Taking Care of Business

Campaign Recap, The Rookery, Session 16

After Andira’s Rite of Consecration to the Raven Queen, Vasymma—the head priestess at the Raven Queen’s temple—told Andira that she would need to complete her training as a priest of the Raven Queen before she could leave Neverwinter. Fortunately, it would take only four or five days to complete.

Additionally, Andira received an envelope from Vassyma, that Vassyma said had been delivered by “the most curious little dog” (i.e. the Corgi Delivery Service) when Andira was still young. The envelope contained :

• a silver coin minted in Neverwinter, that showed a past king (Nasher II) on the front, and a depiction of the House of Knowledge on the back.

• A page seemingly ripped out of a book, written in a language unfamiliar to the party. Andira did comprehend languages; The front of the page said “Cleansing Flame, Devil Child”, and the back said “Crushing Wave, Rillifane Guardian.”

• A page torn from a different book, with a poem on each page, attributed to “Quarles.”

• A letter addressed to Vassyma from Andira’s parents—her mother Zarah Graylock and her father Keiron Brightwater—calling the contents of the envelope “a legacy” for Andira, and revealing that the name given to her by her parents was Karisa Graylock.

Since they were going to be there a few more days as Andira was trained, the rest of the party looked for more to do in Neverwinter, including checking out local weapon shops, trying to learn more about the mysterious pages received by Andira, and returning to the “Baker’s Dozen to try some savory pastries.

A young female dwarf approached Andira in the street the next day. She gave her name as Kristyrd (Kris for short), and identified herself as a writer for The Straight Shooter, a Neverwinter broadsheet favored by working class Neverwinter-ites. She had been reporting on the trial of Elak Dornan, and was eager to write a profile of Andira for The Straight Shooter—sort of a local orphan makes good story. Andira declined, even though Kris really tried to give her the hard sell.

Asking around, it was suggested that the party seek out Bradda, the proprietor of The Sage’s Shop, as someone who might be able to tell them more about the pages Andira had recieved. Bradda told the party that the page in the strange language was written in Primordial, and that—due to the nature of that language—they would need the entire book to produce a full translation.

The party revisited The Baker’s Dozen looking for something savory, and tried some Luskan sausage rolls—both mild and spicy. The tiefling who they’d met in the shop before—Brimine—continued to show a great interest in Andira and her background.

The party stopped in at the Trade of Blades, thinking it might be a weapons shop, only to discover it was a mercenaries guild. They talked a bit with Thaldus, the dwarf who was tending bar there. He gave them some literature about the benefits of guild membership, and they left without joining the guild.

They stopped by another shop—Allis Lhyssich's Hand Crafted Weapons and Magical Weapons for Noble Causes—that was a weapon shop, but one that catered to the rich and elite. The proprietor—Allis Lhyssich—treated the party like dirt, then on the pretense of looking for some weapons that might meet the party’s needs, retreated to the secured back area of the shop, and didn’t come back out. After a while, Sariyas rearranged the furniture in the shop, and the party left.

Andira began learning the Ritual of Free Flight, the Ritual of Ascension, and the Ritual of Banishment under the tutelage of her old mentor, Jordan Hickam. At the end of their first session, Jordam gave her copies of the text of all three of the rituals, and told her she needed to memorize them all. Although dreaded the prospect, she spent a few hours that evening memorizing, and pleasantly found that the task was much less difficult than she expected.

The next day, a street urchin approached Sariyas, and gave him a page with a familiar Feywild Children’s Rhyme written on it. One asked where it came from, the urchin told him that a hooded figure had paid them to deliver the page—after they suggested that a bit of coin from Sariyas might help jog their memory.

The party then went to The House of Knowledge: where they asked Brother Jared for works on the “First of the Fey” as mentioned in the children’s rhyme, and on “Tiefling Culture.” He directed them to the 2nd basement level to the library, where they found:

• “On the Origin of the Eladrin” by Lucurrian Illiscan, the contents of which are summarized in “The First of the Fey.”

• “Dorian the Sagacious’s Primer on the Tieflings: Their Origins, Natural Affinities, and Culture” which revealed that one of the “Toril Thirteen”—the thirteen tiefling warlocks who had performed the rite that raised Asmodeus to godhood—was named Demakos Graylock.

Dramatis Personae

The Party

Andira—Female tiefling warlock. Andira is an orphan, left anonymously at the temple of the Raven Queen in Neverwinter when still a baby. The priests at the temple named her Andira, and raised and educated her. When she had reached her late teens, Andira was told by Vassyma—the head priestess of the temple—that she was to be initiated as a warlock of the Raven Queen. Soon after Andira completed her initial training as a warlock, Vassyma commanded Andira to travel to the town of Red Larch, and investigate any unusual happenings there.

Caelynn Xiloescient—Elven monk. Born into a family of glass artisans in Silverymoon, Caelynn grew up having little interest in the family business. Instead Caelynn dreamed of travel and adventure. With her parents grudging permission, Caelynn became a student at the Sun Soul Monastery in Silverymoon. There she trained for about 50 years (not that long for an elf.) Then, her master—Siora Quidithas—tasked her with her first quest; to travel to Summit Hall in the Summer Hills. There, Caelynn was to contact Ushien Stormbanner—the commander of the Knights of Samular at Summit Hall—who would give her further instructions. Ushien told Caelynn to travel to Red Larch, take a room at the Swinging Sword Inn, and “keep her ears open.” Caelynn has been called of on an urgent mission by Valeria, the head of Caelynn’s order in Waterdeep.

Nazz Syldaran—Elven ranger. Nazz grew up in the elven enclave of Tangled Trees; her mother was a ranger and her father a Boyer. When Nazz was still relatively young, her mother disappeared—seemingly without a trace—while patrolling near the Sumber Hills. Nazz’s uncle Badgerlock—Quilana’s brother—completed Nazz’s training as a ranger. After fifty years (again, not long for , Nazz set off to try and find any clues to what might have happened to her mother. Badger lock suggested that she start her search in Red Larch.

Sariyas Theyne—Eladrin Rogue. Sarıyas grew up in the Feywild city of Elrodon, raised by his mother. Sariyas never knew his father, and his mother would never speak of him. When he got old enough, Sariyas joined a quasi-mercenary organization, and started working different—often unsavory—jobs as a result. While doing a job for an unknown client—who had paid up front—Sariyas broke into the house of an old and solitary merchant, with instructions to recover an amulet from the merchant. When he touched the amulet, he fell unconscious, and woke up in Faerun, with the amulet around his neck. Sariyas found he was unable to remove the amulet or step back to the Feywild. A note in his hand instructed him that if he wanted have the amulet removed, to travel to the town of Red Larch, and investigate unusual events in the. The note also instructed Sariyas to periodically return to an ancient rock cairn near where he woke up. There he was to leave written reports of what he had observed, and to check for further instructions.

Samara: Human Bard. Samara is a traveling singer, originally from the city of Saerloon, in Sembia. She sometimes bills herself as the “Songbird of Saerloon.” She had traveled to Neverwinter following an obscure prophecy she had received from a seer.

Non-Player Characters

Brimine Keystone—female tiefling. Employee at the Baker’s Dozen in Neverwinter, and member of The Cleansing Flame.

Elak Dornan—male human, proprietor of Dornan’s Fine Stone and mayor of Red Larch. Also a member of “The Believers.”

Harbuck—male human , butcher and part-time constable of Red Larch.

Vasymma Meliryn—Female Drow, head priestess at the temple of the Raven Queen in Neverwinter.