Dealing with Draven Barlow

**Story Arcs**

###### **RUFFLING UP A GRIFFINS FEATHERS**

Ashes knocks at the door of the Flyin' Griffin and is let inside, where he spots a familiar sight of two purple spectral servants tending to the shop while the owner Sir Braford stays behind the counter to manage the till.

Ashes spots him reading something and then putting it away in haste as he approaches, asking him what his business might be for today. Ashes brings up the matter of his altered ears from using the Lupine Mask which he hands off to Braford to be Identified.

Ashes pays the fee for the identification and Braford discloses the cursed nature of the item, and how it has the spirit of a creature inside of it and too much failed usage on the item can make you transform. Ashes asks if he can sell him any sort of cure for this condition, and Braford looks around and finds a nearly used up container of ointment to sell for immediate use.

Ashes buys it for a halved price of 5 platinum (10 platinum initially) and uses it right away, applying the minty and disinfectant like salve on his ears, which immediately revert back to his normal goliath look. Ashes thanks him, and Braford buys back the ointment container for a gold.

Ashes shows him the draconically etched gold coins he found in the Ashen Ossuary. Braford tells him bluntly that these are plain and simple necromantic magic and that the coins are from Jaskir, and were etched recently. Ashes inquires if he knows anything about necromancy in this city, and Braford deflects the question.

Ashes presses and asks nicely, but Braford says that he and his shop would vanish if he started talking about this topic. Ashes presses and asks with a threat of violence, unsheathing his weapon and pushing off things off his countertop. Braford gives in and says that the only other person he knows of that does anything related to that sort of activity is the owner of the Jaskir Lumber Company, **Cedric de Mowbray**.

Ashes asks how he knows, and Braford says that its off a hunch based off his purchases inside the shop. Braford gets his business ledger and gets a transfer paper copy over to Ashes once he finds the section with Cedric. Purchases such as a ravens skull, preserved eyes, bones, charcoals and insence, etc.,

Ashes thanks him for sharing this info. Braford begs him to not share the fact he shared this information, and Ashes promises. Ashes shows him the draconic potions he found in the sewers, as well as the coffer. Braford quickly identifies these as Dragon's Breath Elixers, the colors corrisponding to different colors of dragons of the spectrum. He buys the now empty coffer from Ashes.

Ashes also shows him a dog statuette, and Braford quickly takes back the money he gave for the coffer for the identification spell. He identifies this as a Figurine of Wonderous Power, specifically a Onxy Dog. You must say the magic phrase "Good Boy" to summon this mastiff.

Ashes thanks him, Braford asks him to leave and to not come back for a while; lest he start hiring guards.

###### **PERUSING THE LOWER COMMONS**

Ashes leaves the Flyin' Griffin with new insight and heads back to the Lower Commons of Jaskir.

Heading there he encounters and talks with Leonard Vincent; a human male artist in around his 20s who is painting a happy and vibrant landscape despite the sparse but apparant moist misty rain. He says that this might add value to the piece to some noble, perhaps as some sort of a statement piece. Ashes agrees and heads off, Leonard says that he might have a sketch or painting for him if he comes back again.

Before Ashes leaves, he asks Leonard if he had seen a man and describes Draven Barlow. He says that he has, and that he occasionally comes by to use the bathhouse that is nearby, usually coming from the various directions but usually from the residential area here in the Lower Commons. Ashes inquires where that is, and he points directly ahead of him (to the East).

Ashes thanks him and heads that direction, and after a brief bit of searching around through alleyways in this more dense part of the Lower Commons which houses a large number of lower tier buildings built for utility rather than beauty, Ashes comes across a cross section alleyway with a quarterstaff impaled into the exposed dirt which leads into a sewer.

On the quarterstaff is a tattered black robe, with a few coins in one pocket and a sole lockpick in the other. Ashes looks around and pushes away the grating of the sewer and enters, climbing down 100ft into the depths once more to take a look around.

He dons the Helm of the Third Eye and starts to explore, eventually making his way back to a familiar sight after making a few rounds towards that familiar orc base.

###### **IT'S JUST BUSINESS**

Ashes approaches the orc base in the sewers and he spots a figure of one of the bow wielding orcs in the distance. He comes up to him and tries to negotiate.

The orc does not want to talk, and wants coin instead. The two eventually make a deal of 2 platinum and 10 gold for him to walk away from this entire encounter. As he is walking away, Ashes asks him to wait a moment. He inquires on the amount of people inside this base and what else to expect.

The orc says that there are 4 more of his brothers inside the base, totaling 5 counting himself. There is also a human man there that he is not happy doing business with, and is why he is happy to walk away and let Ashes take care of it.

Ashes says that he will happily pay his brothers the same sum if he will go inside and talk them down from attacking him on sight. The orc says he will try, and tells him to wait for him to snap his fingers before passing through the cloth door.

Ashes follows the orc and he goes through the cloth door, he hears some orcish talking in the background and a human man talking in confusion, asking for an explanation and why everyone is talking in their dirty orcish tongue and telling them to speak in Common for godsake.

A moment later the orc snaps his fingers and Ashes passes through, coming face to face with a visibly confused and angry Draven Barlow.

###### **THE CORNERED RAT NAMED DRAVEN BARLOW**

Ashes enters through the cloth doorway to encounter face to face the target he was looking for, Draven Barlow, the rogue scoundrel who has been mucking about and causing all sorts of trouble here in Jaskir.

Looming over him wearing the Helm of the Third Eye, the massive imposing goliath listens to Draven Barlow yell for Ashes to identify himself. Ashes does so and takes off his Helm of the Third Eye to face him properly, and tells him that he is looking for Draven and is going to bring him to justice. After Ashes proclaims this, Draven begins to slowly chuckle, which grows into a maniacal laugh.

Ashes notices in the orc hideout a heavily wounded man who bears a similar skin condition that Silent Peepo has, being held in place by two of the orcs in the den, as well as a whole series of alchemical stills, crates and barrels of some supplies, and many various tincture sized containers.

Draven brings a hand upwards in a rapid movement and catches Ashes off guard, snapping his fingers together which triggers a cloud of fog to start seeping out from his armor and heavily obscuring the orc hideout. Soon after, Ashes takes a hefty bludgeoning whack by a quarterstaff from the obscured foggy area, and then afterwards feels a hand on his shoulder and a voice whispering into his ear "Soulreaver", as a burning blast detonates and singes his Ironleaf Plate armor, causing the plants to burn and wither away.

As the obfuscated form of Draven walks away from Ashes, he gets a swing towards him and connects dealing some damage. Draven seems to vanish in the fog cloud and Ashes is left blind. He takes a moment to don his Helm of the Third Eye, and once he does he glares towards Draven who reacts with a worried look. Ashes holds his Symbol of Lathander and channels his faith through it, summoning the spiritual duplicate of the Hammer of Lathander right next to Draven.

Draven smiles as he lifts his hand up to fire off a Guiding Bolt towards the paladin. All the orcs begin to back away from the commotion and obfuscating cloud trying to give the two space to fight without getting in the way themselves. Draven fires off the Guiding Bolt, and Ashes attempts to parry it away with his hammer, but just barely misses the mark and takes the brunt of the blast.

Draven casts another spell and mutters something under his breath as Ashes begins to retaliate. Ashes commands his spiritual hammer to attack Draven and it brings it weight down on him dealing a heavy blow. Ashes now notices the hidden black gauntlet Draven has been keeping under his untattered black robe. Draven snaps his fingers and seems to vanish from his place. Ashes looks around and notice him reappear behind him in the fog cloud.

Ashes charges towards him and gets hit with a reactionary attack from Draven, which seems to seep life out of him and with a few audible bone cracking sounds, seems to repair some of his wounds gained during this battle. Ashes brings his hammer down against Draven, but something compels him to stop in place and adjust the arc of the swing towards either the orc next to him, or his summoned spiritual hammer. Not wanting to hurt someone needlessly, Ashes decides to force his swing towards the hammer, which dispels it in a fantastic display of golden sparks.

Draven smiles evilly as Ashes brings down his second attack towards Draven, now that the Sanctuary spell on him has worn off he takes the second swing which cleaves into his skull causing a splash of crimson to spray against the floor. Ashes tells the orc next to him to take arms and revolt against Draven and points out that he is right next to him. Ashes is successful in rousing the orc, causing him to unsheath his shortsword in an attempt to take a swing against Draven. He swings, but Draven dodges it with ease, laughing at the same time.

Draven snaps his fingers once more and vanishes again, blinking towards the entrance of the orc hideout. He lays his arms against his body and more bone cracking sounds can be heard as more of his wounds seem to heal. He grins towards Ashes and fires off a Sacred Flame at him, he attempts to dodge out of the way but takes the burning hit against his armor. Ashes is heavily wounded, but he gets up and commands the orcs holding the captive to release him so that they could assist, but the orc doesen't even reply and just pulls the prisoner away further. Ashes channels his divinity and transfers all his Lay on Hands energy into himself, curing him completely.

Draven see's this, gulps, says "Fuck this.", and begins to dash from the entrance outside into the sewers in a attempt to flee the scene. Ashes gives chase and yells at Draven that "There's nowhere to run!" as he pursues, some of the orcs follow suit. Draven says "Not so fast.", firing off a Sapping Sting at Ashes which causes him to fall prone on the ground as well as take a bit of damage.

The orcs give chase, and one with a longbow prepares to put themselves into a good position to loose an arrow towards Draven. Ashes gets up from the ground and notices how much distance Draven is gaining, so he quickly thinks of an idea. pulling out the onyx dog figurine out from his Bag of Holding as well as trying to use his Command spell against Draven but it fails and he pushes on through continuing to sprint, but taking an arrow in the shoulder from one of the ranged orcs.

Draven continues to keep running. Ashes says "Good boy!", the command word for the magical item, and tosses the figurine over the stream of sewer water, across the gap towards where Draven is. Mid flight, the figure transforms into a mastiff which Ashes commands to hold Draven down. The mastiff obeys with an enthusiastic "Yes sir!", and begins to charge and bite at the knees of Draven who kicks the dog away and pushes through towards the outside, into the Noble's District of Jaskir.

###### **NOBLE DISTRICT PEST CONTROL**

Ashes and his mastiff follow Draven outside, where they see Draven attempt to leap across the poorly maintained stone dock towards the ladder which leads to the streets of the city. The mastiff attempts to bite to stop him again and it pieces his skin doing some damage, but doesen't stop him from trying to jump. He fails the leap and falls slipping into the lazy river stream below, still trying to flee desperately paddling away as fast as he can.

Ashes just makes it outside and sees Draven in the water, he attempts another Command spell at him telling him to "Approach", it works and Draven turns around in the water to return to Ashes. He clambours out of the water soaking wet, and Ashes holds him in place.

The bloodied and battered Draven Barlow meekly raises his arms up in defeat, he says "I give up, I submit.", and Ashes begins to strip him down of his equipment, making a neat pile on the ground next to him. The mastiff growls at him to keep him in check, but Draven looks genuinely defeated and finished. One of the orcs make it outside and see their former employer now humiliated. The dog helps push things into the Bag of Holding as Ashes holds him captive.

The orc asks Ashes about the coins he promised his brothers, and Ashes hands him over the 6 platinum and 40 gold total as promised, 2 platinum and 10 gold per orc, not including the orc he is speaking to since he already paid him. The orc thanks him, and tells him to not come back. Ashes says that he WILL come back to discuss the prisoner they have, and the orc says "Fine, come back later for him, but that's it.". Ashes leads the humilated and soaked Draven up the ladder and onto the streets of the Noble's District, heading towards the Stowen Manor.

###### **THE POOR SOUL KNOWN AS TEMEN NIKKU**

Ashes leads his prisoner Draven past the Jaskir guards that protect the path towards Stowen Manor, they both give a nod of understanding and let him pass with no questions asked. Ashes knocks at the door, and meets with the halfling servant hidden behind the latched door. He tells the servant to let Lawretta know that he has captured Draven and needs a word with her.

The servant quickly opens the door and lets Lawretta know, and is then led to her office. As he enters, Ashes notices a man exchanging a romantic cheek kiss with Lawretta. He addresses himself as Grant Stowen, Lawretta Stowen's husband, and offers a handshake towards Ashes. He tells how thankful his wife is that he has been helping out with so much, and excuses himself from the room to give Ashes and Lawretta some privacy.

Lawretta deeply thanks Ashes for catching Draven (who has been keeping his mouth shut the entire time since his capture). Lawretta asks Ashes if he has recovered anything else, and unloads all of his confiscated items, which includes his backpack and coin purse, the tome named "The Gold Star", his black armor, black gauntlet, black robe, black quarterstaff, as well as a purple star shaped gem.

Ashes lets Lawertta inspect the tome, which has had its lock pryed off, and has been fully translated from Draconic to Common from the dual efforts from both Lawretta and Draven. She reads through the tome, and learns about the deity known as **Dregæn**, who was a undesirable deity who was trapped within the relic known as the Gold Star by Oghma, the Lord of Knowledge. The reason as to why has seemingly been lost to time. The last few pages of the book were empty before Lawretta had the book stolen by Draven, but it seems like he had filled in some of his personal thoughts into it as some sort of personal journal.

It tells the sad story of **Temen Nikku,** a friend of Draven who felt ultimately betrayed in the end by him as he slowly died in the Ruined Church of Oghma from a dagger wound in the heart. After his use of the Gold Star, he was given a second chance by body snatching his former friend, and seemed to have slowly had his mind corrupted more and more as time went on.

Lawretta finishes reading and recollects its information to Ashes. She gets up and finds some unused cloth, wraps up the purple gem which she now knows to be the Corrupted Gold Star, and tells Ashes that they both need to speak to Hope Genovie to discuss what to do with this, as it is far too dangerous. Ashes agrees, but stops her before she exits to bring up an important matter, Smitty Jaskir and his citizenship. Lawretta says that she keeps her word, and writes up a scroll which she hands to her halfling servant, Ulysses Proudstance. She tells him to make it an express delivery, and he rushes off immediately.

Lawretta fulfills her promise to reimburse Smitty Jaskir's citizenship and begins to lead Ashes towards the Sunlight Citadel to have a talk with Hope.

**Story Arcs**