Sequence of Events
This report details a mission posted by a citizen of Mosulk regarding a missing hellhound within the city. Officially undergoing this mission was Dacquoise Tart, but accompanying her for the trip was Wren and myself (more on that later). We dispatched the day following our acceptance of the mission. Travel was interrupted and delayed by a single day due to a phantasmal effect that affected Dacquoise and myself as we passed a forest, but at the time was determined to be an environmental disturbance that did not exceed thresholds for further investigation.
Upon arrival at the gates of Mosulk, we encountered a second delay in our mission. The city was evacuated and closed off — not unlike Queen’s Crossing as filed in my earlier report — due to a dangerous artefact being sighted in the premises, and we entered under authority of the guild to resolve the situation to mixed success. To avoid clogging this report in the details, this will be filed separately as Supplemental Report A. If you cannot find it, it’s likely to be held as confidential due to the involvement of the Judicators.
After the city was cleared for civilian access and we rested from the ordeal at the Argensolde manor, Wren and I went about our business while Dacquoise went to visit the person that posted the mission request. As it turns out, the information on the mission was misleading—the hellhound was in fact multiple regular pet dogs. However, investigation of the premises led to a discovery pointing towards fey influence. Considering me the closest source on matters of the area around Mosulk, we discussed possible leads to take this, ultimately coming to the conclusion that the forest we passed on the way may be the source.
Further research by Dacquoise led to the conclusion that she alone was woefully underequipped for the mission and, in accordance with chapter 4, section 15 of the Kovan Guild Charter, requested that Wren and I join the mission group. We were at a nadir in our personal affairs at the time so we accepted and, after a brief preparation, requisitioned a carriage to bring us back to the aforementioned forest. It was there that we encountered a small group of fey at work, a will’o’wisp in particular having entranced the corgis in question.
As it turns out, corgis have a tenuous, but apparent connection to the First World, not unlike the gnomish population in Kova. The fey did not want to negotiate with civilised people as such and took arms almost immediately. While Dacquoise and I lent our spells from the rear, Wren entered the front line, blending her own ice magic with martial force expertly, but it also left her as a primary target. The fey were more prepared than we expected in addition; they were armed with viciously serrated weapons styled after the mantis’s claws and, even with Dacquoise’s magical defenses, Wren sustained rather profusely bleeding wounds from these blows. Fortunately, Dacquoise is also skilled in healing magic and was able to tend to her without hesitation.
Eventually, between Wren’s assault and my continued work disabling their forces individually, we were able to rout the fey and retrieve the corgis. We returned them to their master that evening and retired to House Argensolde to rest before our return tomorrow.
However, that night I started showing symptoms of the Mosulk Plague after fifteen years of dormancy.
I had lost consciousness through much of the night, but based on the information I received afterwards, the man who posted the mission was en route to the manor at the time to deliver us a gift as personal thanks. Hearing a panic in the manor, he hurried and forced the doors down, thinking we were in danger. Wren was able to calm both him and our maidstaff down before anything truly dire could happen, after what already happened last night. A doctor was summoned in a hurry, and he determined that while I did not appear to be contagious even now, my time was still short, and advised I carry handkerchiefs and burn them nightly from now on.
For now, Dacquoise is helping prevent the plague from doing too much damage to my body. However, I don’t have much time left regardless, and
[The ink on the crossed-out sentence is splotched and diluted in spots from when it was still fresh.]
Findings
With the discovery of the deception outlined in Supplemental Report A, there is a newly highlighted danger of dissent or even treachery among the guild’s numbers. To find that the Judicators of one guild are hiding behind another’s crest begets a likelihood of unscrupulous acts being performed, which puts the guilds themselves in ill repute and at risk of infighting or rebellion. It is based on my personal experience that an audit of the guilds is in order, and a letter has been sent to the relevant parties.
Of the mission itself, nothing especially interesting was noted. While the involvement of the fey complicated what was an otherwise simple job, their presence in Kova’s forests has always been fairly well-known. At worst, this could be seen as them becoming especially unruly and agitated, but that is for someone more qualified to decide; Dacquoise’s report should have more information on the specifics in such a case since she was doing the investigative work.
Owing to the complications Dacquoise’s mission faced and the resultant hiring of Wren and myself, as per chapter 4, section 16 of the Kovan Guild Charter, we have filed for compensation of assets used in the course of the mission.
Likewise, I will not be able to use my pension properly, so in accordance with chapter 3, section 22 of the Kovan Guild Charter, I have also filed to receive what I have accrued immediately; a copy of the doctor’s report was attached as proof.
~Runica T. Argensolde of Mogaru