Curiosity (Almost) Killed the Party

The day after(6:48) the previous events, the group have been traveling together for a full day. Kesra has been whittling, Deirdre hanging out with the horses, Maudit keeping a close eye on their surroundings, and Leona finding berries. Maudit finds Will and uses some illusion-based spells to intimidate Will, from whom he was getting weird vibes about Deirdre. Leona quizzes Maudit a bit, learning that he traveled around a lot as a kid, and doesn't really have a family.

They come across the small town of Kiral(30:45). The town seems quiet. Too quiet. They quickly find 4 guards standing around a family of 4, with a small, tense crowd gathered around them. Leona moves to approach, but they see that the family have pustules on their face, and are looking gaunt and sick. They learn that a highly infections plague has been ravaging the town, and this is the last family with it. One other person who had it didn't die, but his mind broke.

After much debate, the group decides to go see the one person(55:10) who survived the disease. They find a teenage boy, unable to speak, who seems to be hallucinating monsters. Leona hums a song to him, calming him enough to speak to them briefly. His sister tells them that the first family affected by the plague is the youngest girl in the Childers' house, and that they're all dead now.

They head to the house(1:14:15), finding it empty. Investigating, they find a loose floorboard, under which there is something wrapped up in bedsheets. They unwrap it and find a decomposing heart in a glass vial. Deirdre recognizes it as a lich's phylactery. More debate ensues, and they ultimately decide to take the phylactery out of town and destroy it.

Eventually, they leave the house(1:37:18), pretending to be disappointed at not having found anything. They return to the cart and head out of town. Along the road, they find a secluded spot(1:52:04). Deirdre tells Leona that her patron, Eachthighern, might be able to help destroy the phylactery. Deirdre darts into the woods(2:02:27) with the phylactery. Eachthighern meets her there, and promises to destroy it. She returns to the cart, assures everyone that it's taken care of, and they leave.

As they continue to travel(2:08:30), Leona quizzes Kesra about her life. Eventually, they come to a camp(2:15:01), where Kesra recognizes several people from a mercenary group called The Tempest: a human named Declan (tall, bright red hair, smattering of freckles, massive beard), a human Lang (bald, dark robes, sneaky), and a half-orc named Kyr. There is also a red Dragonborn and a human woman, whom Declan introduces as Torben and Ivy, respectively. Declan tells Kesra that, after she left, and after the Sun Tree got burned down in the town they were in, The Tempest broke up. Now they are looking for bounties. Kesra mentions having been part of the Iron Battalion for a while.

Declan approaches Leona(2:24:27), offering to teach her to throw a dagger. Meanwhile, Maudit asks if the mercenaries have been through Wolfcrest, and Torben says that he's been through there recently. Leona sings a lovely song, dancing around the fire with Deirdre as she does. Afterward, the two of them have a heart-to-heart(2:38:16) about Eachthighern, how much Deirdre misses him, and she can write in her journal so that he can see it. She talks about how Eachthighern sent her back home, without answering her questions about why, and says that she doesn't know when she'll see him again.

Deirdre goes and finds Maudit(2:47:15). She tells him that he reminds her of someone she misses very much. With his tarot cards, he reads that person's fortunes, predicting that they will be fine. Meanwhile, Kesra hangs out with the mercenaries and discusses Declan's chances with Leona with him.

On the second shift(2:57:53), which Leona and Ivy are taking, and several crag cats attack the camp. Kesra's sword glows and deals radiant damage for the first time while dispatching one of them, and the group quickly finishes them off, but not before Leona gets knocked unconscious again. Deirdre heals her, and the rest of the night passes without incident.

The following two days (3:18:06) also go by without incident, and the group arrives at the city of Azmarin. Preparations are clearly under way for the festivities leading up to the wedding. They find a tavern(3:27:22) called Where Both Ends Meet (called "Ends Meet" for short). Drinks are had, music is played, dancing is done, and plans are made for clothing-shopping.

After Deirdre and Maudit both go to bed(3:39:53), Leona steps out of the tavern for some "fresh air". She goes and leaves a note for Roman, letting him know where she's staying. An old man speaks to Kesra(3:41:31), asking her for some coin - she brushes him off.

Leona runs into Roman(3:43:10), and he takes her to meet some friends who he says can help her. They go to a warehouse, where he introduces her to an older elven woman, named Maud. Several others are there watching in the shadows. She tells Leona that she can be re-united with the Kentigerns, and inherit the 50,000 gold pieces that Lord Kentigern left her, in exchange for giving them information as she travels. She agrees, and shakes Maud's hand, feeling a surge of arcane power. Maud asks her if she's ever been approached by a man named Zanelor, which she hasn't. She asks about Leona's traveling companions, and she tells Maud what she knows. Maud also tells her to keep a very close eye on Deirdre and Maudit, to be very careful of them. She also asks the name of Deirdre's patron, which Leona tells her. She then teaches Leona "something very cool".

Meanwhile, in Deirdre's room(4:06:45), she is visited by Eachthighern. She tells him that Maudit reminds her of him. He admonishes her to be wary of Maudit, and tells her that she was reckless with the phylactery. She promises not to tell anyone of where she was in the Feywild, and that she will find what he asked her to find. He conjures a little sprite and gives it to her.

The old man approaches Kesra again(4:13:50), challenging her to a fight. The next day. Dawn. She agrees, but wants it be noon instead. He agrees, and offers a thousand gold if she can beat him.