Notes

• I think it's the 24th of Ummindur at the moment? Around noon?

Meeting with Navara:

• If going to meet Navara family: Guards will recognize strange party composition, and ask for names. If they actually tell their names, they'll say Navara family told them to escort them to their estate if they came, and to follow them.
• Will be a lot of kids playing outside. It's a bit of a somber feel - the younger kids seems to be having a good time, though you can tell the older ones are either "fake playing'/just moving, or sitting silent alone or in small groups in a corner somewhere.
• Edrian Navara will be the one to greet them. Edrian will say that Peneli should return soon, and ask if they would like to sit and have some tea with him.
  • Edrian: “I don't think we were ever properly introduced. I'm Edrian, Peneli's brother. Peneli's told be that you are, eh “somewhat trustworthy” - to use her words. I'd like to offer my thanks for helping us out yesterday. I'm sure more would have died had you not helped out when those monsters appeared. If there's anything you want in return, then please don't hesitate to ask.
    • If asking for money: "I'm afraid gold is a bit difficult at the moment. We may have a couple of items that hold some value - though I'll have to involve Peneli. She's the one who knows what they do. MAGIC ITEMS.
    • About kids: Edrian: “They're orphans. We're originally from north of here - along the Meladetta Bay. Our home got overrun by monsters a little while back (4-5 months or so). Many of those in the slums are sadly also refugees from our home."
      • Edrian More details: “Strange sea monsters, and like a thick choking mist. We had to abandon our town when people started, I don't know drown? from it? It's like you slowly filled with water and drowned when in it, even when on land.”
      • Peneli additions on subject: “The mist originated from somewhere below the surface in the Meladetta Bay, though I don't know exactly where. I managed to convince the Meranzeum that it was worth looking into getting rid of it - and volunteered for the role so I could utilize the Meranzeum's resources in trying to get our home back. From what I've discerned, these sea creatures seem to have some sort of mental link between each other, so my hope was to tap into this and have it guide me to their source in the Meladetta bay - I believe you remember the creature with half its brain out? You weren't exactly discrete when you glanced at it. I'm hoping to use it as a guide of sorts. I tried to get you to join to dispatch the sea-creatures I'd undoubtly meet along the way - killing the Hydra kind of fit the skillset I was looking for.”
        • Za'Kaal: have some sort of “priest general" that acts like a router for Zaq'Uuls thoughts, so minion's thoughts go to it.
    • SISTER/MAGE: Edrian: "Our sister, Celinia, was the original head of our House after our parents died a while back. She died on route to Vessina shortly after we were driven from our home (Valedra). Official reports said it was a random bandit attack. Peneli thinks it was planned. After yesterday, I think I might to have to believe that.
      • MAGE/CABAL DETAILS Edrian: “It appeared late at night when I was.. doing some work in one of the Drawing rooms. A masked figure that could use magic. It told me that if I swore loyalty to them, and committed my house to their cause, then they would see to it that we'd rise to prominence again when their new order came about. I refused. My House has always been loyal to House Ravanelli - I'm not going to be the one to break that streak. I feared they might've had something to do with Celinia's death, though I had a slight hope this could all blow over. It seems that hope was misplaced."
      • Peneli additions on subject: "Sister wouldn't have been so careless as to get killed by common bandits. Almost all prominent arcane practitioners in Marcandria are associated with the Meranzeum through the Conciri - it's simply too difficult to procure the resources necessary conduct research elsewhere when the Meranzeum is hogging all the supplies. It's almost guaranteed to be one of my colleagues from the Conciri whose gone rogue. Problem is who. The entirety of the Conciri consists of schemers and backstabbers. I'd be surprised if even one of my peers does not have some hidden research that the Meranzeum would not exactly agree with. (Meranzeum has deal with suppliers for goods used in magical components - part of the deal being that they don't sell them to anyone else).
    • About Ravanelli:
      • Not seen in 6 months - sick. Only lord Scillante meets with her. Her grandchildren are in Vessina trying to gage support for Mariana Ravanelli's support to the throne.

• Peneli Navara will be away talking with Overgold when party arrives.
  • What Overgold talks about to Magister Navara:
    • Confront her about the binder with documents she got from Arilile.
    • Asked briefly about the party - they showed up for the fighting at the Auction. Information is a very important tool, so the Overgold thus wants to know of them, so she may better know what to expect of them (i.e. if they may be an issue at some point)
    • Overgold tells Navara that her family is responsible for this happening to their guests. Thus blame falls on them (at least socially) if If she's not found proof of someone else having been behind the incident at the Navara Estate.
    • If Peneli has not brought proof as of who was behind the attack before the Festival, then her membership in the Conciri will be suspended (at least until the responsible party is found). Peneli's other endeavors (such as sea monsters) will be put on hold or assigned to someone else in the meantime. The Overgold basically want to pressure Peneli Navara into giving up information about the magic user, so that the Overgold can use them as an example to try reign in the Conciri
      • Peneli if told that Overgold knows about magic user: “<heavy breath out> So she's saying it's either I or whoever that magic user was will be made an example.”
        • “The Conciri - me and my colleagues - and the rest of the Meranzeum have a rather… complicated relationship. They basically provide us all the resources we need, and we are allowed use it to conduct research in return for sharing our findings with the Meranzeum. Downside for us is they decide what is and isn't permitted to be researched. Me and most of my colleagues are not particularly happy about having them look over our shoulders all the time - for the divine to dictate the advancements in the fields of the arcane. Opinions… differ, quite a lot when it comes to what should and shouldn't be allowed to be researched. Look - we don't really play ball with the Overgold - she's young and new to the role. She's a prodigy - I'll give her that, like an insanely talented prodigy, but she doesn't have the experience necessary keep the Conciri in check when we're all determined not to be. She's basically saying that either I or the masked magic user will be used as an example to try reign the rest in.”
      • Previous Overgold: “He started cracking down on the Conciri rather heavily, and soon after he died. I don't know who or if any had something to do with it. The position of Overgold of Arcana is not a title many in the Meranzeum want. It's a rather difficult position."
• .Peneli:
  • She doesn't know there's a connection between Countermeasures and events on her estate, so she believes the Countermeasures to be safe. She thus insists on figuring out who the masked magic user was first.)
• Comment from Peneli at some point: “If the duchess was here this would've been a lot less complicated” (due to her authority. Right now there are just a bunch of noble houses without anyone to control them.)

• Lissanta will call in Peneli Navara for a “talk”.
• Cabal talking point:
  • Nihilism - “life is meaningless” - in this case, life in the current system is meaningless. Continue living in this false reality has no meaning. Better to die trying to fix it than live in it. If they succeed fixing it, then it's all worth it after.
  • I.e. life in current era is false and has no meaning. Their new age will fix this. People being killed is therefore not a loss - their lives didn't really have meaning anyway. The Cabal succeeding will give meaning to those who remain. (SUPER convinced believer talking point here)

Dreams:

• Arilile
  • Your dream is rather simple. You're in a featureless black landscape looking straight at an impossibly black figure - your heart pounding heavily while holding onto something that you never turn to see. Even if you turn your gaze, what's in front of you remain the same.
• Valanthe, Felsioal, Thiala:
  • You see all 3 of your mothers back home. Felosial seem to be inspecting something on Thiala. Valanthe is right in front of you. She looks furious.
  • Valanthe: “What did you do? Any longer and the staff would've started to burn.”
  • Valanthe: "Sometimes even I'm surprised by how thoughtless you can be. That staff was a gift from us Thiala.