Session Date: 06/02/2025
The Murder Scene
We are within the quarters of the Master or Refinements, and the maid had exclaimed that a nerdy elf had killed him. The shadows are gathering, but not coming too close. This space is beautiful: books, flowers, bottles of liquor, a very intricate tea set, a glowing crystal that seems to be important. It’s unsure if the crystal or the light is keeping the shadows at bay. The shadow just stays where it’s at.
We hear the voice of Zada Nix calling out what’s happening here, who’s inside of the room. Bosch grabs the candlestick and uses it to light things up, and he tries to cross the shadow using the candles to cross the shadow. The shadow parts to let him through. Bosch can tell that the shadow is a thing - it recoils back from the light. Faylen thinks that this is a very complex spell - it may not be a spell: it could be summoned or a creature, it’s not whoever did this. It’s a complex magical event being put here. It’s definitely fey magic.
Faylen goes to look at the crystal in the middle of the room and it’s something special: he’s only ever heard of it in theory. People have written theory papers on building it, it would be interesting. It’s a reality stone. It makes people more real. I’m from the material plane and I’m very honest about who I am: I don’t seem any different. Talitha next to the stone seems bigger. This item strips the glamour out of them, revealing their true form. The body of the master of refinements: he looks more gaunt, taller, slightly less elvish, but more or less the same otherwise. The maid is smaller, looking still elvish, her maid outfit more of a cheap costume thrown on her than her true form.
During this, Bosch opens the door for Zada to come in. She is surprised it’s us, and we very quickly explain that it was not us. We explain what we know, and Zada explains that there will be a hunt a the end of the night and we will need to find the actual murderer or we will be hunted for killing a fey lord.
Widald and the red cap turn up and we have to explain we didn’t kill the lord.
Faylen suddenly looks at Widald as he whines that everyone uses daggers so he uses razors. Faylen comments that Widald is very knowledgeable about knives, and asks him to look at the wound to try to discern information about it. Widald comments that he knows that Faylen is playing him, and Faylen interrupts and explains that he genuinely means that: Widald is the one with the most knowledge about this kind of thing, and Widald agrees that he is good at this. He goes ahead and looks over the wound.
Information:
- Cold Iron mixed with some kind of energy
- Never used before, forged specifically for this
- He gets the size of the blade as well
- There’s something kind of magic in it, but it’s almost just to make sure the wound would be lethal (a blade with a story behind it, a story of killing the fey lord)
- This is a very distinctive blade
- Not one offered by the master for those that came unprepared
Widald continues to explain that this knife couldn’t be just thrown away due to the story: the knife is the one that killed the Master of Refinements, so it is either still on the person, or it is put somewhere significant to be found.
Faylen wonders if Tomás Mac Alasdair is able to scent our killer, and he comments that the killer left no smell, and even the fey have scents. This is very notable, and probably the killer is not fey. Zada does comment that it is considered rude to strip glamour away without permission, so we should use that as a last resort type of thing.
There’s some back and forth about whether to fight our way out or to find the actual killer, and we finally manage to convince Widald to go for the investigation route. He does admit we will need him to identify the dagger, and we all agree that yes, we’ll need him there.
We approach Challender. Challender admits that he’s glad to be out for a short while: he’s missed color. Faylen comments that it must be nice to be out, and Challender admits that not many go to the shadow realm anymore so he is often the vessel outside. He comments that Kaymanth is rather interested in Faylen for some reason, and when Mary asks if he knows why, and Challender comments he couldn’t say. (Recall: Kaymanth can bind Challender so that he physically cannot speak on certain topics, so he may not know or may not be able to speak.)
Faylen segues into asking about if he knows anything about the murder. Challender makes direct eye contact and with great intensity says: I couldn’t say. Challender comments that then that he hopes he doesn’t see Faylen soon, meaning it in a non-malicious way but rather he hopes not to see Faylen in capacity or relation of Kaymanth.
Faylen believes that it is likely the work of Kaymanth, given the shadows and the intensity of Challender’s speaking.
Bosch looks around and finds out that there are not many mortal elves here.
We talk together and try to decide what to do next. Bosch comments that we may need to consider the stories of the fey that are here. We decide to go ask the Master of the Hunt on why we were invited, and Tabby takes the lead on this one. He says that the investigation is going as well as hunting an invisible rabbit. He admits we have a few threads but cannot weave them into a pattern. Tabby asks who said we were invited, and the Master of the Hunt admits we were suggested, but he cannot say. Bosch asks if it was a shadowy figure, and the fey is cheerful and says ah, yes, essentially.
We stand around talking to each other and Tabby floats that it was either Kaymanth, or it was the Dark Demesne.
Faylen suddenly is smacked with the realization: it was actually Kaymanth this entire time.
Faylen’s shadow comments that it took us long enough, and his shadow steps out to an elven figure that looks an awful lot like Faylen. He’s a little shorter, a little stockier, and has glasses. He asks Faylen if he understands why he angers Kaymanth so, and Faylen nods. Kaymanth says that who he was - this elven form - is no longer. He is Kaymanth the Shadow Dragon. He had to be in this elven form for the murder - a murder he did just to add to his own power, and to force us to use either his power to get out, or to fight our way out.
Tabby has been secretly using the Seal of Infinity in this moment, and as Kaymanth finishes his threat - choose death or choose servitude - and Tabby blinks to see white, and emerald, and green, and amber. The rest of us see - for a moment - a fey lord with a cheeky smile, a little short, a tankard in one hand and a sword in the other, laughing. Tabby, as a fey lord, expels Kaymanth with a bright light of many colors. Kaymanth tries to shift into his dragon form, but it is not his place of power, and he is expelled.
The fey around us who had pretended to not be listening, give a polite clap once it is done, and Tabby asks what happened. Mary says we will explain later when we are alone. Bosch gladly exclaims that we have a winner of the hunt, and everyone starts cheering Tabby’s name. Widald sits down, absolutely at a loss.