Arc 2 - Pomp and Poor Circumstance (Unearthly Tether)

## Pomp and Poor Circumstance

The party seek connections that may lead them to what they must do to save Snelm. They meet the Broker in person and work for him to build their prestige, having a nasty encounter with an agent of the Tyrant named Coros Vell. When their second encounter with him goes awry, Snelm falls and Coros Vell escapes.

They manage to bring him back with the help of a powerful priest of Luma and the Broker informs them that the Arcanum scholar he informed them of is in need of assistance. So the party help him investigate an incredibly old tomb.

After using their newly attained prestige, they attend the King of Tasir's Ball and are implicated in the theft of his gun. After this the group leave Nemaros and quickly head towards their next destination.

 Synopsis

*Act 2 covers sessions 15 through 21 and lasts 15 days.*

### Shadows Without (Sessions 15-18)

Our heroes are astounded as the elk transforms into a fully nude man. After some brief playing around in the pond with their new friend Felicia, they meet up with Yash and decide to try and buy Jimi some poisons. That endeavour isn't particularly successful, as the shopkeep isn't happy to sell poisons to just anyone and to top it off Yash tries intimidation. They leave the shop without what they came for.
They meet the Broker in person for the first time and he pays them for their service at the Aphryll Mine, he gives them weapon licenses for Nemaros and promises to help Jimi get a chemist license. He reminds them of the Royal Ball that they are set to attend but notes that there are things that must be done beforehand. The Broker offers them a job, to help get them in the city's good graces, hunting down a rumoured undead creature in the city sewers. They do this with gusto, heading out in the wee hours of the morning to search for it. They come across a very out of place draugr and do battle with it, spotting a figure that they presume to be its master watching them in the shadows which they chase through the sewer tunnels. They fall into an ambush set by this armoured necromancer, but nearly kill him with a combination of hold person and a coup de gras before he escapes into a portal.

They inform the Broker of this, who is entirely unconscerned with killing the person, should they be able to close the portal, but allows the group to hunt the necromancer through the portal, offering aid in the form of Callien Felrasi and even providing a bodyguard to Callien called Riley. They return to follow him through the portal, leaving Yash behind due to her wounds being infected by sewer water, and find themselves in what appears to be an entirely different world.

The one they pursue recognises their presence and welcomes them into the Dream, introducing himself as Coros Vell. They fight their way through the Nightmare they are in, through the woods and the ball at which King Calefren of Estlarn was murdered. They eventually enter combat with Coros Vell himself, force him to retreat, but not before he takes the life of Snelm. The escape of Coros Vell fractures the dream and it is only the assistance of Snelm that holds the dream together long enough for them to escape.

Despite his death in the dream, Snelm's spirit survives and the party take him to the Cathedral of Nemaros to have the high priest resurrect him. He is incredibly weakened though, and the group decide to calm their activities down for a brief period whilst the Broker negotiates things with his Arcanum contact. They spend the next week on their own activities: Jimi has Callien's father teach him of poisons and alchemy, Yash researches in the college about her mother and Korrig spends time with Felicia, they also all train.

The Broker finds them a job during this time as a bodyguard for the arcanum mage he told them of before, Veric Croseal, as the mage travels through an unmapped area of an ancient tomb. After one last meal with Felicia, the party head towards the old Uralter tomb on the northwest outskirts of Nemaros.

They make their way through the ruins with difficulty and a few notable events which include; Jimi falls down a false chest and Snelm has to save him as he does, Snelm returns down the hole and encounters a very out of place sea dragon called Vaas tu Irik, Korrig nearly gets petrified, they fight ghosts and animated petrified people, find magic items (including an evil-seeming blade) and eventually fight a golden guardian (which Yash claims the axe of). During this they also discover a portal which seems to lead somewhere unknown, Veric advises that they do not tamper with it for now.
### Shadows Within (Sessions 19-21)

The next day the party split up to accomplish some errands. Veric had requested Snelm's presence so him and Jimi visit, they speak of the woman that was Tethered to the Painted World, Zhrakenshina, who escaped within the Shattered Spire. Veric hints that Felicia knows more about Zhrakenshina and also promises to get the party into the Shattered Spire. Snelm then meets up with Korrig and they visit Felicia to ask her about her knowledge of Zhrakenshina and the Painted World.
She reveals that she too, is Tethered, when she went in to attempt to save Zhrakenshina's husband and some details of how Zhrakenshina and her tried to deal with the condition. Felicia tells the party that her and her companions tried killing Felicia, only to bring her back with reincarnate, to see if the change of body would shake off the Tether. It did not, leaving Felicia still cursed and trapped in a male body. Zhrakenshina however, was pregnant when she was Tethered and Felicia tearfully recounts her decision to end the life of the child rather than possibly have it suffer the same affliction.

Meanwhile Yash, blissfully unaware, has an incredibly long staring contest with a statue outside of the Nemaros Arcanum before eventually being let in out of both respect and pity. She speaks to Cattin, Dean of the Nemaros Arcanum, and asks questions about Snelm's resurrection and Leta. In turn Cattin asks about her claws and draconic bloodline. Whe Yash leaves, she is confronted by a group of three unarmed men and dispatches them quickly.

They discuss the day's events and move onto shopping on the next day, with Jimi scoping out various other attendees for the ball. He runs into a dwarven noble called Thaurin Ranarek that he knew, but the recognition isn't mutual. During this time Snelm goes to visit the family of Nicolas Stonebreaker and gives them the money Nicolas had collected along with the hammer he wielded. Snelm promises to aid them should they ever need it.

The next day they purchase clothes for the ball with Lord Rayik and head to the ball early. They decide to join in with the political games, ingratiating themselves with many of the guests, though they don't all make great impressions. Snelm and Jimi help start a fight between two guests, which is used as a distraction for two things: Jimi beating up a noble called Johann Creld and some unknown person(s) stealing the pistol of the king.
## Characters

#### Player Characters:

* Jimi Jostar
* Korrig
* Snelm Brightstone
* Yasheritska

#### Non-Player Characters:

* The Broker
* Karla, Mage Blacksmith
* Felicia, Druid
* Evorr, Owner of the Vesper
* Coros Vell, Hand of the Tyrant
* Ingran Ausiric, High Priest of Luma
* Xenras Felrasi, Callien's father and College Alchemist
* Veric Croseal, Arcanum Scholar
* Cattin, Dean of the Nemaros Arcanum
* Dryll, the Gnommish Inventor
* Trevor, Magical Tailor
* Heinrich, Herbalist
* Kjavos, Armourer
* Andrea Vilksburn, sister to Nicolas Stonebreaker
* Guests for the Ball
	+ King Chaste Abstam of Tasir
	+ Princess Clarity Tasillan of Tasir
	+ Issance Haine, High Prevari of the Kherran Empire
	+ Thaurin Ranarek, Dwarf Noble
	+ Johann Creld, fourth son of the Creld's
	+ Lord Rayik of Morsfurt
	+ Baron Scarian Errol
	+ Lady Aresia Errol
	+ Weinflasch, great blacksmith
	+ Sir William Reshnev
	+ Ilren Escir
	+ William Wreathe, member of the Crown Guild of Introspection
	+ Vadryk Caine, head of Tasirin Crown Guild of Introspection

#### Guest Characters

* Callien Felrasi
* Riley

## Locations

* Estlarn - Nemar County
	+ Nemaros, Capital of Tasir
		- The Vesper, a small inn
		- Barre Cotz, a nice park
		- Merin Alley, a road with many craftsfolk
		- Nemaros College
		- The Broker's Manor
		- The Sewer
		- Tonio's Pasta
		- Nemaros Arcanum
		- The Red Lily, herbalists shop
		- Trevor's Thaumaturgical Thotty Threads
		- The Nemaros Palace
		- The Chapel of Saint Numida
	+ Suturm, settlement on the outskirts of Nemaros
	+ The Uralter Tomb
* The Nightmare of Calefren