11 Eoh 10722
Played June 18, 2022
When I wake up, Bramak is gone. Though I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised since he does seem to be in a command position in the guard here. And while I suppose I could go explore the city, I think it’s best to stay at the library for now. At least until Gramthrun Firepath can come and legitimize our being here.
Unable to shake the weird dreams from the night before, I tried to find the boys. Especially since, at the very least, Severin has been checking in with how things have been going on in my head. When I found Sev, I told him about the weird out-of-body experiences I was having last night. While he acknowledges that that doesn’t sound good, it could also have been a weird dream.
Sev on the other hand has been busy thinking about planning a revolution. He wants to get rid of Edwald Harland and open up the Temple District - which he says will not only potentially smooth things over with Daitor but may also get the undead of Fane on my side when it comes to taking the throne. Though, after my conversation with Kaylin yesterday, I’m not sure if it’s really worth going after anymore. More so, Sev also suggests that we seek out Sarash Brillhead and form an alliance with him, since he is already a revolutionary thinker and seems to have a portion of the lower class on his side.
While a revolution seems like the best way to get the people of Fane on our side, or at the very least show that they still have agency even as undead, getting the people into a frenzy and having them “break down the door” into the Temple District seems too messy a plan. Perhaps a quiet assassination would be better.
Played June 22, 2022
Having seemingly returned from touring the city with Julius Lightfeather, Treldaan informed us that the Daitorian army is grossly mistreating the undead here - mugging them, ransacking the remains of their homes, etc. Though when he is informed of Sev’s revolutionary ideas, he too agrees that Brillhead is someone worth aligning with.
Seeing as I am unsure if assuming control of Fane would be in my actual power, I’ve instead shifted my focus to simply one of wanting to help Fane. It was Jora‘s city after all. Though for some reason I can’t bring myself to tell the boys that I only have a passing interest in the throne after just one day. Pushing on, Sev suggests that perhaps Brillhead and Bramak would be powerful allies since they are well-known by the people. We’ll need more information about Brillhead before I could reasonably say he’s right though.
A few hours later, Bramak returned with Gramthrun and we were ushered back into the depths of the library for a more private conversation. Not wanting to waste time, Gramthrun asks where I’m from, where I’ve been, and how no one knew that Yarrow Lightfeather had a daughter. Somehow the explanation that I am from Antaeus puts him more at ease, which is an odd response, and he seems to buy my vague story that Yarrow had traveled to Antaeus, fell in love there, but that he had left some time ago. I also mentioned vaguely that I ran into him on a train and he said I might be able to help Fane, which is only a partial lie.
Seemingly accepting of my Lightfeather lineage, Gramthrun asks what my intentions are, and I’m honest with him. I tell him, much to the surprise of both Treldaan and Sev, that I was initially planning on assuming the throne but now I’m more of the mind to simply help get Fane back in balance. This answer seems to please the tired Commodore, but also causes him to get much more serious - ie “I was never here, this conversation never took place” kind of serious.
He tells us that getting the nobility out or at the very least opening up the Temple district would go a long way with not only the people but Daitor and Vathrius as well- especially since there are important Fane records holed up there. Though, Gramthrun is not sure that Vathrius has any intention of letting Fane self-govern regardless, even going so far as to say that it’s quite possible that at some point the native Fanians will have to either relocate or be evacuated. When I ask about a living person assuming the throne, one that has sympathy and/or understanding of the undead, to help bridge the gap, he replies that he isn’t sure that the undead of Fane would go for that even if it might go well with Daitor. Gramthrun is also of the belief that Fane should be allowed to govern itself since Bramak has since convinced him that the undead are not mindless.
I couldn’t help but tell Gramthrun that I find Bramak to be delightful, and definitely not mindless, which earns me a dirty look from Bramak who apparently isn’t exactly known for being a “delight”.
Pressing on, Sev inquires about Brillhead. Gramthrun thinks him to be a bit eccentric and loud, but his heart is in the right place. Though it is his family name that is aiding in his lack of full-on support since he comes from a family known for corruption and embezzlement. However, Gramthrun does give us his unofficial blessing should we want to get up to any revolutionary activity - so long as it’s in regards to opening the Temple District or getting the undead of Fane to band together. However, he cannot grant us the ability to leave the city, in the event that we would want to gather supplies since the city itself is in quarantine.
When asked about the political candidates, Gramthrun admits that Brillhead makes the most sense, though there are a fair amount of people who want to see Julius rise to power. Like Kaylin, he too would not recommend that I seek power, due to Fane’s unwillingness to work with an Efryn, especially one that would have (until recently) been tried as a witch and burned in the town square. However, he also admits that Fane hasn’t really been truly united since Jora Kampfrun was in power - so he’s unsure if we’ll really be able to unite the city under one ruler. As if sensing it, Bramak asserts that he does not want to be in power again.
Gramthrun is also quick to mention that while they did at one point have a “man on the inside,” they were found out and quickly dismembered and hung on the Temple District’s gates. So, you know, don’t get caught if we decide to snoop around there. Sev asks me point blank if I would be the face of a revolution, should we start one, and I gave a vague agreement - though I have no intention of becoming some sort of martyr for the city.
After Gramthrun leaves, I set to summoning a polecat to scope out the catacombs to see if there is a way in that doesn’t involve us leaving the city first. Though given its excellent job as an avian spy, my familiar was rewarded with pets and snacks before we set off. Once we were ready I donned my old undead woman disguise and off we went. Of course, it wasn’t long before we ran into Ransom Pikon hawking his wares.
Inevitably, both Sev and Treldaan inquired about non-body part wares, to which Ransom revealed that he had a couple of scrolls and a set of mariners full-plate as well. When Treldaan took interest in the Summon Lesser Demon scroll, Ransom said he would part with it for a measly 12,000 gold - which I have to think that it may not have been as much if Treldaan hadn’t flashed Ransom platinum. Still, I couldn’t let Treldaan get swindled that badly, so after much negotiation, I talked Ransom down to trade for my rock with an eye painted on it, 201 gold, and the ability to give my dear polecat some pets. Afterward, my dear polecat was off into the catacombs with the promise that should they encounter any major trouble they had permission to unsummon.
Seeing that we were already in that part of town, we stopped off at Town Hall to see if we couldn’t talk to Brillhead, only to find that the rumors were true and he was not a man of few words. After some time, a kind little old woman (me, obviously) found herself telling Brillhead about the rumored daughter of Lightfeather and how she could very well be sent from the gods to aid him in his mission. This certainly excites him, even more so when he learns this daughter is already in the city - though he falters a bit when he learns that she is an Efryn. Still, he agrees that he’d like to meet with her, if only to judge her worthiness as an heiress, so this kind old woman mentions where she could be found and suggest he meets this daughter “when the day is new”.
Played June 30, 2022
On our way back we spotted Umar looking very uncomfortable as he talked with Rulf, so clearly a save was in order. As I ushered him off for more reading/writing lessons, Umar confided in me that he was getting less and less comfortable with the sentences I was having him write - whether from being teased by Rulf or the fear that Bramak will think them improper though it is unclear.
Before going to bed, I found Kaylin once more, though now she appears to be fervently looking into all things Antaeus. Seemingly not having found information on her own, she then took to questioning me, and I provided answers the best I could. However, she wants to know a lot of “why” things, to which even Rhea would not have known the answers to. Hoping to give her something though, I suggest that she talks with Treldaan about her questions regarding the Goat.