Session 6 - Murmurs of Konskirav

26/04/5-10

Sapphira, Otto and Cassini began their search for a tavern. This wouldn't take long, as the first one to catch their eye was the large building Venthor had pointed out. A sign stood above the door reading "Knight's Rest". By the entrance was a bust of a woman with the initials S.V. From the outside the tavern was a three story, fort like building with overhanging upper stories and a courtyard in the back, where a tower stood. The inside was remarkably spacious, more so than most other taverns. A large number of drinkers were already inside , but the majority appeared not to belong to any of the horse clans. Across from the entrance at the far end, flanked by two suits of armour, was a more elaborate bust of the same woman, with a plaque beneath it. To the side of it, a small notice board filled with posters caught Sapphira's attention. After a quick browse, the interesting jobs could be narrowed down to the following:

A poster of a knight pointing at the reader saying: "Join the Dragosila and uphold the King's justice!".
A notice reading: "Builders and haulers needed. Help build and ensure the future of the realm with the new railway!".
"Talented guard needed to help protect the railway and keep the kings investment safe for the kingdom.".
"Bored with the everyday? Become a warlock and make your deepest desires a reality! Find Sazrar's now.".

While Sapphira was reading the board, Otto went to the bar and Cassini had a look at the statue of the woman. The plaque beneath the bust read "In memory of Simona Valova, taken before her time.". At the bar, Otto was greeted by an elderly human woman, who bore striking resemblance to the statue, although much older. He watched her grab a coin tossed by a patron an raise it towards the statue, before giving it a kiss and putting it away. After asking around for any rumors, it appeared that the train was the talk of the town. The servers were excited about the influx of tourists and thus clients that it would bring and while some patrons lamented its construction through this sacred ground, there was a overall sense of optimism regarding it.

To the south-west in the tradesman quarter, Valeyo and Shiek searched for a place where the local workers could be reached. Along the way, they noticed all manner of stores, the most notable ones being:

Wyld's Botanist
Klippekant Fire - A blacksmiths selling everything from nails to swords.
Sazrar's - A store for scribal equipment and services.
Whispering Woods - A carpenter's.

After deciding that the blacksmith might have some leads regarding the material Blazh was transporting the two entered the store. Behind the counter was a ginger dwarf woman, who was polishing a pewter plate. She greeted them asked what they wer looking for, gesturing towards the goods. Throughout the store were metal items of all kinds, horseshoes and pitons, axes and cutlery. On a shelf, behind the counter were a few unremarkable swords. Valeyo approached the shopkeeper and asked her about any exotic or interesting materials, which may be coming into town from Moratopp. After a few moments, she pulled out an old metallurgy book from behind the counter and started flipping through the pages. The page she stopped at described a metal alloy known as Solar Steel.

Solar Steel is a magical alloy created using a secret recipe, but the two most notable components are iron and Sky Stone. She described Sky Stone as a white powdery rock, which is mined near the mountaintops south and west of Grumpad. It is considered largely useless, except for the creation of Solar Steel. The creation of the Steel itself is a religious process, performed at special Solar Forges in Moratopp, by clerics of Pelor and Morradin. Weapons created from this Steel are uncommon, but can be found occasionally at the market. They have a variety of magical effects ranging from simple ones such as glowing, to more spectacular ones. The greatest of these weapons are called the Peladin Weapons, a portmanteau of the names of Pelor and Moradin. Valeyo and Shiek deduced that it was likely Sky Stone that Blazh was transporting, and asked if it had any other religious uses. The blacksmith said there were none that she knew of and that even in the Solar Steel creation, only small amounts of Sky Stone are needed. Valeyo thanked her for her time and bought a couple of pitons at 1gp each, before him and Shiek headed out.

Meanwhile, Milivoj had just arrived at the Yuzhen clan enclave in the south-west of town. Consisting of multiple permanent buildings, the enclave stood in stark contrast to the camps the other clans had set-up around town. After making his way to the largest house in the area, he was invited in, by one Nasso, servant who recognized him. A few moments later, the leaded of the enclave, Hrabro entered the room. He greeted Milivoj and expressed his surprise to see him again so soon, inquiring about his travels, Milivoj explained that a quarry of his had lead him back in this direction and Hrabro asked how he could help. They made arrangements for the group's stay, with Hrabro offering the guest house as well as asking Milivoj to dinner, which Milivoj declined saying it would be best he stayed with us. With all of that sorted, Milivoj asked Hrabro, if there had been any tieflings seen coming into town with a cart full of barrels and an armored knight escort. Hrabro hadn't heard of anyone matching this description, remarking that the only tiefling he knows of is Sazrar, who had been living in town for years. He did however, offer to put Milivoj in contact with the master of the market, Emil. His hope was that if Blazh was in town to sell his goods, Emil would know about it. With the letter of introduction in hand, Milivoj started making his way back into town.

Valeyo was asking for directions to the local's bars, where workers could be found. Passing the Knight's Rest, they ran into Otto and the others, who were heading to Milivoj's place. Telling them they would meet up later, Valeyo and Shiek found a small bar to the south with outside tables where people could be found drinking. Most of the people there rough and ready, resting after a day's work. Amongst the patrons were some people in working suits, similar to that worn by Milivoj, when out of his armour. Veleyo approached a table where a half-orc and three humans were sat. After some brief introductions, he found out the men were builders. He inquired about interesting things around town and they seemed quite happy with the constructions of the railway, saying it provides them with jobs. However, the half-orc did mention that most of the clans hate it, pointing at some at the other side of the tavern and explaining that some clan buildings there had been destroyed to make space for the rails. He then pointed at the people in suits, identifying them as members of the Yuzhen and saying they love the train. After buying them a round, Valeyo asked about people matching Blazh's description, relaying what Venthor had said about seeing them go south. The server overheard and mentioned that the pair had been around earlier and had paid well, before continuing south. Valeyo thanked them and bought another round. Standing up to leave, Valeyo turned around and asked the men what they thought of the king. The half-orc shrugged and said that he is no king lover, but he mostly doesn't care for the king and he expects the king doesn't care for him either. Valeyo asked if they wouldn't prefer a leader who actually cared about them. The half-orc asked if that is even possible, to which Valeyo responded saying it is.

As Valeyo left, Shiek who had been waiting nearby and keeping an eye out, looked at the reactions of the various groups in the bar to what Valeyo had said. The members of the Otgore tribe, clad in their feathered garbs, seemed amused, while those of the Yuzhen clan appeared quite irritated by the insult to their king and potentially about to get up and start trouble. He quickly joined Valeyo causing the Yuzhen men to sit back down and the two of them headed to the Yuzhen enclave.

Slightly earlier, Milivoj had ran into the others members of the party. He explained that they needed to head to the master of the market's house soon, as it was getting dark. They arrived at a large townhouse and a woman opened the door. When asked about Emil the woman, who turned out to be his wife, said that he would be back any moment, as the workday was just wrapping up. They were guided to a large smokeroom, with velour padded seats and a coffee tables. One of the walls was covered in bookshelves, while other were adorned in paintings of horses. A short while later the woman reappeared with some tea, for those who had requested it. She then sat down on one of the chairs and asked why they are here. Milivoj explained that he had business with her husband, and was there looking for information. He elaborated that we were in search of a man who had come through here recently. The woman was very inquisitive, asking for more information and Milivoj obliged, saying it was a tiefling man and his armoured escort that they were looking for, but could not disclose the reason. The front door was soon heard opening and the woman shouted out saying they had guests. A moment later, a large rotund man, in well-tailored clothes in a style similar to that of the Yuzhen clan, but more refined and less practical. It was an outfit of the Dragomir fashion, no doubt made in the capital. Milivoj introduced himself and Emil clearly understood who he is, expressing what a pleasure it was to meet. Emil's wife said she would be just outside, before leaving the room.

Milivoj described the pair they were looking for, saying that they were last seen travelling with a wagon and looking to avoid paying taxes on their exotic goods. Emil said that if they intended to say in Konskirav, they are not doing so on the market, as he has not been approached and he stressed that there is no Black Market in Konskirav, as he had made sure of that. From his attitude, Sapphira could tell that this well-connected wealthy man would undoubtedly use all of his resources to crush any Black Markets. Milivoj expressed that he didn’t think Emil way saying the whole truth, but agreed to take his leave.

Eventually, Valeyo and Shiek arrived at the Enclaive and were lead to a large guest house, boasting a number of bedrooms and a staffed kitchen. A well-dressed goliath woman, wearing an apron and a chef's hat waited in the kitchen. She said she had been assigned as their chef. A short while longer the others returned. Milivoj shared their findings or lack thereof. Shiek said they found out that the material Blazh was carrying was Sky Stone. Being from Moratopp, Otto had more information, mentioning that some of his clan, the Brandvold, make Solar Steel, but its recipe is kept guarded. The priests who take part in the creation of the steel, apparently work night and day during the Solstice. Valeyo and Shiek pointed out that Sky Stone seemed to serve as a conduit for divine energy, since apart from making Solar Steel, an effect seemingly related to Pelor and Moradin, it could also allow the Timorans to commune with their god. The idea was brought up of trying to acquire some Sky Stone, in order to test its properties and see if it truly is possible to be made into an explosive device as the Timorans had insisted.

Sapphira pointed out that people were excited by the railway and Otto mentioned the tavernkeeper looking like the statue in the tavern. They shared their findings of the jobs and decided to speak to the master of the market tomorrow about Skystone. Before heading to bed Sapphira pulled Valeyo aside. From his accent, she had placed him as someone from Velinde and asked him about Metuwa and what happened to it, as she hasn't been there in 15 years. Valeyo told her of Stormgard and asked what exactly she is. She explained that she was a human, who failed to become a thrall and is now stuck in the middle. She said that she hasn’t had the chance to ask anyone from Velinde about what had happened, but Valeyo interrupted saying that anyone from Velinde could tell her of the war 15 years ago, as they all lost someone or someone or something during it. Leaving the conversations, Valeyo hobbled up the stairs to his room.

27/04/5-10

In the morning the party were having breakfast and deciding what to do next. The two main ideas were to speak with the guards at the south side of town to check if Blazh had left town and visit the market, in the hope of procuring some Sky Stone, as they wanted to check if it truly could server as a conduit for divine energy.

Valeyo headed to the south, where the guards said that there was a rotary watch and suggested speaking to the head of the guard - Nikolai Filipov, who might know at the garrison in the east side of town. While Valeyo was catching up, the other entered the market. From the outside it looked like a building, but it had an open top. There were merchants for all manner of general goods along the rim and on the right, was a section for more exotic goods, like jewels or silks. In the middle were tables and a band stand. Otto went to the exotic good stand to see if he could find any Sky Stone. He noticed in the jeweler's a ring, with an emerald set in some Sky Stone like material. He approached the vendor, a human woman and inquired about the ring. After flicking through her book, she said it was locally made, the emerald cut and set by Venthor, who bought the ring part, but did the carving himself. After everyone had finished shopping, the party walked over to the giant-sized trapdoor in the central square where Venthor would likely be.

A rope pulley was next to it, which Valeyo pulled. A ringing could be heard inside and soon after Venthor's head peaked over. The party asked about the Sky Stone, and he said he bought the ring with it, from a travelling vendor and Venthor picked it up from there. He invited them in, putting a ladder down and carrying Valeyo down himself. The room inside was like a work of art, meticulously carved, befitting a Stone Giant. The giant, then went to his workbench, next to which were a large number of tweezers, all different sizes, made for a giant to use for tiny human items. Venthor explained that the stone excavated for his room was used for the buildings he built for the town. After a couple of minutes of searching, using his spectacles, with all manner of lenses for magnification, he passed down a small vial of Sky Stone shavings, which he had submerged in oil. The total Sky Stone was about a gram or two. A few moments prior, a group of 7 or 8 cats, had began pestering the party. After petting the cats and thanking Venthor for his help, the party headed to the Garrison.

Using Milivoj's name, the party managed to get a meeting with the head of the guard - Nikolai Filipov. Shiek and Otto chose to wait outside and Milivoj lead the way in. Going past the courtyard and into an office, the party were faced with a tall Aarakocra, resembling a red kite. They asked about Blazh and his escort, giving the times we expected they entered and exited. The captain said he would ask and told the party to wait in the courtyard. From the markings his uniform bore, it was clear that he held the rank of Boyar, rather than being a member of the Sila. Eventually, the four men on duty at the time of Balzh's entry and presumed departure emerged. Two confirmed that Blazh and his friend entered. The ones on the south confirmed that they left Konskirav in the early afternoon, after checking their notes. Valeyo thanked them, tossing them a gold each and the party departed from the Garrison.