Runelords 17.0 - Preparing to Leave

Knowing that they had to wait until the first of Tevet to leave, as they owed the Shivering Ones the mould from the Misgivings, the group of adventurers leisurely prepared for their trip to Turtleback Ferry. Luna went about making a series of enchanted items for the group, crafting belts and hats for them all to enhance their abilities. Virgil, now that his secret was out to Shadliss, employed her assistance in buying and tailoring a variety of new clothes, as he was entirely sick of his one outfit he had been wearing since coming to Materia two months ago. Khyrralien, now free of needing to conceal himself from Shadliss and Aldern, walked freely through the house without a disguise; Shadliss was never again seen alone in a common area, and remained glued to either Virgil or Luna. Ilsa, having made this trip before, handled the arrangements for the group.
When it came close to the first, Luna left on her own to return to the Misgivings, despite Aldern's quiet insistence that she not go, or not go alone. She waved away his concerns: she wouldn't see him go back there, and anyone else would tire and slow her down. Besides, she was confident that the ghosts and creatures would have little interest in her, and bringing a living accomplice along would only increase the risk. With her mind made up, she ran off towards Sandpoint, carrying a pile of books for Quint and a letter to the Vinders from Shadliss.
While she was gone, the three soldiers of Pandemonium were busy. Taking the name of another Brotherhood member from Aldern, they went to the lavish office of a man in charge of a significant portion of the dockyards. Virgil, using some leading phrases, weaseled their way into a meeting with the man, who was neither pleased nor interested in their thinly-veiled threats. Using his honeyed tongue, Virgil demanded that the Brotherhood give up its extortion of Aldern, on the grounds that they hadn't implicated the Brotherhood in the series of murders; rather, the blame had been squarely put upon Xanthia and Chief Justice Ironbriar. If they insisted on extorting him, they would turn around and report the Brotherhood for its role in the murders. The man rolled his eyes and waved him away, promising to cancel the debt; by his attitude, it seemed that Aldern was by far not the only man paying debts to him, and this was certainly not the first time someone had tried to blackmail him. Though they seemed to have only marginally impacted the businessman's day, they seemed to have gotten Aldern free of his crippling debt. Satisfied, they left without complaint or argument.
Following this, the three approached Aldern while Shadliss had left for the afternoon. They told him about the cancellation of his debt, and proceeded to very pointedly twist his arm: they wanted him to admit to the secret he had been keeping, the secret that, when last mentioned, caused him to assault them in a fit. The nobleman muttered excuses and promises that it wouldn't happen again, but they were adamant that he tell them. Even at this point, he could not manage anything more direct than an inference, explaining that his wife had died while he was blacked out, that he remembered nothing of her death, and that he feared the worst. At this point, Eamon stepped out at Virgil's hushed insistence, on the pretense of getting a glass of water, whereupon he cast Detect Evil to no result. Aldern began to fret, terribly worried about Luna's fate in the cursed house. The three men tried to console him, insisting that she was and would be fine; he accepted their words before excusing himself to go on a walk. Virgil followed overhead, shrouded in invisibility, watching Aldern walk despondently to a nearby park and sit on a bench for a long afternoon and evening.
Meanwhile, Luna returned to Sandpoint. She delivered the letter from Shadliss to the despondent Vinders, reassuring them that she was fine, happy and that she would be staying a while longer as she had secured a job as a well-paid house minder. Luna also visited Quint, who was glad to see her and her delivery of books. While she had been gone for the last month, Quint's orange cat had somehow gained an almost impossible amount of weight; Quint shrugged and assumed it had something to do with the gluttony artifact, hoping that it was mostly a cosmetic issue rather than a health concern. Luna visited with the elderly scholar for the evening, and the two enjoyed each other's educated company.
Finished in Sandpoint, she made her way to the Misgivings. Wandering through the house without any company other than the generally-silent Zara, Luna found the experience to be rather peaceful. Having come from a small, relatively newly-established island community, she had little experience with houses of such a grand scale, of places so utterly remote from other people, and of places that had been allowed to rot and ruin. The ghosts did not bother her, the negative atmosphere did not affect her, and the dilapidation did not worry her, so she strolled through without care or concern, collecting mould and poking through the house with interest. 
Her pleasant meanderings eventually brought her back to the underground sanctum, where the man-shaped mould growth had returned to its original form, after having been burned off a month ago by her. Luna went about her collection, avoiding the outline itself. She began to talk to Zara, wondering if the mould could be cultivated outside of the house; it was likely a powerful necromantic reagent, and it was only a matter of time before the house was purged by the clerics Virgil and Eamon had informed. They wouldn't be able to trade with the Shivering Ones, at the least. Zara postulated that the mould was only powerful due to the effects of Vorel's curse on the house, and that it was more tied to the region than to the substance. Regardless, Luna attempted a variety of alchemical processes to try and save both live and dead cultures of the mould. Zara also urged her to try and begin the creation of the scroll of modified Restore Corpse while they were there, hoping to take advantage of the charged location. Complying, Luna began the process, and they found the result to be an extremely overpowered creation, much higher level than Luna should have been capable of producing. Pleased, she tucked it away for later, once they had found what 'undying bones' were.
As she tidied, she looked at the outline of the man on the wall. Luna's thoughts were melancholic; she felt sorry for this man, understanding his anger though not excusing it, and pitying his state. She drew closer as she had these thoughts, staring at the mould, and it was as though she could hear a muttering coming from it. Zara agreed that she too heard something, but neither woman could understand what was being said; Zara believed that it was likely nothing, as it was a distorted piece of a soul trapped in the house, not the complete memory of Vorel. Luna gently touched the mould, trying to make out the words, and the soft, black fungus seemed to grow up around her hand, threatening to engulf it. Pulling it away and free of the fungus, she turned towards the broken puzzle box on the floor. It quickly proved to be too difficult for her, so she collected it up and placed it gently on the nearby desk. It seemed that the muttering grew in intensity and anger when she went to take the box, but it calmed when it became obvious that she wasn't about to take it away. Saddened by the whole place, Luna collected her things, said goodbye to Vorel, and left.
Luna returned to Medinipur as quickly as she could, returning in time to give the mould to the Shivering Ones. Their 'warehouse' was in actuality a re-purposed shipping container by the docks, which had had a small office constructed inside it. Samantha was there, along with a few other kobolds with blue-painted faces; she was legitimately shocked that a human had kept up their end of a bargain. Business had been frustrating for her since coming to Medinipur, as it seemed no one was willing to treat them fairly despite them having some of the purest metals in the country. Luna explained that the lord of the manor was going away and closing the house until his return, making it impossible for them to make a delivery for the next month; in exchange, she had brought enough mould for two months, and didn't expect payment for the double shipment. Samantha was accepting of this arrangement, refreshed by the respectful treatment, and paid for the mould as was agreed. She explained that they hoped to utilize the mould in a refinement process, and would find out shortly if it was going to be of particular worth in the future. With the deal closed, Luna excused herself, both parties glad that it had worked out.
With that taken care of, Luna, Virgil, Eamon, Khyrralien, Aldern and Ilsa prepared to set out on the trip to Turtleback Ferry.
Category:Rise of the Runelords