(2) Severozov - Cylinder Shenanigans

After a pleasant rest in the Severozov Garrison, Kopek was tasked by Captain Belov with his first assignment as a member of the city watch. Naturally, Levi would accompany him as the bearer of the magical cylinder, and Cornelius would follow in hopes of destroying Levi’s spinner. Belov informed the trio of a merchant called Dan, whom Levi had met upon his entrance into the city and was at that moment in a spot of trouble, the details of which Belov did not disclose. After passing the garrison’s guards once more, mention was made of the famed wizard and cult leader Andronicus Taith, whom the guards admired to some degree. Andronicus Taith’s exploits remained largely shrouded in mystery, but the cult of personality he developed was the opposite. Cornelius, as a businessman himself, also admired Taith, while Kopek expressed disgust at the mention of the deceiver’s name.

Strolling through the upper city, the party arrived at Lavrenti’s Vendors, a prominent shop run by Dan, exhibiting all manner of typically useless trinkets. A fine oak door served as the entrance to the store, and upon opening it the trio discovered another trio inside. Three hobgoblins, of similar appearance to the mercenaries encountered at the garrison, were threatening a portly man, whom Levi immediately recognized as Dan himself. The rest of the shop was decorated with assorted odds and ends: old suits of armor, fine jewelry in glass cases, and in the corner, an exotic cage with a tiger pacing inside. After brief negotiations, in which insults were thrown back and forth, the hobgoblin thugs attacked. The scuffle ended as quickly as it began, as Cornelius flourished his elegant cane sword and Kopek deftly released arrow after arrow from his longbow. Levi catapulted one of the aforementioned pieces of armor into a hobgoblin, knocking his head clean off. His horrified compatriots begged for mercy, collecting his body and exiting the store, slowed by webbing coating the floor (which had been magically generated by Levi also).

Dan informed the party of his desire for them to enter the Library of Severozov and peacefully remove Nicolas, ending the Kasar’s penchant for magical experimentation and hopefully discouraging other volatile individuals from traveling to the city. Cornelius expressed interest in Dan’s tiger, of the noble name Oleg, stating that he would complete the task in exchange for the beast. Dan’s show of distraught agreement was quickly identified as farcical, but instead of robbing him of his favorite pet, the party agreed to accept some form of monetary compensation upon their tasks completion. Notably, they neglected to share the fact that Taghai had asked them to perform the same task and bring Nicolas to him, unsure of whether Dan could be trusted. Unlike Taghai, Dan was able to provide the party with some more details regarding this task. As Cornelius had already determined, the permission of Nicolas’ orcish steward Kostya would be required to gain entry into the library. To gain that permission, Dan suggested the use of the party’s newly acquired arcane cylinder as a demonstration of their magical innovation, sure to impress Kostya and allow them into the library as researchers. It just so happened that Dan knew the whereabouts of the cylinder’s previous owner, the tabaxi Nat Sanya, prior to his death at the hands of his supposed creation. He had rented a room in the Naked Bear Inn, and his notes might remain as a clue to controlling the cylinder. The party departed for the Naked Bear Inn with a few bottles of Slavn’t, the beloved Bereslav beverage, and a sparkled fedora for Levi.

Upon arriving at the Naked Bear Inn, the trio was greeted by an unoccupied desk with a rack of keys placed behind it. Upon the desk was a list of the current occupants and a bell. A slave to impulse, Cornelius rung the bell immediately, seemingly abandoning any semblance of stealth as the concierge rushed from a back room to inquire about their business. As the party had no intention of renting a room, Levi, at the behest of Kopek, did the only reasonable thing and - through the luck of the gods - turned the concierge into a squirrel. They quickly located Nat’s room on the second floor of the inn, which overlooked the lobby across a wooden railing. After a brief investigation, the three discovered a mug of beer sitting atop a dresser and a bloodstained notebook resting in a glass of water. The notebook was clasped shut by a lock, possessing some magical properties, or so sensed Levi. Upon the lock was a circle divided into four quadrants, one of which was colored red and another of which was shaded blue. Upon removing the notebook from the water, the blue color disappeared, and the party quickly realized what was required of them. Pouring beer on the book colored another quadrant brown, and after a moment, Cornelius was able to produce one final fluid (of the bodily variety), to color the last quadrant white and unlock the notebook.

Examining the book enlightened the trio regarding the cylinder’s function, or rather functions. To activate it would require the cylinder’s contact with one of four fluids: blood would produce a deadly wave of energy, water could generate a protective barrier, and alcohol had the potential to influence the minds of those nearby. The notes made clear that for the final fluid a consistent effect could not be pinpointed. Along with this information came a warning that the cylinder’s magic was volatile, and required great strength of will to control. The trio’s excitement over the newfound potential of this artifact was soon interrupted as a small object bounced through the doorway, exploding in a shockwave that knocked them off of their feet. As they gradually gathered their senses, a voice carried up from the lobby of the Naked Bear, demanding the cylinder, and threatening bloodshed if the party refused…