3.9 Orpheus, the Kidnapper

The Party begins to act on the plans they have devised. Deciding to practice her flying skills, Sajaina pilots the party down to some nearby woods where they prepare to call upon the Night Maiden. They brought the Archbishop along with them so that he could perform some magic for her and she could tell the party if her brother, who will “wipe away all individuality,” is at all related to Bartos. After some initial hesitancy, the Archbishop describes his role in the church- to tend to the spiritual and otherworldly threats to the word of Bartos- and demonstrates the rudiments of his magic. The Night Maiden seems quite perplexed, not least of which because the pure magic of Bartos should be impossible. According to her, the power of her brother, who really is Bartos, should not be accessible to mortals,and the fact that it has grown so strong may mean that he is closer than she thought he was. The Archbishop demands to know what she is talking about, leading her to comment that “There is no pantheon of power.” According to her, many of the gods are dead and Astor at least is in a coma of sorts.

Beyond these details however, the Night Maiden also let slip some details about her own nature. Her and “Bartos” were once of the same stock, but Bartos accepted his “purpose” while she rejected hers and the nature that came with it. Because she refused her purpose, she was forced to leave the ‘upper world” and lost some of her powers and knowledge. But also because of this rejection she retained her free will instead of being bound to her nature. Bartos, on the other hand, retained all of his power but is bound to his nature. He will do what he does, not because he is wicked or short sighted, but because his nature compels him to. Wrynn speculated that the memories she lost may have had something to do with this “upper world” and suggests that she may have left some notes on the subject. Perhaps those notes are hidden in the Tower of Apotheosis?

The party was in the middle of discussing how to deal with the Void Spawn threat, the Night maiden suggesting indirect methods of distraction while they seal the planes,  when a report came from the ship. The Elfatina was under attack by a pair of “shadows” that the crew did not know how to deal with. Cutting off their discussion with the Night Maiden, they hurried back to the ship. They found several crew members, including Peridon, unconscious. While Sal, Thain, and Sajaina try to help Peridon, the rest of the party investigates the ship. The portal leading to Veller’s ship was damaged beyond easy repair by some potent artificiary, according to baygrith. According to the Archivist, whoever visited the ship was carrying with them a disembodied soul which was able to assault crew members for a few moments before returning to its container.

After a few minutes of investigation the Chosen of Astor reconvene and discuss their plan of attack. Guessing that the attacker went through the portal, Baygrith uses his portaling device to open the way to The Ship Formerly Known As Ygon’s Wrath. After speaking to the crew and employing their various magics, they manage to determine that the invaders went into the bowels of the ship. Furthermore, they learn the Veller was poisoned and is below decks as well. Quickly they came to a locked door and, after breaking it down, see a familiar dwarven figure leaping from the window carrying Veller. Despite giving chase they are unable to follow her.

Sal performs some divinations and determines that the women is, in fact, Baygrith’s mother. Travize uses his telepathy to speak with her, learning that she plans to ransom Veller at a time of her choosing for something the party has which she wants. She refuses to say what it is she wants, but Travize manages to keep her talking long enough for Finean to track the telepathic bond. By the time they find the camp she was using, the woman is long gone. However, they are able to track her to the outskirts of Laputa.

Actually following her to Laputa had to wait for a few minutes at least, because a quick check on the crew revealed the presence of Albert on the ship. He only wanted to talk though, and despite distrusting him, the group is willing to listen to his words. Apparently, he had decided to abandon his plan to dominate Trisea. He has seen the futility of trying to save the people and, instead, seeks the help of the Chosen of Astor to create a portal to a different plane of existence in order to ‘escape.’ Or something like that. He was vague on his plans and refused to divulge them until he know the group would help him. He did offer some information as a peace offering, though. Kazamara would be attacked by Void Spawn within a day. All that said, Albert said only that he would be in touch before he departed. He was not able to leave before the Skein of Soul Sight was used to confirm that the things he had told us were true.

Divided for a few minutes about what took the highest priority, they eventually decided that Timmeron would be sent to warn Kazamara about the coming attack while the rest of the party went to rescue Veller. Baygrith opened his portal device and sent Timmeron and Bagel through. They arrived in Customs instead of in the Nikotos mansion. Timmeron had known that unauthorized portals trying to open in Kazamara automatically shunted people to the Customs office, so this was not a surprise, but it was nice to confirm that even portals created by Artificiary were no exception to the rule. What WAS unexpected was their immediate arrest. Kazamara was, it seemed, one of the nations that took very seriously the suggestion to detain the Chosen of Astor for question if they showed their faces.

The Council of Nations was quickly assembled, though Laputa and Crag declined to send representatives. A long interrogation followed where Tiimmeron revealed the nature of the Ascendant (mostly as a concession he was eventually forced to to maintain diplomacy.) However, Timmeron was able to carefully maneuver this into demonstrating the powers of the Ascendant by summoning Wrynn and Finean, whose powers he used to reveal that Kebrio was, in fact, an imposter. A struggle followed where the High Justicar of Bartos helped to subdue the imposter. Unfortunately, the council laid claim to the false tooth that was Thain’s binding. They said they would resolve what to do with it behind closed door, allowing Timmeron and company to go free for now.  The city also began getting ready for an attack by the Void Spawn in the meantime.

Meanwhile, the rest of the group traveled to Laputa to rescue Veller. Veller’s crew put together a small team to help track down the captain. This not being the first time he had been captured, they had a pretty good idea of what procedures to use in finding him. But the Laputa they entered was not the one they had visited a few weeks ago. People were struggling to survive, society having broken down in the absence of Viti. Three factions had formed. One faction was loyal to Viti, proclaiming her eventual return. Another faction challenged the old rule, claiming that it was time for Laputa to change its government and cast aside the old ways. A third faction consisted of anarchists and profiteers, doing their best to sow chaos and take advantage of the lawless conditions.

Walking through the streets the party slowly closed in on Veller’s location. They spent much of their time wishing that they could do something to help settle things in Laputa, but none of them could come up with any ideas that seemed likely to work. They did put a stop to a few fights while passing through, however. But finally they came upon the building they believed Veller to be kept in. Veller’s crew resolved to run interference from the outside with Baygrith while Sal, Sajaina and Travize went in to look for the man.

While the three engaged in sealth, Baygrith became distracted by chaos erupting on the streets as the anarchists and opportunists made their presence known. The three factions were soon embroiled in a small, but intense, street war. Deciding to work with a business-inclined pirate dwarf, Baygrith went about avoiding the action and making some small coin through looting houses until his mother appeared behind him. She begged him to work with her in restoring his father back to life. However, since her plan called for stealing from the Architect and risking the party’s plans to top the Void Spawn, Baygrith resisted the temptation to join her- painful though it was. Saying that she had to first convince him of her seriousness, his mother stabbed him with a poisonous arrow, paralyzing him. Hen she set the building Sal, Travize and Sajaina were in on fire.

In the building, the three found Mercury, but no Veller. As the building burst into flames (despite their efforts to disable the explosives they had earlier found) they grabbed the dwarf and fled, only to discover Baygrith’s mother outside the building, holding her crossbow at Veller’s throat. Using Dal to throw the woman into a wormhole, they managed to get Veller away from her without trading Mercury. She and Travize had a stand off for a few moments before Sajaina, enraged at her kidnapping of Veller, blasted her with the Rod of Chaos, calling down lightning and thunder. The woman survived, however, and fled the scene, saying something about the group “not wanting her as an enemy.” Wishing desperately that they could do something to help stabilize Laputa, they grabbed Baygrith, Veller and Mercury, and fled back to the airship. Mercury would soon be subject to intense questioning if they got their way. Thain immediately set to work trying to reverse the poison on Veller and Baygrith.