Clover’s Log
Our investigation into these strange disappearances on the Golden Plateau continues. Our first stop: Sara Elderen, whom we have internally declared as our prime suspect. As we make our way toward her towering building, we get a view out into the Rift and see a shimmering, magical dome in the distance, set in the middle of an area we did not explore. It is the district of Ethereon, perhaps where the “Good Lady” fell and now rests, awaiting her chance to return. We have every reason to believe that this is the reason the Church does not want us in the Rift.
When we arrive at Sara’s building, people bustle about everywhere setting up for a grand party, a memorial for Thane Elderen. A slew of perfumes fills the air, aromas that somehow blend harmoniously despite their number and variance. I take note of the mixture should we need to lose the steel predator that has been set upon us once more. We locate someone who seems important enough to grant us entry to Sara’s home. Nyx does the talking to practice some speaking skills she’s seen Oman employ, and it goes smoothly enough. Once inside the opulent but tasteful home, we are greeted by a rather unfriendly Sara, who seems keen to stay within the protective zone of her guards. Given the recent murder of her father, I can understand caution and suspicion, but this seems…more.
Oman dodges her question about what we know about the murders three times before she calls him out on his evasiveness, so I answer instead just to ensure we don’t lose our chance to speak with her. She seems relieved that we have only talked to Preet and Kale (I assume because Sanji is the one who had the amulet made for his father and Preet knows nothing; likewise, Kale knows nothing). Sara directs us to the maker of the jewelry, Barros Silverton, but sends one of her guards away with a note. Nyx feigns distress and rushes out after him, and I feign concern for Nyx and follow. Nyx disguises herself as Sara and gets in the elevator with the guard. I slip in just in time under the pretense of feeling compelled to apologize to Sara about all that has happened. Nyx-Sara dismisses me and convinces the guard to give her the note back so she can make a change. The note says, “Remind Barros,” so Nyx adds, “that I’m single,” and we’re not at all sure that this is going to go well. We awkwardly ride to the guard’s exit and then follow him to the jewelry shop, me stealthily and Nyx re-disguised. Keys hops off the tower with Oman and flies them there, so they arrive first.
While Oman and Keys close themselves in the shop with the jewelry guy to get information, I approach the guard to distract him and ask him what he thinks of his job (I’m considering a career change to become a bodyguard, of course). He reveals that two tenday before the Deadwind, Sara got short with him. In fact, it seems her whole personality changed. She really doesn’t like it when she doesn’t get what she wants, she’s meaner and more “businessy.” She also ventures to the Darkheart Carnival. Apparently there is a new guy down there doing…gang stuff. Half a tenday ago, he and one of his buddies put out a bunch of wanted posters for Ronan. Fantastic. We definitely need that continued trouble.
Meanwhile, Barros starts talking. He doesn’t seem to know that Sara is involved in the disappearances. He was asked to create jewelry with a mysterious new metal, but it didn’t work. Because of his high skill level, he has been invited to attend a number of “uncomfortable” situations, including three tenday ago when he was invited to the Carnival. He was forced to participate in a ritual he wanted nothing to do with and doesn’t want to talk about. Whatever new metal he’s been working with, the Church wants it badly, and they are holding his involvement in matters over his head, compelling him to comply (A figure he’d never spoken to or seen was at the ritual and is someone we should look into). Some of the ritual attendees who stayed behind have been acting strangely since then. This seems to align with what the guard told me about Sara. Lately she has been trying to prove herself as the rightful heir to the family business. She perhaps sourced the initial metal—and the Breks may have been involved. Barros heard all of them have gone to Refinery Row. One strange detail he provides is that there is a building glowing from the inside in the Darkheart that has a pit fiend skull over the door. To get there, he descended for what seemed like hours.
The Crimson Hall is below the Darkheart and seems the likely location of all these ritual shenanigans. Those who dwell there search out craftsmen, tinkers, etc. and test them. Barros did not pass this test, and he thanks “the Good Lady” for it. He is clearly traumatized. At some point Nyx arrives at the shop during Oman’s conversation with Barros and deduces that this new metal is the Warforged cage material. The reddish stone from the amulets also came from the Darkheart. Barros thinks it’s a beacon and that the inscription doesn’t matter. Whatever stone sits in the amulet summons a fiend after dark. If you have enough wealth on you, the creature will find you.
Nyx seems to know what the Crimson Hall is, and it has her rattled. Or so I hear. I was busy drinking with Greg the Super Content Bodyguard while trying to get information about Sara. Nyx has frequent nightmares in which she’s locked in a cage hanging from the ceiling. Everything is red. People are screaming. There’s an overwhelming sense of fear and dread. She has no idea what it is, but Crimson Hall sounds promising as a lead.
Down the lane, in a tavern, I accidentally get WASTED with Greg (thank you, natural 1). My friends find me passed out on some crates. Nyx restores my senses, and we head back to tell Captain Stoneheart what we’ve learned. We come up with a plan. Stoneheart will “protect” Sara to keep her away while we go after the fiend. She gives us all half our reward up front to attract it. We will give the majority to Keys to be the bait.
We go back to Evelyn’s to check in, and she has excellent news. She thinks we can get rid of our criminal charges. Nothing has yet been logged with the Church, which is odd. We tell her about Captain Abreena, who is likely responsible. She will check into him. If we solve this mystery of the disappearances, they can put out a decree that labels us as heroes rather than criminals. If that happens before the official criminal charges, all will be well. We need to figure out who sent the steel predator after us, and we need to succeed in luring the fiend tonight.
Next comes a good news/bad news reveal. The bad news is that the Mechanus book she was going to help us obtain has already been borrowed. The good news is that there is an excellent chance the borrower is my father, and Evelyn has requested to be the next borrower, which could lead him to us. As a bonus to the good news, she has made a potion of superior healing that she gifts us. Oman tucks it away. As if the day couldn’t get better, Evelyn offers to be our patron, to an extent, if our fight tonight goes well. She can introduce us to people that will help guide our path.
One final cherry on the pie: Evelyn and Nyx discuss magic, and Evelyn reveals that casters used to be able to attain levels of magic that would blow Nyx’s mind, before the Shattering. The Good Lady took it all to stop the Titans. Now, it’s slowly coming back.