During the grand Bicentennial Celebration of St. Yorrok's Day at Castle Dowelloft in Ausura, an unlikely group of adventurers was brought together by fate and table arrangements: Adrian Dowelloft, an Aasimar Gunslinger from the prominent trading family; Elyndra Paronskaft, a Half-Elf Eldritch Rogue raised in an oddities shop; Cut-Cut, a monastery-trained Thri-kreen Monk standing nearly seven feet tall; Bao Bao, a Panda Hengeyokai Vitalist seeking to become a shrine guardian; Goop, a philosophical Dralasite Fighter whose amorphous form proved advantageous in combat; Korloth, a towering eleven-foot Maero Bloodrager from the volcanic shores of Wairua; and Akemi Matsumoto, a Kitsune Lotus Geisha trained in the arts. Following Archmage Elara Swiftwind's announcement of the Adventurer's Decathlon, the group received their qualifying task: to retrieve valuable blueprints from an old workshop in the Eastern Marsh for Lady Katherine Hollister, a venerable half-elven resident of the Cantor District and granddaughter of the famous clockmaker Brennet Hollister. After gathering crucial information at Lady Hollister's mansion among her grandfather's clockwork collections, they ventured four hours into the notorious Eastern Marsh, where they encountered and rescued a struggling party of six adventurers - including a human tinkerer named Ezra Cogsworth and a remarkably rotund Mirthling Jester named Bonkers Laughsalot, who were searching for a missing philanthropist named Jacob Wabash - from a nest of giant spiders. At their destination, they found an old workshop occupied by a hag who had cleverly disguised herself as an elderly woman. After a fierce battle that left Goop seriously wounded from the hag's vicious attacks, the group coordinated their efforts effectively, with Bao Bao providing vital healing support while the others pressed their advantage. Upon defeating the hag, they recovered valuable blueprints and discovered the corpse of Jacob Wabash himself, whose disappearance had warranted a 500 gold piece reward notice. The team demonstrated remarkable ingenuity in cracking a complex safe containing the blueprints and technical documents. Upon returning to Lady Hollister's mansion to deliver the blueprints, they encountered what appeared to be Jacob himself, alive and well - a discrepancy that led to the revelation that he was actually a doppelganger working for a resistance movement. While some of the group helped Lady Hollister clean her house, others pursued and successfully apprehended the impostor, turning him over to Captain Eric Dawnweaver of the Purple Watch, earning themselves a reward of 100 gold pieces and, more significantly, completing their first step toward qualifying for the prestigious tournament.
Note: The following writings are from the character's
perspective and are often private to the character. They are not
considered "in-game" knowledge to the other characters, and any
in-character reference to this information would be considered
meta-gaming.
I arrived at the banquet and got placed with some interesting characters. We were then told everyone at the table was our team to compete in a decathlon if we in fact would make it past the first stage. We were sent into the swamp to retrieve blueprints. We ended up helping save another team that was being attacked by giant spiders. I am taking a special interest in the tinkerer. I may have need of him in the future. When we arrived at the house there was a seemingly suspicious old lady living inside. The house had been locked on the outside. She ended up being a hag. We defeated her and found the chest. After some time, we cracked the safe and found the blueprints and a couple of mechanical items. I took this time to rest and recharge as I had to use a spell to help heal Goop. The hag attacked him fiercely and he needed intervention to help recover. We discovered that the blueprints had held some potentially dangerous and valuable information and after some discussion it was decided to make copies of some of the lesser ones and withhold the more valuable information. In the attic there was also the body of a fellow the other party was searching for, so we took it back with us. We negotiated to receive 400 gold since we did save not only their lives, but we also completed their task and helped them move into the competition. When we went to deliver the blueprints the guy whose body was found was there alive and well. Not wanting to alarm anyone, a few others and I stayed in the house to help the lady clean. The others went to seek law enforcement. The guy decided to leave right after them and they managed to catch him. In fact, he is the one that killed Jacob. He was a doppelgänger and used that to seek the blueprints for the resistance. I do not know if we should have turned him in. I have trust issues after the death of my beloved friend, Harumi. I know that I do not trust anyone that has motives for power. Not even the so-called peaceful government. I shall always remain vigilant in gathering as much information as I can.
Dear Master,
I have reported to the guild induction ceremony as expected. The journey was uneventful, but the past few days have been quite the opposite. The bicentennial celebration banquet was somewhat overwhelming. Never have I been among such a diverse collection of beings! There are very large beings, and very small, and others not native to Alluria, including non-humanoids. I even noticed another Thri-kreen, and we hardly stand out in this crowd. Most spared not even a second glance, which was at first disconcerting but not unwelcome. I have been assigned to a group of seven, smaller than some of the groups. I am unsure if this is due to mere chance, or an indicator of our collective skill level, or if the largest member of the party is intended to count as two. He is a Maero of Maukoru, called Korloth. He has proven to be a capable hunter and willing to share his catch. I wonder if his people form collectives similar to the Thri-kreen. Strangely, the strongest member of the party is not the largest, but may actually the one who appears softest. I believe you have mentioned meeting a Dralasite? This one, called Goop, was able to defeat a minotaur in a contest of strength when Korloth could not. I did not attempt the contest of strength. It was a simple contest, no true test of skill. In combat both the Maero and Dralasite performed acceptably, although the large one lacks maneuverability. Also in the party is an Aasimar, apparently someone of some importance, named Adrian Dowelloft. He reminds me a bit of Lord Shimizu – high born and particular – but he may have connections which could prove useful. He wields a projectile weapon which is very loud but deals significant damage from a great distance if the aim is true. Ironically, one of the strangest members of this assigned party is a half-elf named Elyndra Paronskaft who appears to be skilled in the arts of subterfuge and infiltration but is greatly concerned with acquiring currency. I suspect she has some oppressive debts. Perhaps if I have surplus funds after making tithes I can assist. I have also learned that she keeps a small mammal as a companion; it is not for eating. The final two members of the party are either from or have spent a significant amount of time in Mupalan, evidenced by their proper etiquette at tea. One of them, a panda Hengeyokai named Bao Bao, traveled on the same airship which conveyed me to Ausura, but we did not meet during the voyage. She is a healer of some kind – very useful in an adventuring party. The other, a kitsune named Akemi Matsumoto is an entertainer, which seems an odd choice for an adventurer, but I did find her music strangely inspiring, and she has demonstrated some healing ability as well. It is difficult learning to work with new people, but I am pleased to say that the party appears very capable. We completed our first assignment in a single day, rescued another party and completed their assignment as well, dispatched several oversized spiders and a creature called a flue hag, and solved a murder. We have easily secured entry into the Adventurers’ Decathlon, and I am looking forward to more and greater tests of my skills and training. I will write again after the Decathlon and include my tithe with that correspondence. The party has agreed to place the funds from our first assignment into a Numistian bank account, but we have been promised additional rewards based upon our performance in the events. I hope I will fulfil your expectations and serve as a suitable ambassador for Tengai-no-mori.
Respectfully,
Cut-Cut
P.S. I have not yet had a chance to speak with the other Thri-kreen, but I will make a point to do so if his party has also secured entry into the Decathlon. I hope he will be able to provide new insights about our people.
Dear Master,
I am unsure whether I seek your council or your forgiveness, but I feel compelled to rectify an omission from my previous letter. I previously chose brevity, but you must be made aware of all of the details. For our first assignment, the party was contracted by a Mme. Hollister to enter a derelict family property, remove squatters, and retrieve blueprints left there in a safe. In the course of this adventure, we discovered that the residence had been claimed by a flue hag who was feeding on victims found in the swamp, including a Mr. Wabash who had been reported missing (which we learned from the other party we rescued, who had been assigned to search for the man). We inadvertently found the corpse of Mr. Wabash within the hag’s food cache and conveyed it to the assigned party. Imagine, then, our surprise when we returned with the blueprints to Mme. Hollister and met the individual interested in purchasing them, a man who claimed the same identity as the deceased! Due to the dubiousness of the man’s identity, his purpose for the blueprints, and how the transaction was conducted (Mme. Hollister was prepared to deliver the blueprints immediately, but compensation was not being offered until a later meeting) I made the decision to withhold two of the documents. My intention was, first, to gauge the reaction of the buyer in order to determine the extent of his knowledge about the blueprints, and, second, to prevent potentially dangerous information from being delivered into unworthy hands. The documents appear to be from approximately the same time period as the Voidfury Incursion, and while some of the devices seem to have an industrial purpose, such as one plan for a woodcutter, others are undoubtedly designs for weapons of war. We confronted the false Mr. Wabash and were able to ascertain his true form – some kind of shapechanger – and identify him as the murderer of the true Mr. Wabash. After delivering the murderer to the appropriate authorities, we returned the scrolls to Mme. Hollister, who assured us that she would be able to find another buyer and receive appropriate compensation, but still I withheld two of the blueprints. Bao Bao has expressed concern, and I am well aware that this constitutes theft. However, I acted according to my conscience. I can think of no reason anyone would seek plans for weapons of war except to wage war anew. I do not believe Mme. Hollister was previously aware of the contents of the documents she sent us to retrieve, and neither she nor the shapechanger appeared to notice that we delivered only a portion of them. However, someone must have had some awareness of the documents in order to seek them out. Perhaps it was arrogant to assume this responsibility for myself rather than first discussing it with a higher authority, but this is a strange land, and I am not yet sure who can be trusted. Master, what would you have me do?
Humbly,
Cut-Cut