No%#hhging is Found Here
Written by Steve
Having finished their adventure with the Roc, the Talons moved on to a soft place: a cozy little spot just outside of Lorecliffe, where they parked the wagon to relax and enjoy each other's company. Feed from the shadow of imminent death, the Talons finally had the chance to discuss brighter, happier thoughts. First they discussed their notions of "home," with most of the Talons agreeing that they had the best found family in each other and their friends back at Wiltspar.
"Home is where the music is," said Vance, as he plucked a string on his lute.
Next, they discussed the inspiring acts of heroism they witnessed in their travels, from the humble courage of the late Barracks Officer Junior Officer, to the heroic, tragic end of Vance's Aunt Ziggy.
Then they talked about their plans for the future, with Tagg suggesting they take a staycation at Wiltspar, and Xerxes looking forward to causing more mayhem building things with Crash. The team also plotted their next move against the dreaded Bone Devil, which, sadly, took the conversation down a darker road, and a cul-de-sac that led back again to imminent death.
"I think Tagg will be the first to die," said Xerxes, blowing ash off a toasted marshmallow. "Again, I mean."
His mouth too stuffed with his own marshmallows to speak, Tagg could only nod in agreement.
"I would hate to lose any of you, though," Xerxes continued. Perhaps it was smoke from the campfire, but Nokhi could swear he saw moisture forming in the half-orc's eyes. "I'd miss Drez for his uncanny ability to keep us alive. I'd miss Vance for his humor and japes. I'd miss Nokhi for the delicious meals he prepares. And I'd miss Tagg for...well, his Tagginess. Let's all do our best to make it home together, team." They all toasted to their continued survival.
Before turning in for the night, the Talons vented their fears and regrets. For his part, Drez regretted all the time he spent being insecure of his abilities. If he could go back in time, he'd tell his younger self there was no shame in being a ranger. Vance would have warned himself not to get into the family business.
"There's no loot in luting" the youngest Talon said with a weariness that belied his age. And with that, he retired for the evening, with the others following shortly after.
The first to wake in the morning was Nokhi, who had planned to visit his late mother in Amazon Lily. Even in death, she was serving a crucial role in their quest as one of the magical Wiltspar saplings. Nokhi took a flower with him, which he planted in the soil next to his mother. The sight of the smaller plant basking under the protective shade of the tree made Nokhi nostalgic for his childhood, and he shed a small tear in tribute to his mother.
After this brief respite, Nokhi turned to the other business at hand: locating the lich he once knew as Jinbei. A quick divination spell later, and Nokhi knew the location of his former acquaintance: a cave located somewhere to the West. He assembled the rest of Talons, and off they went in the wagon.
On their way westward, the group attempted to stop at Nokhi's childhood home, where they hoped to find some townsfolk they could ask about their shards of forgotten darkness, the Talons instead found a long span of... No%#hhging. But this No%#hhging wasn't like regular nothing. This No%#hhging felt as if some unseen creature had taken a bite out of reality. It was tall and wide and surrounded the entire area. nothingnoth ingnothingnoth The No%#hhging came with a painful ache that felt somewhat familiar. Xerxes recalled that he had felt the same way when the party encountered the Grunch. As an experiment, the party threw various objects at the void, all of which disappeared into thin air. Finding this obstacle too daunting to overcome, the Talons circled around it and continued West towards the lich's cave. Their brief stop wasn't entirely for naught, though, as Xerxes found a bright shard of porcelain on the ground. Holding it up, he could see that it was, in fact, the second piece to the Masked Man's facade.
As the Talons drew near to the lich's front door, the tension in the air began to thicken. Tagg and Xerxes, unable to bear it any longer, bolted in the other direction, forcing their teammates to chase them down and reassure them. Hoping to boost their confidence, Nokhi revealed to them his secret weapon: a delicious goodberry pie to win over their spectral host. Surely vittles would prevail should diplomacy fail. After all, they had worked when he and his brother had first met Jinbei, many years ago. Having solidified his battleplan, Nokhi knocked on the door with the special knock he learned as a child. With a decrepit creeeeeak, The door opened.
No sooner did they enter the cave, then an eerie breeze hit Nokhi full in the face. It was very similar to what he had felt when he entered Hellblade's void, or when Drez "went smokey" in combat. The breeze heralded a deep, hollow voice that beckoned them deeper and deeper into the cave. Finally, the group located its source: an ominous-looking lich...the skeletal remains of a very powerful magic-user. Although it had no face, the Talons detected a degree of friendliness to the features of its skull. Very unusual for a lich.
After a warm welcome, Jinbei, or "Big Jim," as Vance had taken to calling him, steered the conversation towards the void-infested village. Although something of a homebody, Jinbei had come out for the first time in many years to observe the No%#hhging. He determined that it hadn't moved or expanded since its creation, which was somehow tied to the day that ORC invaded Nokhi's hometown long ago. They attacked without warning, clearly looking for something; and nobody knew if they found it before disappearing just as abruptly. Jinbei had witnessed the carnage firsthand, and although he was tempted to get revenge for the lives that were lost, he knew that doing so would threaten the last scraps of humanity he had miraculously retained in his transformation.
The reason for this, he revealed to Nokhi, was that he became a lich by reading Thanastra's book on Death in an elaborate ceremony. As it turns out, most liches under Thanastra's domain retain enough of their humanity to resist the dark urges that plague their kind. However, it was always a tenuous struggle, and any negative emotions could easily upset the balance. It would have to be the Talons who avenged the town's destruction, and they would also need to be the ones to free it from the No%#hhging. Otherwise, Jinbei could easily become a worse threat than ORC and the void put together.
Nokhi asked Jinbei if he had witnessed the fate of his parents, but Jinbei had not seen them during the carnage.
Changing topics, Xerxes revealed to the lich the shard of darkness that the Talons had found on a tree stump following their Northreach Glades battle with the Darkness. He wondered if Jinbei could reveal its purpose or origins. The lich's eye sockets glowed as he touched the shard. He didn't know exactly what it was and hadn't seen anything like it before, but he could tell it surged with divine power.
"It's not good or bad, but it's pure divinity," the lich said with something approaching awe in his voice.
Feeling a certain combination of sympathy and affection for the tragic figure, the Platinum Talons invited him to make a new home with them at Wiltspar. Intrigued by his new friends and their magical habitat, Jinbei agreed, and officially ended his hermitage. And although Frostwane was over, you wouldn't know it from the look in Chauncey's eyes when he saw the powerful, skeletal mage, enter the city gates. Although the morose harengon was loathe to show emotion, his inner necromancer was jumping up and down on the bed of his consciousness.
After visiting with their family and friends, the Talons engaged in some good old-fashioned retail therapy, where a trip to Bruce All-Biteys yielded Xerxes a staff of healing and an amulet of the devout +2; and Nokhi an intimidating moon sickle. After yet again borrowing some money from Xerxes, Tagg joined the group later as the proud new owner of a Radiant Greatsword. Their spirits buoyed by the smell of fresh equipment, the party hit the road, heading to the town of Porto Sacura.
On their way, they came across the gladiator team known as the Apocalypse Harpies, Lynx and Luce, who gave the group some good advice on Teamwork. Specifically, the importance of communication and knowing the abilities of one's teammates. The party resolved to improve themselves. Xerxes noted a third person with the Harpies, a young woman in finer garb who introduced herself as Ramona Callas.
After they left the Harpies, the Talons encountered a decidedly less-friendly team of combatants: The Beefly Bruisers. Still sore at the Talons for narrowly defeating them in their last competition, the Bruisers were in no mood to chat, to the chagrin of Tagg, who wanted nothing more than to warn the Bruisers of the danger that faced them now that they had fallen out of favor with notorious gangster, Farraday Lawson. It was his hope that the Bruisers and Talons could put aside their differences and end this mutual threat. Although the Bruisers insulted Tagg and walked past him in a huff, Tagg felt something being deposited into his backpack as they passed by. Tagg waited until their former opponents had left before searching it, finding a knife with a handwritten note that said "If you are interested, we will talk later. -B"
Later on, the Talons arrived at Porto Sacura, where a quick check in with the AGI informed them that they have moved up to Rank 3 in the guild. Having good reason to celebrate, the Talons hit the town in search of entertainment, finally arriving that the Stregana Magic Shop, where they intended to have their fortunes read!