Active Quests

Start-class article · First seen: s01 · Last seen: s19

Active quests as of end of session 18. Each entry: name, giver, objective, current progress, last touched in which session. For one-line status see Canonical Names. Completed quests live in Completed Quests; failed/dropped quests in Failed Quests.

About this tracker

Each active quest has: name, giver, objective, current progress, last-touched session. Status as of end of session 19. Order roughly by urgency.

The Egg Quest (Sevryn’s) — DEFERRED s19

  • Status flag (s19): DEFERRED. The party chose NOT to assault Aurelia for the Egg for now — Caelumn argued against losing “six more” against a single patrol [1], and the DM confirmed twice that “you have chosen not to do the quest” [2], L235). The Egg remains in Aurelian hands; recovery is postponed, not abandoned. The ranking officer who took the Egg outranks Mike’s killer; his official title is unknown to the party [3]. The new active travel objectives below (Vel’Kris ledger; Sevryn update) supersede the Aurelia push as the party’s primary heading. See The Egg Quest for the deferred-status detail.

  • Giver: Sevryn

  • Objective: Deliver The Egg to chromatic dragons’ hoards in turn so it can absorb their essence and repair Eldurae’s failing magic.

  • Current progress: 1/N dragons absorbed (Death-at-Sunset, [4]; egg now glows permanently green). Brioche turned out to be gold-with-red, not chromatic, and the egg did NOT resonate with him [5], L1293-1294). Per Thomas Feld (s11), Aurelia and Vhal’Zarim hunted the chromatic dragons together long ago and “there are no chromatic dragons left on this side of the world to find” — so the quest may need to head west or be re-conceived.

  • CRITICAL: The Egg was stolen by Aurelian forces in s15 [6]. The Egg was in Caelumn’s backpack; the backpack was pulled into the smoke by an unseen chain. Its exact current location is unknown. Recovering it is now the top-priority quest.

  • Black Mask’s s17 audience: In her frozen-time audience with Hugo, The Black Mask claimed she could help with Hugo’s mind-control problem and spoke dismissively about the Ascendancy [7]. The exact reason Black Mask is willing to act against them remains unclear. Her interference with the quest itself is forbidden by Hugo’s restated immunity clause [8].

  • Current location of the party (as of s18 close): On Aurelian soil. The skiff was destroyed by a giant winged catfish in s18 [9]; the party swam to landfall on an unnamed stretch of Aurelian coast and walked one day inland through Aurelian farmland. They are roughly a day’s walk from the Bright Gate (Aurelian checkpoint, named at [10] and one day inland from the White Lantern Shrine per the close-of-session DM framing. The egg-recovery route through Aurelia is closer than ever, but the entry conditions just got tighter: Mike was executed at the patrol intercept on the road to the Bright Gate [11], the Mizzium Apparatus and Mike’s spellbook are now in Aurelian custody, and the party knows from the doctrine clarifications at [12] / L2176 / L2378 that arcane magic, magic-item casts, Bladesong, and unsanctioned magic items all trigger the field detection mechanism.

  • Last touched: s18 (party one day inland from the White Lantern Shrine and one day’s walk from the Bright Gate; entry-into-Aurelia planning now blocked by the Bright-Gate-without-detection problem; see active quest below).

  • Sevryn’s affirmation: “Everything is happening the way it’s supposed to” [13], telepathic).

Redeem the forged Duskwatch ledger at Vel’Kris (NEW PRIMARY, s19)

  • Giver: implicit (party heading set by Hugo after the Aurelia retreat, [14]; original referral from The Broker, [15].
  • Objective: Travel to Vel’Kris and hand the forged Duskwatch shipping ledger (“the shipping order”) to Silent Intake for reward (and possibly a fixer retainer). The ledger is the same object tracked below under “The Duskwatch Shipping Ledger” — elevated this session from a dormant lever to the party’s active travel objective.
  • Current progress: Plan set s19 (Hugo: “we’ll be going to Vel’Kris probably to redeem the shipping order stuff”, [14]. Ledger still in Hugo’s possession. The DM laid out the route options: by land Eldwythe → Umbrafall → Mirestrand → Vel’Kris, or a skiff at ~half a hex per day [16], L296), or a desert detour through Khaldun → Sabermoth avoiding Aurelia [17]. The party turned its back on Aurelia’s towers and travelled a day back inland toward the Eldwythe bridge [18].
  • Last touched: s19 (heading set; en route).

Update Sevryn at Gloamhearth (NEW, s19)

  • Giver: implicit (party self-imposed, [14].
  • Objective: After Vel’Kris, return to Gloamhearth (the starting village) to update Sevryn on events — including Hugo’s (PC-stated) theory that “they got the dragon wrong” and a red dragon flew toward Arcanthys [14], L329). The “wrong dragon” framing is PC speculation, DM-unconfirmed.
  • Current progress: Planned as the second leg of the new heading [14]. Sevryn does not appear in s19; the party treats him as a living, reachable contact at Gloamhearth with no on-screen DM status pulse.
  • Last touched: s19 (planned).

Vasquez and Althea — captured offscreen (NOT an active rescue arc)

Vasquez and Althea were captured by Aurelians at the s16 sewer exit per the s17 retcon [19], L785). When the rescue was initially treated as an active quest in the s17 derived-page sweep, that was a misread of the situation. Per Chris’s post-s17 clarification: the rescue is not the campaign’s direction; Vasquez and Althea are departed offscreen, in the same category as Cholmondeley, Harvo, and Ruin. Their fate (still alive in Aurelian custody, presumably) is in-fiction unresolved by design rather than as a hook. Future agents: do not promote this back to an active quest, and do not write “the party plans to rescue them” without on-screen evidence the party has decided to.

If a later session does pivot the party toward a rescue, the entity files for Vasquez and Althea can flip back from departed to captured at that point. Until then, treat as closed.

Investigate the Aurelian “road offices” and “unauthorised studies” abductions

  • Giver: implicit (party-flagged from Nessa’s s17 testimony, parallel to the Mira Hale thread).
  • Objective: Find out what the Aurelian “road offices” are doing with detainees taken on the “unauthorised studies” charge. The pattern, first surfaced in s17: small-town Aurelian arrest infrastructure searches homes, confiscates research materials (tide charts, weather notes, copied journal pages — Nessa’s husband, [20], and removes the bearer. Nessa’s husband (unnamed; unseen) was taken three nights before s17. Sits alongside Mira Hale’s abduction case as a second on-screen example. These cases appear to be part of a broader pattern of Aurelian abductions or disappearances, but the exact structure remains unknown.
  • Current progress: Witnessed but not engaged. Nessa sailed on toward Gloamhearth with her two children Pim and Leo; the party did not commit to a rescue.
  • Open thread: how many other Nessa-family-equivalents exist across the coast?
  • Last touched: s17 (testimony received).

Risa’s Sister Conspiracy / Mercy Investigation

  • Giver: Risa (de facto; the urn-woman the party intervened to save in s7).
  • Objective: Find out what happened to Risa’s sister, Mira Hale.
  • Current progress: Mira was abducted by an Aurelian cell from the Dawn Mercy Clinic (revealed [21] by the orderly Drew under Caelumn’s three-nat-20 Intimidation). Mira showed magical capabilities (telekinesis, lighting candles with her mind per Risa’s s7 account). Taken to Dock 13 and shipped to Aurelia four days before s10. The Nightwatch had been paid off. The clinic was a coerced cover, not the conspirator.
  • Risa’s state: drinking heavily and despondent at end of s10 (“she’s never coming back”). Last seen at the Glomangol Inn.
  • Party commitment: Vasquez vowed at [22]: “If anything goes south, we’ll make sure that the entire place goes up in flames.” Mharos’s response (in his head): “Pathetic.” The party committed in s10 to investigating during their planned Aurelia transit.
  • DEFERRED s19: “find the sister” was named as one of the two in-Aurelia objectives (Caelumn: “get back the egg. And two, try and find the sister”, [23] and was shelved alongside the Egg raid when the party chose not to assault Aurelia for now [2], L235). Not advanced.
  • Last touched: s19 (deferred with the Egg raid; not progressed).

Hugo’s Devil Pact

  • Giver: The Black Mask
  • Objective (Hugo-facing — the rest of the party do not know the pact’s full terms): Hugo serves the Mask for 7 years post-egg-quest, with a 3-year amnesty period in which his soul is forfeit only if he dies. In return: intel on his erased family, on Bella (another Project Veilbreak survivor), on the Project doctor; help killing the doctor; help destroying the project Hugo names as The Ascendancy if Hugo dies pursuing it. The Ascendancy brand-name is Hugo-only in-fiction knowledge.
  • Current progress: Pact signed [24]. Ring (the Onyx Ring of Barbed Hooks) cannot be removed. Demonic-blade self-revive triggered s6 (phase-spider fight). Hugo named The Ascendancy explicitly to the Mask in [25] (private summoning on Hugo’s long-rest watch — the rest of the party were asleep) and proposed upgrading to “champion eternal” — Mask refused, but offered a counter-deal: convert a party ally to the same pact, in exchange for help with the Wraith mind-control.
  • s17 substitution clause renegotiated (frozen-time audience with the Mask in her new third visual form, a gnome on a fishing chair, visible only to Hugo): the substitute now becomes a second attack-dog rather than replacing Hugo — “what is better than one attack dog? to attack dogs” [26]. The Mask indicated that both Hugo’s and the Wraith’s (“Rafe”) mind-control would lift together when the substitution clears [27]. Hugo restated the egg-quest immunity [8] and Ascendancy-destruction clauses [28]; the Mask accepted both. Black Mask claimed she could help with Hugo’s mind-control problem and spoke dismissively about the Ascendancy. The exact reason Black Mask is willing to act against them remains unclear. Quoted: “Fine I’ll crush your little ascendancy and probably send my little attack dog after he’s done fetching that egg” [7].
  • First failed substitute-recruitment attempt under the renegotiated terms (s17): Hugo targeted the new PC Mike via a rigged breath-hold bet (Hugo is Voidforged and doesn’t breathe; [29], L622). Hugo won the bet but Mike refused to sign the contract on three lawyerly grounds [30], L744). The Mask’s response: “better luck on the next go i’m sure” [7]. The substitution clause is still open; Hugo can try again with another willing soul.
  • Current Mike-substitute state, VOID with Mike’s death (s18): The verbal-IOU favour-debt from [31] / L811 (“one wish, eventually, should I live long enough, with a 9th level spell slot”) is void with Mike’s death at the Aurelian patrol intercept [11]. Mike was decapitated before any wish could be cast. The substitution clause itself is still open and Hugo can try again with another willing soul; the Mike-specific verbal IOU is closed by character death.
  • Black Mask intervention offer at [32] — DECLINED: During the patrol encounter, with Mike unconscious at 0 HP and Caelumn weighing options, the DM offered Hugo a Black Mask intervention hook: “Black Mask might want… I’ll allow you to do an action if you want to. You might need it” [32]. Hugo declined the offer. Instead Hugo formally pre-disowned the casters: “If you attack them, I won’t side with them, but I’ll also prove I’m not on your team. And I feel like the only way of doing that will be killing Mike. It’s up to you” [33]. Hugo’s strategic choice was that letting Mike die was safer than triggering a Black Mask intervention or a winnable-but-high-difficulty patrol fight (DM at [34]: “you could potentially win this. It’s a high difficulty fight, but you can win if you won”).
  • The Wraith leash: Hugo passed loyalty Deception s7 (“my pull is as strong as ever”); the Wraith reports the leash is “weakening”. Per the s17 renegotiation, the Wraith’s leash would lift together with Hugo’s when a substitute signs. The “comply” whisper from Mike’s s17 ritual suggests Hugo’s conditioning or leash may still be active or leaving magical residue. Exact status unknown. Mike’s death does not advance the leash-lift.
  • s19 — first payoff delivered; “second deal” now actively pressed (Hugo-only knowledge): On Hugo’s first-camp watch (the rest of the party asleep), The Wraith (“Rafe”) appeared in person, took a debrief, carried an order to assassinate a noble in Arcanthys [35], and re-applied Hugo’s conditioning with the trigger words “Teddy Bear. Lamp.” before departing for “Umbervill” [36]. The Black Mask then froze time and undid the conditioning — the first concrete payoff of her s17 promise — issuing the undo command privately and sending Hugo the full set of trigger words [37]. Crucially, she immediately converted the favour into leverage, pressing Hugo to close the “second deal” (the still-open substitution clause): “You should probably get on that second deal. Wouldn’t want history to repeat itself. Ta-ta” [38]. The DM clarified the leash’s practical bound: Hugo is conditioned “to achieve your goal at any means necessary within reason,” NOT compelled to drag the team into Aurelia [39]. Exact scope of the undo was DM’d privately and is not on-transcript. This entire sequence is Hugo-only; do not propagate to other PCs’ pages.
  • Last touched: s19 (Black Mask delivered the first payoff — conditioning undone; “second deal” substitution clause now actively pressed; substitution still open for future PCs).

The Duskwatch Shipping Ledger

  • Giver: The Broker (advice; not formally contracted).
  • Objective: Sell the forged shipping ledger from Maelis Dirn’s research desk (s6) to Silent Intake in Velkris, near “the Talking Skulls” entrance, for significant reward. The ledger routes bio-gloom toxin through Duskwatch to Velkris.
  • Current progress: Ledger in Hugo’s possession since s6. As of s19 this is the party’s active travel objective — Hugo set the heading to Vel’Kris to redeem “the shipping order stuff” [14]. See the “Redeem the forged Duskwatch ledger at Vel’Kris” entry near the top of this tracker for the route and current leg.
  • Last touched: [14] (elevated to the active heading; party en route to Vel’Kris).

Vel’Kris assassination contract — LAPSED (PC-stated, s19)

  • Giver: previously-held contract (not detailed on-screen this session).
  • Status flag (s19): LAPSED (PC-stated). Hugo judged the window expired: “there’s also the assassination contract, but I imagine we probably aren’t going to pick that up because there’s now the time that has expired for it” [40]. This is PC framing, DM-unconfirmed; treat as a likely-closed thread pending a DM ruling. Could move to Failed Quests if Chris confirms.
  • Last touched: [40] (declared lapsed by Hugo).

Phil’s Contact at White Lantern Shrine

  • Giver: Phil Flowerforge
  • Objective: Meet Hett Varn — a red-headed dwarf with forehead goggles — at the White Lantern Shrine, a half-ruined waystation roughly half a day’s travel from Aurelia (direction not explicitly named on-screen — likely a coastal waystation on the freight road approaching the city). Code phrase: “Phil sent us.” Hett can help with safehouse and Aurelia entry; lives in Ashward of Aurelia.
  • Current progress: Phil parted ways at the sewer mid-point in s15, having handed the party a written note for Hett. Party is currently sailing on a small skiff toward the shrine at end of s16. DEFERRED s19: with the Aurelia push abandoned, the party skipped the shrine visit and turned back inland — Hett “doesn’t know we’re coming” and they felt “no obligation to go to him first” [41], L397-401). Separately, the goblin Gristleback independently named Hett as his own Aurelia-smuggling contact (a red-haired goggled dwarf), corroborating Hett’s smuggler role [42].
  • Last touched: s19 (shrine visit skipped; Hett role corroborated by Gristleback; thread carried, not actioned).

Bring Brioche to Sevryn (or to safety)

  • Giver: implicit (party self-imposed at end of s14).
  • Objective: Take Briochebane back to Sevryn to explain that the small dragon is gold-with-red rather than chromatic and that the egg’s misfire needs Sevryn’s attention.
  • Current progress: Brioche is travelling separately with Phil since s15. Brioche cannot be returned to Phil (his original home in Eldwythe) because of the Aurelian occupation. The party plans to use the bubblegum halfling (now reverted to a normal halfling) as a courier if/when feasible.
  • Last touched: s15 (Phil + Brioche left the party at the sewer mid-point).

Reunite Edith Applegarth with the Asger — CLOSED (impossible)

  • Giver: implicit (party realised it from the rock-candy storybook in s13).
  • Objective (historical): Reunite the rescued bubblegum halfling (s13) with his sister Edith Applegarth — confectioner of Eldwythe. The storybook [43] depicted Edith’s child-bargain with the hag; per DM clarification 2026-05-17, the betrayal is probably based on a real event but the storybook is not an objective historical record.
  • Status: CLOSED (impossible) per DM canonicalisation 2026-05-17. The bubblegum halfling’s canonical name is Bubblegum Halfling (Asger), and he was killed in the Aurelian ambush in s15. The party did not witness the death and never learned his real name in play. Edith is in Aurelian-occupied Eldwythe, status unknown. The reunion cannot happen.
  • Last touched: s15 (Asger died; quest closed retroactively per DM 2026-05-17).

Test the Black Potion (Alston’s request)

  • Giver: Alston (the Whisper Coil Emporium dwarf, s11).
  • Objective: Drink an unidentified bio-gloom-experimental black potion and report back the effects.
  • Current progress: Potion was in Caelumn’s pack — lost with the backpack in s15. Quest effectively dropped.
  • Last touched: s15 (lost with the backpack).
  • Status flag: Effectively failed/abandoned by item-loss; could move to failed.md if Chris prefers.

Enter the Bright Gate without triggering arcane detection (NEW, s18)

  • Giver: implicit (party tactical objective after Mike’s execution and the patrol-leader’s exposition at [44].
  • Objective: Pass through the Bright Gate checkpoint and into Aurelia proper without being flagged by the confessor’s Insight-based arcane-detection mechanism [45], L2176). Get the travelling documents the patrol-leader described at [46], then move through the Ashward toward Hett Varn’s safe house and the Egg recovery.
  • Current state of the problem:
    • Terry’s Bladesong is detected under the “unsanctioned arcane power” doctrine (DM at [47]. Terry has pivoted to a “fuck it mentality” of full-cast confrontation with any further patrol [48]; this conflicts with the stealth objective.
    • Mizzium Apparatus-cast off-list cantrips are detected as magic-item-casting → arcane spellcasting (DM at [12]. The apparatus is now in Aurelian custody anyway, but the precedent applies to any future apparatus-class item.
    • Healing potions and other arcane magic items require Aurelian sanction inside Aurelian territory (DM at [49]. Hugo is a “walking magic armoury” (Terry, [50] and most of his loadout falls in this category. Provisional dragon-slaying-sword exception offered by Hugo at [51]: “they hate dragons so I might be alright.”
    • Items inherently clerical or holy in flavour (Staff of Healing, Prayer Beads, holy water) may flavour-pass (DM at [52] on True Strike: “It’d be fine”). The DM committed at [53] to producing a curated list of arcane-vs-non-arcane spells for the party.
    • Hugo’s Voidforged biology is invisible to the same detector (he isn’t spellcasting). Steven’s pact-of-the-blade tobacco-smelling dagger has not been tested against the confessor mechanism.
  • Open routes:
    1. Sanction paperwork via the Bright Gate registration desk: pay or bluff for travel documents and per-item sanction marks.
    2. No-magic posture for the entry window: strip the magic-item loadout, bury or cache outside the gate, walk in as ordinary travellers.
    3. Caelumn-fronted entry: leverage Caelumn’s clerical training and Bahamut faith (though Bahamut/Vhal’Zarim and Aurelia’s Pure Light are separate religious systems per the post-s17 corrections register; compatibility unclear).
    4. Hett Varn introduction first: meet Hett at the White Lantern Shrine (one day inland from the s18 close-of-session position) and use his Ashward safehouse / Aurelia-side knowledge to pre-clear the entry.
  • Status: active. The s18 patrol intercept established the stakes; the next session is expected to put the gate itself on-screen.

Hugo’s voluntary Voidforged disclosure to Mike: CLOSED (Mike died)

  • Giver: Hugo (self-imposed in s17).
  • Objective (historical): Controlled disclosure of Hugo’s Voidforged nature to the newest PC, Mike, via Mike’s Mizzium Apparatus-cast Detect Thoughts [54]. Hugo voluntarily surfaced the canonical line “I am the result of some form of experiment. And that I’m one of a few survivors” in his own thoughts for Mike to read. Mike’s verdict back to Hugo only: “you are an abomination” (s17).
  • Status: CLOSED with Mike’s death [11]. Mike took the knowledge with him; no other PC currently knows the canonical Voidforged framing the way Mike did. The disclosure-to-the-party arc is closed by character death.
  • Last touched: s18 (Mike died).

References

  1. ^ Session 19, line 157 — Inline citation.
  2. ^ Session 19, line 229 — Inline citation.
  3. ^ Session 19, line 181 — Inline citation.
  4. ^ Session 3, line 1532 — Inline citation.
  5. ^ Session 14, line 837 — Inline citation.
  6. ^ Session 15, line 500-504 — Inline citation.
  7. ^ Session 17, line 717 — Inline citation.
  8. ^ Session 17, line 712 — Inline citation.
  9. ^ Session 18, line 979-981 — Inline citation.
  10. ^ Session 18, line 2304 — Inline citation.
  11. ^ Session 18, line 2272-2274 — Inline citation.
  12. ^ Session 18, line 2047 — Inline citation.
  13. ^ Session 16, line 1753 — Inline citation.
  14. ^ Session 19, line 271 — Inline citation.
  15. ^ Session 7, line 745 — Inline citation.
  16. ^ Session 19, line 290 — Inline citation.
  17. ^ Session 19, line 345-354 — Inline citation.
  18. ^ Session 19, line 1045 — Inline citation.
  19. ^ Session 17, line 130 — Inline citation.
  20. ^ Session 17, line 973 — Inline citation.
  21. ^ Session 10, line 648 — Inline citation.
  22. ^ Session 10, line 1556 — Inline citation.
  23. ^ Session 19, line 171 — Inline citation.
  24. ^ Session 4, line 1658-1730 — Inline citation.
  25. ^ Session 12, line 194 — Inline citation.
  26. ^ Session 17, line 709 — Inline citation.
  27. ^ Session 17, line 711 — Inline citation.
  28. ^ Session 17, line 716 — Inline citation.
  29. ^ Session 17, line 580 — Inline citation.
  30. ^ Session 17, line 738 — Inline citation.
  31. ^ Session 17, line 757 — Inline citation.
  32. ^ Session 18, line 2223 — Inline citation.
  33. ^ Session 18, line 2243 — Inline citation.
  34. ^ Session 18, line 2249 — Inline citation.
  35. ^ Session 19, line 445 — Inline citation.
  36. ^ Session 19, line 449 — Inline citation.
  37. ^ Session 19, line 455 — Inline citation.
  38. ^ Session 19, line 464 — Inline citation.
  39. ^ Session 19, line 467-468 — Inline citation.
  40. ^ Session 19, line 172 — Inline citation.
  41. ^ Session 19, line 251 — Inline citation.
  42. ^ Session 19, line 645-648 — Inline citation.
  43. ^ Session 13, line 1206 — Inline citation.
  44. ^ Session 18, line 2012-2018 — Inline citation.
  45. ^ Session 18, line 2115 — Inline citation.
  46. ^ Session 18, line 2012 — Inline citation.
  47. ^ Session 18, line 2176 — Inline citation.
  48. ^ Session 18, line 2324-2328 — Inline citation.
  49. ^ Session 18, line 2378 — Inline citation.
  50. ^ Session 18, line 2366 — Inline citation.
  51. ^ Session 18, line 2371 — Inline citation.
  52. ^ Session 18, line 2376 — Inline citation.
  53. ^ Session 18, line 2352 — Inline citation.
  54. ^ Session 17, line 1431 — Inline citation.