Eberron PbP Story Hour – Chapter 1: Meet and Greet
“Two days to Sharn,” the ticket agent said as he gathered passes. As he left the car, the door closed behind him slowly, almost as if it were vacuum-sealing the passengers. The ragtag bunch crammed inside was a strange sight; a dwarf, an elf, a warforged, and three humans. All were obviously anxious and worried. The tension was palpable. After a few minutes, a voice broke the silence.
“Two days to Sharn,” repeated Jebber. “Are we all going to Sharn, then? Forgive my babbling if it’s out of place. I’ve never been on the Rail before and I’m quite excited to finally see Morgrave. Have any of you been to Sharn before?”
“I’ve been,” answered Lealani as she shifted to get a better look at the person who asked. “I live there some of the time.”
“How interesting!” continued Jebber. “I find travelers always have the most interesting stories. What about the rest of you? Aureon teaches that shared knowledge is doubled wealth.”
“No, my travels with the House never took me there, but it is supposed to be a fascinating place,” replied Kolthak. “I’m surprised the rail is so crowded that we’re packed in here like this. Hopefully we’ll be able to move around the train so as not to get stuck in place.”
“House, you say? If I may ask, which house is that?” Lealani asked, genuinely curious.
“Ach, there’s only one Dwarven House lass, Kundarak,” Kolthak answered with a chuckle.
“Of course!” Lea laughed lightly with a huge smile on her face, “But I would never presume to know what someone’s business is.”
Jebber smiled and nodded. “Kundarak’s scions have been a boon throughout Zilargo. Have you perchance visited, friend Dwarf?”
It was at this moment that Ilyra lowered her book and started paying attention.
“Should I assume you are one of the Dragonmarked, Dwarf? Or at least work for them?”
Kolthak had to physically turn in his seat to answer both people.
“No, I’ve not been to Zilargo,” he said to Jebber. He then turned to answer Ilyra.
“My family is part of the Kundarak clan.” Kolthak then glanced at what Ilyra was reading, “I’m guessing from that book that you’d be a wizard of some kind. I have an uncle who’s an abjurer.”
“Yes, I am a wizard,” Ilyra answered. “But I’m not specialized in anything, like your uncle. I prefer to study all aspects of magic equally. Hey, your uncle doesn’t have any contact with Morgrave University, does he? I studied there and I might have met him.”
“No, my uncle doesn’t work with Morgrave though he may have been there at some point. He does most of his work for the guilds of the House,” Kolthak explained.
“I know someone at Morgrave as well. Have you perchance studied with Master Geldem, my lady?” Jebber asked with great interest.
There was an audible hush in the car. It was at that moment that everyone else realized that these were the people Bonal wanted them to meet. Jebber continued.
“I’m quite grateful to him, as he’s actually the reason for my traveling. Did you study with him long, fair elf?”
“Not terribly long – he tutored me in the local history of Sharn when I was a little younger. I have always missed him though.”
Ilyra piped up. “I believe he wanted for us to meet each other on the way to Sharn. But I have no idea what he wants. Do any of you?”
“I don’t,” said Lealani. “I admit, I have been rather worried thinking about this business, his last correspondence was, well, not very like him.” She looked over each companion. “So then, what do you all do? The lady studies magic. What about the rest of you?” She smiled again, “Or we could just start with names.”
“Well, since Master Geldem wanted us to meet, we might as well start with the introductions”
Ilyra said, smiling, “My name is Ilyra Syrion and magic is just one of my fields of study. I like to fancy myself as a scholar, but I just recently graduated from Morgrave University, which was where I met Professor Geldem. ”
“Congratulations on your graduation,” Lea nodded towards Ilyra. She stood and pulled her skirt out around her, curtsying low. “Lealani of the noble House Phairlan. I am a singer and escort for my House. Before I received the letter from Master Geldem, I was on my way to continue my training with my Auntie in Sharn.”
Jebber spoke up next. “”Well met, well met! I am Jebber Roonkin, and I’m a junior research assistant at the Korranberg Library. Though recently, I’ve also taken up a bit of the family mantle as an initiate of the Sovereign Host. I don’t know anyone in Sharn, so I’m delighted to make all of your acquaintances.”
Kolthak’s answer was a little more to-the-point. “I am Kolthak of the Rundarak family of clan Kundarak.”
The quiet human who sat near the window finally spoke up. “I knew Master Geldam also. I am hopeful that he will be able to help me discover my family roots in Sharn. It is said that we
Blackthorn’s are supposedly related the great House of Denieth. My name is Rathan Blackthorn, a blacksmith by trade but I am moving on in hopes of discovering adventure and fame in this great world.”
Lealani sat back down between two of her new companions. “It’s a pleasure to meet you all. Anyone have a clue as to why Master Geldam would gather us all together, or what is going on?”
Before anyone could answer, the warforged spoke for the first time.
“Sitting there, minding his own business, taking a window seat since he’s not liable to get up for the entire two day trip. He would have been absolutely content to ignore everyone, everything, and just watch the passing scenery outside. What reason was there to bother with anything else?
The scenery wasn’t particularly judgmental, and if it was, it wouldn’t matter much since it would pass rapidly through the window and be replaced by something new.”
“But everyone else had to speak, and keep speaking. Annoying people, with their constantly moving around, adjusting this and that, talking about boring stuff that happened years ago. What’s their problem? But never mind that, they could be ignored. It’s not like they were trying to involve him in the conversation… or were they? Somebody said something like ‘derfurged’ a minute ago. And something something something Gell-dem. Never mind that. They couldn’t be talking to the garbage bin in the window seat minding his own business. Absolutely silent, not mumbling a single word.”
“And of course, these loud, disrespectful, ornery, ugly, lumpy, waterbags had no reason to suspect that the cold metal heroic figure sitting in the window seat was on his way to see the very same person that they were all headed for. They, of course, had no reason to suspect that
Bonal Geldem had tried to fix the poor scrap-heap that was staring blankly out the window. How would they know? It was an impossible probability that they might have overheard whispers in the shadows as the boarded the train. They must have looked down at him, knowing full well that such a broken, beaten, misshapen warforged soldier could never have had the honor of meeting one as generous as the great repairer Bonal Geldem. Nope. No way they would ever know.”
It was a few moments before anyone else spoke, waiting for the warforged to actually address someone directly. When he didn’t, Kolthak continued the previous conversation.
“Well, we have a few scholars, some spell slingers, a society person, someone seeking his fortune, and a…. warforged. I’d guess there is something he wants quietly investigated or sought out, and it may be magical in nature. And it’s probably in or near Sharn. But we’ll know soon enough when we see him. In the meantime, perhaps we should move about the train a little to stretch and see what other diversions may be available for the next day or two.”
Jebber perked up at this. “I think you have the right of it. And speaking of stretching, I’ve got a bit of a nosh. Anyone up for a trip to the dining car?”
Rathan acknowledged this. “I’d like to join you. The road has been long and I am thirsty.”
“That sounds wonderful. It is a bit cramped in here.” Lealani poked her head into the hallway and found a sign pointing to the dining car.
Kolthak stood up and stretched a bit. “Hopefully there is something worth eating or drinking on this trip.”
Ilyra closed her book and stuffed it inside her backpack before getting up. “I will be glad to join you in the dinner car.” She turned towards the warforged. “Hey, Mr. Warforged, I know you don’t eat, but would you join us out of courtesy?”
The warforged spoke to no one in particular. “The lone warforged waited, patiently, watching to the west of the gliding train, paying no attention to what was going on elsewhere around him.”
Lealani looked around curiously, “Does anyone else hear the… machine… ignoring us?”
Kolthak just shrugged and started off towards the dining car.
Rathan motioned to Lealani, “After you, my lady.”
“Thank you kind sir,” she said, smiling as she brushed past him and into the hallway.
Opening the door to the car just one over from theirs, the smell of hot food met their nostrils, causing involuntary salivating by the dwarf.
Shrapnel continued to stare out the window, oblivious to what was happening around him. He began to speak.
“Perhaps out of a strange sense of pity for the damaged and absent-minded seeming warforged, one of the guests approached them and attempted to strike a conversation. Having no interest in leaving his perch, the golem turned and responded, attempting to tactfully feign interest in the idea, and then dismiss it in what he hoped would amount to a friendly manner.”
Shrapnel turned briefly, facing the question. He then turned back to the window.
“I then restored my focus to the task at hand, the window to the west. There was much to survey during this trip, and the incredible volume of information to absorb presented itself in a smooth blur of colors and changing fauna. The light would provide an ever-changing range of colors and perspective. Somewhere out there was an adventure, waiting to happen.”
Suddenly, the window shattered inward into a thousand pieces! Shrapnel threw his arms up over his face, trying to keep the shards of broken glass out of his eyes. He moved his forearm and saw another warforged standing in the aisle of the room, a short sword in his hand and a rope tied around his waist. His eyes were blood red and he stared at Shrapnel with an obvious murderous intent.
