After finishing the meeting, we head over to Ghurde Gorepunch to see what task she had needed help with. She’s been searching for an important relic, a set of golden nesting dolls dedicated to her somewhat surprising deity, The Revered Mother. I wasn’t aware that any other than dwarves worshipped her. Ghurde has apparently narrowed down the location of the three nesting dolls to The Great Badger Expanse and The Eastern March, which still is far too large an area to search. Further, there’s a time limit as she’s hoping to get it before another temple from the order does.
As I try to think of where we can start looking for additional clues, Tittlin interrupts, saying we should ask Goras or Sunny G, who, after a bit of questioning, turns out to be Griobiog. Ghurde does have a single lead, which is that there have been sightings of an unusual abandoned altar between here and Devilglen. Tittlin, ever the opportunist, asks about what we should do if the other temple finds the relic first. Unsurprisingly, the priest of a goddess of truth doesn’t want to use underhanded methods. If the other temple gets to it first, then they get the glory.
The conversation moves onto the reward, and Ghurde promises her services for hire as well as a silver chalice with embedded moonstones. Tittlin eagerly asks how much the silver chalice is worth. I interrupt to emphasize how much more important it will be to have holy power to deal with Aemmin and his plans for lichdom. Spesof, now reminded of the threat, asks how urgent it is to deal with him. I try and reassure him that we still have plenty of time, but I’m not sure the mention of him not killing us in our sleep reassured him so much as it gave him one more thing to worry about.
As Tittlin heads off to ask Griobiog, I get a chance to think about where we could find more leads. Unfortunately, if the order doesn’t know where the relic is, it’s unlikely that anyone else does. Nearby temples may be aware of general rumours of relics, but they won’t likely know this one by name. As I start going over the sparse information again to see if I can think of anything else, Tittlin returns with, of all things, a map of the three likely locations of the nesting dolls. In addition to the abandoned altar, the map also lists the remote mansion of a collector known as The Jade Lady and an unknown dungeon in the eastern march.
Heading off, we take The Wyvern around the coast to Kortstal and I stop in briefly to see if I can get additional jeweled chalk, but have no luck.
We continue along the coast and upriver, disembarking to travel the short distance overland to the manor. As we get close, we can see that all the flowers in the garden are blooming in spite of the late winter season. As Tittlin puts down his spyglass to sneak through the garden, I take a closer look at the flowers, noticing that they’ve been preserved by magic. As I look up and see the manor is surrounded by flowers, I realize that the entire mansion is likely under a preservation spell. I quickly relay this to Spesof and Tittlin, making clear the implication that death may not stick here.
Spesof knocks on the door and we here a bump, as if something walked into it. After giving each other a glance, he opens the door and we step to the sides. A zombie wearing a remarkably well preserved butler’s suit steps out and looks at us each in turn, before grunting and heading back inside. With another worrying glance, we follow it in.
After assisting the butler with putting Spesof’s vest in the wardrobe, we spread out to explore the mansion. Spesof and I went straight ahead as Tittlin took the left side room. Spesof and I find ourselves in the dining room, where there’s what looks like a four course dinner freshly laid out and still hot. I wonder how many years it’s been fresh for.
We hear Tittlin talking from the other room and head back to join him. It looks like he’s interrupted a card game between two undead guards and is now conversing with a ghost who, judging by the compliment on the place, sounds to be the collector we were looking for. The ghost begins telling a story of how unintended consequences of the preservation spell when the plague came through. The staff dropped like flies before getting right back up.
I start getting side-tracked trying to think of what disease would kill suddenly enough to kill everyone while still on the job, to see if I can figure out when this would have happened when I remember the relic. She apparently has the smallest of the nesting dolls and is willing to give it to us in trade. As we start looking through what would be worthwhile adding to her collection, I remember the The Life of Sofi but Tittlin shushes me as soon as I start to mention it.
As we’re trying to find trade items, the Jade Lady comments that we don’t look religious, to which we explain that we’re looking for it for a cleric of the order. Interrupting with a small exclamation, Tittlin pulls out the Goblin Moron Cap and begins embellishing it as a unique, only one in the world, kind of item. Burnishing his hat collecting credentials by pointing to the four on his head.
The ghost sits there, jaw agape, trying to comprehend why such an item exists. Who would have made such a thing, and why? As much as she appears convinced in it’s… uniqueness, she appears unconvinced at it’s value. Looking through my bag, I realize I still have unused vials of universal solvent and dust of dryness. I offer them up as well, and although the items make a weird collection together, she accepts them on the condition the relic returns to its order.
Tittlin, still raring to deal, asks what else the Jade lady has for trade. As she starts describing her collection in vague and terms to add some enticing mystery, I recognize one of the items with a startle. The hand of an ancient and powerful wizard… c-could it actually be? I hesitate, torn between the danger I know such an item represents and the need to see if it actually is what I think it is.
- Tit asks about what else
- Mention an ancient wizards hand
- Vecna!
- Torn
- Can I see it?
- No
- Can’t afford that anyways
- What for tapestry?
- Historical artifact
- Perks up
- Life of Sophie
- Cut out part
- Depicts her giving birth to a child
- AKA the heretical part
- Quite interested
- Start bartering over equipment
- Staff of power
- Oathsworn bow
- Enspelled bow (incineration)
- Trade Tapestry, Staff of Striking, Staff of Swarming Bees, Lantern of Revealing and gems for the Staff of Power and the Enspelled Longbow