The Lion, the Artist, and the Mural (storyline)/Recaps (summary)
Chapter 1 Recaps
02.04.2024
Bastaesil Hemstead arrived in North Market looking for a Taladorian artist and his daughter. She had posted a sign earlier in the day noting that they'd be arriving this afternoon. Unfortunately, they hadn't arrived yet and there was concern from some that maybe the weather had delayed them, while others were concerned it was the travel. Bastaesil went off to see if her Uncle had heard of them being delayed, while a group of adventurers went off to double-check the roads leading in from the north. They arrived in Cairnfang forest as a group of bandits were setting up the pair, and quickly escorted them out of the woods and into Vornavis. Interestingly enough, they were hounded all the way to the Gates of Vornavis before the bandits ceased, someone calling from the woods that they needed to stop their attack or the "Talon" would have their head for crossing the bridge.
Once in North Market, the group was met by Bastaesil who informed them that the Guild had found lodging for them with a local family. Lady Ba'Thira would be housing them in her Vornavian home for the duration of their stay.
Tshomlin, the artist, asked for a renegotiation of the terms, stating that he would need supplies for the project. Bastaesil offered to take a list to the local suppliers, but he insisted that he was particular about his needs and would want to pick them out himself. She grudgingly agreed to the terms and then offered to take them to Lady Ba'Thira's house. Tshomlin declined, asking that she take his daughter instead.
Once gone, Tshomlin asked what the local game was like. At first misunderstanding that he wasn't speaking about hunting, the artist clarified he was looking for gambling games. Several inquiries were made about his previous work and he mentioned he'd done work in the Capital of Talador before the fall. He listed two pieces, stating he'd painted Kuligar Gardane and done a piece in Doggoroth Keep of a clan of Dwarves. At some point, someone made a joke about dicing causing someone to fall and Tshomlin said that he needed to be careful as he couldn't leave his daughter without two parents. He briefly shared, growing more maudlin as he did, that his wife had died during the fall of Talador while he and his daughter were out of the barony. Her name was Alarranne. He spoke poetically about her talent and beauty. Taking another of the brews that had been offered from the ground, he decided to head off but not before asking where the local watering holes were.
Moments later, Akinir came looking for him but missed him. She wanted to remind him to tell everyone about the meeting the next evening so that they could learn about the Lady Kasendra from locals. She asked that they not tell him she'd shared the information, instead asking them to state that Miss Hemstead gave the reminder. She was asked which of her father's pieces of work were her favorite and after a bit of hemming and hawing, she said she was. There was talk of asking him to share his portrait of her for the local gallery and she quickly corrected stating that all his work was lost in the Bleak. She rushed off to take a bath.
02.05.2024
Akinir Scallabrini arrived to the zoo a bit late. She was clean and well dressed, though she was concerned that Lady Ba'Thira would be upset that she got a little blood on her new shirt when she fell down some steps. She was a bit nervous to be healed, but submitted with a firm insistence by Lady Meril. She apologized to those gathered that her father couldn't make it as he was feeling poorly due to a bump on the head, which she insisted he must have sustained during the bandit attack in the forest. She ensured everyone that she took care of him, mentioning that she put him to bed with bread and water, and that all would be fine in the morning. She insisted he would be alright.
Akinir then requested that everyone tell her about the Lady Kasendra so that she could get the information to her father. She said she'd take very careful notes, and eventually it was decided -- since she didn't want to sit on the ground in her new skirt -- that everyone sound adjourn to Communitea.
Once there, folks shared details of Lady Kasendra with the young woman. Lord Mynon took the lead, sharing the most, while others filled in details.
Folks kept trying to feed her things, but she insisted she was fine. And when she was asked if she wanted a seat, she insisted that the seats were for grown ups and that "The gods gave me two good legs for standing." At one point, she grew angry when someone asked if she was painting the mural, insisting over and over that she never said such a thing and that her father was the painter. She frequently promised that he would get it done.
At the end of the evening she wandered off with a cleaning formula for the shirt, a head full of everyone's shared memories of the Lady Kasendra, and mumbling plans to presumably share with her father.
02.06.2024
Rumors abound in Solhaven. Ask Mabel about NEWS to find out more.
Mabel - Wandering North Haven - to read her rumors, click here.
>ask woman about news
Hunching her back a little, a stooped old woman says, "News is that I probably should start using a cane." She chuckles lightly, clearly amusing herself. "I kid, though not really. I suppose I could share news about the Guild or even a bit of gossip."
>ask woman about gossip
Rubbing one wrinkled and gnarled hand against her back, a stooped old woman says, "Gossip? Huh? No, go ask Gertie, she's got a bird's-eye view of this place. Or maybe Ghrym, just about everything goes through the pawnshop. Or maybe you want to ask that new lass in Communitea, she's Taladorian, ain't she?" Squinting into the crowd, she mumbles, "Excuse me, I need to go find that urchin. I hear he's got a fat lip and I'm sure his mother would like to know about it!"
>ask woman about guild
Turning first her head, and then her body, a stooped old woman says, "The Merchantyle Guild has been pretty active lately if you ask me." She plants her hands on her hips, which only serves to give her the appearance of having a humped back. "Hired an artist from the Scallabrini family up in Talador, well, I guess displaced Talador now. They want to have a memorial mural made for the Lady Kasendra. I don't know much about them, though..."
Gertie - Located on Bayside Road in Solhaven - to read her rumors, click here.
>ask gert about news
The peddler Gertie says, "Well, in order, I know a bit about Scallabrini, Akinir, and the Urchin."
>ask gert about scallabrini
The peddler Gertie chews on the question for a moment or two before saying, "Scallabrini? I don't remember ever hearing about the family when I visited Talador."
>ask gert about akinir
Smiling, the peddler Gertie says, "Cute little thing, a bit timid for 'Haven where we breed them bold." She chuckles. "She can stand up for her own, though. I hear tell that one of the street urchins tried to steal her doll from her, and she wouldn't have anything to do with it."
>ask gert about urchin
Frowning, the peddler Gertie says, "You'll have to ask Kahlyr what happened as she's the one that told me about it."
Kahlyr - Located in Kahlyr's Precious Gems - to read her rumors, click here.
>ask kah about news
The jeweler Kahlyr says, "Well, in order, I know a bit about Scallabrini, Akinir, and the Urchin."
>ask kahl about scallabrini
Nodding, Kahlyr says, "The new Taladorian family that is being cared for by Lady Ba'Thira? Oh, yes, I've seen them. I can't say I know much about them, but the girl is an interesting character."
>ask kahl about akinir
Pondering for a moment, Kahlyr says, "Well, I was heading home. I live up on Tumbledown, and the lass was coming down the steps. She had one of those owl dolls and, well, I'm not sure if it was Tim, Bill, Nori, or Allard, those boys all blur into one of you ask me, but one of them was harassing her about playing with her doll. She ended up taking a tumble down some steps, and I was just about to step in when she socked the boy right in the mouth!"
>ask kahl about urchin
Chuckling, Kahlyr says, "I realize that I shouldn't have let it happen, but it was nice to see the timid little thing stand up for herself, especially to that brat."
Walsor - Located in North 'Haven Pawnery - to read her rumors, click here.
>ask wall about news
The pawnbroker Walsor Gryhm says, "Well, in order, I know a bit about Scallabrini, Akinir, Tshomlin, and Items."
>ask wal about scallabrini
Grunting quietly before answering, the pawnbroker Walsor Gryhm says, "That the last name of that new refugee family the Guild hired?"
>ask wal about akinir
Frowning, the pawnbroker Walsor Gryhm says, "I don't know much about the girl, though I've seen her here or there. But the father's been through here a time or two."
>ask wal about tshomlin
Walsor Gryhm nods slowly, a contemplative look on his face, and after a long pause, he eventually says, "Not one to gossip if I can help it, but the man reeked of two-day-old beer and was mumbling about losing at dice. I think the sailor who likes to hang out at the North Quay may have been in that game. I don't play many games myself."
>ask wal about item
Hooking his thumbs into his belt loop, the pawnbroker Walsor Gryhm says, "Strange collection of items, if you ask me. Not stuff you'd think a refugee out of one of those camps would have, but who knows? Maybe it's a family heirloom he tried to hold onto." Pulling out a log, he reads it over. "Looks like a trinket box, an ivory brush, and some kind of small monkey."
Old Sailor - Located on Bayside - to read his rumors, click here.
>ask sailor about news
The old sailor says, "Well, in order, I know a bit about Scallabrini, Dice, and Akinir."
>ask sailor about scallabrini
Narrowing his eyes, the old sailor says, "The - FAMOUS - painter?" He spits on the ground, and, like a storm rolling in off the bay, his features darken. "Scallywag and con. The man's got sea legs despite never touching the sea if you know what I mean. He's terrible at dice, too."
>ask sailor about dice
Shrugging, the old sailor says, "There's a sometimes dice game in one of the Market Bend alleys. He rolled up jingling his pockets like he was full of coin, mooched booze off the locals, and lost spectacularly. Kept saying he'd be good for it but at the end of the night, he was no richer. He's lucky I'm both patient and a nice guy. I dragged him out before he could get clubbed in the head and sent him north over the bridges. I can wait for my payment but not everyone is going to be that kind."
>ask sailor about akinir
Frowning, the old sailor says, "The daughter? I ain't seen her, but I hear tell Lady Ba'Thira is delighted to have a kid in the house again. You might be able to persuade that priestess in Lorminstra's temple to share some information on the Lady. Ain't my place."
Priestess - Located in Lorminstra's Memorial Garden - to read her rumors, click here.
>ask priestess about news
An ebon-robed aging priestess says, "Well, in order, I know a bit about Ba'Thira, her Family, her Name, Akinir, and Tshomlin."
>ask priestess about Ba'Thira
Speaking quietly, an ebon-robed aging priestess says, "Danalla has had a hard life. She is a widow and has turned back to her family name of Ba'Thira. I'm not sure where she originally hailed from, but she was the wife of the late Lord Solandigo. He and his children perished during some of the Wars that came through here. I try not to dwell on which one with her, but I'd say it was about twenty years ago."
>ask priestess about family
Folding her hands into the sleeves of her robes, an ebon-robed aging priestess says, "The Solandigo family was rather large at one point, though most of the older folk moved off with cousins or friends in Aldora. With all the chaos here a decade, or was it two, ago, they wanted to go somewhere a little bit safer. I tried to encourage Danalla to join them, but she insisted on staying. She wanted to be sure that someone was still in town to take care of the husband and two daughters' plots in the graveyard. I told her I could do it for her, but I don't think she would accept because she couldn't stand being around her married family anymore. It was just too painful."
>ask priestess about name
Gazing up and into the distance, an ebon-robed aging priestess says, "I remember the day she did it. It was a very quiet affair. I even notarized the papers for her so that the clerk wouldn't give her a hard time up at the Registry. She couldn't handle the looks and whispers, because once someone knew she was a Solandigo... Well, they tried to be kind, but it became a burden to her. It took her years before she would step back into the zoo again."
>ask priestess about akinir
Tilting her head, an ebon-robed aging priestess says, "Oh, yes, the young Taladorian girl. Danalla did introduce me to her. Timid thing. A bit on the skinny side, but I think she'll blossom under Danalla's care, and I think it will be just what the Lady needs to pull her out of a nearly twenty-year depression."
>ask priestess about tshomlin
Frowning, an ebon-robed aging priestess says, "I've not heard much about him, though he seems very not present. A shame, a young girl like that needs family so much during hard times. Perhaps Lorminstra will guide him to healing. Or maybe even the twins down at Scaup and Shadow."
02.08.2024
Akinir was found in the zoo working to clean one of the walls of the Aquarium where several blue-green tiles had been removed to make way for the mural to be painted. She was questioned about the whereabouts of her father and made an excuse that he wasn’t feeling well. She claims he was okay during the day and working with her but later became ill.
A few adventurers talked about helping with the wall, one jumped in, but Akinir was concerned that her father wouldn’t get paid if others did the work.
She said she was worried and then went on to say that she didn’t want to upset the Lady Ba’Thira but she knew that the Lady had fired her cook for the wrong reasons. She overheard the Lady arguing with someone about forcing a young girl that should be in school to do work and then, the cook was fired.
She also was worried because some of the Lady’s things were missing, including a bronze monkey that the Lady’s late husband had gifted her.
She was encouraged to speak to the Lady and set things straight, but before that conversation could go very far, a voice in the shadows asked her to come away with them.
The voice shared that he was “the Lion of Crooked Way” and that the father owed him two million silvers in debt at an interest rate of 7% a day. Leothonel asked Akinir to go with him to ensure that the father would pay.
The adventurers rather quickly figured out what that meant and encircled Akinir. The “Lion” decided it was time to make them give her up and an invasion of bandits, thugs, pirates, and rakes ensued.
Akinir was secreted away to Vornavis and brought to Oleander house while the streets were cleared of the unruly mob trying to capture her.
Eventually, the Vornavian guard caught wind of what was happening and sent guards out into the streets to help with the cleanup.
Dame Jarnsaixa found a group of adventurers at the Esplanade Gates and another set on Dondraek. She asked those there to fill her in and to also send her a report.
A plan was made to get guards to protect Lady Ba’Thira’s home and then to bring Akinir there.
While the larger group was talking to Lady Ba’Thira, Akinir opened up about a few things with those still around.
She admitted to slipping her father a sleeping draught so that he wouldn’t go out for the night because he’d been drinking very heavily the night before and that was the real cause of his sickness. She tucked him away in a makeshift bed in Lady Ba’Thira’s attic.
Jarnsaixa returned having secured guards and walked Akinir to the Lady’s House and guarded safety.
02.09.2024
Rumors abound once more in Solhaven! Ask Mabel about News!
[OOC Note: Mabel and two others have been updated, one person has been left as they have important information unrelated to last night's events. Others have also been updated.]
02.10.2024
Lady Ba’Thira arrived outside the Dragonsbone tent in South Haven looking for Tshomlin. She explained that she was to meet him and when pressed admitted that she was paying the man off so that she could provide care for Akinir. She wanted to get her legally and firmly in her household so that she could enroll her in school. She admitted to having kicked him out of the house due to a disagreement.
Tshomlin arrived looking no worse for wear and accepted the coin purse from Lady Ba’Thira. A disagreement happened immediately, as he had committed another con, but this time with the lady’s heart and coin. He was determined to win back his coin with the money that the Lady provided and repay her. He absolutely refused to relinquish his parental rights.
After he entered the tent, the Lady departed, under guard, back to her home. She was most distraught.
Tshomlin was dogged from the moment he entered the tent and lost badly. He managed to win one round, but then immediately lost the win. Something in the tent spooked him, for he departed abruptly and couldn’t be tracked.
As a search began for Tshomlin, Lady Zieschka, the newest member of the Merchantyle Guild, arrived and greeted everyone. She was a little taken back by the crowd and the news that they shared. However, she did come up with a plan with those adventurers that were present.
The mural was to have its first marker set on Volnes and a meeting with the Guild and the Scallabrinis was to have taken place. Zieschka was going to let the Hemsteads know the lay of the land and that folks believed Akinir was the real artist. She was then going to ask Dame Vargrdoittr to provide some hidden security within the zoo to keep whom every showed up safe. She was also going to hide some spies there to see who was actually working on the mural.
Zieschka made it sound like a simple affair to change the contract over to the daughter and to fire the father.