Whatever killed William defeated, the party managed to escape the tower, managing not to mess up the timeline any further. But they passed out as soon as they exited the tower…
The Bakery
The party awakens in what appears to be the storeroom of a bakery. The one-armed man is sitting at a table, sipping a mug full of tea.
“Ah, you’re awake. I’ll go get Alba,” the bearded man says, leaving the storeroom. The party scarcely has time to scramble to their feet when Alba breezes in, the front of her blue dress dusted with flour. Giving Alba a level stare, Indirianna takes the lead.
“You’re not just a baker, are you? We saw what you did back at the tower– the fireballs, and how you ‘just happened’ to know which talisman to grab to get us out of there. I think it’s time you came clean with us, Alba.” Indirianna says. Alba for her part, flushes and looks at the ground.
“I… used to be a wizard. But I left that behind a long time ago. William and I had a mentor-student relationship. A long time ago…” Alba says. Israfel rolls for insight.
“THAT’S why your bread is so delicious!” Israfel exclaims. There’s an awkward pause. Alba hands over a small leather-bound book.
“I found this on… on William’s workbench. I think it’s his journal. It should be of help to you,” Alba says. Rila takes the journal, and flips through it. Not knowing what else to do, the party retires to the decoy inn, and settle in for the evening
Journal Contents
The journal provides a record of the events following Mystra’s death. It talks about the devastation that the weave left in its wake. A world that was built on magic having its very foundation ripped away. And how there were few that hoped that Mystra would return and set things right. A friend of William’s, Kurt, mentioned a prophecy he had found, predicting the rebirth of the god of magic through the scattered remains of Mystra’s power. But he had no way of knowing when these aspects would surface, and knew that the forces working against Mystra would be looking for the aspects, hoping to absorb their power. Five of them, William, Kurt, Clarice, a cleric of Mystra, Raul, Kurt’s brother, and a woman only referred to as “T.” worked to craft a ward that would protect those blessed with Mystra’s power, and keep them hidden from enemy eyes. Creating the ward, which they bound to a talisman of Mystra, they decided to hide it away, and have Clarice keep guard. They found a suitable hiding spot, and William created a slowed timeline. While one hundred years have passed in our world, only two would have gone by in hidden temple. It’s at this point that the journal ends. Rila finishes reading the journal around dawn, and goes out to find out some more information.
The Next Morning
In the wee hours of the morning, Rila slips away from the decoy inn, making her way to Alba’s bakery. Rila again knocks on the door, and waits for an answer. The one-armed man answers the door, and seeing Rila, opens the door to let her in. He leads Rila upstairs to a simply decorated living room, where Alba is sitting. She smiles and gesture for Rila to sit down.
“Do you know anything about this Kurt guy?” Rila asks, with typical bluntness. Alba pauses for a moment, thinking.
“Y-es… he was friends with William. He lives to a town south of here — Ingleham, I think. Roughly two weeks away, if I remember correctly. Does he know something about…?” Alba says.
“I think so. If nothing else, he knows more than any of us do.” Rila replies. A sound catches the attention of both women. It sounds suspiciously like babies crying. Rila gives Alba a quizzical look. Alba smiles.
“That would be my children. They just started sleeping through the night.” Alba explains. She walks into the next room, where there are two infants. One is dressed in blue, the other in pink.
“Do they have names?” Rila asks.
“Charles and Jessica,” Alba replies. Rila nods, and having run out of things to say, slips back out the door. She heads back to the decoy inn, and prepares, along with the rest of the party, for the journey to Ingleham.
STITCH IN TIME: COMPLETE
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