Olarune 9-Olarune 12, 998 YK
During downtime, Elros learned that House Lyrandar is a half-elven dragon-marked house located in Stormhold. Half-elves are also known as Khorvaire. They used to be sailors until 990 YK when they pioneered the use of airships. A natural, economic rival is House Orien, due to their control of the lightning rails, the competing form of transportation. Elros learned that there was a steward who died who had been a House Orien double-agent. That steward had coordinated attacks that had happened around the time Elros was orphaned at 3 years of age.
It is on the 9th of Olarune, Crystalfall, when the crew regroups. That morning is bright with a chill provided by the wind. Everyone gathers to join in the traditional Crystalfall celebration, which includes the shattering of a tower made of ice. At the climactic moment, as the ice is cascading around them, Dalavash finds himself the target of an assassination attempt.
As usual, Dalavash is nearly killed, but a combination of magic missiles from Elros and Alorin’s weird book flail subdue the assailant. After an outburst of obscenities and general poor sportsmanship, the would-be assassin exclaims that, “the guild never misses their mark and lives,” and, “Balrog will have his revenge,” and then swallows something hidden in his necklace that quickly has the desired fatal effect. On the corpse the guys discover a crude sketch labelled “Alorin” and 5 gold pieces. Alorin and Dalavash do have similar hairstyles and the drawing was not very well done. What Is it that makes Dalavash such an attractive target?
Anyway, the party agrees that this needs to be cleared up before another attempt is made on Alorin’s life and Dalavash ends up dead, so they set out to find Balrog. They make their way to the dreamlily den where Balrog works as a bouncer but before going inside, Ziago takes the appearance of the now-dead assassin. Inside, an ancient lady sucking on a Hookah welcomes them with the question, “Greetings gentlemen, have you come to join in ecstasy today?”
Balrog could be seen standing near a side room and as he saw his hired assassin enter the establishment, he waved him over. That assassin, who was actually Ziago, joined Balrog in conversation while drifting back into the main room where the ambush awaited. After a quick beat down by the group and some creative storytelling, Balrog was convinced that Alorin would not boast and it was in his interest to let it go.
Upon returning to a respectable part of town, they received a summons from Sage Matreus with news of a murder at the university and after a good night’s rest, the team proceeded to Sage Matreus’s office at Margrave University.
There have been two murders committed using books. The books were actually Gingwatzim spell book creatures, as was the book the party found and defeated at the locker earlier.
The two books in question, “The Dark Hunger” (about a powerful entity served by star-fearing warlocks) and “Fallen Tethyamar” (about a dwarf king named Ghellin who sought to reclaim his kingdom in the Desertmouth Mountains), were both bought at Amberdune Books in Hatheril. Matreus wants to hire the group to go to Hatheril to investigate and will pay double. They convince him to throw in a gold piece for clothes and to make the rail tickets first class and then began the 900 mile, 31 hour lightning rail journey to Hatheril.
On just the first evening of the trip, as the rail passed through a scene of rolling hills, and the party, Ziago, Elros, Dalavash, and Alorin, reveled in the illusion of peace that accompanied them. A thump resonating from above, an ominous prelude to chaos, was barely noticed by the other passengers, accustomed to a life of privilege, but put the group of inquisitives on alert. Before the tension could fully set in, the scene exploded into pandemonium.
Bursting through the door emerged a figure, a were-rat with predatory intent, joined by three malevolent rats that streamed through the open windows. The first-class dining car, a haven of luxury, transformed into a battleground as the were-rat and its rodent accomplices descended upon the unsuspecting passengers, demanding their treasure or their lives.
Amidst the bedlam, our heroes rose to the occasion. Elros unleashed arcane bolts that crackled through the confined space, dancing with the shadows. Ziago took on the guise of a waiter, blending into the background of the scene. Dalavash invoked divine protection. Alorin met the wererat’s ferocity head-on. The clashing of steel against fang replaced the clinking of crystal glasses and the delicate symphony of fine porcelain. As the lightning rail hurtled through the night, the heroes grappled with the unexpected menace.
The highwaymen/rats were not prepared to meet a hardened group of inquisitives and were dealt with harshly. After Ziago reverted to his usual visage, many passengers were left wondering what happened to that heroic waiter who had just moments earlier been defending their lives. Only our small group of four knows the truth behind the legend of the ghost waiter of the Yellow Line. Their heroics earned them a voucher for free first-class passage on a future trip and a restful remainder of the trip to Hatheril.
Hatheril is a Hamlet in the far north of Breland that lies on a major crossroad. It was once the only place where goodberry wine was sold, it was brewed by the druids of the neighboring Greenhaunt forest, but it can now be found across the Five Nations. When the lightning rail arrives in Hatheril it is still just late morning, so the first order of business is to find the Amberdune bookstore. While discussing how they would go about finding the store, Dalavash notices an emaciated-looking boy relieving Ziago of his arcane focus orb. Rather than create a scene immediately upon arrival, Dalavash instead silently convinces the boy to bring the orb to him. The compliant pickpocket does as the voice in his head commands and is rewarded with some rations. The grateful boy then leads the party to the Amberdune bookstore.
