Research & Investigations (2/2)

 The Disappearance of Teucer Ultho

Seeking rumors of further strange items and artefacts such as the Survivors of the Tel and others of the new adventuring-class have discovered in the Tel and its surroundings, Gan the physician despaired of hearing anything more credible than that the Old Pale Worm in the Weirding Caves was hoarding such wonders as the panoply of Stephen the Rock, or the dreaded Norrock-Kai.

Then finally, fortune: Althalos, the human barkeep of the common room Under-Star, hearing of Gan's inquiries (and aware of Gan's friendship with Torkol, whom Althalos holds in high regard), mentions an old account he'd heard, reported by a torchbearer who was the only survivor on a bad expedition into the Weirding Caves. With the further help of the librarian Kenawi, Gan is able to locate a written report of this account by the torchbearer Kalb of the disappearance of Teucer Ultho.

Why should this interest Gan? Teucer, a former alchemist-apprentice Under-Star was known to carry a strange weapon, a kind of cylindrical hilts from one end of which could be projected a beam of light, to be used either as a weapon or as a source of light. Where he had discovered it he would not tell, but he wore it proudly, as one might wear a sword, and trusted in it--perhaps too much!

Kalb's account is sketchy at best--given by a torchbearing slave who had just witnessed the destruction of a party of hired men-at-arms led by his own master--but there are enough details that one might be able to discover the site of the disaster for oneself. Perhaps the hilts might even remain ...

According to Kalb, Teucer led the party into the caves intending to rediscover a rich bed of certain alchemically and psychically useful fungi that grow prolifically in the presence of frollock colonies. But when they found the colony, and had begun to gather the fungus, Teucer glimpsed something intriguing at the back of the cavern--a crack that opened into a narrow passage that led to unknowns beyond. Apparently unable to resist the adventurous call, Teucer summoned his men to explore the passage; but their way was blocked by a growth of organic material and twisted reaching fronds. It seemed to react to the party's approach, and Teucer stabbed into it with his light-beam--and the thing began to glow, and then suddenly reacted by blasting Teucer and his men-at-arms with something like a stroke of lightning! Only Kalb survived ...

The Hamdi Codex

Razo, meanwhile, was engaged in attempting to break the cypher of the codex recovered on a recent expedition to certain caves further north along the headlands than Ocean's Throat. Assisted by the Alkari Hry-Haya Yehat, whose single-minded interest helped focus the deciphering-effort, the first elements of the cypher soon yielded, and after a week the pair were able to ascertain much of the first section of the codex.

It quickly became clear that the codex was a kind of periplus, an account of "sailing around" with its starting place near to Cothon, and further entries describing places farther and farther away from Cothon as the text continues. Razo and Hry-Haya feel that they are able to identify six major entries--more interesting locations, presumably?--connected by linking-sections describing perhaps the distances and directions sailed.

Though the fulness of the text remains occluded behind its cypher, the pair of researchers are confident that the initial entry has yielded up its secrets to them. Briefly:

After a list of coastal and geographical features by which to navigate west from Cothon, Hamdi the Voyager, at the helm of his blue-painted galley Zourqa' , came upon the island Dar Breni within which was secreted the hidden fortress Haut of the warrior-sorceress Bren Grewind. A kind of pirate queen who had gone reaving all through the northern seas, ultimately Grewind had fled south and established a new stronghold within the island, hiding her fastness behind veils of enchantment. But Hamdi was able to penetrate the veil, and being an amorous adventurer, he was feted for some time by the Bren (a foreign title claimed by the lovely Grewind) and feasted, and wondered by the great stores of riches Grewind and her followers had acquired on their own adventures. One item of particular note to Hamdi was the device that Grewind claimed allowed her to hide and to shield her mind from the probes and far-castings of other sorcerers--and by its use was she secure against those who would hunt her ...

Mormaera Yrasi, Sorceress of the Azure Veil

Interested in the possibility of expanding his repertoire of arcane skills and knowledge, Bartholomew Pettibone asked around the local taverns about the masters of sorcerous traditions local to the Dual-Cities. Several names were offered, chiefly Rjak of the Grey Hand, or Zaynab the Enchantress, but the one who stood out as perhaps more accessible to him at the moment was that of Mormaera Yrasi, an enchantress somewhat associated with the Hanse and the Kantor Kabljauhof, though she maintains a household in Cothon rather separate from the Kantor.

There she maintains a minor court as if she is some kind of princess or sultana, feasting her friends and sycophants in symposia where conversations fly from the heights of philosophical discourse, to courtly poetry of love or romance, to mere witty banter--all while masked, for the Mormaera herself never reveals her face, but keeps it hidden behind a veil of azure silk, while she commands that all in her presence also wear masques or veils.

A number of individuals at the Kantor have attended these symposia, including Stahlkor of Reywind, the captain of mercenaries employed to defend the Kantor.

Undoubtedly, the Mormaera possesses a great library of arcane knowledge, though she is also undoubtedly jealous of her secrets. Nevertheless, she is known sometimes to take on an apprentice, or even allow one who has piqued her interest the favor of perusing her libraries.

 It is understood that the quickest way to catch her attention, were one to secure an invitation into her "court", would be to spend lavishly on a unique mask or cowl, and work it thematically into an entire costume. Though once her attention is caught by the mask, one must prove to her that the person behind the mask is all the more interesting ...