Dru's Blog

The Champion’s Tournament [Offices & Bosses]

Game master Kliats escorts two individuals down a dark, narrow corridor. A tall hobgoblin woman, her hair is a deep crimson with streaks of orange. Beneath the infrequently placed torches, a faint shimmer of glitter can be seen in her hair. She wears black leather undergarments with ornate red armor pieces stylized in the shape of flames. Across her shoulders is a heavy, red cloak. Her Blackwood staff echoes against the rough-hewn stone of the hallway.

She speaks animatedly to the two individuals with her.

“I’m just so excited for you two! In the final four of the champions tournament, I feel like I’m with heroes already.” Her arms flail about her as she speaks. As she gestures, the ruby at the end of her staff pulses with light. “This last phase is my favorite part. It’s where we really get to see what you’re made of.”

Kliats turns and gestures into a room. “We can’t exactly have the crowd favorites fighting to the death. Anymore at least.“ Kliats looks into the distance, momentarily distracted. “What was I saying? Right! We can’t have you all battling to the death, so we’ve got a challenge that will test all the other skills a would-be adventurer would need.”

“Strength, courage, teamwork, wit, you name it!” Kliats begins poking and prodding the two individuals, pinching their arms and holding their hair up against the light. “And of course my lovelies will put on a marvelous show while your at it, won’t you?”

“Uh, sure.” Krolm says, pulling his arm from her hands. “So what exactly is it that we’ll be doing?”

“Well, I don’t want to spoil all the surprises. But I can tell you that this last round will be a team event!” She snaps and a 7 foot long chain appears attaching Krolm’s wrist to that of the burly individual next to him.

“What’s this?” Direcris exclaims as he steps backwards.

“Not to worry, lovely. It’s just to make things a little bit more exciting! You can take the manacles off any time if you press your thumb against the wrist. Of course, if you do then you’ll be disqualified!

“What if we break them without opening them?” Direcris asks as he strains against the manacles to no avail.

“I don’t think we need to worry about that, I enchanted these manacles myself” Kliats winks. “Anyways, as I was saying this will be a team event. The two of you are racing against the other two finalists. Whoever completes the obstacles and retrieves the chalice of victory first will be the winner.”

“So we win… together?” Direcris asks.

“Well of course! Great adventurers need comrades after all.” A bracelet on Kliats wrist begins to glow. “Well then, it looks like we’re about to get started! I need to go kick things off. If you have any further questions, the guard here can answer them. Good luck!” She turns and leaves the room.

“Oh! One last thing.” Kliats pokes her head back in. “We can’t have any of that.” She snaps and Direcris’ long sword disappears from his hands. She snaps again and another sword appears, this one with a blunted edge. “You’ll get your sword back after the contest. But for now we don’t want you cutting anyone to ribbons! Fun as that used to be.“ Kliats sighs as she disappears out the door again.

Direcris and Krolm alternate between looking at one another and at the floor. After a few moments of silence Krolm offers, “I guess we have to work together.”

“Are you strong?” Direcris asks, looking Krolm’s slender frame up and down.

Krolm holds up his hands “I can do a lot with these. How about you?”

Direcris rolls his shoulders under his long, heavy coat. “I think we’ll be OK.”

A few more moments pass before the guard’s bracelet begins to glow like Kliats’. He stands and walks to a doorway opposite the one they came in from. “Time for you two to go.”

The door opens and Krolm and Direcris make their way through another corridor before stepping out into a bright light.

As Krolm and Direcris step out of the corridor, they’re hit by a wave of cheers from the audience above. In front of them is a large room, 30 feet by 50 feet. Cutting across the room, separating them from the opposite side is a 10 foot wide chasm. 20 feet up, the wall ends without a ceiling. Through the missing ceiling, bleachers can be seen lining the walls of the stadium. The broader stadium is a circle hundreds of feet wide. The ceiling vaults several stories above.

“HELLO MY LOVELIES!” Kliats’ voice booms from all around. “WELCOME TO TERMINUS, AND TO THE FINALS OF OUR CHAMPION’S TOURNAMENT. YOU ALL KNOW WHAT COMES NEXT. WHO WILL FIND THEIR WAY TO THE CHALICE FIRST? WHO WILL BE OUR CHAMPIONS? THERE’S ONLY ONE WAY TO FIND OUT. GO!”

Krolm and Direcris hesitate for a moment, until a wave of cheers from the other side of the arena makes them start.

“I guess the other two started?”

“Yea, we need to hurry!” Krolm says as he makes his way into the room. Taking a closer look he sees that across the chasm on the far wall is a single door with a prominent lock in the center. Inscribed above the door are the words A test of courage.

As Direcris and Krolm come to stand at the edge of the chasm, they see that it extends down further than either can see. A faint mist begins to swirl 30 feet down. On the opposite wall of the chasm, 10 feet down, hangs a key.

Nodding, the two take a few steps back, then take a running leap. As they reach the ledge, Krolm’s foot slips in the dust, shortening the length of his jump. Direcris lands easily on the other side, but Krolm comes up short, landing right on the edge.

As Direcris sees Krolm begin to fall backwards, he quickly wraps the chain between them several times around his arm, yanking backwards away from the pit. The extra pull gives Krolm just enough momentum to right himself.

“Thanks.” Krolm says, looking uneasily down the chasm.

“Sure.” Direcris looks around. “I don’t see much else in the room, and this chain seems conveniently the right length to reach that key down there.” He looks between his own large frame and Krolm’s more slender build. “I think maybe you should go down?”

Krolm nods and begins to lower himself, hanging from the chain between them. He makes it down without much incident, but as he reaches the bottom and grabs the key, a couple things happen at once.

First, the lock behind Direcris pops loose and the door swings open. Second, all along the walls of the room glowing blue runes appear and begin to hum with arcane electrical energy.

“Shit. Need to hurry up!” Direcris calls down to Krolm. As he looks down between his feet, he notices a wide ring of what looks distinctly like dried blood under the dirt where he’s standing.

Krolm, realizing the increased need for urgency, begins to climb back up the chain. At the same time, Direcris pulls backwards and to the side, looking for a way to get out of range of the runes. As he moves, runes appear and begin to glow along the walls nearer him. The only safe zone seems to be making it out of the room.

Krolm nears the top of the pit and makes a leap for the edge of the chasm. At the same time, Direcris makes a sharp tug on the chain, trying to pull Krolm over the edge. The lack of coordination disrupts Krolm’s lunge and drops him down a few feet.

The runes shift to an ominous red. Direcris looks between the door to safety and Krolm hanging just below the edge of the chasm. He looks at the chain around his wrist. Then he squares his feet and braces for the impact of the lightning trap.

The runes flare and Direcris feels a brief surge of electricity through his body, causing a brief jolt of pain. He opens his eyes, looking around, confused. The crowd above begins to cheer wildly as Krolm pulls himself up from the chasm.

“Thanks… again.” The two stand around for a moment, catching their breath, but a sound of cheering from the other side of the stadium spurs them on.

They run from the room and follow a hallway up to a set of 4 vertical bars blocking their path forward. Next to the bars is a pedestal with a large sapphire embedded in it. As Direcris approaches the bars to peer through, Krolm sees the sapphire pulse dully.

Looking into the room, Direcris sees a large nest in the far corner. Crouched in the nest and growling faintly is a giant badger. Around the badger’s neck is a silver key. Next to the nest is another locked door with words inscribed above: A test of strength.

“Strength…” Direcris grabs the bars in front of him and begins to strain against them, the muscles on his arms popping. As he does this, Krolm sees the gem pulse gently again. The bars don’t budge.

“What should we do?” Direcris asks as he examines the bars and the podium. As he does this, Krolm makes his way to the bars, peering at the badger. He stretches his hand out, palm upturned. The badger recoils backwards.

“Shhhh.” Krolm lowers to his knees and pulls some of his rations from his belt. He holds the rations out enticingly. After a tense moment the badger blinks and begins to sniff the air. It moves forward hesitantly, eventually reaching Krolm’s hand. Delicately, it pulls the rations from Krolm’s hand.

Seeing the badger nearby, Direcris reaches out for the key. As his hand approaches, the badger jumps back, hissing. Krolm shoots Direcris a look and motions him back. Returning his hand beyond the bars with more rations, he motions to the badger again.

As the badger returns, Krolm sets the rations down and begins to stroke the badger’s head. After a moment, the badger drops to it’s belly and begins to hum happily. Krolm plucks the key from it’s neck as he continues to scratch behind the badger’s ears.

The crowd cheers, though in a slightly confused tone at the unconventional solution.

With the key acquired the pair struggles to find a way past the metal bars. They continue inspecting the area until Direcris finally slaps his hand against the sapphire on the pedestal. The bars instantly slide down and the badger sidles up to Krolm.

“Oh. We were probably supposed to do that a bit earlier…” After a few more scratches for the badger, the party makes their way to the far door and unlocks it with the key, moving into another hallway.

The hallway is wider than the previous corridors, which immediately arouses suspicions. They begin to scan around, but again the reactions of the crowd across the stadium motivate them to faster action. The pair begins to run forward, with Krolm in front of Direcris. They make it a few feet forward before Krolm hears a snick followed by a long vertical pole flipping up from the ground and racing straight towards them.

They manage to leap out of the way of the pole, but Krolm jumps right while Direcris jumps left, stretching the chain taught between them. The pole snags the chain and drags them roughly backwards, leaving them in a heap 10 feet back. The crowd winces collectively.

“Right. So, both left next time?” Direcris asks, getting to his feet. Krolm nods and they get ready to run forward again. “Oh, and if a pole comes in some other direction, let’s go down?” Krolm runs forward.

This time, they’re ready for the first pole and dodge easily to the left. They continue onward, ducking underneath a horizontal pole that slides out. Next, two vertical polls launch forward, one in front of Krolm and the other to his left. Thankfully, Krolm is able to throw his hand backwards, stopping Direcris from jumping too far. They pass successfully between the two polls.

“Why don’t we do the next one side by side so I can see a bit more clearly when these polls come?” Direcris suggests. The two run forward shoulder to shoulder.

As they approach the final span of 10 feet, another set of poles appear. Two X’s, one centered in front of each of them. Direcris jumps into the space between the X’s, while Krolm tries to dive beneath his X. The poles drag them mercilessly backwards.

A quick coordination session and the pair is able to surmount the final obstacle. They round the corner onto their final challenge.

Krolm and Direcris find themselves standing in a large room, 80 feet to a side. In the center of the room is a dais raised 10 feet around the surrounding area. Atop the dais rests a large, ornamental chalice. A hobgoblin in full armor stands next to the chalice, one hand resting next to it.

At the opposite end of the room is a second dais with an identical pedestal, but no chalice. Next to the empty pedestal is Kliats who perks up at the sight of Krolm and Direcris.

“WELL WELL LOVELIES. IT LOOKS LIKE WE HAVE OUR FIRST CONTESTANTS TO ENTER THE FINAL CHALLENGE. CAN THEY BRING ME THE CHALLICE BEFORE THEIR COMPETITORS ARRIVE? BETTER HURRY UP B TEAM.”

The Hobgoblin steps forward and roars. Krolm roars back and begins to charge, forgetting that he’s anchored to Direcris, who’s pulled forward onto his face. Direcris stands up only to be pulled forward again as Krolm continues his charge. But this time he’s ready to move alongside Krolm.

Krolm reaches the dais, but the Hobgoblin has had a chance to prepare, swinging with his blunted sword the minute Krolm gets within range. Krolm takes the strike across his shoulder, lunging in to grab the hobgoblin’s foot and pull him off the dais. He succeeds, pulling the hobgoblin down and causing him to hit his head on the dais as he falls. But the hobgoblin shifts his weight and manages to fall on top of Krolm, pinning him.

Still stunned from hitting his head during the fall, the hobgoblin is short work for Direcris, who fells him with a single two-handed slash across the back.

Krolm extricates himself from the now-unconscious hobgoblin and the pair make their way to the chalice. But just as they grab their prize, the other pair of contestants comes spilling out into the arena – a drow and a halfling. The two look particularly haggard, covered in claw marks.

The way is clear for them to run towards Kliats, but Direcris bellows a challenge to the new contestants, much like Krolm before. The pair runs towards their new foes. Direcris sheaths his sword and crashes into the drow. He slams the chalice into her face and drops her, stunned, to the ground. Krolm follows suit with a precision strike into the faceplate of the halfling and in an instant the two stand victorious.

“WELL. CERTAINLY NOT WHAT I WOULD HAVE DONE, BUT I THINK WE HAVE OUR WINNERS!”

Krolm and Direcris make their way to the podium, where a gnome has joined Kliats. “Very impressive. Courageous, improvisational, loyal. I see two great adventurers here. How would you two feel about doing some work for the Korranberg Chronicles?”

Kliats shoots a burst of flame into the air in final celebration. Krolm pumps his fists into the air and does a nimble backflip. Then they all begin to walk out of the arena.

“Oh, by the way” Krolm turns to Direcris. “What was your name again?”

The Heist [Offices & Bosses]

The Blackhook looks exactly how a highborn noble would expect a shady bar to look. Low hung ceiling, dimly lit, with a haze of smoke permeating the air. The burly Orc bouncer out front is missing an ear. The gnome bartender has an eye patch and a scar over her lip.

As soon as Cara walks in, she knows the place is full of shit.

No self respecting professional would ever conduct their business somewhere so obvious. A glance around the room and most of the customers look like long-time drunks or small-time bullies.

Cara looks back towards the door pensively. As she turns to leave, she sees a young Gnomish man sitting in a corner at the back of the bar. Dressed in fine silks with well-groomed brown hair and a neatly trimmed goatee, he looks hopelessly out of place. The man fidgets endlessly, his head jerking towards every loud noise.

Cara sighs and walks up to the man, throwing herself into the chair opposite him. The man nearly bolts for the door.

“I’m guessing you’re the one who put out the job?”

“Oh. Oh! Yes, the job. Of course.” The man tries to regain his composure, but his eyes continue to dart around the room.

“Well?”

“Yes, sorry. I’m just glad someone actually came. I didn’t know what I was going to do otherwise. Anyways, the job. Right.” He talks loudly, racing through each sentence like he’s not allowed to take another breath until he finishes. “I want you to break into-“

“Whoa! Shhh,” Cara leans in and drops her voice. “Keep it down unless you want everyone in the bar to hear!”

“Right, of course.” The man says more quietly. He looks off to the side and mutters “stupid“.

Cara softens, the corner of her lip twitching with a smile. “Look, I can tell this is your first time. Let’s just take it from the top. A bit more slowly, OK? Start with your name.”

The man pauses and takes a deep breath. “Rowen Shorthammer. And you are?”

“Cara.”

“Cara…?”

“Just Cara.”

“Right.” To himself, “Shouldn’t have said my full name.“ “And how could you tell this is my first time?”

Cara gestures to the room around her “first of all, you couldn’t have picked a more obvious meeting place.”

“I thought this was where these kinds of things went down.” As Cara shakes her head he continues, “I guess that’s kind of the problem… Where would you normally do these kinds of things?”

“Well, for starters it would be good to pick a place where you don’t stick out like such a sore thumb. Why don’t we go somewhere where the two of us sitting and talking wouldn’t look completely out of place?”

“Uh, sure. I guess we could go to Brenda’s. Would that work?”

“I’m new to Korranberg, so I don’t know many places yet. So long as it’s a normal bar.”

After a bit of fumbling to pay for his drink, Rowen gets up and walks for the door. Trying painfully hard to look nonchalant. They walk to Brenda’s in awkward silence. Cara uses the time to look around the city.

Korranberg made it through the Last War more-or-less unscathed. The buildings are a riot of color and ornate architecture. The people are open and curious. The cheery attitude is quite the change from the seedy street-levels of Sharn, where Cara spent most of her time. Well, most of the time she wasn’t traveling aboard the Seaduction with her family, that is.

The pair makes their way to Brenda’s and Cara sees Rowen relaxing almost immediately. Rowen orders two drinks and makes his way to a corner of the modest bar. Before joining him, Cara catches the server.

“Could you make mine a water? And put it in a shot glass. Make it a double.” She winks at the confused server and moves to join Rowen.

“Alright, let’s try this all again. You’re Rowen. I’m Cara. What can I steal for ya?”

“It’s not stealing. Well, technically I guess it is stealing. But these items were stolen from me first! Anyways, I need you to break into the home of Furrug Powderstone and retrieve several valuable artifacts from Xen’drik.”

“Steal them back, you say? How did this guy get a hold of them in the first place?”

“At great expense, I chartered an expedition to Xen’drik following an old map that’s been in my family for generations. The expedition was a success, but when the mercenaries returned, Furrug bribed them to turn over the artifacts to him.”

Rowen quiets as the server brings over two drinks. They hand an ale to Rowen and a small shot glass to Cara. Cara takes the glass and downs it in a single gulp. She flips the glass upside down on the table. Rowen’s eyes go wide for a moment.

“What kinda artifacts are we talking about?”

“I don’t know exactly, Furrug got to them before I’d even had a chance to inspect the cargo. In letters the mercenaries sent to me though they mentioned some old religious idols, weaponry, and some ancient books.”

Two tables away, a disheveled looking gnome with bright red hair perks his head up. Unnoticed by Cara or Rowen, he begins listening intently.

“I know Furrug is keeping my artifacts in his home. He’ll be out all tomorrow night at a ball, so I want you to break in and steal back my artifacts then.”

“What kind of security are we talking?”

“He always has a couple guards stationed at the entrance to his manor in the Noble Quarter. I’m sure there’s a few more guards, but Furrug is a minor noble, only recently of any prominence. I doubt he can afford much more in the way of security.”

“And how much pay are we talking?”

Rowen shifts in his seat and looks towards the ground. “Well, about that… you see… the expedition to Xen’drik was very expensive. And I might have liquidated more or less… all of my family’s wealth to fund it. So I might not exactly have any money to pay you right now.” Cara starts to stand. “Wait! But once you’ve retrieved the artifacts I can sell them and earn more than enough money to pay you!”

“So you want me to do this job with no guarantee of pay. And at the very least I’ll have to stick around and wait for you to sell all of these goods?”

Rowen nods, unfazed.

“How about something different. You say these artifacts are valuable right? Sticking around after a job while you wait for a payday isn’t exactly best practice for a rogue. So why don’t I just keep 1 artifact and we can go our separate ways. Deal?”

Rowen puts his fingers to his lips, furrowing his brow for a moment. “I suppose I don’t have much choice. You’re the only person who even showed up to take the job. Just one artifact?”

“Better make that two,” the red haired gnome says as he grabs a chair and sits down with Rowen and Cara. “I hear you’ve got a book for my collection!”

Rowen and Cara both jump back, but the intruder raises his hands. “No need to be alarmed! I’m not here to cause trouble. My name is Lyundefin and I just happen to be a bit of a book collector. I heard from your conversation that you’ve got some books that need retrieving. I want in.”

“And why should we trust you?”

“Well… I have arcane powers that would be very useful on a heist!”

“A second set of hands and some magic might actually help a lot…” Rowen puts his fingers to his lips again. Then he looks to Cara. “I need this job to be successful. My family’s livelihood depends on it. What do you think about working with a partner?”

“It’s your job – I’m happy to do whatever so long as I still get paid.”

Rowen turns to Lyundefin. “Can you show us some of these arcane powers?”

Lyundefin jumps to his feet and shouts “secure communication!” Before Cara or Rowen can shush him, he runs from the bar. Cara and Rowen exchange a glance before suddenly, Rowen tenses. In his head he hears.

This is Lyundefin, I can communicate with you without anyone else hearing! Very useful. I’m going to come back inside now.

As Lyundefin walks back into the bar, Rowen explains to a very confused Cara, “he just spoke directly in my head! It seems like he was telling the truth.”

“I guess we’ve got ourselves a team,” Cara says.

After ironing out the details, Rowen lends Cara and Lyundefin a bag of holding to collect the artifacts and tells them how to find Furrug’s manor. They agree to meet in two days in Twilian’s, a popular inn at the entrance to Korranberg. The pair does some recon and then rents a room for the night.

Cara and Lyundefin approach Furrug’s manor in the evening light of the following day. Furrug’s manor is large, but modest for a noble. It stands in the outer ring of the Noble quarter, outside the first wall that would prevent commoners from entering. The building is two stories tall and 70 feet wide by 40 feet deep. A 12 foot wall surrounds the house and a small yard.

A tree grows near the left side of the wall, but it stands exposed to the street on either side. Lyundefin and Cara decide to slip into a narrow alley to the right of the house instead.

Lyundefin puts his ear to the wall and listens for the interior guard they heard patrolling when they scouted the house the other day. When he hears the guard pass, he motions to Cara. They have 10 minutes until the guard returns.

Cara immediately begins to shimmy up, wedging herself between the wall of Furrug’s manor and the wall of his neighbor. She makes it to the top of the wall without incident and takes a look around.

She sees a well kept garden, 20 feet by 40 feet. The garden has several hedges and a bench for reading. On the second story of the house, looking over the garden, there is a balcony with large glass doors leading into the house. Bingo.

Cara drops a rope for Lyundefin to climb. He begins to do so, but his smaller form and weaker arms make for slow going compared to Cara’s climb. Lyundefin is only three quarters of the way up the rope before Cara hears the footsteps of the guard returning.

“Shhh!” Cara hisses to Lyundefin as she flattens herself against the top of the wall, trying her best to blend in with the shadows. Luckily, the guard isn’t paying much attention as he strolls through the garden below. He pauses to sit on the bench for a short rest.

Lyundefin does his best to hang onto the rope, but his arms slowly begin to give out. As he falls, he manages to keep just enough grip on the rope to make it more of a rapid slide downwards, preventing any loud crash landing that would alert the guards.

Cara waits breathlessly as the guard rests for a few moments. Eventually he stands up and begins another round of the house. Cara motions and this time Lyundefin is able to make his way up without much issue. Cara drops into the garden.

While the 12 foot wall wasn’t much of an issue for a tall tiefling like Cara, Lyundefin finds himself stranded at the top. Cara begins to look around for some way to attach a rope to the wall, but Lyundefin has a different plan.

After a quick look left and right, Cara sees him leap, arms outstretched and eyes closed, directly towards her. He looks almost peaceful as he collides with Cara, who just barely manages to catch him in her surprise.

“I’m beginning to think I should have done this job by myself,” Cara jabs as she sets Lyundefin down. Without a word, he scampers over to the bushes under the balcony. Cara follows, shaking her head.

The balcony is too tall for either to reach, but with Cara lifting Lyundefin up, he’s able to reach the ledge, pull himself up, and drop a rope for Cara. When she makes it to the top, he’s eyeing her smugly.

The two press themselves to floor of the balcony as the guard makes another round. A few tense moments pass as the guard takes another rest in the garden, but soon he gets up again.

As he leaves, Cara pulls out her thieves tools. She quickly scans the door for traps before sliding a thin bar between the doors and sliding the lock open. She pulls the door open a fraction and peers inside the room, which seems abandoned. She slides in and gestures for Lyundefin to follow.

As Lyundefin makes his way into the room, his cloak catches on the door, which closes behind him with a soft, but audible thud. The two freeze, waiting for the sounds of guards rushing up from outside, but it seems they’ve gone unnoticed. This time, it’s Cara who gives Lyundefin a look.

A quick examination of the room they’re in reveals little of interest. A large, four-post bed, a clothes chest, and a few ornate hangings. They make their way to the doorway and listen for sounds on the other side. Hearing none, they slip onto a landing at the top of the stairs. In front of them is another room. Down the stairs are two more doors.

They stealth across the landing and into what appears to be an office. On the far end is a large desk. Near them is a bookshelf filled with notebooks that seem to detail various exchange rates, costs of goods, and lineages of noble families.

Between the desk and the bookshelf is a large blue rug. Cara gingerly lifts a corner of the rug and begins to feel around underneath. Soon, her hand finds a loose floorboard. As she begins to pull it up, she feels the telltale tension of a tripwire.

Holding the board in place, Cara pulls her dagger from her belt with her other hand and begins sliding it underneath the board. But her hand slips and she hears a sudden snick as her dagger cuts through the tripwire. She feels a sharp slash across the knuckles holding the board followed by a loud crack as the trap springs.

Cara quickly lifts the floorboard and grabs the papers contained within. She replaces the board and rug and runs to hide behind the desk. Lyundefin joins her.

They wait for a moment. Then two. Then they hear careful footsteps coming up the stairs. The door handle begins to turn. A head appears peeking into the room cautiously. Thinking quickly, Cara uses a simple illusion spell to create a sound coming from the bedroom behind the new individual. Lyundefin follows suit by conjuring an invisible servant who opens the doors to the balcony and then shakes the bushes outside.

The individual, who Cara and Lyundefin see is wearing the garb of a chef, turns to the other room. They disappear for a moment and then Cara and Lyundefin hear them shout as they walk back down the stairs, “I don’t know! The door must have blown open or something.”

With the immediate danger gone, the two take a look at the papers they retrieved and find, among other logistical details, a series of communications between Furrug and the mercenary expedition that retrieved Rowen’s artifacts.

“Rowen might be able to use these to prove Furrug stole from him! We should hang on to them just in case,” Cara whispers as she stuffs them into the bag of holding on Lyundefin’s back.

“What should we do next? It sounds like there’s people downstairs.”

“We’ll just have to be quiet. The artifacts don’t seem to be up here so we need to check out downstairs.”

The two make their way back to the stairwell and slide carefully from stair to stair. Now that they know to listen for it, they hear the sounds of the chefs at work in the kitchen on the first floor to the right. They listen for sounds from the door on the left. Hearing none they decide to check there first.

The two enter into the living room, which is decorated cozily with a large fireplace, several comfortable chairs, and a large dining table. In one corner is a bar. In the other corner is a decorative suit of armor.

Inspecting the room, Lyundefin finds that the knight’s armor seems to be clear of dust. There is the faintest groove in the floor leading to the tip of the knight’s downturned sword. Calling over Cara, the pair slowly rotates the knight in the direction of the groove. As the Knight turns, they see a panel in the wall begin to open, leading to a chamber underneath the stairs.

Cara and Lyundefin glance over their shoulders, making sure the soft grating of the knight’s movement didn’t alert the chefs in the other room, then slip into the chamber. As their eyes adjust, it’s clear they’ve found their goal. Littered across a table in the small chamber are numerous artifacts. Lyundefin quickly identifies their designs and markings as descending from the lost Giant civilizations of Xen’drik.

As Cara grabs an armful of artifacts to place into the bag of holding, her arm catches on one near the edge of the table. A blue silken sash, holding two daggers, teeters. Cara darts her hand out just a second too late as one of the daggers slips from its holster on the belt and falls towards the floor. Cara winces, preparing for a loud clatter as the dagger lands. But right before the dagger hits the ground, there’s a faint pulse in the belt and the dagger is suddenly back in it’s holster.

Cara takes a moment to process what’s just happened, then whispers “dibs!”. She quickly wraps the belt around her waist and moves her daggers into it.

The pair load the rest of the items into the bag and creep their way back into the living room. Quietly twisting the knight back into place, they slink back up stairs and to the 2nd floor balcony. The trees on the inside of the wall make it quick work to scale and then the pair dashes into the night.

Back at their room in Twilian’s, Cara and Lyundefin lay the artifacts out and inspect them. A strange idol covered in markings from a different language. Maps that detail distant sites in Xen’drik.

Lyundefin gets out some paper and begins transcribing some of the maps. “I doubt we’ll be able to find a buyer for these like Rowen could, but it doesn’t hurt to hang on to a copy. Plus, what a great addition to my collection!” Lyundefin pulls a book from his pack and makes a check mark on one of the pages.

As they rifle through the remaining artifacts, two stand out. The first is a bag of stones that makes no sound as they move around. Lyundefin places the stones around the room to examine them and finds that anywhere the stones rest for a few minutes becomes deadened to sound for a similar amount of time.

Of the 8 stones, Cara pockets a couple. “I’m sure he won’t mind if we just take a couple.“

Naturally, Lyundefin spends the rest of his time going through the books. In addition to the maps, he finds a tome bound in metal. The book is 10” by 5”, and the binding is made of a riot of different materials – copper, silver, gold, and some more exotic metals as well. Despite the metal bindings, the book is light.

When Lyundefin opens the book, he finds that the interior pages are also made of metal, with writing that seems to come from several scripts, none of which he recognizes. The book is filled with mechanisms. The inside cover has several interlocking gears. Many pages are folded in on themselves countless times with levers and runes covering creases that overlap. Some pages are almost a centimeter thick, with a faint sound of whirring within.

“I can’t tell if this is a book or some kind of clockwork…” As Lyundefin continues to flip through, Cara comes to look. Towards the back of the book are a series of what seem to be blueprints, though it’s difficult to tell without being able to read the script around the drawings.

Lyundefin stops on one blueprint in particular. A vessel that seems reminiscent of Argonth, the mobile city of Breland. But this vessel seems smaller, more like a mobile keep than a mobile city. It seems impossibly small and nimble compared to the size of machinery usually required to create and sustain such an effect. Oh, and it flies.

Lyundefin puts the book down delicately as the two stare at the drawing. In unison, they both shout:

“My library!”

“My airship!”

They look at each other and grin.