The Great City of Pua | Corruption of Lani

As the others searched the underground lair, the Audak-wererat was having a crisis of self. The barbarian stared at the strange furry claws he now had, trying to figure out how to get back to his old self. Every now and then he felt some sort of animalistic will rising up within him, threatening to take over, but the goliath had spent too long learning to control his rage to give into such basic urges so easily. The feeling seemed to surge, like a wave trying to push all at once against his will-power, and then recede again biding its time until it felt stronger. Each time the feeling came, Audak could feel a part of himself slipping away, unable to resist. The power that was promised by that feeling was alluring, tempting him with its potential. How long was it going to take for this alchemist to whip up the cure?

As the alchemist focused on his potion work, occasionally cursing or breaking things, Brylla and Flynver mentally prepared themselves for what was to come. They knew it would happen soon, but they weren’t sure what would happen. All they could do was steel themselves and be prepared for the worst. When the potions effects hit, they both felt it in their guts as their bodies tried to hold on to their natural selves. The halfling wizard, surprisingly, had little trouble. Other than a mild headache as the powers granted by the potion dissipated, the symptoms passed by without fanfare. The dwarven cleric, on the other hand, reacted differently.

At first, it seemed as if nothing had happened. There was a strange feeling in her mouth, as if her tongue was tasting something bitter, but other than that everything seemed normal. It was only when she tried to speak to Viktor that the effects became known. Flames shot from her mouth, her very tongue flicking out the bursts of fire as she spoke. Quickly shutting her mouth, Brylla apologized silently to the alchemist, hoping that she hadn’t adversely affected his work. Viktor stared at her, shocked, his goatee slightly singed and sporting flecks of soot upon his cheekbones.

“Madam, perhaps we need to keep you away from others for a few more minutes” suggested the alchemist, wincing at some of the burn marks on his neck. “It won’t be long now.”

The alchemist was true to his word and was soon spooning out a strange thick mixture that had a soft blue luminescence to it. He passed it around, first to Audak, then Brylla, observing them as the potion took effect and returned them to their natural state. The transformation back to his normal form was painful, but Audak let out a huge sigh of relief once he saw his own hands once more. It felt good to be himself again!

Calming the crowd

While the alchemist worked, the crowd at the festival was panicking. When Flynver and Tanthalas arrived to calm them down, there were people tearing apart Viktor Maestro’s wagon, desperate for a cure. Some had even sampled from the potion supply in the wagon, hoping one of them might reverse the effects, but things were only getting worse. Children were crying, adults were shouting at each other, and the mob was generally looking for somebody to blame.

Standing in the center of the square upon the raised grappling ring, the wizard and ranger quickly conferred on a plan and then used everything at their disposal to gain the attention of the crowd. A blinking sign suddenly appeared in the air above the halfling’s head and his voice became augmented to an unnatural volume as he spoke to the crowd.

“HEAR ME! HEAR ME!” cried out the halfling, his small frame attempting to be as big as possible on the makeshift stage in the center of the square. “HELP IS COMING! WE ALL JUST NEED TO BE CALM AND WAIT PATIENTLY. A CURE SHOULD BE READY IN ABOUT AN HOUR!”

The crowd was initially skeptical, but as Flynver continued to work the crowd, speaking to their fears and empathizing with them, they slowly came around with some mild cheering. Unfortunately, an hour is quite a long time and the halfling did not have prepared entertainment material for the entirety of the wait. As time rolled along, people became restless and Flynver had to get their attention more often, trying to keep things from boiling over. Looking up at the sky, Tanthalas guessed that they were nearing the time when the alchemist said he would have been done. However, there was still no cure in sight.

“ONLY A LITTLE WHILE LONGER, FOLKS!” Flynver called out, quickly running out of things to say. Turning to the elf, he tried to mouth silently to him.

“Where are they?“

Meanwhile, down in the sewer tunnels, Audak, Brylla, and Al were helping the alchemist transport the cure back to the festival square. After having fashioned a sort of large cask from one of the vats, the crew had easily rolled the vat down the wide tunnels, doing their best to avoid obstacles along the way. The real challenge came when they encountered the base of the access ladder to street level.

Above them, the fading light of the evening was streaming through the open access portal. The cask would probably fit through, but it was going to be tight. The real challenge was the sheer weight of all the liquid in the vat! How could they get it up there?

“We could install a pulley system” suggested the dragonborn, rooting through his pack for whatever parts might help.

“Perhaps we could levitate it? Can your wizard do that?” asked the alchemist, hopeful for a less dangerous solution.

Audak just grunted, bent his knees and wrapped his huge arms around the massive vat. The muscles in his back tensed and the tendons in his arms bulged out as he lifted the massive weight off the ground. With grim determination, the goliath kept lifting until he had it balanced on his shoulder, his left arm straining to keep the vat in place. Brylla watched on, wondering if she should help or if trying to do anything would throw the barbarian off-balance.

With only one arm free, Audak went up the ladder slowly, rung by rung, feeling the strain of the weight on his left shoulder. It was an awkward sized barrel and the weight threatened to send him off the ladder at any moment. As his face felt the fresh air of Balderston’s street level, he finally allowed himself a sigh of relief as he put down the barrel. That arm was probably going to be sore tomorrow, but at least they had gotten the cure out of the sewers!

When they finally arrived at the festival square, a look of relief filled Flynver’s face as he was able to finally get a break from performing for the crowd. The wizard directed everyone into an orderly line and all of the heroes worked to keep the crowd from trampling each other as they pushed forward toward Viktor and his promised cure. As each festival-goer was treated and reverted back to themselves, the general mood of the festival changed. Many had fled, leaving the square, but those that remained were in a celebratory mood and a bit of the festival atmosphere returned. Children’s laughter was heard once again, as some of them chased each other around the square. All in all, a good day’s work!

There was still one loose thread to tie up, though. As the last victim took their medicine, all eyes went to the unconscious elf in disguise that Al had carried all this way. Whomever she was, they needed some answers.

The interrogation

Inside the bakery, an enlarged man sat, tied up, surrounded by barbarians who watched his every move. Tatum eyed each one in turn. The minotaur with the huge axe was the most dangerous of them, and the most calm. When Audak and the others entered, carrying the body of some robed figure, the grappler felt a moment of challenging emotion again rise up within him. Whatever the potion had done to him, his mind was still inside but he could not push down the feelings that overtook him. Tatum was used to being in control of himself and this emotional roller coaster was tearing at him! As the goliath joined his tribesfolk and chatted nearby, he could feel the rage coming over him again. He began straining at his bonds, his mouth turning to a snarl. He didn’t want to, but he couldn’t help it. Some part of him was primal, wanting to destroy, and especially this one who had bested him. As his mouth opened to shout a small dwarven woman shoved a ladle in his face and forced liquid down his throat.

Tatum sputtered, almost choking on the liquid, but as the potion went down his throat a sensation of calm came over him and his body began to shrink back to its normal size. He could feel rational thought gaining control again and a smile came over his face. At last. The torture was over! The grappler smiled, turning to thank his saviour, but a wave of exhaustion suddenly struck him, turning his eyes heavy. His mouth opened to say the words but then he collapsed to the floor, a loud snore almost immediately leaving his lips.

Al raised an eyebrow at the sudden transformation and collapse, but shrugged it off as he followed the rest of his companions into the back part of Brand’s Baked Goods. Searching the owner’s home, they found a suitable interrogation room in the rather stately bathroom owned by the gnomish inhabitant. The large marble tub in the corner was the perfect size to unload his burden into, though the dragonborn was careful not to let her head strike the side of the tub. They would need this one alive to answer the questions they had.

After she had been brought back around, the half-elven woman pulled away in the tub, eyes darting around the room, searching for exits. Al recognized the trained scanning that the spy was doing. Her body language might be signaling fear, but that terror was not in her eyes. She was looking for weapons, exits, sizing up her opponents, looking for weaknesses. By now she should have been able to calculate that at best she might be able to make it to the door while disabling one of them and that the window wasn’t an option. It should only take a few more seconds…

“They didn’t tell me they were sending an enforcer” the woman said, staring intently at Al. “Did you take out the target?”

She was testing him, trying to find out more. Smart. But two could play at that game. It wasn’t long before they began the dance that only those with the knowledge of their way would understand. A complex puzzle of words that probed, pulled, and attempted to tease out without giving anything up. She was good, but not good enough. It took only a few moments for Al to piece together that she had been observing the dwarven apprentice and was working for someone else. This wasn’t the mastermind, just another chain in the link.

It made sense. They would need to operate in cells, disconnected from each other to provide protection from just such a situation as this one. Al was from her world, though, and this meant they had a chance. She didn’t trust them, not completely, but they had done what was needed and she believed Al when he claimed to be an enforcer sent to eliminate “the target”. She wasn’t willing to give up all the secrets of her organization… yet.

“I can’t tell you anything, it’s my neck on the line” she said, tearing some of the now-broken disguise off of her face and discarding the material into the tub. “Maybe you should meet the boss, though, you might be able to help”.

She held out a hand, asking for the blue sapphire they had taken from her.

“I will contact you with this” she said, placing her hand upon the stone and speaking a command word. The sapphire glowed briefly and then split into two halves. “Use this half to message me. You’ll want to go to Pua, into the Uppertown, at the great tower and ask for Dhru. I’ll contact you once I’ve arranged the meet. Now, can I please have my things back?”

Brylla pulled the items and clothing from her pack, handing them to the spy so that she could dress. For now, they had what they needed: a clue leading along the chain to whomever was in charge of this whole thing.

Playing the tourist

As the festival closed up for the evening, the city crew arriving to clean up the mess, it became time to find a place to stay the night. A regular transport was leaving early in the morning, so getting a good rest was going to be needed if they were to be ready for Pua the next day. Following Flynver’s advice, they made their way to the inn where Holt had apparently been staying, managing to secure the duplicitous apprentice’s previous room for the night, despite the protestation from the innkeeper that it had not been cleaned yet.

The room was simple, with a single large bed and a desk and chair. Most of them would have to stay on the floor, or join the minotaur and his crew as they camped under the stars. The window had a simple view out onto the streets, no particular vantage point to see the festival or to observe anything of interest. The bed was fully made, as if it had never been slept in and there were no signs of Holt’s work in any parts of the room. They had hoped to find some clues in the dead dwarf’s belongings, but it seemed like Holt had spent little time here. The only thing found was a congratulatory note slipped under the door about his new business. Holt had been telling people he was starting a new business? Why all the dramatics then? He could have just opened up his shop as planned.

Sleep was well-earned that night, though the early rise felt harsher than it should have for some of them. Before the sun had even risen, they had packed up, eaten in the hotel restaurant, and crossed town to the transport station where their ride awaited. It was an unusual wagon, longer than most, with benches setup at regular intervals for those riding. A fabric cover, meant to keep out the sun and rain, ran from the very front where the driver sat all the way to the back some 50 feet away. Like others they had seen, this vehicle sported no horses or oxen to power it and ran on some sort of arcane engine that powered the multiple sets of wheels beneath the transport. These vehicles had only come into fashion a few decades back, once their speed had reached the point where the sheer cost to develop and maintain them made it worthwhile. The driver promised to do a day’s journey in a single hour! While those with more funds could travel even faster with teleportation circles, hearthstones, or other magics, this allowed even the most common of farmers or tradespeople to quickly travel between major hubs, opening up a wider trade capability.

As the transport bounced roughly along at an extremely high speed, Tanthalas opened one of the many books he had picked up at Grimoires and Gears. The large, leather-bound, textbook that he opened was authored by someone named Brigitte Featherwalker and detailed the long history of the Hexen Tower. While not exactly a thrilling story of adventure or mystery, it was well-written and covered much of the 2500 year history of the tower. Like any other historical content he had ever encountered, everything began at the Lighting, even for things like the Hexen tower which had stood for much longer than that.

When they were about 30 minutes away from their destination, it finally came into view: the great city of Pua. None of them had ever been there before and its size was jaw-dropping. It rose against the backdrop of the sea hundreds of feet into the air, layered on top of itself like a fanciful cake of wood and stones. They were still a half-day’s walk away from it, but the city’s size was such that it dominated the view. As they got closer, more details could be made out and it became visible that there were ports and towers and stone buildings and homes packed one upon the other to fill every space. It must have easily outsized Denn ten to one and they could only imagine how many people must live here. A bright light shone out from the great Tower of Lighting to greet the morning sun, visible for leagues upon leagues.

When they finally arrived at the footsteps of Lowertown, the morning crowds were in full force. Street markets were filled with the noise of merchants hawking their wares and crowds were streaming through the wide streets to find their way to their day’s work. As they stepped down from the transport, Flynver noticed a familiar shock of bright purple hair just ahead of them.

“Raven, wait up!” the little halfling called out, having little effect on the young woman who had once again drowned out the world with her music. The wizard had to rush forward and tug on her sleeve to get Raven to look down and stop walking away into the crowds.

“Oh, hey, I didn’t see you” came a warmer greeting than the ones they had received at the shop. “Did you decide to check out the show?”

“Sure, sure… about that…” sputtered the halfling. “How do we find it?”

“Right, yeah, it’s easy. It’s right here in Lowertown, down at the Warehouse” Raven replied, as if the Warehouse was something everybody would have heard about. “If you can’t find it, just follow the rich kids as they come down from Uppertown. They’re a loud, obnoxious lot and hard to miss!”

“Thank you, thank you, that helps a lot. Looking forward to it!”

“No worries, catch you later” she said in farewell, an actual smile showing. “You’re all right, old man.”

Her purple hair disappeared into the crowds, headed deeper into Lowertown, leaving Flynver and the others to gaze around at the enormous city around them. They had the whole day to explore and the tower beckoned them forward. Flowing with the crowd, they passed by taverns and shops, ports and homes, and people from all over Lani of every species and size. The architects of the city had clearly made commerce and tourism a focus as the winding roadway meandered throughout Lowertown, forcing visitors to see most of the town before reaching the gates to Midtown. While Lowertown seemed almost village-like in some aspects, definitely appealing to more residences and establishments suitable for the sailors who would arrive, Midtown felt like the place that those who ran the shops would live. Everything seemed a little more taken care of and the shops seemed to cater to those who might have a bit more coin on them. They explored the stores, finding interesting vendors along the way which they took note of for later, but eventually found themselves in Uppertown in the shadow of the fabled Tower of Lighting. Here was clearly where those with a lineage that came from riches would be able to live. The homes were extravagant and unique, featuring excessive decor and almost a competitive need for visible opulence.

It had taken them half the day to make their way through the winding streets and climb their way to the summit of Pua, but they had not made the trek alone. Even with all the stops into different stores and the hours of walking, it seemed they had an extra shadow. Tanthalas had noticed them at the gates to Midtown, slipping down from a rooftop and disappearing into the shadows. They were being watched. The elf had not seen the small figure again and had decided to keep the detail to himself, for fear of alerting their tail. Somebody had noticed their arrival but the pressing question was: who?

Credits

Story credit: Balderston storyline inspired by the random encounter “Presto Change-o”, from “The Game Master’s Book of Random Encounters” by Jeff Ashworth. Pua storyline original work by Jason St-Cyr.
Cover image: “The coastal city of Pua”, generated by Jason St-Cyr using NightCafe