Chương 47: Featherift Noir

The shantytown was as abandoned as how Jordan and Canyon had first found it, made even more desolate in daylight. The pair had to dodge the attention of several city guards on their way in, only getting past one particularly dutiful guard by Jordan flashing his [Emblem of Featherift]. Playing the 'I'm kind of a hero' card was an entirely new experience for him—one he'd have to get used to quickly if he planned on participating in more clandestine activities." How did you happen on the notion to come here, anyway?"

Canyon asked as the pair walked past the collapsed sign of a dilapidated noodle shop.

"Did Akula communicate with you somehow?"" I'm… not sure exactly." At the look upon Canyon's rectangle, Jordan hastened to elaborate. The Chronicler had been so forthcoming with the details of her investigation. There was no reason for Jordan to be coy about his potential role in it." I'm saying I'm not sure if Akula communicated with me directly. I still don't understand the, uh, mechanism behind this special thing my Vessel does."" Your Vessel? Did you finally manage to cast a spell?"" No, not a spell …"

Such was the superficiality of Jordan's knowledge of his own Vessel that he struggled to find the right words. In the end, he decided to stick to system terminology.

"It's called [Voidcross]. Ever heard of it? And when it, uh, activated, the log used the word [manifest] instead of [cast]." Canyon's rectangle creased in a thoughtful frown." I can't say I'm familiar with the exact phrase [Voidcross]. Although… it does hew uncannily close to a passage from the records of the Unification Wars. In describing Zaul Wreathworn the First Emperor, one particular historian rather curiously wrote, and I quote: he who crosses the Void must look within to see the shape of the world."

Jordan's first instinct was to nod sagely as if he understood perfectly. He then immediately realized that he'd understood exactly none of it." Sounds like it could be relevant," he observed, "but it would be more helpful if it actually made a lick of sense.""

The concept of introspection leading to greater agency in the larger world is neither esoteric nor particularly noteworthy," Canyon retorted, sounding more than ever like a certain God of Intelligence, "but I agree that the descriptor'he who crosses the Void' is rather opaque. Prior to this conversation, I would've read it as an obscure reference to certain elements of spellcraft, but…" The woman turned to Jordan, studying him as if he were a historical document to be deciphered." What?" Jordan asked.

"You don't think I have anything to do with this Zaul Wreathworn, do you? What am I, like a long-lost descendant or something? Do Stormvasters believe that type of stuff?"" I don't know. I know so little about you, Jordan."" Trust me, there's really not much to know. I came from a foreign land with nothing but the clothes on my back and a Vessel that apparently lets me travel back in time when it feels like it. It's… probably best that we leave it at that."" Is that how you learned about Akula's past?

By traveling back in time?"" Well, that's my head canon anyway, until proven otherwise. All I know is I had a vision of this shantytown before it looked like, well, this. In it, a young Garuda girl was having a hard time fitting in with other kids her age. I followed her as she ran into… this house." Arcana DC 14: success No whispers to guide him this time, but Jordan managed to retrace his steps far more smoothly than he'd expected. As if by muscle memory.

The house, perhaps unsurprisingly, looked much the worse for wear compared to the vision. Indeed, it was possibly the most badly damaged building in the whole shantytown, a mangled skeleton of blackened wood." That's odd," Jordan murmured, trying on a detective's hat for size.

"Is it just me or does this look like—"" The aftermath of a fire," Canyon confirmed Jordan's suspicions.

"And judging by the fire seeming to have spread from the outside in, I would go one step further and posit arson." Jordan's blood ran cold, as children's laughter rang in his head. The vision that [Voidcross] had shown him had been anything but happy, but still, he hadn't imagined the corresponding reality to have been quite this heinous." What's that?" Canyon pointed into the blackened wreckage of the house.

There, sitting atop an unusually neat pile of debris, almost as if someone had built a shrine just for its benefit, was—" The doll!" Jordan exclaimed as he dashed into the wreckage, not stopping to wonder if he was up to date on his tetanus shots.

"In the vision, the young Garuda had this stuffed doll with her, kinda like a little kid never going anywhere without their teddy bear. This has to be…" Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. Investigation DC 10: success Jordan trailed off as he studied the doll in detail. The thing depicted a human child of indeterminate gender, with a plump face and patchy hair that was singed in parts. It was…

honestly quite ugly, reminding Jordan somewhat of the Cabbage Patch Kids he knew only from memes and creepy edits. But what struck him most was just how clean the doll looked compared to its surroundings. Granted, some of the fire damage was impossible to disguise, but otherwise, the thing was mostly free of soot, grime, and all the signs you'd expect of a long-abandoned toy. And as Jordan bent to pick it up, a new thought occurred to him." Do you think Akula's been back here? To tend to this doll?""

I doubt that a full-grown Garuda would've been able to enter and leave the city without anyone's notice. Besides which, why wouldn't she take the doll with her if it holds so much sentimental value? But I do take your point, Jordan, in that someone had surely salvaged this doll from the wreckage and has since made concerted efforts to preserve its condition. As to who that someone might be—"" Hey! What are you doing here? Put that down!" The detective pair swiveled in unison toward the gruff voice.

Jordan especially half-expected to see an angry, green-feathered bird woman standing over him with wings spread wide. Instead, he was met by: <Character Sheet> Name: BARLEY of ROCKY WOODS Race: Human Age: 55 Class: Pathfinder, Lv. 3 Vessel: Cup of Regret The newcomer was a shaggy mess of a man, looking like he'd just rolled out of whatever was the Stormvaster equivalent of a dumpster behind a train station. Long, matted hair. Somehow even longer beard.

The man's tattered rags for a tunic gave off a pungently sour stench, as he strode barefoot into the wreckage and snatched the doll out of Jordan's hand. Jordan was too stunned to react. His mind had gone blank other than to think: I know this guy hasn't had his tetanus shot! It was all he could do to exchange glances with Canyon, who seemed just as taken aback by the turn of events. The man called Barley spent a moment or two to examine the doll, presumably to check for damages.

He then stared incredulously between the two strangers, even as his already dirt-covered face darkened some more in anger." Just who the hell do you think you are, barging into someone's home like you own the place? Thought you could get away with it, did ya? Like I wouldn't notice you stealing the doll!" Who the hell would want to steal this shabby thing? Jordan thought but didn't say. Good thing, too, because Canyon had a much more diplomatic way to say the same thing."

We're sorry for the intrusion, sir, but I can assure you we had no intention of stealing anything. May I ask, are— were —you an occupant of this house?" Barley of Rocky Woods drew back as if he'd been slapped." N—no," the man muttered, suddenly defensive.

"But that don't give yous the right to—"" You knew the occupants, though?" Jordan finally found his voice, his nascent detective instincts kicking into high gear.

"Can you tell us about them? Information. That's all we're here for."" Information?" Barley narrowed his eyes. In mistrust, yes, but also with a hint of fear.

"Wh—what are yous, anyway? A Chronicler and a… Gatekeeper? Level 30? Just what do you expect to find here? There's nothing left of this place, can't you see?"" But you're still here." This from Canyon, serenely authoritative where Jordan might have come across as accusatory.

"And you clearly think there's still something here worth protecting, starting with that doll. Could we take just a few minutes of your time, sir? We only want to understand." Yet, not even Canyon's good cop act could reach the subject. Barley drew back further from the both of them, eyes darting wildly. Insight DC 10: success He's looking to make a run for it! We can't let that happen. He quite literally might be our only lead…

A 55-year-old man who—despite the highly useful classification of Pathfinder—had stagnated at a mere Lv. 3 all his life. Jordan felt a bit like he'd time-traveled again, this time to the future, where he met a possible version of himself … if he never found a way to get his act together. Also, he's the same age as Akula. Which … come on, it can't be a coincidence, right? Barley obviously has a story—one of potentially great interest to your and Canyon's investigation—but the man is profoundly reluctant to tell it.

Will you… 1) Let him go. The man is clearly determined to wallow in his regrets to the end of his days. Who are you to stop him? 2) [Charisma DC 16 (Hard)] Keep working that bad cop good cop angle. You've seen how they do it in the movies. Shouldn't be too hard to pull off! [Favorable: CHA modifier (+3). [That Dawg In You] (+2). Canyon is pretty good at good cop (+2).] [Adverse: Barley is already super spooked (-4).] 3) [Wisdom DC 12 (Medium)] The man has already cornered himself without any help from you.

The last thing he wants is also the first thing he needs. [Favorable: WIS modifier (+7). [That Dawg in You] (+2). Thanks to your [Voidcross] vision, you have at least a vague idea of what might be eating Barley (+2).] [Adverse: Barley has his guard up, fragile though it might be (-2).] The choice, in the end, was a simple one. Jordan the gamer of course took a moment to calculate the odds, which showed one option to be much more favorable than the other.

But Jordan the human knew there really was only one right way to play it. Thankfully, in this case, the gamer and the human found themselves in alignment. 3) This Barley doesn't want but needs a helping hand to grab onto.