The Cradle of Souls - Chapter 6: The Festival of Artifice

Brend, Arambashia - 9th month of the year, Day 26 – Fall 985 LD

I am happy to say that this expedition is finally over. It goes without saying that the whole thing was an ordeal that I would be happy not to repeat. We lost some good men out there, a very rare happening in the history of the Society. Ulias has been ill much of the journey and appears to be wasting away despite what the cooks have brought for him. He remains cooped up and has few visitors, choosing instead to study from the texts we removed from the ruins.

To add to my woes and worries the ever dependable Lord Savant Arden Krueler took a turn for the worst only weeks after we began our voyage home. I was afraid that we had an outbreak for days later Anya-Star became afflicted as well. I was force to quarantine both for all of our sakes, but after a week both of them returned to normal, if not appearing more exhausted than they used to. The color seems to have drained from Anya-Stars vibrant hair, and her eyes seem to glisten a little less. I can't pin down what it could be, but her spirits (and those of Krueler) have jumped back up since allowing them to leave quarantine.

A messenger hawk arrived only days before we arrived on shore bearing tidings of good news to us. The Shal'tan is throwing a large festival in our honor once we arrive at Castle Norhearth. I am already looking forward to presenting our finds and taking a much deserved break. We uncovered some amazing discoveries, of which I have no doubt that the Shal'tan will be pleased to see. I would be far from surprised if these discoveries catapult the kingdom into a new era of confidence with the Council of Magi. The bounty from the expedition alone will have people coming from all over just to see what we found...

- An excerpt from the journals of Altherton Forman.

Their arrival on the mainland was greeted by a caravan ready to take them deeper into the kingdoms lands bearing with them their findings. The expedition made good time, passing by the many ruins that littered the realm and on to the Castle Norhearth, one of three primary castles in the kingdom. As they drew further inland, Krueler's apprehension grew as well, for the Xirisz Phasygn continued to pulse with renewed intensity as they passed the ruins. Not wanting to go through the ordeal of having the spirit energy leaving his body again he forced himself to ignore the terrible call of the device which had yet to be turned over to Altherton.

Once they reached the castle, many of the artifacts were transported directly inside. The group in the meantime was given a modest payout for what they had accomplished and given room and board at the Green Sage Resort, a large inn normally reserved only for the wealthiest of the Shal'tan's guests. Altherton saw to it that they also got fitted for clothing befitting of an event hosted by the Shal'tan so that Societal members would not look completely out of place. He also presented the possibility for one of the women who had journeyed on the expedition to marry him, stating that he wanted someone who could hold her own going on future expeditions with him. It was implied that many of the Arambashian noblewomen did not possess this quality.

With so much going on in preparation for the festival, many in the group still found a moment to relax, but with the festival fast approaching, those moments were few and far between. Altherton spent what ever spare moments were left to prepare the group to meet the Shal'tan, going over royalty ranks and greetings. When he felt confident that they were prepared, they called it a night, eagerly awaiting the coming day.

Brend, Arambashia - 9th month of the year, Day 28 – Fall 985 LD

I saw through my eyes, and felt with my hands, but there was no control. No control. A presence was growing within me. I was little more than host... to a damn parasite. Walk it demanded. Eat. Rest. Rise. Write. I tried to resist boy, I did. I began to waste away. It grew angry with me, tried to force my actions. The more aggravated it became, the more I could feel its emotions. A desire to please... Then it was gone, but I was no longer myself Altherton. A husk of my former self. I closed my eyes. I was ready to die.

- Ulias Brend to Altherton Forman

A large parade procession moved through the streets, across the drawbridge and beyond the castle walls. Trumpets and fanfare, minstrels and dancers; all leading the way. Colorful banners lined the walls, bearing the gear insignia of the Kingdom Brend. They marched into castle and were greeted by servant children who offered to take their equipment. Both Krueler and Altherton handed over their gear (Krueler was particularly hesitant, as he had stowed an ancient text and the shard from the Mirror of Souls in a lockbox hidden with his things), prompting the rest of the group to follow suit.

From there they headed up to the Shal'tan's chambers where one by one the members of the Brend family were named and Ulias was ushered in, carried on a bamboo chair. He was pale, as a dying man. He was carried into the crowd of nobles already present and vanished as the Forman family was named. When they reached Altherton, the Shal'tan told him to introduce the expedition who had brought for his kingdom a treasure.

As each member was presented, the Shal'tan decided to present them with their bounty days ahead of time, since this celebration was for them. Each male was given 2000 gold as per the agreement with the exception of one. Arden Krueler was presented 2000 gold, and a title. He was knighted Ser Arder Krueler by the Shal'tan and presented a 12 mile stretch of coastline in the southern reaches of the kingdom, along with another 2000 gold. Pleased by this turn of events, he and the rest of his expedition companions sat back while the other dignitaries were presented (notable among them Rankeet Lore, Keeper within the Council of Magi – Krueler's supervisor).

A joust was scheduled for the first day and compared to the events that had occurred while they were in Persyfn, the day was going uneventfully. Such simple times are hard to come by though, and signs that the calm was going to fracture came far too soon. From out of the crowd a servant child, a boy, ran up to Krueler bearing a message. When he opened it he was greeted to a simple message with little meaning.

You have 1 day

Worry striking at his heart, the wizard quickly returned to his quarters to check that the items in his lockbox remained secure. Much to his relief everything was fine. He decided next to scry the message. The result was inconclusive. He stowed the message inside the lock box and readied himself to return to the joust.

Kaden was the next to receive a message, from another servant child. The child said the message was meant for Krueler, and despite his curiosity in the matter, Kaden did not open the message to see what was contained within. Instead he sought out Krueler, asking one of the servant children if they had seen the wizard. The child's amulet began to glow for a second before the child bade Kaden to follow.

When Krueler received the note and opened it he was granted a curious vision. The Shal'tan was being shown the artifacts they had found in Persyfn (an event that was scheduled for the next day). A shadowy figure held up a small crystal, filling the room with wraiths. As the vision ended, the words on the note came into focus.

Can you stop it?

Horrified by what he had seen, Krueler sent a magical message to Rankeet Lore. The Keeper met with him quickly, hoping to stave off a possible disaster. When Krueler began to tell him that a dead man was trying to kill the king by coming through the wall though, it began to loose credibility (even from Krueler's standpoint). Lore decided that the magi presence and guard would be doubled for the showing of artifacts. Lore then dismissed Kreuler, and the wizard was forced to return to the festivities.

The feast went without a hitch, and the ball soon began. A third message was delivered to Glorving who upon reading the message decided to track down the messenger. After chasing down servant child Glorving demanded to know who had sent the message. The boy claimed not to know, and continued to say that it was the truth even when the dwarf brought him to tears. Glorving chose to take the message and consult with Krueler and Kaden.

Did you finish the job?

A fourth piece of the puzzle was delivered to Joy Ames who approached Katria and Anya-Star.

I came with you.

A vision struck Katria of Ulias being stabbed through the shoulder by Altherton's Rapier. As the old man bent the blade and fell to the floor a shadow descended into Ulias's body. When Katria mentioned this to the other two women, it dawned on Anya-Star that Corwin Degalli (in typical Anya-Star fashion she messed up his name, calling him Cordon Blue) may have hitched a ride. The three of them went to find Glorving, Kaden, and Krueler.

When they met up, they revealed to one another the puzzle pieces they had received. Fearing that the guards may think they were conspiring, Krueler moved the group to a more discrete location and summoned Altherton. Fearing that someone might think the notes meant they were going to kill the Shal'tan, Glorving destroyed the notes just before Altherton arrived. Without the notes, there was nothing that Altherton could do to persuade any assistance from the local guard. Instead, he proposed that they seek and find Ulias themselves, before the envisioned event could occur.

The group ventured to Ulias's quarters but found them locked. Katria used her feminine wiles to convince a guard to open the room. What they found within only proved to confirm their fears. They found a wraith. The creature was quickly dispatched and the castle guard came to make sure that no others were present. Knowing they needed to be armed, Altherton allowed the group to take silver weapons used as display items from his quarters in the castle. The group then headed for the Brend-Forman Society headquarters.

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