World of Embrel: Knights of Magic - Episode 6

== Summary ==
After playing a decisive role in the defense of Wilderest from invading giants, the party became Knights of the Vanguard, knighted by the king of Oldirin himself. The Vanguard then tasked the party with a new adventure: to find a ship that will carry them south of the Summer Sea. There, they would find an isle with a shrine to the Goddess of Magic, where they might learn why magic in Embrel was dying—and how to prevent that death.
In this episode, the party felt the effects of Rotter’s Blight, uncovered a conspiracy, learned the truth of Wellbloom, and rescued people from the Serpent Queen’s cult.
== Touched By Blight ==
Composed of Threadtouched individuals, the Vanguard was charged to protect the Trinity Kingdoms from threats no mortal could handle. Different factions of Vanguard specialized in different goals; one handled the giants of the north, another was set on stamping out devils. The faction containing the Knights Xochiquetzal, Kartuk, Ferrah Kerani, Lugo V’Tarre, Uno Veracruz, and Linus Vellum had the goal of saving magic. All life was infused with magic in some way, though those who were Threadtouched were able to harness it to create great feats of prowess, from the Arcane spells of a wizard to the Primordial speed of a monk’s blows. At the rate magic was depleting, however, it would die within the year. The Knights aimed to travel to the edge of the known world, a shrine to Efrelyn in the Summer Sea where legends said magic first struck Embrel. There, they hoped to revitalize magic, perhaps even ushering in a new era.
Due to the shallow coral that prevented most ships from going south, the party sought Lucia Bonebeard, the captain of the Coral Breaker. She had been captured by the Immortal Man of the Gilded River Syndicate, though the Knights planned to rescue her.
But on the ship of Titus and Klace Valk, Linus and Kartuk suddenly collapsed. They were comatose, cold, and had black fingernails. As Xochi checked on Linus, she felt her fingertips go numb and her vision blur. She cast Cure Wounds, though it changed nothing.
Xochi warned the rest of the party, including their scribe, Hope Lowti, and the Forged sailor, Face. Hope immediately recognized the symptoms of Linus, Tuk, and Xochi to be signs of Rotter’s Blight, an affliction caused by the slow death of magic. They needed a tincture called Wellbloom, and soon. A plant known as Haldi Drel could also mitigate the symptoms, though Wellbloom was more effective and could halt the progress of the affliction temporarily. Unfortunately, the only person who had Wellbloom was Linus, having been afflicted since the battle for Wilderest, but he had run out. Apparently Tuk hadn’t mentioned that she was afflicted, and Xochi was only just beginning to feel the effects.
Lugo gave two pieces of silver to the deckhand Gregory Onion, whose father was an onion farmer who died when Gregory was young. Lugo told Gregory to ask around the ship for Wellbloom, but he had never heard of it. This made sense as Rotter’s Blight was not a well-known affliction. It also wasn’t transmissible, though at the rate magic was dying, it would inevitably become something akin to a plague.
Xochi said that they wouldn’t be able to do anything for the afflicted until they reached land. She would keep an eye on Tuk and Linus in the “barracks,” which was her word for the crew quarters.
Lugo planned to contact their faction leader and their former mentor, Lovich Chrem and Hazzel, respectively, though he knew they would only check their communing bowl at midnight.
The news of his friends being affected by Rotter’s Blight was too much for Uno. He sat in a cot, saying, “I don’t want to be around anymore.” After slipping into a trance for a moment, he opened his eyes as a new person, a woman named Rose who said that Uno was fighting some inner demons and she would keep his body safe in the interim.
The party asked how Rose got in Uno’s body. She glanced at Uno’s mace, which he had found in the undercity of Yorwin, specifically from the tower of the Order of the Rose. Hope realized that the mace was a hollow, a vessel for a soul’s imprint which could gain sentience in times of need.
Xochi declared that Rose was a welcome addition, and after Rose declared that she would be bathing Uno’s body to reduce his musk, the rest of the party agreed with Xochi’s sentiment.
Perturbed by so many weird things happening at once, Lugo stated that he couldn’t wait to get back to Záchálas, his hometown. Ferrah and Xochi shared a look as flashbacks of getting robbed and attacked by snake creatures in Záchálas flew through their minds.
Hope brought out the blueprints for the Talon headquarters, which they had received from the Sea Witch. It turned out that the Immortal Man had an alias as Otto von Daxon, leader of the Talon, a lawkeeping organization in Záchálas meant to stamp out the cult of Svsx. The Talon were rounding up people with “serpent tendencies,” including Tamara Silvertouch, a Merchant Lord; and Jaja Holkraker, a high priest. It appeared that these arrests were meant to quash political rivals rather than to actually stop the cult of the Serpent Queen. Hope also noted that all the people taken were Threadtouched.
The blueprints showed that there was a secret entrance to the Talon vault in a shop that sold rope. The party debated whether they could remove or reform the Talon, but decided that the first step of any plan would be to remove the Immortal Man from play. While Xochi and Face wanted to kill him, Ferrah highlighted his “immortal” moniker and suggested ideas to leave him permanently indisposed. Xochi stated that she knew people could say things about themselves that weren’t true, referring to her habit of lying about her exploits.
After bathing, Rose returned with hair gelled and wearing a tucked-in sweater. Ferrah whispered that the upgrades just kept coming.
Lugo apologized for never introducing himself. Rose stated that Uno’s body thought of them as his “besties,” and the party agreed with that assessment and word choice. Rose also noted that Uno’s body thought of Hope as his mother. Though Hope was in her forties, she stated that she was certainly not old enough to be a mother.
When Rose noticed Face, she was shocked, having never seen a Forged before. Ferrah introduced Rose, but Face said that Rose was Uno and asked Ferrah if she was alright. After Ferrah explained, Face understood and introduced himself. Rose was smitten by how direct Face was. He and Rose went above deck to watch the land come closer. Xochi slowly intruded, placing herself between Rose and Face.
== Quarantined City ==
When the ship reached the harbor, the party immediately knew something was wrong. There was no activity. Guards greeted them and asked to search the ship due to a plague having hit Záchálas. Locals called it “Fingers of Death” and “The Black Nail.” The party knew they were referring to Rotter’s Blight. Xochi Wildshaped into a mouse, fearful that her fingernails might blacken, and hid in Lugo’s pocket. Hope hid Linus and Tuk in barrels so that the guards could not find them.
After the guards departed, the group disembarked. The Uncles took Hope, Linus, and Tuk to a safe house while the others went to First Chance Last Chance, the only tavern open. Few people were there due to the worries of a plague.
Trusting the proprietor, Richie Gutcutter, to not tell anyone about the blueprints, Ferrah cleared a table and spread out the plans. Richie supplied food and drink during their meeting.
Xochi popped out of Lugo’s pocket and deactivated her Wildshape.
The blueprints showed that the base of the headquarters was a rotunda with ten rooms. Ferrah suggested hanging out in the secret tunnel until the Immortal Man arrived and then punching him, and perhaps punching Lance Zetna as well.
A messenger boy arrived at that moment with letters from Lance sent over the course of a few hours. Lugo handed the boy a copper piece as thanks. The letters demanded that, as members of the Vanguard, the party help Lance with a dire matter, citing an address at which to meet him. The more recent letters sounded more desperate than the previous ones.
Ferrah said that Lance might be able to help them get into the Talon headquarters. Xochi made it clear that she did not like Lance, and Lugo said he’d ask Hope to put it on record next they saw her. Face also disliked Lance as he was distracting them from rescuing Lucia. However, Xochi said that if they met Lance, they might have the opportunity to punch him in the face.
Face asked if Xochi feared death.
She said, “Meh.”
Face wished he was that strong. He left, but Xochi quickly caught up and demanded answers. Face explained that, as a Forged, his memory reset every twenty years. He was nearing that time and could feel his mind slipping away, so he was desperate. He needed to find Lucia, repay his debt, and thank her. When Xochi said she would do what she could, Face hugged her and wished there was a way he would not forget her. The other party members exited the tavern and, seeing the display of affection, most joined in the group hug. Lugo, however, hid in the tavern until they were done.
The party went to a dingy part of the harbor as directed by Lance, reaching a warehouse. The door had broken hinges and the place looked ransacked. As Rose had been an excellent carpenter in her life, she immediately noticed that there was a false wall. More than that, she saw that three people had been in the room, one struggling against two. She pointed out her findings, prompting Face to knock over the false wall. Behind it was a murder board full of connections with names of Talon members and people taken by the Talon. Otto von Daxon was connected to Goozen Pyke, both linked to “Cult of the Serpent Queen?” It looked like Lance had been trying to uncover a conspiracy. While searching the building for other clues, the party found a cache of correspondence between Lance and his sister.
The group then made their way to the rope shop, aptly named Ropes of Ropes. It was closed, as was the rest of the market. Lugo picked the lock easily. Xochi cast Dispel Magic and Detect Magic while inside the shop but discovered no magical presence.
Rose looked over the silken ropes in the back of the shop and discovered the secret passage. She informed the others and they continued through.
== Wellbloom’s Secret ==
Making their way through the dark tunnel, the party found a round room with eight doors and a lift going up to the base floor. An attendant in plain clothes walked by but didn’t notice the party, though the group expected a reaction. The person opened one of the doors. Inside were five people chained to stone tables. Several thin tentacles that looked like a nervous system wrapped around the people and pulsed as they drained something. The attendant drew liquid out of a container from which the tentacles emerged.
Rose cast Shield of Faith on Xochi. Lugo was shocked that Uno had support magic.
The attendant continued ignoring them, walking with the vial towards another room. Ferrah took the vial, which caused the person to try to grab it. Ferrah saw that the attendant’s body was full of snakes. After attempting to trick the snake-sack with a waterskin, she returned the vial. The creature took it to another room.
Among the five people on the stone slabs were Tamara Silvertouch and Lance Zetna. Xochi cast Heat Metal on the links of the chains binding the people to the slabs, freeing them. After some trial and error, the group found that pulling the tentacles removed them and the hollow siphons buried in the people. Xochi burned all the tentacles. While most of the tentacles seemed more like organic technology than creatures, the one on Lance screeched when removed. It was fresher than the others, and Lance was still semiconscious.
Ferrah apologized to Lance for being late, saying they had just received the letters.
The next door the party went through revealed alchemical equipment and six snake-sacks. The vial of liquid taken by the attendant was being distilled into tinctures of Wellbloom. Full vials stood along the wall. Xochi drank an entire vial, which was three weeks of medicine. The massive dose would temporarily boost her spell power, though she didn’t know it at the time.
Lugo and Xochi took twenty vials each while the others took ten each.
The room went quiet, the snake-sacks staring at the party. While the group debated using Wellbloom on the unconscious people, Face ripped apart the creatures.
Thinking Wellbloom could only help, the party applied a dose of medicine to each of the five unconscious people, improving their conditions, but not awakening them.
== A Father’s Love ==
In the next room was Anara Silverclaw, the Lizardfolk poacher frenemy of the party. He was asleep, but held the hand of his son, Axle, who was lying on a slab while unconscious. Axle and someone else were hooked up to a similar tentacle device as in the other room.
As Ferrah removed the tentacles from the stranger, Lugo put his hands on Anara’s shoulders. The poacher awoke, saw what Ferrah was doing, and tried to choke her. Lugo put him in a chokehold. Anara screamed that they were killing his son. He had paid a lot of money to get his son treatment to stop the Rotter’s Blight, and now they were killing him.
Lugo explained that they were trying to save magic and that the Gilded River Syndicate had hampered them at every turn. Anara helped them, and therefore he had been a speedbump on the way, endangering not only Axle but the rest of A’lune. Anara stared at Lugo with hatred.
At that moment, Goozen Pyke arrived. He grinned and brandished his warhammer, saying that the party must be members of the serpent cult and would have to be stopped.
The party sprung into action. Rose cast Hold Person on Goozen, paralyzing him. At the same moment, Lugo stabbed Goozen in the torso, piercing an organ. Ferrah crushed Goozen’s jaw with a punch. Xochi drove a Flame Blade into his shoulder. As Goozen wailed—a muted sound, given that he was still paralyzed—Face took the hammer from Goozen’s hand and crushed the man’s head. The body fell forward into the room, the battle finished in less than six seconds.
As Anara sat crying over Axle, most of the party left the room to continue their search. Lugo took a moment to search Goozen’s body. He took Goozen’s cloak, belt, Talon badge, and the signet ring of Goozen’s family house.
Then Anara kneed Lugo in the head, breaking his nose. It was a glancing blow however as Lugo uncannily dodged away. Anara said that Lugo had murdered Axle. Lugo put his weapon away and squared up with Anara, talking as they fought:
"Anara, I've been trying to help you—”
"Tried to help nothing. Think maybe I don't want your help? Ever think your help is causing more trouble?”
"Like you selling us to pirates? Real helpful.”
"Just following the rules your uncle laid out."
Lugo was stunned by the words, and Anara took the opportunity to punch. Lugo punched back, asking for an explanation. Anara stated that the Uncles told him to sell out the party.
Lugo pulled out his arcane hand cannon and told Anara to repeat that.
Anara grabbed the gun and put it to his forehead. “Your uncles wanted your friends disposed of. If they could get you out of there they’d try, but they want to keep the Gilded River Syndicate happy.”
Lugo put down the hand cannon and turned to leave. Anara moved to release a final punch, but at that moment, Axle awoke.
== A Conspiracy of Serpents ==
As the two were fighting, the rest of the party opened a new door and found fully drained corpses and containers of organs. Rose performed funeral rites on the bodies with the aid of Ferrah. Afterwards, Xochi cast Plant Growth to absorb the bodies into the earth.
The next room had a giant bowl full of snakes. They heard a whispered question: “What are you doing here?”
“What are you doing here?” Xochi asked in return.
“We know of you. This is not a place you should be.”
Xochi had enough and used her Flame Blade along with Wither and Bloom to mince and dry the snakes, killing them. She also used the positive effect of Wither and Bloom to bolster Axle’s health. She saw that bones were at the bottom of the bowl.
Lugo joined the party going to the next door. In that room was tattoo equipment and a corpse. Lugo thought the corpse looked like Klace for a moment, but it wasn’t.
Rose noticed light coming from the wall on the far side of the room. Face broke through the wall, revealing animals hooked up to tentacles, including a squirrel as large as a dog and a cat that had black fur with white marks like constellations. The group removed the tentacles from the semiconscious animals. As the cat started meowing, Xochi cast Speak with Animals and heard it say, “Friend?” Xochi agreed that they were friends and cuddled the cat.
Face took the animals to the main room so they would not be so cramped when they awoke.
Ferrah tried to open the last door, which was locked, and heard chains. Inside was Lucia Bonebeard calling for help.
Face pushed the door down. “Lucia, I am here to save you.”
As Lucia wept, Face ripped the chains off walls. Lucia asked who the people with Face were. Face explained that they were his new friends, though they did not replace her; they merely expanded his list of companions.
At that moment, the lift to the upper floor began to move. Face plowed into the mechanism, but got caught in the machinery and lifted upwards. “Oh no,” he said. “I will try to fix this.”
Xochi cast Spike Growth to lock up the chains and gears, but the vines tore apart.
The lift landed. From it came Dowler Yumits and Harsee Glendropper. Dowler called them slags and turned into a cave bear. Harsee cut himself across the chest with his greatsword and belted out barbaric laughter.
It was a fierce fight. Xochi burned through her spellpower, casting Erupting Earth and Flaming Sphere to hamper her foes. The battle broke the mechanism of the lift, sending Face plummeting, but Lugo quickly cast Levitate to rescue the fighter before stabbing at Harsee.
Rose, concerned with keeping Uno’s body safe, moved away from the heat of battle. But after Harsee crunched Ferrah’s back with his blade, smashed her windpipe with his elbow, and slashed Lugo as the Forceborn tried to disengage, Rose shouted, “Do not touch the children,” causing radiant energy to burn Harsee as she rebuked his violence. From then on, Rose used her whip to harass the barbarian.
Dowler focused on Xochi, biting into her and swiping her gut with a claw, though Xochi used her special reaction to shove her Flaming Sphere in front of her to block some of the blows. The constellation cat tried to attack the bear, but the bear threw the cat into the wall. Xochi entered her chalice form and cast Wither and Bloom to punish Dowler, much to the cat’s joy. Face also joined in pummeling the bear until she turned back into her druid form.
The druid tried to cast a spell on Xochi, but it fizzled out when Lance cast Counterspell. He said, “You owe me, we’re even now,” before passing out again.
Ferrah punched Harsee with both her lightning kata stance and her fire kata stance. The barbarian sliced into her, bringing her to near death; but Rose used Lay on Hands to restore her health. Ferrah finished the fight with a triple punch of flames to Harsee’s face, leaving him a blistered heap of flesh.
The druid turned into a raven and tried to flee, but Face whacked her with his hammer, knocking her to the ground. He grappled her, and though she tried to wriggle free, Face held her tight. Xochi walked up to Dowler smugly, but hesitated, not having thought through the action. She tried punching Dowler, though she was too weak to do significant damage. Instead, Face threw Dowler into a wall, then tried to finish her off with a punch utilizing his hammer, but she slipped out of his hands and scuttled away.
Lugo tackled Dowler prone. Rose looked at Xochi and said, “You’re doing a great job, you can do this.”
Xochi looked over her body's constellations, trying to find a spell that would work well. In the end, she ran up to Dowler and plunged into her with an Ice Knife. The knife exploded, the shards plunging into Lugo but crumbling off of Dowler and Xochi without harming them.
Dowler threw up her hands and yielded. Xochi told her to shut up, but the others were surprised at Xochi’s bloodlust. Xochi agreed to interrogate Dowler, though she made it clear that she didn’t like the druid.
Dowler acted very agreeable. She was as young as the Knights and seemed terrified for her life. Since she stuttered and cried as she spoke, Rose slapped her across the face and directed her to speak clearly.
The party asked why the Talon were bringing people down there. Otto von Daxon apparently told them who to take, having received orders from Svsx. Upon asking how to commune with the Serpent Queen, Dowler noted the giant bowl full of snakes which Xochi had burned.
They asked where Otto von Daxon was currently. He had found some maps and was busy elsewhere. He hadn’t said where.
Ferrah said to let the poor woman stay alive to tell Otto von Daxon that they had his bowl. She winked as she said it.
Dowler was surprised that they weren’t planning to take her to the authorities and said she would tell the story however they wished.
They asked why Dowler was working for the cult. Dowler replied that Svsx had saved her life, the cult giving her a home and purpose after she was orphaned as a child. Xochi said that didn’t give her the right to do all the horrible things she did. Dowler agreed, saying she was a horrible person.
When asked who else was working with the Serpent Queen, Dowler said there were only five people, all of whom were part of the Talon. Ferrah knew she was lying, so Xochi suggested hooking Dowler up to the tentacles.
At that moment, Xochi noticed a snake tattoo on Dowler’s arm was glowing. Xochi cast Dispel Magic just as the woman raised her arm, intent on causing her body to explode. When nothing happened, Dowler stated that this was awkward.
Rose, deciding they had learned all that they needed, stabbed Dowler, killing her. Xochi kicked the body. The cat moved up to Xochi and rubbed against her.
The battle done, the party looted the bodies, finding Talon badges and a fancy ring with a wreath pattern. Xochi noticed that the ring had some power and put it on. She didn’t feel any different, but it bolstered her defenses.
Face went to Lucia and told her they needed the Coral Breaker.
“That's gonna be a bit of trouble,” Lucia said. “It’s in the possession of a dragon.”
== Unknowns ==
=== Current ===
* What gives the Coral Breaker the ability to break through coral?
* Why was Lucia Bonebeard imprisoned?
* How does the Lonely Coin move around?
* Where is the ancient Blue Dragon?
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Knights of Magic - 06