Author Note: This chapter begins with a summary of a short session that I did not manage to take notes on so that I could write it all out. After the summary begins the next session!
The next morning, the group was met and released by another aarakocra named Kayl, Aribis's brother. Kayl was the ambassador of the Mireguard in Agneward, and he took the group to his office – a tiny studio apartment – in the Daffodils district, where he returned Bash's disguise.
Over a serving of breakfast, the party explained how they landed in jail, giving a detailed explanation of their run-in with the rakshasa. Somewhat concerned, Kayl entrusted the group with that problem, and after some hearty sibling banter between Kayl and Aribis, the Natural Misfits left and went to the Zen Manse, where awaited them Lady Ilya Zen and her trusted half-elf bodyguard Finwe.
Ilya explained to the group the Colosso Exhibition – a grand tournament held every year in Agneward that consisted of several rounds of challenges. Some were for groups of adventurers and some were for individuals. Ilya offered to sponsor them in the tournament, and the group debated on whether to join as a group or separately. Eventually, they settled on the group monster slayer category and agreed to participate as Ilya's sponsored group.
Afterward, they returned to Marigold Manor, where they met with Enna's mother Althea who was dismayed that they hadn't returned the night before. After explaining away their disappearance, Enna told her about the Colosso Exhibition, and Althea mentioned that Rolen had himself sponsored a group to fight in the tournament. When they inquired about him, Althea told the group that Rolen was out for the evening and wouldn't be back until very late.
The group spent the night in Marigold Manor before heading for the bank the next day, where they each opened an account and were given a magical bag of holding specifically designed to deposit and withdraw into the bank. Bash signed his account under his false name of Peren Starfell.
As the qualifier round of Colosso started at noon that day, they spent some time investigating the curious blue ingot that Aribis had collected from the dragonborn hoard. Thanks to Bash's guidance, they found a member of an order of magicians who offered to identify it for a fee.
Unfortunately, all this supposed magician could tell Aribis was that it possessed magical qualities – something of which he was already quite aware. Frustrated, they moved on, wandering around Agneward until they came to the Grandmere Stadium, home of the Colosso Exhibition.
Upon entrance, the group was granted magical medallions to designate their competitor status, their old, rusty look showing their position in the qualifiers. They entered the arena, which had been divided into four sections to accommodate the various groups of competitors, and a sparse crowd littered the stands.
The sandy pit had a few stone pillars here and there, and as the battle began, the enemies showed themselves. Multiple basilisks crawled out of the sand, swiping and biting at them. William leapt atop one of the pillars to avoid them, and Aribis took his perch among them. Within only a few rounds of combat, however, the basilisks were bested, and the group had successfully acquired their place in the Colosso Exhibition.
The group stood huffing in the sand as several members of the sparse the crowd cheered, and the sad reaction was almost laughable to Bash. Glancing around, he saw his companions still slightly out of breath. William shook his shoulders in recovery of his minor injuries before setting them back into his usual stoic stance, and Aribis alighted next to Bash to await their fate. Though Bash had seen a hundred different Colosso Exhibitions, he suddenly realized that he'd never paid enough attention to see what happens next for a contestant.
Luckily, someone came out a second later, congratulating them on their victory and ushering them into a waiting room where they would await the Guildmaster of Gaming, Lord Drasloc himself.
Sitting on a rough bench, Bash leaned his head against the wall. The simple battle flitted through his mind's eye, and he wondered if the next round would hold any challenge for them. Perhaps the entire contest was designed for lesser warriors. He waited expectantly, ignoring the idle chatter of Enna and William, until the sound of footsteps approached from the hallway. Eyes darting to the door, he was instantly alert. Wearing his typical tacky yellow robes, in walked Drasloc, his ugly halfling face turned into an ugly halfling smile, and Bash smirked at the showy guildmaster, reminiscing memories of him in much more exciting situations.
"Congratulations on your astounding win!" said Drasloc dramatically. "Not many teams make it past the qualifier round, and now it is looking like you lot will be one of only four to make it through this year. Oh, what an exciting time!"
His speech seemed rehearsed, but the excitement appeared genuine. After all, this was the one time of year that Drasloc had anything interesting to do.
He glanced around at them, eyeing their old, rusty medallions and exclaimed, "Forgive me!" He snapped his fingers, and each medallion shone brightly before becoming magically polished and pristine steel. Bash peered at his reflection in his own medallion while wishing he could use such magics on some of his pocket change.
"That's better," said Drasloc. "We will all be very interested to see how the Natural Misfits progress through the tournament! It was lovely to meet you all. EXCUSE ME!"
Suddenly the young page appeared in the doorway with a shining smile on his face as he looked around at them sheepishly.
"There you are!" said Drasloc. "Take care of these heroic warriors. And I'll be seeing you lot after the next round!"
And with that, he turned, his hideous robe sweeping about as he marched out of the room.
The page's eyes were fully star-studded as he grinned at them from the doorway.
"Oh, man, you all were great," he said breathlessly. "Absolutely amazing, and I bet you can take it all the way!"
"Excuse me," said William gruffly. "What happens now?"
"Gosh, sir, you really are fit." He eyed William's biceps. "You're really impressive to watch in the ring! Maybe one day you could show me how to fight." Then he stopped, horror crossing his face as he realized what he'd said, and then he added quickly, "I mean… You, uh, passed the qualifiers, and your next challenge will be tomorrow at noon. You are one of four groups to pass so far! Congratulations!" He sighed with a smile. "You really are the best group. But, uh… I should probably go."
As he scurried out of the room, Bash grinned at Enna. They were on their way to becoming celebrities, after all those years in the shadows.
"So," said William. "What now?"
"We have lots of time to kill!" offered Enna.
"Tavern?" interjected Aribis.
"Don't you think we should be a little more productive than that?" scorned Enna.
"Taverns can be productive," protested Aribis.
"You know, Aribis," inserted Bash. "I bet I know someone who could identify that blue rock you have," said Bash. "Only a couple hours to get there, probably."
"Do you now?" said Aribis. "Lead the way, then!"
Now agreed, the group moved toward the door, Sooka hovering by William as always, and Bash took the lead. After they'd found their way out of the Greenmere Stadium, the rogue recalled his impeccable mental map of the city and routed their course. Making better time than he'd anticipated, they reached the Tulips district less than two hours later and finally came to a stop at Andelvar's Fireforge.
Quite proud of himself, Bash stood with his head high and shoulders back as they took in the peculiar building. Very unlike the surrounding area, the stone edifice looked almost like a hut with its rounded roof, billowing smokestacks dotting over the top. The sound of hammers and steel emanated through the door, befitting a smithy.
"And here we are," announced Bash with his hands on his hips.
"You all go in," said Enna. "I'll stay out here."
"Aw come now, Enna," complained Bash. "Andelvar will miss you!"
"I just want some more time outside," she grinned. "You know me."
Sighing, Bash waved away her shoddy reasoning before going through the front door.
The group filed into the Fireforge and were quickly met with a cacophony of metalworking. Hammers and fire and anvils assaulted their ears, but Bash charged forward unfazed. Ignoring the multiple smiths working throughout the forge, he made way for the business counter in the center, at which sat a lovely young human, intently focused on a book she was reading, despite the din surrounding her.
Easy, he thought as he walked up to the counter.
Leaning forward and resting his arm, he grinned and said, "Hey."
The girl glanced up and blushed before quickly removing two ear plugs.
"Uh, how can I help you?" she said with an embarrassed grin.
"My friends and I are here to see Andelvar," he replied. "Tell him that his friend Bash is here to see him and has something special for him to check out."
"Yes, of course, Mr. Bash."
She stood quickly, though her eyes lingered on him for a moment before she finally turned and ran through a door in the back of the room.
"Nice place," called Aribis loudly from the ground. "Very loud."
"It's a smithy, genius," replied Bash.
"Very loud," came Aribis's voice from Sooka as she nodded.
Just then the back door opened, and the girl returned, a rock gnome in tow.
The two most noticeable things about Andelvar the rock gnome were his sizable muscles and his wild hair. It was clear that he spent most of his time by a hot forge, working steel and other metals without paying much attention to himself.
"Andelvar!" called Bash with open arms.
"Do my eyes deceive me?" replied Andelvar. "She said you were Bash, but…"
"You know how disguises go," explained Bash. "Besides, remember making me this?"
He reached down to his hip and drew his dagger, flashing the artful pommel at Andelvar before sheathing it in one fluid motion.
"I'd recognize my work anywhere!" grinned Andelvar. "Bash! So good to see you! It must have been a year or so since last you graced my shop."
"Unfortunately, that's how things go," said Bash hurriedly. "But I brought you something special. My friend here—" he gestured to Aribis "—has an interesting item that he would like identified."
"What's this?" asked Andelvar, turning to the little bird man.
Producing the blue ingot, Aribis held it aloft, and Andelvar's face turned immediately curious and intrigued.
"Fascinating," he said to himself. "Where did you find this?" Grabbing the ingot, Andelvar peered closely at it, scratched at it with his fingernail, and then licked it.
"In a dragonborn horde guarded by a monster," replied Aribis nonchalantly. "All I know about it is that it's magical. I was hoping ye could tell me something more."
"Hm… Let's find out!" said Aldelvar excitedly before ushering them to follow him into his back room.
As they passed the reception desk, Bash took out a copper piece and tossed it to the woman, winking as he did so. She blushed again, and the coin clinked to the floor as she scrambled and failed to catch it. Chuckling to himself, Bash followed the others through the doorway.
This room housed Andelvar's private forge, complete with gnome-sized tools and tables about the room. A tiny forge sat to their right, and Andelvar scuttled over to his workstation with the ingot.
"Don't touch the acid," he warned them as he went.
Muttering to himself, the gnome began a long and intricate process of identification, including tapping it with a tiny hammer, dropping a single drop of acid on it, and trying to scratch it with a needle-like tool. It had been a while since Bash had seen Andelvar this excited, and he crossed his arms with a grin as he watched the gnome work.
Finally, he turned to all of them and asked, "Do we have any magic users here?"
Aribis raised a wing, and Andelvar placed the ingot on a stand in front of them.
"Shoot it with a spell," he instructed.
"Is that dangero—" began William, but Aribis had already cast. A bright blue flame shot from his wing and engulfed the ingot, disappearing a moment later. Bash quirked an interested brow as the ingot glowed in response to the magic before dissipating to its normal state a moment later.
"As I expected!" exclaimed Andelvar before retrieving the blue metal. Then turning to them, he said, "This is an ingot of a special substance called saphirite, which has not been seen since the Age of Silence. Marvelous indeed, a magical ore, and most curious as to how you lot managed to stumble across it. Unfortunately, this is all I can tell you. If you'd like to know more, you'll have to take a trek north to Sunderpeak, on the edge of the Forgerealm. A man there by the name of Flint Amberheart can tell you what you want to know."
Bash sighed. "Another rabbit trail," he said.
"Thank ye very much," said Aribis as he pocketed the ingot once more. "Perhaps we'll make our way there someday."
"I knew you would be the only person in this city who could actually tell us something," smiled Bash as he clapped Andelvar on the shoulder. "Thanks for the time."
"You certainly know the kinds of things that pique my interest!" said Andelvar with a deep laugh. "Don't stay gone so long this time."
"Wouldn't dream of it," grinned Bash.
And with that, the group turned to leave, exiting the back room and passing by the reception desk. Bash spied the girl sliding a note toward the edge of the desk with nervous glances toward him, and he tossed her a grin as he picked it up and read it.
You're really cute. Let's meet up sometime.
Laughing to himself, he followed his friends out the door before crumpling the note and tossing it aside.
Enna stood in the street nearby, little leaves and flowers blowing about in her hand as she toyed with them. Her face was focused, and she bit her lip as the leaves looped about.
Attractive as the receptionist may have been, Enna put all others to shame.
As she heard their exit, she turned and smiled. Bash smiled back.
"So what did you learn?" she asked eagerly.
Aribis recounted the gleaned information, and the idea of a journey to the far reaches of the Forgerealm clearly intrigued Enna. But her escapist ideologies were interrupted by William's voice.
"Cake," said Sooka, tugging on William's pants.
The burly man looked down at her and tapped her head once before turning to them all.
"Everyone," he announced unnecessarily. "Sooka wants cake."
"Cake," affirmed Sooka.
Sighing, Bash said, "That bakery is halfway across the city."
Glancing down to Sooka, William shrugged and said, "Cake."
"Come on, Bash," said Enna. "Cake sounds good right now! Let's go."
Not waiting for a reply, she turned toward the Daffodils and began walking.
"Fine then," muttered Bash to himself as the group walked away. "Let's get cake. Not like there's a demon walking the streets that we need to find or anything."
Then with a huff, he followed.
After spending nearly a month's wages on a single chocolate raspberry cake that was consumed in about ten minutes, the group finally agreed to return to Marigold Manor to try to discern more of Rolen's dealings. Thanks to Enna, they passed easily into the Circle, Erathis watching them closely from her eyrie atop the Bastion's Crest. Bash eyed the Skywatch making their rounds far above them and frowned. He'd never quite liked the Skywatch, but he'd found his ways of avoiding their keen gaze. Now, he felt oddly exposed.
As they arrived at Marigold Manor, they were surprisingly not greeted at the door. Enna entered anyway, and a few servants walked the halls. Walking up to one of them, she asked where her mother and brother were, and was told that Althea was in the study and Rolen was in the Bastion's Crest.
Good, thought Bash. An opportunity to find some information.
"Let's go speak to my mother," advised Enna. "Maybe she can tell us something useful."
The group agreed, and they followed her down the hall and up some stairs. They turned right and continued past the mystical room that was Rolen's study.
Bash knew the room in an instant, as it had been the focus of many break-ins in the past, although the room he could never quite manage to get into. Being an interior room with no vents, he'd frustrated himself many times over with attempts to sneak in undetected. But that was exactly what he wanted to do. The big red doors marked the importance, and Bash eyed the fanciful lock on them as they passed by. Everything in him wanted to study it to learn its secrets, but now was not the time. He kept walking.
At last, they came to the study at the end of the hall where Althea awaited them. As soon as they entered, she set down the book she was reading and focused her full attention on her daughter.
"Enna, dear!" she exclaimed. "So good of you to come see me. How did the qualifiers go?"
"Very well! We passed into the next round," replied Enna proudly.
"I would have expected nothing less! What about the Night's End?"
The small talk persisted for a moment, and then Althea's attention moved to Enna's companions.
"Now where are you from?" Althea asked William.
Bash shifted at the personal question. William answered harmlessly, but Bash had no desire to recount his own "personal history" for Althea, airtight as his guise might be. He glanced behind him to map out a route to the door. While Althea was occupied in the study, and Rolen out of the house, this was the perfect time to find some information.
"Aribis, dear," continued Althea. "I've spoken so little to you. Tell me about yourself. Where did you grow up?"
As the conversation flowed, Bash shifted behind William, hiding in his tall shadow as he silently crept toward the door. He held his breath until he was successfully outside the study and headed down the hallway toward Rolen's study.
The doors were just as he had remembered them, although he'd never gotten such a fortuitous opportunity to study them before. He paused before the frame, admiring the handiwork, before leaning in close and studying the lock.
Using a magical hand to poke about within, he felt the different pieces and mechanisms. Expertly crafted, as he suspected, the lock would be nearly impossible to pick.
Luckily, he was the best thief in the city.
He began calculating how long it would take him to succeed at such a difficult task when his sensitive ears picked up footsteps on his left. The idea of Rolen finding him here, and what he might do to Enna in such a situation, ran over him with a chill. With the utmost grace and agility, he righted himself and began walking nonchalantly down the hallway, toward where he knew Enna's room to be.
After rounding a corner, he faced the very thing he feared – Rolen.
Of course, the frail man was never without his lackeys. Heath and Kragg sauntered along behind him, each formidable in their own way. Though Bash's heart raced, he continued his calm steps. Facades were his specialty.
"Greetings, friend," called Rolen, that subtle threatening tone ever-present beneath his voice. "What might you be doing around this part of the house?"
"My friends and I just arrived," said Bash truthfully. "We came to the study to see Enna's mother, but I am tired after the qualifier, and I'm headed back to our room for some rest."
Bash fought the shudder that tried to run up his spine as Rolen eyed him carefully. He could not shake the ill feeling that arose whenever he was in the guildmaster's presence.
"Of course," replied Rolen. "Congratulations on making the first round. I hope to see you succeed in the future as well."
"Thank you, sir," Bash nodded.
"Have you managed to get that writ all sorted out?"
His heart skipped as he realized that he'd forgotten. And that tone, so… threatening. Almost as if failing to do so would land him in a dungeon.
"Uh, not yet, sir. I confess that with the Exhibition and all, it must have slipped my mind."
"It does not do to keep the Guildmaster of Commerce waiting when he has given you such a gift," warned Rolen, a false grin curling his lips.
"Of course, I will do that tomorrow, first thing." Bash felt his tense shoulders and tried to relax them.
Nodding slowly, Rolen's gaze pierced him. "Good," said the guildmaster. "Wouldn't want you getting into any trouble. Good luck with the Exhibition."
With an odd sort of smile, Rolen pushed past Bash, his bodyguards following.
Bash moved to walk past them, but Kragg's massive shoulder rammed into his own. Several profanities ran through Bash's head, but he held them in.
I could kill this guy so easily, he thought. Just give me the right time and—
"He's tougher than you think," muttered Heath as he passed.
Frozen for a moment, Bash watched Heath walk away with alarm in his heart. But now was not the time. Sighing lightly in relief at the danger now past, he continued down the hall, ultimately making his way to Enna's chambers.
Closing the door behind him, with a barrier now between him and the despicable Rolen, Bash felt more at ease. Peeling at his beard, he scratched the irritated skin underneath before replacing it; he wouldn't risk being caught without it again. Then sitting on the floor, he weighed his options.
He couldn't leave this room, not for a while, if he wanted his story to pan out in Rolen's mind. One small slip, and he would be recognized and probably either sent to jail for the rest of his long life or executed immediately. And who knows what he'd do to Enna.
And yet, he felt uncomfortable leaving the others behind. Now that Rolen was back from the Crest, the mansion no longer felt safe. Part of him wanted to go back so that they could all be together should some danger arise, but he knew that his mere presence could be danger enough.
Rubbing his forehead, he thought back to that awful night, now only two evenings ago. The rakshasa "Ghost" had been haunting him since he'd learned of its existence, and he struggled to think that it was out in his own city now, killing innocents needlessly. They had to find a way to stop it, and they had to find out how Rolen was connected to the foul demon.
Sighing, he glanced around the room.
He'd been too distracted to really study it before, but now he took the opportunity. He'd spent lots of time here with Enna, though unseen by Rolen and Althea, and he knew the area well. Everything was as it should be – Enna's nature-loving décor dappled across the room in various ways – except one thing. His keen eyes focused on the desk. There was a small gap on the right side between it and the wall, but he could swear that the gap had been larger than that before.
Curious, he stood and moved over to it, running his finger along the edge. Yes, indeed, the gap had been large enough that he could have nearly placed his hand there, but it was now far too small for even his index finger. Someone had moved the desk.
"Certainly wasn't Enna," he muttered to himself.
Kneeling, he felt the surface, feeling for any abnormalities. Then feeling under the surface, his fingers touched a piece of paper wedged in a crevice above a drawer. Plucking it out, he held in his hands an envelope with Enna scrawled on the front.
That handwriting… he thought.
Quickly, he turned the envelope over to find no seal; clearly it had been hastily closed. Opening the envelope, he pulled out a letter and read it quickly.
Enna,
I don't have much time; they're coming for me any second. I hope you believe what I'm about to tell you.
After you left, I was humiliated and angry, so I took to focusing my efforts on eliminating the Ghost; he'd been a thorn in my side for so long, undermined so many of my plans, and now I was almost positive that he had somehow infiltrated my life by means of you… He was impossible to find and track down. I hired so many mercenaries, and so many assassins over the years, but none could do the job.
Then, during my research, I found mention from Erza Kveld about a legend of the Ghost of Agneward from ages past that had been imprisoned under the city. I believed it to be the same Ghost I'd been searching for, and he had somehow been let loose. I don't have time to give you all the details, but I devoted much of my time to finding his lair, and I eventually did, far below the city in a hidden chamber within the Well. But it wasn't what I thought.
Instead of finding my nemesis, I found a strange creature shackled in magic chains, who told me that if I freed him, he'd eliminate all my enemies. So, foolishly, filled with rage and obsession, I freed the creature. But once it was free, it attacked me and my guards, killing all of them but sparing me. He said that he wanted me to witness the pain and fear that I had unleashed. I managed to escape, though I think it let me go, and fled back to the manor and made preparations to leave. But the Ghost found me. He dragged me out of my chambers and imprisoned me in my own vault!
Days later, he then brought in a creature that was pale and gray, and before my very eyes, it transformed to look exactly like me. The Ghost said that he and his Spectres would bring this city to its knees by poisoning it from within. This imposter then tortured me horribly for days; it wanted to know my habits, business information, people I know and trust. But mostly it wanted to know about my Denr resin imports. I tried to resist, but when I proved difficult, it would probe into my mind and wrest out what it wanted. I managed to escape from my captor for just a moment to write this letter.
Enna, I think that the Ghost has planted imposters all around the city and is using them for some horrible end. I can't trust anyone. I only hope that you respond to the letter Mother sent while I was incarcerated. I pray that Erathis can forgive me for all that I've done. I'm going to try to take Mother and run as far as I can. I hope you find this, and that you brought help.
R.D.
Bash's mind reeled as he read. Part of him was satisfied that Rolen hadn't really become a wonderful person, but the implications were more dangerous than Rolen himself. Things became clear, and an urgency came over him. Enna had to read this letter.