28. A Season of Encounters

* The group return to Bisquay, arriving a few days after Winter's End. Three weeks then pass.
	+ During this time, with Quinn reluctant to adventure with the party again after they got their payday at the expense of Malak's life, and with the Drunken Dragon out of commission, the party are effectively stuck on the Wine Island.
	+ Clark departs from the island without fanfare, leaving a letter for the group that explains he gave up a lot for Malak, only for him to die again anyway, so now Clark doesn't know what he wants to do but he needs a fresh start for a while.
	+ Clwyd works on magic items with Wilfred's help, finishing an amulet for Wilfred that will shield him from divination magic as well as a necklace for herself that used the oni heart as a key ingredient. Clwyd also starts learning the basics of the Infernal language from Cormorant.
	+ Wilfred buys a book called The Old Ways, which catalogues some folklore and tales regarding the many aspects of the sea.
	+ Nix has bought the Fine Vine, revamping the place into a home of debauchery and cheap drinks that he's called the Devil's Arse. Pyt plays music in the place for the whole of the early spring period.
* Cormorant spends a lot of his time going around town searching for information on a particular person. This leads to him encountering an interesting person.
	+ During Cormorant's many days of asking questions, he gradually gets more specific. He starts off asking about a red-skinned tiefling woman, then starts mentioning her horns being aflame. Eventually he's asking about someone known as Skyburn and a ship called *the Vow.* When he doesn't get many leads being tactful, he starts asking around about vampires.
	+ Cormorant meets an elven man by the name of Aerendyl. He introduces himself as a hunter of vampires and other dangerous magical creatures.
	+ The elf explains that a carnival is coming to town soon and he believes there will be a vampire aboard it.
* Cormorant takes Aerendyl to the Devil's Arse so he can meet the rest of the party. The elf offers the chance to team up and kill the coming vampire but most of the group don't like his attitude.
	+ Wilfred says they can probably kill the vampire without his help. Pyt asks what would be in it for him.
	+ Aerendyl says that he'd need the remains of the vampire to give to a fey creature by the name of the River King. This raises the party's suspicion, and coupled with his condescention, Pyt and Wilfred are entirely reluctant to work with the new arrival. Cormorant attempts to make peace, hoping that this coming vampire is the one he seeks.
	+ Aerendyl explains that the River King used to be a ruler of Faerie, until Mab and Titania worked together to kill him - this supposedly led to the events of the Sundering in Terca Mahres, over 6000 years ago. This runs counter to what Pyt knows of Mab and the bard thinks she might have mentioned it to him during their time together.
	+ For his part, Aerendyl explains that he was infirmed until the River King reached out to him. His interest is merely in keeping the fey powerful enough to keep Aerendyl's infirmity at bay.
	+ For the time being, Aerendyl explains a little of vampire weaknesses and urges that they act with caution and patience. He then parts ways with the group of four.
* A further three weeks pass, bringing the calendar up to the Spring Equinox.
	+ Wilfred and Pyt encounter a floating forge-and-shop by the name of the Bobbing Bellows, ran by the Ironoar brothers Sindri and Brokk.
		- The brothers don't do any business with flimsy weapons.
		- Pyt buys an adamantine handaxe
		- Wilfred pays some of the way towards Cormorant getting a masterforged shortsword imbued with silver - thus, extra effective against devils and lycanthropes.
	+ Clwyd and Wilfred encounter an old gnome, linguist, and writer by the name of Chomsky.
		- He's in Bisquay for a bit of a change of pace while he finishes his book titled *The Tongues Spell: A Universal Grammar?*
		- Clwyd and Wilfred show him to the Devil's Arse when he asks if they can direct him to an inn. Chomsky likes the place.
		- Wilfred buys a scroll of tongues off him for 1000gp.
		- Clwyd spends her weeks taking lessons in Infernal from the accomplished linguist. (Cormorant sits in on a few of these just to brush up, since he's a bit rusty with the language.)
	+ Aerendyl makes some good money using his nature magic to imbue some of the crop in Bisquay's vineyards.
	+ Pyt continues to work in the Devil's Arse.
	+ Cormorant starts asking around about the carnival, learns it's called the Seven Wonders, and learns that there is indeed a tiefling aboard, though reports about the colour of her skin are mixed.
	+ The party sell Malak's old sword, Midwinter, for 6000 gold pieces.
	+ They finally encounter the mysterious souvenir vendor again. The 'tuxedos' he has prepared to their order are in fact tuxedo t-shirts. Most of the group are disappointed.
* Three days after the Spring Equinox, the carnival arrives.
	+ Clwyd notices goblin tech on the ships that link the five main vessels together once they're anchored in place.
	+ Cormorant notices gunpowder tech used in the firework display the carnival puts on for its opening night.
	+ The party go to the carnival, accompanied by Aerendyl, all of them alert for signs of vampirism, whatever that looks like. They pay a silver each for entry.
* In the Big Top, the main vessel of the Seven Wonders Floating Carnival, the party see quite the show.
	+ The opening act is a gnome pianist, who makes expert use of *mage hand* to play a beautiful, difficult piece by Gungnir Widehands of the Great Twelve. He's accompanied by a half-elf who sings in operatic Sylvan about the tale of the onion people of Faerie: born of the blood of fey and formorian giants that spilled on an archfey's garden, but last to awake of the vegetable folk, and so the only ones to survive the civil war that ensued - this is why onions share their sorrow by making others weep.
	+ Acrobats, gymnasts, fire breathers, sword swallowers, strongmen, and even a performing mammoth all grace the stage of the Big Top.
	+ As the evening is wrapping up, the ringleader takes a moment to have the crowd thank Lady Lilith, one of the carnival's chief sponsors. A tiefling woman sat near the front rises and takes a bow. It's not the one Cormorant is looking for.
	+ The ringleader also explains that after this opening night, the rest of the carnival's vessels will be open for the public's amusement, and that any and all who wish to welcome them into their homes and have the means can pay for private performances.
	+ One of the final performances of the night is by a viol-playing minstrel by the name of Mennick. He tells tales of conspiracy in Rumidia:
		- He talks about a murder of an archmage led by Twice-Hanged Artemis, she of Zarthe Hole fame, that happened 50 years ago in the great city of Bernesia.
		- Next he talks about the Spiriting of the Magi, an event 20 years ago where scores of Rumidian mages disappeared from the capital.
		- Third, he talks about an attack on the Grand Arcanum, the great Rumidian library in the heart of the capital.
		- He insists that each of these events has been covered up and that he can't even tell these stories in Rumidian waters.
		- He also urges people to recognise the pattern: something is happened every ten years! So the begged questions are what happened in those interim years and what's going to happen any day now‽
* Returning to the Devil's Arse, Nix has kicked out all the customers; he was starting to get quite a few since he seemed to be happy running the place at a massive loss.
	+ He talks to Clwyd about her evening and explains to her that Lilith was no tiefling; she's likely the daughter of Fierna, Queen of Infernal Pleasures, the archduke of Phlegethos, the Sixth Hell. Thus, Lilith is likely a powerful cambion - perhaps as powerful as Nix's mother.
	+ Nix and she have been engaged in subterfuge warfare for most of the day, as is the way of infernal cambions of differing houses when they meet each other in the mortal world.
	+ He says he'd like Clwyd to look into activities of an infernal cult if she's up for it.
	+ He also sends Dimitri off to hunt for Lilith's imp, predicting that she'll have the thing spying somewhere around Bisquay.
* Alone in his room, Aerendyl pours out some Faerie water into a dish and places it on the floor in the light of the full moon.
	+ Soon enough, his reflection animates on its own, smiling and greeting him. The River King was happy to talk.
	+ The fey tells Aerendyl to look for the signs of vampirism, to remember that the spawn rarely get the chance to work for the sake of their own wills and are more often under the yoke of a higher vampire, and above all, he says that Aerendyl should be patient in his hunt - 'they have nothing but time, after all.'
* Pyt mentions to the group that the conspiracy-theorist musician is actually an old friend. He and Pyt were in a band by the name of Fleet Hexes for a while, a few years back. As such, the group of five bring Mennick to the Devil's Arse and speak to him the next day.
	+ He explains that he parted ways with the other band members, Yawk and Jeera, a few years back. Mennick wanted out of the empire while the duo opted to move to the woods and keep taking mushrooms. Mennick doesn't know if they're still alive.
	+ He also casually mentions that he thinks he's working for a cult, though he doesn't seem overly worried. He joined them 6-8 months back, and has been having fun working with them since. He just happened to walk in on what looked like the ritual sacrifice of a goat one time, and there's occasionally quite a lot of blood around. But mostly they're nice people and they're treating him well.
* When Mennick returns to the carnival, the group wanders the town thinking about what would be the best course of action. They stumble across a shop-boat with a sign that reads Ashborne's Grimoires.
	+ Naturally, Wilfred's interest is piqued.
	+ The rest of the group enter the dark interior of the ship as well.
	+ Inside, a sketchy half-elf fellow named Tobias Ashborne greets them each in turn, making sure to get their names and lingering on Wilfred's for a bit.
	+ Tobias takes their orders for any topics of interest, saying he'll check in the back for them all at once.
	+ He says many of them look like they're of the arcane persuasion, and that if they're interested, he might be able to drum up a spellbook or two in the back, though, what with Rumidia being the way it is, he doesn't want to bring such things out to the front of the shop so a wizard would have to come with him to the back.
	+ Clwyd plans on accompanying Wilfred to the back but Tobias objects. Wilfred, keen for more spells, says that he'll be fine and follows the man alone down below, leaving the rest of the party in the sparse from of shop.
	+ Wilfred is led to a sturdy, locked door. The room beyond is pitch black, 'for the books' Tobias explains.
	+ Once they're both inside, the door closes behind them and Wilfred hears the lock chunk closed.
	+ 'Good grief,' says a voice in the dark. 'The Proprietor's man had said you were blinded by a lust for power, but this is ridiculous. I'd expected so much more of the only student of Lyra au Leones.' A light spell flares up, revealing a gnome in Rumidian robes in the room. He continues: 'Wilfred Seabottom, I've come to take you home.'