Seris Faydren

Philomena Ophiseris Faydren is the illegitimate child of the prince made priest, Gunther von Hohenburg, and a palace cook's daughter, Alaene Faydren. She was conceived three years prior to her father taking holy orders. If there is a connection between her birth and Gunther's interest in pious vows, Seris does not know. However, she never felt the lack of a father-- her mother's love was more than enough. They made a comfortable living at a small bakery (The Flaky Bake) prized for Alaene's delightful pastries-- until a rebuffed noble by the name of Haxen, hired thieves to leave her shop in ruins.

Though she was unable to prove Haxen's guilt-- nor invoke him to pay for damages-- Seris sought revenge. She convinced local vendors to deny Haxen their goods and services; she framed the thieves when Haxen's own businesses were robbed (by Seris herself); and began a deliciously embarrassing rumor regarding Haxen's bedroom habits.

When Haxen began to unravel the source of his misery, Seris was commanded to the palace. There, the Grand Duke's advisors made her an offer she couldn't refuse: Disappear into Rudenia's military forces and ensure her mother's physical/financial protection-- or, rot in prison and never hear from her mother again.

This was how Seris began her new life as a Rudenian soldier. Often, Seris wonders who at the Duke's court laid down the ultimatum, and set her upon this path. Her grandfather? Her father? Or some other entity...Regardless, guided by Tyramus, Seris rose in rank to become a captain of her own company until it was forcibly disbanded following reports of overzealousness. At the start of the campaign, she is trying to absolve her soldiers by figuring out who falsely accused her company of corrupt practices.

Session 1

Maman--

It's good to be home again. I'm sorry to say this time won't make my list of favorite homecomings. At least your smile makes every fight worth while. I'm sorry each time I give reason for it to disappear, but you know I won't apologize for doing what I must.

Though you've never said it, I know you wish I never had to raise a sword for you-- or Rudenia-- but I have my reasons. I promise one day I won't have to leave, Maman. One day, I'll be home to stay and you will never need to look over your shoulder again. No one will ever darken our door with their miserable business.

Speaking of which-- I'm glad Mrs. Chow has been a rose at your side for the past few months. Upon meeting her, I can understand why you've welcomed her into our home and given her a place in the Flaky Bake. If you'd be willing, perhaps we could also make use of the spare rooms by offering them to the other patrons who saved our lives-- Aireh, Maurice, and Eryk. It's the least we could do, isn't it?

And Maman, when I tell you that the five of us made quite a sight today, running all over the city in search of a viper-- I'm surprised the city guard didn't come after us. Not that they seem competent these days. We found a man asleep at his post, and it reminded me of when Lieutenant Mosang would stay awake with a game involving his fingers and a knife...

I wish he were here. Have you heard news on his father? I wanted to send gold for the funeral, but the postmaster returned the letter unopened. I'll try again once the group and I sell some gems from the viper's nest. I doubt my cut will be much after the stunt I pulled (you know me, Maman)-- but I expect it will still be a decent amount of coin.

In the cache, there should be a nice egg that the Flakey Bake could use. I have a feeling the lamb has gone rotten and we'll have to get rid of it fast. The foxes didn't get in by themselves. Also, remember: If you must make pie, trust wulves and their teeth.

I love you, Maman. Be safe.

on the back of Seris' letter and in Elvish

i have the razor

Session 1.5

hastily scrawled on a scrap piece of paper and tucked inside a well loved copy of Der Katzenprinz

patrons and i were sent to recover a lost recipe as a favor to an old family friend-- bakey flake apple pie. why would a family friend would ask maman to bake someone else's pie?? at least it wasn't lamb. blegh.

maurice scouted and reported goblins patrolling old bakery. managed to stealth inside and found dull baking utensils hard at work, despite many years since village slaughter. learned these goblins made terrible bakers-- but knew how to properly store meat?? unfortunately, did not have opportunity to explore extent of their skillsets.

poisoned (but unharmed) upon finding half of apple pie recipe. retrieved other half with maurice's expertise (and mrs. chow's guidance) after eliminating goblins inside bakery apartment. reunited with eryk, who made ill-advised choice to consume remaining bakery supplies. at least they survived with a stomach ache.

met a treant. couldn't offer a sapling for maman, but granted us three of their apples. will admit they were very delicious in my dream. wonder if there's really a treant in the old village...

notes to self: - ask mrs. chow if she knows how to make egg tarts - listen to maurice play flute. if talented-- live entertainment at flakey bake? - does eryk need parchment and ink? - has aireh fought goblins before?

Session 2

tucked between two spools of black and white thread in a sewing basket; and delivered to the Pondering Cat, to Maurice's room, in the morning

Maman--

Forgive me. We loosed a snake in the garden and I fear it may be some time before it finds a new home. Perhaps it would be wise to hang up those gardening gloves of yours for a while. I'm sure your tulips will be all right if they go untended for a few weeks. You've raised them well, Maman. In their gentle, lamb-white petals, I find precious respite from all the world's ails. I wonder if that's why you planted them in the first place.

I wish there were more people like you, Maman. Instead, everywhere I turn, there seem to be liars and thieves, and they grow bolder everyday. At the market, three of them picked the pockets of me and my companions. Thankfully, we managed to retrieve our hard earned coin before they could escape.

We spent much of said coin at the shop of Alfader Wymingwood, who also happens to be Eryk's employer. He and I exchanged a few words I'm sure I'll regret if I should like to remain friends with Eryk. I imagine you would have an easier time charming the old wizard but I should warn you that he doesn't pay his employees properly, fails to respect their personal time away from work, and holds a cache of elf ears somewhere in his shop. Mrs. Chow was quite disappointed in the shop's ethics but I bet the spice bag Maurice bought her will keep her quite happy. I know we'll only reap the benefits of that purchase but the eagerness with which Maurice parted from his coin surprised me. I know I ought to assume he was motivated by kindness and yet...I'd advise you to secure the coffers.

Nothing would have prepared us for when the wizard prince arrived unannounced. It was strange to be in the presence of royalty without pomp and circumstance to dictate our proper manners. He didn't pay us commoners any mind-- just retrieved his goods and left. I have a feeling he'd be no different if the Duchy was passed to him. Only time will tell if that's a good thing or not. Given our circumstances, I wonder if he would be the lesser of two evils.

Regardless of who takes the Grand Duke's throne, you and I will make lamb pies soon, Maman. I love you. Be safe.

in tiny Elvish runes, beneath the lip of the envelope:

again, the ram betrays the ewe

Session 3

--tw: implied abuse--

on a set of papers which have clearly been rewritten several times, as evidenced by the number of indentations on the page. however, it remains blank. the desk upon which these papers are discovered is covered in eraser shavings, as if the author couldn't bear staring at their own confessions

in a mix of Elvish runes and Common letters

I keep forgetting he's gone. One minute, I'll be sparring at the barracks, a sword in my hands and prepared to deal an educational blow to a trainee. The next, I find the blunt end of a practice blade at my neck, my mind having stuttered on the fact that my father no longer breathes in this realm. And yet, I feel his ghost.

It's foolishness. I held his skull in my own hands; I saw Mrs. Chow set his bones aflame. Now that he's gone, my nightmares should no longer find a perch in my reality.

Last night's dream was absurd. Maman and I were climbing a crooked old tree, collecting heart-shaped apples, laughing. And at the base of the tree, he was there, boosting us up to reach the higher limbs. He held a hand out for Maman and even kissed it, gently, like her hands were as soft and unworked as a lady's. It was so idyllic-- until --he snapped every bone in Maman's fine fingers and then reached out for me. My ears have not stopped ringing since I woke up and it still hurts to swallow the honeyed tea in my flask. At least the heat has helped soothe the worst of my scars.--

My friends have also been of great aid in this manner. Without Eryk and Maurice's infiltration of the Ceel Guild, I fear we would have missed the window of opportunity to enact justice against my father. And Mrs. Chow's bright enthusiasm makes for a wonderfully entertaining diversion-- she makes me and Maman laugh more than I think we ever expected to.

I realize now how much I appreciate the little pieces of them that keep me whole. The smell of egg tarts and char siu bao in the ovens. The furious scribblings of penned genius on parchment. Even the flute melodies that drift in throughout The Flakey Bake. I think for my own sanity, I need to be with these people. I know Maman will understand. I pray she will also understand how my father's death was a necessary evil-- and lesser than the one he committed in his transgressions against us and Rudenia.

I almost wish I had run him through within the walls of the Grand Church. Let the befouled haven he created become his own tomb. The whole world would have seen him for what he was-- a monster in the guise of a man. Listening to Eryk was one of the hardest decisions I've ever made in my life but upon reflection, it was for the best to spare any innocent bystanders any harm.

I've killed him a thousand times in my sleep. Mrs. Chow killed him once, in real life. That will have to be enough.

Session 4

on crisp sheets of paper, rolled up to be used as kindling. discreetly burned minutes after being written.

Ben,

You probably met a wizard today. His name is Eryk, and he's every bit as impetuous as you were. I'd like to think that, before we brought him back, the two of you struck up a conversation on books delineating various theoretical magics. No doubt it'd be something the School would envy.

We were there today, by the way. You would have fit right in among those stacks. For a moment, I imagined I was going to find you walking those halls. Those robes would have suited you better than any soldier's uniform, and every one of their leather-bound books would have been gentle on your calluses.

Much to your disappointment, my companions and I couldn't stop to read. We were there to steal a feather, which could summon a roc to take us to the fortress at Starlake. Earlier this morning, Eryk revealed my father's plan to disable the force field that's all that prevents the southern nations from suffering the same fate as the north. It seems that my father's corruption had no bounds, and despite being beyond the grave, his sins still determine my own...

Speaking of which: I pushed a man to certain death off the back of a bird today. He and his raiding party sought to take the roc from under our feet, and we would never have made it to the fortress on foot. Certainly not after dropping from hundreds of feet in the air. If his lord-- Aurus? Orcus?-- even thinks to sniff in our direction, we'll make sure he understands that we were only protecting our own. We did what needed to be done.

Session 5

Once my companions and I arrived at Starlake, we were met by a Commander Heinrich of Springfield, who directed us to where we could stable the roc. We informed him of the plot to breach the fortress and invade the southern nations but he wasn't easily convinced. I'm...uneasy...about the fact that every person we've encountered here has expressed an absurd amount of faith in a wall that comes down with the pull of a lever. In fact, when we arrived, it was down to admit supplies.

Admittedly, I don't doubt the strength of the wall while it's raised. We had a chance to inspect the force field while in search of any demons that took advantage of the fortress' vulnerability. Even after a vicious spell was flung directly at it, the wall was impenetrable. Thank gods for it, or I wouldn't likely be writing you now.

But knowing what we know-- was my father planning to exploit a magical oversight, or is there something else at play? We spoke to the wizard in charge of maintaining the force field, who claimed that the mechanism was a gift from the Emperor of Axis himself. I know I'm one to be weary of royal authority but I still can't help thinking there's an intentional defect to the mechanism. Perhaps I'll have my fears allayed tomorrow, when we meet with the wizard's assistant at a local tavern-- notably out of the wizard's earshot.

I hope she can be trusted. Starlake is the last place we would want to ruffle any feathers. I'd hate to cause any trouble for Mrs. Chow's children while they're taking refuge here. Seeing them all together makes my heart ache for Maman and The Flakey Bake, and reminds me of how often I keep telling myself I'll lay this sword to rest soon.

I pray I do not lie.

Session 6

written on a scrap of paper meant for kindling. burned before ink finishes drying.

Ben,

The training grounds have fresh meat again. A tiefling and an aasimar, if you could believe it. Still not quite sure what they're doing in Rudenia but they've definitely sparked my curiosity-- especially after the tiefling set a fire in the courtyard. Before Mrs. Chow's lunch too! Thankfully her burning pile of sticks didn't set off any of the other flammables in the area and we could consume our lunch in relative peace.

Saw them again when I met up with Wulfe to see if he had any tasks to complete, and added myself and Mrs. Chow to their makeshift numbers. Apparently the ranch owned by a farmer named Big Al Kalazorn was raided by orcs earlier in the day, and needed to be cleared out. On the road to right this wrong, Wulfe directed us to one path while he and a few other soldiers proceeded on another.

Instead of a farm, our group came upon a long-deserted village once overrun by invaders. However, we found a trio of horses with Kalazorn's brand, and figured we were close. Upon my remembering there was a shrine to the god of divination around the corner, we headed there to see if the god might guide us.

We got more than we bargained for at the shrine. Though free of any remaining orcs in the area, there was an oversized mimic guised as an enormous treasure. If it wasn't for the tiefling and the aasimar, I imagine we'd be having this conversation in person. Begrudingly, I'm quite impressed (and appreciative) of the contraption Ignis carries.

Eventually, Aenon-- the aasimar-- tracked our way back to the farm, where we returned the horses (and a cow) to their respective pens. Wulfe and his men looked to have already taken care of the orcs so we helped them clear the mess and repair some of the damage before making our way back to Rudenia.