The Aundairian Job

* Bren d'Kundarak, dwarf rogue (did not complete mission)
* Cinnabar d'Phiarlan, elf bard
* Jorunn Lonefall, human ranger/rogue
* Vonan'khesh, goblin ranger

Notable NPCs:

* Lord Boroman ir'Dayne, founder of the Wayfinder Foundation
* Dorein Rauthevvit, Chief Financial Officer and Trustee of the Wayfinder Foundation
* Imre Levalle, Curator of Acquisitions and Trustee of the Wayfinder Foundation
* Eloise d'Cannith, artificer and Fairhaven Wayfinder
* Ellis Rebeck, rogue and Fairhaven Wayfinder
* Khaari'tar, sister to Vonan'khesh and Fairhaven Wayfinder
* Urik ir'Thessarn, Aundairian noble and Foundation donor (first appearance in Don't Feed the Giants)
* Nabirye d'Thuranni, renowned sculptor, Foundation donor, and ir'Thessarn family friend
* Viktor ir'Vaud, Karrnathi noble and Foundation donor
* Darro ir'Lain, second Warlord of Aundair, Foundation donor, and uncle to Stefan ir'Lain
* Tharolloch, fiend and wannabe artifact thief

## Introduction

Just before dawn, you hear a sharp knock on your door. A private courier requests your identification, then once verified, hands you an envelope and quickly departs. The outside is unmarked, but as you open it, you catch a glimpse of the official Wayfinder Foundation letterhead and seal. The return address, however, is not Sharn. This letter seems to be direct from the Foundation headquarters in Fairhaven, Aundair.

> *Your particular skills have commended you for this mission, one requiring great discretion, stealth, and subtlety, rather than a show of force.*
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> *On the Foundation's most recent expediton to Xen'drik, an artifact was uncovered, and subsequently 'gifted' to an important donor in appreciation for their ongoing support. Much to the dismay of the Foundation, we have learned that just before its delivery, one of the expedition members swapped it for a convincing forgery.*
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> *Our donors are unaware of the fraud. They must never become aware. Your mission is to recover the original artifact from the thief, infiltrate the donor's estate make the switch before they discover the forgery for what it is, and escape undetected.*
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> *It goes without saying that you must maintain the highest confidentiality on this matter. As a member of the Sharn branch, you are much less likely to be recognized as a Wayfinder in Fairhaven. Do not let your mission or affiliation be known under any circumstances, except to your team. Furthermore, plan to eliminate any obstacles through non-lethal means. There must be NO bodies left in your wake.*
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> *A private rail car has been reserved for the convenience of you and your team. It will depart from Terminus at noon today.*
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> *Sincerely,*
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> *Dorein Rauthevvit*
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> *Chief Financial Officer, Trustee,*
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> *Wayfinder Foundation*
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> *Enclosed: 1 rail ticket*
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## Summary

The Wayfinders take the lightning rail to Fairhaven, then make their way to the Wayfinder Foundation headquarters.

Rather than introducing themselves and meeting Dorein, they decide to keep things secret due to the letter's urging "do not let your mission or affiliation be known under any circumstances".  They decide to sneak around to obtain the information themselves. Bren pickpockets the receptionist to obtain keys to the Archives, then the group heads upstairs to "visit the museum". They meet Vikan in the jungle room, then Cinnabar and Jorunn remain on the second floor to make the visit to the museum plausible, getting their Wayfinder Kids cards stamped at exciting exhibits.  Jorunn meets a female goblin who strongly resembles Vonan'khesh, with her panther in tow.

Meanwhile, Bren and Vonan'khesh head down the back staircase to the Archives.  While looking for information on the recent Xen'drik expedition, Bren runs into a red-headed woman who intorduces herself as Dorein, then politely suggests that he make an appointment with the librarian. Bren casts Charm Person on her, introduces himself as Alexander, then proceeds to indeed be charming while chatting with her until she finally leaves him to his business instead of escorting him out.

The party meets back up again, and Vonan'khesh learns from Jorunn that his sister is running around the building. Meanwhile, Cinnabar learns from Bren that he met (and charmed) someone named Dorein, and realizes that Bren just charmed their boss, trustee and CFO of the Wayfinder Foundation.

Jorunn heads up the stairs to the third floor, while the others head to the fourth floor.

On the third floor, Jorunn comes upon the mailroom, and casts Disguise Self to transform his appearance into that of Ryder d'Orien.  He then chats with the mail lady, who asks what happened to James, their normal courier.  Jorunn says he's there to help out, then agrees to go help pick up the mail from Shensari and Imre. Heading to Imre's office, he spies the dwarf in conversation with a red-headed woman, who he would later learn is Dorein. They talk briefly about the artifact, she asks to be paged when the team (presumably his own) arrives, and mentions that an Alexander might be stopping by to get info and he should help.  Jorunn heads in to "pick up mail", but Imre says it's not ready yet and sends him to retrieve a couple signatures from Boroman ir'Dayne on the fourth floor.

Meanwhile, Vonan'khesh, Cinnabar and Bren head up to the fourth floor, where they meet an aging halfling who they immediately recognize as Boroman ir'Dayne himself.  The exuberant halfling invites them into his office to chat, where they swap brewing tales, drink liquor from Bren and Boroman's own collections, and have a good time. Cinnabar has an….experience with some spirit wine, and Boroman tries to give her the remnant to take with her. She does not take it with her.

There is a knock on the door, and Ryder d'Orien enters, asking Boroman for signatures on a couple pieces of paper.  Bren, suspicious by nature, gives Ryder a big "hug", immediately noticing that someone is disguised and it's not actually the tall Orien.  Ryder tries to leave, but Bren alerts the others that it isn't actually him.  Instead of admitting that Ryder is actually Jorunn, Jorunn chooses to run instead, prompting a grand chase. The pursuit ends in the conference room when Boroman fireball-wands the table Jorunn is hiding underneath, nearly knocking him out.

Boroman begins to feel poorly from all the exertion, and makes his departure.  The Wayfinders have a lively discussion recapping what Jorunn has learned, and decide to try to sneak into Imre's office to look at his mission records.  Jorunn, still in the form of Ryder, heads back to Imre to tell him Boroman needs to talk to him. The dwarf storms out of the office, and Cinnabar and Jorunn spend the next several minutes searching the office while Vonan'khesh keeps watch.  Cinnabar and Jorunn find a stash of scroll cases containing very ancient and valuable maps, along with a simple map of Cannith West. There is a binder, as yet unorganized, with records from the most recent Xen'drik expedition, along with a sketch of an artifact--a bowl held in upraised hands.

Meanwhile, Bren is spied by Imre, who immediately recognizes him due to their previous connections. Imre is livid why Bren and the other Wayfinders aren't attending their mission briefing, and instead are wandering the building playing with punch cards.  After remembering his anger management techniques, Imre attempts to calm down while Bren meets the team back on the third floor.  They all go in together, Jorunn dropping his disguise, and meet with Dorein.  She is less than pleased to recognize Bren from Archives, especially after he releases the Charm Person spell and she realizes what happened.

The meeting eventually arrives at a more sane conversation, Imre and Dorein briefing them on the situation.  The recent mission to Xen'drik uncovered an artifact that Lord ir'Thessarn, an important donor, wished to acquire for his collection.  It is a large bowl of fernian basalt, held aloft by hands of fernian ash.  Inside the bowl is a lake of fire, tied to Fernia iteself.  However, they report that it has been stolen, and replaced with a forgery just before delivery to the ir'Thessarn estate.  Imre and Dorein strongly suspect Eloise d'Cannith, a Wayfinder and the only person they know of that had both access to the artifact and skill to forge a copy, as well as motivation to do so due to her planar interests.  The Sharn Wayfinders are given the mission of reacquiring the stolen artifact and replacing it within the ir'Thessarn estate--without Lord ir'Thessarn learning of the swap.  He is a very important donor and they do not want to risk his ire or losing his funding.

The party asks for a list of the others who had access to the artifact, and learn that there were only four: Eloise d'Cannith, Rowan Lambert, Lily d'Deneith, and Ellis Rebeck.  Rowan is out of town. Lily is in the building and speaks with them briefly but can give little helpful information, other than mentioning that Eloise and Ellis are in a relationship.  Looking at the personnel files, Jorunn discovers that Eloise is working on a thesis called "Theoretical and Practical Applications of Planar Energy Potential.”  The last gala that Ivello died at comes up, Bren makes an insensitive comment, and Jorunn throws a dagger right next to his head.

The Wayfinders decide to go interview Ellis next. Cinnabar goes under the guise of Celia d'Phiarlan, a local gossip columnist, and Bren as Alexander, her associate.  They report that they're looking to interview Wayfinders, and have a lovely chat with him.  Meanwhile, Jorunn and Vonan'khesh climb the fire escape outside Ellis's window, listening in as best they can.  Suddenly, they see Khaari'tar, Vonan'khesh's sister, making her way towards the apartment.  They quickly climb along a ledge on the wall, lockpick the window to Ellis's bedroom, and climb inside to avoid being seen by her.  Inside, they find a desk which has, among other things, a brown paper package, and a folder labeled "Top Secret - Plans for World Domination". Inside the folder there is a map of Cannith West with a circled building, a list of around a dozen names including Rowan, Lily, and Khaari'tar, and a handwritten receipt from that morning signed Sweets Toot Sweet.  A nearby notepad has indentations as if someone has written on it, and after a charcoal rubbing, they determine that it has a time and date on the paper--today at 4 pm, just three hours from now.

Jorunn decides that Cinnabar and Bren, who he hears happily chatting inside the other room, need a distraction to get them out before Khaari'tar arrives. He grabs many of the contents of Ellis's desk, including the package and papers, then sets the desk on fire, splashing more oil on the floor to help it spread faster.  He and Vonan'khesh then climb out the window after Khaari'tar is out of sight, and down the fire escape.

Meanwhile, Ellis continues his interview with Cinnabar and Bren in the other room.  Someone knocks on the door, and he answers it to find Khaari'tar, who reports she's there to pick up the "secret stuff".  Ellis chuckles and heads towards his bedroom, only to find the desk going up in flames. He roars in panic about "the book", then begins to put out the fire. Cinnabar, Bren, and Khaari'tar follow suit. After a masterful casting of Pyrotechnics on Cinnabar's part, they are able to extinguish the flames before the entire room is destroyed, though the desk and its contents is a loss.  Ellis digs frantically through the remnants, unable to find whatever he is looking for.

Cinnabar and Bren wisely make their exit from Ellis's apartment, allowing him to cope with the loss, while they meet up with Jorunn and Vonan'khesh.  Bren, upon discovering Jorunn set the fire, punches him in the stomach, doing significant internal damage.  Many words are said.  Investigating the items Jorunn took from the apartment, they discover a book of love poetry, Tender Are the Moons, inside of which is stored a beautiful engagement ring. The party feels very regretful, but doesn't see any good way to take it back without compromising their mission, so they resolve to return it later.

Heading to the Cannith West enclave in search of Eloise, the party discovers that the guard at the gates doesn't allow non-Cannith members to enter unless they're on an approved guest list. They decide to introduce themselves as visitors of Reva d'Cannith, another Sharn Wayfinder, expecting that she'll be back in Sharn.  Much to their surprise (and hers), the guards page Reva via a sending stone in the guardhouse about her visitors, as she is actually in Fairhaven at the moment.  She agrees to see them, and the guard gives directions to a workshop that turns out to be her friend Antoni's.  The party goes to visit her, instead of straight to see Eloise, since they don't want Reva to get suspicious about them not showing up.  After a short visit, in which Antoni and Reva show off their in-progress automatic clothes washing device, they head out without informing Reva of their target.

After making their way to Eloise's workshop building, a two-story stone building, Jorunn heads inside the building. He walks down the main hallway, looking for Workshop 25F. From within, he hears an intermittent clanking. Then, someone walks out of another workshop, and asks if he needs assistance.  Jorunn lies and says he's looking for Reva's workshop. The woman offers to take him to her workshop on the other side of the compound, and Jorunn, seeing no way to wiggle out of that, follows. She introduces herself as Beth, him as Jura.  She asks why he's visiting, and he lies very poorly and says he's there to propose to her after just recently meeting her.  Beth is clearly unimpressed and demands to know the truth. Jorunn gives a semi-believable answer that Reva's going to help him with divination magic to avoid some people who are after him.  Beth skeptically escorts him the rest of the way to a building, not the same one Reva was in with Antoni.  It appears to be her family's workshop, the name above the door says "Toran Arya."  There is no response, Reva being in another building. Beth, still suspicious, walks him to the front gate, where they page Reva.  The guard informs him, in Beth's hearing, "Lady Reva says she is still in Lord Antoni's workshop, where you visited a few minutes ago. Master Jorunn is welcome to stop back by." Beth realizes that Jorunn is not named Jura and clearly also lied about trying to find her workshop.  He is cuffed, while the guard goes back to page Reva again.  She comes right out, very disappointed in Jorunn, but agrees to vouch for him to avoid his arrest and detainment.  He is evicted from the grounds and put on a Cannith blacklist, and Reva quickly uses the sending stones to inform Cinnabar that Jorunn has been kicked out.

Jorunn spends some time outside the Cannith compound in silent contemplation, reflecting on his past life, his choices, and regrets.  He decides to act differently than his former identity of Vaws-hak, starting with making amends for his mistakes.  Rewrapping the book with engagement ring, he adds a note of sincere apology to Ellis, signing it "Vaws-hak".  He then hides this, along with 400gp from his previous mission, under some brush, leaving tracking signs that only a skilled tracker would see from the road, including instructions written in Goblin.  He then hides in a tree and waits, knowing that Ellis and Khaari'tar will most likely be coming by any time now, based on the papers he found in the apartment.  A few minutes pass, and Ellis and Khaari'tar indeed come along the path, Ellis holding a large brown box in his hands.  Khaari'tar notices the signs Jorunn scratched in the dirt, and follows them.  Ellis unwraps the package, then reads the note, his face growing pale and angry.  He then swears in anger, "Vaws-hak. The kapaa’taat lives."  The two attempt to find any sign of who left the note or where they went, but Jorunn's stealth saves him from detection. They head on their way towards Cannith West.

Meanwhile, the rest of the party investigates the exterior of the building for possible entrances.  There are drain pipes and a large tree that give access to the second floor and roof. After Cinnabar casts invisibility on him, Vonan'khesh attempts to climb to the roof with Monaak.  While the panther makes it easily, Vonan'khesh steps on a dead branch that cracks, sending him plummeting to the ground.  He tries again. Halfway up, a woodpecker flies out of a hole into his (invisible) face, and he loses his grip and falls again.  He tries again.  Near the top, he spies a flying creature, seemingly a sentry drone patrolling the area. It distracts him, he slips, and falls again.  Vonan'khesh reports back to Cinnabar and Bren that the tree is cursed, allowing animals to climb it but not humanoids. Bren goes to climb the tree, and does so without any difficulty.  He scouts out the roof, and finds a trapdoor down to the second story.  Reporting back to his comrades, they all climb the tree again. This time, Vonan'khesh makes it without incident, Cinnabar close behind him.

The party, minus Jorunn, breaks into the room upstairs of Eloise's workshop.  It turns out to be her living quarters, connected by a staircase to the bottom floor. There is nobody there, and nothing of significance is uncovered through searching. Vonan'khesh, still invisible, sneaks downstairs. He sees the main room, clearly a workshop, with a walkway down the middle, tables on each side. The tables are scattered with various experimental apparatuses, stacks of books, diagrams and chaotically scribbled notes.  On the left stands a petite woman with long blonde hair in a neat braid, presumably Eloise, bent over what looks like a large black panther--except this one, unlike Monaak, appears to be made almost entirely of metal and wood-like materials. Her hand sparkles with arcane energy as she moves it along the long dark body.  A nearby table has a highly technical book on Fernia. He moves on to one of the side rooms, opening the door, but it squeaks as it does so.  Eloise hears it, but thinks it's her friend Khaari'tar up to her stealthing tricks again. Vonan'khesh attempts to mimic his sister's voice, but does a very poor imitation, immediately setting Eloise on guard.  Bren sneaks around the room next to Eloise, settles down comfortable on a nearby stool, then begins speaking to her.  He introduces himself and that he's a Wayfinder, stating that she knows why he's there, and that he will be sure to expose her for the thief who stole the artifact. Eloise fearfully refuses to parley with him, telling him that he may not leave with the artifact.  She awakens the mecha-panther that she's been working on.  Bren continues to press the issue, admitting that they were sent by Dorein and Imre. His hand moves to his shortsword, ready to draw.

While Bren confronts Eloise, Vonan'khesh goes to invisibly investigate a side room, which appears to be storage. The tree he fell from earlier looms over the window, and he swears to himself that he will one day soon cut down the cursed tree. He sees that the window can be easily unlatched, and begins to open it, triggering an ear-piercing alarm that he hadn't noticed.  The alarm shatters Eloise's veneer of calm, and she begins to panic when she learns that Dorein and Imre sent the party, and she begins to summon tiny balls of fire, as if to cast them at the party.  However, Cinnabar convinces her not to immediately attack, instead begging her to help them understand what details they might be missing and how Dorein and Imre might be lying.

At that moment, Ellis and Khaari'tar have arrived in the building, and open the box Ellis carries to reveal a beautiful birthday cake.  As they draw closer to the workshop, they hear the alarm.  Ellis uses his key in the lock, entering her workshop to see the same strangers who were in his apartment when it was set on fire by Vaws-hak, one of them with his hand on his sword, ready to draw.  Eloise stands their clearly fearful for her life, balls of fire orbiting her hand ready to strike, and a mecha-panther glaring down Bren.  Ellis swiftly jumps to the attack, dropping the cake on the floor and hurling two daggers into Bren's chest, leaving him barely conscious.  Khaari'tar sees Monaak and recognizes her, then is very confused until Vonan'khesh speaks invisibly to her until Cinnabar makes Vonan'khesh visible again.

After much confusion and tense conversation with Ellis, Eloise and Khaari'tar, the party eventually learns that Vaws-hak is Jorunn's old name, and that he killed Ellis's parents over a decade ago.  Today before the apartment fire, Ellis and Khaari'tar were planning to celebrate Eloise's birthday with some friends.  Nobody stole any artifacts--in fact, Boroman asked Eloise to create a decoy, and placed it in Lord ir'Thessarn's estate with his knowledge.  Someone previously attempted to steal it, and not knowing who the thief was, the number of people who knew about the decoy was limited to Boroman, Vikan, Lord ir'Thessarn, Ellis, Eloise, and Khaari'tar.  Therefore, when Imre and Dorein learned of a fake artifact in the ir'Thessarn estate, they assumed the worst.  (OOC knowledge: When the party first confronted Eloise, she assumed they were compromised Wayfinders, there to steal the artifact. She was very anxious about it being stolen, and for her own safety. When Bren confronts her about stealing the artifact and threatens that Ellis and she could be severely punished for it, she misinterprets this as threats to frame her for the upcoming theft by the party, painting her as the villain and thief.  When he refuses to say who sent him, this further increases her paranoia. When he speaks of Mutually Assured Destruction, she is convinced that he means that if she does not cooperate, she and Ellis's lives will be destroyed or ended. When he admits that Imre and Dorein sent them, she believes this to mean that they're in on the conspiracy to steal the artifact.)

The party agrees to retrieve Jorunn from outside the enclave then meet Ellis, Eloise and Khaari'tar at a tavern, the Grey Goose.  On the way out, Bren attempts to question Eloise again on whether or not she has the artifact, and where it is.  Eloise assures him it is safe and refuses to say more.  Bren retorts that she hasn't proven her innocence, and that she should show him the artifact. She grows angry at his repeated questioning of her honor, and does not want to go talk to Dorein and Imre in case they are compromised.  Bren pushes back. It ends with a war of words, reescalating the previously defused tension between the two groups.  The party leaves in search of Jorunn, Eloise warning that the only people who should join them at the Grey Goose are those who are willing to work together.

The party rejoins Jorunn, discussing amongst themselves the newfound information that Jorunn used to be an assassin.  Cinnabar and Bren have trouble with this information, as both of them lost lovers to an assassin.  Eventually the party comes to an understanding and heads into town.  They stop to buy a replacement cake for Eloise, then go to the Grey Goose to meet the Fairhaven Wayfinders.  Bren casts Arcane Lock on the door without asking anyone's permission, setting it only to allow him, Jorunn, and the tavern staff through--but tells the group that it's to keep others out, not mentioning it will keep the Wayfinders IN as well. Ellis glowers at Jorunn, his dagger out at the ready. Eloise glowers at Bren. Bren makes an antagonistic comment, Eloise tells him to leave, and Bren exits the room.  Vonan'khesh asks if they're locked in the room, so Ellis goes to investigate, finding that the door is indeed locked.  Hearing him pounding on the door, Bren takes off running. He heads to the Foundation, filling Boroman in on the issues, then heads home to Sharn, unwilling to work with the Fairhaven Wayfinders any longer.

Eventually a waiter opens the door for Ellis. Bren is not in sight. Ellis heads back to the conversation after propping the door open. They all eat cake, then work out a plan.  The Sharn Wayfinders will attend the gala, since nobody knows them, while Khaari'tar keeps watch outside, and Ellis and Eloise remain out of it in case someone comes after the real artifact. Eloise offers to give them each a small item that can cast Message once.

The party has almost a day to spend before the gala.  Cinnabar wanders the Demense of Memory, remembering. Vonan'khesh goes to dinner with Reva and Antoni, and then shopping. Jorunn visits Kreelo, an old underworld contact that knew Vaws-Hak, trying to determine if anyone is targeting the ir'Thessarns. Someone is apparently looking for items related to the planes, and has called a blackout on any criminal activity targeting the ir'Thessarns for the next month, but Jorunn is unable to learn more.

The next day, the party picks up their gala invitations and Message cantrip items at the Foundation. They dress up elegantly, then head to the gala about an hour early. Arriving at Ramler, the ir'Thessarn estate, Khaari'tar remains outdoors to keep watch. Inside, Lord ir'Thessarn greets the Wayfinders, clearly expecting them. They also meet Aerdrie, a skeletal panther with deep intelligent eyes of blue flame. He leads them to the grand ballroom, where there are many refreshments, a jazz band setting up for the evening, and a breathtaking artifact of fernian ash and basalt, with a lake of fire inside. Lord ir'Thessarn lets them know that there are no new staff tonight, though one new boy, Nigel Farious, called out sick.

Cinnabar introduces herself to the band and chats with them a bit, determining that they seem genuine. She asks what attendees of interest there might be, and learns a sculptor will be in attendance--a Thuranni named Nabirye, she is an old friend of the ir'Thessarns.  Jorunn adds an alarm to the artifact, set to ring an audible bell if anyone touches it.  A while longer passes, and then Vikan arrives and begins to inspect the artifact.  Cinnabar chats with him briefly.  A few more minutes, then guests start trickling in.

An older man in a Karrnathi uniform enters, who they eventually learn is Viktor ir'Vaud. He wears a simple gold ring on each finger, which Cinnabar recognizes as a sign of his status in the Aurum. He came to Aundair as a diplomatic envoy a few months ago, and has no intent to leave at the moment. He relates that he knows one of the team that retrieved it, Lily d'Deneith, who used to serve as a bodyguard for his daughter, Valpea.

A fine-looking man in Aundarian military uniform enters, Darro ir'Lain, second warlord of Aundair (and uncle to Wayfinder Stef).

Imre enters, briefly raising an eyebrow at Cinnabar and ir'Vaud.

A stylish elvish woman with the Mark of Shadow enters, Nabirye d'Thuranni. She circles the artifact, contemplating it from every angle.  Ir'Vaud observes her, commenting that he admires her work.  Lord ir'Thessarn approaches and greets her as an old friend.

Dorein enters, glancing around at the guests, and politely nods at Vikan. He approaches her and the two speak briefly. Then Vikan and ir'Thessarn head towards the stage while Dorein grabs a drink and proceeds to people watch.  Imre approaches Vonan'khesh and asks if all is well. Ir'Thessarn proceeds to greet the guests, then Vikan engages in a long speech about the Foundation.

Nabirye leaves ir'Thessarn's side as he heads towards the stage, and heads out of the ballroom into another hallway. Cinnabar follows her very sneakily, seeing her disappear into a washroom. Summoning up the courage to follow her inside, Cinnabar finds Nabirye fixing her makeup. The two engage in awkward small talk, and when Nabirye attempts to extend her hand, Cin does not take it. Nabirye begins to leave, but Cin apologizes and asks to start over. They head back out to the ballroom.  Cin learns that Nabirye used to be good friends with Amaera… Amaera Paelion. Cinnabar immediately recognizes this as her own lost Taena's grandmother.  Then the conversation devolves into saying that the Paelions got themselves into the assassinations, and the two women split their ways, Cinnabar burning with anger inside.

Dorein curiously approaches the bowl of fire, extending a hand as if to feel its warmth.  She then retreats, watching faces again with interest. She glances up to see Jorunn in the balcony, also people-watching. After a pause, she gives him a wink, and heads upstairs towards him. She asks how Jorunn's evening is going and if there's anything to report. He states that Cinnabar is chatting with Nabirye, but has nothing else to say. Dorein asks who Nabirye is, he points her out.  Jorunn attempts to trick her, if she is not Dorein, by saying that Alexander (Bren's false name) is looking for her.  She frowns, looking for him, then skeptically asks Jorunn what games he's playing at. Jorunn cracks a joke about the "charming man in the archives" who awaits her in the garden, and Dorein glares at him.  As she leaves, she glances to the garden, as if double-checking whether anyone is there.

ir'Lain asks Nabirye to dance. Cinnabar gives Vonan'khesh and Jorunn a heads up about ir'Vaud's rings. She then people-watches again.  Suddenly, she feels something press in upon her mind, as if someone is reading her thoughts.  Vonan'khesh likewise feels the same. Jorunn does not…

Cinnabar spills wine on her dress to give a plausible exit, then leaves long enough to use her Message to inform Vonan'khesh there is a suspected mind reader. The only three people she saw that seemed to be paying any attention to here were ir'Vaud, Nabirye, and Dorein, which she relays as well.

Heading back into the gala, Cin chats with Imre, while watching Dorein.  He mentions that Giff, another trustee, is out sick, and that he's glad that Vikan stepped in to make the speech instead of him or Dorein. Cinnabar asks if Imre and Dorein are "close", or if she can ask her to dance. Imre uncomfortably coughs and says please, ask her. Cin asks if Dorein has seemed herself recently, and Imre says she was stressed, and seemed under the weather yesterday afternoon, but seems to be feeling better today.

Jorunn feels eyes on the back of his head, and turns to see Aerdrie blazing with spectral blue fire, watching him.

Vonan'khesh chats with ir'Vaud. He doesn't seem to know much about the artifact.  Vonan'khesh then heads outside, pulling out his Message device to contact Jorunn, informing him that Nabirye is the thief.  Unbeknownst to Jorunn, however, Vonan'khesh is not acting under his own volition, but has had a charm laid upon him, and was instructed to do this by a mysterious male voice in his head.

Cinnabar chats with Dorein, asking how she's feeling. Dorein says she guesses it was a 12 hour thing, and repeats her question to Jorunn, if Cinnabar has anything to report.  Cinnabar says no, but she has strong suspicions, and Dorein looks relieved. Cinnabar asks her to dance, and they begin to do so, Dorein casting an anxious glance towards Nabirye.

Nabirye and Lord ir'Thessarn approach the artifact.  Jorunn pulls out his bow, readying an arrow.

As Dorein and Cinnabar dance, Cinnabar sees another figure entering the ballroom.

Golden curls tumble freely, cascading down the elven woman's shoulders and back.  Her dress is high-necked, the bodice of midnight blue, fading to black at the floor-length hem.  A band of glittering embroidered stars crosses her gown like a sash, evoking the Ring of Siberys, and scattered about, stylized representations of the moons of Eberron. Her deep blue eyes flicker in Cinnabar's direction and she gives the hint of a smile.... a dear, familiar smile Cinnabar has not seen in many, many years. This is her long lost Taena.  Cinnabar rushes towards her, embracing her. She sobs, asking if Taena is real.

Meanwhile, everyone turns to look at Cinnabar, holding her arms up in empty air as if embracing someone, sobbing, and talking to nobody.  Dorein walks off the dance floor and back to her drink. Vonan'khesh skirts the edges of the room, then Jorunn loses sight of him.

As Cinnabar searches unsuccessfully for any sign that Taena is an illusion, fog begins to billow around her, Taena, the artifact, ir'Thessarn, Nabirye, and everything in between.   Lord ir'Vaud, Lord ir'Lain, Imre, Dorein, and Vikan look on with dismay. Unbeknowst to anyone, Vonan'khesh cast it, once again at the behest of the mystery charmer.

Cinnabar casts Faerie Fire upon the foggy area near the artifact.  Taena pleads with her to stay in her arms. Suddenly, Cin sees the glowing outline of a small goblin, floating freely several feet in the air and nearing her rapidly.  The eerie floating outline wordlessly passes her, then she feels a brush at her side, close to the bag of holding she carries under her arm, nearly forgotten. The floating figure, finally getting its bearings despite the blinding fog, attempts to reach for it a second time. Cinnabar decides to trust the floating goblin and releases the bag of holding.  She asks Taena why she's here. Taena replies that Cinnabar needs her, and tugs her hand towards the dance floor.

As people in the crowd begin to murmur in concern, ir'Vaud heads for the exits. Jorunn notifies Vonan'khesh of it using his Message. Vonan'khesh replies that he's going to create a diversion.  Jorunn can see ir'Thessarn lit up with faerie fire, though Nabirye is not visible.   The artifact is visible too despite the fog cloud, ringed in yellow light.

Ir'Vaud disappears into the garden. Ir'Lain and ir'Thessarn begin directing the crowd outdoors for safety.  Dorein narrows her eyes and rushes to follow ir'Vaud.

Then suddenly, the bell begins to ring on Jorunn's alarm.  Cinnabar does not follow Taena to dance, instead pulling her towards the artifact.  She pulls upon the power of her dragonmark to create a giant wall of flames around the artifact--except it is actually not fire at all, but a Major Image, the illusion of one.

The shining artifact disappears in the fog, suddenly invisible despite the faerie fire, as a glowing goblin stuffs it in the bag of holding, then races out of the fog cloud on Monaak's back.  Commanded by his charmer to take it out of the ballroom and deposit it in a grove outside the estate, he completely ignores the wall of fire and any danger to himself, and his loyal companion plunges through the flames only to find they do not burn. Nabirye takes a swing at the goblin, but misses.

Ir'Lain dispels the fog cloud, then he and ir'Thessarn continue to escort people outside, followed by Vikan and Imre.

Taena sobs as Cinnabar does not dance with her, begging Cin to come away with her. Cinnabar feels her heart breaking, and take psychic damage.

Jorunn sets his sights on Nabirye as the fog cloud disappears, shooting her solidly in the abdomen. He then flings himself over the balcony to reach her as quickly as possible.

Cinnabar, unable to resist Taena entirely, pulls her close with one hand, while using the other to attempt to cast Suggestion on Nabirye, requiring her to confess her role in the theft.  Nabirye seems unaffected by the spell, but indignantly turns it upon them, accusing Cinnabar of covering the "theiving goblin's escape."

Seeing the attack upon Nabirye, Darro ir'Lain, Second Warlord of Aundair, commands that everyone halt.  Ir'Thessarn places his blade at Jorunn's throat, while Aerdrie flanks him.  Meanwhile, Vonan'khesh disappears out the door and out of sight.  Cinnabar begs Taena to follow Vonan'khesh, and her heart breaks some more.  Nabirye heads out of the room at ir'Thessarn's suggestion to get a healing potion.  Ir'Lain cuffs Cinnabar with magebinders, then interrogates Jorunn, who honestly answers that the goblin has taken the artifact, and he doesn't know where he's going.  Ir'Thessarn reassures ir'Lain that the artifact is actually a fake, at which point the Warlord grows irritated that his time has been wasted on this. Then an Orien courier comes in, giving ir'Lain a note, and he makes a quick exit for matters of the realm, after uncuffing Cinnabar.

Cinnabar suggests to everyone that Vonan'khesh seemed a bit different in how he acted when he took the bag of holding from her, as if his mind had been affected.  Taena makes her final goodbyes to Cinnabar, breaking her heart further.  She kisses Cin's forehead, but the kiss is nothing but thin air, as the phantasm of Taena fades away.

Meanwhile, as Vonan'khesh rushes outside, he runs into his sister, who he persuades to head inside to catch the assassin. He takes the artifact to a grove of elm trees, as commanded, and places it in the roots of an elm before heading back into the estate.

Inside, Cinnabar stands broken, mourning Taena's disappearance, as Khaarit'ar speaks with Jorunn, and then eventually, Cin rejoins.  Before they can follow, Vonan'khesh reenters the ballroom. Jorunn and Khaari'tar ask him to show them where the artifact is, and he willingly obliges, after answering a question from Khaari'tar about his childhood. Reentering the grove where Vonan took the fake artifact, they see the second Warlord of Aundair quizzically holding a large artifact in which swim the fires of Fernia. Lord ir'Lain looks up sharply at them.  He demands they throw down their weapons and raise their hands, but Jorunn draws an arrow on him.  However, the words of the Warlord seem true to Jorunn.  Ir'Lain bids the characters to take the (fake) artifact back inside.

Cinnabar remains inside, speaking with Nabirye, as she is unwilling to leave Nabirye in case she is the thief.  Lord ir'Thessarn notices something on the floor beside where Cinnabar was standing, amidst other leavings of party guests rushing out of the room.  He hands Cinnabar a small golden gem, cut in the shape of a star.  At first, Cinnabar is confused, not recognizing it--but she takes it from ir'Thessarn anyways, wondering at its presence and whether it might possibly be from the illusory Taena.  Probably just a coincidence.

The rest of the party reenters the ballroom, replacing the fake artifact on the table. Cinnabar and Jorunn both become convinced that something is wrong with Vonan'khesh. Though he does not seem to be a shapechanger, he is also not acting normally.  They ask why he took the artifact to the grove, and he attempts to convince them that the Thuranni is truly an assassin and the thief.  Jorunn punches Vonan'khesh in an attempt to jolt him out of the mind control.  The attack is successful, and a very angry goblin tells them that the person they just met in the grove was not Darro ir'Lain, but someone pretending to be him, and that he was mind-controlled.  Cinnabar shares her own experience with mind magic, the sight of her lost Taena.

The party decides to head back to Cannith West, worried that the fiend might be after the artifact. Since Jorunn is still blacklisted from the enclave, they hide him in the bag of holding to pass through the gate, discovering that there is in fact enough air in the bag of holding for several minutes stay. There is only one person at the gate this time, however.  The other guard, Katrina, reportedly just escorted a very self-important person somewhere--the party guesses this might be the thief in the form of ir'Lain.  They head toward Eloise's workshop.  The downstairs is dark, but the upstairs lights are on in her apartment. As the party enters the apartment, Cinnabar in the lead, they immediately see one figure, collapsed unmoving, beside the dining table.  It appears to be a woman, much taller than Eloise, with blonde hair. Khaari'tar immediately recognizes her as Katrina Arya d'Cannith, the MIA guard. Upon investigation, they find she is dead, and has a subtle mark on her forehead, almost as if a kiss has been seared into her skin. Cinnabar suspects this is the work of a shapeshifting fiend, able to kill with a kiss.

Searching the rest of the apartment, they find Eloise unconscious but alive on the bed.  A large pile of daggers, apparently every weapon Ellis carries, is beside her on the bed.  Eloise wears the engagement ring that Jorunn earlier returned to Ellis. There is no other sign of Ellis in the apartment.  They wake Eloise up to find that Katrina came to her apartment with ir'Lain. Ir'Lain kissed Katrina on the forehead, and Ellis used the hilt of his dagger to knock Eloise out.

Eloise explains that the artifact has been hidden where nobody would look for it, in a safe inside Ellis's relatively secret safehouse at the Grey Goose, and gives them the passphrase to open the door to the room, if needed.  The keycharm for the safe itself is still in her pocket, which confuses her.  If Ellis were trying to access the artifact, he should have grabbed it (as well as taken his daggers). This suggests that he's doing his best to resist the charm, only obeying as little as possible.

Khaari'tar stays with the injured Eloise, who can barely stand upright, and the party rushes towards the Grey Goose (Jorunn once again hidden in the Bag of Holding as they exit Cannith West). The guard at the gates tells them that he hasn't seen Katrina or Lord ir'Lain yet, but Ellis and Eloise just passed through the gates.

At the Grey Goose, Vonan'khesh knocks on the door, pretending that they have just come from the gala.  However, his lie does not seem very convincing.  The party hears an expletive, hushed conversation, then a flustered Eloise and Ellis in varying states of undress answer the door. After a couple sentences exchanged, Eloise shuts the door, and the two dress themselves fully before reopening the door.  During the initial conversation, Cinnabar notices that Eloise is NOT wearing an engagement ring.  However, after Eloise finishes dressing, she IS wearing an engagement ring, leaving Cinnabar unsure whether she just took it off for a few minutes, or whether her mind was read and the thief created an illusory ring.

When Eloise reopens the door, she urges the party to hurry back to Cannith with her, to catch the thief.  Cinnabar immediately heads down the stairs, then summons a Major Image of the injured!Eloise from Cannith with a large bump on her head, running upstairs swearing at the GreyGoose!Eloise.  GreyGoose!Eloise looks very anxious, and accuses Jorunn of leading the thief right to them.  Injured!Eloise pleads with Ellis to resist, and he finds a way to resist without disobeying.  He smiles at the Eloise beside him, then says  "Let me just pack up my lockpicks, then we can deal with this imposter," clearly revealing that he wasn't actually in bed with Eloise at all, and had been working with his lockpicks until they knocked.

Monaak draws first blood, pouncing upon Ellis in an attempt to free him from mind control. However, the attempt is unsuccessful, and Ellis remains under thrall. Jorunn, unsure whether Ellis is mind controlled or not, attempts to grab at Eloise's ring, and discovers it is indeed an illusion.  At that, the party attacks "Eloise", no holds barred, sure she is in fact the shapechanging thief.  "Eloise" commands Ellis to finish unlocking the safe, then begins hitting the party with fire blasts. They attack back, Cinnabar creating an illusory wall of ice to separate "Eloise" from Ellis, then sending her running with dissonant whispers. Jorunn shoots arrow after arrow, and Vonan'khesh attacks with his byeshk chain.

As blow after blow lands, "Eloise" shrieks in pain, and her form suddenly fragments into tiny motes of fire, reforming into a much larger, much uglier fiend, with cracked veins of fire showing through the wounds on his body, and glowing horns and eyes.  He finally notices that the wall of ice is illusory, plunging through it and next to Ellis. Ellis finishes unlocking the safe.  The fiend commands Ellis to attack, and the rogue does so, sending daggers through the air into Cinnabar's form.

Then, the fiend stoops to pick up the artifact, and the  floor beneath begins to shudder and shake, tiny fissures beginning to open to reveal the fires of Fernia below. Out of the cracks in the floor, three tiny fire elementals surge into this plane.  They are not much larger than a housecat, and yet so hungry, seeking to devour--one reaching eagerly for Vonan'khesh's wolf cloak, the next seeking Jorunn's scarf, and the final one lapping at the hem of Cinnabar's dress.  The party attempts to fend off the fire elementals, while Ellis continues his assault on Cinnabar, running past Jorunn and Vonan'khesh almost as if he WANTED them to take attacks of opportunity on him.  Vonan'khesh lands a solid hit, knocking Ellis out of the charm, and he turns back upon the fiend.

The fiend growls at Vonan'khesh for this, and he feels whispers and tendrils of something trying to touch his mind.  Suddenly, he hears a cracking sound behind him. Spinning around, he sees the floor splitting open again, the fires of Fernia licking up through the floorboards threatening to consume him with their near-unbearable heat. And from beneath, an oak tree shoots up, growing more rapidly than any living thing ever should, thrusting up through the ceiling above and out of sight. This tree--THE tree from Cannith West, for he recognizes it like he would his own family, is a conflagration. Its bark is on fire, its limbs are on fire, every leaf and acorn is on fire, and yet it is not consumed. The tree, whispering malice with the sound of a raging fire, bends down its branches toward him as if to gently caress his face, but each touch of the leaves scorches his skin.  Vonan'khesh attacks the tree, though his companions only see him striking thin air.  As he does so, it cracks open, the fissure in the wide trunk growing larger, cutting deeper, until suddenly, the entire trunk splits in half, acorns burning like coals peppering him and the ground around him. From within the trunk's hollow interior, a chilling figure emerges. A horrific dolgrim staggers out of the burning darkness, its flesh on fire, its two mouths gasping in pain, its eyes begging--the eyes, the eyes, he pauses on the eyes, so familiar, so familiar. With sinking heart, Vonan'khesh recognizes the warped, twisted faces of Ghuuc'ja and Golin'Dragaan. "Toh, brother, kill us," it begs as the flames lick at its misshapen form. "The enclave fell. We are all that remains, kapaa’taat. Khaartuuv kurar’dar. Kurar morii’dar." (We are traitors. Avenge our dead. Kill us who live.)  Vonan'kesh swings his chain at his siblings to end their suffering.

The fire elementals continue to attack, while Cinnabar staunches her bleeding with a quick verse. Jorunn sends arrows into the fiend, hoping to drop it and end this madness. The fiend attempts to move its charm to Cinnabar, but she is wise to its tricks now and resists.

Meanwhile, the artifact has continued to glow hotter and redder, the lake of fire within whipping up with angry waves. The resolve returns to the fiend's red eyes and grow bright in anticipation. "You fools, none will stand before Tharolloch!" Even as he speaks, though, they sense the faintest note of worry. The fissures on the floor begin to widen, and living magma shoots up in great columns, whirling in terrifying vortexes around each of the Wayfinders and the hakaar, as if to wrap them entirely. Then at a flick of his fingers, it ceases its movement, instantly cooling and hardening into twisted cages of basalt around them.  The fiend, Tharolloch, plunges its claws into Ellis's chest, sending him plummeting to the floor. He then breathes flame that envelops Ellis's unconscious body and Cinnabar's wounded form as well.

Jorunn and Vonan'khesh land one more series of blows, finally toppling the fiend, who immediately burns into a pile of ash. Cinnabar rushes to stabilize Ellis.  As it dies, it sends a message to each of their minds.

To Cinnabar: "You failed to heed our warning, and lost the crown jewel. That was not the end. It was only a beginning."

To Vonan'khesh: "One of your blood has seen the truth. You soon will follow."

To Jorunn: "Your masters chose well. Return, and you may yet find glory."

The party discusses whether the words have any merit, or whether they were meant to further deceive and confuse.  Vonan'khesh shares that he also experienced a similar attack on his mind to Cinnabar's at the gala.

Cinnabar heads downstairs to call for a healer.  At that moment, Eloise (looking slightly better) and Khaari'tar enter, having rushed over as quickly as they could after healing Eloise.  At Cinnabar's direction, they go upstairs to find Ellis unconscious on the ground. Eloise gasps, her face turning white, and runs to Ellis's side, oblivious to the Wayfinders and the destruction on the floor. She falls to her knees beside him, tears threatening. "Ellis. Ellis." She chokes back a sob, then quickly reaches into a satchel at her side, rifling through a stack of colored papers. Pulling out a pink square, she begins to deftly fold the paper, first one way, then the other, creasing and smoothing until a small crane appears under her nimble fingers. She holds it aloft, and as she blows gently upon its wings, it catches fire. Tossing it into the air, the smoke and sparks billow up. In a moment, the paper is consumed and a larger spectral crane takes flight, swooping in low circles around Ellis's prone form. Ellis breathes a long, deep breath, then groans. He slowly opens his eyes, and the faintest smile springs to his lips as he sees Eloise at his side. Her tears now fall unchecked as she reaches out for his badly burned hand, which even now is slowly healing as the crane circles in flight.

Khaari'tar and Vonan'khesh speak, and she attempts to reassure him that their siblings are all well, none of them dolgrim or deceived by fiends.

The party eventually makes their way to the Foundation, limping and charred.  They find Dorein in her office, but clearly not the Dorein from the gala--this Dorein is exhausted, bedraggled, and clearly getting over an illness.  She reports that she just came into the office to wrap up some loose ends that night. The party briefly speaks with her, then Jorunn leaves for some personal contemplation.  He stops by Boroman's office, which is empty, but he ends up falling asleep in a comfy chair beside a glowing white artifact, radiating soothing waves of energy.  When he awakes sometime later, Imre hovering over him with a glower, he finds his body is nearly healed.

Meanwhile, Cinnabar and Vonan'khesh research in the Fairhaven Archives. Knowing their time is limited before their bodies collapse from sheer exhaustion, they flip through past mission summaries, looking for any mention of artifacts tied to the planes, and any encounters with fiends. They find many references to artifacts tied to the planes - apparently a common target for adventuring expeditions. Without more time and presence of mind, there's no easy way to narrow the field. However, as they skim, a brief mention of a mission from their own Sharn branch catches their eye. Close to a year ago, a team apparently encountered a rakshasa named Malazant while on mission in Atur. He was pursuing an artifact used to track the movements of the 13 planes. While the artifact was recovered and reportedly delivered to Flamekeep for Argentum study, Malazant escaped and has been unheard from since.

The next day, feeling much better rested, the party makes their way back to the Foundation to pick up their rail tickets home and their payment for a job well done.  Dorein gives them two other items that have been left for them, a box for Cinnabar, and a note for Jorunn.

As Cinnabar opens the box, carefully packed to protect the contents inside, she sees a familiar jug of spirit wine, a thick, dark purple liquid inside, warm like feverish skin--the same wine she drank, and HATED, in Boroman's office a couple days prior.

Jorunn's note contains only three words: "Conference room. ~Ellis"  He heads upstairs, where he and Ellis have a long, long chat.  Ellis surprisingly does not stab him, but interrogates him about his purpose now, and who wanted his parents dead once upon a time.  Jorunn expresses that Vaws-Hak is dead, he is a new man now.  He does not know who his employers were.  Ellis relates how he came to learn the name Vaws-Hak: one day, many years later, a man attempted to recruit him for some work. He described an assassination that Ellis recognized, that of his parents.  Ellis dragged one name out of him before killing him, the name Vaws-Hak.  He also took a magic quiver off the man's body.  Jorunn asks the man's name, learning he was Echo….the same name as Vaws-Hak's handler.  However, strangely, Echo "lived on" many years after Ellis reports killing him, suggesting he may be a persona.  Ellis explains that he's done seeking revenge, and offers the quiver to Jorunn, in hopes it will give him a lead.  After all, he explains, he doesn't actually need most of the gold Jorunn gave him to fix his apartment, and this evens the score.

The Wayfinders make their way back to Sharn separately, each spending time on their own pursuits first.

## Epilogue

=====SCENE: After the Gala=====

Nabirye sinks with a sigh into the comfortable burgundy sofa.  Following behind her, Lord ir'Thessarn claims the mahogany armchair across from her, his face cast in half-shadow by the single lantern lighting the library. Aerdrie follows the pair into the study, subtly lighting the area around her in blue flame before assuming a position beside him. He loosens his tie, then slips off his shoes with a sigh of relief.

Giving an amused glance, Nabirye slips off her shoes as well. "You remind me of your uncle. Always so proper, until he could escape from the spotlight and breathe for a moment.”  She pulls her feet up under her, shifting to make herself comfortable.

"Yes, Alaric was... quite the man." He strokes his beard contemplatively. “Nabirye, there.... there has been something that I've been meaning to talk to you about.  Did you not wonder why you of all people got an invitation?"

She raises her brow at the unusual question. "I, and my handiwork, have been gracing these halls since long before you were born," she says with affection.  "I did not know I needed a reason for an invitation."

The Aundairan noble chuckles. "That you, and your works, have."  He picks up a smaller statuette from the desk, the figure of a displacer beast. "This one is yours as well, yes?"

Nabirye smiles. "You know your estate's history well, it seems.  Did Alaric give you the full tour when you were a boy, quiz you on all the artists for his personal commissions?”

"No, Urik was never much interested in the history behind the family as a child." He freezes as soon as the words come out of his mouth..

Her smile fades. "Urik was never much interested...You mean, you were never much interested?"  As she speaks, Nabirye slowly reaches towards the dagger sheathed on her leg for the second time that night.

"Sídh, Nabirye." he turns and leans on a desk. "You too, Aerdrie." Nabirye notices that the skeletal cat beside her has stood up and is ready to pounce.  It hits her a second later that Urik had never had a gift for languages, yet he just asked her to hold in Elven.

Nabirye's hand pauses, but her form remains tense. "Man le??" she demands, "Who are you?"

"That is... a complex question.  Tell me first - have you heard anything of Liara?  Or her daughter, Emily?"

Her eyes widen almost imperceptibly. "No. Not since....." she whispers.

"Alaric's death.  Confirmed by his brother, who was declared heir apparent, much to their parent's relief."

She ventures, brow furrowed, "A...fortunate occurrence, for all involved. Except, of course, for the unfortunate."

He nods grimly. "Did you hear of the expedition that the ir'Thessarn family financed?  To retrieve Alaric's sword, Spiritweaver?" He indicates the sword at his hip.

Nabirye nods hesitatingly, eyes searching his face. "That is where Aerdrie came from, yes?"

"Urik only returned by the barest of technicalities.  He was a drunkard and a fool.  I have... borrowed his form until I can restore control of the family to the proper heirs."

The elf's face pales. "You cannot mean...."

"I was murdered by an agent of my brother, Nabirye."

Her voice is barely audible as she whispers, "Alaric?"

He nods, smiles, and twists the head of the displacer beast statuette, revealing the dagger blade hidden within. "I was... afraid that you would not believe me."

She rubs her head. "It is rather unbelievable. I am not entirely sure I believe it still. I have not dreamt in years, else I would be sure this was the product of an over-imaginative mind."

"And did anyone else know of the blade that Alaric insisted be hid inside it, as a weapon of last resort?"

"Only myself. A hallucination, perhaps...." she muses.

"Ask me anything.  Something that only Alaric could answer."

She frowns in thought. "Where did you meet Liara?  Not the charming story you always told in public. Where did you truly meet her?"

"Hah! A fine question. The Trumpeting Swan.  She first saw me, drunk out of my mind on Bluevine, after yet another argument with my parents.”

Nabirye sits in silence for several moments, chewing on the tip of her thumb, eyes lost in the dancing lantern-light. She finally pulls her attention back to the much younger man before her. "So then, you are a hallucination, or you are my dear old Alaric. Let us assume the latter.  What now, my lord?"

"I have promised my disappointing nephew that he may do with me as he wills after I accomplish my purpose." Alaric ir’Thessarn, rightful lord of Ramler, sheathes the blade before slamming his hand down on the desk. "Find my family."

=====SCENE:  Karrnath, One Day Later=====

Uniform still crisp despite the journey by lightning rail, the bearded man with silver hair uses his good eye to scan the platform.  Several moments pass in the bustle of passengers unboarding from the cars, then his face lights up. "Walpea! What a pleasant surprise. I haff missed your beautiful face."  He moves to embrace a beautiful woman, several decades his junior, as she gives him a polite kiss on the cheek.

"Hello, Father," she smiles. "I am only here for the day, but Alyona said you would be arriving any moment, and I thought I would pick you up myself. How was your trip?"

A manservant moves to their side, arms laden with baggage. "Thank you, Fedor," ir'Vaud inclines his head in appreciation. Then, turning back to Valpea, he gives a bemused shrug. "Aundairians. Their food is terrible--ewerything is so delicate. And I am sure you heard rumors of this incident at the fundraiser. I assure you my dear, I am quite safe.   ir'Dayne's proteges handled the situation. " He smiles and it reaches his eyes. "I knew better than to inwolff myself while on foreign soil. I haff been told they recowered the artifact from some dastardly willains. I do belief they are worthy of patronage. Perhaps they can proof useful to us in the future. There are some things I belief are worth looking into."

=====SCENE: Fairhaven, Some Time Later=====

Another long day of work over, Dorein trudges home to her small yet charming cottage in Rordan's Gate. A movement in the bushes catches her eye, and after a moment, a mewling cat emerges and begins to rub against her leg, as if in greeting. His ribs are beginning to show and his pitch black fur is matted, but she's struck by the piercing emerald eyes.

"I don't do cats, little one." She attempts to gently prod him to leave with her foot.  The cat continues mewling and winding around her feet, then heads up the steps to the house, waiting expectantly at the door.  "No.  Go home."  The cat continues to wait, emerald eyes patiently watching the woman with red hair that will certainly feed him eventually.

Dorein sighs. "Of course you won't go home. You don't have a home, do you?  I'd say you could fend for yourself….but no, it seems I'm going to feed you.  And wash you.  And sovereigns, now I'll never get rid of you."  As she grumbles to herself, she opens the door, and the pitch-black cat with such striking eyes begins to purr, then delicately prances inside his new home.

==========THE END==========