Godkiller Chapter Summary - 33 - Second Heart

• Chapter ends on the 25th of Spring, evening, Annum 4466
• Mal and Cyrus had followed their mysterious note, leading them on a scavenger hunt ending with a beckon from The Second Heart. The Bladehammer Guild’s spy network. Their only point of contact existing in the form of a unique whistle. The odd trinket beckoned and even stranger creature. A fey being wearing the disguise of a crow. It delivered them an address and exchanged whistles with them, a measure of rotating security for the elusive organization.
• At the mundane address they met the Second Hearts leader. Guild Mind Froya Glovewort. Froya proved to be a matter-of-fact and precise woman. Froya offered the two membership and one of their bounty based contracts. Information on Lord Curtis Renaull.
• Apparently Colin Coinge was not the only person with plans for Lord Renaull, nor was Victory Day the end of his story. At the same time during what would have been his assassination if not for The Street Dogs, both of Curtis’ mothers were killed in an Airship accident. Curtis’ biological mother is the estranged niece of Lord Lionel VanVeld. Richest man in the world and the Alderian Seat of Holocene. Curtis’ late mother had been one of the few people to openly oppose Lord VanVeld. There was an unspoken implication that the Alderian Seat had them killed.
• According to Froya, Curtis’ siblings were all in the palm of Lord VanVeld’s hand. Curtis being the only, slight exception. Curtis had been trying to prove himself as a political leader without his uncle’s help. A move to become significant within his family. It was why he’d come to Tenzentak.
• The Second Heart’s working theory is whatever resources were being kept from Lord VanVeld would likely go to Curtis. Probably in hopes that the young lord’s desire to prove himself, and honor his deceased family would be enough motivation for Curtis to hold tightly to the inheritance.
• The Second Heart needs to know what is being kept from Lord VanVeld, and why it is significant. A bounty of 3000 gold has been put on the information.
• Accepting their new role, the gang headed back home for a full nights rest. In the morning they full committed themselves to the restoration of The Lumberjack.
• While the task didn’t pose the same challenges as a dirty bomb hidden in the city, it was no simple effort to wake the sleeping giant that was their roadside tavern.
• The task was difficult, exciting, educational, and communal. While The Street Dogs were still very much outsiders to Fox’s Hollow, they were quickly becoming a fixture of the town. The local weirdos if nothing else.
• This was not the only bond strengthened. Jed seemed to see the Lumberjack almost as a second home, and Mal had now been around with The Street Dogs longer than he had not. While Mal was still technically the new guy, he was as familiar as the rest of them.
• The many days were not without their trials. They faced sweat, splinters, dropped tools, wild animals, and explosive bottles of cider.
• There were also small wins along the way. Sherman discovered an old thieves cache, Magus discovered a recipe left behind by Therin, Deimos found the address of a useful supply grocer, and the overgrown garden still harbored many useful plants.
• After the first few days of reconstruction, the pig roast was held. It was slow to begin, but eventually blossomed into a full blown gathering. Many familiar faces came as well as some new ones.
  • Doyle and Don, local ruffians.
  • Old Man Goose, a mean old codger who was surprisingly enthused about a local warforged.
  • Lady Mara, the eldest community member and neighbor to The Lumberjack.
  • and Lord Stoneshard, the despised local landlord and father to Rhea Stoneshard.
• Having made themselves known, and at the very least tolerated, The Street Dogs resumed their efforts with newfound vigor.
  • Replacing the fallen chimney.
  • Purchasing a brand new arsenal of Apparatum for tavern keeping, waste management, illumination, and security.
  • Refounding the garden and its structures
  • Restoring the brewery and the workshop
  • An making modifications to The Lumberjacks floorplan.
• All in all, it took the party fifteen days since their meeting with The Second Heart to restore The Lumberjack. During that time, our heroes took a few personal projects underway.
  • Sherman sought a tavernkeeper to run help run The Lumberjack and hold down the fort while The Street Dogs were off adventuring. Jed provided an enthusiastic helping hand. The whole search proved fruitless, but something else had been made clear. Despite Jed’s challenges, his earnest demeanor and desire to help… well might be useful traits in running a tavern.
  • Magnus didn’t let any of his downtime away from a fight let him grow lax. Despite working hard each and every day, the goliath spent his evenings training and jogging through the town. An endeavor that, over time, familiarized Fox’s Hollow with him even more. Especially the more flirty members of the outer village.
  • Cyrus, ever mysterious, spent his time tinkering away with something in his room. A brilliant cast of lights sounds and swears coming from the crack in his door.
  • Mal took his free time to look into the pages from the Journal, fervently searching for something useful in Tenzentak. Unfortunately, the departure of Academy mages had taken most of the accessible tomes along with them. Though there was one stroke of luck. A single, extremely rare text that had fallen behind a shelf was discovered. In it was a single example of obfuscated Feocaul with a translation referencing “when the sky was still purple”. While the information held within the translation was not particularly effective, the key it provided would be.
  • Deimos took his free time to contemplate his challenges. He’d saved Cliffside square, to a point at least, and now was without leads. His life was more peaceful, but the darkness that stirred within had not left. In fact, it may have attracted an audience. Hiding at the edge of the rotting woods stood a ten foot tall, terrifying demon. A creature of The Wasp Eater who vanished before anything beyond its observance of Deimos could be gleaned.
• A demon was not the only strange passerby.
  • Gideon Gain had rode out alone on horseback to bid our heroes farewell. The masked man was heading to Holocene by the day’s end. Mal took the initiative to gaze within Gideon’s mind. The arrival had good intentions, viewing the party as friends. However, he seemed to be strangely instructed to tell The Street Dogs of his next whereabouts. Before Mal could learn more, a presence within Gideon’s mind forced Mal out of it and knocked him flat on his back.
  • Lady Kalimae Sky’s cat also came by and turned out to… well… be able to talk. Chrysalis, or Chrys, seemed a powerful Fey or Fell. However, he claimed to just be a very driven cat. Chrys was the provider of Kalimae’s powers, a gift given so the young woman could live a life of adventure. Unfortunately, Chrys felt that Kalimae was in a bad spot, and without friends. He simply stopped by to ask them to be her companions. When asked where she was, Chrys told them Lady Sky had returned to Holocene to prepare for her wedding with Lord Curtis Renaull…
• On the final day spent preparing The Lumberjack for tavern hood, Sherman noticed something odd about the basement fireplace. A removable ash receptacle that hadn’t been cleaned. A novel and useful thing. However, what was far, far more surprising was the hatch hidden beneath it. A hatch that seemed to pull on the air around it. A hatch, that felt like not only a hole in the ground, but the world itself. A hatch… that felt exactly like The Door.
• Before Sherman could announce his discovery, a cacophony of arriving voices sounded on the first floor. Guild Master Helg Corsair himself had come with an entourage of his attendants. The debt for shooting Lord Curtis Renaull had finally come, and The Street Dogs would make up for it as bodyguards. Bodyguards leading the pretentious young lord across The Dangers of the Wilderness.
• Chapter ends on the 40th of Spring, Early Evening, Annum 4466