RECAP: War of the Burning Sky, 1-18-26

Return Home and Confrontation

• The group returned home to find their house occupied by others, with their housekeeper and her daughter nowhere to be found, and a violent confrontation ensued, resulting in seven dead bodies and three survivors.
• The survivors include two unconscious people and one who surrendered, with the group planning to question the woman who surrendered to gather information about their missing housekeeper.
• The group is discussing what to do with the survivors, with one member planning to take the woman inside to question her, while another member is tasked with dealing with the other two survivors.
• Arandar is interrogating the woman who was found in their house, demanding to know where their housekeeper and her daughter are, and why the woman and her friends took over the house.

Interrogation of the Woman

• The woman claims that there was no one living in the house when they arrived, and they decided to stay because it was convenient for their friends who are fishermen.
• The character is unsure if the woman is telling the truth, and another character, Titus, uses his sense motive skill to determine if she is hiding anything, and it seems that she is not outright lying but is being evasive.

Arrival of the SDF

• Just as the interrogation is concluding, there is a pounding on the door, and a group of people from the “Seaquen Defense Force” arrive, claiming to have been sent to take squatters into custody.
• A group has arrived to pick up “between two and five squatters”, who are being taken into custody, and they are given orders to take the squatters to an unknown location.
• The group is led by a woman who claims to have a message from Lord Vortbert, apologizing for any inconvenience and offering to reimburse for any damage done to the house, and she hands over a sack of silver coins.
• The squatters, including a spellcaster, are taken into custody and shackled, with the spellcaster being treated with caution due to her potential magical abilities.
• Before leaving, the woman squatter and the SDF leader have a brief conversation, after which the SDF leader slapped the prisoner and ended the conversation.
• The group follows the wagon carrying the dead bodies and the prisoners, leading them to a large pavilion in the refugee area, which appears to be some sort of administrative center or headquarters.

SDF Presence and Town Context

• The group received 100 silver pieces from the guards to repair damages to the house, but the actual cost is estimated to be twice that amount.
• The Seaquen Defense Force (SDF) arrived at the scene, and their casual demeanor and knowledge of the situation suggest they have been watching the group.
• The boats being made in the area are flat-bottomed and large, suitable for cargo or shallow water, and may be used for trading or moving troops through the nearby swamp.
• The town has a population of around 5,000 people, mostly dwarves and humans, with some elves, half-elves, and hobbits, and has a town council.

Vortbert’s Power Consolidation

• The group visits the Lyceum, a school within the city, and finds that it has increased its defensive measures, with guards and students accompanying patrols, and that Professor Simeon has been awaiting their return.
• Professor Simeon meets with the group, and asks to hear about their experiences, particularly regarding the events in the Bandu and the danger of the Sargavans in the south.
• Vortbert has consolidated his power after the departure, and with the exception of a few individuals, he essentially owns the local council and runs the refugee camps.
• He has formed two groups: one for guerilla warfare, which has been sending cadres to harass the Sargavans, and another for the Seaquen Defense Force, which enforces order in the area.
• Vortbert has been providing jobs and support to refugees, but the source of his funding is unknown, and he has been paying a significant number of people, estimated to be around 30-40% of the total refugee population.
• The refugee camps have been organized, and Vortbert has been providing for the refugees, but he has also ejected some refugees who were considered malcontents or criminals.

War Context and Sargavan Movements

• Simeon has taken care of the Arandar’s and Wraith’s mom, providing her with rooms in one of the buildings of the Lyceum, and she is being well cared for until they return.
• The war is ongoing, with unseasonable weather, including frost and snow, affecting the forces, but not the Sargavans, and spies have reported that a significant portion of the Sargavan Fourth Corps has left Eleder and is heading east towards the river.
• The Sargavan army is believed to be heading towards the town of Eresh, where the Monastery of Two Winds is located, and possibly towards Castle Kurstell, which is about 22 miles upriver from Eresh.
• The Monastery of Two Winds is home to two brothers, Longinus and Pilus, who have different philosophies, with Longinus embracing the ideals of the west wind (a philosophy of ascetic detachment, seeking to avoid or endure threats, rather than defeat them) and Pilus embracing the ideas of the east wind (concealing one’s power, striking without warning, when one blow can be the most devastating). They are still alive after 50 years.
• The Sargavans may be heading to Castle Kurstell to retrieve the Torch of the Burning Sky, a powerful artifact that could help them deliver a knockout blow to the region, but its exact nature and abilities are unknown.

Monastery of Two Winds and the Torch

• The Castle Kurstell is surrounded by a giant cloud of fire, which supposedly protects the Torch of the Burning Sky, and a flotilla from Cheliax has arrived in Desperation Bay with at least 18 ships of the line.
• Katrina has arrived with a Mwangi man named Three Weeping Ravens, and Katrina has been coordinating investigations regarding the location of the Torch of the Burning Sky, having sent agents to Eresh to observe the Monastery of Two Winds.
• The monastery is under attack by Sargavan soldiers, and it’s suspected that the Sargavans want to destroy the monastery to obtain the Torch. Simeon has had his diviners look into what’s happening in Eresh, but only to limited succces. The only real information: “No single wind can destroy the torch’s fire, but a second wind could be its ruin.”

Teleportation Plan and Preparations

• Simeon introduces the party to Larkin, a fire-mage who has been working on how to protect individuals using Teleport from burning up under the effects of the curse.
• The plan is to teleport the group 220 miles to the headwaters of a river, and then have them travel 45 miles down the river to get close to the monastery, before abandoning the river and going to the monastery, which is considered a safer option than traveling the entire distance on foot or by land.
• The group will be given a wayfinder to help them determine their location after teleportation, and they will be on their own once they are sent, with no support or backup.
• An alternative option is to travel overland, which would be around 80 miles rom the river location, but this would require walking and could be more dangerous. Lyceum Defense Marshall Kieran suggests that the group has the experience and sophistication to make their own travel decisions.
• Three Weeping Ravens, who is familiar with the monastery and the area, will accompany the group to help them navigate and communicate with the locals; he also has some combat abilities.
• Preparations for teleportation are ongoing, and the group is happy to have others helping with the task, with the possibility of using workshops and magic item makers to outfit before taking off.

Crafting Magical Items and Costs

• The group discusses crafting wands, with the cost of a first-level wand being 750 gold pieces, and the possibility of making wands with multiple charges using scrolls.
• The cost and time required to craft higher-level wands, such as a wand of fireball, are significant, with a third-level wand costing around 4500 gold pieces and taking several days to make.
• The group is discussing the cost and feasibility of creating magical wands, with the option to make first, second, or third level wands, and the time it takes to create them, such as three days for a second level wand.
• Simeon is willing to help the group with their requests, but notes that any unpaid work would be a loss of resources for them, and it would be generous of them to do it at cost, with the group considering paying half price to cover their costs.

Vortbert’s Funding and Church Donations

• Simeon explians his suspicions: Vortbert is spending a large amount of money on patronage jobs for locals and refugees, including craftsmen, support people, and fishermen, with Simeon wondering where the money is coming from, as Vortbert’s personal fortune may not be enough to support the expenses.
• Vortbert is considered the savior of the community in Seaquen, providing food, shelter, and work for refugees, allowing them to use their skills and earn money.
• There are several churches in Seaquen, primarily for good or neutral aligned deities, and Ono plans to donate 4,000 gold pieces to these churches to help with rebuilding and funding.

Alchemical Weapons and Enchantments

• The group discusses the possibility of creating alchemical weapons, such as bombs, and the time and resources required to make them, with alchemist fire costing 20 gold pieces and taking a standard action to create.
• The group also considers purchasing cloaks of resistance, which provide a bonus to saves, with a cloak of resistance +1 costing 500 gold pieces and a cloak of resistance +2 costing 2,000 gold pieces.
• The group discusses their plans for enchanting their armor and weapons, with some members deciding to upgrade their existing items, such as adding a plus one to their breastplate armor or changing a cloak of resistance from plus one to plus two.

Defending Seaquin and the Lyceum

• The conversation shifts to the group’s role in defending the city of Seaquen and the Lyceum, a magic school, against the Sargavans and the Scourge, who hate arcane magic.
• The group decides to spend their time overseeing the crafting of their items, talking to mages, and observing the goings on in the town, with some members choosing to go out into the town to find specific places, such as an orphanage or to observe the refugee community.
• The orphanage that was sponsored by the twins has grown significantly, with improved facilities, including a new pavilion tent and portable wooden walls to separate the kids, and has at least two teachers, with classes for older and younger kids.
• The housekeeper and her daughter are found in the refugee area, where they have been working as cleaners, with the housekeeper having been given a job by Vortbert and earning enough money to cover their food, rent, and other expenses. The housekeeper explains that she was chased out of her previous home by a gang of thugs, but is now better off, with work, food, and a safe place to live, and is grateful for the help and support she has received.
• The housekeeper is given a bag of silver to fix the house, which she is nervous about carrying due to its value, but is told to use it to hire people to fix any damage and buy cleaning supplies.

Teleportation Execution and Hijack

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