World of Embrel: Knights of Magic - Episode 1

## 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 was knighted, learned of their quest, and solved a murder mystery.

## Knights of the Vanguard

At the palace of Ylan, capital city of Oldirin, the grand kingdom of the north, the party prepared for their knighting ceremony. Ferrah dressed her best and fussed with whether to wear her hair up or down, going to Xochiquetzal's room to ask her opinion. Xochi was in formalwear, not as fancy as a feather dress she had once worn, but a dress covered in butterflies that opened and closed their wings to reveal different colors was certainly appropriate for the event. She also tied a cushion to her shoulder so that the knighting sword would have a place to rest. Meanwhile, Uno Veracruz had spent his time preparing his wings. They had been ripped off by a witch, but recently they regrew. They were luxurious, shining and detailed with paint highlights. Uno looked on them with pride.

Lugo appeared striking in a black, high-collared shirt with red iridescent buttons, as well as a codpiece and a sword sheathed in a glass scabbard. In contrast, Linus Vellum wasn't ready for the ceremony, instead wearing his normal robes, reading. Toad, his tree frog familiar that was the size of a dog, tried to get Linus to prepare, but Linus brushed him off. As Linus left his room, however, he cast Alter Self on himself to add silver trimming to his robe and make his hat reveal galaxies. His fake beard was lush and glorious.

The party, including Kartuk, went to the throne room, where nobles had lined up to watch the ceremony. King Jeel Kin, a massively built man with the heterochromatic eyes expected in the Kin line, jovially greeted them as a steward announced them as the Heroes of Houndsmere, the Warriors of Wilderest, amongst other titles. A number of young nobles were there to get face time with Vanguard warriors, some of them even fawning at the sight of the party.

As Jeel Kin started the ceremony, Hazzel, a mentor figure of the group, entered the room and stood off to the side. Upon seeing Hazzel, Kin had to pause and compose himself for a second before continuing. The party affirmed their pledge of allegiance to the Vanguard, and Jeel Kin knighted them, chuckling when placing the sword on Xochi's resting pillow. He granted them land in Wilderest, along with accompanying nobility titles. The party rose as Knights of the Vanguard, people approaching instantly to grant them drinks. Three toasts: one to their time as squires, one to their knighthood, and one to their future career.

## The Quest: To Save Magic

It was a great party, but passed as a blur. The next day, the party went to the tower in which Lovich Chrem resided. He was the leader of their vanguard faction but had been wounded in the last battle, now a shadow of his former self, unnaturally aged since the battle and needing to walk with a cane. He was afflicted with Rotters Blight, a condition where his body needed more magic to maintain it than was available for him, inevitably leading to coma and death. While rare concoctions like tinctures of wildbloom could stave off the effects, Lovich was far past tinctures. He would soon be completely beyond help.

The six knights, along with Hazzel and Lovich, discussed their quest. Lovich was trying to discover why magic was dying. Magic was in everything and helped keep every living thing alive, but Efrelyn, the Goddess of Magic, had disappeared; her constellation vanished, depictions lost their features, scriptures faded. The Threads of magic were slowly unweaving across the world.

However, Lovich discovered that in Efrelyn's scriptures there had been a prophecy: After the Threads unwound, they would spool at the shrine of Efrelyn below her stars and in her sister Luniar's embrace. Lovich knew that a shrine to Efrelyn used to exist in the Southern Sea, though its island would only appear during the month when Efrelyn's constellation would normally be most evident in the sky. That month was fast approaching, and Hazzel was sure that Lovich would not survive another year. The party would have to find one of the few ships that could travel past the shallow coral to the Southern Sea and locate the island, which was supposed to be a ten-day journey from the Kregian port city of Záchálas—Lugo's hometown.

Booking such a ship was the first step in the party's quest. The party would travel to Záchálas in order to find a ship and secure passage. While Lovich said that money would be no object, Hazzel secretly told the party that the budget for hiring the ship could be no greater than 10,000 ounces of gold. Since there were many powerful groups invested in the death of magic, they were to keep the mission secret, trusting their scribe with the information, but telling as few others as possible.

Lovich gave the party a small bowl and a vial of liquid with which they could conduct a communication ritual in order to keep in contact. Lovich and Hazzel would look for contact every night at midnight. Linus took charge of carrying the bowl. In forty-five days, Lovich and Hazzel would meet the party in Záchálas, and from there, they would all head out to reach the shrine.

Before departing Lovich's tower, Lugo asked about the witch Yondra, whom they had previously fought in the north. Hazzel had heard nothing more of her, though a scout had been sent to a location she had given them. She told them the truth: They had a way to fight the giants of the north when they wished to strike, though Lovich was one of the last mages who could activate the teleportation circle necessary for a full assault on the location. Finally, Hazzel gave Linus a parchment that outlined how the spell Teleportation Circle worked.
While Linus and Lugo packed and got drinks, Xochi, Ferrah, and Uno went to the home of their scribe, Hope Lowti, to tell her about the quest. She was glamorous even dressed casually at home. Xochi asked Hope to do her hair, and Hope obliged, dipping cylindrical stones in hot water before wrapping Xochi's hair around the stones to make long luxurious curls. Meanwhile, Ferrah and Uno sipped tea and gave Hope the details of the quest.

## Reaching Záchálas

### Murder on a Barge

A coastal clipper would take the party from Oldirin to Kregia, a seven-day journey in good weather. They privately booked the barge, ensuring only they and the crew were on it. It wasn't a luxurious vessel, with crew and passengers all sleeping in the same quarters. Arthur Aurigan was its captain, who was told to be discreet, and who was only too pleased that his boat was being used by the Warriors of Wilderest. The rest of the crew consisted of Aurora, the first mate; Gladys Might, the chef; Elizabeth "Betty" Black, the helmsman; and Rockathan "Rocky" Jimothy.

On the first day, the party kept themselves busy. Xochi attempted to talk to fish in order to feel more in tune with the nature around her. Ferrah and Lugo helped around the ship with common duties. Ferrah nearly fell off the boat, though Lugo rescued her and taught Ferrah how to perform the duties properly. Seeing Lugo's competency on the ship, Betty challenged him to a knot-tying competition. Lugo won handily, and Betty began quickly divulging her thoughts, stating that she had a disorder that caused her to blurt her mind whenever she felt anxious.

For the meal, Gladys made octopus meatloaf. As Hope was a vegetarian, she prepared her own food separately. A significant portion of the crew, along with Linus, Lugo, Ferrah, and Xochi, became sick after the lunch. Xochi made the most of it, vomiting over the side of the ship so the fish could feast.

During their sleep, all members of the party had a fit of violent fever dreams except for Xochi and Linus. This included Uno, who had not gotten sick from the octopus meatloaf.

The next day, to the horror of the crew, Betty Black found that Rocky had been thrown overboard; tied to a rope and keelhauled, he was long dead. Xochi declared it a murder and ordered all to the poop deck. As Linus was still asleep, the immediate assumption was that he was the killer. Aurora left to execute him, but Lugo was swift to defend his friend.

Eventually, Aurora stated that she had a ring that could show who was lying. She interrogated everyone, asking them if they had killed Rocky. When Gladys spoke, Aurora declared that Gladys was lying. Gladys grabbed a knife, and the altercation began.

Gladys dodged Lugo's attempt to disarm her with the grace of someone trained in combat, and when Xochi tried to entangle her with vines, Gladys chopped them down with ease. But when someone tossed a net at the same moment Linus cast Sleep and Aurora shot a crossbow bolt, the battle was swiftly won. Gladys died instantly from the bolt through her heart.

Aurora wept profusely for killing Gladys. As Aurora hadn't been interrogated yet, Ferrah asked Captain Arthur to perform the interrogation with the ring. Aurora denied both killing Rocky and purposefully killing Gladys, though Ferrah could intuit that something was off with Aurora's reaction to Gladys' death.

At that moment, Betty found poison in the cook's center, which seemed to wrap up the murder mystery. Gladys surely had poisoned them and then murdered Rocky, though her motive was unknown.

### Second Moon Assassinations

Later in the day, the sickness and bad dreams caught up to the party, leaving them exhausted; but nothing unusual occurred, and when night fell, Uno took the first watch. He had been told that Aurora was suspicious and tried to keep an eye on her. During his patrols, however, he found that Betty Black had disappeared from the helm. He searched and found her flailing in the water. Without hesitation, he flew out, rescuing her mere moments before a shark tried to eat her. When they reached the boat, Betty declared that it was Aurora who had pushed her off.

The party and remaining crew spread out to find Aurora. Lugo and Linus checked the cargo bay for hidden compartments, Lugo explaining to Linus about the extracurricular activities that might need such compartments. Linus noticed blood seeping from a barrel. It was Aurora, dead.

Uno, Ferrah, and Arthur were meanwhile checking the sleeping quarters. Uno saw what seemed to be a person sleeping in a hammock. He whipped the center of the hammock, ripping it apart. The body fell out, mangled.

It was Arthur Aurigan.

Ferrah and Uno turned around to see the Arthur who had been searching with them grin and morph into a Triton who had two crescent tattoos, one on each temple. She unsheathed her dagger. Ferrah rushed up and attacked, but the Triton responded by stabbing Ferrah with the knife. It was cold as ice and melted into Ferrah's body.

"Give me the map and I'll let you live," the Triton said. Uno instead compelled her to a duel and moved into close combat.

The party came together to fight, Xochi above-deck but soon in the fray with Lugo and Linus not far behind. At one point, Xochi created a Spike Growth around the Triton's feet, yelling at Uno to fly to her. Uno smacked the Triton across the eyes and temporarily blinded her, but then slogged through the thorny growths, ignoring Xochi's recommendation to fly and significantly wounding himself. But the battle ended with the Triton's defeat: Ferrah grabbed the tendrils protruding from the Triton's head, kneed her in the spine, then crushed her with a piledriver attack. As the Triton lay there gasping and losing consciousness, Ferrah feinted a punch, splintering the wood beside the Triton's cheek.

While Ferrah and Uno searched the Triton, Xochi and Lugo realized that the ship was going off course. Xochi cast Speak with Animals and called for help, diving into the water in order to communicate with sharks, who gave rudimentary directions to Záchálas. Lugo tried to chart the course, but Betty knew where to go and went back to the wheel.

Though the immediate danger passed, a crab came on the ship to answer Xochi's call for help. They talked of stars and the crab's inability to understand stars. The crab's name was Crab. Xochi said that Crab helped. Crab then left.

Upon the Triton was found poison vials, along with one vial that glinted silver and smelled of berries. Toad ate the ring that the Triton said would detect lies, keeping it safe until they could figure out what it really did.

After the Triton awoke, she continued to demand the map that would lead to the shrine. After a round of interrogation, Uno forced the Triton to speak her mission, revealing that the criminal organization The Second Moon didn't want the party to reach the "first shrine of magic." This revelation seemed to trigger a curse, which caused the Triton to cough up blood, dying. Xochi tried to stabilize her, but she continually destabilized. Linus realized that only strong magic would be able to remove the curse. Knowing that they had no magic to spare on the Triton, he blasted her head, killing her. This caused huge tension amongst the party as Linus had consulted no one before the mercy execution. After they dumped the body to the sharks, Uno started a game of bocce ball to attempt easing his anxious allies.

### A Memory on the Way

After being on the ship for some time, Linus had a memory resurface. He was an infant on a ship. Two people—Goblins who looked like him, though he did not know the race—stood over his crib and put something in it with him. After the flashback, Linus wondered if those were his parents. He knew he had come to Aabar by ship, being found on it alone when it crashed on Aabar's shore. At least, that's what he had been told; was that the full story, or even an accurate one? He didn't know.

The rest of the trip was uneventful. They reached Záchálas, a glorious city built into a cliff with a wide variety of ships, some of gigantic proportion. Surely here they would find a vessel to carry them to Efrelyn's shrine.

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