Silvanost - Holiday Cheer (Coming of the New Year)

21 thru 30 Frostkolt 348 AC

As Arthur and Agnes stroll through the city, he tells her about himself as well the celebrations in Lankmar, "We have the Day of Masks where we dress up in costumes with feasts, dances, and storytelling; Vermin Day commemorates Lankhmar's victory in the War of the Rats, and every New Moon, the people of my city leave offerings at the Black Temple to appease the Gods IN Lankhmar, which are not the same as the gods OF Lankmar."

Agnes' brow furrows, "What is the difference?"

"The gods OF Lankmar are a group of thirteen powerful undead who emerge from their temple to defend the city in times of need. The gods IN Lankhmar are deities who have believers living in the city," Arthur explains.

He continues, "And there is always some sort of celebration in our Festival District - when my world was young, the Lords of Necessity decreed that the gods of Nehwon would be 'as numerous as the grains of sand on a beach' so there are literally hundreds of deities where I come from and all of them have holy days and associated with them."

Agnes laughs, "This world must be strange to you then as all of our gods have departed."

The paladin shrugs, "People are the same wherever you go and, in my experience, it is people whose beliefs shape the gods, whether they are present or not."

"You fought in this Rat War? That's where your scar came from?" Agnes asks.

"I did. But it worked out for the best. My family had money but when I got my pay at the end of my enlistment, I took that and used it to open my tavern and brewery without their financial support. It is something I did on my own for myself." Arthur chuckles softly, "My mother had insisted for years that I take over the family horse-breeding business, would argue with me for hours that equestrianism was in my blood and that I was letting her and my father down. So, when I opened my business, I named it the 'Penetrating Pony' and told her that would be as close as I got to the family's business. My Uncle Monty, her brother, thought it was hilarious."

Agnes laughs, "You, my noble knight, are a bit of a scamp!"

One night, before meeting with her, Arthur finds his way to jewelry shop to buy a Midwinter celebration gift for Lady Ag'nesallynn.

As he presents her with the gift, Agnes lets out a small gasp, "It's beautiful! Thank you so much. I have something for you, too." She reaches into her satchel and gives him a book. It is bound in blue leather with golden filigree around the edges. The front cover is emblazoned with the symbol of a bird, its wings spread wide as it clutches a sword in its talons. A crown floats above the bird's head while a rose is centered beneath the sword.

"This is a copy of the first volume of the history of the Solamnic Knights, an order of noble warriors who oppose evil. They are much like you, my brave warrior," Agnes smiles, "I hope you enjoy it."

Meanwhile, at the warehouse, Kysek lets out a frustrated groan.

“You’ve got to be kidding me? The fae have hijacked Raven again," Kysek says plainly. “I hope he returns sooner rather than later. We’ll have to inform the others.”

Ra’ziir, realizing Raven may be gone a while or pop back up in a few moments, goes in search of whatever is considered the “ghettos” of Silvanosti.

Before doing so, he mentions to Cedron in passing that he’s interested in seeing how the marginalized folks of this “great community” are faring, especially during this, their holiday season.

The Black-robed Elf wraps his cloak about him and pulls his hood low as he steps out into the frigid night air seeking to learn more about the host city he and the party are wintering in.

Cedron admires Ra’ziir’s interest in those less fortunate. He decides to join his friend, and perhaps share a bit of his own vast wealth with those in need. “A rising tide lifts all boats.” He muses quietly.

What they find is, for lack of a better term, bizarre. While there are some elves would are dissatisfied with the role they play in Silvanesti society and long for upward mobility, there is nobody living in what they would consider poverty or a slum. A few elves wish that they could change Houses - to serve in a field more suited to their personality, a mason who longs to be a Scribe of House Recorder, a Fisherman who would enjoy tending the trees like a member of House Shaper; a soldier of House Protector who desires to cast spells like one of the wizards of House Magus but, even these are few and far between. Every home they see appears to be comfortable and warm. There is no hunger. Every single elf in the capital seems to have everything they need to survive and idle time with which to pursue hobbies, art, and music if they so desire.

Homes on the waterfront are older, but far from dilapidated. Even here, there is no litter, no vermin lurking near the docks, no cutpurses skulking in the darkened alleys waiting to take advantage of passersby. Then, it hits them. Those elves who would take part in the seedier side of city life, the ones termed "Drow" by the Silvanesti are exiled from their society by the powers-that-be. There is no crime because the elves with a criminal bent have been driven out by their people.

Shadow is not amused when told of the mushroom circle and Raven missing again. His mind quickly races to looking at his shoes and making sure they’re clean. He then looks around at the rest of the party shoes and makes a comment to Cassidy. “Have you ever shine shoes before?”

The Kender opens his mouth to reply, closes it, looks thoughtful, opens and closes it again before finally replying with a simple, "No."

Hours go by before anyone notices that Grotto is also missing. The general consensus is that the dwarf must be out in town on a bender somewhere, or that he will turn up in an alley somewhere with a  "sketchy" elf by morning.