koremorleth
Newbie
Troglodytes and Carbuncles
Troglodytes are large bipedal lizard-like creatures with large claws and a powerfully unpleasant stench. Carbuncles are creatures that mutated from troglodytes, still large and bipedal, but with the distinct gems crowning their foreheads. Strigoi are large insectoid creatures that drain their victims with a large proboscis, gaining strength and the abilities of those they consume.Troglodytes and strigoi are as old as the land itself. They've been here long before Arctan Gavar led his people over the Giant's Bane mountains to settle here more than 500 years ago. According to carbuncle sources, every 100 years, the strigoi would return and feed on the animals and other native inhabitants of the Gavarian peninsula. In the past, the troglodytes had been able to fight the strigoi. But when Arctan Gavar and the rest of the Gavarians were introduced to this cycle, they disrupted it. When the strigoi rose up after the arrival of the Gavarians, they fed on the "civilized" races. Because of this, the strigoi became stronger, outmatching the troglodytes.
While searching out carbuncles, Warden Jadar witnessed a young man with pale skin, red lips, and blond hair (see section titled "Clarissa Bancroft") ordering the greens to bring him an egg. And when one of them protested, the young man's hand seemed to grow lethal claws and took off the carbuncle's arm. He proceeded to unhinge his jaw and eat the flesh from the arm before tossing it back to the carbuncle it had belonged to. This encounter was one of the reasons we wanted to speak to them, because the description that Jadar provided of him matches the description of the man I saw in my Resonance ritual this past May (see section titled "Resonance"). The carbuncle we later spoke to via a Universal Speech ritual said that the man only comes once in a while, and sometimes months can pass between his visits. And each time he comes, he takes their eggs. What he does with them, the carbuncle couldn't say for certain.
This conversation was an opportunity to learn more about the history of the peninsula from a different point of view. The carbuncle said that once Arctan Gavar and his people showed up and started settling the area, his ancestors, the troglodytes, began to be pushed out of the land they had called home for untold centuries. But there was a truce that was created between the Gavarians and the troglodytes 300 years ago, when the strigoi rose up again. In order to defeat them, the Gavarians and troglodytes became allies and the Gavarians promised the troglodytes they wouldn't be hunted. But once the strigoi were defeated, the Gavarians broke the truce and continued to hunt them. And then, just three years ago, an alchemical mist came and threatened their survival once more, forcing them to evolve in order to survive. The carbuncle blames the Gavarians for the continued destruction of both troglodytes and carbuncles.
With all of the carbuncle gems now gathered, Countess Thorn is about to begin working on a new toxin to wipe out the carbuncles. According to the Countess herself, Duke Edmure Nolan of Atish, who still lies comatose, was opposed to the continued hunting of troglodytes, and had petitioned the Gavarian crown to make peace with the creatures. Sir Iban is currently heading up a new peace initiative between Gavaria and a group of troglodytes in Northlight, who call themselves the Ebon Claw Clan.
Clarissa Bancroft, Baroness of Fluga
300 years ago, the Strigoi War ended. And a little girl escaped. In a Hindsight ritual that was performed last year by Anivia Amberheart, the Tempest, it was discovered that the way the Strigoi War ended was not the way that we had all been led to believe. The Strigoi were destroyed, but there was one survivor: a pale-skinned, blond haired, and red-lipped little girl. Everyone thought their enemy was defeated.Clarissa Bancroft resides in Fluga, Cinem as the Baroness of this very well-fed town. She is pale-skinned, red-lipped, and blond-haired with a tendency for over-the-top makeup which causes her eyes to appear sunken in shadows. She is known across Gavaria for her philanthropic acts and continously puts herself in front of others as someone who just wants to help. She has helped rebuild towns and ensure that the citizens of Gavaria do not go hungry in the wake of the Aquavian Cabal crisis. And for that, people love her. But what the general population doesn't know is that Clarissa Bancroft is in fact the Strigoi Queen.
This small child was taken in by Valera, a sphinx who is know to the Adventurers of Atupal and the Blackmoon Sentinels. Before the October market gathering, Hunter Triska Bole had actually met with Baroness Bancroft and had been tasked by the Baroness with the killing of Valera. However, rather than kill without any good reason, myself, Triska, Tel'rendiir, Locke, and Skoldar spoke with the sphinx, and learned that Valera is Bancroft's mother. She had found Bancroft when she was a small child and decided to raise her as her own child. Valera seemed unconcerned with the knowledge that her daughter had sent us to kill her, which I found odd. It's unclear if she's been enslaved again, but when we asked, she refused to take an enslavement antidote.
As a child, Clarissa Bancroft had a small stuffed version of a gillymog, a purple bear-like creature that guards the fields of blood lilies that grow in Skain and consumes them for food. Valera told us that she taught Bancroft how to cultivate them. In seeking out these flowers, we learned that the bears have encountered Baroness Bancroft and Countess Thorn before. The biggest difference between the two is that the gillymogs seem to fear the Baroness. She took their flowers without permission and it made them angry. Countess Thorn asked politely and they let her take a few. Blood lilies are one of the key ingredients in the alchemical fog that was originally created to destroy the troglodytes but instead resulted in the creation of the carbuncles.
The Baroness, in addition to being highly philanthropic, is also the author of a book that was published 30 years ago. Valera still had Bancroft's first draft and a collection of childhood drawings, which she gladly let us take. I've included a copy of that draft and the pictures she drew below. Tel'rendiir is seeking out the finished publication, which Bancroft originally titled "The Story of the Little Girl."
Moridium
This unnatural metal is everywhere in Gavaria. But the only people who have any luck finding it is the Garrett Trading Company, so much so that they have an effective monopoly on the metal. If you want moridium, you have to go through the Garrett Trading Company. No one else has it. Baroness Bancroft has maintained a partnership with them that allows them to keep the monopoly on moridium, and enhances the GTC's wealth and influence across Gavaria. Bancroft has used the GTC's extensive trade network to move supplies to provide relief to many towns across the land, which has helped bolster her reputation as someone who is well-loved and willing to help those in need.I had a conversation with Astra, one of the Moridium Sentinels last year regarding the strange metal. She had spent some time as a dryad and recalled that she was unable to wear her moridium medallion, as it caused a pain that was far worse than that of copper, silver, gold, or platinum. Before he died, Nathanial Moroe was researching the metal and had come to the conclusion that something about it didn't make sense, but was unable to elaborate on it further after his death, as the Grasp took over the spirit farewell that we attempted in order to glean more information.
The search for the truth about moridium would take a turn when we explored Heinricht Hammerforged's mine that he had purchased. When we first cleared it out, there were traces of green dust at the very back of it, which could mean that moridium is present. This past market, a small group explored the deepest recesses of the mine, and discovered a cave. The walls were covered with veins of moridium, and there was a clutch of eggs being guarded by a large centipede-like creature. Several of the insectoid strigoi were present, as well as the Baroness of Fluga, Clarissa Bancroft. She revealed the horrific truth about the strange metal: Moridium is strigoi blood. Even more disturbing is what Bancroft revealed next. According to the Baroness, there are thousands of strigoi eggs hidden beneath Gavaria, waiting to hatch and emerge to conquer the peninsula. Valera had told us that even as a child, her little girl had just wanted to regain the family she had lost, to "create and create and build up a large family."
Update: The Garrett Trading Company has packed up their entire operation and left Gavaria. This information was given to me by Aiden and Tel'rendiir. It is reported that they had packed up and left even before the market gathering in March.
Resonance
In May of this year, I performed a Resonance ritual with the help of my dear friend, Margrave Auryn Fairhorn, at the spot where we discovered a new variation of carbuncle had been conceived. It was a surreal experience. I've never felt the earthen magicks so deeply before. I asked the earth to reveal to me the story of the cave we were in and it did. Here is a retelling of that story as I recall it:"As time passes, it seems there is some sort of truce between red and blue carbuncles. Still more time passes, and a clutch of eggs appears, but they are neither blue nor red. These eggs are purple. More time passes, and a man sits at a desk next to the clutch of eggs, writing in a journal. He has pale skin, red lips, and blond hair. Time again passes, and the eggs hatch into purple carbuncles. The man expresses pleasure and delight at the result. He must tell "Mother" and says that she will be pleased with this result. Time passes, and the resonance ends with myself and Auryn beginning the ritual..."
At the sight of the ritual, we found an excerpt from a journal written by the young man we saw:
After learning more about Clarissa Bancroft's children Cara and Clahadore from Tel'rendiir's encounter with both of them, we have deduced that the young man from the Resonance ritual and the Green Carbuncle nest are the same person: Clahadore Bancroft. And based on this excerpt from his journal that we found, it's clear that Bancroft is experimenting with the carbuncles to create more of them.
So, what do we do?
The Wardens have informed Dame Lira Daybright about what we know. She sympathizes with our plight, and believes us, but she has stated that she cannot act without tangible proof.Knowing this, we are planning to secure a strigoi egg to use as proof. We believe that, combined with Dame Daybright's word and the testimony of the Tempest, Anivia Amberheart, who helped cast and was witness to the Hindsight ritual, should be enough to convince Queen Pavia and Lord Protector Euron to take punitive action against Bancroft.
Additionally, when Aiden resurrected, he asked the Third Finger of the Grasp how to expose Clarissa Bancroft. The Third Finger suggested that making her bleed would be enough to indicate that she is not what she seems. When Iban resurrected, he asked how to find an egg. The Third Finger told him to follow the moridium. Aiden is taking the next few months to search the mountains surrounding Fluga for sources of moridium that might lead us to a clutch of eggs.
Any help or information that other members of the adventuring community can provided would be welcome. It should be noted that we should not confront Bancroft until her altruistic persona has been exposed and refuted.
We did not intend to wait this long to make this knowledge readily accessible. I've been in conversations with some of you about these topics already, and I know that it is long overdue to bring it all to one place so there is no more confusion. And for that oversight, I am deeply sorry. I hope that with this open sharing of information, we can put any differences and hard feelings behind us and start again. I value and cherish you all as friends and allies, and only by working together will we prevail.
Sincerely yours,
Kore, Lady of Puxil Cove
Appendix A: Developments in Rathfall
I was fortunate enough to have some time on my hands to travel the mists to visit Rathfall for the wedding of Yvaine and Montague. While there, new information was made apparent:
The contract with the Mistweaver to collect blood samples from various creatures across the Grimere Expanse was funded by Baroness Clarissa Bancroft. These vials included phase bear, hippohawk, and rock crab blood, and several others. I had an eye-opening conversation with the Baroness during the reception following the ceremony. She intended to bring back the vials and experiment to see if she could imbue an object, or perhaps even a creature, with the abilities of the creatures the blood came from. Given what we know of strigoi and how they acquire new abilities, this would have catastrophic consequences in the fight against both strigoi and carbuncles.
Suffice to say, she did not return to Gavaria with these vials. While the Baroness was distracted with the festivities of the wedding celebration, the vials were taken from her bag, which she left carelessly on the table. Xelver of the Crescent Vale and Spymaster of the Wardens prevented Bancroft from returning to Gavaria with the vials. We are taking care to dispose of the blood so the Baroness will be unable to grant either herself, her children, or carbuncles, the abilities of the creatures they were taken from by attempting to steal them back.
Unfortunately, this has drawn the ire of the Baroness. While she hasn't retaliated in any way that would damn her, she spoke with me just before her return to Gavaria. "I don't know who stole from me, but I can only assume it was Iban's idea. Tell him, he has stolen from me. I will take everything from him." Iban did not authorize this. In fact, we had resolved to do nothing, but Xelver decided to do something about it. And I do believe he made the right choice.
Appendix B: Developments concerning "The Pale Princess"
Our friend Tel'rendiir Baeryth spent his time tracking down a printed edition of the story that we obtained when Triska, Tel'rendiir, myeslf, and several others spoke with the sphinx Valera regarding her adopted daughter, Clarissa Bancroft. Tel'rendiir was able to obtain a copy of that book, which is summarized thusly:
The book itself has wonderful drawings of a tiny, all-white-skinned and white-haired girl looking afraid and lost for most of the book. You can clearly see the conflict of green knights with scaled armor attacking white knights to a draw. Then you see the scaled knights and giant rose plants with swords joining forces to attack the white knights, causing the poor girl to flee. Along the way she meets a colorful cast of characters including a giant kitty named Valerie, a man covered entirely with hair called Simmons, and then a group of lovable purple bears that cheer up the heroine. The book ends with the Pale Princess' friends teaming up and picking the roses, which causes the enemy to be defenseless. The Princess and her friends are happy on a green throne in a throne room with dozens of potted plants.
What follows is an accounting that Tel'rendiir gave regarding his discovery of the book:
The Pale Princess was my favorite book as a child. My mother would read it to me every night before falling asleep when I was little. The revelation that this story that I grew up loving has a dark past and possibly an even darker purpose is frightening. And it chills me to the core. Especially knowing that funds from the sale of this book contributes to the Orphanage Fund in my very own town, Puxil Cove. This may simply be coincidence. But I suspect that there is more to it than that.
Appendix C: Descent into Bell Spire
This past market, a small group of adventurers made their way into an old mine in the Bell Spire Mountains, after Aiden discovered the entrance to a strigoi nest, and even witnessed the laying of strigoi eggs. Their mission: obtain physical and irrefutable proof that the Strigoi have indeed returned to Gavaria. I have attached an accounting of that mission, written by Tomekeeper Dramthin Hartsboon. I have nothing but gratitude for his diligent and meticulous note-keeping, as I myself was unable to attend the market gathering. Any further questions about what happened during this mission can be directed to Reeve Olrikson, Sir Iban, Squire Calliope, Tomekeeper Hartsboon, or any of the others named within this briefing.
Appendix D: Strange Wounds and Other Oddities
Across Gavaria there has been an increasing number of strange wounds reported and whole towns affected by this phenomenon, with seemingly no memory of how they appeared. We first came across them at the last gathering in Atupal, and there have since been numerous reports of this wound appearing more and more frequently. According to Sir Iban by word of Dame Daybright, 4 towns were affected in the past week, making 10 total reported thus far. The nature of this injury is as yet unknown, but it is described as a single puncture wound to the neck. It seemingly has no adverse effects on the person that we know of at this time. Further study into this will be required, but it could possibly be assumed that these were caused by Strigoi.
My good friend, Tel'rendiir, did some investigating into a place called the Protean Retreat, a possible location of one of the Wells of Power. In addition to automatically defending itself against anyone it deems an enemy, it has a worrisome connection to the Bancrofts. The mountain where the Protean Retreat resides is also right next to Fluga, the city that Clarissa Bancroft leads as Baroness. In speaking with the townsfolk, Ren learned this:
The defenses of the Protean Retreat do not target the Bancroft family. Meaning they can actually visit the place. And according to the townsfolk, they do go up there every few years or so.
When Ren asked about the Baroness' trips, one of the townsfolk said this: "Oh no. Maybe once every few years, she just says it's ancient, before the refugees got here and then mentioned something about it being used by some group long ago."
Ren has a plan to look into this matter further, so if anyone has any questions about it, please get in touch with Tel'rendiir Baeryth.
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