Fantasy Steamhaven: Land of the Lost

[ArcticFox]

Lianna listened over her shoulder as she sifted through the boxes in search of a book whose name she wouldn't be able to pronounce. When Dan mentioned the witch tracker, she turned around curiously.

"The tracker will be very handy." She said. "I'll take it." After a pause she added, "Can you also scoop me up some of your amber slime into a jar? It might be useful, who knows."

 

[Cartoonicat]

"Take a journal with you and record your field findings," he said, slopping some of the concoction into a dingy jar. "Neither has been used in the field yet, so I'll need lots of performance details to perfect them."

Now, Lianna had several books with topics she could hardly pronounce, much less comprehend, as well as a Witch Tracker and jar of sticky anti-witch repellant. Dan didn't seem to have anything left to offer her, though she could recruit him for the journey.

If not, then perhaps a goodbye was in order. Just in case.

- Recruit Dan
- Thank him and leave
- Other
(Optional): Say goodbye

 

[ArcticFox]

"Dan, I, uh... I'm going into the demon plane to try and kill a demon tomorrow." Lianna admitted, packing the things she gathered. She looked at her mentor, judging his reaction.

 

[Cartoonicat]

The excitement of having his gadgets tested out evaporated as, slowly, the meaning of her words seemed to dawn on him. Dan opened his mouth multiple times to say something, though only stutters and broken words came out, leaving him confused.

Eventually, he responded with a simple question: "You're leaving?"

- Confirm
- Reassure
- Hug
- Make a joke
- Change the subject
- Leave
- Other

 

[ArcticFox]

"I'll be back before you know it, Dan." Lianna said, approaching him. She threw her arms around him and squeezed him perhaps tighter than necessary.

 

[Cartoonicat]

Dan returned the gesture, just as tight. He smelled of soot and oil and wolf's blood, but with a hint of something sweet, like tree sap. "I can help," he said near her ear rather than to her face, unwilling to let go so soon. "I can go with you. I'll fix the gadgets when they break. I'll make you new ones. Let me help."

- Recruit Dan
- Leave Dan behind
- Other

 

[ArcticFox]

Lianna had to bite her lip in order to keep it from quivering. Her mentor was never good with words, but she could feel the emotion in his voice. She rested her chin on his shoulder.

"I know you could, but I cannot take you with me. I got myself into this mess, I'm planning to get myself out as well. I'll come back, I promise."

 

[Cartoonicat]

Dan didn't say anything else, simply tightened his embrace for some time before letting go just enough to meet her eyes. He swallowed. Then, quickly, as if scared of retribution for overstepping bounds, Dan pressed lips to her forehead before releasing her completely.

He struggled to maintain eye contact, cheeks dusted pink but managed to hold his ground.

- Kiss him
- Scold him
- Say nothing
- Leave
- Other

 

[ArcticFox]

That was a day for kissing every man she had ever met in her life, it seemed. Lianna knew she had feelings for Dan, she always did, but exactly what kind, she wasn't quite sure. And she didn't know what exactly Dan felt either. It was better to keep it safe.

When he moved back, she followed, kissing his cheek. Then she moved back and smiled. "I'll see you in a couple of days. And I'll have a hell of a field report for you."

 

[Cartoonicat]

That made Dan laugh through the nerves, eyes crinkling with a smile. "I look forward to it. Good luck."

From there, Lianna would...

- Visit someone
- Stock up on supplies
- Go home
- Other

 

[ArcticFox]

Lianna's next destination was the address on the calling card. If the scholar knew something more about demons than the others did, she was eager to learn it soon. Just in case, Lianna search through her pack for the hat pin, and placed it on her vest. If the vampire was still around somewhere, she wondered if he would have any useful insight too.

 

[Cartoonicat]

The directions on the card were like Missy Maya herself—bizarre and, without clarification, hard to understand. Lianna arrived at a hole-in-the-wall open workshop just as the sun dipped below the horizon. Inside, a woman in an impractically elaborate gown busied herself with balancing two open books on one arm and a measuring glass in the other. "Just a bit more... splendid! Oh, that'll do nicely, now, won't it...?"

She'd yet to see Lianna.

- Approach Missy Maya
- Sneak up on Missy Maya
- Snoop around the workshop
- Watch
- Other

 

[ArcticFox]

Strange people walked around Steamhaven, Lianna was reminded of that every day. She watched the woman carefully, fully expecting her to topple over.

"Hello, miss." She addressed her in a calm tone, not wanting to startle her.

 

[Cartoonicat]

Missy Maya turned, blonde curls bouncing. She maintained a surprising level of balance. "Why, hello! How may I help you?" She did not relinquish the items in her arms. "It's a bit late in the day, isn't it? My, I hadn't noticed until now..." She laughed, seemingly more at herself than the situation actually being funny. "How the time does fly."

She looked at Lianna again, bright eyes blinking curiously. "Right. How may I help you?"

- Ask about demons
- Ask about witches
- Ask something else
- Leave
- Other

 

[ArcticFox]

"I've attended your lecture during the Gala." Lianna started, "You've had some interesting ideas. I was wondering if you knew anything about a weakness of a demon? In particular, is there a way to dispose of them, fully."

 

[Cartoonicat]

"Ooh, I hope you enjoyed it," Missy Maya didn't seem to recognize Lianna in the slightest, though there had been a big audience. "In fact, I do! Mind you, none of these theories have been confirmed, but- ah, why don't you take a seat?" She dropped the books haphazardly on a barren workbench and plopped the measuring glass beside them with a sharp tink! "I'll put on some tea."

Before Lianna could respond, Missy Maya swept manuscripts off of a plush ottoman seat and flitted out of the room, length dress train flowing behind her like some sort of ethereal spirit.

- Sit down
- Investigate
- Follow Missy Maya
- Leave
- Other

 

[ArcticFox]

Lianna obeyed, taking a seat, and waiting patiently for Missy Maya to return. She was eccentric and Lianna already learned that such people should not be rushed.

 

[Cartoonicat]

Missy Maya returned with tea and biscuits presented on a cutely decorated tea tray. She sat beside Lianna on a plush living chair and brushed her mountain of ringlets over her shoulder, out of the way. "Now," she poured them each a cup, "which demon would you like to kill? I have done studies on all of them, though I am most knowledgeable on Mox and Ymara." Missy Maya smiled proudly, "I've met the former, you know. Brilliant mind. Slightly skewed in morality, but aren't we all?" She took a bite of biscuit and soaked what was left in her tea, stirring like a spoon.

- Kelaelin
- Gul
- Tulie
- Mox
- Ymara
- Ask something else
(Optional): Sip your tea

 

[ArcticFox]

"Neither of the two you mentioned." Lianna answered, "Do you know what are Kelaelin's and Tulie's weaknesses?" While the former was her target, the latter seemed equally horrible by Ymara's description.

 

[Cartoonicat]

Missy Maya smiled into the next sip of her tea. "Ah, the brutes," she set the cup down and, with an odd pinching stick leaning against the outside arm of her chair, she plucked a book from the wall shelf high above them. Dropping it into her lap, she thumbed through the pages. "Like all demons except Kelaelin, Tulie is highly allergic to amber," she explained, "though getting close enough to compromise her immune system would be a great challenge. Ah! Did you know that a witch's susceptibility to amber is due solely to the demon's blood inked into their skin? It's quite fascinating, how something like that can compromise an entire immune system."

"Anyway," Missy Maya refocused, laying open a page midway through the book. A roughly drawn image depicted a child covered in either feather or clumpy fur. "Adorable, isn't she? Like an oversized puppy with opposable thumbs... Well, this puppy, while agile and enduring, lacks the physical strength of her peers. It wouldn't take much to subdue her." Flipping to the next page, she showed Lianna handwritten notes. "However, as I said before, catching her would be a challenge. She gifts her followers with the ability to control—or communicate with, my sources vary—animals and, considering that The Willow Circle is a wild coven, I can only surmise that Tulie's domain—demons live in one realm of existence, the Demon Plane or Spirit World, if you will, segregated by their own lands—is that of a thriving forest. Her appearance may allow for stealth on top of her natural nimbleness and speed, and should she be caught, she may try to call upon reinforcements."

Shutting the book sharply, but not with any heat, Missy Maya smiled. "My suggestion is to outsmart her, then brute force your way to her demise... however you plan to do that. From what I have gleaned, Tulie is quite confident that it borders on arrogance."

- Ask something else about Tulie
- Ask how Missy Maya knows so much
- Ask about Kelaelin
- Ask something else
- Say nothing
- Other

 

[ArcticFox]

Lianna listened carefully and nodded once Missy Maya was finished, "Thank you, that will help a lot. How about Kelaelin? If he's immune to amber, he must be weak to something else?"

 

[Cartoonicat]

Missy Maya smiled a bit ruefully, though her enthusiasm did not deflate. "I'm afraid I don't know for certain what he is susceptible to, but... I have a theory that he is already dying," she said. "The Sisters of Amber, while powerful, rarely live beyond 20 years of their contract. From what I understand, a coven's prosperity is a direct reflection of their patron's well-being. With Kelaelin exposing himself to amber as a means to grow more powerful, it is likely at the cost of his own longevity. Perhaps that is why his coven is the most notorious for human sacrifices? I wonder if Kelaelin has used such rituals to keep himself alive."

She sighed wistfully, flipping through the pages to another illustration. A man with spiked skin and flaming hairline, of which small gemstones floated inside. "But what for, I wonder? Oh, if only I could ask him."

- Ask about the others
- Ask about demon history
- Ask about demon politics
- Get to know Missy Maya
- Leave
- Other

 

[ArcticFox]

"Oh, I'll ask him alright." Lianna said, scanning the illustration of the demon. He didn't look like much, she could take him on. "Gul and Kelaelin are not on good terms, perhaps he used that much amber in order to gain the upper hand in their argument?"

 

[Cartoonicat]

Missy Maya tilted her head. "I suppose that could be it... but according to the timeline I've put together, the Sisters of Amber have used amber since long before their feud with the Brambleroot Coven. In fact, Gul and Kelaelin were quite close, some centuries ago. At least, that's what I've heard." She pooched her lips, eyes cast toward Kelaelin's picture. "I developed a theory about Kelaelin when I spoke to an old witch years before I moved to Steamhaven. She's actually what inspired me to do so."

Tracing her index along the flames of Kelaelin's charcoal-drawn hair, Missy Maya continued: "According to her, Ymara was not the first demon to break tradition and allow men into their circle," she mused, "but what other covens allow such a sacred rule to be dismissed? Not Mox, not Tulie, not Gul, and not Kelaelin. Who was the first, then? Who is the sixth demon?" Missy Maya closed the book and looked up at the floating lanterns above them, seeking answers. "Does the sixth demon have to do with Kelaelin's power obsession? His loathing for breaking tradition? His goal of ruling the Demon Plane, the Spirit World?"

Her voice grew quiet as if she forgot Lianna was there and was speaking to herself. "What if Kelaelin was that demon, and something went wrong?"

- Listen
- Brainstorm with Missy Maya
- Chastise her eccentricity
- Praise her imagination
- Ask another question
- Leave
- Other

 

[ArcticFox]

"If I find out, I'll be sure to tell you." Lianna responded. She had no knowledge of demons but guessed that she would learn a lot in their plane whether she wanted to or not.

"Thank you for this, Miss." She said, standing up, "but I have to leave now." She wanted to catch some rest before restocked tomorrow.