An Overview of Recent Events #1

Arrival and a Battle with the Vargoth

A crowd of us arrived all at once and were immediately escorted by Mayor Alizon Locke of the Reaches to General Kiernan, who told us of his efforts to stave off Vargoth attacks. We were soon swarmed by a mindless mass of them, but we prevailed and conducted a ritual to close the node through which they had entered.

Those who did not fight followed the mayor to safety and learned of a letter, written by a woman named Damila to her brother about a comet that foretold the arrival of heroes to Fortune’s Bend. 

The Missing Delegates

Before the initial battle, General Kiernan told us of the death of the Syndlemerian emissary, soon followed by those of other lands. A current list of delegates and their status has been provided in this issue while we continue to search for survivors. The hunt for delegates both living and deceased occupied much of the days following the attack, and much was discovered.

A group of bandits relayed the tale of a servant of Ophrails who had witnessed the infamous attack and said that some of the fallen returned to their feet and turned on their former compatriots--some mindless, some not. 

A sighting of a delegate on a boat led a team of adventurers to investigate the area, only to discover a swarm of golems attacking. Once the golems were subdued and properly reset, a note from the delegate was discovered. We learned from it that the delegate originally scoffed at rumors of a traitor but became certain there was one, not even daring to write her suspicions down in case the letter was discovered.  

Rumors of Merrigor’s delegate sent adventurers searching the woods for traces of the blood of his undead revenant bodyguard. After a brief confrontation with bandits scouring  the area for valuables, the body of the revenant was discovered.

The Vandalized Cairn

After a rest in the tavern, it became clear that something was amiss in the cairn. Those who ventured to investigate were tasked by the Bonekeeper–the protector spirit of the graveyard–to help bring peace to spirits whose graves were disturbed by Vargoth. That first night, almost every spirit spoken to was soothed and found rest again. Their stories have been honored under the newspaper obituaries.

Investigations into the Death of Cora Faustino

The sole spirit who returned to the cairn after that first night was a young woman who had forgotten her own name, nicknamed Rose by those who spoke to her. Warning of the potential tragedy that had befallen her, she traveled with a small group to investigate her old house.

A coded journal was found in her home that identified the spirit as Cora Faustino, a girl struggling with a deep fear that her family would kill her. On the surface, the journal illustrated her experience with a family that mocked her for her perceived frailty and manipulated her. Decoded, it revealed the following message: “I think my family is trying to poison me.”

In one of her final entries, her family accused her of disloyalty when she refused to do something her sister asked of her--something that would harm Fortune’s Bend. She died only a few months prior to everyone’s arrival to the town. All she remembered of that day was that she’d had lunch with her uncle Enric just before.

As thanks, Cora offered the town her help and conducted the Remembrance ceremony that allowed for communication with the murdered emissaries. After all of her work, she left us with a message:

“Beware the Faustinos.”

Investigations into the Stabbing of General Kiernan

The other mystery that plagued our first days here was that of the stabbing of General Kiernan, who is miraculously alive despite the presence of a large sword through his torso. He believes this miracle to be intentional: someone wanted him to suffer. The town as a whole set out to identify who had betrayed him and the Fallen Star Council.

Four Memento Mori were found in the tavern soon after the fight, each from a missing delegate. Cora, a Remembrancer, was able to use these to call upon their spirits and narrow down the possible list of traitors.

• Lesley Longstepper of Spyndelmere remembers receiving a note asking him to meet in the woods. He remembers a smell that was initially pleasant but that he now associates with less pleasant things, and he remembers running.

• David Pierce of Myos remembers the Vargoth, being attacked by creatures, and water from the clouds.

• Prime Guardian Clay Raynor of L’Dahn remembers not spending much time at home.

• Senator Demetrius of Aluvair remembers water, flooding, and someone with two swords.

While some attended the ceremony, the rest of the town’s defenders set off to fight a great battle. Two of our number–Lady Jade De’Vere and Alexander--fell before being returned to us from beyond the Gate of Moths. Their sacrifice was not in vain. For their bravery, we were able to discover a number of objects to help narrow down the search for the traitor.

Through this series of clues found over the course of mere days, we gained a description of the General’s attacker. Cora was able to use her abilities as a Remembrancer to call upon the General’s memory of the moment he was killed. Armed with a hard-won description and an unwavering demand for justice, the residents of Fortune’s Bend circled the frozen memory. With the moment of betrayal glowing clearly in front of us, we were able to narrow down to one suspect--Lizabetta Faustino.

Brought to you by The Fortune Teller Staff

(Recap of May 2023 Event and Campaign Opener)