16 October 2022
The King of Torlen requests the parties assistance in bringing his eldest daughter to her preparatory academy in Sarlis. It will be a bit before she leaves, so he offers to pay for their accommodations and anything else they need in the mean time (not drugs, Elyrea)—he also grants them access to the library, as he understands that they need information on Suliman and she’s currently residing there doing research.
They head to the library immediately after some minor details are hashed out and are brought directly to Suliman’s office after Honeysuckle lets them in. Suliman is off doing things and while they’re there they search around a large scale conspiracy theory-esque board that Suliman has made. Iris casts comprehend languages to take down a strange, unfinished binding spell that Suliman had dug up. Suliman enters — 5’6” older lady, salt and pepper hair pulled into a loose bun. She’s excited—especially to see Lucie so she can look in her eyes and track the constellations in them (the altar—homage to Sylvanus, when the original altar was destroyed, it was placed in the sky for him out of respect— the steel—shaped like a halberd— and the sigil— said to have been named by Ellistraee, but she’s never been sure where the lines go.)
Suliman is researching a series of old tombs bound in human leather skin and has been aware of Thalis’ spell book, previously tracking its owners until it disappeared from Jenkins possession. She admits that she had abandoned Devenrichem after the Queen had not fairly compensated her for her work. She doesn’t care about the missing prince. She notes that Jenkins is certainly dead. Hench is just a weird guy. Pendragon, however…she knew a Marsilla Pendragon once, years ago, who would have had a daughter. Marsilla was by no means magically inclined, however, so Suliman believes that it’s fairly unlikely for her daughter to have had magic. Suliman also informs the party that she’s self taught.
Suliman informs the party of most of this while unlocking a series of large locks blocking off a restricted section of the library. Upon entering, they see a hallway lined with large wooden doors. They’re enchanted, and Blue can see the layers of enchantments that linger overtop of them.
They’re brought to a room with a book in a case. It looks like the book they’re looking for. But when Wren casts detect magic and Suliman lifts the enchantments, it smells incredibly rancid, like the decomposition of road kill wouldn’t smell this bad.
As they leave, Suliman tells them a bit about what’s behind the other doors: a dagger belonging to the champion of the raven queen, an enchanted scepter belonging to a dead king, a cadaver collector, and a machine recovered from Hyllan’s laboratories.
The party stays at The Penchant, a higher end place in town, and go to a bar for the evening. Veradis goes to a furry pub called The Wiggly Werewolf and gets a creme egg and a beer, while the rest of the party goes elsewhere, and the drinks are on the house.