Ep. 104 Little Lies

## Watch

Little Lies | Khyber Shards #104 | D&D 5e Actual Play

—Pog to Ari

The party talks about what to do with the Soul Blade, and decides to take it to Farlnen. They stop in Sharn for preparation for the trip. Mina is unforgiving about them giving up Lucan in favor of the sword, and rejects all offers of hospitality, but does agree to stay on the ship for a ride to Stormreach.

In Sharn, Ari sends a message to Thora, followed by Shade sending one to let her know Ari got bit and is acting weird. Esri looks for an old contact. Pog buys a temporary replacement for Fury's Edge. Ari slips away to a tavern, and using his vampire charm, takes someone home to drink their blood.

## Synopsis

After the big fight, Malcolm says they should probably get moving, and heads to the helm. Pog is shocked when Ari goes to lay down instead of talking about what happened. They catch Esri up on what happened, and then join Ari below decks. He tells them how Lucan charmed him into taking him onto the ship, but snapped out of it quickly. He tells them that when he grabbed the sword he felt someone try to enter his mind, but the Forgotten Prince fought them off. Esri asked him for the sword, and Ari says he thinks that's a bad idea, because of what he just said. Esri thinks he can fight it off, as he's had someone in his head his whole life.

Shade suggests wrapping it up and putting it away, but Ari has the solution of putting it in a pocket dimension like he does with Remembrance.

They talk about where to take the sword; Ari wants it to go to Farlnen, claiming Demise told them to—in reality, Demise never said this; the sword did. Esri had made a deal with Lady Uruvai that he would bring her the sword, and she'd protect Greymalkin Academy. Suddenly, Esri remembers how Demise has his communicator, and warns them to not use theirs.

The group discusses the benefits and downsides of not reporting to Uruvair. Ari thinks it's worth it; Esri is scared of what that means for the school. Shade wants to go behind her back because she doesn't like her, but admits to not being good with people and thus unsure, and thinks bad things might happen if they do that. Esri really wants to talk to the sword. Ari lays out the plan: they return to Sharn, and he uses disguise self to send a message to Thora via a Sivis enclave, and then they head to Farlnen.

Up on deck, Mina is standing as far away from everyone as she can, Lucan's cloak wrapped around her. Esri introduces Shade. He asks where she'd like to go, and she bitterly says she has no where to go; she can't go back to her parents without endangering them, and she can't return to Morgrave University. Esri offers to let her stay at Greymalkin while she figures it out. Pog tells her they don't want anything from her; they just want to help her have a place to go to. She says the only thing she wants from them is her brother.

They said they wanted to help, but instead they gave him away. He was the least valuable thing in the exchange between her, Lucan, and the sword. Pog says it might be best for Lucan where he is, to which Mina says he'll be used as a scapegoat to get Neya out of trouble for the party. Shade again admits that she doesn't know what to do when people are upset, but offers Kael as a comfort. Mina rejects the offer.

*"You took my family from me. I want nothing to do with your cat."
—Mina*

It takes about ten hours to fly to Sharn. Everyone takes the opportunity to rest, and Ari does the ritual to make the Soul Blade his pact weapon. Malcolm says he's not welcome at some of the nicer Lyrandar docks, so he docks in a relatively quiet part of the city. He's going to resupply and then sleep. Esri offers to set Mina up with some people he knows in Sharn, but she says she'll go with them to Stormreach.

Shade offers to accompany Ari to the Sivis enclave, as a fox. Pog needs to get a new weapon. He notices that every place selling weapons has a sign out front certifying it by the Makers Guild of House Cannith. Most of what he finds are very standard and mass produced. He finds a shop, and notices it's marked as the preferred supply shop of the Cliftop Adventurer's guild. It's filled with all kinds of equipment, including weapons and potions. There are copies of The Adventures of Halas Martain. He greets the shopkeepers, and name-drops Halas as being his friend. The shopkeeper doesn't believe him. Pog shares about losing Fury's Edge, and says he needs some good, big hand axes to use temporarily before he can find another properly special weapon. He gets three, and fistbumps before leaving.

Ari and Shade find a Sivis facility, and he disguises himself as the most mundane man imaginable, Ted from accounting, and walks in with his "pet fox." He elects to use the regular messaging service for five gold per page, instead of the sending stone for 150 gold. He writes his letter for Thora:

*"Dear Thora, we have acquired the item. L was taken in. M is with us. Returning to Stormreach soon. Need to finish with the item for E first. Will be longer than anticipated."'*

Shade has her little fox paws up on the desk, and checks over the letter before he sends it. They leave, and once they're a safe distance away, he turns back to Ari. He asks if Shade wants to join him for a drink, but she declines. She also doesn't go back to the ship like she led Ari to believe; instead, she returns to the Sivis facility. She also sends a message to Thora:

*"A was bit by L. So weird. A also touched/has the SB."*

Esri wanders his old streets. He looks for someone who's being bullied, and spots some kids playing in an ally. There's an argument about cheating, and one of the older kids pushes a littler one. Esri walks up to them, and tells the bigger kid that he thinks he *was* cheating, and he'll move along if he knows what's good for him. He and his friends turn and run. Esri hands the kid a copper and asks if he'll take him to Findire. He warns the kid to move districts—the other kids won't like him being saved.

Ari disguises himself as a sexy lady tiefling, and scans the room for who seems like the drunkest, most lecherous dude in the tavern. He approaches and charmed the guy.

*"Hm. Seems like you'll do for what I need. Take me home?"
—Ari*

Once they get to his place, Ari bites his neck and drinks. He lets the body slump to the floor, and heads back to the ship.

## Locations

* Zilargo
* Sharn, Breland

## Spells

* **Ari**
	+ Disguise Self (twice)

## Quotes

"Why do I have a bag of bones?"
"You have a bag of bones cause you took them."
*—Esri and Shade*

"Information is half the battle."
"What's the other half?"
"Knives."
*—Ari, Shade, and Philip*

"I know that when I have feelings, Kael helps sometimes."
*—Shade*