So, arriving back in Woodwell with a crate of eggs and many questions, we decided it would be safe to secure a lock box in town to store the crate. The establishment ticketed all deposits. I worried still, about the eggs. Since finding them, I have had nothing but an urge to protect them and keep them apart from each other. Dragons were such a historical presence, that if it wasn’t for their kin, one might believe they were only great folklore. These eggs are so very important. Whatever reason the kobolds wanted them all together could not have been good. Neither could the risk of losing them all at once. I was so conflicted throughout the day.
I was especially concerned for a dream that I had had that night. I saw the girl again and heard the kobold’s voice echoing in my ears. Had they really said that? To spill her evil blood? Evil? Evil to a kobold must be pretty evil.
We had determined that it would be wise to find out exactly where our merchant friend was taking the package, so we returned to the inn where he was staying. Iceborn and Kriv went to discuss matters with Ludwick, the merchant, while Cherry went off to a bakery and I found myself wandering the bazaar. I was searching for something, but wasn’t sure what. Possibly a diviner might give me a nudge in the right direction.
I wandered around until I located a tent decorated with crystals, beads and chimes. Even your garden variety card reader might get me thinking of something I had overlooked. I poked my head in and an old dwarf woman called me to come in. I sat down across the table from her, and she asked what I needed. I explained that I had a bit of a problem and could use some insight.
“I’m very concerned. I’ve found something, it’s very important. At the moment I don’t know whether it is very good or very bad, but I worry that if I wait to find out, I won’t be able to do anything about it. Do I get rid of it now, while I still can, or to I protect it?”
The dwarf woman laid out some cards. She grunted to herself and then told me that right now, I am outside of the situation. This event was of great importance, but I did not have any involvement in it. I could, if I wanted to, change the events. She gave me nothing in the way of right or wrong, good or bad. She must have seen the troubled look in my eyes or sensed that simply standing by was not an option for me.
“I see you use the cards yourself?” she gestured to the deck in my pouch.
“Yes”
She pointed toward a card on the table. “This card here, I’m not quite sure what it is in your arcana, but I believe to many it is associated with The Tower.” I pondered on this for a moment.
The Tower is not among the cards in my deck, but I did know enough about other paths to understand that it was a very bad omen. Some who do not understand the cards might fear Death more than this card, but where Death is simply the end of something and a possibility to begin something new, The Tower does not offer the same consolation. It is chaos, crisis, and ruin. The only positive thing that comes from the tower is that an uncomfortable experience would lead one to the truth.
The dwarf cast some crystals on the table and instructed me that it was my choice to make, she could not say one way or the other.
“You’ve given me alot to think about, of course I already had alot to think about, but thank you for your time and insight.” I laid some coins on her table, and she passed me two potions. Before I could thank her, she said, “Here, this is what I’m actually selling.” Stunned and a little embarrassed, I thanked her again, took the potions and left.
I would have to act on my instinct, whether for right, wrong, good or evil, I must at least do something. I dressed again as Lola and made my way quickly to the storage vault. The clerk asked to see a ticket, and I presented an illusory effect ticket with our vault number and was waved in. I quickly lifted one egg from the chest and secured a second box for it under an alias. My entourage would know the name Lola if they came looking for changes to the contents of the vault. Emara would suffice, I would just have to remember that name. I tucked my new ticket into the fold of my pouch so it would be safe with my cards.
“How do we even know if we’re taking care of these things properly?” I asked myself, “The last thing we need is to have dead baby dragons rotting in storage.” I magically warmed up a cloth from my bag and wrapped the egg inside it. “Let’s both hope this isn’t a mistake.”
Knowing the others would soon be looking for me, I locked up the boxes and turned in the keys. I quickly lowered my ponytail, wiped the makeup off my face and threw my jewelry back in my pouch. My belt that had been supporting two wadded up rags as an empire waist around my robes was moved down to my hips and I tucked the rags back into my bag. I checked my reflection quickly in a pane as I made my way to the inn where my crew had been staying.
When I arrived, the guys had been back for some time and were discussing a parchment they had received from Ludwick. Cherry brought everyone sticky buns from the bakery. She offered me one and I ate it, happily, because as long as I had my mouth full, I couldn’t accidentally say something revealing. It would give me time to calm my nerves and devise an alibi in my mind. All I mentioned was that the bazaar was certainly bizarre and that I had brought a couple potions.
Kriv read the parchment, written in Draconic, to the group. It entailed The Blasphemer, The Eye of Tharizdun waxing, and The Watchers on the Pale. In my studies, I have retained such knowledge that Tharizdun, the Chained God, was one of ultimate evil, but bound to the abyss. However, the Eye of Tharizdun refers to a second moon that appears only in times of high magic. When full, the barrier between this world and the abyss is thin, and Tiamat herself may return. The Watchers are a group of occultists and scholars who take great cares to understand and contain such ancient evils and protect the knowledge of these things so that the wrong people do not learn to control it. I explain this to my group. They mention the letter and package were to be sent to one known as Trueflame, so without further hesitation we set off to locate him.
It was discovered that Trueflame was the captain of the city guard. Dragonborn, to be sure. We split off in different directions to check the city gates, perhaps we would find him or another guard would be able to tell us where to find him.
“He’s gone to the bazaar. There’s been a disturbance.” I learned from one guard and met with my group to relay the message. Kriv had gone to the temple and learned that after things were settled at the bazaar, Trueflame would be headed to a banquet.
We arrived after the dispute and guards were clearing up the mess, keeping people out of the way. Trueflame had already left, but as I worried the disturbance could have involved Ludwick, I leaned in as a curious looky-loo and asked a guard what happened. Just your average bazaar disturbance, a small tussle that ended up a full blown brawl amidst the tents. Satisfied for now, we moved along to meet Trueflame.
Kriv went to meet him personally, because he had been the first to read the parchment and among his kin would be better received. Trueflame was a bit disturbed by our appearance, especially the infernal-blooded one. He asked if we might move the conversation to a more private location.
Very troubled by the letter, Trueflame demanded more information about how we came by this letter and when word of the eggs came up, he wanted nothing to do with them.
“The letter was meant for me, but the package was meant for another”
“Who?” Iceborn prodded.
“The Blasphemer”
“And who is that?”
With severe unease, Trueflame revealed to us that he had a friend, Herrick. Anathema to the church, when Herrick came of age he lost all his platinum scales and became all the colors of Tiamat. He was seen by the church as corrupt and evil without any further evidence. Trueflame had been ordered to kill Herrick, but when he went looking for him he was attacked by dire wolves. He could have been killed, but was instead saved, by Herrick, not by the church. He could not believe that Herrick was true evil, and so he let him escape. They have been secret friends for many years. Trueflame owes Herrick his life and so protects the secret of his whereabouts.
“He’s staying in a cabin about five miles outside of town” Trueflame tells us, impressing upon us the importance that this secret never leaves the room. “It pains me, my name Trueflame, yet I have told so many lies to reach the position of captain here.”
We told him no word of this would leave the meeting and that we would deliver the package to Herrick as soon as possible.
