Befallen: The Ballad of Luigi Solare part 2
Day 2
Peril: Plot is active. +1 to all challenge rolls.
Before meeting Carian, Luigi investigated the lead that brought him into Aman-det. Apparently, a noble that collected banned compositions had an opera manuscript from Selena, one of the last she wrote.
Luigi asked around the city to gather more information and rumors.
I’ll use Persuasion to check if the lead is true.
Verifying clues challenge, d12 + 1 = 5
Roll Persuasion, 2d10: 6, 5
Lead is true!
Luigi found the collector’s house in a district of silk-draped balconies and a strong smell of expensive perfume. He met with the noble inside as an emissary of the Gentian Conservatory and asked to see the piece.
Challenge, d10 + 1 = 3
Roll Deception, 1d10 = 6
Success
“I will have you know it was legally acquired, Gentian,” the noble explained as they walked toward a display frame.
Luigi looked aggrieved. “Sir! The Conservatory would never dare to accuse someone of your standing of contraband, smuggling, trafficking, plundering, stealing, black-marketing, ill—”
“Right, I understand.”
“gotten-gains, unlawful—”
“Thank you!” A vein popped on the man’s forehead. “That is quite clear.”
Luigi checked the artifact. It wasn’t an entire manuscript, but a page. He asked to see it. “Just to ascertain its authenticity.”
The noble passed it to him. Luigi raised it against the light, smelled it, turned it over a few times, and compared it with his own songbooks.
I will try to use some sleight of hand
Challenge, d10 + 2 (disadvantage, difficult trick) = 7
Roll Deft, 2d10 = 8, 2
Success!
Luigi handed the page back. “Remarkable. Would you consider donating it? Or selling, perhaps?”
The noble sized him and smirked. “That’s an offer you cannot afford, Gentian. I’ve simply done the Conservatory a favor as an art appreciator. However, I will not do charity.”
“Oh, my good man, be sure that I would never stand idly by and let people be charitable in my presence. Gods forbid!”
Not amused, the noble rushed Luigi away and banged the gate shut behind him.
Luigi walked through the alleys flanked by sandstone walls for a while, then reached inside his sleeve, producing the original work. Selena’s melody pulsed faintly through the page, making his solo stir. Luigi smiled and placed the note in Selena’s songbook.
He went after Carian, passing through the intricate network of bridges, stairways, and narrow walkways that tethered Aman-det together. He arrived at the step well, an inverted ziggurat carved into the middle of the city.
Aman-det. Befallen, page 181.
A series of stone balconies and staircases descended to the wide water well at its center. Different plants grew on each tier, providing food for the living citizens and a supply of herbs for incense making and rituals of resurrection.
Luigi found Carian surrounded by guards and aristocrats. He squirmed his way through a crowd gathering next to them. Carian and the others examined a body and discussed.
“I’m here.”
“Great,” Carian replied. “Shall we have a dirge and dance around?”
Luigi considered the question for a while. “I’d actually like that, yes.”
“This is the bard I mentioned, Lady Narra.” Carian turned to a kind-looking undead. “Cheeky, but helpful,” he said as he left.
Luigi introduced himself to Narra. “Thanks for doing what you can, Solare. I am Narra of the Noon-Day Sun. I understand that Gentians treat the deceased differently than us Aman-detians.”
“Isn’t variety the spice of life?”
Narra of the Noon-Day Sun glanced at his solo. “We are a city of spices. Alas, I am undead.” She smiled warmly. “But never mind that. Please give us your appraisal. Is there anything at all that could help us?”
Luigi knelt by the victim. Thin vines snaked through the mouth and nostrils of the undead, burying roots into their flesh.
A sense of foreboding crept through Luigi’s back and made his hair stand on end. A whisper brushed his mind, rustling inside of him, calling, demanding.
I will roll on Occult to investigate the cause.
Challenge, d10 + 1 = 6
Roll Occult, 2d10 = 4, 2
Fail. Can’t try Occult for the same task again today.
Darkness encroached, but Luigi clutched his solo. The trapped spirits stirred, and their disquiet anchored Luigi back to reality.
He got to his feet, a cold sweat making him shiver. “I’m sorry, Lady Narra. I can’t quite put my finger on it, but I… I don’t think it’s a mere disease.”
She gently put a hand on his shoulder. “Are you feeling well?”
“It must be the heat. I’m hardly used to hearing my thoughts sizzling. I swear I could drain the step well dry, my lady.”
She let out a joyful laugh. “Just Narra is fine. Don’t overexert yourself. I’ll be in the Temple of Resurrection if you learn anything.”
Narra walked away. Two people from her group covered and carried the victim after her.
Luigi recomposed himself. That disease carried something cursed, unnatural, and he wanted to find out more about it.
He made his way toward the heart of commerce in Aman-det, determined to sift through the murmur of the townsfolk to get wind of something useful.
The Smoke Market drenched Luigi in a thick aroma of spices, herbs, and incense. He marveled at the hive of shops, tents, and storefronts connected by walkways that bridged the gaps between buildings.
He stopped in front of a teahouse and pulled out his lute. ‘Memories of Frost’ would be a good choice for that hot day. Luigi started with a sequence of harmonics sharp as crystal ice, using a Gentian technique to amplify it.
I’m going to play songs to the passersby, inquiring and chatting anyone who lingers.
Challenge, d10 + 1 = 6
Roll Deft, 2d10 = 6, 4
Success
Most citizens had little to say about the disease. Some out of ignorance, others wary of even mentioning it. A few, however, pointed him toward the Honeyed Wind, an incense shop. The owner apparently had connections to the black market, and word was there were more victims of the disease than Narra and the council knew.
Luigi crossed the canvas flaps, and a wave of amber smoke enveloped him. Candlelight illuminated the racks of incense inside the Honeyed Wind. A stick burned atop the counter, releasing a sweet aroma of blossoms. Behind it, an undead woman drank lazily from a cup, eyes as sharp as her frame.
He approached and leaned on the counter. “I’m looking for something that can’t be found in sunlight.”
She took another sip. “I don’t sell shovels.”
“Oh, but you do, Ma’ri Walks on Clouds of Sweet Incense.” She raised an eyebrow at that. “I’m Luigi Solare, delighted to meet you. And I want to dig at the rot spreading through the undead.”
“Why would you do that, Luigi?”
“It seems a waste to let the jewel of the desert lose its shine.”
“Do you know what this smell is?” She put the mug down, leaned forward, and interlaced her fingers.
Luigi inspected the incense and sniffed theatrically. “Do I detect a hint of cherry?”
“You should detect full notes of a Conservatory dog full of shit.”
I’ll try to persuade her to talk more about it.
Ma’ri challenge, d8 + 2 (disadvantage, she doesn’t trust me) = 8
I use 1 stamina (4/5)
Persuasion roll = 9, 9, 2
Success!
I have to say I had already considered other routes.
“You wound me, Ma’ri. I’m a Gentian, but don’t hold it against me. This is not Conservatory business. To be honest, I’ve already got what I came in Aman-det for. That nasty blight, however…” Luigi shivered at the memory of the vines and roots taking over the undead. “Part of our training in the Conservatory involves tomes about powers on the fringes of reality, so believe me when I tell you that this disease is something hellish and twisted.”
She sipped her tea as she regarded him. “Again, why?”
“I don’t understand why compassion is met with cynicism. Is it so strange that I want to help?”
“Yes. It’s strange that you came here. It’s strange that you can’t give me a straight answer.”
Luigi looked around at the incense, then nodded. “I don’t agree with all the Conservatory ideals. Seeing this haven for the undead made me want to preserve it. Carian Who Leaves Trails in the Sand is a belligerent and impertinent bastard, which made me feel right at home. And Narra of the Noon-Day Sun… reminds me of someone.” He rubbed and spun the ring on his little finger.
“You’ve met them?” Ma’ri sounded reluctantly interested.
“I helped Carian with a transport, and Narra and a few aristocrats are investigating the disease, I think.”
“Did Carian send you here?”
“That would imply he’d tried to make my life easier, so no. He never mentioned you.”
“Let’s say I believe you, bard. What’s in it for me?”
I’ll try to persuade her again. I’ll hold on to my money if I can.
Ma’ri challenge, d8 + 2 (disadvantage, she doesn’t trust me) = 3
Persuasion roll = 6, 3
Success
Luigi grabbed his lute with a flourish and strummed a note. “How about a song of Ma’ri the Saint? How about having the sleep of the righteous?”
“I sleep just fine.”
Luigi slung the lute on his back again. “Then how about giving a damn for those who sleep with roots piercing their brains? I’m not here to flip secrets for coin. I’m here because something’s wrong, and I have a terrible feeling about it.”
Ma’ri pressed her lips into a thin line. “You’re a liar or a fool, bard. And just maybe a decent person.”
“Liar, fool, maybe decent. Sorry, have we met before?”
“Your feeling is right. It is something twisted. Roots in brains is not the worst of it.”
A cold sweat ran down the back of his neck. Visions of forests and untouched wildlife rushed through his mind, bringing a longing for nature to take over civilization.
“Those infected too long…”
His heart pounded, and a throbbing pain hammered his temple.
“…are taken over by the Verdant Growth.”
Roots and vines coiled over his heart, but he felt no pain. The candles snuffed out one by one, then the sun shone bright on a verdant oasis. He was no longer Luigi.
He was nature.
+1 Corruption - Marked by the Verdant Growth (1/9)
Reality hurled Luigi back into the Honeyed Wind. The candles still burned, its flames straight and still. Ma’ri stood at the counter as if nothing had happened.
“So?” she asked again. “Ever heard of it or not?”
“I have,” he replied, still shaking at the thoughts of the corrupting power. “The spreading spirit of nature that longs to end human influence and return the world to a state of unspoiled harmony.”
Thorns and brambles unfurled in his mind.
“Thank you, Ma’ri, you’ve been a great help. I have to tell Narra.”
“Leave my name out of it.”
Luigi stopped mid-run. “What are you so embarrassed about? Your fellow undead would be proud.”
She clicked her tongue and sent him away, but Luigi remained. She lowered her gaze. “If people suspect I care to give away favors, I’m suddenly on a side. I’m weak. I can’t be seen as soft in my business.”
“That’s awfully harsh. But surviving usually is, and survive we must. I just had no idea the incense game was this hot.” He smiled and hurried to the door, then halted and turned to her. “Caring is not weakness, Ma’ri. Especially when indifference comes so easily.”
Ma’ri groaned. “Make it a song, bard.”
“I found a muse. The rest is easy.”
“Luigi.”
He waited, surprised at her serious tone.
“Watch yourself against the Verdant Growth.”
Notes
First encounter with a corrupting power. Nice! And also a bit scary.
Even though I didn’t directly interact with it when talking to Ma’ri, I decided to add the mark because it made for a better scene.
We are supposed to get a mark the first time we encounter a power, and it’s not retroactive. If I didn’t know a corrupting power was involved in earlier rolls, there is no need to increase corruption.
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