Beastly Investigations

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The huge thing drops his robe, and it is covered in mouths. A rather horrible sight among the various horrible sights we’ve seen this past year. There is an unsettling intelligence in its eyes, as well. The fight begins with a charge at Dalish. The thing seems to be using magic just as we are. Eventually we realize he’s using our own spells against us. Its a very long fight, but we wear it down, and Klyce rips its head off. The strange little man has been knocked unconscious in his cower, so we leave him be after unchaining him. I have to buy Nat a big chain when we get home, because I convinced her not to carry his all through Sardonia. We then vacate the area, and find a place to take a rest. The Dawnmother helps heal our wounds, and in an hour, we set off again, traveling all through the night.

We travel on by night, and sleep by day until we get all the way down to Catenzaro. Nat sends Hey Hey to go look and sees the strange man entering the city. The Sardonian army is camped all around this city and the gates are being closely watched. The group decides Chirina and I have the best chance of sneaking in and Remy lets me borrow Ceres. We head off and go through a tunnel that leads us into a wine cellar. There we wait, and Chirina tells me we might have to pretend to be girlfriends to get through the city unmolested. Sure, why not.

Eventually the merchant comes down with a crossbow and he and Chirina chat animatedly for a while in Italian. The man insists on 100g to let us go up into the city! That’s nearly half of what I have left! But we have to, so I hand it over. We head down to the dock where Hey Hey saw the man go. The army is loading ships full of food and supplies to send out. We find someone who saw the man. The sailor says the old man was trying to get to America, but they turned him away. So, we set out to check around nearby.

When we find him, he’s still freaking out. Demanding to know why we killed the beast. Saying it’s going to be so much worse now. He’ll come back stronger. The man is afraid it’ll kill him and then come kill us, too. It can’t be stopped, he claims. He says his job is to let people know when they are going to die. If they manage to defeat the beast, it still comes back and gets them in the end.

We calm him enough to get some details. He’s being the crier for this thing for eight years. The last crier is now a part of the beast. It was hired by the Sardinian Army to find and kill Americans, or bring them to the Army. They found Philomena a week ago far to the north near Solerno. We get the man some clean clothes and food, then try to convince him that he is safer in the city, surely the beast will have trouble finding him here. He doesn’t believe us, but does stay in the city.

Chirina then takes me to a different contact in the city to get us passage out. We head to a bar, and she talks to a bouncer. We get drinks and she is ushered back to a room while I drink with the bouncer. Fortunately, he doesn’t try to talk to me. When Chirina returns, she says he can get us out later in the day. I let Ceres know our timeline to pass on to the group and we wait. At the appointed time, we head down to the docks and have a nice sewer gondola ride out of the city.

Once we get back to the rest of the group, we fill them in on everything and try to come up with a plan. Chirina is going to go back into the City with Ceres to chat up drunken soldiers. Nat is going to use her Arcane Eye to search the military camp, while Gerhardt sends his snake it to look, too. Nat reports three tents her eye cannot enter – one big, two small – and a runed man walking between them all. A man who stomps on Gerhardt’s snake.

We decide that we really have to have a look at those tents, and let Chirina know our plan through Ceres. She hasn’t gotten much info yet. Nat and Remy are going to sneak in under an invisibility spell from Dalish, to see what they can find out. Nothing could possibly go wrong…

Dinner With the Enemy

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A bit later, eight guards show up and ask if we’ll come quietly. Gerhardt nods, so we are ushered out of our fancy prison and down to dinner with the rest of our group. It’s a bit long table full of food, and we are offered wine and water. Not allowed to turn down anyone’s hospitality, I dig in a bit, while most of the group awaits our host. We don’t have long to wait until a older gentleman arrives, dressed for the fancy dinner and introduces himself as Ernesto DiRudio. He welcomes us to his home, and the joins us in tucking in to the meal.

After we have eaten, he acknowledges our situation. American mages come to pursue the very same people as himself. They were his guests and stole his research. He says that research is dangerous and incomplete, and he has a deal to offer us, instead of finding and killing them. He suggests that if we get his research back for him, return all that they have stolen, he will let us all leave Italy. Never to return. We try to ask about the research but he brushes us off, best not to ask. We decide this is what we came for, so it works for us. Chirina doesn’t want to object is such powerful company, so we all agree and sign a contract with him.

Once we are bound to him, he provides more information. There are five groups in pursuit of Philomena’s family. The Sardinia Military, the Magia, the Church, himself, and there might even be more. He cannot protect us from any of them, and urges caution, given the feelings in Sardinia. The military itself binds mages with magic, and they have mage hunters in their ranks. He suggests that the lasst information he had was that our quarry was in the southern tip of Italy. He offers us horses and supplies to speed us on our journey and we head south.

There are more and more troops as we get further away from Rome. Chirina learns that Sicily is in open rebellion, and we are going to have a bit of trouble getting to where we need to go. We get by Napels on our tourist status, and on down to Solerno. Here, we stop to get rooms for the night, tired of sleeping on the ground out in the open. The city is very quiet, not a lot of people, and there are rumors of folk disappearing.

That night, we are attacked in our sleep. Four strange humanoid beings sneak into our rooms and two of them are wielding magic! It is quite the fight for our lives in the otherwise silent inn, but we manage to kill two of them while the other two escape. Their bodies are strange, and Aranea is terrified of them. She says they are filled with death. When Chirina goes downstairs, she finds everyone else in the place has been killed. We have to go, now! So, she smuggles us out of town through whatever contacts she has in the dark and we get away before camping again, this time under the dome.

Once rested, we head on, but we have to go slower, avoiding troops of soldiers, even going off the road. Still, we are spotted and told to turn back. The soldiers shadow us for a little while to make sure we do, so we decide to travel at night. Strange noises give us pause. A large man approaches, with a smaller, collared man.

“Fall on your knees, the beast is upon you. Quake and Tremble, the Beast has come.” Oh man, this guy is huge.

Captive… Again

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Once we’re all gathered back up with Chirina, we decide we had better let her in on the whole mess. We start with the assassins and their contact and our plan to meet him at the bar. Remy tells her about his magic hat, because she can actually speak Italian, but she’s not particularly interested in getting mixed up with DiRudio’s business. Eventually, we give up hedging and just tell her about our magic. This goes as well as could be expected. She doesn’t run out and call the police, but she sure is scared of us now. I ask the Dawnmother to help out her uncle a little bit, and manage to heal some of his bedsores, but he is too far gone for much else.

We head out to the bar to wait for the contact that night, but no one shows. We say with Chirina and take watches that night, getting a good rest despite the cramped chambers. A nurse stops by in the morning to check on Uncle, and Remy and I go get groceries for breakfast. One more day at the bar, and one more day of nada.

Third times the (ill) charm? Day three, about a dozen men with red armbands approach the bar while we wait and head inside. Next thing I know, Gerhardt is being chased outside by several of them, who are beating him up. Dalish is calling for the constables, and Chirina is rushing inside. I try to get them off Gerhardt, but give up and head for the officers myself. They eventually get to the bar and start arresting people, including Gerhardt. Dalish and I follow them all as witnesses, but make up stories about not knowing what happened and they release us. Gerhardt is held for trial, they tell us.

Back at Chirina’s, we meet up with Remy who says they’d come in, knowing he was American and trying to get him to go with them. When he refused, a fight broke out, and they had guns, so it got a bit messy. Chirina goes outside to keep watch for any more of the men. She says they’re agitators for Sardinia, wanting Rome to give in to the Kingdom. Dalish says he has to check on Gerhardt the next day, so we make plans to head north after that. Hit the hot springs then head for DuRudio.

Dalish heads out early to check on Gerhardt. When he returns, it’s only with a message. Gerhardt was taken away by carriage in the night and is now being held in a nice room. While we discuss what this could mean, another message comes in. He’s an hour north of Rome by carriage, at an estate. I send back to him, asking for details of the route or the estate, and he manages to let me know a few landmarks to find him.

With Chirina’s help, we manage to get out of the city and up near the estate in question. Heyhey goes on a scouting run and sees a Lot of guards in the place, and on the walls, but the front gate is wide open. Inviting us into the trap. I let Gerhardt know we’re here, and he says his snake is scouting the building, and he has no windows in his room. Nat sends in her invisible eye to take a look around and finds two rooms she can’t get into. Gerhardt’s snake leads her to the smaller one where he is staying.

Remy and I sneak a bit closer, discussing whether he should go talk to the guards, or I should try to magic my way in. I’ve got a new spell and if the snake can get in and out, maybe it’s just protected against divination. He eventually agrees that I should try. I concentrate and try stepping through the air to the area Nat described to me. And end up outside the door, with a guard to either side.

I shout for Gerhardt to open the door and fight off the guards, mostly by dodging them. Gerhardt manages to get the door open, but one of the guards kicks him back inside, and then follows him in. More guards come rushing up and it becomes too much. I get grabbed up, gagged, bound, and tossed inside.

I ask Gerhardt what happened once he unties me, and he says that he met a guy in the prison who was also looking for the stolen plans. The guy said he’d give us a three day head start, but then Gerhardt was brought here. It doesn’t make any sense. I let Remy know that I got caught and they’ll have to make a new plan. The room is a private sanctum, so there’s no magicking us out.

New Friends in Italy

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We arrive in Ostia only two days ahead of schedule, but better than not. The captain gets us past the dockmaster and we head into town. Remy tries asking after a nice in using French, but gets sent to a seedy area. We head back and I ask in Spanish, and we get directed to a nice little inn where we secure three rooms for two nights. I send to Philomena to tell her we’ve arrived, but get nothing back. I send to Maribeth as well, and still get nothing.

In the morning, we have a nice breakfast and then head out to buys supplies at the market. Proper clothes for Dalish and some bags and food. Remy has gotten a couple suggestions from our innkeeper, but neither one pans out as having been visited by Philomena. So, we head into Rome proper. Gerhardt casts a spell on me so I can speak Italian for a little while, and we eventually find a nice leather shop where she visited a few weeks ago. Looking around that area, we also find a wine merchant she bought four bottles from. Gerhardt has to keep casting tongues on me, as we search all the fancy inns in the area, but no dice. At the last one, I inquire about a tour guide, and they send for Jean Carle. We get rooms for the night so he can take us around in the morning.

That night’s sending to Maribeth gets a reply saying we are all in a Lot of Trouble, like we didn’t already know that when Dalish showed up. Nevermind, though, at least Maribeth is okay enough to reply this time.

Jean takes us on a tour of Rome as we explain about our missing friend who was supposed to meet us. We visit a lot of fancy places and cool old architecture. We get a few blips of having seen her a few weeks ago, but nothing recent. Jean tells us that the countryside has gone mad over Wizards. He says they’re turning them into slaves out there. Not that Rome would ever do such a thing, but the Kingdom of Sardinia is another matter. When I ask him where a family might take an ill relative for healing, he mentions some hot springs to the northeast, but it’s across the border into the kingdom. He says there are also a few noble manors just outside the city they might have stayed at. When we try to pay him at the end of the day, he demures. Seems a bit suspiscious to me, but maybe it’s part of our room rate.

Back at the inn, we decide to visit the springs the next day. Remember, no magic and no killing. I try another sending, but get nothing. Nat scries on Philomena’s dad, and this one goes through. She sees a dark room with candles, but no windows. Her mom is lying unconscious on a bed with her dad sitting next to her. He is dripping a teal liquid into her mouth, but there’s no reaction. When Nat tells me this, I immediately send to him, asking where they are so we can find Philomena and rescue them. He gets angry and says we should just leave, find her and get out of Italy. We go back and forth a few times because we can’t find her if we don’t know where they are, but he’s just as obnoxious and stubborn as his daughter.

Late that night, Dalish comes knocking on our door. Seems the boys all got stabbed at. Aranea killed the one who attacked Remy and Klyce knocked the other one out. That one is carrying a note with our address on it, and one other. He’s also carrying some poison, which Remy takes. We wake him up and I have a conversation while Klyce menaces him. Derudio hired them to watch for people asking about Philomena, and then kill a few of any such group and get information from the rest. He’s supposed to leave a note to say he has information in the trash by a particular fountain. His contact will then meet him and pay him 1500g for good info. Perfect, now we have a lead. We send this idiot away with his life after he pens us a note, dispose of the other body, and set a plan to use this as a trap and to check out the other address.

Next morning, with Remy disguised at the cutthroat, we go drop the note in the right place, then head to check the other address before the meeting time. The innkeeper is in quite a state. He is so pissed at Philomena, who has threatened him if he touches her things, but hasn’t been back in three weeks. We pay him 40g and promise to remove her things. Heading up to the room, we find it ransacked, and occupied. A young woman named Karina Giovanni is searching the room for information she says Philomena stole, that could save her ill uncle.

We give the room a look and notice it’s been searched several times before. Nat finds a hidden safe and a burnt bit of map. Karena opens the safe and inside we find a bag and a letter to Klyce. She says sending isn’t secure, and isn’t sure where to go. She’s going after the people who are after her, hoping to get more information. She requests we find her quickly, since we won’t turn back. It seems to have been written around the same time as the various merchants last saw her. Karena says she knows a shop where the paper might have been purchased.

We head to her house, so she can make arrangements for her uncle and we can leave Philomena’s baggage. During the walk, she tells us that Philomena and her family seemed to have been friends with Duridio and had stayed with him. But for some reason, stole his research and left. Remy warns her that hanging out with the likes of us could be dangerous, but she’s nervously determined, so we introduce ourselves around.

Over at the paper shop, we find that Philomena did stop here for paper and a few maps. She seems to have pissed off every merchant she spoke to. He finds her receipts and says she got a Northern Italy map and a Southern Italy map. Great… But at least we know the burned map matched the one she got here. Suddenly a bottle bursts through the window, explodes and tosses fire all over the room. Nat starts tossing magic at the guy who threw it, while Dalish tries to douse it with a rug. I work simple magics to contain the blaze while the others get water and sand to douse put it out. The shopkeeper, grateful the whole building didnt go up in flames, gives us the two maps of Italy before we head back out.

Summer Distractions and Treason

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Fathers Kevin and Carmine pray with me and seem to enjoy my help around the church. Nat says we need the gods to put this war to rest, so I’m going to do everything I can to get the Dawnmother’s help. I spend hours and hours praying to her. I attended every service, every day for three months straight.

I don’t hear her, not like when she was right there in front of us in the time bubble, but I can feel her. I can feel her presence around me, watching me. I find I can channel this feeling into magic. It’s not like the other spells I cast, it helps people. I can help someone with a small task by asking for her Guidance. I can stop Remy from bleeding out when he knocks himself unconscious with his experiments. I can even do a tiny bit of healing like Dalish, but at much lower a cost. If I take my time, I can even help multiple people.

The Fathers say they have never seen the like before. I can feel the strain, too. The Dawnmother seems to be pushing against something to watch me, to help me. It isn’t easy, but I believe she is trying to help. If she is trying, maybe the others can help, too. Nat will have to help us figure out how to contact them, though.

It takes me a month of evenings, working with Xin Yue to get my bond back. She helps me through a purification ritual to reconnect with the earth and renew my bond. When I am finished, my hair has also grown back, long as ever, to signify the pact is complete. I know I can harness thunder and lightning through my bond with the earth, but I’ve always leaned away from these forces. They are so much more destructive than the air. With this renewal, however, I feel the pulse of the earth stronger, now.

I feel the storm coming. It’s never a good idea to stand against the storm. So, I’ve leaned into it. I’ve learned new ways to harness the earth magic. To imbue my strikes with thunder, to call lightning from the clouds. I’ve even figured out how to move longer distances than the noisy Thunderous Step, and send my words on the wind to go further.

The others spend the summer researching and creating new spells. Gerhardt works on some potions, as well. Remy trains and spends time with Aranea. I don’t know what he’s going to do, she’s going to kill him if he can’t find a better way. We help out here and there with small investigations. Pyrus gets elected as the new Prime. Everything settles back into a normal routine as the beginning of the next presumptive school year draws closer.

Then Klyce comes to us one day, two weeks out from school. Philomena didn’t come home when she was supposed to. Her boat didn’t arrive. We try sending spells and scrying spells, but nothing connects. Everyone dives into action. Dalish and Maribeth go dig up information on the boat and the company that owns it. Remy asks his family about anything they might know about vacation spots in Italy. Klyce keeps going down to the dock. Several days later, the ship arrives, without Philomena and her family.

The captain tells Klyce that he waited several days, but they never showed up. Captain Barnes tells him the name of the town they departed from near Rome. Klyce asks about his schedule and getting passage on the return trip to Italy. It’s going to be a little while for him to unload his cargo and get new.

Klyce reports back and Remy goes back to the Maiden’s Folly to talk to the captain about chartering the entire ship, sans cargo, for a return trip as soon as possible. Barnes says he can leave in two days, and it’ll cost 1500. Remy asks about a discount if we can help the ship go faster. I help with that negotiation, and we agree to pay in full up front, and get 50 back for each day we take off the week-long trip. Gerhardt goes to his party and gets Tongues in exchange for future service, as none of us speak Italian. Dalish reads up on Italy and lets us know that magic is not welcome there.

Dalish then goes to tell Rictus that we plan to go to Italy to rescue Philomena and her parents. He forbids us going as we are government officials under his control. We all sit down for a big discussion. Klyce is going, but he doesn’t expect any of us to risk Rictus’ wrath. I point out to everyone that disobeying Prime Rictus in this manner could get us all arrested and executed. I don’t care, but some of them have family to think of. Maribeth says she can’t risk it, she has to take care of her mother. The rest of us will go, consequences be damned. But we convince Dalish that he needs to stay with Maribeth, keep her safe, and maybe keep Rictus off our scent for a few days.

Philomena sends Klyce a message. Her parents have been captured. She’s going to rescue them, and isn’t sure she’ll make it back. He replies to her, letting her know we leave for Italy in two days, and should arrive in Ostia within nine. He asks her to send her location if she can, and to meet us if she is able. Klyce then asks Maribeth and Dalish to try official channels to get her parents back while we set sail. He doesn’t want either of them to lie to Rictus, just try not to mention it for a while. Aleria wishes Nat a good fishing trip when she tries to go leave a note.

Two days into our voyage, Dalish appears on the ship, spellbook in one hand, and pajamas on. I send a message to Maribeth that Rictus is in our house, and just teleported Dalish to us. I don’t get much of a response other than shrieking panic. This is not what we had hoped for, but at least Rictus didn’t come himself and whisk us all back home.