Buckle up, we’re gonna do 54 hours of content in five chapters.***
<aside> ‼️ This denotes an event that was caused by the chaos bar!
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Our heroes’ story begins on Kyrthys, a flying city known as the last remnants of civilization before the Wildes overtook the planet of Acrimon. Three party members - CURRENT, ADRIELLE HOLLOWTIDE, and GIDEON OSMUND live as students of the Arcaenon, the religious power structure on Kyrthys. The trio’s lives are interrupted as an announcement is made to the denizens of the Arcaenon and castle. The Royal Ossyrov family’s three potential heirs - the triplets ZA’RAH, KALYN, and MYSHA - are instructed to choose champions who will venture into the dangerous Wildes and discover a prophecy that will determine the fate of Kyrthys. Having been saved by her after an assassination attempt once before, Mysha blurts out Adrielle’s name, and the Castle Kids’ fate is sealed.
As the Castle Kids prepare for the Arcaenon’s announcement, we meet BRINE, a halfling assassin, who lives in a room at The Sandy Shore Inn with her cat companion, a gray tabby named Cat. One of her contacts, CAPTAIN REDER, offers her a job that she declines, because she was recently caught joyriding with Gideon and is under watch. She takes him to meet WINONA FYTEFAIR, an activist in The Weeds. Reder asks Winona to carry a small metal box on her person for a couple of weeks, for double Brine’s usual day rate.
KARINA KINNEAR is a friend of Winona’s who wants to stage a protest at the Arcaenon’s announcement. Brine convinces Karina to do something more direct, which Karina takes to mean that she should commit arson against one of the many gentrifying construction projects in the Weeds.
After handing off the metal box to Winona, Captain Reder is murdered by a cloaked figure carrying a scythe. The assassin seems intent on finding the mysterious object.
ALAN OSMUND, Hierophant of Valix and Gideon’s adoptive father, struggles with Gideon’s decision to join Adrielle and Current in the Wildes. The two have an intense and emotionally fraught argument over it, as Gideon’s parents VALERIA and MORGAINE OSMUND both died on an expedition where Alan was the sole survivor. Gideon gives a tearful apology, as Alan is the only family she has and she doesn’t want to leave on a bad note. Alan relents and gives Gideon her parent’s and Alan’s journals from their expedition. Alan agrees to send his student AND Wildes expert, JULIAN CENTURION, along with them on the expedition.
During their last night in the city, The Castle Kids head to Haus of Huntress, a bar known for its underground shark fighting ring. Gideon runs into Brine, a poker buddy and long-time romantic entanglement. The two meet with charged feelings as the last time they saw one another, Brine left a mix-tape in Gideon’s bed with an unambiguous message regarding how she felt. Gideon mentions her trip to the Wildes the next day, and Brine demands she go along, as The Castle Kids have zero experience surviving outside of Kyrthys.
After she agrees to go into the Wildes with the Castle Kids, Brine tells Winona about the plan, and Winona agrees to come as well. With the party chosen for the Arcaenon’s mission, Brine goes to the Kyrthys docks to find CAPTAIN GEMMA VARIO, a long-time contact and sometimes lover. She asks for a significant amount of gold upfront and upon completion of the mission, which Brine acquires from Adrielle, who acquires it from Mysha.
Before leaving Kyrthys, Current receives a note from her dad, who’s been M.I.A. since the Arcaenon’s announcement. It’s written on a ripped piece of the deed to their house, and it contains a small metal box that is identical to the one currently held by Winona.