Don't Worry About It

Campaign 3 Session 52

The party settles in Erawald.

Summary

Eri has appointments that day, so they are heading out early. Ward promptly begins snooping through Eri's things. Eri does not seem to keep notes or anything that would provide much information on them. Unable to find anything of note, he heads out in an attempt to find some replacement lute strings. He locates the Lute Centaur, but is aware that Madame Argosia owns the shop. He purchases them anyway, and heads back to the Stitch house.

Beck has already gone to the shop by the time the rest of the house rouses. Cici makes pancakes. Vera asks Merely who she wants to go with her to the adventurer's guild, which she has no opinion about. After breakfast, Vera goes back to Oria Ta'Chol to discuss the enchantment on the armor; they decide on a resistance-providing enchantment. Dorean and Merely head back to the airship to retrieve Merely's badge—it is a gold badge with a sunburst and phoenix on it. Eck is doing some adventurer shopping to replace their belongings, purchasing an explorer's pack from a shop near the guild. Ward travels with Eck and meets everyone else at the adventuring guild. Luna shops for oil for her arm; she manages to find a shop not owned by Argosia, though it might take a few days since it is a very specific item.

Mira goes off in search of the person she has been exchanging letters with, ultimately finding him beating someone at dice in an alley entryway. He asks how Mira's training has been going, and immediately throws a punch—as Mira also throws a punch. Edger beats her out, parrying the blow and grazing her cheek. After healing the injury, he asks what she summoned him for. She wants more training, which Edger agrees to. She lets Luna know via the badge that she's heading out of town with Edger for a couple days.

Ward, arriving first at the adventuring guild, checks around while waiting for the others. The place is busy, six employees working their way through lines at a reasonable pace, though it is still a bit of a wait. Usual quest fair is on the board, though a gold level hunt quest for hunting a blue dragon who is making itself a nuisance, east toward Old Auguste, catches his eye. He also notes a silver level quest, rumors of a dark ent in the forest to the west that sounds to Ward like a fey creature of the shadow court; information is 500gp, while resolving the situation and bringing back proof of it having been dealt with and it being dangerous is 5000gp. He hears that the monsters in the tower have gotten somewhat stronger lately, not by a lot, but enough to be notice.

On her way to join the others at the guild, Luna notices Eri Pyxis having luncheon with Abigail Argosia. Unable to see Eri well, Luna is only able to pick up "Do you think you'll be finished in time" and "well, I hope so for your sake," before she leaves. Eri seems relatively calm about the situation.

They inquire about the owner of Merely's badge, offering something akin to amnesia as an explanation. The worker, Chassath, recognizes the markings as being pre-Shattering and from Quento. She takes note of their information, offering to contact the guild in Quento for information. The shard contains a portion of a living dungeon, regenerating enemies and treasure. The higher you climb, the more dangerous it becomes, and adventurers must be approved before allowed inside.

Once they have a chance to get to privacy, Luna tells the party sans Mira about the half conversation she saw between Eri and Argosia. Dorean, wanting to hope for the best, decides to talk to them that evening. The group then attempts to go to the dungeon for the afternoon. The dungeon is at capacity already, so they would have to come back in the morning. They decide to utilize the tunnel the mole was digging to access the basement of the dungeon and figure out what is going on. Vera and Luna scout out the tunnel. The tunnel has been filled in, reaching no further than where Vera had seen it previously.

Mira is led about a mile or so out of town by Edger to a set of stone ruins on a hill. In the center of the ruins is a teleportation circle, which he uses to transport them to a large cave at the foot of a ziggurat. In the center of the ziggurat is a chamber with four doors. Mira stands in the center and, after instruction from Edger, leaves all of her belongings outside of the center room. He braids her hair and uses some cloth to cover her eyes, and departs, the doors shutting behind him. In the darkness, Edger makes attacks, prompting her to learn to dodge them without use of her eyes until she is no longer able to continue.

The party returns to the Stitch and Weave. Eck and Vera request wedding outfits from Cici and Beck. Eri arrives that afternoon, and Dorean requests that they go for a walk. When asked about why they were talking to Madame Argosia, they are somewhat evasive, skilled in double talk. Dorean expresses that she is going to choose to trust them, and wants that trust to be returned. They immediately explain that they would never hurt Beck or Cici, but it is something they have to take care of on their own.

Ward convinces the party, Cici, and Invicta to go to a karaoke bar that evening. Merely also comes along, not knowing what is going on but wanting to be included. Cecily, dragging along Alibi, Sapphire, and Leonora, also come along. Cecily pays to have the bar to themselves. Vera and Eck have a great time of varying quality. Invicta sings a sappy love song in Elvish to Dorean. Dorean goes up as well, singing something from a play the Fourth Act has done. Alibi and Sapphire cheat, singing a song from a show they've done. Cecily sings a sea shanty, roping in most of the rest of the group. Ward eventually goes up with his newly-retstrung lute and performs. After some more rounds, Merely decides to sing a song as well, performing a calm, operatic song in another language, haunting and profoundly lonely.

Mira wakes up in the stone chamber, not blindfolded, but unable to see anything. Unfamiliar footsteps approach, and a line of fire on the horizon ignites, ringing around her. Mira's shadow self steps through, Luna's head in her hands, and attacks.

NPCs