Chapter Text
Saoirse a chara,
Oh, me dear sweet sister. I must be a right fool for pennin’ these notes, knowin’ that ye’ll never be readin’ ‘em, but, methinks, it helps to keep me from goin’ mad. An' who knows? Mayhaps the Good King will smile upon both of us an' work His magic so that ye may know that I am alive an' safe an' well. Mayhaps.
Ye should be pleased to know that I am not by meself anymore. I’ve found some good friends to travel with. The Good King was right when He told me to go to the City of Arches, there were indeed travellers lookin’ for a right good time. We all soon set off on a grand adventure.
Me travel companions are a right motley group, comin’ from all walks of life. They didn’t seem too keen on trustin’ one another, but after spendin’ time with each other, methinks they’ve started to trust one another. Let me introduce ye to me companions.
First person that I met would be Adran Goldring, someone who could have been a mix of the fairies an’ us mere mortals, an’ let me tell ye Saoirse, he is so fine. Much finer than any of the menfolk that I knew. Imagine me surprise when I went through the magical arch at the Good King’s behest an’ literally stumbled into this fine man on the other side. Good King save me, me face was aflame, both at me embarrassment for me clumsiness an’ for the fact that I was struck dumb at the face of this complete stranger. An’ he’s so pleasant as well, Saoirse! He simply chuckled at how flustered I was, righted me onto me feet an' told me I reminded him of one of his children when they were younger. He has told me of his late wife, and the fondness in his voice Saoirse! Oh, how he loved her; one can easily tell by just talkin’ to Adran. He is someone with magical powers similar to those granted to me by the Good King, though he has told me he only developed his magic within the past year after missin’ his wife a great deal, an' now works as an artisan in one of the guilds in this City of Arches.
Secondly, I met Nigil Harroway, a man from a place called Waterdeep. I met him while huntin’ for a drinkin’ spot one day. I must tell ye that durin’ me time in the Fairie Realm, I developed a taste for whiskey, somethin’ that I swore I would never touch due to Matthew McNeil, but the whiskey that the fair folk make is somethin’ truly special an' has now become me drink of choice. Though now that I’m no longer in the Fae Realm, the whiskey doesn’t seem to taste the same, so I’ve been searchin’ for a tavern or pub that serves whiskey that might vaguely come close. So far I’ve had no luck, but I happened to overhear Nigil givin’ a sales pitch to the owner of the tavern I picked on that day.
Let me tell ye, Saoirse, the yarn Nigil was spinnin’ about the wine his House made was somethin’ else. It made me reminisce about the stories the traders told when they came to our village. I couldn’t help but sit there an' listen. After a time, I struck up a conversation with Nigil in an attempt to see if he somehow knew how I could acquire me drink of choice. Unfortunately, he couldn’t help me, but he seemed fascinated by me tale an' how he might help his House expand.
The next companion I met was a wonderfully pleasant surprise to see. Jericho of the Long Patrol is a harengon, rabbitfolk from the Fae Realm, an' I had heard of the Long Patrol from reports that the Good King received. He seemed shocked to be recognized an' saluted, but once I told him I had lived in the Fae Realm, he was pleasantly surprised an' we struck up a friendly conversation. I was disheartened to hear that he had been banished from the Fae Realm due to a mistake, but I promised I would do everythin’ within me power to help him return an' that I would try to help him fix his shattered bow, even if I had no knowledge in the art of archery.
Me next companion is a strange an' peculiar little man by the name of Badger. He is of a shorter stature, similar to the folks of the north of our isle, but more beast-like in appearance, with his hair havin’ a similar coloration to that of his namesake. I came upon Badger one day while explorin’ the City; I had no particular goal in mind on that day, I just wanted to be out an' about. He was in one of the many open squares an' continually goin’ up to random strangers, askin’ them only a question or two before movin’ on to the next individual an' repeatin’ the process. It reminded me of me first few weeks of livin’ in the Fae Realm, when everythin’ was still new an' confusin’, an' I couldn't help but ask him what he was searchin’ for. Badger was reluctant to tell me, but I hope to get him to open up more about his past. All I know of him at the moment is that he is from a land called Sarkoris, an' that he has come to the City of Arches in search of somethin’ or someone.
Me last companion is, in me own opinion, one of the strangest out of this whole lot. Tempest is a young woman with an appearance that could best be related to the description of sailors from the various stories we had heard growin’ up; skin tough an' wind battered, hair crisp with salt an' smellin’ of the water, though she truly only appears to be only a few years older than me, Saoirse! Her hair is not the dark color we knew of the sea to be at home, but a lovely sapphire blue, in constant motion as if it is the water itself. She has assured me that she has no relation to the fae an' is instead called a water genasi, but even in me time since the Fairie Realm, I have never seen anyone such as her.
Similar to me meetin’ of Nigil, I met Tempest while huntin’ for whiskey. I had ordered the day's drink an' found a spot at the end of the bar where I could sit, sip on the whiskey that was sure to disappoint, an' watch the many folks that pass through this City. Most of the time, no one will be that interestin’, so I'll just finish me drink an' be on me way, but that day I was surprised to find, what I thought at the time of as, a fae seated at one of the tables, listenin’ to the gossip an' stories makin’ their way throughout the tavern. Honestly Saoirse, I now know that the fae come an' go from the City of Arches, but I didn't at that time, so I couldn't help meself an' went an' sat next to this individual, eager to talk with someone who had come from a similar home. (I'm sorry Saoirse, but our village stopped bein’ home long ago, possibly even before that last screamin’ match I had with Da.)
Tempest was, as expected, confused by me greetin’, but after a quick explanation from the both of us, we were quickly swappin’ stories. Tempest told me she had no recollection of her youth except that she had been wanderin’ about the shoreline near a temple of monks an' was taken in an' trained there until she was about 16 years old. She did admit to me that she was a bit of a poor student an' would always attempt to ditch her chores around the temple to go swimmin’ in the sea, an' I confided in her that I had done similarly, only I went to play in the woods an' fields where the fairies played. At 16, Tempest was sent out to “further her studies” in lands afar by becomin’ a sailor an' had spent the past 8 years aboard a ship named the Argo. Now that her time on the sea is done, it seems she is lookin’ to learn more about bein’ a monk an' all that entails, but enjoys spendin’ time in taverns an' hearin’ stories, so I can't help but wonder at how ready to learn she truly is.
Ah! Look at me, gabbin’ on an' on about me compatriots. I tell ye Saoirse, me time in the Fae Realm has turned me into such a social butterfly. Never in a million years would ye have imagined yer big sister to talk to so many strangers, an' so many menfolk at that! But at least here, these menfolk consider it rude to start a conversation with a lady by askin’ how many children she'll bare him an' many women here know exactly how to bring a man to his knees should they try anythin’ funny. I tell ye Saoirse, the first time I saw a woman drop a man to the floor me mouth was so wide a wee sprite could have built itself a home there an' me eyes were so big a cat could have licked cream from ‘em. But I grow distracted. Let me tell ye of our first true adventure together as a group.
We all had agreed to meet for lunch one early afternoon at a little outdoor cafe known as Slappie's an' had just placed our orders when we noticed Archkeeper Garland Willowmane quickly approachin’. In this City of Arches, Archkeepers welcome the creatures that come through any one of the many thousand of arches. She greeted us formally (“May the Arches ever be rotund” Saoirse) an' asked us to accompany her to greet the new arrival. This is somethin’ that the Golden Knights would usually do, but it would appear that on this day, they were busy dealin’ with happenin’s in the crypts located in the northern part of the city an' couldn't make it to the arch in time. Badger questioned the Archkeeper as to how she knew an arch was openin’, to which she simply pointed at a glowin’ pendant about her neck, an' told us that it is linked to the arches an' glows whenever one is about to open.
Archkeeper Garland carried a lovely gift basket with her to present to the newcomer an' was discussin’ with us the logistics of the arrival when I heard Tempest ask for a bubble bath for some reason. I gently moved the basket over towards her to inspect an' heard her mutterin’ the silliest of questions, Saoirse. “Where am I? Where is my mother? Why is someone shoving this basket in my face?” Well honestly, if she hadn't wanted the basket shoved in her face, she shouldn't have mentioned anythin’ about a bubble bath! Archkeeper Garland drew me attention back when I heard her tell us to “not let things get messy. Many of you weren't here, but 2 years ago several buildings were destroyed by something that came through an arch an' it took us 6 months to rebuild an' repair all the damage.”
Nigil asked the Archkeeper why we were bein’ tasked with safeguardin’ her an' preventin’ any trouble. “Because we're dope and we do dope shit,” I heard Jericho mutter. Archkeeper Garland must have heard him as well as there was a small smile tuggin’ at the corner of her mouth. “It is not uncommon for adventurers to be asked to accompany Archkeepers for new arrivals when the Knights are unavailable. And worry not, you will be compensated for your aide.”
I am not one to turn down coin, especially for what appears to be easy coin made from an easy job, an' I suspect me compatriots felt the same, so we quickly agreed an' soon found ourselves in front of a giant arch, glowin’ an' cracklin’ with energy. This arch was sequestered in a fairly large square, maybe 1000 square feet, though it looked fairly disused. There were a few tables an' chairs about that we used to take up casual yet tactical positions, but also a large overgrown area in the southwestern corner, with vines an' moss climbin’ the walls.
The magic that surged was intense Saoirse, like nothin’ I'd ever experienced before. The fine hairs on the back of me neck stood straight on end, the pressure of the air itself seemed to drop an' I swore that me ears were goin’ to pop as the arch lit up a vibrant shade of blue. What came out the arch next I could only describe as hellish versions of the bitin’ gnats we dealt with in the summer months. Here they are called sturges, or hell-squitoes as one of me companions exclaimed as these pests appeared. We did our best to deal with the lot of ‘em, though not only mere seconds had past when the arch lit up again an' another creature stepped through.
This large horned creature appeared, certainly strikin’ a shot of fear through me heart, but a voice that called out from behind us certainly didn't help as well. “Behold the coming of Golgoron! Sunderer of Rylovox, Prince of Akara, and herald of He Who Shall Rise Again!” The voice belonged to that of an individual who was hidden in the overgrown shrubbery an' a quick glance showed ‘em to be wearin’ a strange mask. “Freaking cultists,” I heard Adran mutter before turnin’ back to deal with the creatures about us an' the Golgoron in front of us.
With sulfur on their breath, Golgoron proclaimed, “I am Golgoron! Sunderer of … of, um… I forget. Where am I?” Clearly whatever this cultist had planned for wasn't goin’ to happen if the bein’ they so adamantly praised was greatly confused by their surroundin’s. Archkeeper Willowmane was attemptin’ to reach for the gift basket she had dropped, but was pinned down by some of the sturges still around. Nigil, bein’ the closest person to the basket an' not surrounded by flyin’ bloodsuckers, quickly scooped it up from the ground an' presented it to Golgoron, welcomin’ them to the City, clearly very nervous from the shake I heard in his voice.
We all collectively held our breaths as Golgoron took the offered basket an' carefully sniffed at some of the soaps held within. Shockin’ly, they then asked for the public baths! We quickly dealt with the few remainin’ sturges an' Archkeeper Garland guided Golgoron to said baths, beginnin’ her welcome to the city speech that I'm sure all Archkeepers memorize as it was very similar to the same speech I was given when I first arrived. Sensin’ that somethin’ might have been off about this arrival, we decided to look around. Nigil ended up findin’ a note where the cultist had been initially hidin’.
It turned out that this entire thing had been planned, Saoirse! The note described how Golgoron would arrive an' that the horned devil's (a real actual devil, Saoirse!) arrival would aide the children of Ibraxus. Tempest noticed as we were all lookin’ over the note that there seemed to be a folded portion, an' when unfolded there was a map that detailed directions to the cult's hideout within the crypts. Archkeeper Garland had returned by the time we had looked over everythin’ the note had to offer an' it seemed right to let her know what we had found. Her face blanched at the mention of Ibraxus, as if indicatin’ that she knew what that meant. She gave us our payment of 20 gold pieces each an' asked us to meet her at Slappie's, where she would bring Spymaster Roselyn Zeshe, who seems to know more about the topic, an' some lemon cakes (yum!) an' we would discuss more at a later time.
So it would seem that it is just about to be time for that meetin’ to start, as I can see Archkeeper Garland approachin’ us now. I'll let ye know what we discover the next chance I get to sit an' pen more of these notes.
Until then, all me love,
Yer big sister Moira.