Episode 58
The Council Convenes
Anton, Gemma, and Willa explore more of the shops within Skyhaven. A meeting with the Council of Elders leads to a quest tied to Gemma’s past – and a former member of the party.
Recap
With their golden-speckled eggs from Old King Cluck in tow, the Soul Survivors realized they had no way to carry them safely. They returned to The Coop, where Edith Holt provided woven egg baskets. While there, Gemma asked about transferring magical properties from her Everwatch cloak to her mother’s cloak.
This led them to The Cracked Anvil, Skyhaven’s forge, where they met Garrik Varun, a massive goliath blacksmith with a calm demeanor and a precise magical touch. His workshop glowed with embers and enchantments. The party browsed several magic items – Boots of Elvenkind, a Weapon of Warning and more – with Anton especially tempted to upgrade his Ria-Touched Longsword.
Impressed by the group’s deeds and intrigued by their mention of venturing into the volcano Khorir, Garrik offered a discount on work and materials. He took Gemma’s cloak and Anton’s sword for overnight enchantment. Before they left, Garrik shared a rumor: a white-haired goliath passed through Skyhaven recently, alone and at night, heading toward the Broken Tower – a place of sealed-off knowledge and danger. Garrik didn’t know more, but his unease was clear, sparked with an interest in speaking with another of his kind.
Before heading to the Mead Hall for the long-anticipated council meeting, the Soul Survivors paid a visit to the Apothecary, a charming alchemical nook run by the fast-talking halfling, Marla Brickenbaum. Gemma and Willa perused the shelves stuffed with potion vials and scrolls while Anton inquired about anything “unusual.” Marla offered a collection of magical items, including alchemist’s fire, antitoxin, and a range of spell scrolls.
It was evening by the time they entered into the Mead Hall to dine and meet with the village’s Council of Elders, consisting of Zypheros, an elderly gnome named Thistle Briarwhistle, an aarakocra sorcerer named Gris Keenglide, and a lean air genasi with a rogue’s edge, named Gale. Delighted and in awe of meeting the young Ashenlyte, Thistle explained the strange magical echoes emanating from the abandoned Broken Tower, a place once used to locate and hunt down arcanists in the Domaarian Empire – before Gemma’s parents shut it down.
The council mentioned spotting cloaked Pangenans in town, who ventured toward the tower, and left for Vuldohr the following day. Gemma explained Garrik’s testimony of witnessing another goliath do the same. She also cast Minor Illusion to confirm their appearance: Raz’sik and Olphira. Thistle seemed concerned over the Pangenans’ presence; the tower was supposedly once powered by their psionic technology.
While dining, the adventurers told their own story, where they came from, and where they planned to go in the Kingdom to rescue their friend Sovemil. The Soul Survivors agreed to visit the Broken Tower with Zypheros to report their findings and to shut down any unwanted magical activity in the area.
Meanwhile, Anton found himself drawn to Gale, whose dry wit and sharp tongue matched his own. Their verbal sparring grew flirtatious – until Anton realized his coin purse had shifted. With what she revealed about her past involving the black market and screwing over imperials, Anton felt disappointed and used. Even after receiving Gemma’s daughterly approval to pursue the genasi, Anton recoiled and left the connection severed.
By the late evening, most of the council members had departed. Anton, Gemma, and Willa returned to the Silver Spirit Inn and went to their individual rooms to rest. In the early morning, Gemma rose to eat a small breakfast, where she was soon greeted by Gris, who agreed to teach her a thing or two about his own skill in sorcery.