Episode 71: The Noble

## Summary

After buying supplies from Mane the group, with a very reluctant Leander in tow, once more return to Yre and make quick progress back to the Barricade Camp. There Sarrek stealthily avoids Preatorio and spies on Ryelle in the command tent, overhearing a conversation with a member of the Dust of the Earth new to him. He overhears the two discussing the need to have to move from the camp with their numbers growing and the dwindling supplies with only 5 days left, but with few places serving as defensible.

The group continue into Servitude, dispatching the usual Shadow Touched on the Holy Approach and heading past the Marketplace of the Sun filled ravens, turn into the Graveyard, the location of the bell tower where they have heard the Patient Hearts and the Viewing Lens to be. Outside the tower they are met by a rather attractive and friendly member of the hearts who bars their way, stating that he is protecting Noble Ebless and her great work. Enkarra gets him to slip up and reveal that Ebless created an alchemical distillery to produce powerful concoctions to assault the palace. With her positive demeanor Enkarra persuades him to let the group in and they head inside.

Spanning the height of the tower with the spiraling stairs that follow the walls around it the see a large moving device of blown glass and machinery, connected to alembics and retorts, mixing strange and colorful liquids. The guard introduces himself as Anat and they head up to meet Noble Ebless, a gold skinned, black eyed and muscle toned tiefling in gold robes with four curving horns and a sonorous voice. Frustrated by their arrival and Anat's bringing the party to her, she dismisses him, sighing her regrets about sending Azhees to the barricade camp.

Once the guards leaves she turns her attention to the party who realise they recognise her from when they were sent to the past. Sarrek and Aya have a whispered conversation about killing Ebless while Kairos identifies from the device beside Ebless that she is creating Potions of Flying. Enkarra leads the conversation and opens up with asking what Ebless knows about Astaphon and his predecessor Queen Urbau. Ebless reveals her distaste for the monarchy and all it represents, taking resources from the people and that Urbau was Astaphons' mother and gained the crown through rightful succession. She also mentions her intention to assassinate Astaphon.

When Enkarra tries to press her for details Noble Ebless deflects and inquires why they are there and why they have brought Leander, who she recognizes and asks that he leave. Aya immediately asks about how she knows him and Kairos picks up on the tension between them. After he leaves Ebless alludes to Leander's failing of boasting his talents but not delivering all that he promises before demanding to know who they are, as the group feel the eyes of several armed Patient Hearts looking at them.

Enkara is honest and tells her that they are trying to save the sun, and she responds with a laugh, amused that they still have hope. Aya goes on the attack calling out Noble Ebless's failure in the past and cause of the riots and how the Dust of the Earth is now fractured, alluding to the party's far better handling of the situation in the past. Aya continues sarcastically insulting Ebless's plan of assassination against Astaphon with all the forces he has against them, and the tiefling coldly asks them to leave. Enkarra and Kairos attempt to get the answers they originally came to ask and Ebless calmly dismisses them claiming that they are both seeking different things and bids them good look, shutting down the conversation.

Sarrek questions what Ebless happens to do after, if she is successful and she responds that it is not her concern, if she can kill a corrupt king at the end of the world she will be satisfied. Enkarra attempts to smooth things over, arguing that they can still help each other as her plan is just a step on there and they can help each other as they to believe Astaphon is bad. Ebless' cold answer is that if they have the same goal then she urges them to do all they can but remains distant after the group barged in, insulted her plans and changing tactics to get her help.

Sarrek ruminates on whether or not the Patient Hearts plan could work and if he could take them out, just in case while Enkara asks Ebless after Ihraman, which she has great respect for but not much information, and asks if they can prove to Ebless the sun can be saved, if she will help them. Ebless relents an inch and says that if they have such proof she would be willing to see it, after verifying it herself. Kairos, seeing Ebless open up slightly takes the advantage to inquire over Su'en and Quin Tara; the former they learn is a lesser priest under Gloic and the lesser that Quinn Tara worked on the Planar Scope, has her own prototype and Ebless appreciated her work ethic.

Aya demands the viewing lens from Ebless, after confirming that they are doing nothing with it, and Ebless does so, to get them to leave, pulling the amethyst lens from her robes and the group leave, Aya commenting as they lft that they killed Quinn Tara. The group find Leander finishing up a game of cards with several Patient Hearts after cleaning them out, and Aya and Sarrek point out that he cheats and they deserve to have lost. As they go to leave Kairos blocks the way and intimidates, Leander to give back his ill-gotten gains, and begrudgingly he does so. Aya confronts Leander as they travel, demanding answers on why everyone hates him and he evasively reveals that he may have played several sides against each other during his time in Yre.

Using the Darkling Mirror in the basement of the Patrician's House they travel to the Tourim Arcana to find Ihraman, while inside the mirror Aya pull arcane flux from a rift and as a result of the magic, her strength vastly increases. Once in the tower they head up the stairs where they are confronted by a Magic Mouth who asks them to identity themselves and a Zone of Truth is cast upon them. Though Aya and Kairos resist the spell as Sarrek starts answering the Magi Mouth's questions he partly reveals that he has been playing along on the mission to fix the sun, and Leander answers that he is only there to help one person in the group. The group take advantage of the magic and probe their "friends" for answers.

Sarrek continues to accidentally voice his internal secrets while Aya focuses on Leander, though once she realizes he resisted the spell she tells the others its pointless asking him and they all head up the stairs. In the top room they find it fully organised and Ihraman in far better condition then last they saw her. She looks to the group as they enter and upon seeing Leander she utters the word's. "Oh, it's you."