Something on the Wind Adventure 3 Session 10

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Head librarian of The Viridian Stacks.

Brynja asks to help sail The Steadfast back to port, since he is "rusty". Captain Keho finds himself unable to deny the persuasive, transformed man. Brynja's operation of the boat borders on the magical. While the party can detect no spell nor magic item being deployed, Brynja can sail the vessel by himself; a feat that should take four sailors at a minimum. He reads the winds and currents like they are speaking to him. He flies around the masts using rigging, as if he had wings. He knows dozens of tricks to effortlessly operate parts of the ship for a distance. Kick a boom here, twist a rope there. The crew is initially put out by the request, but quickly they are speechless, in awe of the display of skill. The trip back to Mercatia City, which would normally take eight days, takes just under three! There, he departs The Steadfast, hoping to meet everyone again in their future travels.

The crew sullenly returns to their posts after Mercatia City and a week later you arrive at the port of Bellaverdis, where the party renews their rooms at The Near Miss.

Daro is summoned by Mara Shee to deliver the weapon that she requested. Nyx is summoned by her family to attend a funeral. This leaves Acantha, Gellardia, and Yemoja to visit the Viridian Stacks, grand library of Valdessa. Aspazia, also staying at The Near Miss, offers to accompany them, as she was a skilled researcher in her youth. The party agrees.

At the library, the party is greeted by royal-level service. A young man valet greets them and helps them with their belongings. When it's clear that the party wants to open a membership, they are brought to a room of desks, full of clerks working like bank managers. One greets the party and they are served tea and biscuits as the paperwork is filed. The party pays 1000 gold, granting the entire group access to the library for 1 year. Yemoja also opens a private annual membership, just for herself.

That settled, the party is introduced to Maribel Quill, the head librarian. The party recognizes "Quill" as a craft-name, very common in the Isles of Splendor for the artisan class, like "Smith" or "Cartwright". She helps the party with their research over the span of about 10 days. The research involves the party looking for books that mention topics of interest, such as:

• The mythical pirate kings
• Any mythical Fury magic and artifacts
• A mythical pearl, crystal, and opal

And the party generates nine leads:

1. Several books that have been identified as helpful are currently on loan to Alair Academy, a specialized university training technologists who can operate and maintain House Alair's famous airships. The Academy is on Skeldheim isle, just outside the western village of Karsenfell. Lead: Go to Karsenfell and check into Alair Academy's interest in these books.
2. Relatedly, the book that seems the most directly related to your search has gone missing. Mirabel seemed very uneasy discussing this book, describing it simply as "unavailable". The party persisted in their inquiry, leading to a small skill challenge to persuade the woman to explain more. The party succeeded, which led to an explanation and two more leads. The reason she was so hesitant to discuss it, is that if the library management were to learn of this loss, she would be fired and possibly charged with a crime for losing the priceless tome. The two additional leads were:
   1. (2a) The address of a group who has recently asked about the book. They left the address to be notified if the book were returned. the address is in Mercatia City. Lead: Look up the address in Mercatia City to see who else is interested in the history of the Shining Opal.
   2. (2b) The name of the first Head Aeronautic Engineer of House Alair. This is the last person to check out the book, though records show he returned it. The first Head Aeronautic Engineer has long since retired, but the position has been maintained, unbroken, since its founding. Lead: Go to Driftmarch on Skeldheim, home of House Alair, and look into the current Head Engineer of House Alair to see what his predecessor wanted with the book.
3. A book on local mythology of the western isles talks about a myth called The Monster and The Pearl. Apparently there is a legend that a priceless pearl can be found on an islet between Rothlene and Keshlene. However, anyone that goes looking for the pearl is attacked by a vicious monster. Locals try to turn people away, but every once in a while a rash treasure seeker will come looking for the pearl. Either they go missing, or they flee from the monster. The author was unable to verify the claims, but did not travel to the islet himself. Lead: Go to the islet of the legend.
4. A book about ancient nautical artifacts mentions "The Pearl Compass". The author says that the compass is allegedly used by the pirate king "Skaldbane". It is currently on display in a museum in Solmira, the largest city on Kopakita Isle. Lead: Go to the museum on Kopakita and check out this compass.
5. A travel guide on landmarks in the southern isles mentions a petroglyph just north of Verrina village on Langtide Isle. The petroglyph describes some deeds of the pirate king "Skaldbane". It is the only known contemporary writing of the mythical figures. The author describes the petroglyph being in a field, but recent maps suggest that this region is now a jungle called "Sablemere Wilds". Lead: Go to the petroglyph on Langtide and see what it says.
6. A book discussing Fury magic in the modern day talks about Lucinite mining on the isle of Brighthold. The island has fields of glowing, growing crystals. It is dangerous work, but extremely profitable to mine the crystals, as they have many commercial uses. No obvious connection to the artifacts, but definitely the most prominent manifestation of Fury magic in modern Mercatia. Lead: Go to Brighthold and see what you can learn about Lucinite.
7. The first of three stories about Ironjaw doesn't mention him by name, but you deduce who it is by the description and Brynja's stories. A book on unusual geographies mentions a sinkhole on Dustmere isle. Legends say that a mythical pirate king used a magical crystal to open a whole in the earth to swallow an enemy army. Lead: Check out the sinkhole on Dustmere.
8. The second of three stories about Ironjaw actually mentions him. A book on "dangerous locations" mentions an ancient wizard's tower found in remote Silbrae marshes. Legends say that the wizard who lived in that tower was an enemy to the mythical pirate Ironjaw. The site is considered too dangerous for historians to explore, however. Lead: Go to Silbrae and explore the tower.
9. The third of three stories about Ironjaw comes from a very dry book that is an inventory of military artifacts. One noble family living in the city of Aurentis on the isle of Arborlene claimed to have a shield from "The Battle of Ironjaw". Lead: Go to Aurentis and ask the family about their shield.

After considering factors such as distance, cost, danger, and accessibility, the party decided to start with the two easiest leads:

• The museum on Kopakita displaying The Pearl Compass, which welcomes visitors.
• The petroglyph on Langtide describing Skaldbane, which is described as a tourism landmark.

While far from Valdessa, these two leads are very close together. Depending on their results, the party may visit Skeldheim and Brighthold on their way back.

Leads in the Isles of Splendor