Unexpected Visitors

December 7, 2020

The group heads back to Silverymoon for some rest.  They got some.  

They decide to go follow up with the High Mage and see how he is.  As they are walking there, several things happen.  Raz thinks they are being followed.  It's just a feeling that he can't shake.  When he mentions it to Volhoric, Volhoric looks around and feels it as well.  There is something, or someone, just out of sight.  They start talking via the rings about what to do when Raz and Volhoric don't feel the connection through the rings anymore.  As the party realizes their awareness of those two in the rings is gone, Raz and Volhoric also feel their magic items stop working.  That sense of the magic, even before they learned to cast any, is gone.  

The group pauses for a second and people look at them wondering but look as confused as the group.  The group keeps walking again and slowly all but Dakxer lose their magic items.  They can tell the magic is there, just ready to be released but they can't actually call upon it.  Marcus tries to cast detect magic but doesn't feel the Weave to cast spells, not even the simplest of cantrips.  Shyrrik still feels the connection and magic to his bow but nothing else.  They hurry along to the High Mages.  

Andrew lets them in and takes them to the study to meet with Taern.  He greets them warmly and thanks them all again.  He has several scrolls and books out and appears to be studying.  Volhoric manages a few surreptitious glances.  Some are field reports, from Taern's agents, Volhoric assumes.  A few are council notes and writing up invitations to them.  Some books are spell books.  He recognized some symbols for spells.  They talk about the loss of magic.  Taern nods.  

"Ah, yes, that makes sense.  There is a mythal around the city, its defenses.  It was set up so that if there is too much magic in one area, it suppresses the magic.  Of course!  All of the wands and other things you brought back!  That is a lot of magic in one place.  That could be what is happening.  Once you no longer have them around the group, it should return to normal."

"Is there a way to allow us to use magic?"  

"If you want to," replies Taern, hesitating.  "I mean, I could fast track given the service you have performed, but it would mean becoming a citizen at the very least.  We can arrange some modest land for individuals or the group, however you want.  Then as citizens, you could be cleared to use magic in the defense of the town."  The group pauses and thinks about it.  

"Nothing faster can be done?"  

"Well, as much as I appreciate being saved, I can't bypass everything but I can move you the list.  It has only been tenday since you arrived at Silverymoon as a group."

"Seems longer," someone remarks.  

"Okay, well that clears that up.  Is there anything else we can do?"

"I hope to meet with the council tonight and see what else has been done.  If anything else happened in my absence.  The drow knew went to take me to the maximum effect.  It had already been five days since I had been gone and none thought anything of it.  It could have been long as another tenday, or two, before they really started to wonder where I was without saying anything.  I'm hoping to find out what I have missed.  Then there are wards that need to be put back into place, both on my place and the town's need checked.  If anything does come up, though, I will certainly let you know."  

The group moves to leave but Raz stays behind to ask a few questions and he doesn't seem to mind that Drewgan stayed.  The rest go into the foyer and start talking about selling things so that their magic is back.  Shyrrik looks out a window and sees Tanshan by a tree.  He goes out to talk to her.  She wants to honor him, if he is willing, and invites him to her grove.  He says yes.  He goes back inside to tell them where he is going and the rest of the group look aghast at him.  

"You can't trust the fey!"

"What did you agree to do?"

"Are you sure this is what you want?"  

"We can't leave you."

Raz and Drewgan join the group and also are unsure of this.  Shyrrik says he is going and he hopes they go with.  He then steps outside.  He almost took too long!  The tunnel she had created using the tree outside was starting to close.  He hastily went into it, followed by everyone else, albeit reluctantly.  

They arrived at a grove, with pixies flying around everywhere, pixie dust in the area, causing yellows, purples, greens, and blue sparkle clouds.  Tanshan is over by a pool, with several faun.  Shyrrik recognizes the faun as the ones who spoke to him before.  Shyrrik steps forward and the rest stay back but are watching.  Tanshan again thanks him for his service and asks for his old armor.  When he nods, but before he can take it off, she steps forward, grabs hold of the armor by the shoulders, and simple moves backward, taking it off of him.  Shyrrik knows that he is fine and doesn't need to worry but he can feel the tension go up in his friends.  He hopes by standing there relaxed, they will pick up on his mood and also relax.  

Tanshan goes into the pool with the armor and fully submerges it.  Again, purple, greens, blues, and yellow hazes appear under the water and around the armor.  After several minutes of holding it there and even moving some of the colors, Tanshan then brings it back out.  Again, she moves forward and just pushes it onto Shyrrik.  It wraps onto him and while nice, Shyrrik also knows it won't be that easy when he does it.  He can tell that it is lighter and his movements are less restricted in it.  He thanks her and apologizes for his friends actions but they know of the fey reputation.  

"And it is well earned and received.  It is good for them to be cautious around fey, so I take no insult nor offer any by offering food or drink."  She then goes back into the pool as the two faun walk up to him.  

"Have you had a chance to think about what you will do with Count Sherugar?  Will you stand against him with us?"  

"Well, you see, there are many things to think about.  We are about to take on some other things and I'm not sure of the timing.  It is something that I have thought about and indeed want to do but I also think it would be best for me to do that with my friends.  I need to make sure they can come along and we must prepare for it, for no Count of the fey will be easily taken."  As he continues to speak about timing, logistics, and possibilities, the male faun leans in close to him.  "Is there a yes in there?"  

"As I said, it's on my list once we have cleared some other urgent matters and other things have calmed down.  Now, if you are telling me that there is urgency with your request, we could move it up in the priorities but Raz there was talking about giants, he does love to kill his giants, and I can't say that I mind that as well, plus these are frost giants and so probably not the nicest.  So, then it's a matter again of that timing and logistics to determine..."  The faun had leaned forward again.  "Is that a yes?"  

"Yes," replied Shyrrik.

"Ugh, and humans think fey are flighty.  Very well.  We can get you a way to his court.  Will the Golden Oak still work as a place to contact you?"  

"I think for now that should be good as we have to consider many things."  As Shyrrik looked to continue, the male fuan walked off.  The female smiled at Shyrrik, thanked him and moved to join her friend.  

"Okay, are you able to send us back?" asks Shyrrik of Tanshan.  

At this, Tanshan does get a sly smile.  "I think this would be a good opportunity for you to test your portal skills."  And she keeps swimming in the small pond.  

"Er, right," says Shyrrik.  He steps back to where they arrived and realizes that he had absent minded picked up some rocks outside the Golden Oak.  He uses that as a focus and slowly spins his other hand again and again.  Eventually, sparks come off his hand and make a circle.  Shyrrik keeps concentrating on it.  He keeps spinning his hand and the sparks keep coming out.  Soon a circle of sparks is hovering in the air and Shyrrik pushes it away from himself.  He keeps spinning one hand, and the gate keeps sparking and getting bigger and bigger until all can walk through it easily.  There is a breeze and then they see the back side of the Golden Oak.  The group quickly walks through and Shyrrik stops concentrating on it.  The portal slowly fades out.  

As they talk about things, Drewgan wants to study the scrolls Taern lent him on druids in the land of Netheril.  Raz asks Marcus for the Soulheart, the remnants of the souls from a demon they fought.  The rest go sell stuff.  Volhoric is happy to find that Sara is offering more than they are probably worth, and realizes she is thinking the wands are fully charged when they are not.  He doesn't feel the need to correct her and they get trade bars.  

When they get back to the Golden Oak, Raz is talking about having seen a soul in the scrolls Drewgan is reading.  It was disrupting his own study of the Soulheart because a few might have come from there.  As the group arrives, they realize several things.  They all fell magic again, including items and the Weave.  And then things get crazy.  

The Soulheart starts expelling souls.  One soul, two souls, six souls, twelve souls.  Raz is just watching as they spin around the room.  The group slowly feels them and comes to see them.  At the same time, the pages of the scrolls also whip around the room.  A few of the souls get stuck on the paper like fly paper and they are making a conical shaped creature.  It's about twelve feet long with four arms spread out around a gaping, tooth filled maw at the widest point.  

I am free.

 And then the creature is gone.  Screaming happens.  Shouts.  Cries.  The group is still stunned.

8,750 xp

GM Notes

• I was off this week on several fronts.  
• I can't shake leaving things open ended.  As such as I had part of three different things planned, depending on which way they went.
• I still can't plan enough as my players like to challenge me.
• I also was off on accents.  It took a bit and not sure that I got it right.   
• I'm not saying this group is easily distracted. 
• Bees?
• Lots of names for the mythal effect of shutting down magic. 
• Medicom Mythal
• enforced selling
• Capitalist Mythal
• I took a lot of liberties in this, hopefully not too many.
• A few things didn't happen this way due to having to handle one thing at a time. 
• Further, a few times, players could IM about things. 
• I take notes more for the drama and to remind myself what happened, not for an accurate recounting of the events!
• I have thought about recording the zoom but just haven't.  Maybe when we start new?
• Again, I don't know if I went to far with the phaerimm or not. 
• In my mind, they are top level mages of power. 
• I think I have a way to make this work in a fun and dramatic fashion. 

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