Quesada's Swan

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4

Off to Lionel Island we go!

My goodness, what a long boat ride...

In the middle of the way there, I get into another skit. Eizen's told us that the Bloodwings had the Abbey distracted by telling them the Van Eltia's raiding the Abbey somewhere else...

Rokurou's not the kind of guy that likes sneaking from the back door, he calls it "[too] cloak-and-dagger."

Benwick sees a ship ahead!

Magilou thinks it's a ghost ship.

Benwick: "It's an Abbey ship! Their flag—it's a distress signal!"

It might be a trap...

Eizen goes for it.

Eizen: "A ship signaling distress has neither allies nor enemies. That's a code all seafarers abide by."

I'm still thinking it's a trap. So does Velvet.

Benwick: "Not even pirates would use a distress signal for a surprise attack."

After rescuing the crew, though, the crew takes away all they have.

Eizen decides to take care of them head on if the signal's a trap.

The crew boards the distress ship. All of the Abbey exorcists are KO'd...

Phi thinks it's the corsair's scourge that's affecting the Abbey crew.

There's enough sale'tomah to go around for the afflicted exorcists...

Rokurou notices the Abbey crew is smaller than usual.

---

Teresa: "These were all who were aboard when I hijacked the ship and made them set sail...I knew I was being reckless but I never expected we'd run afoul of the corsair's scourge. But you know? I'm glad we did, since it brought me to you." What is this?

She surrenders immediately. What is this?!

Velvet still thinks Teresa's planning a trap.

Teresa: "Lionel Island is where you'll find Dis, a therion. My brother Oscar is guarding over it." That was easy.

Teresa warns the crew about the new arte Oscar got from the Shepherd.

Phi's in shock. Magilou shrugs.

Teresa: "The arte heightens a malak's power far beyond its normal capabilities." Oh dear...

Teresa: "Even if you were to win, you wouldn't come away unscathed...the arte is still untested and imperfect. There's no guarantee its caster will survive the effects. I don't want anything to happen to Oscar! If I'm your hostage, Oscar won't move against you. This will afford you a window to snatch the therion and [escape]."

This feels too easy...

So she wants her brother back...

She refuses to take the sale'tomah, knowing the crew is still skeptical of her. She falls...

Teresa: "Just save Oscar..."

Velvet demands they give her the medicine.

Now to Lionel Isle...

Once they land, Magilou asks if the crew's going to believe Teresa. No other choice, I'm thinking.

The crew's reactions to Magilou's question are really memorable here.

Rokurou has his fist clenched, knowing about the booster arte, and almost wanting this fight.

Magilou: "Maybe this explains why [Melchior] was so intent on acquiring that Siegfried relic."

Eizen doesn't think taking Oscar head-on's the best idea now thanks to that...

Rokurou wonders why Teresa wants to protect Oscar. More family history from Eleanor.

Eleanor: "Oscar is the second son of the Dragonia family, aristocrats with ancestral ties to the Asgard royal lineage...he was sent to the Abbey in the hopes of strengthening his family's ties to the group."
Rokurou: "For the good of the bloodline. Happens all the time." Knowing Rokurou's clan, he's aware of these matters too...

Eleanor: "Teresa followed him into the Abbey, where she's been his constant savior, even if she's kept it from him [...] Teresa was conceived[...] outside of [the family]." Oh my god...

Teresa: "It happens more often than you might think. My mother died, and my father's wife never cared for me, so I merely served the Dragonias as a maid...But Oscar...Oscar was the only one who called me his sister and embraced me as family."

And more offline stuff's interfering again for tonight's session!

---

Now I'm back, continuing and concluding Teresa's backstory...

She gives Velvet and crew her "sincere thanks" for curing her.

I still think she has a motive.

Velvet asks where the therion in Lionel Island is. Teresa points where.

Teresa: "Ahead through the Baird Marsh are the ruins of an ancient kingdom. There you'll find the earthpulse point, along with Oscar." How did she know about our motives, or the earthpulse point?

Phi asks what happened to her remaining malak. Teresa's still adjusting to hearing Phi speak. She mentions what happened with the Shepherd. He's with Melchior now.

She says she's no longer an exorcist.

So now we have her as a hostage if Oscar's in her hands.

Velvet: "Well, do as you wish. All of it." Hoo boy...I am not liking this at all.

The full title for where we are is Lionel Wharf, Frontier Island.

Velvet: "I know you know this, Phi, but don't let your guard down for one second."
Phi: "I won't."

There's the pirates and Benwick loading stuff in.

We talk to a soldier with a red scarf, and see if there are any more bounties to collect. Just two of them so far.

I save before proceeding.

---

I scour around for treasure, noticing a Katz Box near one of the tents.

There's a lot of bronze chests behind the barricades.

The weapons merchant pirate is back!

After doing some business with the student merchant, we talk to a nearby pirate. Teresa tells us that it might take ten days for the Abbey troops to come over to Endgand. That works for the party! Eleanor tells everyone to take it carefully.

We talk to the pirate again who mentions that the island is gradually sinking into the ocean...

We free the Katz and speak to another pirate. He wonders why the Abbey would make camp in Lionel Island. Eizen defers to Teresa for that info.

Teresa: "This island may be uninhabited now, but judging from the ruins, we can tell that civilization has flourished and fallen here many times. This island lies at a focal point of air and sea currents as well as the flow of the earthpulse. That means that malevolence gathers here too...Furthermore, the malevolence of those long dead people still lingers here, lost and unfading." Oh dear...

Magilou: "The more they prospered, the greater the loss of life."

Teresa thinks the malevolence should have been taken care of asap.

But as Magilou says, the Abbey wants Innominat, and what better place to feed malevolence to Innominat by therion than in Lionel Island?

So we're in the far, far northeast of the map...

Now another skit plays between Teresa and Eleanor...

Teresa brings up the rumors about "Eleanor Hume, the traitor."

Eleanor tries to pivot to the corsair's scourge, but Teresa gets to her point about Eleanor's "treachery." She thinks Oscar should've gotten Eleanor's job.

Oscar, ever the gentleman, let Eleanor have that job. What could've been...Then he, not Eleanor, might be with the party now.

Eleanor's in surprise at Oscar being assigned that job before her.

Teresa now asks Eleanor why she joined the woman that injured Oscar...Eleanor answers. Teresa...doesn't think it's good enough. She isn't one to compromise when Oscar is in danger.

A pirate before the marsh's entrance mentions the Abbey sends some of its prisoners here...he does not like this place.

He does want to take the treasures inside the temple, though.

Teresa, ever the enforcer, tells him about the severe "punishment for tomb raiding."

Eizen tells him he can find treasure, but don't expect help.

The pirate also tells us there are daemons inside wherever the treasure is.