We finally emerged from that cursed teleportation dungeon after what felt like an eternity underground. First thing I did was check on Ealdwig, the ancient royal we’d rescued. Ghurde Gorepunch was tending to him, and he looked much better - actually had some meat on his bones now instead of being a walking skeleton. Poor bastard had been trapped in that dungeon for hundreds of years, kept alive by his magical breastplate. At least now he’s getting proper care and rest.
I headed over to see Ecstasy Ozdemir, our new fletcher who’d set up shop in the Fief. The guy’s a real artist when it comes to magical arrows - he had all sorts of specialized ammunition for sale. Arrow of Dragon Slaying, Arrow of Momentary Madness, even some experimental stuff like a Slime Arrow and one with a whistle that breaks concentration. I picked up a few interesting pieces, including that madness arrow and a concentration-breaking one. Never know when you might need to make someone go temporarily insane or disrupt a spellcaster’s focus.
Ecstasy mentioned he could make more specific arrows if I brought him details about particular targets. I asked about dragon-slaying arrows since we’ve got that ice dragon situation still hanging over our heads, but without knowing exactly what type of dragon we’re dealing with, a generic one would have to do for now.
While I was shopping, Spesof was checking in with the council about our teleportation hub project. We’d brought back several barrels of that valuable goop needed for the portals, and Momen was working out the technical specifications with Warlord Griobiog. Turns out we’re looking at needing space for about fourteen portals to start - one for each province in Datrus, plus some extras for future expansion. This thing’s going to be massive, like an airport terminal but for magical transportation.
The big news came when I got back to Cedar Combe and found a messenger waiting for me. Rian Wyrmwood had sent word that he needed to see me urgently. Spesof and I rode out to Nightfair immediately - I had a feeling this was about his daughter Katya Wyrmwood.
Sure enough, Ryan was done waiting for the legal system to handle her kidnapping. The Fossen family had taken her weeks ago, and while there would be a trial eventually, Ryan wasn’t about to wait months when his daughter’s life was at stake. Can’t say I blame him - if someone took my family, I wouldn’t be sitting around filing paperwork either.
His plan was clever, if risky. The Fossen family was hosting a banquet in a week’s time, and we needed to get inside to gather intelligence on where Katia was being held. Unfortunately, Ryan couldn’t get us direct invitations - apparently his requests were blocked. Instead, we’d need to work through a Count Iakovitch from Branstrand, who had a plus-one invitation.
Here’s where it gets interesting: this Iakovitch fellow apparently has very specific tastes in men - particularly bearded, broad-shouldered dwarven types. So our plan involves Spesof seducing this count to secure the plus-one, then bringing me along as some kind of retainer or servant. Once we’re inside the banquet, we need to identify potential turncoats among the staff - a guard, a cook, and a maid who might be willing to provide information in exchange for coin.
Ryan already has an agent in Tillnola who can handle the actual bribing and converting of these people. We just need to identify likely candidates and point them in the right direction. If we’re lucky and actually find Katia during the event, we’re authorized to spring her on the spot.
The whole thing hinges on Spesof’s ability to charm this Count Iakovitch, which… well, let’s just say neither of us are exactly smooth talkers. We both bombed our practice attempts so badly it was almost comical. Momen suggested maybe I should disguise myself as Spesof and handle the seduction instead, but honestly, the count wants a genuine dwarven man, not an elf pretending to be one.
We’re going to need travel papers to get into Brandstrand since security is tight there. Ryan suggested getting them from either Nicholas Datrus or Alfred Oberstein Ⅲ. Speaking of the Duke, we really should tell him about rescuing Ealdwig - having a member of the royal family turn up after centuries might be something he’d want to know about.
So our immediate plan: Spesof and I will visit Duke Oberstein to inform him about Ealdwig and secure travel papers, while Momen continues his research into dragon restoration ingredients. We might as well make this trip to the north serve multiple purposes - gather intelligence on local monsters that need dealing with, collect whatever alchemical components Momen needs, and hopefully charm our way into that banquet invitation.
The whole thing feels like it could go sideways in about a dozen different ways, but Katia’s counting on us. Ryan gave us some of her personal belongings for scrying purposes, so if the social infiltration doesn’t work, we’ve got magical options as backup.
One week to pull this off. Should be interesting.