Whispers of the Vampire's Blade (Naomi)
From Toosigma
| Title | Whispers of the Vampire's Blade |
|---|---|
| Author | Philip Mann - Naomi |
| Campaign | Convergent Threads |
| Session | Whispers of the Vampire's Blade |
| Posted | |
| Game Date |
Hero and I returned to the Eyrie, dirty and tired, but with young Mathis. We had managed to survive another harrowing adventure, but the stakes were much higher this time. Two children had been taken, presumably to get to us, so things were indeed becoming very serious…
I received a message requesting that I bring my friend and proceed to a meeting at the Black Gate in Upper Dura. With no preamble, I departed the Eyrie and began to search for Hero. Right away I found myself getting frustrated with his hide-and-seek antics when I could not locate any of the personas that I knew at his shop. Having no other recourse, I went to the tavern where I found “Inar” before. Fortunately, he was there and I decided to play along since he was upset before, and I knew of no children in need this time. I dropped the letter that I received in front of him on the table without a word. He looked at it and wrote directions of where I was to meet him next. We both departed and I meandered my way there believing that I may have some time. I was surprised that it was “Hero” who arrived rather than another of his cumbersome identities.
We departed straight away for the meeting. The trip was quiet and without substantial distractions as we made our way up the tower. Inside, Captain Viorr Maelak of the Dark Lanterns met us. He said that he had summoned us because of our accomplishments to date, but that his offer of an assignment was contingent on us passing a test. I had to question that line of thinking, but came to realize that he really wanted to see if we were capable of subduing a strong adversary. Our accolades so far involved a lot of destruction and no small amount of killing, so I could see his point. The dire ape, on the other hand, seemed quite intent on tearing me limb-from-limb and I became virtually useless very quickly. I am glad that Hero was able to halt the beating that I was taking or I may have met my end under the fists and feat of a 1,000 pound gorilla.
We passed his test and Viorr gave us the details of the mission. It seems a very trusted agent of theirs named Lucan Stellos turned rogue and fled the city some hours ago with an artifact from the Last War. He told us of what clues they had and provided horses to begin the pursuit. We rode fast and hard, stopping only to gather info about our quarry. We changed horses half way through and continued, catching the coach near dusk on the fifth day. The pair, as we found, eluded us even when we thought we had them, so we continued on the rest of the over 400 miles to Trolanport with the hope that we could catch them there.
Hero talked to the guards at the different gates, eventually discovering that the clue left behind seemed to direct us to Neya ir’Krell. This woman, the Aundairian ambassador to Trolanport, was holding a masquerade ball the very evening of our arrival, so we elected to get ourselves in. I had confidence that Hero would manage something in this area. After poking around the docks and talking to some unsavory sahaugin, but I was able to scare them off with an unspoken threat. I guess that shows the reality that perceived power is achieved power.
Hero performed wonderfully when we went to the location of the ball by “borrowing” a previously used invitation and getting us in. His utility in these conditions seems to be invaluable; he can talk to anyone and then disappear in plain sight, as if his whole being moves through people as water. I can, in some ways, see how he would fear others opinion of his abilities. After all, how can be trusted when there is no way to pin him down even to what he really is. He pulled a name from Sharn, ir’Clarn, to make his own for the night and dubbed me as his older sister. While considering the name, however, he asked me what my last name was. I answered him truthfully, but I am not sure that he believed me or not. That I have no surname must seem strange to him in the same way that his own nature might seem strange to others.
Once we got inside, we met Lady ir’Krell and then parted ways. Hero left with the hostess to learn more, while I moved to the dance floor so that I could see who was in attendance, particularly looking for Lucan to the best of my abilities. Hero used his powers to link with my mind so that we could stay in touch through our thoughts, a power that would be very useful throughout our future adventures.
As the evening went on, I found a tall gentleman in a blue mask whom I had yet to dance with that kept looking in my direction. To the disappointment of many who had lined up to dance with me, I asked him to dance and brought him to the dance floor. He could dance well and was not impolite, but he was very distant. His hand in my felt very cold, and he kept glancing toward Lady ir’Krell which set off alarms in the back of my mind. I used the link with Hero to request that he make himself available. At the end of the song, the stranger parted company and went to speak with our hostess. She handed him something and, when he headed for the door, a woman blocked the exit and pointed a wand at him.
The sorceress that we saw before on the coach emerged from the crowd and the stranger produced the magical sword that we had been told about. Hero emerged from the shadows and ran his sword through the sorceress, killing her outright before she could injure anyone else. He had to play a price for his success though, as Lucan touched him with his hand and the dark energy that fueled him. I now knew what Lucan was: a vampire. He lunged through the window as I ran across the room after him, catching my weapon just before I hurled myself through the broken hole left by the Lucan’s exit, and Hero followed. He was far too fast for me to catch him, so Hero and I returned back inside to question Lady ir’Krell about what she had passed to Lucan.
Following what she told us, Hero and I ran toward the airship tower. The vampire had control over many of the guards in the tower, but we managed to go around them rather than through them. Up the stairs and onto the ship, we leapt, tumbled, and ran through and round everything that got in our way. In times like this, my own agility amazes me…
We bought passage and searched the ship for two days with no outcome. During that time I received a message from Kayli that disturbed me. On her way home from a performance, she came across a group of halflings that had been slaughtered not long before she got there. She was scared, I could tell, but she sounded brave and that meant a lot to me. I told her to take different routes to and from her performances each night, and that I would be home soon.
On the night of the second day aboard the airship, however, things heated up when I spotted air pirates as they approached our ship from below. I alerted the helmsman and he sounded the alarm to call everyone to battle stations. The fighting went well as the raiders were repelled almost as fast as they could get onboard. Believing the helm to be the most important place on the ship, I placed myself between it and all who would try to seize control. The large double-scimitar, nearly as long as I am tall and so awkward just to carry around, becomes light and quick in my hands. The weapon feels as if it is one with me, moving as an indistinct part of my own body…
The fighting turned in our favor, but that was only to last as long as it took for another air ship to ram into ours. The impact locked the two ships together and they both began to lose altitude quickly. Hero made it to one of the platforms that the boarders used initially and I threw a rope to him. He wanted to fly away, but I refused until we could save as many as possible. In the fray, Lucan emerged from below decks and jumped over the side, turning to a bat and drifting toward the town below, which we surmised was Sterngate near the Breland boarder.
Like some bazaar race across Khorvaire, we followed Lucan to a light rail and managed to get aboard just as it pulled away from the station. Searching car to car from the back, we made it to one of the cargo cars before we encountered anything at all…but this was certainly not what we were expecting. A group of warforged jumped us and demanded that we hand over a schema that we recovered some time ago. In contrast to the mission we were on, this ambush was more of an annoyance until we realized that they were being supported by halfling fliers following along the train.
We struggled through them, with more showing up every second until the whole train lurched to a stop. When I felt the train suddenly change momentum, I picked my feet up and allowed the floor below me to come to a stop without me. I came to a rest with the train, nearly outside of the car that I began in.
We saw a wolf running from the train that we knew had to be Lucan. He was running toward a ziggurat some distance from the train. Bruised and battered from the battle with the warforged, we pursued him until we reached the entrance of the temple. There, we decided to rest and recover our strength before engaging such a dangerous foe, but our rest was interrupted by the warforged that tried to sneak up on us. I woke Hero and we fought them off and rested again.
We began our ascent into the temple, as rested and prepared as we could be under the circumstances. Challenges confronted us that, in retrospect, I found myself becoming alarmingly accustomed to. What does it mean when the horrors we find in the deep and dark places no longer scare us?
We found Lucan and he proved a very difficult adversary to subdue. His continuous movement and dark powers made him difficult and dangerous to fight, but he could not stand before Hero and I. We struck him down and drove an arrow through his heart to keep him down. Hero recovered his sword and wrapped it in a cloak so I could put it into my haversack while he put the vampire’s body into his own bag of holding. Though I had escaped serious injury during the attack, Hero had been hurt worse and we were in no condition to worry about what treasures may lurk in the ancient place. Instead, we gathered our things and headed toward the exit.
A peaceful trip back was not to be, however, as we neared the entrance. I heard a voice from the shadows tell me to drop the sword. I thought for a moment; thought of Hero’s chances of getting out if things got ugly, if I could get us both out if this being was as bad as Lucan, if this voice had friends also in the shadows. The reward never crossed my mind as I pulled the wrapped item from my pack and placed it on the floor. We walked toward the doorway and through it as a pair of assailants attacked.
We tried, but we could not fight them off. They were too fresh and we were too battered, so we withdrew hoping they would not pursue us. The pair had the sword, and we discovered that they now had Lucan’s body. I considered later that these two might well be another group seeking the reward, and it made sense in an odd sort of way, that Viorr would have hired others to hunt down the traitor.
We healed our wounds and the trip back to Sharn proved uneventful. Returning home was a repeat of the wonderful experience that I enjoyed every time I return from a journey. In the midst of the joy, Kayli handed me a letter that had arrived during our journey home. She seemed to question it as much as I, but when I opened it my confusion multiplied. It was a letter from Viorr, thanking us for our service to the crown and letters of credit for the promised reward should Lucan be returned alive. Now I really needed some time to consider what had occurred…
I got busy again with the items retrieved from our adventures, all the while counting the days until Kayli would perform for the first time at the Diamond Theater. Luca had been very good to her, and I am very thankful that she is now on stage in such a prestigious location. The patrons are much classier than those at the Starfire Dragon and the exposure is much better, yet I imagine it will be more difficult to sit right up front to see her as the first few rows are premium tickets. I want to see every performance of hers that I can. Mayhap I will wait in the wings for her when I am able to watch her perform in the future rather than take a seat in the audience.
Hero and I were both able to attend her premier. Her songs, so full of feeling and spirit, brought everyone to their feet when she was finished. Yes, her star will shine so very, very brightly and rise so very, very high…
