloak, smoothing a hand down the front of her armor before she stammers out agreement and says she’s technically not on duty at the moment. 

Inside, Yolov is taking notes as Tora teaches the party Khavarian currency. 

When Tora mentions dwarves consuming metal, Az remembers that dwarves do sometimes eat metal, although the ones on the surface tend to eat it privately. He remembers that his father once found dwarvish quality gemstones and precious metals to offer to a dwarf he was trying to impress. He ultimately succeeded.  

Tora asks where they’re staying and tells them that there are a few hotel rooms up the spiral, though there might be an inn down by the beach. Tora explains that it’s mostly working people there, meaning prostitutes, though that goes over Yolov’s head. 

Audacity, intrigued, asks for recommendations, Tora mostly lists ones he wouldn’t recommend like the Masked Guard. He also mentions the Cracked Vein or the Golden Goose, but says the Quiver is very high quality, which has an arrow quiver for its signage, which is a dwarven joke. 

Yolov was distracted by the description of the Masked Guard having sand in their sheets and doesn’t understand how they got to talking about euphemisms as Audacity delights Tora by explaining how the quiver is a sexual joke in multiple languages. 

Audacity asks about post offices and is told that the dwarven roads don’t really have those, just occasional couriers as Mowria and Hava return from outside. The copper finally drops for Yolov as a startled Mowria asks if they’re going to a brothel. He and Mowria both blush alternatively bright purple and bright red. 

Hava assures Mowria they’re not planning on going to the brothels. Mowria says she’s not prudish, clearly embarrassed, and invites them to stay at her place up the spiral, where they can sleep on her floor. 

Az gives Hava a side eye as she goes and buys drinks for herself and Mowria, since this woman doesn’t seem like her usual type. 

Tora explains that the Upper Spiral are the buildings built into the ceilings. There are a few inns for visitors, since most travelers are only passing through. 

Audacity asks for the strongest drink they have, and when the bartender hesitates, Az joins in, wanting to help with the experiment. Tora orders the drink for himself, Az, and Audacity, and the bartender brings them drinks that smell like tar and are cold and thick. 

Hava asks Mowria what they’re drinking. She says it’s a dwarven beer, but she hates it and thinks it tastes like dirt. 

Audacity starts to take a sip, while Az attempts to chug it to prove his orcish heritage. It tastes vile, like sulfur, melted dirt, and rotten eggs. Audacity gags but keeps it down, while Az throws up from the taste and the slimy texture. 

Az stumbles outside, his stomach still twisting, with Yolov following behind to help clean him up. 

Tora guides them up the spiral staircases. The staircases aren’t as thin as they look, with multiple people able to walk side by side. It’s a dizzying view of a patterned city below them. They can see the beach. There are two exits from the town. 

The higher they go, the less there are of import shops, the more there are smaller, local artisans. When Audacity asks what Tora does, he says he does a little bit of everything. He works for someone or an organization who recruits people. 

Tora takes them to essentially a motel called The Stone Bed. It’s very quaint. There is an exhausted looking woman checking in someone who can get them a couple of rooms. Most of the party goes there, although Hava takes Mowria up on her invitation. 

Yolov hasn’t seen Mowria before, but as she fidgets again, he spies the familiar crest on the clasp of her cloak. It is the Crestiana crest, which Yolov silently tells Hava before Mowria leads her to her small quarters in another building nearby. 

Mowria gently nudges a cat-like creature off of her sofa. She apologizes, saying she found it her first week here and couldn’t bring herself not to take it in. There are papers strewn about on her table, written in Common. She sweeps them up and explains that her boss has a private courier so he can exchange letters with her. She adds that she hasn’t told her boss the whole truth, neglecting to tell him about Maeve’s assassinations. It’s Maeve who killed those people outside the town with her crossbow. Mowria also hasn’t admitted she wants to stay here, not wanting to lose her job. 

Mowria calls herself a personal guard. She adds that Hava is an adventurer and her sister is a pirate. Hava agrees. Mowria says it’s nice to meet her, still clearly flustered. She has blankets and pillows to soften the stone furniture. 

The Stone Bed is exactly as it sounds. Everything is made of stone. The exhausted woman does come to their door with the craggy creatures dragging cushions and pillows and blankets. She apologizes for forgetting that surface people need softer beds. 

Az, poisoned and still queasy, sits on the beds as Audacity asks Yolov to Send to his sister. “Hey, Arevik, I hope you are doing well. I love you.” Just as before, Yolov can feel that she hears him but doesn’t respond. 

Instead, as he resumes his studying and finishes the last of Asa’s notes, he hears a welcome voice in the back of his head.

Dailiir sounds exhausted, “This is my third try. It’s been so long, but I’m all right. Don’t do anything stupid.” 

Yolov responds, “I hear you.  We’re doing what we can on our end. We’ll get you back.” 

She responds again, still exhausted but fond, “Somehow I knew you would be doing something brave and foolish. That’s why I chose you.”

As he struggles with his emotions, trying not to cry onto Asa’s notes, Hava sits talking with Mowria.

Hava learns that Mowria is essentially a personal assistant who was first meant to guard the house but has been assigned increasingly strange assignments from the Crestiani family. She enjoys it here because it’s not home. 

Mowria fiddles with her sleeves and says, “So you’re from the beach, right? A proper beach, not like this one. What’s that like?” 

Hava sighs and says it’s great. There’s open sky and so much water to swim in. 

Mowria says she’s never been to a beach and doesn’t even know how to swim. When Hava offers to teach her, Mowria hastily says she thinks she would sink and isn’t very brave. Hava says she thinks she’s very brave. Mowria came here to a new place instead of quitting. 

Mowria says that she wasn’t being brave. If she’d been fired, then she would have to look for a new job, and the idea of being unemployed is terrifying. 

When Hava leans in for a kiss, she pauses and says that she doesn’t want her to do anything that makes her an uncomfortable amount of nervous. Mowria kisses her back with nervous eagerness. 

Hava explains her relationship with Taion. Mowria says that she understands, adding that her boss and the boss’s spouse have a similar relationship with their librarian. 

Back at the inn, the night passes slowly and quietly. They can see the lights outside going out bit by bit before darkness ebbs its way over the town beneath them. They sleep, getting a long rest on their uncomfortable blankets in their uncomfortable beds. 

They’re all sleeping so deeply that none of them notice the passing of a shadow past their door. 

Come morning, the only sign that anything came through or knew they were there is in front of their door. As they open the door, they discover a headless dwarven body laying on their doorstep. There is a pinned note on its chest. 

Hava rises from Mowria’s bed, dressing to meet her friends. When they open the door to Mowria’s front door, they find Tora’s head on her doorstep, a pinned note on his tongue.

The note is the same in both instances, with the identical handwriting as the note that welcomed them to Radiscune. 

Consider this both warning and gift. -M