(Update: We have Hero's Frame and All-Purpose Accommodations in the villa now.)
 |
| This may or may not be what the Hero's Frame looks like. |
The Ashen Company are newly returned from Ezra's tower. Grug is very sleepy and decides to nap sprawled atop the popsicle stick. We talk about what to do next, and who we might tell about Ezra's predicament and the cosmic dragons. We never quite decide who. We talk about who might be targeting Berrik with the Dream spell. Null, ever suspicious, wonders if there might be a traitor in our midst. Could it be Mira? Lotty can't imagine Remmi, Mira, Latharial or Rhone ever betraying us. If that's true, then it might one of our obvious enemies?
There are ten days until the Winter Apex festival and the following events all happened at non-specific moments during that downtime.
Lotty's lore drop:
The party gathers and Lotty decides to finally tell Null all that she saw through Ezra's super-powered scrying orb. She restates what she saw in the first vision: a trio of children at play, Null as a small human-looking girl with green eyes and wearing cute cotton dress, the woman with brown hair and similar green eyes telling her children they are going to see a play in Pacapa. Lotty then continues to tell what she saw the second time she looked into the orb: Null's mother, older now and gaunt, in a stone building surrounded by snow. She is with Madam Trolley and is being convinced that she doesn't have children, despite her instincts telling her otherwise. The environment seems to be akin to a mental health facility.
Null is shocked and confused. She feels deeply compelled to rescue this woman, her mother, and kill Trolley with her bare hands. But she also feels as though there is a missing piece of the puzzle. Why would Trolley/Azher steal someone's children and then keep her alive for years and imprisoned, especially if she keeps insisting on their existence? Why would they go to all the trouble to kidnap said children, and then just toss one out into the world without any memories after experimenting on her? Was that part of the plan? Did she somehow escape? Is this whole thing a trap? Null wants answers but is afraid those truths might be something she cannot abide. Null then asks Lotty if she's able to show her what her mother looks like and what Null looked like as a child. Lotty produces two tinkered drawings. Lotty notes that both the woman and child Null look curiously like familial relations of Null's Dara form. Thinking back to the vision, Lotty remembers something from her first foray into the orb. One of the other children, an older girl, looked less like a relation of Dara's and more like a younger version of Dara herself. What could this mean? Are all these people changelings like Null? Who the hell was her late friend Dara? And who the hell is Null? Lotty notices that Null is getting panicky and overwhelmed. She promises Null that the party will rescue her mother no matter what, and that the answers she seeks may lie there. And whatever clarity lies in those answers, good or bad, we will deal with together.
Lotty's hand drop:
Lotty spends some time at McFini's, where the shop is abuzz with tinkerings for the upcoming festival. She wants to reconnect with her family and work on a special project for Flynn. After a few days, she brings him along and presents him with a gift - a true Lotty McFini original. The prosthetic hand is comprised of intricately beautiful clockwork mechanics, and sports several tiny chambers of purple liquid. Flynn takes the hand and places it over his stump - it fits perfectly and seamlessly responds as he goes to wiggle his fingers. He is overjoyed and runs into the street, looking to test out his new limb by Eldritch Blasting the sky.
Berrik's hot twin drop:
Berrik has been wanting to do this for awhile, ever since Nassandrial kept sending hers their way. He asks Lotty to join him and cast create water, which he then freezes using the popsicle stick. With that and some ruby dust, he spends the next 12 hours creating his simulacrum, which he attempts to name Derrik. Derrik is naked when he comes into being, and Lotty immediately clocks that this body is hot. Usually hidden beneath layers of robes, Berrik's (and now Derrik's) body still carries the physique of a soldier. Plus, that booty is caked. Berrik is pleased with Derrik, but it becomes immediately clear that the simulacrum has a personality all his own. In spite of this, he still seems happy to help. Derrik wanders off to find the library, as Lotty and Berrik have asked him to see what he can find out about Sarni. On the way to the library, both Flynn and Null have awkward run-ins with Derrik. Berrik apologizes for not giving a heads up to the two most paranoid members of the party. Derrik soon discovers that Sarni was likely an arcanaloth and the mezzoloths we fought were likely under his control. Weird. So what was the point of that fireball in the street after all? Something to keep in mind. Berrik then gets to work on figuring out how to avert the effects of the Dream spell he's been afflicted with. He first tries Tiny Hut, but it doesn't work. He eventually turns to Ezra's spellbook for ideas and finds Magnificent Mansion. Yes, this will do nicely and will let Berrik give the Ashen Company a piece of home on the road. He scribes this and a couple of other spells into his Diviner's Archive. He also re-ups his Contingency. Later on, Derrik comes to find Berrik. The simulacrum has a very important question to ask: "Is Lotty single?" Berrik is taken aback and answers in the affirmative. He did not expect this kind of behavior from his simulacrum, but he's not mad at it. Derrik deserves to be his own person.
Flynn's lack of respectful boundaries drop:
Flynn recently picked up Arcane Eye and decides to spend some time over a few days looking in on their allies. He hasn't been able to shake the suspicion that there may be a traitor in their midst and wants to see what Remmi and gang get up to when the Ashen Company aren't around.
Remmi: The first night he send the eye to seek out Remmi. He soon finds Remmi laying down on a table in Mira's chambers. He's in his undies and Mira is methodically waving a wand over his legs, looking very concerned. Remmi's legs are rough - they are clearly plagued with some kind of necrosis. Through the eye, Flynn hears Mira tell Remmi "It's getting worse and spreading faster than we thought". Remmi then clocks the presence of the eye and nudges Mira. She quickly dispels it and this night of spying is over.
Latharial: Flynn sends the eye to spy on Latharial and finds her spending some time with Null. They are having a quiet night in. L can tell that Null is bothered by something and asks if she's all right. Null responds that the tower was difficult for her and that Lotty was able to discover that Null might have family that still lives, but that she doesn't quite know what that means for her. Latharial promises to be there to support Null in however she'd like to pursue that discovery. Null then asks L about her family and the Lady of Uud goes on to describe someone with a bunch of really amazing traits: beautiful, feisty, funny, etc. It takes Null a little too long to realize that L is talking about her. The rogue is truly touched by this sentiment and says how much that means to her, fighting the urge to say "Ditto". L then asks Null what she thinks the future will bring for them after this is all over - after they win the war, after they defeat the Marionettist. Null expresses that, given her situation, she's always had the feeling that she may not survive what's to come. But if she does make it through the trials ahead, Null says that she sees them together. Null's not sure what kind of chair Latharial wants to sit in after all this is over - the one in Uud, the one in High Rock, or a cozier one in a home they share - but she says that she'll be there to support L in whatever seat she chooses. Latharial counters with the possibility that she may not want to sit in a chair at all. Null initially thinks this is a weird stance to take on a type of furniture - everywhere has chairs? Even if she doesn't have a title, she will still need somewhere to sit? L repeats herself, more slowly this time. Oh. Null understands now where Latharial wants to sit and it definitely isn't a chair. She acquiesces and Flynn quickly gets that Arcane Eye outta there.
Rhone: Flynn sends the eye to find Rhone but cannot locate him. He makes do with just logging the comings and going around the Last Stand Inn. Where could Rhone be?
Later on, Flynn gathers his investigative notes and goes to find Null. He takes them out to show her and tells her about his suspicions of Remmi. What if he's faking it? Null recalls that Remmi had suffered a curse previously, before she joined up. Flynn should ask Lotty about it, as she would know more about the circumstances of the curse and what happened to Remmi. Flynn agrees and continues to flip through his notes. The next page includes his notes on Latharial, so he panics and tries to hide the page. Null sees this and grabs it, but the paper tears in two during the tussle. Flynn takes his half and tries to eat it. Null examines her half and quickly discerns the gist of its contents. "WHY are you LIKE THIS?!", she yells. "If this is about what happened with the helmet, I'm sorry. Okay? I'm sorry!" she continues. She explains that she did the best she could get the helmet off of him. When it latched onto her, she didn't have full control. She didn't mean to stab him through the chest - she was trying to get it off her head. And when she saw what she did, she brought him back immediately. Null insists that she's not a traitor and would never do anything to betray the Ashen Company. She asks for a truce and tries to placate Flynn by agreeing with him that he didn't actually die in the tower - we're all just joking. He seems to be on board with a truce and spits out what's left of the page. Null goes to walk away. As she turns her back, the goblin makes an offhand comment about furniture before fleeing. Null clenches her fists and pursues. I'm sure these two will eventually figure it out.
--------
One night after a long day of working in the shop at McFini's, Lotty is about to tuck herself into bed. She gets herself comfy under the covers and is about to extinguish the light when she receives a Message. The voice in her head is familiar to a degree, but the message is unexpected.
"You up?"
To be continued.