A new day (or evening, rather) began for the party. Deciding they would personally see to the orcs that had captured Greth’s tower in Haven, they returned to Londo’s tower. There, they found Zola had woken up at some point and was now sleeping in Londo’s lap, the both of them snoozing away. Selina was awake, tracing her finger along the rim of a cup of tea, fire trailing her touch. The party told the Half-Dragon they wanted her to journey to the city of Pravus and investigate if strange things were happening to the city, not just the councilor. She readily agreed, saying she will learn what she can. With business in order, the party journeyed into town to resupply and visit “Pop’s Shop”.
Karth and Amy found Pop’s Shop locked. A baker approached them, stating that Pop and his family had trouble getting back into the city. The two decided to investigate outside the southern gate. There, they were pointed toward Pop’s cart by another refugee. Pop, his wife, and son were all present, his son in a fistfight with a roguish fellow. Upon greeting Pop and his wife, their son dealt one final uppercut to the thief, rendering him unconscious. He plucked a coin purse off the thief. Karth and Amy offered to help them back into the city. Pop’s son readily agreed and readied the cart. The group successfully entered Luxen.
Pop and his wife went on to the store as their son lingered a moment to properly introduce himself. The two learned his name was Cavo, and he offered to help them with their journeys whenever he could. He shook their hands, taking an extra moment to smile at Amy. Having successfully aided the family that had helped them, the two regrouped with the main party.
Before departing, the party decided to journey to the Luxen Observatory to have a chat with the strange fellow Londo had mentioned. They took a magical lift to the top floor of the Observatory, where there was seated an immense spyglass. On the top floor, they found a short fellow cloaked in brown. Inside his hood, two orange-yellow glows shone through his hood, his other features hidden. The small fellow, most likely a Dwarf, had a high-pitched voice, and rambled about the Doomking and things that need to be made to stop him. He began tinkering with a strange steel cylinder currently cut into two pieces. After a few minutes, he placed a jewel inside one half of the cylinder and combined the two parts. He introduced himself as Skywalker. When the strange fellow pressed the button on the cylinder, the tip sparked a bit, then the entire contraption shattered into a million pieces. With a sigh, he returned to the large spyglass, a heavy orange glow coming from his hood as he gazed. He grew unmoving and unresponsive. Growing impatient with his lack of answers, Amy pulled at his hood to reveal his face. As she pulled the hood, the entire cloak fell to the ground, nothing to be found inside. The party additionally learned nothing more from his notes, as they were now blank. Deciding it was too strange for their tastes, the party left the Observatory to return to the south end of the city.
At the southern end, the party visited the baker that Karth and Amy met. After purchasing a few things, they took a short stroll back to Pop’s. Cavo answered the door once they knocked. Gale offered some bread and pastries as a gift. Cavo graciously accepted and began eating the pastry at once. They asked about journeying to Haven. Cavo replied that he was too busy to go with them, but that they should see Captain Jack at the docks outside Luxen to charter course there, as the cold weather would be too intense to walk the whole way. The party accepted his advice and started toward the docks, leaving through the southern exit.
There, they met the white-bearded seafarer known as Jack. They paid a premium to have him deliver them straight to Luxen, and the entire group was off, going north up the Royal River. After a couple day journey, the ship moored into the port of Haven, its dark gray stone castle walls rising above the snowy ground. The roof shingles of the town were a deep red shade. In the city, they spied a tall tower with a dragon statue wrapped around the tip. The party split from Jack and entered the city, a steady snow falling in the moonlight.
In the city, the party was met by a quite confident, blonde councilor by the name of Mira. She wore a deep red dress with fur, tall dark boots, and had a ring with a glowing red gem. She was flanked by two mages wearing deep red tabards that covered light dark chain mail. As Mira escorted the party toward the tower, she explained that the city is very proud of their heritage, its Scarlet roots, and its Dragonborn culture. She explained her mages were researching things they found in the tower, but the Doom Elf had taken it over with a handful of followers. Mira said he had killed no one, but she desperately needed what they found in Greth’s labs to be kept intact, as they were near a breakthrough. The party agreed and entered the tower, the red magical shield fading as Mira and her mages were out of sight.
The floor held dragonborn statues that came to life when a brazier was lit incorrectly, so the party used a magical rune of the Scarlet “S” to light them. The locked door opened, and they journeyed up a level. On the following level, they were met with a corridor with two locked doors. One door held a symbol of wind while the other had a symbol of fire. They were both locked. Having nothing else to investigate here, they journeyed to the next floor.
On the third floor, or the library, they found a larger dragonborn statue holding two keys in outstretched hands. One was white, the other was red. Fearing another tough battle, the party decided to investigate further up the tower before dealing with this statue.
On the following floor, the party found the lab. The floors were a shiny tile, and there were eight metal cocoons around the rim of the room. All but one was destroyed. In front of this cocoon stood a figure with a wide hood covering his head. He wore strange clothes that did not match any fashion the party knew. A strange style of tabard flowed over him, black with red filigree. The robes held no sleeves, and they were topped with a black fur that did not seem to belong to any creature with which the party was familiar. On his back was a staff of dark wood, a gem with a red liquid inside topping it. At the figure’s elbows, stony growths sprouted from his skin. His bare arms revealed the bluish tinge of orc skin. The creature turned and lowered his hood. His head was crowned with long horns, a feature not natural to orcs.
The creature revealed himself as Vint. He explained that he was from a faraway land to the north, where his ancestors fled to after being dispatched by the Talons of Scarlet. What his ancestors found was much worse than what they had in Matar. Vint said he was a slave there and that the people there used terrible magic and experimentation. Vint needed this cocoon as he heard stories that it could perform rituals on one’s blood. He wanted whatever blood had been used on him removed from his body so that he could return to his true form, as he revealed he was perhaps the last of his kind. The cocoon needed at least two to operate, and Vint said he would give him his staff to perform the spell once he stopped inside. The tool topping the cocoon would most likely contain the strange blood inside him after the ritual, Vint explained. A caveat was revealed after this, however. Should the party help Vint with this ritual, the only remaining cocoon would surely be destroyed, and the remaining upper floors would possibly be destroyed as well. Vint offered a few things in return for costing what he assumed they came here for in the first place. He offered to, in time, teach the party this terrible magic he knew. As far as Vint was concerned, he would owe them a life debt. He would be their humble servant. He even offered to let them keep the strange blood sample once it had been pulled from his body. Finally, Vint stated that should they not help him, he would battle them. They must choose.
The party heavily deliberated as they went to explore the final floor before deciding. Vint said he would await their return. The top floor was revealed to be Greth’s former chambers. On the two sides of the chambers were exits to the balcony outside. Karth searched the room, finding a hefty sum of gold, a fine gold ring fashioned like a dragon topped with a jewel (which he learned once held an enchantment), a cape with an enchanted Scarlet “S”, and a seemingly lifeless crystal ball. On the balcony, the party found that the dragon statue seemed an almost crystalline dark gray. Satisfied with what they found, they journeyed back down a level to Vint.
The party was still considering whether to help Vint but enlisted his help with the statue holding the keys. Vint requested he be given an item they find behind the door if he was to help. The party agreed, journeyed below, chose the fire key, and began a battle with the statue. Throughout the battle, the party learned what Vint meant by terrible magic. When battle began, his staff grew a branch that dug into his arm. With various attacks, Vint’s staff would slash at his veins, spilling blood, but pulling some demonic apparitions to deal heavy damage. When asked if this magic hurt him, Vint replied, “Terribly so.” The party and their newfound ally defeated the statue and earned their fire key.