Erebor Fumblestump - Frictions

A more in-depth look into the trials and journeys of those that attempt to fight the Ashen Terrors and resolve the Frictions of Nulinvermark.

## Act 1 - Still-Warm Ash

*Sessions One to Four, detailing Erebor and Tyra's first days in Nulinvermark until they prepare to leave.*

#### Session One - Auspicious Arrivals

Twenty days at sea aboard *The Horned Crest* and it was set to make port at Nulinvermark, within the military docks. Whilst the journey had not been fraught as Saeluma was, there were still vestiges of it in the form of a strange fever that seemed to cause hallucinations and awful nightmares. Erebor stayed hard at work, attempting to forestall the effects of the disease whilst he, Tyra and the various medical practitioners of the ship attempted to discern a possible cure for it. Tyra's analysis made hope seem slim, due to the malady's duality as both curse and disease, but perhaps there could be hope in Nulinvermark.
As the twentieth day neared its end, the city was well within sight, but no space was available within the port. Dropping anchor a short ways offshore, *The Horned Crest* waited until morn to pull into the docks at Kveykva and unload its occupants. In avoiding the initial act of declaring identities to better assist the unwell, Tyra and Erebor briefly split, as Tyra must make sure her mother is well cared for. In the brief time she is gone, Erebor is ambushed by Inky, who checks up on him and gives very vague directions to his family, as well as warning him about the predicament his brother's are in and that his father will be in the same if they know he has the same surname. Inky leaves after mentioning that they can't stay long because someone is keeping watch on them. Tyra sees Inky on her way back to Erebor, but can't get any information about him. Tyra reveals that they'll have to split up for a bit as she looks after her mother, they agree to meet back in the medical pavilion as soon as possible.

It is not to be, Tyra and her mother are whisked away to the College by an Abjurer named Trival and Tyra takes the chance to read through the library there, in hope of finding information that can help. Her conclusion is to find some magical way to deal with the disease and Trival sets her on course to find a woman called Ciara in the Nibley Embassy. After being encouraged to put their names to paper and officially enter the city, Herrufor adopts his son's chosen surname to do so and avoid detection. They allow Erebor to go back about his work, but he is interrupted by Admiral Eleanor Otra, who has heard of his work and invites him to a meeting with a few people that are trying to eradicate the disease. He says that he needs to prioritising his family, to which the Admiral chastises him for doing the busywork of looking after people now when his time would be better spent in the meeting, telling him to prioritise finding his family and to return for the meeting at sunset. Erebor agrees and requests that Tyra be invited to the meeting and asks to send a message to her about it, the Admiral agrees.

Erebor and Tyra meet on a main road, briefly talking about the meeting, but Tyra is in a hurry and rushes ahead. Erebor laments the interaction and realises he has no idea where he is going. Tyra talks to the people at the Embassy, initial encountering trouble due to protocol, but overcoming that when she reveals her situation, garnering sympathy and many offers of a drink. She is brought to a man named Harris at the bar/front desk and he brings Ciara to her. Ciara isn't able to tell Tyra enough to satisfy her, but reveals they will soon be looking for volunteers to help with some more dangerous parts of gathering elemental ice to help cure the disease. Without hesitation, Tyra volunteers.

Elsewhere, Erebor has been trying to use his vague knowledge of the city to track down a member of the resistance that he has heard his brother's are part of, leading him to the Harbein district and a warehouse containing one of the resistance leaders; Questor Radayne. They talk on what has happened and Radayne reveals some factors about the situation and Erebor's family;

* Harkley and Bodge are on the run from Asgeirn Law, but have been offered a place in the Embassy at Nibley.
* Jittibrie (Erebor's mother) and Garrick (middle brother) are already at the Embassy, but Jittibrie is apparently very sick.

Erebor contemplates this, but knows he needs to head back to the Kherran encampment for the arranged meeting. He leaves, but as he does so he notices a strange figure; an armoured man, the armour looking beaten and even melted at points, stares at him. Erebor heads out quickly, knowing he only has so much time before the sun sets.

#### Session Two - Quiet Before the Storm

Erebor leaves to get back to the meeting, splitting off from his father and Ustenbah (who heads to the Embassy of Nibley to meet his wife and son). Questor Radayne offers to travel with Erebor to the meeting, bringing along another person in tow, a dwarf called Kvoring Frask. They arrive at the meeting after Tyra, who travelled with two halflings, Ciara and Darragh.
As all the people round the table in the tent of Admiral Otra arrive, the meeting begins with introductions: Cecilia Wiltern of the Knights of the Hearth, Erebor, Vona Fjirrit of the College, Questor Radayne, Kvoring Frask, Darragh and Faidh Ciara of Nibley and Tyra Ilsyn. Erebor and Tyra notice that Dubran, the diviner from the ship they travelled on, does not introduce themselves.

The meeting starts with Faidh Ciara announcing a suspicion that the disease is related to fire and thus may be curable with purer forms of magical ice (this being corroborated by Erebor's experience). She speaks of a saltwater pool that is frozen all-year round in a place called Brackshaw that may be a good place to recover such ice. Tyra volunteers to go on this expedition, experiencing brief dismay as no-one volunteers to go with her, shortly followed by the admiral committing troops to the expedition. Otra also asks Erebor and Darragh if they would be interested in assisting, they agree, but Darragh asks if they can wait a day before setting out.

Having agreed to the immediate plan of action for dealing with the disease, the meeting turns to the rest of the city's situation and how to deal with the Lord General. Before launching into discussion, Otra checks where Erebor and Tyra's sympathies lie, noting that Erebor's father was seen entering the Nibley Embassy. She asks if Erebor is related to the people within (and thus his brothers that were present during the battle of Vetorri Plaza) and he gives a positive indication. As they begin to talk, they are interrupted by a flash of light and rumble of sound from the brewing storm outside, sending Kvoring into a panic. The dwarf explains that these storms should not be happening at this time of year and that it is an ill-omen. Darragh makes derisive comments of this superstition and they argue, Kvoring threatening to withdraw his assistance until Darragh is forced to apologise. During this time, Erebor decides to go outside and inspect the storm himself, finding nothing but a thin mist-like rain.

Returning to the tent, he spots Dubran passing a note to the admiral, the note saying "Sensor, listening in." He sits back down and as Admiral Otra begins to address him, silence falls. No words reach him, but the rain on the tent becomes unbearably loud. The openings in the tent blow open, Dubran rises from their chair in a panic and points desperately towards the admiral. Tyra realises her predicament and flees from the tent, calling for help until her voice returns, getting assistance from the Kherran troops nearby. They realise that some invisible creatures have set upon Admiral Otra and the people of the meeting move to protect her from the assailants. Dubran escapes the tent and dispels the silence set upon it as Erebor deals what should be a deadly blow to the creatures. He recognises them as Invisible Stalkers due to this lack of anatomical weakness and calls this out to the group. Tyra runs back into the tent, taking a heavy blow from one of the elementals, but swallowing her own hesitation and fear to use Dimension Door to get her and Otra out of there. As she goes, she tells Erebor to "meet them back at the ship", but her panic whilst teleporting lead her to instead move further into the city.

The fight continues with the objective having been changed to the destruction of the Invisible Stalkers. Faidh Ciara lights up the creatures with Faerie Fire and ensures the survival of the various people in the combat with healing magics, whilst Radayne and Cecilia Wiltern form the main combatants against the elementals. When the fighting finishes, Erebor decides to head back to the Horned Crest to look for Tyra and Otra. On the way Erebor spots Kvoring and decides to upbraid him for his lack of involvement in the elemental altercation, with the older dwarf responding scornfully and walking away from Erebor, leaving him with an implication of his brothers being in danger.

Erebor does not find Tyra at the ship, though she quickly informs him of her location. As where Tyra had been was in the Southern district of Amrinn with Otra. As the young mage attempted to bring the wounded commander back to the base, they encountered some people that were looking for the admiral. Sensing that these people didn't have the best intentions, the duo attempted to strike preemptively, with Otra freezing one in place and Tyra setting the other on fire. Erebor spots this inferno and arrives on the scene quickly, helping them transport their new prisoner to the original meeting point.

When on the boat they question him about when and why, after Erebor assures the man that they both want to and are able to assist him. The man reveals that he is one of the Enraptured, a group of mercenaries that are hired through mysterious methods to take on jobs that are likely to end in their demise, the upside of this being that their loved ones would be given a better life. Tyra asks him of where he has been given jobs and he reveals three instances: first job was given to him outside a warehouse in Sveljafn Point, the second was with the New Uskeir tavern and the job to kill Admiral Otra was given to him in Amrinn tonight, nearby the Ower Sluice.

As Tyra gathers this information, Erebor hatches a plan to fake their captive's death and to do so, he collects the body of the less fortunate assassin.