cinaed

Session 111: Days 21 through 26 of Veksdan (5/26)

Iceclaw’s former lair is as empty as before, simply waiting for a new dragon to fill it.

The entire party, most exhausted, rests. The next morning they start down the mountain, heading towards the camp where Travesty is waiting with the unconscious Kresh, the remaining members of Maeve’s crew.

The closer they get to the campsite, the more nervous Maeve gets, clutching her coin. She points out secret marks left on trees and the ground to show where Travesty was leaving clues for her to find them again. It’s all nervous chatter.

Travesty is waiting by a dwindled fire. He exclaims in relief at the sight of them. He asks if they did it, and Audacity assures him that the crack to the Shadowfell is closed. Travesty asks if that means it’s safe for him to wake Kresh, and Az says as safe as it probably will be.

When Travesty releases the spell, Kresh relaxes into the dirt and the party hears this weak, “The fuck? I hate the mountains. I hate it. I hate it here….” Kresh rolls onto his back, one hand still covering his wound.

Travesty and Maeve rush to him, saying how worried they were.

Galowen also looks him over. There is some necrotic scarring around the wound, akin to the damaged flesh of a brown recluse bite, but the curse has clearly lifted.

Diana suggests that he should get a tattoo around the scarring. When Kresh asks what kind of tattoo, Diana ponders and suggests lightning, which delights Kresh as a blue dragonborn. He asks Diana if she has tattoos.

She says no and Kresh asks if she wants to get a tattoo with him when they get back to the city. Diana agrees, prompting Galowen to look closely at Kresh and realizing he is playfully flirting with her. It’s a light hearted flirting; clearly he wouldn’t be hurt or angry if she told him to stop. For the moment, however, Diana is oblivious to the flirting. They begin to make plans to find a tattoo artist together in Radiscune.

Yolov looks on, relieved, that Kresh is doing so well, even if he still isn’t quite standing on his own, which Maeve points out. Kresh tries to stand and immediately leans against the wall again, his legs unable to support him. He asks Diana to help him sit down, which Diana does.

The party rests again, giving Kresh some time to regain his strength before they continue back down the mountain with the cart.

Yolov takes the time to identify the items they found in the hoard, including a dragon slayer shield, an amulet of health, a Ring of Regeneration, and the Boon of Unnamed Summer. He quietly tucks the Boon away to give to Maeve later, when they’re all less tired and she might be more willing to discuss her employer and who exactly wants this Archfey boon.

It takes them two more days to reach Radiscune, getting back on the 25th.

During their travels, Dailiir takes Yolov aside and asks about the spy. He explains about Lorin’s servant Maviana and how she had been replaced by a Sworn Edge member. He also tells her some of what they learned about Juniper, that he knows her secret but she is loyal to the Archive, just perhaps a little lonely as well; Genesis, who he doesn’t trust but does trust that they care enough about their dead friend not to jeopardize the Archive; and Hyland, who Hava figured out murdered his predecessor Professor Shysprocket. Dailiir seems unsurprised by Hyland, who she thinks will either be a useful asset to the Archive or a mass murderer. Yolov is a little troubled that the Archive would keep Hyland on, worried about where his ambitions would lead him within the organization.

He also tells her about Princess Kalia, adding that he doesn’t think they should tell Solray quite yet, not without further investigation, which alarms Dailiir. She agrees that Solray would react badly, and dryly advises Yolov not to tell him for the moment, and if he has to, to ensure he has a bucket of water or sand if he has a fiery outburst. She adds that Iavesian would also have a tantrum over it as well, so not to tell him either.

Dailiir says that she doesn’t know what’s going to happen next. She has to speak with the Colma faculty first, and then she will have to gather the Archive for an emergency session, of which he and his friends will be asked to testify. Her expression asks Yolov to make his friends behave within the Archive.

She also adds that at some point they should speak to Kaspian. She starts to explain who he is, and Yolov tells her that he knows a little about him, having met another Shadow Broken. He adds that Subtlety had seemed worried about Kaspian, who had been missing for over a year, and must be relieved now. Dailiir says that if anyone had to be trapped in the Shadowfell for years, at least Kaspian is one of the few people who would be unaffected.

Daillir babies him down the mountain, and he distracts himself from what happened in the Shadowfell by talking to her about magic he’s seen his friends do and the magical coma Travesty put on Kresh to stop the progression of the curse.

He also remembers to tell her about the Arcane Locks he cast in her apartment, apologizing for perhaps going overboard and telling her that he’s happy to help dispel the magic. He pauses for a moment, not sure about the emotions he’s feeling, before he tells her the password to bypass the Arcane Lock spells is, “Rova Willing.”

Galowen also hovers a bit, watching over Yolov.

The party gets back to the Silver Captain around mid-day while Maeve and the Stormriders head off to turn over the bodies and report to Lorin.

Az has been watching the street urchins Kona and Raleigh and their dog following them since entering the city. The kids don’t approach them until they reach the Silver Captain. Kona tells him that everything’s fine, but Tommy has a cold. Kona says he’s such a baby, but Az tells her that Hava or Galowen can check on him.

Tommy arrives, sniffling. Galowen checks him over and realizes he has a cold, because he and the other kids don’t have places to stay overnight. Reassured that this is an ordinary cold and nothing like Movia’s illness, Az orders food for the kids and the group before he heads over to the River Basin Tavern to knock on Genesis’ door.

There’s a long five minute pause before Genesis opens the door to reveal themself in a fur-trimmed floor length robe and a wine glass in their hand. They remark that Az is back, and Az says that they all made it down the mountain safely, more or less.

Genesis leads him inside. There is a playpen with the baby Counter inside. Counter is gnawing on a teething toy, making baby noises to himself as Genesis pours Az a glass of wine as well and says that he made it down alive.

Az says it was interesting. The dwarves are very interesting, though he doesn’t know how they all live the way they do. Genesis says it’s quite a culture shock, and Az agrees. Genesis asks if their thieves’ tools came in handy, and Az says that they did, it helped them rescue a friend.

Genesis says they’ll have to teach him a few more tricks while he’s in town, now that he has some free time. They add that those kids came around, and that while they offered the kids a couch to crash on, the kids didn’t take them up on it.

Az tries to see if Genesis truly made the offer, but can’t read them. He assumes that they did, if only so the kids wouldn’t complain to Az. Genesis says that the kids stole a necklace from them, and then they asked for it back got embarrassed at being caught, which is probably why they declined their offer to stay.

Genesis leans forward and asks if he wants some lessons in lockpicking. Az says yes, although ultimately they get to those lessons much, much later as they spend the afternoon in bed together.

Meanwhile the Stormriders have returned and Kresh has been harmlessly flirting with Diana again. Audacity and Galowen realize she’s still oblivious as he compliments her, and also that Kresh flirts with most people, having hit on Audacity as well when Audacity was doing his morning exercises one day traveling down the mountain.

Yolov casts Sending to Asa, telling her that they’ve returned and she can come to collect her Shadowfell books whenever it is convenient to her. This leads to a series of Yolov burning several spell slots in an awkward conversation with Asa that leads to them agreeing to having brunch the next day and Asa telling him to stop using his spells and that she’ll be there at eleven o’clock.

Meanwhile Kresh and Diana do go and get a tattoo together, with Galowen and Audacity accompanying them, Galowen to keep an eye on everything and Audacity to keep Adrin calm when Diana is in pain. Kresh gets some lighting tattoos around his new scar, while Diana’s tattoo is in Draconic. It says in elegant script: “I may not look like a dragon, but I am a dragon.”

They all get back to the inn, some later than others, and all have a long rest.

They wake up early, and Audacity and Az go out on their own business after breakfast. Yolov heads downstairs, putting Asa’s notes and books together and sketching the shade creature they befriended.

At around nine o’clock, someone knocks at the door of the room. Diana opens it and finds a young man in dark robes who extends a scroll for Donnie and the Hooligans. Diana tells him Donnie isn’t here and asks if she is being inducted into the school.

The man says no, and says it is an invitation from Segwin and Farr to invite them to a ball in their honor for services to Radiscune, though he can come back if Donnie isn’t there. Diana asks if they have to wear shoes and when he says yes, Diana says that she won’t come, giving him a small heart attack.

He calms down when Galowen remarks that it would be rude to miss a ball thrown in their honor and lies that he’s Donnie. The man gives him the scroll and explains he has class in twenty minutes and that they can RSVP to anyone on campus. Galowen opens it to find the invitation is written in beautiful calligraphy. He asks if it was done by magic and is disappointed when the man says the Colma hires people to write these types of invitations.

The event will be in five days’ time.

Asa arrives at 10:58 precisely. She is wearing a new headscarf and is dressed in a flowing dress which is belted and covered by a fur-lined coat to protect her from the Avisian autumn chill. She greets him and asks how it was going up the mountain and into the Shadowfell.

Yolov hesitates, clearly struggling for words, and finally hedges that it was interesting.

Asa studies him and softly asks if by interesting he means was interesting in a “doesn’t want to talk about it with her” way, a “has already talked himself out about it” way, or “doesn’t want to think about it ever again” way. She assures him any of those reasons is okay.

Yolov thinks for a moment and says slowly that it’s neither, it’s more that it’s all difficult to put into words. But he did write up some notes on the Shadowfell and made an ally of one of the Shadowfell denizens, which he’s glad to tell her about. He drew the shade in his notebook as well.

Asa says that it’s so impressive that he can draw. She doesn’t know many wizards with artistic talent.

Flustered at the compliment, Yolov tells her he began learning it thanks to his uncle, who runs the school in Greenrun and believes in getting people from the town to teach lessons there so that the children can have opportunities to learn hobbies and other trades. Greenrun boasts a famous artist who is kind enough to teach art lessons, and they taught Yolov much of what he knows.

Asa says that sounds nice before she asks about the brunch place.

Yolov says he’s thought of a few choices, depending on if she prefers sweet or savory. She assures him that she’s flexible, any Avisian food will be wonderful after Previdian no matter what it is.

Yolov debates a second and says that there’s a brunch place that does mostly savory food but also has a lemon poppy seed muffin that is almost as good as his sister’s.

Asa laughs and says she’ll have to visit Greenrun some time to try those muffins. Ivaesian has her going all over the place, she can probably make up an excuse to go and he’ll assume he told her to go there.

Yolov earnestly tells her that if she’s ever in Greenrun, he’s sure Sestri will be happy to make her the muffin. Asa says she would love to meet his sister before Yolov adds that he still wants to show her the house, musing that they really should name it. It’s such a magical wonder that it seems strange for it not to have a name.

Asa agrees that it should have a name.

He asks if she’s met Heart, and when she says she has, he tells her about Soul. She smiles over the name, saying it’s sweet and she would love to meet Soul. He also tells her that there is some theoretical spellwork at the house she might find interesting, though he obviously doesn’t say it’s necromancy while they’re in public.

Then he asks if she wants to take the books with them to brunch or leave them here. She asks if he wants her to take them, and he says that he can leave them here. He’s sure his friends would be happy to see her again later.

Yolov takes the books upstairs and interrupts Diana and Galowen arguing over her wearing shoes. Galowen tells her that she has to wear them there. When Yolov asks where, they say a party.

Galowen tosses Yolov the invitation, making him drop the books. He reads it and looks openly relieved that he is no longer banned from the Colma. He also realizes that the invitation says Donnie and the Hooligans and guests. They are able to invite people as dates.

He tells Diana she will have to wear shoes to the ball, much to her dismay, and then tells them Az will know what they all will be expected to wear. He adds that he’s going out to brunch with Asa.

Galowen asks what brunch is. When Yolov explains, he’s startled when Galowen says that is stupid, there doesn’t need to be a meal between breakfast and lunch and a new word for it. Seeing an opportunity for Galowen to visit the local Magnificent Mango without him, Yolov tells him that he should try brunch there. He might like it after all.

Asa is fiddling with her headscarf and smoothing down her dress. When Yolov comes down the stairs, she spots him and lights up. Even Yolov cannot miss the way she looks delighted to see him. He flushes lavender.

He fumblingly tells her that they’ll be in the city for at least five more days. They’ve been invited to a ball, since someone apparently told the college that it was him and his friends who killed the dragon.

Asa’s eyes widen and she asks if the ball is being held in his honor.

He says he supposes so, though it was Galowen who killed the dragon. When she says that she’s sure he helped a lot and that the ball sounds very exciting, he agrees though he admits it will be interesting to see how his friends handle interacting with so much nobility.

Asa says that will definitely be interesting.

Yolov hesitates and shyly adds that the invitation included the potential for guests, if she wanted to attend. She looks at him for a moment and slowly asks if he is inviting her to the ball. Still blushing, he says yes, if she wants to.

She reaches out and takes his hand and says she would love to. She adds that she’s never been to a ball. Yolov admits he hasn’t either, although he at least knows that his friends will have to wear shoes. He muses on whether the Colma library would have books about balls. Asa says there are certainly books on etiquette there and warmly suggests checking out a few after brunch.

Yolov says he owes Master Tes’vala a visit, and Asa says she’s sure he’ll be glad to see him. They head to brunch, both blushing lavender as they continue to hold hands, and after brunch spend hours looking over etiquette books in the library.

It’s evening by the time he gets back, passing along the Shadowfell books and notebooks as Asa heads back to Previdian. Once she leaves, the enormity of what he’s done hits him.

He asked Asa to be his guest at the ball. No, he asked Asa to be his date to the ball.

Yolov immediately begins to panic.