Coyote Cartography

Start of run … the 13th of Navril (11,134 p.f.), morning - 3rd day after the siege

Kodiak greatly regrets not going back to report back to the Amberspire seileni because more urgent matters have arisen in Thornwall Keep. He looks into the cost of sending a message, overland, via a messenger or some other service. Meanwhile, Marco (who has recovered from the nerve-rattling, shadow siege) rejoins the group for breakfast at the Oasis Inn. The group discusses the goals of their opposition, Adjutant Coal, to try and figure out what he might do, next. Since he apparently thought that Jollundar: the Temple of Memory might have been the resting place he was looking for, now that he has apparently found out it is not, the Seekers want to try and get ahead of him and anticipate the adjutant’s next move. Klaus suggests luring Coal into the open.

The group also discusses looking into the Foundationists as, more and more, the ancient organization’s legacy (and how they were ended by the Order of Eyes) seems to be involved with what’s happening in Thornwall Keep. The Seekers eventually decide to see if the druids have more information on this. They decide to ask the druids, in their grove, if they possess their own library or, at least, a section of the libraries located within the Salaxis school. Arii plans on contacting the druids (accompanied by Tan) to see if they have a library with which they may research the Foundationists. Before the leave, however, Kodiak requests Tan cast animal messenger to send a desert hawk with a note to the seileni giving a summary of the shadow threat and the urgency to resolve the situation within five more days: before the end of the cease-fire between the living and the dead.

Klaus picks up the Holy Weapon Balm that he arranged with the local alchemists and then goes to assist Arii and Tan with research at the druid’s grove. Klaus distributes the Holy Weapon Balm (1 application, each) to Tan and Kodiak. Klaus then goes to join Arii and Tan.

In the Salaxis School for Arcane Mastery, Kodiak (with Grymaldi’s help) reverse-engineers the basics of the Holy Weapon Balm and begins mass-producing it while Marco watches out the lab windows and Grymaldi stands guard against potential magical threats.

Arii and the rest go to Ahran’s Grove where they meet, again, Mirras (the druidic acolyte) near the statue of Ahran Thornhand at the Grove’s entrance. They ask whether or not the druids possess a library and Miras tells them that they have one, “of a sort”. They are told to go to the Stone of Memory. Each Seeker is given three tokens with which they may use to ask questions (as per stone tell) of the rocks in the clearing with each person making a Knowledge Skill check to determine what info they get (limited by what the stones in the grove, know). They are told that druids bring new stones to the grove all the time where they are tied into the communal, central Stone of Memory. Arii, Klaus, and Tan leave their weapons outside the bamboo wall and proceed to the Stone of Memory for their research. Some of the stones have iron ore and coal in them as they come from the mines, below. A few have elemental crystals, within. They only really know information gathered across the Indramael although any single stone has a small chance to have overheard a conversation regarding something beyond the local borders.

Each requestor, the first time they use the stones, may use a Knowledge (nature) check (DC 22) to become “in sync” with the Stone of Memory and, thereby, gain a +2 (per 5 over the DC 22) to their subsequent Research checks. This bonus only lasts for 1 month.

Arii, not in sync with the Stone of Memory, asks who violated that which Laia Echt was guarding and what the undead Laia Echt guards. For both questions, the rocks answer that Laia Echt died over a hundred years ago and, if (after her death) she was tasked with protecting something, it is beyond the knowledge of the stones. Then, Arii asks if any in the city serve the Order of Eyes. The stones respond, “We know, not, of this Order of Eyes”.

Tan, greatly in sync with the stone library, asks who the violator is that Lecht asked for. “The violator is unknown to the stones.” He then asks what it was that was violated. “The nature of the violation, is not known.” Finally, he asks where the skyships, reportedly in the mines, are located. To this, the stones reply: “In the year 11,081 pf: Two bows, two hulls, and two prows were brought, below, bearing crates upon crates of crystals. They never came back out but were last seen beneath Cathar Dwarven Mining. Upon the prows were written the words,  the Omris and the Dairis. The exact location of their resting place is unknown.” Arii is stunned that they discovered what Bael was looking for.

Klaus, also in sync with the stones, asks his questions. He asks where the tomb of Lyra Daisana, founder of the Order of Eyes is located. The stones respond:

“Lyra Daisana:

DC 12 (common knowledge):  Lyra Daisana is the name of an ancient priestess of Versummus from over seven millennia ago.

DC 15 (basic learned knowledge):  Lyra Daisana was a kitsune and served alongside the first female knight, Saya Polemone and her twin sister, Maia, to stop a mad titan in the third millennia, post-Fall.

DC 18 (specialized knowledge):  Vandis, a demi-god born of Versummus and a mortal, had been driven mad by his half-divine nature and railed against the gods. His campaign to punish them for toying with mortal lives was ended only with Lyra Daisana’s assistance in 3,837.

DC 21 (difficult):  Lyra Daisana led the mortals who were charged with the disposal of Vandis’ body.

DC 30 (hard):  Lyra Daisana was said to have been founder of an ancient order devoted to keeping divine or potentially world-shaking magics out of the hands of mortals. This order was said to have eyes, everywhere. In the end, it is said that she left them, nearly eight hundred years later, as they had lost their way.”

Klaus continues, asking what is known of the three Dynn brothers … miners who have taken up residence in Thornwall Keep?

The Stones replied, “The Brothers, Dynn:

• Fahlahzazz “Fahz” Dynn (m. terrmorah … a highwayman and mercenary)

• Pehleit Dynn (m. terrmorah … an arcanist and cut-throat)

• Reid Dynn (m. terrmorah … a raider)”

The stones continued, after that, adding that “all three brothers work for the Amber-Wille Mining Consortium but, moreover, are major shareholders in its operation, much to the frustration of the overseer of the mines, Lord Montag Satchin Feldspar.”

Finally, Klaus asks what is known of the Foundationists: enemies of the Order of Eyes and creators of the Midnight and Day Temples.

The Foundationists:

DC 21 (difficult):.

2. The Foundationists organized in an ancient cloudland called Haliland following the discovery, in the old, crumbling Ullit city of Sabelford (which possessed foundations dating back to before the Fall) of three-millennia-old texts describing gods who predated the Hexagon. One therein-described ritual talks about the ability to conjure and restore lost knowledge as if resurrecting it.

DC 33 (obscure minutiae):  The Order of Eyes sacked a Foundationist stronghold called “the Day Temple” around 4,590 pf, and caused the cloudland it was located upon to crumble and fall into debris: lost in the Deep Blue. + one of the following…

1. Around 3,250 pf, the Foundationists completed their Midnight Temple.

1. The Midnight Temple was built in the northeastern region of a cloudland called Thracine on a flat, salt-soil region they called Dragonmere.

2. Around 3,260 pf, the Foundationists completed their Twilight Temple.

After the three Seekers end their consultation with the stones, Klaus, Tan, and Arii return to the Salaxis School to compare notes with the other three. Klaus, keeping himself vague out of concern for people overhearing him, confirms that the ships were disassembled and secreted in Thornwall Keep where the three terrmorah Dynn brothers are apparently seeking the crystals. Klaus further tells the others that the Foundationists were “enemies of nature, the gods, and all mortalkind.” They had built at least three temples: the Day, Midnight, and Twilight Temples. The founder of the Order of Eyes, Lyra Daisana, has her resting place, down below: buried and hidden by the fractured and re-arranged tunnels. Kodiak summarizes their needed actions as having to go deep inside the shadow-infested mines for at least two, deliberately hidden things: the lost ships of Velar Santorissi and Lyra Daisan’s tomb. They now know that they have rivals, the Dynn Brothers, in their search for the hidden ships. Klaus, to add confusion for any unseen scryers or eavesdroppers, adds something untrue to his re-cap: that he now knows where the tomb of Vandis is. As he says this, Arii and Grymaldi detect the presence of a scrying sensor in the corner. Grymaldi suggests, simply, that now would be a good time to get lunch.

As the group descends the rope bridge to the Oasis Inn, Grymaldi tells them that they were being watched towards the end of their time in the laboratory. Klaus confirms that he purposefully led them astray by making the watcher think they may have a map to where the tomb is. They decide to contact Selig to confirm some of their suspicions. They leave word with one of Selig’s people who tells them the skulk will return from his daily deeds by sundown.

In the meantime, Grymaldi learns that word on the street is that known and respected miners, the Dynn brothers, have been reported lost: they did not report back to the Amber-Wille Mining Consortium after their daytime work shift. He gets into an argument with one of the miners (who blames the disappearance on the High Council who, the miner says, aren’t doing anything but negotiating with undead monsters) before going back to The Oasis Inn. He passes a few of Sohnne’s men who are making repairs on two of the Portmire Caravan’s wagons. He goes in and sits down by the others (who are waiting for word that Selig has returned). He says nothing about the Dynn brothers to the others at this time.

During the afternoon, Klaus helped the caravan members by using mending to help fix the wagons. He spends the afternoon with the Portmire Caravan workers.

Selig’s messenger finally arrives an hour before sunset saying that Selig will meet them in the Evershade Bathhouse in public bath chamber #2. The Seekers go there to bring Selig completely up to date. Grymaldi tells them all about the Dynn brothers having gone missing. Selig agrees to watch the students of Salaxis since, clearly, at least one of them is probably involved with the attacks upon the Seekers. He also warns the outsiders to hide, since they are being hunted. Selig, who purchased time in the bath until midnight, departs and leaves the Seekers to figure out what they will do next.

<In secret, Klaus messages Selig, telling the skulk that Emris Dynn, patriarch of the Dynn Brothers, is a member of the Umber Guild.>

The Seekers, in the bathhouse, talk and compare notes figuring out what to do, next. They talk about, ostensibly, going into the mines on a rescue mission (for the Dynn brothers) so they can search the mines for one of the things they need. They head for the Amber-Wille Mining Consortium entrance. Over the gate are the words, “From the Gods … For the People”. There, they meet the Consortium mine supervisor, Gahrtek Behrgalde: an old troll who has been working the mines all his life. He, at first, refuses to grant them entry. Klaus promises to save the Dynns (diplomatically attempting to influence Gahrtek in their favor). After a moment, Gahrtek says “I never saw you”. He provides them with work vests and mining helmets. He then shows them a map of the tunnels and points out where, on level 13, the Dynns were assigned to be working when they vanished. He tells them that there are many levels, deeper, but they are unsafe. The tunnels of Amber-Wille extend for miles under the desert but stop at level 15, below. There are some 83 to 100 levels, in total, of the mines which spread out for many miles under the nearby desert.

The Seekers descend into the depths and make their way to the River Room on level 13 where the Dynn brothers were last seen. There, they find remains of work (but not much) and discover that a boarded-up exit tunnel (marked with a skull symbol for “danger”) was actually a concealed passage through which the Dynn brothers departed. The Seekers are about to follow the path when attacked by a Weird from the elemental plane of water. They manage to fight it off and, subsequently, do not find any evidence that the Dynn brothers had fought or been injured by the thing.

The Seekers collect themselves and proceed into the dark tunnels in the wake of the terrmorah brothers.

----- STOPPED AS THE PCs START FOLLOWING THE DYNN BROTHERS’ PATH INTO THE MINES